Cyberpunk Paper Tole: Drunken Stampers Challenge 9

The email arrived about a week ago. "Your Drunken Stampers Design Team project for March 28 is paper tole," it said.

Paper tole. Huh. Paper...tole? What the heck is paper tole?? I had no idea.

So, I started thinking, "Maybe they meant to say 'paper TOWEL,' and they want us to use a sheet of extra-absorbant Brawny in our next project." But that really didn't make much sense. 

In the end I had to just suck it up and ask. This was not my proudest moment as a papercrafter, but thanks to my Drunken Stampers mentors, Peggy and Spike,  I finally know what paper tole is (at least, I think I do), and-- better still-- I actually did it (at least, I think I did).

I admit this to you because I know my readers are compassionate and kind people who won't ridicule me.

As Spike patiently explained, paper tole is a process of making several copies of a stamped image and selectively cutting out parts to layer on top of each other, creating a 3D effect. For instance, in this photo, you can kind of see how our Stradivarius-wielding Borg Queen's torso was layered onto her arms, her face onto her torso, and her mask onto her face. Her cyber-shoulders were also "toled."

 Her name is Lola. She was a cyborg...

And here, you can see just how warped those cyber shoulders are! Rats, I totally wish that hadn't happened. But, you can also see how the violin, Borg iPod, and building were layered:

Once I knew what the theme actually meant, I had a BLAST doing this card! Paper tole is fun!

Now, as far as the specifics of this card go, I used a cool stamp that I'm pretty sure is from the discontinued and much-missed Acey Deucy line (if I'm wrong, someone please correct me). She was colored with Bic Mark-Its and her layers were attached with foam dots. The background paper is from Graphic 45, and that's layered on top of Black Magic Hypnotic Coredinations paper. (Little plug here for Coredinations, because it's awesome! It has a colored core, so if you distress the surface you can see the contrasting shade beneath. If you love to "grunge out" your art, this stuff is the bomb!)

I finished with a piece of motherboard from a deceased computer (hence the "cyberpunk" reference) which got a little pair of grungeboard wings. And voilà: Paper Tole! Or at least, something like it.

Now, if I can do this technique, I know you can! In fact, you probably already have! And you probably did it way better than I did! But whether or not that's the case, please give it a whirl and post your layered masterpiece over at the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog!

Hugs and happy weekend!

Linda