One-of-a-Kind knobs from Home Depot

So you can’t really BUY one-of-a-kind knobs at Home Depot, but you can buy plain wooden knobs and make them one of a kind.

That’s what I did for some of the knobs on my tree.

Wooden knobs sell for less than $1 each and I used paper-crafting products I already had on hand, so these knobs were practically free, as well as being unique.

I coated the first two knobs with Globecraft & Piccolo Embossing Powder. I popped the top on the dabber adhesive and used a paintbrush to coat the wooden knobs with Globecraft & Piccolo Embossing Adhesive. Then I dumped the powder on them and then heated them.

This one I did in Mermaid Tears …

I found that my Ranger Heat Gun was taking forever to melt the powder, so I pulled out my traditional heat gun on these. I had a lot of bubbling as I heated them — caused by the amount of adhesive that was painted on and the intense heat of the gun. I just let them cool for a minute and then hit with heat again until I got a somewhat smooth finish. There are still some bubbles, but since this is such a rustic piece, I thought they fit right in.

This one is done in Vintage Silver.

Next I turned to paint … I painted two additional knobs with Claudine Hellmuth’s Studio white paint. I screwed the knobs through a box to hold the knobs in place while I worked on them.

Once dry, I added some of the new rub-ons designed by Tim Holtz to one of them (I was surprised at home easy these went on and how well they adhered!) Then I coated it with Glastique.

For the other one, I used Wendy Vecchi’s new Red Geranium Archival Ink and one of her stamps to create a background. I thought the red would match some of the red in the barn wood. Then I added a few more rub ons. Next, I coated the entire thing with Glastique and while it was still wet, I sprinkled clear Vintage Glass Glitter from Art Glitter over the top.

It came out a little more orange than I had hoped, but I still love it. I sparkles as the light hits it!

Finally, I had one black knob that I also got for practically nothing at Home Depot. I painted a bit of white paint across the top and then wiped off the very top with a towel and came up with this …

So, the next time you need a few new knobs, consider making them one of a kind with your paper-crafting supplies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star-struck weekend

It has been quite a week. In fact, I have been working so hard, I forgot to post!

Of course, my blog isn’t the only thing that has been neglected. I think every surface of my home is piled with clutter and the laundry hamper is overflowing. I am sure I will get to all of that in time …

I have several projects to share with you over the coming days, but first I wanted to share my weekend fun. I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Great Lakes Mega Meet (and spent Sunday recovering from the lack of sleep, 10 hours of standing on concrete each day, caffeine and the stress of driving, or sitting, in rush-hour traffic each day). It was wonderful to see people I hadn’t seen in a while, get tons of ideas and meet some paper-crafting celebrities. While most of my time was spent working in the Globecraft & Piccolo booth, I did escape for a few minutes to see Melissa Frances.

She has launched a new line of rubber stamps (I bought one, of course).

Melissa showed me how to make these amazing flowers (although I neglected to get a photo of her)
And I bought some of these beautiful embellishments to experiment with (I have an idea)

 

Then I found time to visit with Wendy Vecchi …

I learn so many new ideas and great tips every time I watch her … These are a few of her samples … I can’t wait to order a few more of her stamps and stencils (they sold out at the show)Tim Holtz was there, too …

Here are a few samples from him …

And, I got to meet Mario! He was so nice and made me feel like it was an honor for him to meet me!

I also spent some time in the Michigan Scrapbooker Magazine booth. One of my friends insisted on getting my autograph, which cracked me up so much I had to take a photo … here is Carol with the autographed copy of my article in this month’s magazine.

 

This year’s Mega Meet was one of the best ever. Thanks for letting me share some of my excitement! (if you have e-mailed me a question, I am getting to it. I had 295 e-mails when I got back and I am still working my way through them all!)

 

 

 

 

Don’t just make it; Wear it!

I finally had some time to play this week, so I tried my hand at making some wearable art.

This piece started as a plain bookboard bezel from Globecraft & Piccolo, which I coated in the new Platinum Embossing Powder.

Then, I chose a stamp from Northwoods and stamped an image on the front with Staz-On Ink.

I was not too concerned about the image on the stamp, since I knew I would be covering most of it up. I just wanted some pattern for any blank spots on my pendant.

Next, I added a few pieces of Fantasy Film from Art Glitter. I attached them with Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive.

I didn’t want to have cows on my necklace, so I cut out and tore a few pieces of Graphic 45 paper to attach. I used Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gel to add a bit of aging to the papers.

Then I added some different glitters and Vintage Glass from Art Glitter.

Then, I added a Piccolo piece covered in Vintage Gold and some additional glitters.

Then I coated the entire thing, front and back, with Globecraft & Piccolo’s new Instant UV Resin. (This product will be available online soon.)

I wanted to add beads from Tim Holtz to the bottom, but I found the pearl color too bright. So, I placed them in a plastic bag and added a few drops of Alcohol Ink.

After letting them dry for a few minutes, I attached them with a jump ring to the bottom and hung my pendant on a chain (also by Tim Holtz).

Here is the finished piece. What do you think?

I used the same Piccolo Bezel to create a hot-air balloon pin. Head over to the Globecraft Blog to see how I made this one.

 

Garden in a Can

Walking through a chain craft store  one day, I saw a cute little collection of cans that were perfect to sit on the desk or work bench. I figured I could make something cuter and more personalized.

I started with empty Progresso Soup cans. I took off the labels and ran them through the dishwasher — the cans can be sharp and I didn’t want to take the chance of slicing open my hand while washing them.

Then I covered the outside and inside with paper from Graphic 45″s Secret Garden line. I measured the height and then cut strips of paper that high. Then I attached it with Designer Dries Clear Adhesive by Art Glitter. For the inside, I placed the adhesive on the can itself, rolled up the paper and then let it expand into the can. Then I held it in place until the glue set.

 

I added ribbon and twine to each one.

I also used a Lifestyle Crafts die to cut out a circle out of velvet paper for the bottoms. It gives them a finished look and won’t scratch furniture.

Then I added some additional cut outs from the paper ….

Some Piccolo pieces coated with Real Rust and Shamrock Green Embossing Powders …

 

And some Dew Drops from Robin’s Nest. I even made a little tag for this one (I wrote on it with a Sharpie).

Aren’t they adorable?!

 

 

From Boring to Beautiful

On a recent trip to my local Goodwill store, I found these little dragonfly candle holders.

They were cute, but rather boring. They had a distressed, shiny whitewash finish. I knew I could do better, so I grabbed a few, pulled out the newest enamel powder color from Globecraft & Piccolo, Turquoise Lagoon, and went to work.

I used the Enamel Powder Adhesive to coat a small area, then poured on the enamel powder and heated. I had to work in sections and let it cool here and there so I didn’t burn my fingers. Metal gets hot!

There were some sections the dabber top wouldn’t reach. So, I popped off the top and used a paint brush to fill in the tiny areas.

When it was all finished, I thought it could use a little more bling, so I used Matte Glastique to add some Pure Silver Sparkle to the wings.

Once dry, I coated the entire piece in Glossy Glastique. This added a little shine and a lot of durability.

Here is a close up of the wings …

From boring to beautiful in a just a few easy steps …

I used Globecraft & Piccolo products to cover another candle holder at home, too. See what I did to this one on the Globecraft Blog today …

 

 

 

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 …

Chicken Butt

I spend hours each week watching my chickens. They make me smile and usually they do something silly enough to make me giggle.

So, for the next challenge for the Mosaic Moments Design Team, I created a page showing off my chickens. I added paper from Authentique, a little ribbon and some hearts from Globecraft & Piccolo, colored with 3D Enamel Gels. I love how the page turned out. (click on it to see a bigger image)

Click here to read the details of how I created it and to cheer me on!

 

Down by the lake

Just because it is the middle of winter doesn’t mean we have to surround ourselves with it.

Instead, I chose to remember summer by creating this elegant lighthouse ornament.

For this ornament, I left the backside plain so it can hang on the wall in my living room.

I started by painting the lighthouse black. Then I added a bit of 24K Gold Embossing Powder to the rails and roof.

Once that was done, I coated the entire thing with Glastique Gloss to give it a rich, shiny finish.

Turning my attention to the ring, I embossed it with the Tim Holtz Brick Texture Fade and then colored it with Distress Ink.
When the lighthouse was dry, I traced around it on a photo of a sunset on Lake Michigan, cut it out and then glued it onto the back of the lighthouse.

I put the globe in place and then glued the ring onto the lighthouse. I use clips to hold it tight until it sticks.

Then I enameled a couple of Piccolos with Vintage Gold Embossing Powder and added them to the outside of the ornament. I added a bit of twine to replicate rope, and it is done and ready to hang on my wall!

Visit the Globecraft & Piccolo blog today to see another project I created with a globe … an altered cigar box.