Growing Up Grandma

Whenever I see an iron birdcage or decorative fencing, I always think of my grandmother. It is a little odd, since she lived on a farm and never had caged birds or decorative iron fencing, but she grew up in New Orleans and for perhaps for that reason, I have attached the two in my head.

When I saw the Sweet Nothings Collection from KaiserCraft, I immediately thought of my grandma. Since I only have a few photos of her, I thought I would put them all in a mini album.

The pages (also from KaiserCraft) are actually wood — the same material they make their shelves, trays and photo frames out of. I love them because they can be painted, inked, covered with paper or whatever you want to do with them and they hold up well. I have pieces I made several years ago that still look brand new.

To start, I painted the edges of each page with Ranger Paint Dabber and then covered each one with paper. I used the UHU Stic to glue it all in place and then used my Crop-A-Dile to repunch the holes. A light sanding around the edges adds a bit of “time” to the album and gets rid of any paper hanging over the edge.

Then, it came time to decorate … For the cover, I added a few strips of paper and borders from the sticker sheet in the collection. Then I used Perfect Pearls Mists to color the flowers and glued them on the front with Designer Dries Clear Adhesive by Art Glitter.

The birds were stickers on the sticker sheet. I put a piece of dimensional foam adhesive on the back of each one and brushed them with baby powder (while leaving the protective coating on the foam. This “removes” the sticky. Then I removed the protective coating and attached them to the cover.

The cameo was also a sticker. I covered the front of it with Diamond Glaze to give it an epoxy appearance. I added a couple of pearls for a feminine touch.

For the inside pages, I used some of the same techniques — a combination of sprayed flowers, pearls, gems and sticker borders all from KaiserCraft.

Here is my grandmother as a girl and young woman:

Here she is married and with children:

And here she is the way I remembered her … the bottom photo was taken the year I was born:

Repurposed Recipe Box

I am continuing to modify items to make them fit the new look I want in my new house.

This time, it was my recipe box.

I did this box (a kit from We R Memory Keepers) several years ago — long before I knew anything about paint, adhesive, etc. It was cute, but I never really loved it. And, since it was red/white/black chicken paper, it didn’t really fit in my new kitchen. So, I ripped it apart and started again.

First, I painted the edges with a white Paint Dabber from Ranger.

Then I covered the entire box, inside and out, with papers from TPC featuring a beautiful Mediterranean tile look in bright blues and oranges. I added a bit of ribbon, a matching tag and some stickers. Then, using DCWV paper, I cut out the letters on my Cricut, ran them through a Xyron and called it done.

This version looks much better and although a bit fancy, it definitely matches the colors in my new kitchen.

Summer craft idea for kids

Kids are notorious for picking up things when they travel — especially if they go to the beach. They want to bring home all of those cool rocks, seashells, sea glass and other treasures found in the sand.

Really, I can’t blame them, since I like to bring them home, too, but once you get home, you never quite know what to do with them.

Until now …

Consider taking some of those beach treasures and creating a frame to help you remember your vacation.

This one began as plain wooden frame I picked up for less than $3 at Jo-Ann’s.

I painted it with a Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabber and then added strips of paper to each side, overlapping them in the corner. I suppose you could also trace the frame and cut out the paper, but this is much easier. I attached the paper with Memory Glue Dots, because they are super thin.

Then, I cut out the sign using a QuicKutz (Lifestyle Crafts) die, added some ink, journaling and a few brads and then attached it with Memory Glue Dots.

For the rocks, I used a couple of Craft Glue Dots, which are super strong.

Next I added a couple of rub-ons (both the paper and rub-ons are from Cloud 9).

The chipboard banner and letters are from Maya Road. I painted them with Paint Dabbers and then Diamond Glaze because I wanted them to shine. I used Removeable Glue Dots to hold the small pieces in place on my craft mat while I painted. Once dry, I used Micro Glue Dots to adhere the letters to the banner and Craft Glue Dots to attach the banner to the twine and then to the frame.

The entire project took just a few minutes and could easily be adapted to the age of the child and the craft supplies on hand.

Have fun!

This post was created while serving on the Glue Dots Design Team.

He wants to be a rock star

My son dreams of being a rock star.

I don’t think it is the love of music that attracts him. Rather, I think it is his love of “money for nothin’ and chicks for free.”

So, a few years ago, as part of a high school photography assignment, he put together this lovely outfit. Thank goodness I only saw the photo … I’m not sure any mother wants to see her baby boy in leather pants!

When Scrap Tales gave me this paper by Creative Imaginations to work with for their design team, my husband, remembering Christopher as a rock star, immediately suggested this photo.

I have to admit, it does work perfectly!

I used a craft knife to cut out the middle of the paper and then adhered the photo to the back side.

The tag is cut from a die by Tim Holtz. The title was stamped with a Hero Arts alphabet. The chipboard star was painted with a Paint Dabber. And, the stickers are from EK Success.

Hopefully my son will laugh when he sees this … it is hard to imagine the person in this photo working at a hospital in Guam as part of the U.S. Navy!

Winter Weather Fun

For this month’s Glue Dots® project, I created a piece of winter weather decor using a mini album by KaiserCraft. Click on the photo for a bigger view.

Supply list:

KaiserCraft Mini Book; Ranger Paint Dabbers and Archival Ink; Bo Bunny Papers, ribbons and embellishments; Maya Road Mini Chipboard Alphabet; Distress Stickles; Diamond Glaze; Wendy Vecchi Background Stamp; K & Company Brad; Grungeboard “&”, Distress Ink, Hitch by Tim Holtz; Fiber; Sparkly Fluff; Mitten Punch by Emagination; Micro Glue Dots®; Pop Up Relief Glue Dots®; Glue Lines Glue Dots®; Craft Glue Dots®; Removeable Glue Dots®

1. Lightly sand and then paint the edges of three pages of the mini album.

2. Use Craft Glue Dots® to cover the front sides with paper.

3. Paint the warmth, “&” and comfort letters. Use Removeable Glue Dots® to hold them in place while painting.

4. Ink the background stamp with Archival Ink and stamp on the letters here. Then cover with Distress Ink.

5. Once letters are dry, cover all of them with a thin layer of Diamond Glaze. When dry, add layer of Distress Stickles to the white letters.

6. Attach letters with Micro Glue Dots®.

7. Place brad through crocheted flower and add Distress Ink lightly to the edges. Then attach both flowers with Craft Glue Dots®.

8. Punch out mittens from leftover paper. Use Distress Ink around the edges to add dimension.

9. Use a Glue Line to cover the wrist part of the mitten and add Sparkly Fluff. Attach fiber to the back of the mittens and attach the mittens with Pop Up Relief Glue Dots®.

10. Attach the hitch with a Craft Glue Dot®.

11. Use Glue Lines Glue Dots® to attach each of the pieces to the ribbon, hang and enjoy.