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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technique: Piccolo Enamel Powders

It’s Back!

After a brief hiatus for the summer, Technique Thursday returns today with a brand-new product: Piccolo Accents, Charms and Enamel Powders.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you have seen me use them a lot. I cannot help myself. They are made in Michigan and the US, the owners of the company are amazing people and, most importantly, they are quick and easy to use, yet provide a huge impact on a project.

Piccolo Accents & Charms are laser-cut images made from compressed chipboard (or bookboard). Bookboard is stronger and thinner than chipboard, so you can get the look without so much bulk. Once coated with Glastique, a clear, glossy adhesive that will not yellow over time, they can be used as jewelry, like you see here …

Piccolo Enamel Powders come in a variety of colors — all sorts of metals, as well as some unique color combinations. They work like embossing powders, but the results are very different. Enamel Powders provide the look of metal or enamel, complete with dimension.

The enamel powders work great on Piccolo pieces, obviously, but you can also use them on chipboard, Grungeboard and metal.

In this picture, I coated the Grungeboard hinges, and the washer at the bottom, as well as the tiny gears with enamel powders.

I wanted to show you how easy it is to create your own metal looks, so I made a video.

You can watch it here ….

If you want to try out Piccolo Enamel Powders and make a Piccolo piece for yourself, stop by Capture A Memory in Flint Township today from 2-6 p.m. I’ll show you how easy it is — for free! Hope to see you there.

 

 

Altered Window Art

My favorite project during the retreat at Sunset Shores was making an altered window.

When I first learned we would be creating these, I will admit that I was a bit skeptical. While I am a country girl and I love antiques, I’m not really into the primitive, paint-peeling, dirty sorts of things that old windows are. But, I figured I would give it a try and see what happens.

As you can see, here, it turned out amazingly wonderful!

My house is a little lake cottage, so I took measurements of the only wall I could think to hang it on before I left. Fortunately, I was able to select a window that fit — just barely — into the space.

I forgot to take a photo of the old window before I started, but here it is after just the first step:

It was plain, devoid of most paint on the inside and came with two tiny nails and a screw where a handle used to be.

The first step was a technique I had not heard of before … gesso and a stencil. We just spread the gesso on like frosting over a home decor stencil and let it dry. It is absolutely amazingly beautiful and I am sure I’ll be trying it on different objects soon … it added just a bit of depth.

Next came the paint. I used Adirondack Paint Dabbers (although I used a brush) in Butterscotch, Hazelnut and White. I kept going over the layers using a dry brush with little paint until I got close to the patina I wanted. Then, I went back with a lot of water and a little paint and created sort of a whitewash effect.

(click on the photos for a better view)

Next came another technique I hadn’t tried before, but loved … printing clip art on tissue paper and then using Glue ‘N Seal to adhere it to the frame. I added another coat of whitewash over the top to tone down the colors a bit.

After that was done, we made a banner. I brought my own paper and modified it a bit (I’m not a fan of rosettes), so I used the Tattered Flowers die from Tim Holtz and two layers of dimensional foam adhesive to make mine. The letters are cut from chipboard and cardstock (adhered together), inked with Distress Ink and then covered with UTEE. It spells out Family, although it is hard to see in the photo.

For the bottom two windows, I glued a piece of chalkboard paper to the front side of one (still have to get some chalk) and then used Glue N Seal to glue a photo of my kids on the back side of the window on the other. The color you see on that pane is the wall.

For this pane, I used Alcohol Inks to alter a piece of chicken wire and stapled it along the edges. Then I used cute little hooks to hang a couple of photos of my chickens on them. The vintage buttons are glued on the front of the window pane. The color behind is the wall.

For the final pane, I taped a piece of printed paper to the back side of the window.

On the frame, I screwed in two screws and wrapped some wire around a tiny glass bottle to hold it in place. The bottle is decorated with Tissue Tape and filled with rye grass. I made a charm with paper, Glastique and a tag from Tim Holtz.

 

I used the same technique to attach this old insulator the frame. I plan to use it as a chalk dispenser.

 

These pieces of faux metal hardware began life as corrugated cardboard.

 

I ran them through an embossing folder and then used Piccolo enamel powders from Globecraft Memories to make them look like metal. They were too shiny for the window, so I sanded them down and applied a bit of Ranger Archival Ink to them. I still didn’t get the look I wanted so I used a friends brown wash to paint them a bit. Eventually, I got the look above, which was perfect.

And, there you have it … one amazing window. I still would like to hang something off of the screw at the bottom, but until I figure out what I want, it’s done …

Now I’m thinking of making another for my living room …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flower Cards

I love nature and find myself taking a plethora of pictures of flowers, clouds, leaves and trees. Close-up flowers are my greatest weakness. I can take dozens of photos every day in my yard alone. I cannot help myself — when I really look into the center of the flower, enlarged through the photo, I see amazingly captivating beauty. And, then the photo taking continues.

The only problem is that I end up with hundreds of photos of nature that I do not know what to do with. I have scrapped some of them and put others in a photo album, but that seems like such a waste to me.

So, I decided it was time to try to work them into a card. Here is my first attempt:

Hop on over to the Hobby Baby blog to read the directions on how to make it AND to get a coupon for 25% off your order from Globecraft Memories!

Technique Thursday: Crafters Workshop Templates

Technique Thursday is back … a little late, but better late than never, right?!

We took last week off because most of our customers were attending the Great Lakes Mega Meet, a scrapbooking convention in Novi, MI.

And, this week time just seemed to get the better of me, but never fear, I will be at Capture A Memory from 2-6 p.m. today sharing some things you can do with templates from The Crafters Workshop.

These templates have been around for years … I have some that are several years old … but my style has evolved in a way that I am using them now more than ever. As an added bonus, they are not expensive (about $5 for the smaller ones) and they are thin plastic, so they are easy to store. I keep them in their packaging and hang them on the side of my desk.

They come in a variety of styles and designs, but you will see some of my favorites here.

Naturally, you could take a pen or marker and trace the patterns, like any stencil. But, you can also use alcohol ink

or airbrush them with Copic Sketch markers

 

or color them with Distress Ink

or spritz them with Glimmer Mist or Perfect Pearls Mist or use embossing enamel

TIPS:

I use Removeable Glue Dots to help hold the template in place.

If you only want to use a portion of the stencil, use sticky notes or tape to seal off the area you don’t want to use.

Clean the stencils like you would normally with the product used … use hand sanitizer with a high-alcohol content to clean off alcohol inks or Copic markers. Use water to clean off Distress Ink. Use rubber stamp cleaner to clean off permanent inks. Just be careful to rub gently … some of the stencils have tiny parts that may get bent if you scrub too hard.

Don’t be afraid to layer them or go back over the image with rubber stamps for a vintage or shabby chic look.

Have fun!

I hope to see you today from 2-6 p.m. at Capture A Memory in Flint Township.