WIP Wednesday: American Blue Bloods

So last week I was on a "vacation" where I was house and dog sitting for friends. I didn't want to fall behind on the blog and didn't want to just watch television the whole time so I took writing materials and a bag full of craft goodies to keep me busy. Today's WIP Wednesday is a product of a week of tinkering and trying new things. It still needs a little something, like a pop of dismal red or pink and I'm not sure if it is a stand-alone piece or if I might attach it to something else.

It all started months ago with a metal tart pan shaped like a heart. I bought a few of these, not really sure what to do with them. Next I bought an antique iron rest that had some lovely rust on it.

After going through the photos from the old album a friend gave me, I knew these two were perfect for this project. I traced the heart around their photo and cut away. 

 

I wasn't sure what colors I was going for with this piece so I started off with a bit of Tim Holtz® Distress Stain in Walnut around the cut edges and then I coated the photo itself, wiping away excess with a paper towel. I liked it, but wanted more color.

 Tim Holtz® Distress Stain in Broken China was the ticket!

 I let it soak a bit into the photo and blotted it away, leaving some nice aging behind.

While that dried, I rusted the tart pan using Sophisticated Finishes by Modern Options. As the rust developed, I knew I wanted to add color so I dry brushed on some gesso.

This is where things spun out of control.I'm still learning and didn't realize my color washes would darken the rust. While I loved the blackish blue on the white gesso, I didn't love that you couldn't see the rust anymore. It was too dark.

 To fix the mess, I dry brushed on some ________________ and like how it brightened up the piece.

With the colors pretty much how I wanted them, I glued the heart onto the iron rest and attached the embellishments with E-6000 glue. I made sure to use it in a very well-ventilated area.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to add a layer of dimensional glaze or not so I didn't glue in the photo. I opted not to add the glaze so once I got home I glued it in place. I did want a bit of dark sparkle, so I took out my glitters. I have a very fine black glitter and a nice vintage-looking chunky black glitter. I opted for chunky but hated the result. I ended up scraping most of it off and adding Tim Holtz® Distress Stain in Walnut and Hickory Smoke to cover up any paper tears. I like how it toned down the glitter so that it almost looks like the tart pan is corroded or coated in burnt-on crud.

Tonight I'll add just a bit of that red or pink for a pop of color and let it sit while I work on something else. The piece looks great on a wooden easel so if I decide it is finished, you'll find it in my Etsy shop.