Bright Hopes

Hello Friends,

Hello everyone! I’m so happy to be here sharing a new Springtime make with you. It actually felt more like Summer on the Central Coast today—we hit a gorgeous 85 degrees!

Lately, I’ve been immersed in a nature-inspired project behind the scenes, and I just couldn't shake that organic vibe... probably because my desk was still covered in leftover bits and pieces. I decided to lean into it and ended up reaching for some windows I created last year. They didn't make the cut for my previous project, but the moment I slid them into place here, I knew they were perfect for creating this little nook. A quick touch of Alcohol Ink on the transparency was all it took to bring it all together. Let's get started so I can show you all the details!

Paper

I always start with the paper. I suppose it doesn't really matter what paper you use, but I'll tell you about my choices. First, the green floral paper on the outside of the Vignette Drawer is a favorite from Backdrops 1 pack. I liked that it has a garden vibe! The paper on the inside is from the Worn Wallpaper Scraps pack. I picked it because it looks like wallpaper from someones house and that is the feel I want for the top compartment. 

Pocket Watch

Once the box was covered, I needed to make a hole for the eye screw. I used a poke tool to make a pilot hole about halfway back. I chose to make the hole a bit off center.

Making the pilot hole, makes adding the eye screw very easy. The eye screw came from the idea-ology Vignette Hardware pack.

Pocket Watch

I added Gold Mixative over the large Pocket Watch and a Hook Clasp. Once dry, I dripped Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the top and rubbed it around with a cotton swap. Love how it aged the gold.

NOTE: I did end up cutting off 4 links of chain (and reattaching the jump ring), to get the right length for this size box.  

Rock Candy

I colored Chunky Rock Candy Glitter with Slate Alcohol Ink. 

How To: Pour Chunky Rock Candy into a plastic/disposable tasting cup. Squeeze a few drops of Slate Alcohol Ink into the glitter and stir with a craft stick.  Pour out onto a paper plate or disposable paper to dry.

Add the Chunky Rock Candy to the back of the Pocket Watch before closing.

Red label - Field Notes Ephemera pack

Words - Clippings Stickers

+ Cello Tape Stickers

Windows

Window from Baseboard Window pack. Use a metal ruler and knife to cut in half.

Paint the Windows black - you can use Distress Paint or black craft paint.

Once dry, sand with steel wool to remove some of the paint.

Use a Walnut Stain Distress Crayon to scribble over the black paint - don't worry that it is covering all the areas that you just sanded away!

Spritz with water and use a wet wipe to pounce over the surface to remove a bit of the crayon.

Here is how they look when they are done. Aged wooden windows!

I wanted to take it a step further and add a transparency to the windows. NOTE: I took mine from a Baseboard pack I had, but you could also get them from the Christmas Transparencies pack.

I added Cloudy Blue and Lettuce Alcohol Ink to a few of the panes. It's easy to do. Just paint the Alcohol Ink on the back side using a brush made for use with Alcohol Ink (easily cleanable with isopropyl Alcohol).

Paper Dolls

I did a mix of colors for the lady's dress. I could have gone with blue tones but then decided I wanted her to stand out from the background.

I was trying to think of something for her to hold in her hand and I decided on some flowers. These were previously dyed with Antique Linen Spray Stain. I simply glued them to her hand with Collage Medium.

Eggs

The eggs were easy to color. I just put them in a small bag and squirted Speckled Egg paint into the bag and squished it around. Once coated, I dumped them out onto a silicone mat and let them dry. I came back about a hour later and added speckles with a Splatter Brush and some Scorched Timber paint.

Tiny Books

The last thing I did before assemblage was make three little books. The book covers came from the Memoir pack. I used this easy method:

1. Cut strips of old book paper the same width as the front of the cover. (1 1/8 or 1 1/4")

2. Fold paper back and fold (fan fold) until paper runs out. Repeat till you have enough to fill the book.

3. Even out the papers on one side. 

4. Use a Binder Clip to hold the opposite side.

5. Add hot glue to the open side and slip into the pre-scored book cover.

6. Ink with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and a Blending Tool.

If you would like to watch a tutorial - Tim has one on YouTube. He made tiny books for Halloween 2025. If you click to the time stamps, there is a direct link at 1:38:50 minute mark. 

Finished Project Photos

The window frame was added like a folding screen. Because the Pocket Watch was hung a bit to the left, I needed to fit the window in accordingly. In person it is pronounced and looks good at this angle + it fills in the background since the Vignette Drawer is deep.

You can see that I not only hung the Pocket Watch, but I also added a tiny bird from the Sweetheart Pack + a Antiqued Gem. The camera has caught the light so it looks white, but it is a clear gem.

I added a 3/8" block to the back of the Paper Doll (Poses) so she can stand freely. I just added Collage Medium to the bottom of the block to glue her into place.

I covered the center shelf with an ephemera piece from Memoir Ephemera pack. There are two sizes - this is the smaller one. 

The bottom compartment is all about nature. I added the tiny books, then made a nest from a bit of wire, spanish moss and Collage Medium. It wasn't hard to do, but a bit messy as you need to keep squishing the spanish moss into the center to make the indentation for the eggs. I used a heat tool to dry the nest/glue so it sped the process along. Bits of natural colored moss were added once the nest was in place on top of the books. 

The Speckled Egg Toadstool (largest size) was added on the right, tucked up next to the edge of the books. Once that was in place, I added moss, eggs and another flower. Then in a last step, I added touches of Collage Medium then sprinkled additional Slate color Chunky Glitter. I love the bit of shine!

I also added Screw Heads to each end of the ruler

I hope you like this project as much as I do! I love the whimsical nature of the garden scene, the Toadstools growing wildly, and the lady sitting there calmly in the midst. All so fun!

I also hope that you never give up on something that didn't work out. I saved the windows for months, only to have them be the perfect backdrop for this project!

Now carry on,

paula

Palette Orange Book

Hello Friends,

Hello friends! I'm so happy to be back, and today I'm sharing a tiny treasure. This 3 x 4 1/2" book was inspired by the vibrant Palette Orange Collection. Using the 8 x 8" paper felt like the perfect scale for a project this size—it's so much fun to see how the different patterns play together to create something unique!

In addition to Palette Orange paper, I'm using a new set of nesting dies I just purchased from Simon Says Stamp called, A2 Arches. I love how the arched shape adds such a sophisticated touch to the pages and the closure! Lets get started and I'll show you how I used both of these products to create a simple book.

First, I cut a signature from a Booklet Folio pack in half, making two 3 x 4 1/2" booklets that will eventually be combined.

I sprayed each of the pages with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain and dried each page with a heat tool.

Next up, I decided to add a few stamps into the mix.

First the dot stamp was used in random places on the background. 

Then I added flowers from the Exquisite stamp using Rusty Hinge Oxide. No block was used for the stamping.

I made a puddle of the ink and used a thick brush to flick it over the pages.

I'm going to make a pocket when I combine the booklets together, so I need a tag to go into the pocket. I decided to use a ready made tag, but cut it with one of the Arch dies.

I decided on three of the Palette Orange papers.

Let me walk you through the pages and show you how I used the Arches die to bring the book together.

Page 1 - 

I used one of the larger dies to cut the collage paper into the arch shape. Then added the Mini Paper Doll (and his dog), Clipping stickers, and a few pieces of Ephemera Snippets.

Page 2 - 

Mini Ephemera Snippets collage - super easy to do. You just work the pieces around till they fit together.

Page 3 - 

This is one of the stamped sections and I didn't want to cover up too much. 

Mini Paper Dolls, Clippings, and Ephemera Snippets

Page 4 - 

Again, I kept this page simple because I love how it looked. I added the Classic Sticker up at the top just for a little detail.

Page 5 - 

Repeating the arch shape with I cut Palette paper. The Arches die, just under 3" wide worked perfectly for the height of the book. I added some Clippings stickers to go with Page 6.

Page 6 - 

This is the last page of the first book, which means that this is where I combined the two books together with Scor-tape, making a pocket. I cut the two pages shorter so I could add the tag that I previously cut. I used the old school trick of using a 1" punch to make the dip at the top of the pocket. 

I added Classic Label to mimic a halo for the Mini Paper Doll. 

I stamped the tag with the same floral used previously, but this time with the Speckled Egg Oxide. I took it one step further and added Clear Embossing Powder over the top of the Oxide and embossed it. It is so beautiful in person that I know you will be seeing this combination again! It's just the perfect shade of blue.

Page 7 - 

This of course is the back of the pocket (or the first page of the second booklet).

I cut individual stamps from the Palette Stamps paper to make this little collage.

Page 8 -

On page 8, I added another die cut arch, a Mini Paper Doll, Clippings and Ephemera Snippets.

Page 9 -

Turn to page 9 and we are back to one of the stamped pages. The string that you saw on page 8 was tied into a bow on page 9 with an added idea-ology Word Tag.

Page 10 - 

Another simple page with just Clippings and a Classic Sticker.

Page 11 - 

Another tiny collage on page 11 with some of my favorite pieces. Clippings are easy to add to fill in a narrow blank space. A Mini Paper Clip was added at the top corner.

Page 12 - 

The last page repeats the larger arch shape from the first page. I kept this one simple and just added the tiny Classic Sticker circle behind her head. The phrase "The beauty of this life" is part of the Palette paper so no Clipping was needed.

CLOSURE

I covered the front and back of the book with two different papers (this is the front). Then I used the Arches die to cut another piece for the closure.

Before adding the arch piece, I made sure I had enough to wrap around to the front of the book. Once you have the placement, peel the paper off the Scor-tape and add the arch to the back of the book. You might also notice I used my Crop-A-Dile to add a brass eyelet for the ribbon (NOTE: Simon Says Stamp now sells brass eyelets!).

Here is the back of the book with the closure added with Scor-tape.

Super easy to finish off the book using the die cut arch as the closure! And cute too!

When the ribbon is tied at the front, the book will look like this on the back.

Hope you liked this project using Palette Orange. It's a sweet little book that could be done in a day or two depending on what you add inside. Hoping to get in at least one more Palette project using pink, red, or orange before three new colors (yellow, neutral, and green) are released on March 1st!
Now carry on,
Paula