Throwback Thursday: Play Ball!

Here’s a project I originally published in 2010. It still hangs on my wall today!

I have always been a Detroit Tigers fan. My aunt started it, but many in my family are huge fans.

My father-in-law, knowing what a big fan I was, purchased a pin from 1984, when the Tigers won the World Series, for me last year. I loved it, of course, but I wasn’t sure how to display it, so I kept it safely tucked away.

Then, 7 Gypsies came out with these adorable letter tray shadowboxes and I knew I had found a perfect way to showcase the pin.

I used photos I had taken during various games at Comerica Park, along with a few of our ticket stubs to finish off the tray. Here is how I made it:

Supplies:

Craft Glue Dots®

Pop Up Glue Dots®

7 Gypsies Printers Tray

Papers by Karen Foster and Scrappin Sports

Metal charm embellishments by Karen Foster

Sticker by Karen Foster

Jersey by EK Success

Ribbon, buttons, photos, tickets and memorabilia

Directions:

1. Measure and cut photos, tickets and papers to fit in the tray.
2. Adhere with Craft Glue Dots®. You can use any type, but the Dot N’ Go are the easiest to use.
3. Adhere buttons and metal embellishments with either the Craft Glue Dots® or Pop Up Glue Dots® to add dimension.
4. For the 1984 button pin, I stacked Pop Up Glue Dots® on top of each other until they were high enough to attach the button portion of the pin without the pin getting in the way.
5. Tie the baseball charm to ribbon and attach to handle.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Glue Dots Design Team.

Nature’s Window

This project was inspired by one of my closest friends, Linda Neff. Linda is an amazing artist and this piece of art was published in a national magazine a few years ago. (Click on her name to read about it on her blog).

 

The project now hangs in her studio and the last time I was there, I asked her if I could do my own spin on it …

To see how I did it, click here …

 

Winter Weather Fun

For this month’s Glue Dots® project, I created a piece of winter weather decor using a mini album by KaiserCraft. Click on the photo for a bigger view.

Supply list:

KaiserCraft Mini Book; Ranger Paint Dabbers and Archival Ink; Bo Bunny Papers, ribbons and embellishments; Maya Road Mini Chipboard Alphabet; Distress Stickles; Diamond Glaze; Wendy Vecchi Background Stamp; K & Company Brad; Grungeboard “&”, Distress Ink, Hitch by Tim Holtz; Fiber; Sparkly Fluff; Mitten Punch by Emagination; Micro Glue Dots®; Pop Up Relief Glue Dots®; Glue Lines Glue Dots®; Craft Glue Dots®; Removeable Glue Dots®

1. Lightly sand and then paint the edges of three pages of the mini album.

2. Use Craft Glue Dots® to cover the front sides with paper.

3. Paint the warmth, “&” and comfort letters. Use Removeable Glue Dots® to hold them in place while painting.

4. Ink the background stamp with Archival Ink and stamp on the letters here. Then cover with Distress Ink.

5. Once letters are dry, cover all of them with a thin layer of Diamond Glaze. When dry, add layer of Distress Stickles to the white letters.

6. Attach letters with Micro Glue Dots®.

7. Place brad through crocheted flower and add Distress Ink lightly to the edges. Then attach both flowers with Craft Glue Dots®.

8. Punch out mittens from leftover paper. Use Distress Ink around the edges to add dimension.

9. Use a Glue Line to cover the wrist part of the mitten and add Sparkly Fluff. Attach fiber to the back of the mittens and attach the mittens with Pop Up Relief Glue Dots®.

10. Attach the hitch with a Craft Glue Dot®.

11. Use Glue Lines Glue Dots® to attach each of the pieces to the ribbon, hang and enjoy.

 

 

 

Photo Tray

I love family photos and am always on the lookout for unique ways to incorporate them into gifts and home decor.

So, when I saw a tray made to hold photos on sale on Black Friday, I asked my husband to get one. I wasn’t sure what I would do with it, but I knew I could make a really nice gift with it.

We decided to make something for my mother-in-law. While not strong enough to carry things on, I knew it would be perfect on her coffee table where they could set drinks without worrying about damaging the table.

The tray came with a photo mat designed to hold a collage of smaller photos. I knew I wanted to do something different, so I threw that part out.

It was my husband’s idea to print two recent photos of my niece and nephew that we knew she loved. One of them, in fact, she asked for a copy of. He printed them out as 8×10 photos and then turned them over to me.

My mother-in-law’s style is very different from mine. She likes a cleaner, simpler, more modern look than I do, and since I planned for it to go in her living room, I wanted to make sure it matched her decor. But, I didn’t want it to be plain and boring.

I was puzzled for a few days on how to cover the background without paper seams (the tray is larger than a 12×12 sheet). And then it hit me … using her rug as inspiration, I cut up pieces of Tim Holtz paper and created a smaller version of her rug, sort of speak, as the background.

I inked the edges of each square lightly in Distress Ink and cut the letters out with my Cricut. Because I love bling and had to put a little hint of myself in it, I sprayed the letters lightly with homemade Perfect Pearls mist. It gave it just a hint of sparkle, if the light was right.

Once I figured it out, it didn’t take long to put together and she loved it, which is really all the matters!

 

Stickles Shelf

When you get more than a few of any one thing, you need a way to store it.

My latest obsession has been with Stickles and Distress Stickles by Ranger. While I don’t have all of the colors, I had enough that they needed a permanent home.

This was my solution …

I started with the mini-album shelf from KaiserCraft. I used Paint Dabbers from Ranger to paint the edges and paper from K & Company to cover the shelf.

Then, I took inspiration from Wendy Vecchi and Tim Holtz and decorated it with stamps, Grungepaper, Distress Ink and other embellishments.

This side features a Grungeboard keyhole from Tim Holtz. I painted it with Mica Gloss from JudiKins and used a Glaze pen to fill in the hole.

When I hung it over my desk, it made some other shelves look sad, so I covered a portion of them in coordinating paper. It’s so easy for me to get carried away!

 

Photo Block

Sometimes a vacation deserves more than to be hidden inside a scrapbook.

Or, perhaps you just want a little something extra for your desk.

Either way, this is a cute and inexpensive project to make.

It started life as a styrofoam block from the dollar store.

I then added tan velvet paper to the top (to give it a sandy feel) and covered each side with paper from Imaginisce.

It does require a bit of patience and a strong liquid glue, but it will, eventually, stay stuck.

I then attached photo frames, cut from the same paper,  from Dies Direct http://www.diesdirect.com on each side. I filled two with photos, but left the fourth for journaling.

I then added some stamped images that coordinate with the paper, colored with Copic markers, to the front.

For the top, I cut out the beach chair, umbrella and sea shells with dies from Dies Direct and used Memo Pins from Tim Holtz to attach them.

Another Memo Pin holds a final photo.

This one is simple, but imagine what you could do with lace and flowers and ribbon, oh my!

Just have fun!