Mess in a bag

I decided to try a technique I saw in Stampington, but like many techniques I try, I didn't have the required materials. The "recipe" called for Liquid Nails, but I knew I didn't have any. So I went on the internet to see if there was a difference between Liquid Nails and caulk. I couldn't find a thing, not a comparison, not even a chemical breakdown. So I decided to proceed full speed ahead. For this first part of the technique, I used Kwik Seal white caulk, which was all I had, along with some water and plastic bags. Originally, I was going to make three different batches of caulk and water, but I quickly learned there was probably not enough caulk for even one batch!


The instructions were to put the Liquid Nails (caulk in my case) and water in a zippered plastic bag and knead until the caulk and water were mixed well. Of course, I ran into a mess right off the bat because the Ziplock bag I managed to get the caulk into (boy that stuff is sticky, gooey, and hard to control) developed a hole that I noticed as soon as I added a bit of water. After kneading and mixing, I forgot to take a photo of the child's top you can see barely peep out below the doubled plastic bags.


Because I forgot to show the top before I added it to the bags, I tried to open the bags enough to show it before I kneaded the top with the caulk and water mix.


The next step was to remove the excess water and return the piece to the plastic bag and seal it for a few days. However, there was no excess water and the caulk mixture didn't begin to cover the shirt. My only hope was



the piece would magically take on that wonderful texture I saw in the magazine.



While I was waiting for the caulk and water mixture to penetrate the baby tee, I auditioned some rick rack I wanted to use as an embellishment.


After five days, I removed the tee from the baggie and placed it on a piece of chipboard which was actually the back of one of my watercolor paper tablets. I covered the backing with tissue paper that I further covered with fluid acrylics and gesso. I also forgot to photograph the backing, too.



According to the instructions, you should dry the piece in the position you want to display it. So I stood the piece and now I'm just waiting to see if it does anything. I feel I needed a lot more caulk than I used, so next time I will probably invest in Liquid Nails or a bigger container of caulk. Right now, it's a bit of a mess, quite gooey and limp, but hopefully it will be ready in time for Wednesday, since so many WOYWWers want to see the finished project.

Also on Wednesday, I will be joining Seth Apter for his latest blog collaboration, this time called Paper Stacks. So I will have two posts on Wednesday, since I can't seem to think of a way to combine both posts. It should be a fun venture!