Textured handmade cards

During short breaks from gardening I get back to my paper crafting. This week I continued playing with textures, taking the vintage texture technique one step further.

To make textured handmade cards you will need:

• thick paper (I chose white watercolour paper but you can experiment with colours and paper thickness)
• acrylic gesso and white acrylic paint
• acrylic medium (I used modeling paste for the "hello" card and glass bead medium for the "joy" card)
• mod podge
• crackle paint
• cardboard letters or other embellishments
• lace, paper, cheese cloth, magic mesh
• acrylic paint to create a colour pattern (I used blue and grey paint diluted with water) and a small spray bottle or two for applying it
• brushes

Cut the watercolour paper to the dimensions of your card.  Fold in two.
Follow THE VINTAGE TEXTURE TUTORIAL to create a white textured background for the card.
For the "hello" card I've applied several thick layers of paint, alternating with cheese cloth, lace, paper, and magic mesh.  I've also used modeling paste to create textured "smudges".

Let your imagination guide you and do not forget to allow the mediums to dry completely between the layers.
To finish, apply white gesso and let dry.

Now let's play with colours: using a spray bottle apply colours in a random pattern.  I strongly recommend you to test your spray bottle on the scrap piece of paper.  But keep in mind that you can always "start over" - simply cover your card with a new layer of white acrylic paint, let dry, and spray again.
If using letters cover them with crackle paint or a thick layer of white acrylic paint.
Attach letters or other embellishments to the card.

For the "joy" card I've used a glass bead medium instead of modeling paste and lace.
I really like the textured effect created by the beads.  I also opted for slightly darker colours and more pronounced splashes.

If you notice your card warping, leave it under press (leaving it under a thick book) over night.

Pretty simple, isn't it?  Let me know if you have any questions.  I will also be very happy to see your projects using vintage texture.

xxx
Anya