A Lacy Canvas

I have been on Pinterest quite a bit lately. One of the things that keeps popping up is lace and vintage neutral fabrics made into books, banners and mixed-media art.

I wanted to play with this style myself, but not wanting to get out the sewing machine, I thought I would try it with canvas.

I started by adhering pieces of cheesecloth, eyelet and lace to the canvas with Prima’s Heavy Body Gel. This is a great medium for adhering heavy and difficult-to-adhere items. I put on a layer of the gel, then the lace, and then another layer of the gel. It worked well, except I noticed it can easily build up inside the pieces of lace. I also didn’t like the sort of plastic look it gave when dry — even though I did not get the glossy, it still has too much shine for me.

I also used a stencil and texture paste to add a bit more texture and design. This didn’t work too well on the bumpy lace, but you would never know if you don’t try.

I wanted to add a little color, so I spritzed it with Dylusions spray. Again, not the best solution, but it did add a bit of color here and there. One problem was that when I went to glue anything on top of it, because it is water soluble, I got a bit of rose ink on my canvas. NOTE: Use permanent or archival product instead!

Next I used Archival Ink and an ink applicator to color the lace. I added a photo of my husband’s grandmother (a favorite of mine) and then I went to work adhering flowers, gems and other embellishments.

I used chipboard letters and the same Archival Ink to create the title … 

Many of the objects I added were leftovers from other projects or the last one of something I have been carrying around for years. The buttons sewed onto tulle was something new I purchased at the Great Lakes Mega Meet. The key is also new from Tim Holtz. The fragment (square clock face) had been made years ago for another project and was never used. I finally put it to good use!

The metal stars and flowers are new from Prima. The bird charm I made by trimming a piece of art from Craft Fantastic to fit an old bezel I had from Hobby Lobby. I then coated the entire thing with a layer of Globecraft UV Resin (which I haven’t used in years. Globecraft is now part of Sweet Stamps.) and let it sit in the sun for a few minutes to cure. I forgot how much fun that stuff was!

I love how my canvas turned out, although I do need to find a different medium to adhere the lace next time. Have you tried any of these techniques?

Simply Stencils

I love playing with stencils. They are inexpensive, come in thousands of different patterns and have millions of uses. For this month’s challenge at Scrap It Girl, “Things with Wings”, I grabbed some brand-new stencils and went to work …

I started with a sheet of white cardstock and inked a circle with Distress Ink using a new template by Colorbox. Then I filled in with sides and bottom with Distress Ink.

 

Next, I taped The Crafter’s Workshop stencil with washi tape. This both holds the stencil in place and masks off parts I do not want to ink.

Then I used a finger daubber and Ranger Archival Ink in black to stencil the image. I moved the stencil a few times to ink the entire card.

 

Here is the finished background …

Next, I inked the birds … these are wood pieces from Unique Laser Designs.

After they were inked, I covered the top with Glastique to make them rich and shiny.

And then I used Designer Dries Clear adhesive to glue them to the front of the card.

I think this is perfect for a guy or nature lover. It would be a nice thank-you card, sympathy card or get-well-soon card, don’t you think?

Now it’s your turn … create a project with wings and enter it at Scrap It Girl. You could win a fabulous prize if yours is chosen as the best! I cannot wait to see what you create!

 

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 Thursday: Embossed Foil Tape

When my friend Linda showed me this technique, I fell in love with it.

So, today I am sharing it virtually here and from 2-6 p.m. at Capture A Memory in Flint Township.

The technique uses Inkssentials’ Foil Tape Sheets, an embossing folder, Claudine Hellmuth Studio’s Gesso, Adirondack Alcohol Inks and Ranger Archival Ink.

Here’s Linda’s video …

And here is what I created using the technique:

The gears are made from embossed foil and then die cut with Tim Holtz/Sizzix mini gears die. I added a few other metal embellishments from the Tim Holtz line (and his papers, too)

These papers are also from Tim Holtz. The brad is from my collection.

I used a variety of Tim Holtz/Inkssentials products to turn a piece of embossed foil into a piece of jewelry. The clear beads are from Maya Road and the little gears are from the hardware store.

Of course, with every technique there is always another way … With this card, I skipped the Gesso and just did alcohol ink on embossed foil. I then cut it out with Tim’s Tiny Tabs die. The papers are also from Tim Holtz and the stamp is from Northwoods.

I also like this technique without the black Archival Ink on top. Personally, I like the bright colors!

I hope you’ll stop by the store and see me today to try out this new technique for yourself.

Fairy Art

Last May, at the Great Lakes Mega Meet, I discovered a new product and promptly fell in love … Globecraft Memories. The globes come in kits with chipboard frames that can be layered around a globe — which is perfect for 3-D items.

It’s taken me a while, but I finally put one together using some wonderful products from Art Glitter.

 

This one was particularly challenging to photograph because of the reflections in the globe, so I’ve included some close up photos to help you see all of the dimension and sparkle in this project.

First, I stamped the fairy (from JudiKins) three times on X-Press It Blending Card and colored each image with Copic Sketch Markers. Then, I cut the three images out and used foam adhesive to attach them together for dimension.

I thought her dress and hat should be really special. I imagined the dress as layers of beaded fringe, so using Designer Dries Clear Adhesive with the Ultrafine Metal Tip, I covered her dress and hat in Small Glass Beads in Clear (810) from Art Glitter.

Then, I added Microfine Winter White glitter (711) to the spots on the wings and her socks. Since this glitter is transparent, the color shows through underneath.

I wanted her to have a bit more sparkle, so I added Microfine in Poupon (717), which is also transparent, to the place where her wings come out from her body.

While that dried, I turned my attention to the frame.

I wasn’t in the mood to trace, cut and sand, so I decided to ink the frame instead of covering it with paper. I used Rusty Hinge Distress Ink to cover each piece. Then, I used stamps from Tim Holtz and Studio 490, along with Ranger Archival Ink, to create pattern.

Next, I used Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to adhere the fairy and the globe to the background, and then to attach each of the frames to the top.

For accents, I covered some Grungeboard flowers from Tim Holtz with Vintage Glass Glitter in Chocolatta (624). (you could use cardstock or chipboard to make your own, if you need to). I glued those to the frame and then found a few dried flowers in my garden and added them. Once the adhesive was dry, I added a bit of twine from May Arts and some additional glue underneath to make it all stay put.

I love the juxtaposition of the Vintage Glass Glitter with the dried flower pods …

(TIP: It takes a bit more time to adhere Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to glitter than it does to other surfaces. So, I took my time and watched television while I held each flower in place and waited for the glue to set. It does adhere beautifully, it just requires a bit more patience than we are used to.)

I covered some additional Grungeboard die cuts (of butterflies and dragonflies) in Ultrafine Halo (230), Ultrafine Sand (68) and Ultrafine Sage (122) and adhered them around the frame.

Finally, I added a few brads and pronounced it finished.

(I received Art Glitter products in exchange for this post)

 

At the beach …

During my recent vacation, I inadvertently discovered the most beautiful beach on Lake Michigan (or so I thought when I was there …)

On our way to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, I asked my husband if we could track down a couple of lighthouses on the way. I “collect” lighthouses — I visit as many as I can, take a picture or two and then scrapbook them in a special 8×8 album that I started after our honeymoon. So, naturally, he was willing to take a short detour to Frankfort, the next stop on my map of Michigan lighthouses.

What we discovered was an adorable town and a beautiful beach, not to mention a great view of the lighthouse.

This is the page I created about the beach …

I used paper, a journaling tag, a glittered border sticker and some fabric embellishments from Little Yellow Bicycle’s new Sweet Summertime line — I love the bright colors!

I attached all of the photos with Ultra Thin Glue Dots, which are perfect because they do not add any bulk to the page.

Next, I stamped the poem — from Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous — on a sheet of white cardstock with Ranger Archival Ink and then used Distress Ink to add a bit of color. I attached the poem with Glue Dots and then applied a few brads to the top.

For the banner, I started with the mini chipboard banners from Maya Road and painted them with Adirondack Paint Dabbers. TIP: Use Removable Glue Dots to hold the chipboard in place while you paint.

I cut out letters with QuicKutz dies and used Micro Glue Dots to attach them to the banner. Then, I covered each piece with Diamond Glaze to give it a shiny, epoxy-like finish. Again, use the Removable Glue Dots to hold them in place.

Then, I cut a piece of We R Memory Keepers twine to use behind my banner flags. I used Craft Glue Dots to attach these since they hold so well. I made sure some of the twine ran through the Craft Glue Dots in places to secure two parts at one time.

Finally, I used Craft Glue Dots to attach a few of the shells I took from the beach.

Here is a close up of the banner … click on the image for a larger view.