A Gift for my Daughter, and a Challenge

I have wanted to make this for my daughter for a long time. I finally took the time this week. And I love it. I'm so excited. I think she will be too :)

I should have taken pictures along the way, but I never think about that until I'm done :p

By the way, the canvas is much less green than it looks on my monitor at work ;).

I started out with a 12x12 canvas, a stencil, and some gesso. I never thought it would work out this good! I laid the stencil on the canvas, and spread some gesso over it. When I lifted it I was amazed with how defined the pattern of the stencil was. I got the idea from Angie Blom. She used textured paste. Loved hers, and thought I'd add that to the canvas for my daughter. 

The canvas was painted with a combination of a few Liquitex Soft Body acrylic paints. After that was dry I used Martha Stewart Tintable Antique Effect with a little brown acrylic paint. You use very little paint in the Antique Effect, paint it allover, then wipe it off. I love the effect. It settles in the little nooks and crannies. I also used it over the heart, and on the edges of the patterned paper. 

The heart was torn out of simple printed paper from SU. The wings were cut out of the same paper. I painted the heart red with my fingers. I didn't want it to be perfectly painted. Then I used a toilet paper roll to make some big circles. I added some small dots with Unity's Distressed Dots.

All of the papers, and the lace, were adhered with Mod Podge! Love that stuff!

The words, from the Donna Downey Adore Unity Stamp Set, were stamped with black paint. I wanted it to really show up. 

So, there you have it! 

I'm linking this up in the Unity Challenge. Go see what others have posted. Some great ideas out there!

Thank you for stopping by!

New Job, New Excuse to Make Stuff!

I have a new, full time job! While it will definitely take time away from my craft room, it will also give me more excuses to make things ;) 

 I have a cubicle to snazz up now! I have pictures to hang, and I thought these teeny tiny clothespins I have been hoarding for YEARS would be cute! They were pretty boring though. Cubicle's do not need boring. I colored them with Copics, doodled  a little, then used Mod Podge Dimensional Magic over the top. First time I used it. Dried very clear! I have used other similar products, and they can sometimes distort color, but this did not. 

 These babies are tiny. Sorry the pics are a little blurry. I tried getting really close.

You can see compared to the dime how small they are. You can also see the shine from the Dimensional Magic. Love it!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm going to try to get some cards going this week, promise! And I have some other ideas for sprucing up my cubicle too ;) Have a great week!

Love With All Your Heart

I am really excited about finishing this! I started on it months ago! 

I love doing canvases. There's nothing like a paintbrush in my hand to ease my mind.

 You can see the texture on this. The first thing I like to do is put down some tissue paper with Mod Podge. I love the texture. 

The background was done with Faber Castell Gelatos. Scribble the color where you want it with them, then blend with a brush and water. 

The black is stenciled using cardstock I punched this design from. 

 To get the letters, I put down chipboard letters and trace around them. Then I paint and outline them. 

 I love the bright colors! 

Thanks for stopping by! I love having people over ;)

Have an awesome day!

Life's a Beach Birdhouse

It was time for a little Mod Podge! Every once in awhile I get the urge :)

Since I have a bunch few more birdhouses I knew just what I needed to do.

 White paint, paper, stickers,  Mod Podge, and Martha Stewart Antique Effect, and my urge was satisfied.

 This aqua wood design paper from October Afternoon always reminded me of the beach, so I made a little beach house. It makes me think of a lifeguard shack.

 This makes me happy :)

Thank you for stopping by! 

Have a great day!

Christmas Ornaments!

It is a busy, busy time! 

And I have been busy making ornaments! 

These are paper mache. I picked them up at Michael's.

I Mod Podged the heck out of them.  

The one on the left has red baker's twine along the seams, and a felt snowflake on top. 

The one on the left has ink along the seams, and gathered lace around the middle.

The paper I used is Basic Grey.

The ornament above is covered with PTI paper. For a new nephew :) 

These are made of some pressed board that I have had for a couple of years. 

I Mod Podged the paper on them also. The paper I used is The Girls' Paperie, Tinsel & Twig. 

They are all different, and covered on the back as well. 

Thank you for popping in :)

Have a wonderful day!

Ok, Last Post About the Birdhouses!

I have blogged about these darling birdhouses twice already! 

I loved them, but something was missing. Then it struck me, snow!

 I applied Crystal Effects, then caked on the glitter! 

 And I love it!

I am done with them! And this time I mean it!

Super cute I think!

Thanks for stopping by!

I will be back tomorrow with LOTS of ornaments that I have been working on!

Update on Birdhouses

I posted these on Sunday, but I knew I had to do something more.

I had these Stampin' Up felt flowers that coordinated with the paper pretty well. 

These antique looking pearl brads were the perfect accent.  

 I love the brad on top of the birdhouse below. 

Tomorrow I'll have a few more things I've been working on ;)

I've been having fun!

Have an awesome day!

Holiday Birdhouses

I have been busy busy busy working, but I'm making time to make some Christmas gifts.

One of my projects are these little holiday birdhouses. They're not done, and I'm not sure where I'm going with them from here. But I was anxious to share ;)

 I hate to say it, but Martha Stewart kind of rocks! 

These little birdhouses are from Michael's. They're a buck, and unfinished.

I painted them white, then Mod Podged the paper (Basic Grey) on them.

This is where the magic began! 

Martha Stewart Tintable Antique Effect! 

You mix it with a small, and I mean very small, amount of paint. You brush it on, then wipe it off before it dries. It leaves your project looking old vintage ;) 

My husband and kids say they look old, so I guess I did it right ;)

 I'm not done with them, and I'm not sure what I'm going to add yet. You can bet it'll be cute though ;) I'll share the pics of the finished products as soon as I finish them.

I have other projects I've finished too, so I will be back this week with more!

This is Why I Haven't Been Posting

I have been painting! This has undergone many revisions! I have painted over, painted over, papered over, and painted over. I thought I like the first version, then I hated it. Then I re-did it and loved it, then hated it, then re-did it, and REALLY hated it! Then I painted over the whole thing, except for the bottom. The bottom (sand) has remained the same throughout. That is the only part that has remained! 

Now I LOVE this! I want to get prints made to sell on my Etsy shop :)

 I've learned a lot while working on this. 

First of all, don't be afraid of the paint. Whatever you don't like, you can paint over, and over, and over again if you need to ;) 

Second, there is no such thing as perfection! Just do it, and love it.

I also learned, enjoy the process! Sometimes just putting the brush to the canvas is the best therapy ;)

Linking up on Whatever You Want Wednesday at Free Pretty Things For You!

Thank you for looking in! I appreciate you taking the time to stop by. I also appreciate every single comment more than you know!

Have an awesome day!

Be Nice

I made this canvas for my entryway, for various reasons ;)

I love it! I had seen signs with this saying on it lately, and I knew it was perfect for us :)

 To start with, I Mod Podged a piece of an old pattern on the canvas. I brushed a little cream paint over it, but only enough so you can still see some of the lettering on the pattern. For the next part, I traced the awesome Cosmo Cricket Blackboard "Sweet Mix" chipboard letters (that I may never use because I love them so much!) onto clear Contact paper. I think I'll just trace them forever!
I cut them out by hand (this is where one of those nifty Cricut's would come in handy). Then I lined them up on the canvas and painted it. I used a crumpled up paper to blot some of the paint off. I wanted it to look old. Yes, that was on purpose :)
When the paint was dry I peeled the letters off, and was sooo excited! There was paint that seeped under the letters, so I just touched it up a little. The I outlined it with a black pen, and added a sloppy little shadow for some dimension. Love it!

I may sand it a little yet. I'm not so sure. If I do I will post an updated pic.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it :)

Have a glorious day!

A Little Mini

Hello all, and Happy Friday!

That means it's the last day to enter for a chance to be on the design team for Pumpkin Spice ;)

I made the front and back cover for a mini album I'm creating. 

The cover for the album is from Teresa Collins. It was made for the Bind It All, but I decided on ribbon instead. 

The papers I used are from my two Favorite paper lines; Crate Paper's "Restoration Collection" and Echo Park's "For the Record." They worked well together too.  

 Now for some of the How-To's. 

I traced the covers onto the papers and cut them out by hand. I glued the papers to the covers with Mod Podge and sanded the edges, then sponged ink on the edges.

The crochet flowers were white and dyed with re-inkers and water. It's great when you can't find just the right color to be able to dye what you have.

 All of the stamps I used are of course Unity ;)

 I used a lot of Nestabilites for the sentiments and frames for pictures.

These two pages are ready for pictures. There is room under the top left corner of the sentiment panel for a picture to slide in.   

 I can't wait to slide some pics in here. I'm going to add pages as I go along.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great weekend :)

Supply List

Paper: Crate Paper “Restoration,” Echo Park “For the Record”

Cardstock: Stampin’ Up White Confetti

Stamps: Unity December, 2010 Kit of the Month, Unity October. 2010 Kit of the Month, Unity January, 2011 Kit of the Month

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities: Labels 3, Labels 4, Labels 17, Classic Ovals, Classic Scalloped Ovals

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Stampin’ Up Re-inkers – Certainly Celery and Brocade Blue, Tim Holtz Distress Ink – More Mustard, Old Paper, Peeled Paint, Barn Door

Flowers: Crochet - Stampin’ Up, Pink Lace - Bo Bunny, Green and Yellow – Prima

Additional Accessories and Tools: Buttons from my collection, Crochet thread from collection, Vintage fibers, Martha Stewart Scallop Punch

Original Canvas :)

When I get stressed I go to my craft room. Yesterday was one of those days :/ I was in a really bad mood. I don't know how I created something so bright and cheerful while I was in such a yucky mood, but I did :)

I really enjoyed making this. It's an 11x14 canvas so I was a little nervous.

The papers I used are My Mind's Eye - Bloom & Grow and Fine & Dandy, and Cosmo Cricket - Material Girl.  

The background was done using Faber Castell Gelatos over tissue paper for texture. I used various acrylic paints over the papers. Everything was outlined with a Pilot Permaball pen, and highlighted with a Sharpie Poster Paint Pen in white. A little shading on the stems and leaves were done with a Copic marker. I almost forgot, I used the Unity Worn Grid and Distressed Dots Backgrounds for added texture. And of course, Mod Podge over everything :)

Thank you for looking :) I really enjoyed creating this, and couldn't wait to share it with you!

Have an awesome day!!!

Family Banner

I was looking for something to make, and I found these banner pieces that I found in Michaels sometime last year. Perfect! Just the right number to spell Family!

Here are some closeups.

I had nothing to spell out family. All of my chipboard letters are far too small, as are my stickers. I have no letter stamps big enough either. Soooo I printed them on regular copy paper and very carefully cut them out. After die cutting the shapes from paper from Echo Park's For the Record to mount them on, I adhered the letters using my Xyron. I was inspired by the My Minds Eye blue papers. Love the colors. I used flowers from Prima and Stampin' Up. The tiny little vintage style tag is from Stampin' Up also. The letter k is staped on it (for our last name). The ovals and die cuts were sponged with Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. The die cuts were cut using Spellbinders Nestabilities. The borders were punched using various punches. After assembling I laced some seam binding through to hook them all together to hang.

This was submitted for the Moxie Fab World's Home Decor Challenge. The deadline has passed, but there are some great projects that were submitted if you want some inspiration.

Thanks for looking! And have a great day!