Leaky Shed Studio: Mixed Media Layout with Tracey S.

It's Tracey here to share a layout featuring gorgeous Leaky Shed Studio chipboard. I like to cut things apart and use them in non-traditional ways. Here I've cut apart the swirl tree and used the flowing limbs as flourishes below and next to the photo.

I've used a photo of Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland taken by my scrapbooking friend, Linda Eggleton. As soon as I saw this image, I fell in love the the lines and colors and knew it would be a gem to create with. Linda has graciously given me permission to scrapbook a copy of it. You can find more of her delightful photos and work HERE.

"Splendid, Wonderful, Breathtaking"

Tips and Techniques

I just adore how the lines of the Swirl Tree chipboard follow the lines of the gorgeous trees in my photo. I've used two layers of Fran-tage Aged Silver embossing enamel to pick up on the colors of the limbs as well.

Here you can see the larger piece of the "tree" below my photo. I've added textures to the background with stenciled molding paste, sheet rock mesh topped with super heavy gesso, then spritzed and splattered with Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists.

Above the grungy photo slide frame, I've added a bit of a Leaky Shed Studio Bird Cage. I used the bottom part in a previous project and of course saved the top to tuck in here. It's painted with black gesso, then dry brushed lightly with white gesso.

This Leaky Shed Studio Spring Butterfly is heat set with a couple different colors of embossing enamel. First I covered and heat set the entire piece with Fran-tage Aged Ivory Embossing Enamel, then applied just a little Perfect Medium to the wing edges and sprinkled very lightly with Aged Hunter and heat set again. I was careful not to sprinkle too much of my second color so it wouldn't be a solid block of color as I wanted the lighter color to show through.

Isn't it sweet how this metal flourish looks like the butterfly body and flows into a lovely, flowing trail? If you are wondering how I adhere chipboard and heavy metal pieces like this to my background, I have found that Helmar 450 gives a strong bond even in difficult hard to hold situations like this.