Well, it looks like I am really obsessed with this gel press mono-printing as well as all things mixed media right now.  Once you start with it you really can not stop making prints.

These projects really came about as “happy accidents” as the amazing Bob Ross would say. 

I started out just playing around with different colors of paints and the gel press, trying to get a handle on the whole process, what worked and what did not.  I have to say the only thing I do not like about gel pressing and its a minor one, is that you can not recreate the same background twice, its always going to be slightly different. 

 I get into the zone of creating, I sometimes forget to take pictures of the exact process, so I end up having to go back and try and recreate it again.

Here you can see I played around to recreate the background for the bookmark having little success.

For the card background, I was a little more on point recreating it. 

For both projects, I used linen white cardstock for the printing process which gave a really cool distressed look. I also experimented with different stencils and the fairy die while doing the pressing process. It turned out ok but not so crisp and clean, which lead me to sit and figure out another solution. 

For the card, I went back in with the garden frame and some green paint and a sponge to add the foliage frame, this created a nice focal point for the beautiful faerie.

I die cut the fairy numerous times, once from white glitter paper and several more times from heavy black cardstock.  I used one of those die cuts in the pressing process, as previously mentioned. While I was already using the die cutting machine I went on to do the rest of my cutting to save some time.  I die cut some hexagons using the Paper Rose stitched Hexagon die, I also die cut some stitched frames as well.

I layered the fairies together using foam tape and slightly offsetting them so the glitter would peek through nicely. I stamped the sentiment on to the main panel using Vers Clair ink and the Beautiful Mandella stamp set also from Paper Rose Studio.

  I trimmed down some white glitter cardstock to 5½ x 4 to layer the main panel on to, which measures 5¼ x 4 7/8 (ish) and adhered that on to a purple card base I created which measures 5¾ x 4½. I used foam tape to pop everything up, including the frame.  To finish it off I added some starry sequins from my stash and some wink of Stella around the frame (which isn't easy to photograph)

 The panel for the tag was a little bit different, I had used the stencil while printing but the image did not show up well. So I decided to go back in with the stencil and some white gesso and just added it to the corners of the tag, it really just made the colors pop.

While I still had the stencil out i decided to add it on to a hexagon die using the picket fence blending brushes and some black soot. This just added a little extra something, i then took that same hexagon and added the sentiment again using the Beautiful Mandella stamp from Paper Rose Studio. 

To create the bookmaker,  I cut down the main panel to 5 3/8 x 2 ½, white cardstock to 5½ x 2 5/8, pink mirror cardstock to 5 5/8 x 2 7/8 and the black base to 6x 3¼  

I glued the white, pink and main panel flat together and then popped up those layers on to the black base. I popped up the hexagon die as well as the fairy just for a little extra flair.  

To finish it all off I added some sparkly clear sequins and some tulle and ribbon to the bookmaker.

I hope you were able to pick up some ideas and inspiration from in here.

Have a Great Easter Long Weekend!