Team Training for August ...

Welcome to our August edition of Team Training brought to you this month by team member, Karen Brierley.

Each month one of our team will inspire you with a little tutorial, tip or trick to help you in your scrapbooking pursuits. 

Working with pizza mesh by Karen Brierley

Today I'd like to share a new "tool" that I found in my local dollar-store. (You may even have it in your kitchen already!)

Baking mesh, also sold as pizza mesh:

Simply cut off a piece in a size that is easy to handle, and suitable for the project sizes that you usually work with. 

I tested my new tool in three different ways:

1>  Stamp (with paint)

I applied paint to the mesh with a soft brush, and stamped directly onto cardstock. I used my fingers to press down onto the areas of the page I wanted to stamp.  It was easy to lift and reposition.

This is the finished layout:

I only used one colour, but you could achieve some totally different effects by using more colours, or by building up layers.

2> Stencil (with texture paste)

I applied tinted texture paste though the mesh using a wide palette knife:

The flexible mesh makes it easy to hold in place, and it's also very easy to position for small areas.

This is the finished layout:

3> Mask (with spray mist)

I started with a smaller art journal page, and overlayed the whole page with the mesh, then sprayed two different colours:

How I used it on my layout:

It's really fun and satisfying to find everyday items to experiment with mixed media techniques, especially when you're starting out.  I still consider myself a novice in this area, so I've been reluctant to spend up big on tools I might not use often. I hope I've inspired you to think outside the box a little, and try something new.

Thanks Karen,  guess where I am heading next time I am out shopping!

Don't forget to have your entry in for our challenge this month.  Some lovely prizes on offer - one prize by vote, another completely by random draw and a guest designer spot with RAK to offer one lucky entrant.  You have until 11.55 on the final day of the month to have your submission linked.