Tim Holtz Distress Spritz Tag Tutorial: How to Color Resin Moulds with Distress Ink and Sprays!

Tim Holtz just released another 12 Distress Spritz colors and I have a fun tutorial for you with a new way to add color to mould casts. 

Hey, crafty friend! First I just want to thank Scrapbook.com for sending me several of the new Spritz colors to play with! (You can shop these new Spritz colors and all of the supplies I used in this project below.) I wanted to test out a new way to add color and sparkle to my moulds and if you aren't much into adding paints to your craft stash, then this new technique is for you! 

The only thing you may need to pick up is some clear gesso (I recommend Finnabair's Clear Gesso), but honestly, it's a really handy item to have in your stash, especially if you like to add various mediums to paper--especially sprays and mists!

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A post shared by Adrienne Boese (@alicescrapswonderland)

Let's get into this tutorial! First, use some resin to cast out a couple of Finnabair's Baroque Frames. (You can try this with modeling material or paper clay, but I haven't tested this coloring technique yet on those types of castings.) I used Alumilite's Amazing Casting Resin in white, which can be de-moulded in 10 minutes and sets up in about an hour, depending on how warm it is. Don't forget to wear proper protective gear while using resin, including gloves and a mask, and to work in a properly ventilated area by opening a window or turning on a venting fan. Let your resin casts completely set up and harden. 

Start by cutting a Nested Tag out from some 6x8 White Mixed Media Paper and some of Prima's 12x12 Nature Academia Paper with a bunch of books on it. In order to recreate this particular project, you don't need to have this exact patterned paper, so any patterned paper with a repeating pattern that is tone-on-tone is perfect for this. You could even just use cardstock too!

Then used Sizzix Express Glue to adhere the patterned paper tag to the mixed media paper tag, using a brayer to laminate the two layers together. Next apply a modeling paste through a stencil onto the tag for texture. (Pro Tip: if you use a small and detailed stencil like I did, use a modeling paste that has no grit, like Finnabair's Modeling Paste, to help make the details clear. Pastes with grit make it hard to pass through small openings in stencils.)

Set your tag aside to dry and then die cut some of the leaves from the Cozy Foliage die set from the A2 Vintage paper pad. Using a foam blender or blending brush, add a bit of Distress Oxide to the edges of your leaves for some shading. 

Once your moulds have completely hardened, paint them with a thin layer of clear gesso. This is an important step. Resin is non-porous and gesso creates a toothy, porous layer on your resin casts that will hold the ink. 

After the gesso has dried, apply a Distress Ink to your moulds with one of Scrapbook.com's Tiny Flawless Blending Brushes. The thin long brushes are especially good at getting into all the little crevices of your mould casts.

Either let this layer of ink dry a bit or use a handheld fan (not a heat tool as this will soften your resin cast and make it pliable) to dry your ink a bit. Using a Domed Foam Blending Tool to apply a Distress Oxide to the highlights of your mould cast. Then let this dry or use a little handheld fan to speed up the drying process. 

For this tag, I've done my signature "floating frame" technique where I float my frames on top of paper flowers. I like to dry fit the paper flowers first so I know how it needs to be laid out. For this technique, you want your frames to be held up evenly, and that requires putting flowers on the opposite sides of one another. So in this case, I have flowers in the top left and bottom right corners of each frame. 

Now that all your pieces are prepped and ready, it's time to add your glitzy Spritz! Put out all of your brown, copper, and cream colored flowers with your brown mould, leaf die cuts and your tag. Spray on some of the Frayed Burlap Spritz and set these aside to dry. 

Then put out your green frame and green flowers and mist them with the Bundled Sage Spritz, and again set these aside to dry. 

While the Spritz is drying, stamp and die cut out a sentiment from the Sizzix Thankful Sentiments stamp and framelit set using the Ground Espresso Distress Archival Ink. You can also cut some of the vines out of the white lace from the Postcards from Paradise collection, and an 18 to 20 inch length of ribbon from the In Full Bloom collection, which has a lovely sage green ribbon. 

Once your Spritz is dry, you can assemble your tag's embellishments using hot glue (or you can use Finnabair's Heavy Body Gel if you need a little more work time.) Stack your flowers, shape and tuck in your leaves, add a bit of the lace and pop on your sentiment with a bit of foam adhesive. 

For some finishing touches, use a bit of Artis glue to add some Pearls to your flowers and pop on some of the crystals from the Nature Academia collection. Then tie on your ribbon to finish off the tag. 

A lot of you ask what I do with my art once I've made it. I like to hang my tags up on my wall. I've got a couple of wooden pieces with clips on them and I can easily change the tags out and display them on my wall. I also like to clip them to gift bags or put them on top of presents in place of a card. If you want to add a written sentiment to your tag, the back is a great place to do it--just write your message before you glue all the dimensional stuff on! Until next time, happy crafting!

Adrienne

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Below are products that I used for this project.