Gettin' Down and Dirty

Hey!  It is my week to host the A Muse Studio Challenge.  I admit that I find these challenges um.... challenging sometimes.  You know, you have to think up something that people can relate to and want to partake in, yet they should be new and exciting.  Maybe I fulfilled that, maybe I didn't.  Either way it is a go now and my challenge is to get down and dirty, grungy and messy, sloppy and tattered, whatever it takes.

I confess that I am a clean stamper.  I don't end up with ink and glue all over the stamp, the desk, my fingers, my clothes, etc.  When people look at my stamps and mounts they often say they look new.  Nope, I'm just not that kind of messy.  I like the look of cards with lots of dyes, sprays, and fussy things all over them.  I don't tend to make them because they sound so messy.  However, that is what this challenge is all about.

I know Tim Holtz is laughing at my idea of grunge, but bear with me!  I distressed the layered edges on this card.  Since I rarely know where I left my distressing tool at (see, I'm that kind of messy) I just use my metal ruler instead.  You scrape it along the edge like you are trying to scrape the burnt off toast and it works just fine.  It makes a huge fuzzy mess all over your lap and the floor.

I also used Splash spray on the top layer of the card.  I used blush, which is a light and subtle color so it doesn't show up too much in my photo.  That stuff is fun to use but beware that you can dye fabric with it so you probably shouldn't be using it inside unless you are looking for speckled decor.  I thought the twine with its natural fuzziness and unevenness helped the overall messy look of this card.

 For this card I increased the amount of distressed edges and crinkly-ness.    In the end I thought the card was a bit bulky with too many roughed up surfaces so I may have crossed a line somewhere.  However, I did like the various patterns as I felt it helped make things look sloppy.

This card features a lot of new product that will be available in the new catalog that goes live on March 1st (coming real soon!)  This is a new color called Mermaid.  There is not a new baker's cording in this color though.  There is a new Splash spray in it so you can use that to dye your existing cording and any kind of dying counts as messy in my book!

I hope you liked my tattered sloppiness and can come join us in the challenge.  I'm giving away a prize of chevron patterned cardstock in the new color, Mermaid.

The Fine Print: All things A Muse Studio.  Cardstock used: kraft, grass, sugar, mermaid, mermaid chevron, mermaid petite pinstripe; inks used: currant, grass, mermaid, memento black and cocoa; stamps used: Sunny Side of Life, Script background, and You're too Kind (new); dies used: butterfly trio, you're too kind matching dies, scallop bordered and Spellbinders circle; Splash spray used: blush and mermaid.  Other supplies: metal brads, onyx pearls, toffee twine, blush baker's cording (blush part removed and white part dyed).