Slice Masks

When I've had the time to play these last 6 or 7 days, I have been working with my Slice. I was not very happy with this product when I first took it out of the box. The blade pressure was very finicky and so many of the cuts did not have the detail that the example showed. In fact, some of the designs were strangely distorted. I was rather disappointed but after spending so much money, I was determined to get this thing to work.

Last Monday I received an updated Basics 1 Design Card and on it was a Calibration Program. After running this program I put my Slice to the test. I cut random letters and shapes in small, medium and large sizes and compared them to what I had cut previously and with the samples in the design guide. What a difference! So now that my Slice was running more to my liking I was ready to try something that has been on my mind for a while.

I enjoy making my own backgrounds and I really enjoy doing the more artsy style even though I have gotten away from it. With this in mind I decided to cut my own masks using the Slice and Masking Magic by Therm O Web. I removed the backing from the Masking Magic and smoothed the masking material onto my clean cutting glass. There is no need to have low tack adhesive on the cutting glass since the Masking Magic is already self stick and low tack. I chose a few designs from the Basics 3 design card, cut them out and then applied them to some ivory cardstock.

Using my ink applicator and Distress Ink, I applied ink all over the cardstock then removed the 2 smallest masks and stamped the piece with French Script background in Soft Gold Shadow Ink. Once that was dry I removed the remaining masks then stamped in dark shades of the 2 main colors with assorted stamps that went well with the masks. Finally, I ruined it by stamping with a Frame and Sentiment stamp that wasn't bold enough to stand out from the background.

Oh well - Live and Learn. But of course I'm not one to give up so I went back, sponged some white craft ink around the sentiment and frame then restamped it.

My second background was done basically the same but I stamped a Harlequin pattern over all then removed all the masks before stamping the French Script.

Since doing this project I discovered that I can't find any more Masking Magic at my usual haunts so I am going to pick up some Eclipse Tape by Judikins and see if it works the same.