The Complete Guide to a Hybrid Altered Purse

Using Digital Papers to Create an Altered Purse

by Sue Kristoff, Creative Team Member

Who says you're limited to two dimensions when working with digital papers? When you're creating a hybrid item, digital papers are a great way to get exactly the patterns, scale and colors you want for your project.

I created an altered wooden purse as an example. The purse was found in the unfinished wood products section of my local craft supply store .

• I chose the papers I wanted to use, as well as a flower element,
  
• and printed them out on white cardstock.
  
• The digital papers and the flower element are all from the Raspberry Marmalade kit by Carrie Stephens for Scrapbook Dimensions magazine. (given to the first 500 subscribers)

• I began by removing all of the hardware from the purse, so I wouldn't have to worry about cutting paper around the hardware.
  
• I then painted all of the edges of the wood a dark green.
  
• When the paint was dry, I traced the purse outline onto the printed digital paper and cut the shapes out.
  
• I used Ranger Distress Ink and a Cut and Dry Foam pad to give the edges of the paper an aged look. (I used Antique Linen and Walnut Stain inks.)
  
• I then cut strips of paper to cover the sides of the purse, and I inked them the same way.
• Finally, I hand cut the flower element from the paper and inked all around the edge, being sure to get the ink into the nooks and crannies of the petals.

Once all my paper was ready, I used Mod Podge decoupage medium to adhere the paper to the wood. I've found that if you work quickly, and don't rub the surface of the paper too hard, the ink will not run or smear. (Or you can spray your inkjet printouts with Krylon Preserve It first to ensure it doesn't smear.) I like to put a quick coat on first just to seal the ink, then go back and apply more coats after it has dried. I repeated this with all of the papers, then added the flower element over the top and front of the purse.

After all of the parts were dry, I reassembled the purse, then added some jewels to give it some sparkle. I had a total blast with this project, and I'm looking forward to using my digital elements for other altered items!

You are invited to join me,

Julie Ann Shahin,

in an online chat on Wednesday, August 8th

at www.dragonflairestudios.com at 8 pm EST!

hope to see you there!