Linnie Blooms Canvas Journal

Today is my second time as a guest designer for Linnie Blooms.

This time, I created a mixed-media canvas book.

 

Here’s a peek at some of the inside pages …

 

To find out how I created this book, visit Linnie Blooms’ Blog!

 

A Sparkly Christmas Banner

Today is my first post as a guest designer for Linnie Blooms. I created this adorable mixed-media banner using blank canvas shapes and my Copic Airbrushing System.

Then, I added a bit of glitter, Stickles, jingle bells, flock and more. I even attempted to sew a bit — OK, I cheated and taped the threads on the backside, but I did use a needle and thread.

Here’s the completed garland …

 

Head over to Linnie Blooms blog for a step-by-step tutorial, including a few tips I learned along the way!

Looking through the window

My final challenge with Scrap It Girl is to create an ornament.

I love to make ornaments … they are a great way to use up some leftover supplies. And who doesn’t want a beautiful, handmade ornament for their tree?!

This design “came to me” while wandering through Hobby Lobby on Black Friday. I picked up the new Window and Window Box die by Tim Holtz, knowing I already had a Christmas tree die by Sizzix and a Martha Stewart punch at home.

I cut out the window and window box with chipboard and then painted them with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint. Once dry, I used Archival ink in Coffee to edge the window and to cover the window box. A dabber that fits on your fingertip is perfect for this.

I added a piece of acetate to the back of the window and then used the Xyron machine to adhere the punched branches to the front of the window. Then I glued the flower box on and added berries made with Stickles. The trim on the window box is a Piccolo piece covered in Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel.

I cut the tree out of green cardstock and trimmed it down to fit behind the window. I added rhinestone ornaments and then used pop dots to adhere it to the back of the window. I then applied another layer of pop dots and adhered the blue paper (Basic Grey) to the back.

I attached a Tim Holtz brad and used that to hold the tinsel in place.

Finally, I put in a couple of holes and attached a bit of wire to the top to hang it. I made the curly area by wrapping the ribbon around a pen.

I love all of the little details in this … I’m making a few more for gifts for my friends and family.

Now it’s your turn. Create your own holiday ornament and post it on Scrap It Girl’s website for your chance to win a great collection of gifts.

A Jar of Gifts

A friend asked me if I would make up a gift certificate for one of her customers. I wanted to make something really special, so I came up with these …

Aren’t they adorable?!

Here’s how I did them …

I started with the Canning Jars 3D die from Sizzix. I wanted to make a card with the die, rather than just cut out the jar image. So, I folded and scored a card and positioned it with the fold just inside the left side of the jar, like this…

 

Because this is a thick, steel-rule die, it will cut through two pieces of heavy cardstock at the same time, making this completely doable!

Next, I cut out the jar lid out of Ranger’s adhesive-backed foil and attached them to the front of the jar.

The lid is slightly larger than the card, which left a little bit of sticky on the backside. To fix that, I applied a little bit of baby powder to the edges to eliminate the sticky.

I then inked the edges of the jar with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

The gift certificate that I made barely fit in the jar so I made a little strip of paper and used the Tiny Attacher to attach the edges to the card. Then, the certificate just slips inside and is held in place. Perfect!

I added a bit of lace from Stampin’ Up to the front with Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive. The trick here is to put the dots of glue on the flowers, set it on the cardstock and leave it be for 5 minutes to allow the glue to work. Then, you can flip it over and trim off the edges to fit the jar.

I tied a bit of bakers twine to the front side of the lid and then created a label. I cut cardstock 2″ x 1″ and then rounded the edges.

 

Next, I stamped Just For You (from Stampin’ Up) and two dotted stripes from Tami Potter’s stamp from Impression Obsession.

 

I added a little ink on the edges and adhered them to the lace.

And, it all fits inside of card-sized envelope.

Who wouldn’t want to receive a gift card like this??!!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The barn tree

Last spring, Matt took me to a friend’s home and I was able to tour a 150-year-old barn that was about to be torn down. I fell in love. This is the Mosaic Moments page I created following my adventure …

The part of the barn that amazed me the most were the ladders. These ladders went from the floor of the barn to the second and third stories. They were built onto the main support beams of the barn and I fell in love with them.

I even got Matt to pose on one for me …Many months later, I found a tree made out of a pallet on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect to replicate for my house. I figured I could put knobs and clips on it and hang favorite photos, cards and other items that could change throughout the year.

So, I asked Matt to go back to that farm and get me some discarded barn wood to build the tree.

He came home with a piece of one of those amazing ladders!!! He told me it was the one he posed on and I let him believe that I believed his little white lie. These days, that barn is a pile of rubble, so there was absolutely no way to know what ladder the piece he brought home came from. But, Matt can be a real romantic sometimes, so I went with it.

Anyhow, I asked him to use the piece of the ladder as the trunk of the tree and to use barn siding, trimmed down, as the branches. He did as I asked and created this amazing tree for me …

 

I added random knobs and pieces of hardware to the tree to hold my creations. Many of the knobs were purchased at Hobby Lobby. Others were from Home Depot. I also made a few with my paper crafting supplies … check back in a few days to see how I did it! Every knob is unique — there are no two the same — but all are in silver, white, black, cream or glass.

 

For some scale, here’s how it looks in my house. It hangs on the hallways wall that connects the bedrooms to the kitchen via the living room. (I live in a very small house) … The pictures don’t do it justice (it’s hard to photograph in a small space on white walls), but it looks amazing and makes a huge difference in my living room.

(remember to click on the photos for a closer view)

At the top, I placed a rusted pipe fitting I found in the rubble at the farm. Matt used toggle bolts to hang it to the wall and I asked him to use really large washers to add a bit of metal to the wood. I love that you can see where the rung of the ladder was ripped off of the ladder side. The paint and patina is all-natural, century-old barn paint, water damage and weathering. All we did was clean it.

I made the explore life knob and then glued two Tim Holtz clips to hold photos and cards. I used Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive. It stuck almost instantly and held strong! And, they work perfectly as you can see!

 

When we were at Home Depot looking for toggle bolts to hang the tree, Matt and I both noticed the chains and he asked if I would like to add it to my tree. I jumped at the chance. The Home Depot employee thought I was rather strange when I asked for only 3 feet of chain. He had a very clouded look on his face as we attempted to explain what we were doing, but when I mentioned “cards,” the light bulb went on.

“You mean Christmas cards?” he asked with this excited look on his face because he finally figured out what we were doing … or so he thought. I just went with it. Sometimes it is impossible to describe my altered style to those who only use pipe fittings for pipes and chains to hang plants and secure loads. lol

Here’s the tree with a few random things hanging from it … These are cards I recently made, some ornaments that didn’t sell at a craft show last week and a favorite photo of mine.

On the bottom rung, Matt used picture hanging wire to create a thin clothesline for hanging things. I added a few mini clothespins by American Crafts that were left over from a project to hang my cards.

I also added a few eye hooks and this chain from Prima fit through perfectly.

I love my new tree and I hope it inspired you to turn some “trash” into something fabulous with the help of your paper crafting supplies!

 

 

 

 

 

Create a Holiday Snowglobe

Last year, I created a snowglobe out of a mason jar. I loved it, but I cannot find it anywhere!

So, I decided to create a new-and-improved one. I had intended to offer it as a class, but there is a lot of dry time and unless we sit in class all day, it just isn’t going to work.

I do have one kit available for $20 if you are interested. Just send me an e-mail and let me know what color tree you would like. You will need Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Washi Tape and silicone to complete the project.

If you prefer to find the products yourself, here are the directions for creating this snowglobe …

1. Combine 2-3 drops of Distress Reinker into a Mini Mister and fill with water. Shake and spritz on tree until desired color is reached. Let dry.
2. When tree is completely dry, apply Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to the edges of the branches. Roll in Art Glitter Glitz (a combination of glitter, beads and Vintage Glass Shards). Let dry.
3. Apply large glob of silicone to the bottom of the inside of the jar and press the base of the tree into it. Let dry overnight.
4. Clean mason jar with glass cleaner.
5. Cut out reindeer from Tim Holtz die. Run through Xyron and attach to jar.
6. Add fake snow to inside of jar.
7. Cut out circle to cover the top of the jar lid. Adhere.
8. Cut out Snowflake Rosette with Tim Holtz die. Apply Washi tape to the back side and fold. Use DDCA to glue ends together. Hold until dry. Flip and adhere to 1” circle with Craft Glue Dots. Repeat for second rosette. Glue together and add snowflake punches to top. Adhere to jar lid.
9. Assemble lid and wrap Washi Tape around the ring of the jar.
10. Tie tinsel to the top.

Enjoy!

 

 

Scrap It with Stencils!

This month’s challenge at Scrap It Girl is to work with stencils.

I have been a fan of stencils for years, but I fell in love with them all over again after Wendy Vecchi showed me all of the cool things you can do with embossing paste. I took a stencil, embossing paste and a bit of Glimmer Mist to create this 10×10 canvas …

Click on the image for a closer look …

I sprayed the mist on the canvas first. After it was dry, I applied Wendy Vecchi’s embossing paste with the stencil. As it dries, it absorbs some of the color from the Glimmer Mists. Very cool!

i then added papers by Bo Bunny, stamps by Tim Holtz and Wendy Vecchi, a wreath by Memory Box, buttons by 7 Gypsies, washi tape, lace and feathers (from my chickens). I love it … what do you think?

Want to play with stencils? Create a card, project or scrapbook layout showcasing your use of stencils and enter it into this month’s challenge at Scrap It Girl. You could win a great prize package!

Fall Scavenger Hunt

This month, the captain of the Mosaic Moments Design Team created a unique and special challenge … she gave us a list of dozens of items to find, photograph and include on a layout showcasing the experience of fall.

I had a wonderful time doing it. I learned a lot about photography, lighting and macro shooting. And, enjoyed several romantic dates with my husband as we watched the sunset at various parks and along country roads searching for the things to photograph.

This year was not a spectacular year for color, but I still managed to get some beautiful fall photos. While I missed some of the reds, oranges and yellows that typically make up fall, I fell in love with the shades of brown and gold found in the fields and farms.

My favorite photo showcases the gold at the end of the rainbow …

This one reminds me to always take my camera along because you never know when you will stumble upon a Kodak moment … it was taken in the parking lot at Home Depot!

To learn more on how I created this page and to see close-ups of the layout, visit my page on Journella, here. Please leave me a comment or cheer me on!

 

The Colors of My Kitchen

This month’s challenge at Scrap It Girl is to use the colors of your kitchen to create a card, layout or altered project.

I decided to create a card using the colors in my kitchen — red, blue and yellow.

First, I thought I would share a couple of photos of my kitchen. It is the smallest kitchen I have ever had, but it is also my favorite.

It is a little bit vintage

A little bit ecclectic

a little bit chicken

and full of color

So, I used the main colors in my kitchen, red, yellow and blue, to create this card:

The stamp is from Melissa Frances and colored with Copics. The papers are from Bo Bunny and Fancy Pants Designs. The washi tape is from Tim Holtz and We R Memory Keepers and the little embellishment is from Webster’s Pages.

Now it is time to create a project with the colors from your kitchen. Once you are finished, post it at Scrap It Girl and you could win this amazing gift donated by Kelly, one of the designers for Scrap It Girl:

Good luck!