It’s summer. You deserve some time for yourself.
Spend the afternoon with me making this adorable notebook … in addition to completing the book and getting the instructions so you can make more, you’ll also learn how to work with Perfect Pearls and Fragments.
This class is offered Friday at 1 p.m. at Green Door Studio in Brighton. Call the store at (517) 618-7700 to register.
Time completely got away from me this week … I pulled something in my back, spent time with my daughter, helped out at Capture A Memory, taught a class, wrote a few articles for Michigan Scrapbooker magazine, planted flowers, and helped my husband build a chicken coop for meat chickens and a couple of turkeys. I have to pause here and show you the turkeys because they are so cute …
They remind me of little ostriches.
This is the little turkey showing off and declaring dominance against my husband. He never does it to me, but every time my husband comes by, those feathers come out and he struts about. Hilarious!
Needless to say, there has not been a lot of time for crafting projects that could be placed online. So, I have decided to give in and let Father Time have this past week and I will start fresh this week with an early peek at Technique Thursday — LIQUID PEARLS.
Liquid Pearls are made by Ranger and they come in a little bottle like Stickles. They are a dimensional paint with a pearl finish and are a great economical way to make pearl gems on a page. They can be used on just about any surface, including fabric.
Here is a bottle I altered … it was from IKEA and was filled with some sort of berry juice my husband loves. I liked the shape, so I kept it. I attached an image from Crafty Secrets and then created a design around the bottle with dots of Liquid Pearls. I let it dry between sections so I wouldn’t accidentally ruin something I had already finished (trust me, I do this a lot and it is not pretty). Then, I added a few flowers from KaiserCraft and Prima to finish it off.
Here’s a close-up of the pattern at the bottom …
The lid had a code on it, so I used Liquid Pearls and a paint brush to make a rippled effect on the cap …
Next, I made this card with Basic Grey paper, flowers from KaiserCraft, and a Tim Holtz Die Cut flower.
I love using Liquid Pearls as flower centers.
For the giant center flower, I painted a thin coat of Liquid Pearls onto the cardstock die cut. When dry, I traced the edge with another color and added a bunch of dots to make the flower center.
You can also use Liquid Pearls on fabric …
This is just a piece of muslin. I used a paintbrush to apply Liquid Pearls to a rubber stamp and stamped the flowers on the fabric. Then, I added flower centers, leaves and a little pattern with different colors of Liquid Pearls. Imagine how cute something like this could be on the pocket of an apron or at the top of a baby’s onesie!?!
Come into Capture A Memory on Thursday from 2-6 p.m. and try out Liquid Pearls for yourself. I know you will love them.
By the way, Capture A Memory is hiring, so if you are looking for a part-time job in the scrapbooking industry, or you know someone who is, please have them call or stop by.
If you are anything like me, you have trouble remembering which colors of ink, paint and markers you have at home. When this affliction strikes, one of two things is bound to happen when you visit the store.
A. You think you have the product at home, but when you get home you discover you don’t and that you must return to the store to purchase it. Or B. You don’t think you have it home, so you buy it and then you have two! Both options are time and money wasters.
When I found myself buying duplicate Adirondack Paint Dabbers, I decided to take matters into my own hands and I created my very own supply book.
This 5×5 book is ring-binder bound and can easily fit in a purse or bag so you always have it when you need it and the pages can move around, be removed or added as necessary.
I’ve even included a hinge clip at the beginning so you can write down notes for yourself the next time you are in the store. The tabs can be modified to your taste to make it easy to find what you need.
I’ve created custom pages to record Distress Inks (including pads, markers, paints, Stickles, stains and more), Ranger Archival Ink, Memento Ink, Adirondack (including alcohol ink, paint, embossing powder, Color Washes and more), Claudine Hellmuth Studio products, Liquid Pearls, Dreamweaver pastes and F/X, Perfect Pearls, Flower Soft and Stickles. Additionally, five pages will hold color samples for all 358 colors of Copic Sketch markers — printed on X-Press It Blending Card so you know exactly what the colors will look like on your project. Also included are blank pages for recording additional ink pads, embossing powders, mists and sprays, glitter, flock and beads, and pens and markers.
The best part is I’m running this as a class, so you can make your very own supply book, at Capture A Memory in Flint Township. The class is set for Tuesday, April 24 from 5:30-7 p.m. Contact the store for details.
I also plan to make kits available for those who cannot attend the class. I’ll have those up in an Etsy shop shortly.
The newest release from Riley and Company features Riley in a hot-air balloon.
As everyone knows, I am crazy for hot-air balloons, so I had to have this stamp.
One thing I love about it is that the envelope of the balloon (the colored part at the top) is completely blank, so you can put in words or images or design it however you like.
For this card, I used two stamps from Wendy Vecchi, Studio 490. I stamped Riley twice … on one image, I colored and cut him out. I used a few colors in the BG family to coincide with this week’s challenge at iCopic.
On the second, I stamped the envelope, colored it, and added it to the top of the first image with pop dots. Then, I attached the entire thing with additional pop dots, so it has lots of dimension.
The background is Tim Holtz Distress Ink Coredinations embossed with one of his textured folders. I then sanded the top and then went back in with Distress Ink to color some of the sanded areas. This gave me a variety of colors and textures on the background.
The hills were cut by hand and then inked in Distress Ink.
The saying stamp is from Stampin’ Up.
As a final touch, I added a bit of Liquid Pearls.
The entire card is much brighter than it is showing … I’ve tried scanning and taking a picture and it just isn’t working. Normally my husband photographs these for me, so I apologize for the dull colors. It really is bright and cheerful in person!
You can be sure of one thing when you live in Michigan — during the winter, the days are short and generally cloudy.
Christmas lights and holiday fun helps get me through November and December, but when the decorations come down in January, the cloudy, dark days can easily bring a person down.
So, I decided to extend the sparkle of the holidays right through winter by making an elegant candle holder.
I started with an inexpensive, plain votive cup. (I got mine at the Goodwill store for less than a dollar.)
At first, I planned to add just a bit of sparkle to the bottom third of the cup, so I started with strips of 1/4 inch Sticky Tape, like this.
Leaving the top of the tape on, I went in between the lines with Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and added a light layer of glue.
NOTE: You will want to use your Microfine Metal Tip for this and really spread the glue around. If you put it on too thick, it may drip down the side of the glass.
On the glue, I sprinkled Ultrafine Transparent Glitter in Blue Rain (120).
Then, I peeled off the covering on the tape and added Faux Snow. And this is where I got a bit carried away … In fact, I loved the look of the Faux Snow so much, I used Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to cover almost the entire exterior of the cup! It reminded me of a sparkly sweater and I just kept going and going.
Then, using my finger, I applied a little adhesive to the top rim and dipped it in some additional glitter.
I let the cup dry over night and then gently brushed off the excess.
Naturally, I wanted a little more added to the votive. I found a couple of clear beads from Maya Road in my stash and went to work making embellishments for my votive.
The first one has a flat back, so I used Art Glitter’s Very Black Permanent Stamp Pad and a Tim Holtz snowflake stamp to add a bit of design to the back.
I then heated it to set the ink, covered the back lightly with a layer of Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and dusted it with the same Blue Rain glitter I used on the glass.
Then, I thought that as beautiful as this white and silvery votive was, I still might like a little color. So, I took a smaller bead and covered one side with adhesive and then a layer of Microfine Opaque Bahaman Blue (512). Because the surface was not flat, this was a bit more difficult and I had to repeat the process once the first layer was dry. Keep in mind that if you do the same, make sure to smear the adhesive with your finger … Designer Dries Clear Adhesive can dry with a bit of dimension that you will be able to see in your finished product if you don’t smear it out.
Next, I attached a bit of ribbon and a few jump rings.
But, it still didn’t feel quite finished to me.
So, I adhered a piece of Sticky Paper to a scrap of white cardstock and then ran it through my Sizzix Big Shot with the small bird die from Tim Holtz. Then, I removed the protective layer off of the Sticky Paper and covered the image in the same Blue Rain glitter. For a final touch, I added an eye with Ranger’s Liquid Pearls and then attached it to the votive with Designer Dries Clear Adhesive. Because I was attaching it to the Faux Snow on glass, I had to hold it for a minute or two before it took hold.
Then, I inserted a flameless tea light and …
CAUTION: I have no idea how Faux Snow or glitter will hold up to heat or a flame, so I would recommend ONLY using flameless lights inside the votive. They are safer and just as pretty!
This is sure to keep the winter blues away!
I received Art Glitter products in exchange for this post.
With Thanksgiving behind us, I’m ready for Christmas.
So, when Art Glitter asked me to make a few projects for December, I was excited to get started.
My first project is a miniature gingerbread and Christmas tree garland. It’s simple and cute and perfect for a little trim on a stocking, a table-top Christmas tree or on the edge of a shelf. I hung it on the window sill and it’s adorable.
The nice thing about it, is it is simple enough that the kids can get involved and soon everyone will be sparkly!
I started by cutting out gingerbread men and trees using dies from QuicKutz (Lifestyle Crafts). For the gingerbread men, I smeared Designer Dries Clear adhesive over the front of the die cut and then sprinkled Elements in Carrot (3) over the top. I love the dimension that Elements add and I must admit, Carrot is one of my favorites. Sometimes it is gold, sometimes orange and sometimes brown, but always fabulous!
(If you’ve never used Elements, they are organic compounds that have a bit of glitter added to them so they sparkle. They come in a variety of earth hues and smell wonderful, but since they are made from organic elements, they are not safe for your scrapbook. They are great for cards and other craft projects.)
Anyhow, while the men were drying, I turned my attention to the trees, again covering all of the die cut except the trunk with Designer Dries Clear and then sprinkled them with Emerald Ultrafine glitter (48). Once dry, I covered the trunk with Elements Sediment (27). If you click on the photo for a closer view, you can see the dimension it adds to the trunk.
Then, I added the Ultrafine Metal Tip to my Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and made tiny ornaments on the tree and buttons on the gingerbread men with Ultrafine True Red (1).
Then, I went through with Ranger’s Liquid Pearls and added eyes and frosting trim to the gingerbread men.
Once dry, I turned them all over and added a drop of Designer Dries Clear adhesive to the back of each one and then stuck on a piece of We R Memory Keepers’ twine, as you can see in the photo below.
I think they turned out rather cute, don’t you?
(I received glitter products in exchange for this post).
I am so proud of the young woman my daughter has grown into.
Even if she wasn’t my daughter, I would still think she was beautiful — inside and out. Sure, she has her less-than-perfect moments, but I love it when she talks non-stop and when she giggles while watching television. I appreciate how hard she pushes herself to get what she wants. And, I love that she never gives up.
But, when it comes to the clothes she wears, we do not see eye-to-eye.
When she was little, I dressed her in ruffles and lace. I put her in as much pink as I could find. And then she reached that age where she picked out her own clothes. Suddenly, my sweet girly girl was wearing hoodies and jeans, sweats and T-shirts in every color but pink.
I have come to terms with the fact that my little girl is more comfortable in athletic wear, black and gray. It doesn’t make me love her any less. But it did give me something to preserve in her scrapbook …
The paper is from Pebbles. The banner is Maya Road, painted with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint and Distress Ink. The letters are cut out from my Cricut. Rub ons are from Lily Bee Designs. The journaling block is from Sizzix/Tim Holtz. The punch is EK Success and the ribbons and twine are from May Arts, Maya Road, Bo Bunny, My Mind’s Eye and my stash.
The flower buttons are from Pebbles and I added Liquid Pearls from Ranger to the centers to provide unique dimension — and a bit of shine.
One tip: I had trouble with rub ons in one corner of my page. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get them to work. So, I added a few buttons to cover it up. Then, to make it look like it was intentional, I added buttons on top of some of the rub ons on the journaling block, as well. I don’t think you can tell — can you? (click on the photo for a closer look)
Remember, unless you spill coffee on your pictures, you can almost always find a way to fix any mistake!
I decided to try my hand at one of the newer trends in cardmaking: 3×3 cards.
And, since the new challenge at the CMC Copic Challenge Group is winged things, I thought a tiny fairy would be perfect on a mini card. Here’s what I did:
The card is made with cardstock from American Crafts. The patterned paper is from Tim Holtz.
All four stamps are from Crafty Secrets — the fairy is attached with dimensional foam.
I colored the images in with Copic markers and added a few Liquid Pearl dots to the corners.
But, since fairies, in my mind, should sparkle, I added Distress Stickles to her hair, Stickles to her wings and Copic’s At You Spica pen to her dress.
She’s so cute, I just want to pick her up and hug her!
Wow. It’s been a while.
This is the busy season in my real job and I had several other deadlines and the Great Lakes Mega Meet and well, it just seems like a lifetime ago since I last blogged.
Although I haven’t been blogging, I have been crafting … and when you keep crafting, but don’t blog, you have lots of things to share!
One of the things I finally finished was my fairy garden, well the indoor one, at least.
If you read the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, you know that I recently did a story on one of the latest trends — fairy gardens. I had intended the story to be only about outdoor fairy gardens, but when I went to the fairy store to interview the owners, I fell in love with the indoor gardens, as well, and had to make one of my own.
It took several weeks to figure out what I wanted to do and then to locate all of the materials to do it. Although I wouldn’t consider it done, because it seems like one of those things that will continue to evolve, it is done for now.
I started with a glass bowl. For the base, I covered a piece of floral foam with moss, wrapping it like a present using Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear adhesive to hold it in place. Then, I filled the side of the bowl with decorative rocks.
The gazebo was purchased (plain) at the store, Heavenly Scent Herb Farm in Tyrone Township, if you live nearby. I used a few packages of Prima flowers and vines to decorate it — again, using Art Glitter glue to adhere everything. I just took my time and held everything in place for a few seconds before moving on and I had no trouble with things staying stuck.
The dangly inside was made with a bead from Maya Road. I used a Hero Arts background stamp with Staz-On ink and then added a bit of Art Glitter to it.
The little flower pots were also purchased at Heavenly Scent, but I didn’t like the color of them. So, I painted them with Ranger Paint Dabbers, in Espresso and Gold, to achieve the patina I wanted.
The larger pots were decorated with Ranger’s Liquid Pearls.
I then added some silk flowers, a rock from the beach, eggs and tiny birds — all found at the craft store.
The fairies have picks that can be used to stick in the foam so they stay in place. But I wanted the little baby fairy to sit on the flower, so I used a Craft Glue Dot to hold her in place. Since I should be able to scrape the Glue Dot off of her bottom, I’ll be able to move her when I want. I used the same technique to hold the bird in the little boy fairy’s hands.
So, what do you think?
Easter is, hands down, the best candy holiday.
But, if you have any chance of collecting jelly beans, Cadbury Creme Eggs or chocolate bunnies, you have to have a basket. Sure, you could buy one in the store … or you could use some of your crafting supplies to embellish a basket into a one-of-a-kind creation worthy of serving as a centerpiece on your dining room table.
I have had this particular basket for years. I think it once served as an Easter basket. When I got married, we added a little ribbon and used it to hold our tiny bottles of bubbles to hand out to guests. And, for the past several years, it has held things in my craft room. Since it holds so many memories, I thought it was time to make it a more prominent feature in the house.
Armed with a few die-cutting machines, papers from American Crafts (Peachy Keen), Craft Glue Dots®, Mini Glue Dots® and Micro Glue Dots® and a bag of paper scraps, I set to work. (Click on the photos to see a larger version). Here are the dies/companies I used: Fence, banner — Cheery Lynn Designs; large eggs — Papertrey Ink; nest and small eggs, sign, letters — QuicKutz; Easter Bunny — Cottage Cutz; house, cracked egg and birds — Cricut. I inked many of the cut outs with Distress Ink to add dimension.
I started by adhering ribbon to the outside of the basket. I used Craft Glue Dots® since they have such an amazing hold. I then tied a bit of leftover ribbon to the handles.
Next I adhered the letters to the banner and then added Liquid Pearls by Ranger. Once dry, I attached it to the basket.
I assembled the houses, adding brads for door knobs and making a chimney, and then used Craft Glue Dots® to attach it to the back of the basket and the fences to the rest of the basket. I tucked a few giant Easter eggs around the outside of the fence.
Then, I filled the basket with crumbled newspaper and then added Easter grass. I assembled the birds and then bent the bottoms so they would “sit” in the basket. They are only adhered on one side, but seem to stay in place.
Finally, I added the rest of the die cuts to finish the scene and then placed a few Easter eggs in the basket to finish it off.
I’m not sure if it was more fun to look at this one or make it!
This post was made while serving on the Glue Dots® design team.
candy scraps 