First I collected together 3 sheets of cardstock and 2 sheets of some butchers paper that I use to catch excess paint that I had lying on my desk. Painted these first with a layer of DecoArt Gesso and then some Americana paints. Americana Sea Breeze blue is my main colour of course, its my favourite.
Next I grabbed 3 of my wood blocks and painted them with DecoArt Gesso and then the edges with the Americana sea breeze paint.
Using my painted papers I measured roughly and cut to size 3 rectangles to fit my pre-painted wood blocks. Using the Helmar Decoupage and Craft Paste I adhered the papers to the fronts of the wood blocks. You have a little bit of time to slide things around to get them in the right spot. Then I use the glue spreader to get any air bubbles out. To get all the edges crisp. I wait for it all to dry then using one of those paper nail files I filed the edges to get them all smooth and exact. I then inked all the edges in black just to bring them all together.
So why did I not just paint the wood blocks? Well this way I got exactly the parts of the papers that I wanted, without worrying about what I was putting where. I could just have fun with painting my papers and then choose what parts I wanted for my finished product.
I also used some of my rolled music paper beads. These were left over from my last project. I added them in the middle on the wire just to add some interest. I roll these up using Helmar Tacky Craft Glue.
Hope I have inspired you to look at some scrap wood, some painted papers and your supply of Helmar glue a little differently.
