chippy Archives - Linda Nelson

DISTRESS…. AND CHIP!

January 5, 2017

‘Distress…. and chip!’. But, you have to say it with the cadence of ‘Bend…. and snap!’, okay? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then just view this clip.

I just recently had to upgrade my cell phone. I was about to toss the box that my old one came in, when I noticed that it was in mint condition; however, the surface design was obviously that of the company the phone came from. That’s when I immediately assumed the position of ‘distress…. and chip’. Perhaps you crafty DIYers would like to get in on the action, too.

©Linda Nelson 2017

Isn’t it a charming little packaging box transformation? Some homemade chalk finish paint, homemade moss tape, a piece of rusty wire and some decoupaging action was all it took to put this crafty project together. I made a matching gift tag, too.

©Linda Nelson 2017

See the subtle chippy finish details? They’re so easy to achieve on a cardboard box.

©Linda Nelson 2017

I was just about to tuck some tissue paper inside my gift box before photographing it, when it dawned on me that fabric would be an even better idea. I would have used organza, but I don’t have any on hand. Tulle would be a lovely option, too.

©Linda Nelson 2017

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a gift box, either. It could be used as a decorative storage box.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this session of ‘Distress…… and chip!’.

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HOW TO LAY CHIPPY EGGS!

March 5, 2016

I know how much you all love chippy finish furniture and decorative accessories, so I thought you you might enjoy my tutorial for laying chippy eggs. But, before I do that, I’m going to let you in on a little secret – I really don’t like chippy stuff in my home. There….. I said it. You see, I delight in looking at all the pictures of lovely chippy furniture, chippy home accessories and artfully photographed chippy vignettes. But, I just don’t want it in my home. Why? Well, when you move, bump into or handle authentic chippy objects, chips flake off and fall onto the floor, and that would bug the heck out of me. I would be destined to traipsing around the house with my vacuum in tow all day long. I don’t do crumby either. Crumbs are not allowed to linger on my counters for more than a few seconds before I absolutely must clean them up. Immediately afterward, I drag my hand across the entire countertop to make sure that I didn’t miss a crumb. I periodically vacuum out my toaster, too. Really! I kid you not.

©Linda Nelson 2016

Anyway, I sure hope this instructional satisfies the chippy egg layer in you. Please note that this exercise is for the experimentally inclined. Or, let’s put it this way – it’s not a paint by number approach; results will, indeed, vary.

Grab your materials –

a Styrofoam or wooden egg
Plaster of Paris
white gesso
powdered tempera pigment (ground up colored chalk is a good substitute)
acrylic craft paints
paint brush
small paint sponge
skewer or metal screw eye

Begin by inserting a skewer into the rounded end of the styrofoam egg; use a screw eye and wire hanging loop if you have a wooden egg. This step is for making your egg easier to handle during the painting process. Apply a base coat of gesso to your egg, then let it dry.

©Linda Nelson 2016

The paint mixing ratios are per one egg, and are rough measurements not to be taken so literally. It’s simply a guideline to assist you in using close to exact needed amounts. I do not have every color under the sun of pigment powder; I just have the basics(red, yellow, blue, black and white), and custom mix my own hues. Also, DO NOT rinse the leftover Plaster of Paris down the drain. Instead, wipe brushes and paint mixing bowls out with paper towels to remove as much residual solid matter as possible before washing your tools.

Now, for the experimental, messy and fun part –

Mix together 1/2 teaspoon gesso, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered pigment and 1/4 teaspoon of Plaster of Paris to make a pasty consistency, and slather it onto your egg. When the paint becomes sticky to the touch, cup the egg in your hands and use a “squeeze and release” action to suction lift off various patches of paint from the egg’s surface. If done correctly, you should now have messy hands and a sloppy looking egg.

©Linda Nelson 2016

Set your egg aside to dry, then repeat this step with a different paint color, only this time, mix a one half batch of paste and apply to select areas of your egg. Follow up with the “squeeze and release” action, then set aside to dry.

With your sponge, lightly dab some white gesso onto the surface of the egg to create a whitewash effect. Put a tiny drop of acrylic craft paint onto your fingertip and gently dab irregular shaped splotches on random areas of the egg. Mix another one half batch of gesso/pigment/Plaster of Paris, and slather it onto various spots on your egg. Follow up with the “squeeze and release” step. Observe your egg to determine if you are satisfied with the look, or whether you’d like to create more paint layers. At this point, you can decide which painting step you’d like to repeat – the thick slather, gesso whitewash, or random dabs of patchy color.

Here are some chippy eggs that I laid. I’ll probably lay a few more because they’re so much fun to make.

©Linda Nelson 2016

For this egg, I finished it off with a rubdown using a dab of FolkArt “Espresso” antiquing medium.

©Linda Nelson 2016

Happy chippy egg laying, my friends!

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MAKE SCENTED MOSSY EGGS

February 19, 2016

It’s that time of year again when all of us crafters will be laying and displaying our handcrafted eggs. Dipping, dying, batiking, painting, decoupaging, stenciling and glittering are some of the many techniques that will be used in the creative process. Let’s add “mossing” to the list. The pictured examples are not just any mossy eggs; they’re Linda’s mossy eggs, and I think you will enjoy making some. I certainly did.

Grab your supplies –

Styrofoam egg(s)
skewer(s)
brown and green acrylic paint
paint/sponge brushes
Elmer’s glue
dyed/preserved spanish moss
soil-less seed starter mix/potting mix (or a handful of peat moss)
dried lavender buds
small container
spoon

You will also need an electric coffee grinder or some sort of food processor, and a sieve.

Poke the skewer into the rounded end of the egg. This step is just for practical egg handling purposes. Next, mix some green and brown paint together to create a drab and muddy or mossy hue. Add to it a few drops of glue, mix well, then apply one coat of paint to your egg. Let the painted egg dry.

Grab a tiny handful of the Spanish moss(torn into little pieces) and a few pinches of lavender buds, and place them in your coffee grinder. Grind/pulse until the mixture is somewhat fine yet still maintains a little bit of texture. Continue making up batches of the lavender moss until you have about one half to one cup’s worth; that will be enough to cover a handful of eggs. A small Chinese takeout soup container is ideal for storing the ground moss.

Apply a generous/even coat of glue onto the egg’s surface with a paintbrush. Hold the egg over the container of moss, and using a spoon, scoop up some moss and drop it over the egg. Continue doing this while simultaneously turning the egg until it is completely coated. DO NOT dip the egg into the moss; it smudges the glue coating. Gently tap the skewer on the edge of your container to help the loose particles fall away, then place it somewhere to dry. I like to set the skewer down into the neck of a small bottle. Use a clean, dry brush to remove the rest of the loose particles; they can go right back into your moss container.

To make the brown egg, simply strain the soil-less/peat based potting mix thru a sieve until you have collected enough of a fine textured amount to work with. I didn’t add the lavender to this one, but you’re more than welcome to do so.

I’m not a big fan of providing exacting instructions for creative embellishing; you own that part. I figure that if you don’t have it in you to do it yourself, chances are that you’re not reading this post.

Do you like my Thumbelina-sized envelope? See how I made it?

Hmmmm…… what else have I been up to? Oh, I made a “chippy” egg. Just mention in a comment if you’d like me to share my technique for that one.

There you have it.

Now, make some scented mossy eggs, and get creative!

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