Artist Printers Tray Project
by Jessica Rich, February 2010

I don't always love what I create.  Sometimes I finish because it whispers to me and begs me to finish and sometimes just to be done with it.  But on the other hand, I have about a half dozen projects in various states of unfinishedness.  Is that a word?  It is now.  Either way, I actually like this project alot and was very happy to work on it all the way through.  The colors are right up my alley
(thank you, 7 Gypsies, I think you may have created the new Avignon line just for me) and its full of pictures of my
favorite little boy.

The coolest part is that there's really not much technique to it, its just a matter of layering elements.  One thing I can't stress enough is that I laid everything out before I glued anything down.  I mean it.  Not the background, the type charms, nothing.  I moved elements around a dozen times or more before they found permanent homes.  The only exception is where I altered the pictures.  Once I decided where the birthday photo (right-most) was going and that it was going to span multiple panes, I added the party hat and glued it to the photo.  Same with the grumpy angel picture (bottom).  Once I knew it was going to live there, I glued leaf wings to the pic.  But other than that, I had the entire project laid out before I glued anything to the tray.

Here's a breakdown of this super-easy but totally rewarding project.

Each pane of the tray started of the same way.  I chose 4 papers that I liked from the new 7 Gypsies Avignon line.  I cut them to fit, and laid them into the pane (no gluing!!).  The Avignon papers are double-sided.  On the backs of most are either black and white or muted versions of the colored pattern on the front.  I made the most of this contrast by cutting pieces to fit the panes and then tearing them in half, sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal, and layering them over a couple of the backgrounds. 
 

 

By far my favorite photo, the birthday boy, spans multiple panes.  One thing I thought was cool was how when I took this picture, his feet were dangling from the edge of his highchair.  Laying the photo off the background and on the edges of the tray raises it up and kind of reinforces that idea.  Behind him is half of a 7 Gypsies Metal Page Edge.  I raided my husband's workshop and located an old pair of tin snips.  The soft metal cut easily with the snips.  I cut right along the 90 degree angle and then cut the piece to size.  These Page Edges are self adhesive, so when the time came, it was very easy to apply, just peel and stick. 

 

The upper corner was fun.  I utilized the other half of the Page Edge.  The tin snips that I swiped from my husband belonged to his father and they show their age.  The blades are chipped and scarred from decades of faithful service.  Unfortunately, that meant that I didn't get a precise, neat cut and this image highlights some of the ripples the blade created in the metal.  I'm betting a new pair would yield better results.  Again, this element sits on the outside edge of the tray and creates a dimensional effect, like an awning.

The bird who lives inside came from the Winged Things ATC Paper Pad.  His nest is some paper shreds that came from my personal stash.  In the orange pane next to the bird, I ran a strip of 7 Gypsies Gaffer Tape from the Venice Collection vertically down the pane.  That stuff is self-adhesive too.  The metal label holder has a random strip of (sort of) coordinating paper in it that I hand lettered using a white gel pen.

 

On the outside corner are two Prima Heirloom Paper Leaves (Gold Dust) with a Prima Page Pebble (with another bird) visually anchoring them.

 

The pane with the flower (a Prima flower) and velvet leaf is one of the few that I did much "altering" to, and even that wasn't much.  You can't see the metallic reflection, but I used a Copper Leafing Pen with a cross hatching motion to distress the edges of the background paper and create a border of sorts.  I have to say that this looked better the more I did.  I definitely had a
"why did I do that??" moment as I started to experiment with the pen, but the more I did it, the more it came together and
looked like something intentional.

To the right of that is a metal sprocket with a different bird Page Pebble in the center and a 7 Gypsies 97% Complete Sticker above it.  The sprocket, the label holder I talked about up in the corner pane, the spoon, the key and the watch face are all from a pack of 7 Gypsies Photo Display Hardware.  The crown that you can see at the bottom of this photo is a Pewter Accent.

 

I have to admit I'm not crazy about this.  I used the Copper Leafing Pen and added some simple filigree to the edges of the tray.
I think that in the back of my head, I was planning on distressing the whole tray and that it would look better, more unified,
once I did.  Somehow that distressing never actually happened.  The flower in the center of the clock face if from the same
package of Prima Flowers.

To the right, you can see some of the Grumpy Angel pane.  Again, just a cut out photo that I glued some velvet leaves behind.  When I finally adhered the picture, I only glued the bottom half of the picture.  The velvet leaves add thickness and push the top of the photo off the background.  At first I though this was an annoying problem, but the more I thought about it,
I decided I like the dimension.

The Type Charms that you see that spell out "grump" are a Tim Holtz Idea-ology product and they're very cool.  The package comes with 16 metal charms, 32 vintage type letters and 16 epoxy seals.  Just choose your letters (self-adhesive), stick them to the metal charm and add the domed epoxy seal over the top.  They're 1/2" diameter, so if you have a 1/2" punch, you could put anything you like under the epoxy for totally custom charm.

 

Another flower from the same Prima pack, but this time with a couple of the smaller paper flowers that I used in the upper corner.  On the right, I ran a strip of Gaffer Tape along the edge of the tray.  You can't see the outside, but it was just the right width to run on the top edge and then wrap and cover the outside edge, too.  Once it was applied, I used an X-Acto Knife to miter the corners for a more finished look.

 

So here's the finished project again and here's a couple of last points.  Anyone wondering where the little yellow butterfly in the upper row came from, well its from the same Winged Things ATC Paper Pad as the bird down the row.  In the key pane next to it, I used the same cross-hatching technique, this time with a Silver Leafing Pen and added some random splotches.

 

When I finally started to glue things down, I used a couple of products.  For paper to tray applications, I like Yes! Glue, Nori Paste, or in a pinch The Ultimate! Glue.  Don't get me wrong, The Ultimate! is great stuff, and I'll further sing its praises in just a second, but its too wet for paper and tends to cause buckling and curling.  But it will certainly do the job.  One of the best products for adhering metal to just about anything else is E6000.  Its thick and holds right away.  But its also fumy.  If you're pregnant, its a bad idea.  If you have sensitivities, it might not be for you.  Its also best used in a well-ventilated area, which can be a problem in the cold months.  The substitute?  The Ultimate, kind of... have you ever opened up your bottle of The Ultimate! only to find that the top is thick and gooey?  Probably not what you were expecting, but as it turns out, that super-thick stuff is absolutely fantastic for gluing down metal findings.    So if you don't have any, or just don't want to work with E6000 this is a great solution.

 

I hope enjoyed learning about my project and that you're inspired to try your hand at your own Artist Printer Tray.
I'd love to hear what you think.  Email me at jessica@joggles.com.

Materials List:

7 Gypsies Artist Printer Tray  ~  7 Gypsies Avignon Papers  ~  7 Gypsies Venice Gaffer Tapes
7 Gypsies Photo Display Vintage Hardware  ~  7 Gypsies Metal Page Edges
7 Gypsies 97% Complete Stickers  ~  Prima Page Pebbles  ~  Prima Heirloom Paper Leaves
Prima Gallery Roses  ~  ATC Paper Pad - Winged Things  ~  Pewter Accent - Crown
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Type Charms  ~  White Gel Pen  ~  Krylon Leafing Pens
Velvet Leaves  ~  Yes! Glue  ~  E6000 Glue  ~  The Ultimate! Glue
Assorted Photos  ~  Faux Nest Material or Spanish Moss

See the finished tray on the wall in Barb's studio...

The colors blend wonderfully with the teal on the walls!