Upcycled Tins

This nautical pen holder is a great gift for anyone with an office. It is also easy, inexpensive and fun.

Start with a washed can. I think this one held black olives, but a soup can would work as well. Be sure to use a can opener that does not leave sharp edges when it opens the can.

Paint the can with acrylic paint or spray paint and make sure it is completely dry. I let mine dry overnight.

Once dry, add a strip of Elizabeth Craft Designs Transparent Double Sided Tape around the bottom of the can.

Then wrap twine around the base.

Next, apply glitter to the Peel-Offs. You can see how to do this, here.

And color them with Copic markers.

Cut out the stickers and adhere them to the can with dimensional adhesive foam.

Add some to the backside as well.

Cut a piece of Velvet Adhesive Sheet to fit the bottom of the can.

 

Since these sheets are adhesive backed, they attach easily to the bottom of the can. It gives the can a finished look and keeps it from damaging the tabletop!

There are lots of other gift ideas on the Elizabeth Craft Designs Blog today … check them out.

 

Hello Seashells

I was so excited when I learned that Elizabeth Craft Designs had created new Seashell Peel-Offs! Naturally, I had to try them out right away!

Learn how I created this card on the Elizabeth Craft Designs Blog, here.

Congratulations Ducky

I am on the Elizabeth Craft Designs Blog today with instructions to make this adorable card … check it out!

Got Wood?

September is a special month at Scrap It Girl.

In addition to the back-to-school challenge, we are also having a wood challenge. And, to get your mojo going, each of the girls on the design team created a project using a wood book from Genuinely Jane Studios.

Prior to this challenge, I had not even heard of Genuinely Jane Studios, nor seen any little birch books, so I was eager to try it out.

This is the little mini book I received. It’s made in Missouri, a definite plus!

Anyhow, there were a few tiny chips around the edges, so I took my Tim Holtz sander and went around each edge, then wiped it with a microfiber towel to remove any dust. It was easy and only took me about 30 seconds per page.

I pulled out my Distress Stains to color the book. I wanted to give it the look of water, so I added a variety of blues and greens.

Then misted them with water and let them blend on their own.

I then dabbed off the excess water/stain and dried with a heat tool because I am always impatient.

Once I got the background how I wanted it, I added a bit of metallic stain to it and dabbed it around with a paper towel. It created a beautiful effect — much like frost on a window. Click on the photos for a larger picture to see the details.

I wanted the cover to resemble a port hole, so I coated it in Tarnished Brass Distress Crackle Paint and let it dry. (heat tools and crackle paint do not mix)

Once I had that part done, I got to decorating the cover and filling in the book.

I filled the book with inspirational quotes I found with a nautical theme. I added buttons, twine and stamps as well. (click on the pictures for a better view)

This is my favorite page … a ship on one side and a Michigan lighthouse on the other!

On the back page, I added a bit of fiber to soften it up a bit.

I added lots of little things on the cover … Dew Drops, metal and a tiny compass.

Here’s a look at the front again …

Now it’s your turn. You do not have to create an entire mini album. Just use a bit of wood on your scrapbook page, card or layout and post it here. One person will win an amazing prize package filled with woody goodies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red, White and Blue Challenge

This month’s challenge at Scrap It Girl is to use red, white and blue while making a card, layout or similar project.

I decided to take advantage of the challenge to make something I have been planning for quite some time — a “vintage” sign.

I started out with some barn wood from a friend who was demolishing a barn. My husband made a little frame on the back side with scrap wood to make it really strong (the barn wood was 150 years old and was extremely dry and fragile.)

Next, I used Claudine Hellmuth’s Studio Gesso to give it a white-washed look.

Then, I used painter’s tape to mark lines and painted them with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint. I think this is Modern Red. I also added a bit more gesso in places so things there would be crisp white in spots and dull red in others. I wanted it to look like it had been left outside for some time.

Next came the lettering. I cut out the letters I wanted to use with my Cricut machine. I used both Doodletype and Street Sign fonts. Then, rather than using the letters, I used the paper they were cut from as a stencil and painted in the letters. I kept my brush dry and dabbed on the paint, like you would when stenciling. I just held the cardstock in place. It was a little challenging around the a, e and o, but I managed to get it.

The est. date is the year we got our first chickens and planted our first garden crops.

Now came the personal stuff.

We live in the middle of nowhere, in a small town that never made it into being more than a township, several miles from other small towns and 30 minutes from any city. We have one red light, but the speed limit never drops below 45 mph, so you know how small the town is.

While we are definitely in the country, we live between two lakes, in a neighborhood where the houses are super close together. Although we don’t have lakefront property,   we live in a cottage-size house with cottage-size lots, so we feel like we live on the lake.

On the other hand, we rent the house from my husband’s parents. They also own four vacant lots that go from our house to a wooded area on a dead-end road. They graciously let us garden and keep turkeys on their property, so we are able to call ourselves “farmers.”

We have a huge garden with corn, beets, squashes, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, beans, peas, onions, herbs and more. And, we raise turkeys, meat chickens and hens for laying eggs. This year, we also put in a blueberry patch so next year we can enjoy fresh fruit as well. I freeze veggies to eat over the winter and my husband and mother-in-law can and make pickles. We’re proud of our farming attempts and have even thought of offering some of our naturally grown products at farmers markets.

Our situation is unique. We can walk across the street to go swimming or boating on the lake and we can walk out to our garden to pick dinner. In my mind, it is the best of both worlds!

So, I wanted to show both the nautical and country sides of our life.

I started with one of the symbols of country living … a rising sun. Rather than yellow, I used paper from Authentique that features sand dollars. Then, I used a Crafter’s Workshop stencil and gesso to create the dotted rays.

I used Matte Glastique Finishing Glaze from Globecraft & Piccolo to decoupage the paper elements on to the wood. This way, I could work around the contours of the wood and make everything attached permanently.

I prefer Matte Glastique to similar products because it does not leave a tacky finish.

I used another sheet of beachside paper from Authentique, along with a die from Cottage Cutz to create the windmill. Rather than decoupage the top of the windmill on, I glued the center and then coated both the front and back of each of the blades with Matte Glastique. Then I bent them out. The Glastique keeps them strong so they will not rip.

Finally I added chicken dies, cut from both patterned paper and cardstock with a die from Die-Versions and anchors cut from cardstock with a QuicKutz die. A few pieces of twine (leftover from the stuff used to stake the tomatoes) and I called it done.

What do you think?

Visit ScrapItGirl.com to see what the other designers have created with this challenge and then enter your project to win!