After experimenting with some gel medium transfers using transparencies, one of the images I transferred was of three little girls. I had hoped the image would transfer in black, but it came out rather pink instead. Not sure if that’s due to the ink in my inkjet printer, or due to the gel medium I used (or both). But I still liked the image and decided I’d do something with it and try to work with pink and black as the primary colors. What I came up with was this altered art piece on a scrap chipboard panel I had laying around (click on the image for a full version). I’m calling this Cherish Friends.
I covered the chipboard panel with a vintage-looking piece of scrapbook paper; it’s mostly black and white, but there are some hints of pink and light brown in it too, so it looks a bit distressed. Then I took some Tim Holz Distress Ink and darkened the edges of the chipboard, and the edges of the scrapbook paper.
I took my transfer image and tore off at each edge, to make all the edges look distressed too (you gotta love the distressed look!). I Mod Podged a postage sticker to the scrapbook paper, followed by my vintage photo, and burnished them well to make sure they were well adhered to the paper.
Next it was time to embellish. I added a sticker of roses that has just a hint of sparkle to it, followed by a digital photo of a butterfly (I’ve come to realize that I must have a thing for butterflies, because I use them a lot!). And I added the “Cherish” sticker to the top left of the panel.
Then I took my craft punch and punched four holes in the panel; one on either side of the word, “Cherish,” and two rather close together on the opposite side of the panel. That is where my button would go. I added some pewter-finish round brads to the Cherish sticker, and I tied a black button onto the panel with some black ribbon, which I tied into a bow.
The finishing touch was adding another piece of the black ribbon horizontally across the bottom of the panel. Then I stamped out the letters for the word, “Friends” onto grungy cardstock. And I distressed them on each side with my Distress Ink, and adhered them to the ribbon and panel with glue dots.
Then, voila! It was finished. I had such fun making this! I think I have to dedicate this one to all of my best girlfriends. 
) But for now I’m back to the studio, working on a Michael Jackson painting for my celebrities in blue series.
