Joy Shadow Box Tray

November 29, 2016November 20, 20193 Comments

A simple Shadow Box that would be cute as Holiday Décor or used as a gift.

The “Happy Holidays” graphic would be cute replaced with a Holiday photo.

This project also uses a simple paint technique for old hardware.

Here’s what I used for my Shadow Box Tray:

(*including amazon affiliate links)

Shadow Box Tray (7gypsies) (painted black)
CCP2915 Better Not Pout Tags on Kraft (Canvas Corp Brands)
CCP2370 Red & Kraft Ribbon Stripe (Canvas Corp Brands)
Black Fluted Paper (Canvas Corp Brands)
Petaloo Botanica Minis Decorative Flower, 1-Inch, Red, 11-Pack*
Bottle Brush Tree
Pine Craft Stem
Cotton Ball Multi Surface Acrylic Paint
Deco Art Metallic Lustre Wax Finish, 1 oz, Rose Gold*
Chipboard Letters
Zip Dry Glue
3D Foam Mounting Squares
Double Stick Tape Runner
Paintbrush and Old Toothbrush
Black Spray Paint
Gingham Ribbon

Tips to make your project easier:

Add Snowy effect by flicking white acrylic paint onto the pine craft stem using an old paintbrush.

Paint the brass hardware with black spray paint. Once the paint is dry, rub Rose Gold Metallic Lustre over hardware for an aged vintage look.

For a cohesive look…rub Rose Gold Metallic Lustre onto the chipboard letters and the wood disc on the tree.
Cut the back of the bottle brush tree flat so that it fits snuggly into the tray.

This project was sponsored by Canvas Corp Brands and DecoArts.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you choose to make a purchase using an Amazon link, I receive a small commission that helps offset the cost of running this blog. Thank You!

Making a Winterberry Table from a $2 treasure.

November 25, 2016January 2, 2017Leave a comment

Making a Winterberry Table from a $2 Garage Sale treasure.

I almost missed the small cardboard sign leaning up against the mailbox…

I wasn’t completely sure it was even a sale. So I backed the car up and parked.

You never know what you might find when your out “treasure hunting”.

While chatting with the fun older couple, I found out that they had just recently married and moved

into their new home. They were downsizing and combining both households.

The couple had a lot of good stuff, most of which I didn’t need.

It was on my second look around when I spotted the table and it’s $2 price tag. (no need to haggle)

She told me… “I always meant to refinish it. I put a doily and a basket on it instead.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was planning on painting it.

(this post uses affiliate links)

I had just recently received some new paint from DecoArts and thought I’d give it a try.

I gave the table a couple coats of Americana Decor Satin Enamels Deep Ruby*.

I was seriously impressed with how smooth the paint went on and dried.

I didn’t even need to sand between coats.

I decided to stencil the top of the table using my new DecoArt Stencil 6 x 18 in. Winterberries*.

I secured the stencil in place using removable painters tape.

Using a stipple brush…

I applied DecoArt Americana Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint, White Birch*

inside the open stencil areas.

The Winterberry stencil comes with two 6″ x 18″ stencils which are slightly different.

I used the second stencil to add another berry branch to my table top.

I’m in love with my “new” table.

For now, the table will be used with my holiday decorating and then after the Holidays it’ll find a

permanent home in the guest room.

The Winterberry Table was sponsored by DecoArts and uses Amazon Affliliate links.

If you choose to purchase an item from Amazon using one of the links, I will receive a small commission which helps offsets the cost of running this blog. Thank You.

Festive 3-Tier Serving Stand

November 20, 2016September 16, 20211 Comment

Create an elegant Holiday serving stand…

using random thrift store dishes and a Dollar Store candlestick.

Imagine this filled with yummy deserts and treats.

*Disclaimer: This post uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started: (*affiliate link)

Three Plates: one small, one medium, one large
Glass Candlestick Holder*
Glass Cordial
Jingle Bells*
Beacon Glass, Metal & More Premium Permanent Glue, 2-Ounce*
Rubbing Alcohol
Soft Cloth

Directions:

Clean and dry dishes. Wipe areas where adhesive will be applied with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil left on glass from handling.

Run a thin line of adhesive on the top of the glass candlestick and adhere to the bottom of the medium plate. Let dry.

Place jingle bells into glass cordial. Run thin line of adhesive on top of glass cordial. Adhere to bottom of the smallest plate. Let dry.

Adhere bottom of glass cordial to center of the medium plate.
Adhere bottom of glass candlestick to top center of largest plate.

TIP… Use as three separate pieces or adhere together to create one elegant serving stand.

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Framed Magnetic Family Memo Board

November 2, 2016November 1, 2016Leave a comment

A decorative alternative to the family refrigerator.

This picture of me with my grandsons is one of my favorite photos.

It’s been hanging around on the fridge for a couple of years now.

I decided to make a Framed Magnetic Memo Board that I can hang on the wall and swap out photo’s

in the magnetic frames when ever I feel like it.

I started with an old picture frame with the glass removed.
I adhered the Magnetic Craft Sheet from Deflecto using double sided adhesive on the frame backing with the black magnetic side up.
Next, I covered the black magnetic sheet with a “thin” piece of plaid scrapbook paper and inserted it back into the frame. (TIP: using thin paper is the key to the magnetic sheets sticking together)
To make the frames: Cover magnetic sheets with scrapbook paper. Cut magnetic sheet with craft knife and mat or use a wood die cut frame to cut out the frames.
You can also create small word magnets using scrapbook paper and the magnetic craft sheets.

Thin metal dies will not work to cut the magnetic sheets, but it would be a great way to store them!

Deflecto Magnetic Craft Sheets, 8″ x 15″, 3-Pack, White (5901)

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.”

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate links. I am an Amazon Affiliate.

My Front Porch…all decked out and ready for fall

October 23, 2016October 27, 20161 Comment

I thought I’d share with you today my Fall Front Porch that I did a few weeks ago.

In past years my Fall Decorating usually included sweeping off the porch, adding a pumpkin or two,

a mum and a wreath on the door. That was it. I was done.

This year, thanks to my new “Instagram Obsession”, I was inspired to go all out.

Mind you…

going all out for me does not include 27 pumpkins, 15 mums, a $100 wreath and the most beautiful

looking dog you’d ever see. Like a few of the amazing front porches I saw. (trust me I counted)

I kept mine a little more simple, a little more doable, with out breaking the bank.

I stared with things I had on hand.

A combination of things picked up at Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, Auctions, Estate Sales and a few items

I’ve had for over 20 years.

Sometimes I wonder, am I a collector or hoarder?

But…I always say “it’s not hoarding if you use them”. (Right?)

Since some of my summer flowers are still doing good, I had to add them to the mix.

I’ve had this poinsettia since last winter. I hope I can make it turn red again.

I love this old black chair.

I purchased it over 20 years ago at a antique store and hated to admit to my husband I paid $20 for it.

I’ve only repainted it once in all those years.

Mums are a fairly cheap addition to the mix. I purchased 7 mums at $4 dollars each.

The price of a really good pizza dinner.

I replaced the scraggily summer plants with mums in pots I already had.

I kept it simple with only one pumpkin which will be carved by next week-end.

The Wood Crate was a new garage sale treasure this year for $1.50.

The lantern I believe I picked up for $1 and the little red chair was a Thrift Store find at $3.00.

You got to keep you eyes open to all the possibilities of these treasures offer.

My daughter-in-law told me “I never find these kind of things”.

The trick to good finds is you have to go and go often. I love the hunt.

fall-front-porch-sues-creative-workshop-1398

When it comes to my front porch, the only complaint I have is the size.

I wish it was wider and didn’t have an aggregate floor. (really hard on bare feet)

I really enjoy how it turned out.

Who knows, maybe next year I’ll have 27 pumpkins and 15 mums.

You can read about the post on how to make the Autumn Wreath and Boo Door Hanger here.

Boo Door Hanger and Autumn Wreath

October 9, 2016October 12, 20162 Comments

The plan was to make the “Boo Door Hanger” and the “Autumn Wreath”

as two separate projects with two separate blog posts.

But… while I was working on decorating my front porch for Fall,

I tried them together and decided I liked it.

The “Boo Door Hanger” is a separate piece that I can remove after Halloween.

I assembled the wreath using a grapevine wreath, a couple of fall silk floral bouquets, ribbon and my

hot melt glue gun. After cutting the stems apart from the bouquet, I played around with the

arrangement of the flowers and glued them in place.

A simple bow glued into place finished off the Autumn Wreath.

The entire project took less than a half hour.

The Boo Door Hanger was a little more involved…

I used Black Sign Tags that come with a White Wet Erase Marker from Deflecto Craft Solutions

and Halloween paper and stickers from Paper House Productions.

I applied the Halloween paper onto thin chipboard and cut out three die-cut frames.

I cut the sign tags just slightly bigger than the opening of the frame and adhered it to the back.

I drew in my letters using the white dry erase pen.

Make a mistake? Just wipe the sign tag with a damp paper towel and start over.

I punched two holes in the top and bottom of the first two frames and the top only of the last frame.

I added a black eyelet to each hole and connected the frames with small garment pins.

I embellished each frame with Spooktacular 3D Stickers from Paper House Productions.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Paper House Productions and Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.”

Autumn Woods Pop-Up card and Fall Collage

September 23, 2016August 6, 20211 Comment

One of the best things about being on a design team is the opportunity to work with awesome

products. When I got my last box of goodies from Paper House Productions I instantly fell

in love with the Autumn Woods Collection.

The sweet water colored woodland animals are cute without being to cutesy.

I knew as soon as I saw them that they needed to be made into a pop-up card.

Tips…

I apply baby powder on the back of my stickers with a small paintbrush to remove the tackiness. That way I can use my stickers like die-cuts.
On the front of the card: I love adding dimension… so under the “Autumn is in the Air” and the “bunnies” I used 3-D foam mounting squares.
Add even more dimension to the inside of your pop up card by adding thin foam mounting squares to the stickers “tree” and “autumn woods” and strategically placing them on the background.
I created a couple of pop-up steps for my forest friends.

While cleaning up the Autumn Woods scraps laying on my desk, I decided to make a Fall

Collage using a rummage sale frame I picked up last month for next to nothing.

All in all… I would have to say that the Autumn Woods Collection has to be my favorite

Paper House Productions collection so far. (at least for the time being)

Here’s the list of the Paper House Products I used:

These projects were created for and sponsored by Paper House Productions.

Disclaimer: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

Shop Amazon Scrapbooking Supplies*

Gel Press and the Colors of Autumn

September 21, 2016September 22, 201610 Comments

The first time I watched a video of someone using a Gel Press I was completely intrigued.

The project they were making was artsy, colorful, very cool and it looked like so much fun.

When I got the chance to participate in the Designer Craft Connection monthly design challenge

and receive a Gel Press plate for “free”… I was more than excited.

Never heard of a Gel Press? (Well…It’s just about the coolest thing.)

The Gel Press is a reusable Gel Printing Plate.

Gelatin printing is a form of mono-printing in which a gelatin slab is used as a printing plate to create a variety of images and backgrounds using acrylic paint. Simple to use. Ready for Printing.

Here’s how I created “The Colors of Autumn Print”…

Supplies Needed:

Gel Press Printing Plate 10810 – (5″ x 7″)
Ranger Inky Roller Brayer, Medium 3-5/16-Inch
Acrylic Paint
Metallic Acrylic Paint
Texture Tool
Paper (non-glossy)
Tim Holtz Spiral Bound Sticker Book: Small Talk Occasions

Directions:

Remove clear protective film from your gel press. Apply paint to the exposed Gel Plate.
Roll paint on as a thin layer with brayer.
Create design by pressing textured item into wet paint.
Lay paper onto painted surface.
Gently rub paper with hands to create a transfer image onto the paper.
I traced guidelines around the paper onto my scratch paper to make it easier to line up the second printing.
Pull paper away from printing plate to reveal your background.

I created a second background just like the first by using fall colors.
I placed 3 leaves into the paint.
I place a second piece of white paper over the gel press and pressed. This removes most of the paint from the background. Leaving the paint underneath the leaves.
Remove leaves from the gel press. I masked the corners with a couple of additional leaves.
Lay the first blue background paper over the press. Lining the paper up with the guidelines.
Gently rub paper with hands to create a transfer image onto the paper.
Pull paper away from printing plate to reveal your leaf prints.

Mat print and embellish with “the colors of autumn” chit chat sticker.

The “Colors of Autumn Print” was created for and sponsored by Gel Press.

Make sure to check out the video on the Gel Press site.

*This post uses Amazon Affiliate links. I am a Amazon Affiliate. If you choose to purchase an item from Amazon by clinking on the product link, I will receive a small commission that helps offset the cost of running this blog.

Old Frame Make-Over from last Friday’s treasure hunt.

September 9, 2016September 9, 20162 Comments

When I asked what the price was for the old terra pot, she paused and said “a quarter”.

When I asked her how much for the next item, she said “a quarter”.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was going to be fun.

By the time I put my pile on the table she said “a dollar……..ummm fifty?”

I love a good treasure hunt.

Especially when it’s ran by an old lady who just wants to get rid of everything.

Honestly, I wasn’t completely sure about these heavy metal frames when I first picked them up.

But…at a quarter how could I go wrong?

Armed with a can of off-white spray paint…

I deconstructed the frames and gave everything a couple coats of paint.

I sprayed the black velvet matting with spray adhesive and applied a piece of a woven tan fabric.

I marked the two holes in the matting where the metal flowers had been previously.

I was able to use the prongs on the back of the metal flowers to line them up exactly where they

had been before. (so easy)

I trimmed the excess fabric from around the matting and re-inserted everything back into the frame.

A super simple project with a modern up-dated look.

DIY Canvas: What the World needs now…

August 31, 2016August 30, 2016Leave a comment

A Quick and Easy DIY canvas and a throw back to the 1960’s.

Song Trivia:

The song “What the World needs Now is Love” was first recorded in 1965…

and was written by Hal Davis with the music composed by Burt Bacharach.

To make a canvas you’ll need…

8″ x 10″ white canvas
Iron Embroidered Letters from Joy SA
Blue Acrylic Paint
Paintbrush
Water
Craft Adhesive
Clean Soft Rag or White Paper Towel

Directions:

Using watered down acrylic paint I created a light watercolor wash on the canvas.
To create the cloudy look, I dabbed the painting, while the background was still wet, with a clean towel to remove portions of the paint.
After the canvas has fully dried, arrange letters on canvas.
Draw light pencil marks on the canvas to keep your lines straight.
Adhere to canvas with adhesive.