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Rock Mosaic

April 22, 2013 Leave a Comment

I’d never done a mosaic before but have always wanted to. So over the weekend I created this Rock Mosaic.

Rock Mosaic

OK, so, some things I learned from this project:

  1. I really like doing mosaics!
  2. I don’t like doing mosaics on rocks.
  3. I should have a more definite plan in mind when creating a mosaic (the “cross” was not planned…it just sort of happened).

So next time I do a mosaic I’m thinking it will definitely be on a flat surface. I had fun doing this, and I am excited to do mosaics again in the future. I’d love to do something large scale someday…like a garden path or something! It would take awhile, but it would be fun! My daughter will be getting this rock mosaic because I’m just not in love with it. Next time, I plan on flowers…or trees…anything in nature!

Mostly I used cut glass pieces for this mosaic, along with some glass circles (whatever they are called) that I got from the craft store. They are really more of a deep purple color–the photo doesn’t do the colors justice at all. Since I do stained glass work from time to time, I have lots of cut glass–but used some pre-cut glass I’d found at the craft store too for this project. Next time I will be trying to incorporate mostly scrap glass pieces in my mosaic. Reuse and recycle, as they say!

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Yard Art Flowers

April 8, 2013 Leave a Comment

I was in the studio yesterday and worked on quite a few different things. I got some primitive crafts done for my Tattered Sisters Blog. Got two paintings started. Did some planning for future projects. And I somehow came up with this idea for some Yard Art Flowers. I was trying to think of a different way I could use some candle pans and tart molds that I always have on hand, so I came up with flowers.

Yard Art Flowers

I had several sizes of candle pans in different finishes–some are the plain tin color, some painted white, and some rusty. I punched holes in each of the pans and just layered them together to make them look like flowers, and secured them with brads. I added some rusty wire to create the stems–although the wire wasn’t heavy enough for the larger flower and it kept falling over. So I reinforced that one so it would stay vertical. :) The smallest shape on the small flower is a tart mold, and the smallest shape on the larger flower is a bottle cap.

In a way these are kind of Altered Art, since I altered the the pans to make them. Maybe it’s a sort of way to upcycle too. But not matter what it is, I had fun making my Yard Art Flowers.

Filed Under: Altered Art, Everyday Crafts Tagged With: , , , ,

Bird Silhouette Painting

January 7, 2013 Leave a Comment

I’ve always wanted to do a silhouette painting of a bird, so I thought I’d give it a shot yesterday when I was in my studio. I still had the Spring-thing in my head…so I created this Bird Silhouette painting.

Bird Acrylic Painting

I used a 6″ canvas for this that I painted with craft acrylics in the robins egg blue color. Then I created a template of a bird by drawing the bird shape on some cardstock and then cutting it out. I traced the template on the canvas and then painted it with black acrylic. (You could use a stencil if you have one.) Next I distressed the edges of the canvas with a combination of paint and Distress Ink. And I finished it off with a little matching satin flower, just to give it a sense of depth.

This is a very simple, crafty project and I think anyone could do it. I love how it turned out. I may do some more birds in the future because I had such fun with this.

Filed Under: Acrylic Paintings, Everyday Crafts, Seasonal Crafts Tagged With: , ,

Little Bird Gift Bag

January 7, 2013 Leave a Comment

I should be thinking about Valentine’s Day, for crafty purposes, but when I went into my studio yesterday (which is outside, and I had to walk in the 20+ degree weather to get to it) I was thinking Spring! So I created some spring projects to share. This one is my Little Bird Gift Bag.

Muslin Gift Bag

I started with a pre-made muslin gift bag. I stamped on a cute spring bird, along with the “imagine” text. And then I added a matching satin flower. I love this color of blue–very spring-like. These would make great little gift bags, or favor bags for a party. And they are so quick and easy to make too. Just something very simple, but elegant too. And really, they could be used any time of year, not just for Spring!

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Fabric Crafts, Seasonal Crafts Tagged With: , ,

My Fairy Garden

May 7, 2012 3 Comments

I finally managed to create a Fairy Garden for my granddaughter, Destiny. Thought I’d share the photos I’ve taken of it here.

Fairy Garden 2
Full View of Fairy Garden
Fairy Garden 2

Fairy Garden Close

Fairy Garden 3

Fairy Garden Front with "Fire" Pit

Fairy Garden 4

Fairy Garden Closeup on Fairies

I hope to keep adding to the Fairy Garden over time. But for now, Destiny and I love it!

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Be Glad of Life Hang Tag

March 23, 2012 7 Comments

This is my first attempt at being creative since my mom’s passing last month. My heart still isn’t fully in it, but she wouldn’t want me to wallow in sadness, so I’m trying to move forward…one step at a time. The Gingersnap Creations blog has a Two-Color Challenge right now, so I thought I’d try that one. The result is my my Be Glad of Life Hang Tag.

Be Glad of Life Hang Tag

I’ve used shades of brown and white here. It’s a combination of a paper grungy hang tag and embellishments, along with digital touches added in. I still love creating Altered Art…it’s my go-to form of creativity when I’m not feeling inspired by anything else. I love the sentiment too. Be glad of life…

I’m trying, Mom. I’m really trying.

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Hang Tags, Paper Arts Tagged With: , , ,

Creation of Beauty Hang Tag

February 6, 2012 4 Comments

I’ve created this Creation of Beauty Hang Tag for the Words of Wisdom challenge over at the Gingersnap Creations blog. The challenge is to utilize some favorite words of wisdom (profound, funny, or otherwise) in a creation.

Creation of Beauty Hang TagFor this Hang Tag I’ve once again utilized a combination of both paper goods, ephemera, and digital touches to create this Altered Art piece. I love the vintage photo of the girl…she’s so lovely. And she is perfect for the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson too, don’t you think?

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Sands of Time in a Bottle

February 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

I just thought I’d share something today since, for some reason, I was thinking about the ocean. I love the ocean…love beaches and almost any place near the water. So each year on our anniversary weekend for the past few years, the Hubs and I go someplace that is by the water, and preferably with a beach. We live fairly close to Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, so our destinations frequently end up being in a town by one of those lakes. And each time we go, I collect sand, shells, and other little natural objects as sort of souvenirs. When we get home, I choose a Mason Jar or some other bottle to put my sand and other beach goodies in, and I label them on the bottom with the town we went to and which year. They’ve become my collection of “Sands of Time in a Bottle.”

Sands of Time in a Bottle

I have 4 of these Glass Bottles and Jars full of beach memories so far. They sit on my kitchen window sill, so that I can see them everyday, and in my own way, I’m close to the beach. I would have had 5 of these, except one year we got rained out on our beach day and I couldn’t collect anything to bring home. But that’s OK.

There’s always next year.

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Glass Bottles and Jars Tagged With: , , ,

Time with Grandma Collage

January 3, 2012 1 Comment

This is yet another Christmas gift I made this year (OK, well it’s last year now). This is a paper collage piece that I made for my mom using a vintage photo of her and my great grandmother.

Time with Grandma Collage

This is made mostly with scrapbook paper and stickers, but I used a clear acrylic clock stamp as well, along with a brad for the center of the clock image. And when it was finished I framed it in a black frame for Mom. Just another little special photo memory captured in time. :)

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Paper Arts Tagged With: ,

Twilight Bitten Art

January 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

I made my sister, Chantele a special Christmas gift this year. Being that I’m the one that got her hooked on Twilight (the books, and the  movies!) I decided all her gifts would be vampire related this year. I got her a Twilight shirt, along with the entire first season of The Vampire Diaries on DVD. That show is my latest vampire addiction so I figured I’d send it to her and see how she liked it. But I also made her this special Twilight-themed framed art I’ve called, Bitten.

Twilight Bitten Art

This is made primarily from scrapbook papers that have a Twilight theme. I also added some ribbon and gems, and a Bella and Edward photo from the first movie in the saga. She loved the gift and I was so happy to make something special for her. Now maybe next year I’ll need to make something related to The Vampire Diaries. :)

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Fairy Topiary

August 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

I spent time in the studio again yesterday. I never get in there as often as I’d like, and then when I do it’s hard to get me out of there! Got some fun projects done, including this one, my little Fairy Topiary (click image to view full size), which I’ll add to my collection of Fairy Crafts.

Fairy Topiary

I started with a small white, enamel bucket, about 2-1/2″ in diameter. In the bottom of that I add a piece of Styrofoam, which I cut to fit. Next I created the topiary, beginning with a reused end of a craft swab (waste not, want not, right?) that I painted green. I stuck on a small Styrofoam ball to the top of it, which I also painted green. Then I hot glued on some craft flowers until the ball was covered, and added a pink satin bow to it too. Then I stuck it into the Styrofoam in the bottom of the bucket.

Then I needed to create the fairy, which started with a vintage photo of a girl. Again I used a discarded craft swab to attach to the back of the photo, which I’d printed on cardstock. Then I used some craft picks to create her wings, which are made of pink tulle and beads. I simply taped those onto the back of the photo. Then I stuck that into the Styrofoam in the bucket as well.

To give weight to the bucket to hold everything in place, I put in glass flat marbles that you can get in any craft store. I have had these sitting around for years and had plenty of them. So I just poured in enough to go to the top of the bucket. They add a neat texture and some shimmer, which I like. They almost look like the tops of bubbles in there. :) Once those were in place I finished the bucket off by adding a pink satin bow to each side.

The whole thing has a sort of Shabby Chic feel to it, and a vintage touch too. I think something like this would look great as a table decoration at a bridal shower or baby shower or something. But my little fairy is going in my studio so I can see her everyday.

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Fairy Crafts, Shabby Chic Tagged With: , , , ,

Twilight Pushpins

July 25, 2011 1 Comment

OK, this project was totally just for fun. I had an old Twilight calendar sitting in my studio for the last couple of years. I wanted to repurpose some little images that were on the back cover. So I decided to use some glass tiles and turn the photos into pushpins!

Twilight Pushpins

Now please excuse the quality of this photo. It is very difficult to get a good clear photo of these 1″ glass tiles. Between the texture of the glass and the small size, I can’t get a perfectly clear shot. But I think you get the idea.

I just took my pictures and cut them out with a 15/16″ square cutter. I used silver tape (for Memory Glass) to adhere the photos to the back side of the glass tiles. Then I stuck upholstery tacks to the back of the tiles with hot glue. Probably some E-5000 glue would have been a better choice, but I was in a hurry. LOL

They’re cute little Bella and Edward pushpins that are now on the bulletin board in my office. :)

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Glass Art Tagged With: , , ,

Vintage Rose

July 18, 2011 5 Comments

In the summer issue of Somerset Life that I picked up over the weekend, there is a wonderful tutorial for making vintage roses out of coffee filters. I’ve done a Coffee Filter Roses Tutorial in the past, but that one was for a much quicker and simpler rose–one that is easier and less realistic. The one is Somerset is much more realistic.

Somerset Life

I am always on the lookout for new flower tutorials  and I loved theirs so I had to try it out. It was time-consuming to make, but it turned out so pretty…even if it wasn’t as pretty as the ones in the magazine.

Vintage Rose

Click to Enlarge

Vintage Rose Top

Click to Enlarge

I wouldn’t want to make a bunch of these, just because they take so long to make. But they really are pretty and would look so nice just sitting in a vase–one all by itself, or two or three. And they would make really nice gifts too, which is what the designer in the magazine was using them for.  They’re very affordable to make too since you’re just using coffee filters and things you probably already have one hand.

Check out the magazine next time you’re in the bookstore to see the full tutorial. Somerset Life is one of my favorite magazines…but of course I love almost all the Somerset publications. I only wish they were cheaper!

 

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Flower Tutorials, Paper Arts Tagged With: , , , ,

Go Fish Altered Hangtag

June 21, 2011 Leave a Comment

Not sure really what inspired this Go Fish altered hangtag, but I had fun making it.

Go Fish Altered Hangtag

I started out with a large, plain white hangtag, which I stamped with a text design using black ink. Then I used some scrap wallpaper to add the wave element on the left side (top) of the tag. Next I drew a simple fish shape onto some textured blue scrapbook paper; into that, I drew the letters that spell out the word FISH, leaving a little space in between each letter so that I could cut them out. Then I cut out the letters and glued them onto the hangtag, spelling out the word FISH and also creating the shape of a fish. I added some smaller paper fish shapes that I drew and cut out, and also some punched paper holes. And I finished it off with a brad for the fish’s eye, and just a bit of blue ink on the edges for a distressed look.

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Doily Vase

May 16, 2011 2 Comments

OK, now I’ll be honest up front. When I started this little crafty project, I intended for it to become a glass luminary. But when I got finished, my tealight was too big to fit in the opening! URGH! So I took my lemons and made some crafty lemonade…and decided to turn this into a little vase instead.

Doily Vase

I took one of the jars I had in my studio, one that looks like an old-fashioned “vintage” milk bottle and cleaned it well first. Then I took a craft doily that I purchased at Michael’s, sprayed the back of it with adhesive, and then adhered it to the bottle. After it had a chance to dry, I added some craft flowers and a pearlescent gem to the front of the doily. And that’s all there was to it!

Since this is a very short bottle, it will be perfect for flowers with very short stems, like the lilacs that are blooming in my back yard right now. It is difficult to find cute vases for flowers that are short, so this will be just right. And the next time I get wanting to make a luminary, I am going to be sure to measure the opening of my bottle first!

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Glass Bottles and Jars Tagged With: , ,

Flower Jar

April 11, 2011 Leave a Comment

When my studio was robbed a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t realize at first that anything more than my stereo was missing. That was bad enough, since it was almost brand new. But when I was able to spend more time in there a couple of days later, I realized that a lot more was taken. It’s not like I have an inventory of everything that’s in there, so really only blatantly obvious things would come to my attention.

Well, when I sat down to try to do some crafting, I realized that several of my jars of buttons and flowers that I’d created to store these craft supplies were also missing (among other things). Several mason jars of flowers and old-fashioned jars of buttons too. They seem so insignificant, but it was really very upsetting to discover them missing, after spending so much time (not to mention the money to buy those supplies) separating the flowers and buttons by color and putting them in their own fun-looking jars.

So anyway, I’m short on buttons and flowers now, because in total they took a LOT of supplies that I use very often when I’m creating. And I’m also short on jars. So I decided to make one new one today from a jar I happened to have on hand.

Flower Jar

None of my missing jars were decorated (which makes it even more puzzling why the thief would take them), but I thought I’d do at least one that is. So I cut out a strip of burlap and sprayed the back of it with adhesive. Then I wrapped it snug around the jar. Then I took three craft flowers and assembled them with a brad and added them on top of the burlap. And then I just dropped in the one lone tube of new flowers I’ve bought (so far) to start to replace what was stolen.

I like the way this looks. Just a fun little way to jazz up a plain glass jar. And the vintage-looking zinc lid is nice too. All of my missing flower jars had lids like these, but they were plain square mason jars. Not valuable really…to anyone but me. :( They’ll eventually get replaced…one jar at a time.

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Sew Easy Button Magnets

March 5, 2011 1 Comment

I did a last minute craft project last weekend when I was in my studio. It was just something fun to do that I came up with on the spur of the moment after seeing some buttons laying on my work space. I always have buttons somewhere it seems. So I decided to turn a few into magnets–since I have kind of an obsession with magnets anyway.

Button Magnets

All I did was glue craft magnets to the back of these cute buttons in shades of brown. That’s all there was to it! Sew quick. Sew easy. Sew cute!

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Cherish Altered Heart

February 14, 2011 7 Comments

Well, seeing that it’s Valentines Day, I thought I’d get one more heart-themed project in before the clock strikes midnight. And I’m using it for the Ginersnaps Creations Charms Challenge too.  It’s my Cherish Altered Heart project.  My beads will have to serve as charms in this case…I didn’t have any actual charms to play with.

Cherish Altered Heart

I started with a plain wooden heart, which is about 3″ high. It’s the same wooden heart I used for my Love Altered Hearts project.  I added a piece of teal and cream colored patterned scrapbook paper that I liked. Then I added a vintage photo that I scalloped the edges on.

Next I found a piece of chipboard that had the word Cherish on it, in a metallic teal font. It matched perfectly so I glued that at the bottom of the vintage photo. Then I distressed the edges of the heart a bit with some brown distress ink to give the heart a wee bit of dimension. I also added a teal paper flower, with a rhinestone gem in the center.

To finish this off I added 3 swarovski crystals as my “charms” to the bottom of the heart, one in a teal color, and two in clear. I love the way those look on the heart. They almost give it a shabby chic feel, don’t you think? Oh, and at the last minute I decided to turn this into a magnet so I could hang it on the frig. Love it!

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Hearts, Seasonal Crafts, Shabby Chic Crafts Tagged With: , , , , ,

That Simple Dance MJ Bookmark

February 8, 2011 33 Comments

I was definitely in Michael Jackson mode over the weekend. First I created my King of Pop Canvas, and then I decided to create this altered art style bookmark, which I call That Simple Dance. This was inspired by the 3 Muses Quotation Challenge, in which we were to use a quotation in our art piece. I decided to use a line from one of Michael’s songs as my quotation, and it’s one of my favorite of his songs, Blood on the Dancefloor.

That Simple Dance MJ Bookmark

The base of this bookmark is a textured piece of pink cardstock, and on that I’ve scalloped the bottom edge. I found a photo of MJ in one of his classic poses, up on his toes, and he’s wearing his glittery socks too. One thing’s for sure here–Michael knew what he was doing with those socks. One immediately knows whose feet those are when you look at this photo. I cut the photo to size and adhered it to the bookmark, then added a music sticker to the bottom edge of the photo.

Next I took some black scrapbook paper and used that as a base for my quotation, which is printed on white cardstock. “To Escape the World I’ve Got to Enjoy That Simple Dance,” seemed like a very appropriate quote for MJ. I glued those to the bookmark, then I added some silver-looking brads to the top corners of the framed quotation. And I finished off the bookmark with some matching pink and black satin ribbon.

Filed Under: Bookmarks, Everyday Crafts, Michael Jackson Art, Paper Arts Tagged With: , , , ,

Coffee Filter Roses Tutorial

January 24, 2011 22 Comments

In trying to come up with a project inspired by the Spicy Supply Challenge ~ Using Coffee Filters at Gingersnap Creations, I finally came up with something fun and fairly simple; and I decided to make it a full tutorial with lots of pictures too.  I’m really excited to share this craft tutorial for my Coffee Filter Roses.

Supplies Needed

  • 5-6 Coffee Filters (Unbleached or Bleached)
  • A Stapler
  • Glimmer Mist (I used Coffee Shop)
  • Ribbon or Chenille Stems

Directions

Step 1: Get your Coffee Filters and lay them out flat (they won’t stay flat, and that’s OK, just do the best you can).

Coffee Filter Roses Step 1

Step 2: Fold back about a 1″ length of the bottom of all the coffee filters.

Coffee Filter Roses Step 2

Step 3: Folding and flipping a 1″ section as you go, create accordion-like folds all the way to the other end of the coffee filters.

Coffee Filter Roses Step 3

Step 4: Take your Stapler and staple twice in the center of your folded filters. You may also want to attach your ribbon or chenille stem at the center of this now, if you like. You can do it at the end as well, it’s just a bit easier at this step.

Coffee Filter Roses Step 4

Step 5: Starting on one side, carefully pull up the first layer of coffee filter, gently pulling all the way toward the center.

Coffee Filter Roses Step 5

Step 6: Repeat Step 5 with each subsequent coffee filter layer, until the first side is completed.

Coffee Filter Roses Step 6

Step 7: Repeat Steps 5 and 6 on the other side.

Coffee Filter Roses Step 7

I curled the edges of the bottom petals back a bit, along with a couple of other random petals, to make it look more like a rose and more full.

Step 8: If you haven’t already attached your ribbon or chenille stem at the center, do that now. Then you’re ready to spritz the rose with Glimmer Mist.

Glimmer Mist

This step is totally optional. I just thought the rose needed some texture and dimension, which the Glimmer Mist adds. If you don’t have Glimmer Mist, you can create your own color spray. You can mix a metallic acrylic (if you want that shimmer like Glimmer Mist provides) with water and put it in a spray bottle, or use watercolors diluted with water.  Test it on another coffee filter first. Then just spritz around the rose until you’re happy with how it looks and let it dry. Another option would be to use some spray adhesive and then dip the petals in some glitter. There are lots of possibilities.

My finished Coffee Filter Rose looks like this:

Coffee Filter Rose Vintage

I added a gold organdy ribbon to the center of my rose, and added a grungy hangtag, which I stamped with a female image, to the ribbon so this could be used on a gift. I like the unbleached coffee filters because they let me create roses with a vintage feel. But you could just as easily use white coffee filters.

Coffee Filter Rose White

I spritzed this rose with some Tattered Rose Glimmer Mist, which is pink in color and gives it a really nice touch.

These coffee filter roses are so inexpensive and easy to make, and they could be used for so many things: on gift boxes or gift bags, for craft projects, as table decor at a party, as party favors, even as decorations at a wedding reception or shower. And being able to use chenille stems  or ribbon (or even craft wire or picks) gives you different ways to use them as well.

Everything seems to be coming up roses around here. :)

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Flower Tutorials, Paper Arts Tagged With: , ,

Butterfly Stitches Hangtag

December 7, 2010 10 Comments

This is an altered hangtag I created for the Gingersnap Creations Stitches Challenge. The “stitches” could be real or faux, so we could sew…or not sew for the challenge, as long as some sort of stitches are part of the project. I’m also using it for the Fussy and Fancy Friday Anything But a Card Challenge.

Butterfly Stitches Hangtag

I started by making the hangtag itself out of some cardstock scrapbook paper that I had a scrap of. It has some great browns, tans, turquoises and white colors, and (lucky me) it also includes faux stitching. So I knew it would be perfect for the challenge.

Next I found a 3-D sticker of a rose that I liked, along with a butterfly die-cut shape I wanted to use. So I stuck the rose to the tag, and then I used a 3-D-O  (which is basically a piece of foam that has sticky on both sides) to stick the butterfly cutout to the tag and have it stick up in relief like the rose.

Then I added some lace trim to the bottom of the tag, to give it a bit more of a feminine touch. And I also added some button brads here and there to add some variety and embellishment to the tag. And I finished it off with a coordinating light turquoise satin ribbon. It almost looks a bit shabby chic to me too, don’t you think? I love how it turned out.

Tina

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Hang Tags, Paper Arts, Shabby Chic Crafts Tagged With: , , ,

Sisters Fabric Ornie

November 29, 2010 12 Comments

I’ve been decking the halls this past week, and trimming the tree as well, and that gave way to some creative inspiration. I decided to make some fabric ornies for my sister and my mom that they can hang on their Christmas trees. And I wanted to also include a vintage photo on each ornie, one that would be special for each of them. So this is the first one I made for my sister, which includes a photo of her and me when we were young.

Sisters Fabric Ornie

I started by choosing some fabric that I love and have used with other projects. It has a very vintage feel to me, with a soft, muted tan background and little burgundy rosebuds on it. I cut two pieces of fabric to the size I needed, approximately 3″x4″, so that it would be a bit bigger than the photo when it was finished.

Next I used Avery Printable Fabric to print out the photo. The fabric is so easy to use: it can be sewn on, or simply ironed on, which is what I chose to do. After ironing on the photo, then I added my decorative trim around the photo. I used fabric glue to get it in place, and once that dried I also tacked it on with a few stitches to be sure it would stay in place over time. I also added a satin ribbon flower as an accent.

The next step was to put the right sides of the fabric together, and then sew it together on three sides. I left the bottom side open so that I could then stuff it with fiberfill. After sewing and turning and stuffing, I sewed the bottom edge closed. Then I added the lace trim at the bottom, and finished it off with a  burgundy satin ribbon for hanging.

I made some other fabric ornies as well, but I’ll be posting them after Christmas, so as not to ruin the surprise for anyone else I’m sending them to. ;)

I love how all the ornies turned out. My only irritation is that I think they would have looked better if I’d added a sepia tone to the photos instead of just leaving them black and white. I think they would have matched the fabric better that way. But oh well. At least I’ll know for next time. And either way they are still what I hoped they’d be…a special way to capture moments in time of our family.

I also am using this as an entry into the Gingersnap Creations Vintage Hues Color Challenge, as well as the Craft Your Passion ~ Anything Goes Challenge.

Tina

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Fabric Crafts, Seasonal Crafts Tagged With: , ,

Country Primitive Mitten Ornie

November 24, 2010 4 Comments

I recently participated in the annual Ornie Swap at Prim Mart, something I try to do every year. There’s nothing like creating a bunch of ornies and knowing that you’re going to get a box full of handmade ornies in return each year. My tree is full of the most beautiful handmade ornies and I just love it! For this year’s swap I did a simple country primitive mitten ornie with a rusty snowflake accent.

Country Primitive Mitten Ornie

I started by drawing a mitten pattern on some cardstock and then cut it out. I pinned it to two pieces of white felt that I had pinned together and then cut out the 2 mitten pieces, front and back. Next I sewed the two halves together using black embroidery floss. I love the look of the stitching going all the way around, and it’s very country and prim! Next I took a black button and used white embroidery floss to sew it to the rusty snowflake accent. Then I used a rusty safety pin to attach the snowflake to the front of the mitten, and I stuffed the mitten with just a bit of fiberfill. Then I finished it off by attaching a piece of embroidery floss to serve as the hanger for the mitten.

I really debated making this mitten ornie grungy…it’s definitely the primitive way to go. But I liked it so much the way it was, I decide to just leave it that way. I made 28 of these for the ornie swap, and I got my 28 handmade ornies in return just the other day. They are now hanging on my tree and they look beautiful.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but around here, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tina

Filed Under: Country Primitive Crafts, Everyday Crafts, Felt Crafts Tagged With: , , ,

Family Shadow Box

November 2, 2010 2 Comments

I use so many vintage photos in my altered art projects. I just love the way they look. So when my mom came for a recent visit, I asked her to bring as many old family photos as she could so that I could start using actual family photos, rather than just vintage strangers that catch  my eye in photographs. Mom brought some wonderful photos, so I’m off to a good start in building a collection that will not only help me to be creative, but will be extremely meaningful for me as well.

For my very first effort, I decided to create a shadow box of sorts. I have several of these small square boxes around, made from old lath board. They measure about 6″ square on the outside, about a little over 5″ on this inside. To me, these rustic boxes were just begging to be altered and transformed into meaningful family art. And this one features my great Grandma and Grandpa Kephart. Definitely art with heart.

Kephart Family Shadow Box

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I started by finding some decorative scrapbook paper that I wanted to use on the background. I found one a with rose, pink and blue-green colored pattern to it that I really love. So I cut that to size and put it in place in the box. I already knew that I’d be using the photo of my great Grandma and Grandpa, so next I went about looking for the right embellishments. I found a decorative paper element that says Family on it in a Tim Holz paper pack, so I cut that out to use. I also found a great paper rose that has a hint of glitter on, and the color matched the background paper perfectly. I found some old lace that I ran some thread through to create a fan effect under the rose, and I grabbed some old buttons as well, since the paper element has buttons on it, so I thought they would be a nice touch.

I used foam core to help me create depth with the items I placed in the shadow box. I used it behind the vintage photo and the paper element. The different depths of the items is a perfect way to create shadows in the box, and it makes it look more interesting too. I used some foam to raise up one of the buttons as well.

I love this piece, mostly because it has personal meaning for me. Now all I really need to do is find the perfect spot in my home to hang it. And I will definitely be  making more of these shadow boxes too!

Tina

Filed Under: Everyday Crafts, Shadow Boxes Tagged With: , , , ,
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