A new project "Sewing" theme

After a long busy weekend (not working).. Monday I locked myself in my studio the entire day to get something done! lol.. oh.. you feel so sorry for me right? Good thing I love what I do.. so ... not exactly torture. ha
I knew exactly what I was planning to work on before I ever stepped foot in my room. I have had this idea in my head for some time. I was planning to create something with the new "Sewing" themed images and stamps from Crafty Secrets, and then I found this frame at a flea market. Yes! Idea!.. now create!

"Sew Nice" Creative Scraps

The frame is in great shape, but super light.(which is great for using for display at shows).. so perfect for this project. The frame didn't have a backing , so I just cut one out of chipboard to build on, then cut a nice fitting one to cover the back when I was finished.

These ( below) are the images I used to not only create the collage look of the background but the colored images I accented with. There are SO many images on these sheets.. and SO many choices! I only used 1 sheet for this project! I think I used every single piece of what you see below.. but never cut into another sheet. With them being double sided you have even more to choose from.

It's pretty amazing how dimensional the images look. See what looks like a top to a thread spool? (just to the right of the bow). It's just part of the image. Cool huh?

I also incorporated these new "Sewing" themed stamps.

Perfect little pieces for accents in corners ect.. also.

"Material Girl" Clear Art Stamps set

I used only little bits and pieces of Crafty Secrets papers for the leaves ect..

Oh.. and that pink thread spool .. is "real" this time. lol You cant see it very well at this angle but just above the thread...(on the brown frame) I stamped the scissors and colored them in with a silver pen.

Lots of stitching, a little inking , bits of trims and vintage buttons.
Do you see the little measuring tape I have sticking out from under the rose? It's

also on the sheet of Creative Scraps.

I love adding doilies to projects.. but I cant bare to , if they are in good shape. Someone put lots of time and love into making them. I always think about that, and feel sad to see them and crammed in a bin for a dollar or two. Anyway.. this one was torn..so I was okay with using it this way.

Those silver things in the corners are snaps. And do you see the needle? I love adding little details that you may not even notice initially.

You can bet that .. as usual, when I was finished, it all got a little blast of Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist. lol It's just never completely finished until I do that. I'm obsessed with the stuff.

I hope you can see the photos well enough. I really love to photograph my projects outside when at all possible..but because of all this rain and the flooding ..the mosquito's are RIDICULOUS! I tried to take this out and hang it on the tree to photograph. They were literally "swarming" around me.

NO way! I am so over that!

grrrrrr....

_______________________________

Why is it when I create something like this, I always have to take out EVERYTHING! Wow. messy! I better get busy putting things away, so I can find it when I start on the next project.

...and start making another mess. lol

Happy day everyone!!!

Coming and going

Before I start rambling about my busy weekend I thought I'd share a canvas I did, using Fancy Pants "Our Family" line. It's a simple canvas..but just what I had in mind. It's a Housewarming Gift for Kate and Jarad. (kate.. if your reading .. forget you saw this) lol



When I saw this saying I thought it was perfect. It's amazing how different things can inspire you. This saying instantly made me think of doing to big simple flowers intertwined.




My weekend

****************************************
Wow.. to say this was a busy weekend would be a understatement for sure. Super fun, classic summer weekend. I got to spend time with kids, which is always something I look forward to and totally enjoy. Spent some time with Weston in Friday..then dinner with him.. and Jarad and Kate at their house. Saturday, a nice drive, a trip to Hobby Lobby , followed by a yummy dinner and great conversion with friends. I had mentioned that our little down was celebrating their annual celebration ofer the weekend... so that was in full swing. Ended up meeting with the kids and Kate's family at the park Saturday night in the beer garden to watch the fireworks... which was really fun.

Sunday is always Parade day. Nothing like a small town parade, on a summer day. Great breeze .. so it was perfect for being outside.

It's days like this this that really make it LOVE living in a small town.

This weekend is a BIG event in this little town. Trust me .. I think everyone here takes in some , if not all of the events. ( so .. yeah.. you see pretty much see the entire town right here) lol

After the parade with walked with Kates family over the the "central hub" lol aka.. the city park. Carnival, bingo, beer garden, yummy food and any homemade pie your heart desires.

ummmm... I was good and didn't have any..but every time I look at this picture I regret it. lol

Kate was babysitting her darling new little niece, until her sister and brother-in-law could join everyone. I think she's smittened.. how about you??

I can certainly see why... what a doll

We all kidded Jarad and Kate.. about the rumors that will probably fly. lol

(it is a small town after all) lol

Time to call it "good", for the town celebration and head home ... because...

if the weekend wasn't action packed enough...
My friend Deb called and said...
"Do you want to go see Micheal Buble tonight?" She had gotten Box seat tickets from a family member who wasn't going to be able to make the show .

a.... YES!

So .. off we go!

What a fantastic showman he is. It was a great show, and a fun time with my friend. Totally enjoyable .......the cherry on top of this weekend. Thanks so much Deb!

______________________________________

Is that rundown, any indication how much "Creating" I did this weekend. lol NONE! ..So today, I have to kick the creative juices into high gear.

I'm refreshed and ready!

Need to go dig through paper!

Have a fantastic start to your week!

Life is Grand

Love is Real

Beauty is Everywhere

(Roger Clyne)

Enjoy summertime

After a LONG Nebraska winter, I am just totally enjoying summer! I love all the colors.. having the windows open, being able to go barefoot, drinking sun tea.. all that good summertime stuff! I have been working on things around the house and in the yard. To tell you the truth.. I'm really enjoying it.. even the "work" part. It just feels good to be home putzing around.

This weekend is "Settlers Days" in this little town. It's the event of the year for sure. Class reunions, beer garden, fireworks, carnival, ect...

Like I always say... "you know it's a small town when the set the carnival up on the middle of the street". lol
I love when the ditches are full of lilies this time of year.

Not only did I work in the yard yesterday, but I acutally washed windows! Dont like doing "that" all that much..but love it when it's all done, and they are all clean and shiny. (they dont stay that way every long out here in the country ..but still).
___________________

****Color****

I cant tell you, how much I was inspired by all the color when I was in Mexico. I love color in my art.. and in life.. but not so much in my clothing choices.. I've noticed. lol Not sure..but maybe it's because when traveling, black and brown are just easier to accessorize with color, without having to take so much. lol

As for my house....

I have lots of color in my kitchen..but our main living area (living room and dinning room) are pretty much .. brown, gold... blah blah blah. Although I love those colors I have been wanting to add a punch of a color or two.
I've decided to go with this deep red (pillows)

and the kind of sea foam greenish blue of this dish. Baby steps for now..but I'm trying. lol I fell in love with this big bowl.. and it's perfect for the shells I picked up on the beach while I was gone.

Like I said... totally inspired by all the color I saw while I was there. All I could think of when I got home .. was "I'm committing to adding color to my home decor!"





It's hard to see here but the vase is the same red as the pillows. I also have a red and gold vintage throw on the chair in the corner. I'm trying ...

hope in time it will all come together.

I messed around in my plants yesterday. I totally love that and miss doing it. I used to have so many plants out on the deck in the summer , but with being gone so much .. that leaves Dan to take care of them.... ummmm ..lets just say .. he tries. lol

The dogs loved being out in the yard with me yesterday also. We all slept good last night. Aly even had a nap before bedtime. lol

I'm looking forward to seeing the kids for dinner tonight! YAY



Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Pink Paislee / Tattered Angels Album

Have you seen these cool Pink Paislee ARTISAN ALBUMS? Soo fun! Tattered Angels and Pink Paislee teamed up this month for some fun. I had picked up this album at a show a while back ..thinking how cool Glimmer Mist would be on this album. This size album comes with the black printed design ,but on cream colored canvas. Color?? um... yeah! All you need is some Glimmer Mist. It worked so perfectly.

Remember a while back when I showed you the paper flowers I got at the flea Market? ( 2$ for all the flowers with the vase).. well they took Glimmer Mist just as perfectly as I knew they wood!

Here is a closer look at the glimmer misted cover.

This album has thick chipboard pages that work great for working with mixed media.
I have been wanting to do something with some of my favorite photos. I have lots that are favorites .. for one reason or another. Maybe because I wanted to remember "that" moment.... maybe because I loved the lighting , the color, the place? .. Just favorites. I thought this album would be great for that .. so..

Nothing like .. random photos .. like I said. What a difference. The left page photo was taken in Victoria BC and the right side photo .. the road behind our house.

These adhesive pieces are also from PP. The come plain..but of course I misted them. (the are really unique.. kind of foamy feeling).

I used gesso as my base on most of my pages, then added Glimmer Mist , either just randomly or using Glimmer Screens.

Photos below... Left side page- Ensenada Mexico, Right side Arizona


below... left side photo is the tree near the road , at the turn off to home. Photo on the right side... flowers in Apache Junction AZ.

I love this tree.. especially in the fall.

I added a little book print ,but other than that, all other papers are Pink Paislee.


Photo in the left side was taken in Bellingham Washington, and the right side...

our county road right in front of the house.

I kind of had to laugh as I was just explaining "where" my favorite photos were taken.. because , for every photo of someplace beautiful I've been lucky enough to have traveled to ................ there is a photo from "HOME". lol

It makes sense .. as much as I love to travel and see new places.. I love being at home.


Have a fantastic Day!

ps. sorry if some of you got this blogpost not completely finished, but blogger (or my computer) were dealing me fits! I swear I have been working on this post for 2 hours now. grrrr

Crafty Secrets DT Technique Challenge

Here it is another Crafty Secrets Design Team Challenge day! I love these! The challenge this month is "techniques".. showing you how to do something by step by steps or videos.. so be sure to see what all the girls have put together for today. (links at the bottom of my post)

After giving some thought to what I might do. I decided to show you one of my favorite things to do. Altering $ store goodies. I get such a kick out of finding fun things to alter for little or nothing. Flea Markets are my favorite..but second best... Dollar stores.. and they are everywhere! Here's the project I'll show you how to make today with a dollar frame and Crafty Secrets "Birds and Blossoms" Creative Scraps. ( NEW double sided sheets) Available July 1st. Now shipping to stores, so ask your favorite store about getting them in. Also available on Crafty Secrets website after July 1st.

There are so many $ store frames that have lots of potential. I always look past the color ( because that can easily be changed) and look at the design!
I know lots of you have used crackle medium, but in case you haven't, I'm going to go through the steps as I create this project.

Since I have decided to give my frame a "Crackled" look. These are some of the things I used to do this. Two different colors of acrylic paint.. one lighter and one darker.. for contrast. Crackle finish ( there are lots of different brands). It's inexpensive , and can be found in the paint isle at any craft store.

A brush and one (or two) sheets of Crafty Secrets "Birds and Blossoms" Creative Scraps.

Here we go....

Start by separating the frame from the back and the glass. Using a small piece of sand paper.. just rough up the frame to help the paint stick.

After sanding lightly, wipe with a dry cloth and put on the first coat of paint.. using the darkest color first.

After the first coat of paint is completely dry, brush on one coat of Crackle finish.

You always want the crackle coat to be TOTALLY dry before adding another coat of paint, so this is a good time to set that aside and work on other parts of your project.
I'm using the new GORGEOUS backside of the "Birds and Blossoms" Creative Scraps for my project. Since the first time I saw this I have been wanting to do a project with just this! You'll want to decide what part of the sheet you want to use inside your frame... and cut it out to fit inside. I cut mine slightly larger than the glass , so that it's easy to glue to the back of the frame. ( I don't plan on using the glass on top of my finished project). I want it to have dimension!

Now.. "if" you decide to add even more dimension to the images like I did, you will need to have two(same) sheets of these scraps... here's why. ... I cut out the images I really wanted to highlight and added them on top of the base image sheet with foam squares.
(hint: I like to lightly ink the edges of the cut images before I add them to make them pop of the page even more)

The really great part of this beautiful collage sheet is that you can easily cut.. tear and added different elements from the sheet to fit your project. I wanted more of the flowers instead of just part of the blue bird ( because I had to cut of the bird to fit my size frame ) at the top of my project so I just tore other parts of the sheet, and added to the collage.

When I added the images to the base sheet with foam squares, I tried to keep in mind where I was going to be gluing it down to the backside of the frame, because I want the edges of the paper to be able to glue flat to the back of the frame. ( see below). example: I will trim that pot to that it's flush with the back of the frame, when I glue it down.

******
Okay.. time to put the last coat of paint on the frame now that the crackle coat is totally dry. The last coat will be the lighter tan color because when the cracks start to show as the paint drys.. I want the darker paint to show through the cracks. (hint: when brushing on the top coat of paint, remember the cracks start appearing as soon as the paint starts drying.. so work quickly and try not to go over and over it with brush strokes...the less brushing the better. The heaver the paint the bigger the cracks, so you can easily control how much cracking and how large the cracks are by how much paint you put on.

Here's the look that you get, as it dries.

Be sure to let the frame dry completely before starting to assemble your project.
*******

You can see below how I've added the extra pieces with foam squares, and how it's added even more dimension. I then glued the paper piece to the back of the frame.

I like to used my glue gun to add my image to the frame. I hot glue it to the bake of the frame and then I put the back cover to the frame back on .

I use my glue gun to add all my embellishments to my frame. I think this is the fun part! woo hoo!
twig, flowers, leaves, moss, terracotta, buttons, eggs, gems , you name it! Dig in your stash and see what you've forgotten you have. lol

I get these little pots super cheep at the craft store. I whack em with a little hammer on my desk and us parts of them. (glamorous huh?)

Another thing I love to use it twigs from these little wreaths I get at Hobby Lobby or Micheal's. I always start by clipping the piece that wraps around the wreath, holding it together. It's my favorite part because it's so curly.

(hint: if you want it to be more flexible to unwind the entire wreath for crafting or for decorating..just soak it in some warm water in the sink for a couple of hours, then unwind and lay out side in the sun to dry)

Time to start hot gluing on embellishments .. to your hearts content!

Finished project

Remember when your at the dollar store.. look pass what you see and think about how you can alter it to create something completely different.

***************************************************

I know the Crafty Secrets Design Team has lost of fantastic tutorials planned for you today, so be sure to check them all out. I'm off to do just that.

· Vicki Chrisman Team Leader
· Pam Hooten
· Heidi Blankenship
· Marisa Grosson
· Linda Duke
· Michele Kovack
· Melissa Phillips
· Flo from France
· Julie Campbell
· Deborah March
· Heartwarming Vintage Blog
· Crafty Secrets Website

Hope you enjoy our day!