Mason Jar Snowglobe

Bottle brush trees are all the rage again this year and I have fallen totally in love with them — especially when they are in jars.

After perusing Pinterest for a few hours, I decided to make one of my own.

When I showed this off at the store, I was asked to turn it into a class, so I did (see the descriptions at the right).

For those of you who cannot take the class, here’s how I did it …

First, I sprayed the tree (from Tim Holtz) with a mixture of Distress Reinker, Perfect Pearls and water and set it aside to dry.

I wanted to make sure that the tree was entirely above the rim of the jar, so I traced this lid and cut out circles of chipboard to give it some height.

 

I layered the chipboard pieces with dimensional foam tape.

I covered the top layer with some Christmas paper from Bo Bunny so it will be pretty if the snow doesn’t cover the whole base.

Then I attached the tree to base and added gold cord for garland and beads for ornaments.

I covered the ring with Vintage Silver Enamel Powder. A thick coat helps to cover some of the ridges so it looks more like a piece of home decor and less like a functional ring.

Once that was done, I poured some Faux Snow by Art Glitter into the jar, then attached the lid with the tree on it and then the ring. I tipped it back over to watch the snow fall and then added some tinsel and tulle around the base.I still have a tree and a wreath left, so I think I’m off to make some more!

 

Technique Thursday: Perfect Pearls Mist

Today’s technique uses homemade sparkly mists, or Perfect Pearls Mist.

They are easy to create and practically free, since they use the Perfect Pearls and Distress Re-Inkers you probably already have at home. Ranger does make a line that you can purchase, but making your own gives you hundreds of color choices.

Since Tim Holtz has a video of this and there is no way I could do it any better, I thought I would just show you how he makes them …

Perfect Pearls Mist

Pretty cool, eh?!

I did this very simple card front using the new Summer Distress Inks …

After applying the ink, I spritzed it with mist made with the Picked Raspberry ink and Biscotti powder. Since Distress Ink reacts with water, the spritz helped to mix the colors and created a little pattern. However, because of the Perfect Pearls, it also sparkles. After it dried (with a heat tool because I am very impatient), I added some Tissue Tape and a stamp. Very cool. Very easy. Very cheap. But very beautiful.

Once you create your ink, what can you do with it?

— color white or cream paper flowers (like those from Prima or KaiserCraft)

— create amazing backgrounds

— use with masks

— use with Crafter’s Workshop templates

— add a bit of sparkle

— and so much more …

Stop by Capture A Memory today from 2-6 p.m., bring an empty Mini Mister (or buy one at the store), and I will help you make a bottle of your very own — free!

I can’t wait to see you!

Candy’s Supply Book

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.

Inspired at McDonald’s

Inspiration can come from anywhere — even the bathroom at McDonald’s.

It’s true. I’ve been inspired by ads, commercials, quilts, other scrappers and much more, but this is the first time I found inspiration in the bathroom of McDonald’s! OK, so I have to admit, the entire place was inspirational. The McDonald’s we stopped at to use the WiFi while we were on vacation was in Muskegon. Inside the restaurant, there was a huge vintage photo of downtown Muskegon. I spent quite a while staring at it, but figured I would make the people eating near it uncomfortable if I took a photo.

However, when I used the bathroom, I was all alone and had no problem snapping a few photos so I could replicate it in my scrapbook.

This is the tile … I loved the way it changed color as you looked at it from different angles and the way it appeared to shimmer. I knew immediately that it wouldn’t be hard to replicate in paper, but I didn’t want to forget how it looked, so I took my camera into the bathroom and snapped away. It isn’t the first time I’ve taken photos in a public bathroom, nor the first time I have been inspired by tile, so I wasn’t very shy.

Here’s the results of my inspiration …

And, here’s a close-up …

I started with Kraft Glassine paper from Tim Holtz.

Using a piece of blending foam, I applied Ranger’s Perfect Medium to the paper and then added a variety of colors of Perfect Pearls, repeatedly, working in layers and going in perpendicular directions until I achieved the look I wanted.

Then, I cut the paper into 1″ squares.

Finally, I covered them with a thin layer of Glossy Accents, dragging a paint brush across the adhesive as it began to dry for more texture.

I let them dry over night on the Nonstick Craft Sheet and then used the scrapper tool to lift them up. I trimmed off the leftover glue and then attached them to the page, leaving a little room for “grout”.

The title was cut from one of the Sizzix Dies by Tim Holtz. I used Distress Ink around the edges and added small dots with the Glaze pen by Sakura. I placed it on the page with dimensional foam adhesive.

The letters are chipboard and from Maya Road. I inked them in Painted Shutters Distress Ink and then painted them with several colors of Perfect Pearls, mixed with water. As a final touch, I lightly dabbed a bit of Black Soot Distress Ink over the top. Once dry, I used Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to attach them.

Then, I added photos and a few brads and called it done. What do you think?

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!