Share the Love

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away so I decided to show you how easy it is to make a “Love” charm. This one takes just a few minutes and is so easy.

I started with a bookboard charm from Globecraft & Piccolo and enameled it with Vintage Silver Embossing Powder. Because this could be a piece of jewelry, you want to do both sides. I do the front side, then use tweezers to do the back and then do a second layer on the front.

Then I add a thick layer of Glastique Gloss and let it dry it overnight.

 

Finally, I added a Silver Bail and it is ready to be attached to a necklace, bracelet, card or whatever you wish. See, super simple!

I made another necklace using Globecraft & Piccolo charms for their blog today. Click here to see how to do it …

I’m back!

Wow! I can’t believe how time flies when you’re having fun. It’s been forever since I posted anything. I’ve been crafting, planning classes, preparing for my daughter’s graduation and open house and, finally, going on a much needed vacation.

So, now I’m back with all sorts of things to share.

For starters, I want to share my latest page — featuring my husband and me at the Sleeping Bear Dunes along the shore of Lake Michigan.

I created this page for Glue Dots, which I love since they are strong enough to hold metal embellishments.

The papers are all from We R Memory Keepers. I cut the ones in the middle to 8×8. Then I inked the edges of each paper with Walnut Distress Ink. For the background paper, I folded the corner and used a Craft Glue Dot to secure.

For the smaller papers, I used a distress tool to add a bit of texture and added a few tears here and there. Then, I layered them and used Ultra Thin Glue Dots to hold them in place.

I cut a piece of white card stock to serve as my photo mat and then inked it with Distress Ink and attached my photo and then attached it to the page.

Next, I added twine from My Mind’s Eye. I wrapped it around the back of the page, secured it with a Glue Dot and then cut out a small piece of leftover paper and layered it over the top.

For the title charm, I attached a clear charm by Tim Holtz to one of my photos of the dunes with Glossy Accents. This takes a long time to dry — I let mine dry over night. Then, I trimmed the charm, added a bit of twine and attached it to my page with Craft Glue Dots. Finally, I used the Zig Photo Writer Pen to write the title on top.

For the final touches, I used metal flowers by 7 Gypsies. The one at the bottom features a button from Tim Holtz, which is attached with Craft Glue Dots to the flower and then I used Craft Glue Dots to adhere the flower to the page. The top one is adhered with a brad from Bo Bunny. The little coin is also from Tim Holtz and is also attached with a brad.

I like how the page turned out … simple, rustic and relaxed — just like my trip!

Ornaments all year long

Each year, I make a special gift for each of my kids. It started after the divorce and we had our first Christmas with my now husband. It was important to me to have a special gift for each of them that was just between us.

This year, I decided to make Korie an ornament. Since I wanted her to be able to enjoy it all year, I dedicated it to her favorite thing in life — pom.

I printed four of the same photo and cut them into circles. I folded each one in half and attached the backs of them together to make a dimensional ornament. Before attaching the final pieces, I added a bit of twine down the center.

I tied the top of the twine to a ring (for easy hanging) and added a bow.

To the bottom, I tied on a Swivel Clasp from Tim Holtz and attached one of his Word Keys to the end.

Then, using the Charm Fragments by Tim Holtz, I made a couple of charms. For the first one, I used a photo of her poms. For another, I cut out the word Highlanders (the school mascot) out of a sheet of paper. For the final one, I added a couple of letter stickers from Creative Memories to say 2010. Using jump rings, I attached each of them to the chain on the Swivel Clasp.

I added a few Baubles and it was done.

Here’s to a happy and crafty new year!