Experiment with Distress Oxide Sprays and Distress Archival Inks on a Tag

I often use a tag to try out new products and techniques.  As one of the prompts on this month's challenge over on Tag It Tuesday is 'Use Spray Inks', I decided to try out a couple of the new Distress Oxide sprays.  Each month there are four prompts and at least two have to be used.  The additional prompts this month were 'Put a leaf on it', 'Draw, paint or write using your non dominant hand' and 'Green'.  I used all four prompts.

I started by covering a #8 manilla tag with a page of Romanian text, drying and trimming.

I started adding leaves using the #2 stamp in the Skeleton Leaf 3 way overlay tile stamp set from Claritystamp.  I stamped the leaf three times in Versamark ink and heat embossed the images in clear EP.

Next came the experimenting with Oxide sprays.  As the final prompt is 'green' I chose the only two greens that have been released so far, Cracked Pistachio and Peeled Paint and sprayed them both lightly onto the tag, drying the ink with my heat gun.  Before spraying, I gently shook each spray bottle from side to side, like ringing a bell.

I spritzed a little water over the tag before adding more of the Cracked Pistachio.  I also added a light mist of Twisted Citron Distress Spray Stain.  As the oxide sprays dry to a chalky finish, mixing in one of the original spray stains added patches of vibrancy.  Once again, I used my heat gun to dry the tag thoroughly.

I wondered how the new Distress Archival inks would work over the Oxide sprays.  I took the same stamp as before and stamped it multiple times in Peeled Paint Archival ink, then went over the top with a little Vintage Photo around the edges.

As I had already used three of the prompts, I thought that I might as well use the fourth.  I went round the edges of the leaves and the tag with a white gel pen in my right hand, producing a lovely 'wobbly' effect as I am left handed.  The gel pen produces quite a subtle effect over the Oxide sprays.

To finish, I added one of the Tim Holtz quote chips.

I will definitely be getting more of the Distress Oxide sprays when they are released, as they combine so well with each other and the original Distress Spray Stains.