Challenge 7 - Use a Mask

Ok, everyone, I know that Halloween is done and the candy is (probably) gone, but I'm giving you one more chance to use those masks.... scrap masks, that is.

Masks are very versatile. Many of you probably own them (like the ones Heidi Swapp makes), but if you do not have your own stash, fear not! They are super easy to make also. Some ideas:

* Lightly stick some stickers (letters or shapes) on a page and then ink over them. Remove the stickers and voila, you have used a mask
* Print or draw a shape unto cardstock or a transparency and cut around it. Put non-permanent sticky stuff on the back of the shape (like a photo corner) and then place it on the layout. Ink and then remove the shape. Easy as pie.
* Use a punch to make a shape and then use that shape as suggested above. (That is what I did on the upper right of my layout)

Remember that all kinds of mediums work with masks... Stamp ink, paint, chalk, crayons... sky is the limit.

As always, show us what you've got. You have 2 weeks (until Sunday, December 16th) to post your creation. It can be a layout, a card, a project... whatever. Have fun! Link here or at the posts at http://www.scrapbook.com/ (in the challenge section) or at http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/ (in the pub) to be considered for a RAK.


We are also very pleased to bring you our first FEATURED ARTIST for this challenge. Please welcome Sherry Steveson to Method Playground. Sherry is a fellow HMer and is author of two books: "When Life Gifes You Lemons; turning sour photos into sweet layouts" (coming out in the Summer of '08) and "The Scrapbooker's Embellishment Handbook" (coming out in the Spring of 2009). Check out her blog at: http://sherrysteveson.typepad.com/my_weblog/. We are thrilled to have her play with us!

For Sherry's layout, she used Heidi Swapp mask letters and a flower. Using black paint, she covered the masks so that the black highlighted the letters and flower. She then used white stazon ink and covered the entired title to 'soften' the look. She rounded out this page with multiple photos of her son Fletcher in classic moments and tore Heidi Swapp tape to embellish.



For my (Jen's) layout, I used two different mask techniques. For the flowers, I used a Heidi Swapp mask and painted around the flowers with pink acrylic paint. I also made a homemade mask in the upper right by punching out circles of scrap paper and temporarily adhering them in an arc with photo corners. I then painted over them with acrylic paint before removing them.

Alicia went a whole different way with her project. She used a Heidi Swapp Mask and drew lines with a thin black marker to make the outline appear in her mask. Her “layout” is actually on an XL Heidi Swapp playing card.

Becky's Layout: Becky masked the title with Heidi Swapp mask alphas, and painted over in silver, the red paper is also masked in photoshop with snowflake brushes and then printed out onto extreme boy patterned paper.

Deb's Layout: Deb also used a Heidi Swapp mask (of holly berries) on the piece of red American Crafts paper. She covered the whole piece with versamark, lifted the mask, and then embossed with clear embossing powder.