Ladies Who Lunch

Hello Friends,

May has been a very busy month - most of which has been behind the scenes work.  Some of you may have "seen" that I was at also Tim's in May for a production meeting that collided with a Saturday Live about the Tonic Media Mat.  I say,"seen" because I actually stepped in front of the camera a couple times to to "Hi and Bye" to the audience.  It was a fun experience to see what happens behind the scenes when Tim is on Live.  He has a true gift for thinking on his feet and being able to intelligently speak at the same time.  That is not something I was blessed with.

Any-who! this post is on the 9 x 9" Display Panel I created for the Embark release.  This is just so simple that you can see exactly how it is done without me telling you, but I will attempt to at least tell you about the basic things I used to create it.

Gather these products or something similar:

idea-ology Display Panel

Backdrops 4 (the neutral pack)

*wood squares (1-1/2" tall x 1-1/2" wide x 3/16" thick)

Embark Fabric

Collage Medium

*Purchased at craftparts.com (pack of 25 is $4.50)

1.  I covered the front of the Display Panel with a couple sheets of Backdrop paper.  I picked two neutral pieces so the fabric squares would stand out.  I left the sides just plain wood but you could paint or cover with paper.

2. I cut random pieces of 4 different Embark Fabric for the squares.  I cut the fabric larger than the wood piece, then once glued, I trimmed away the excess fabric.  

3. Once the squares were ready, I tried different patterns on the panel before deciding on this simple one. 

Once I made the final decision, I used my Design Ruler to give me a straight line to work from.  I added Collage Medium to the back of the 4 squares on the right, lining them up with the Ruler.  NOTE: when the Collage Medium is put on in a small blob, rather than brushed on, it takes longer to dry.  Giving you time to move the squares into the correct position.

Once the right side was in place, I moved the ruler to the top and added the additional 2 squares to make the top row.  The last six squares were then added to complete the pattern.

While the Collage Medium dried, I colored some Paper Dolls ladies (from the Groups pack) with Distress Crayons.  If you are wondering about the stripes I created on her coat, it was done by removing the Crayon...meaning, color the coat with the crayon of choice, then use a damp Detailer Water Brush to remove the color, thereby creating the stripes.

I added the Paper Dolls to the panel with foam squares, so I could slip the ephemera behind the ladies.  NOTE: the mint green ephemera that the lady is resting her arm on was too short, so I cut it in half and added each piece to the sides (you never see the gap in the center). 

I added the Bouquet Flowers along with leaves from the Layers Organic pack and some vintage lace. Once the flowers were in place, I used a very tiny paintbrush to color the center with Fossilized Amber Distress Paint.  Once the paint was dry, I cut a piece of sturdy wire and used the end to add the dot of black paint in the center.

The Thought Token was nailed right into the square with an idea-ology Tack Nail.

And that is it!  So simple to make and fun to add the texture of the Embark fabrics.  Simon Says Stamp sells an Embark pack of 10 x 10" squares, so if you don't already have yardage, you might think of purchasing it in small pieces.

now carry on,

paula

Embark Envelope

Hello friends,

What an exciting few days it's been, seeing all the fabric makes being posted on social media!  I can sew but I am no Richele, who is a master quilter and sewer.  Seeing what she can do with fabric is really amazing!

Today's project is and easy one.  You could also make this using fusible bond and a little hand stitching if you don't have a machine.   

1.  Cut TWO 8 x 12" rectangles.  Place them wrong side to wrong side on your cutting mat.

2.  Find the center of one end (this will be the peak of the envelope). 

3.  Place your ruler on the diagonal, from the center mark to about 8 1/2" on one side. Cut off triangle then repeat on the other side.

Take the envelope to the sewing machine and stitch around the outside edge.

*if you are doing the non-sew method, then you would use a fusible webbing between the two pieces to create the double sided envelope.

Once the edges are sewn, fold the fabric to make a 4" pocket. Pin in place before sewing up the sides. 

Please note, I chose to leave a small portion of the envelope flap to fold down over the pocket.  You can see what this looks like when closed, back up in the first photo.

Stitch up the two sides and remove any pins.

Use a Crop-a-Dile to punch a hole in the flap.

Then add an eyelet (3/16th)

Optional: Hand stitch a Word Plaque to the front flap to hold the twill ribbon in place. 

THE BOOK

The book can be any size that fits into the envelope you create.  I cut three, 7 x 7" pieces of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock, then scored and folded each.

I opened them back up and sprayed with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain on both the front and back.  I like to randomly wipe the Heavystock with a paper towel after spraying because although I like the color of the Antique Linen, I don't like the spray dots. Dry with a heat tool.

I didn't take any in process photos, so I hope these final photos will help to understand the process.

Each page was done using the same materials:

Collage medium

Collage brush

Weathered Wood + Scattered Straw Spray Stain

The Inspector stamp set

Collage Paper Entomology

Everyday Art Stencil set (dots)

Distress Paint Crushed Olive + Stormy Sky 

Archival Ink Hickory Smoke

1 x 4" strips of Embark Fabric

*I created all the pages, then connected them with Fabric strips and Collage Medium.

Cover:

Basic Technique: you must work very quickly using this technique

1.  Cover the entire 7 x 7" page with Collage Medium.

2.  Quickly add ripped pieces of Collage Paper. Add more Collage Medium over the top.

3.  Immediately Spray with Weathered Wood Spray Stain.  Working quickly, pounce over the top of ink/glue with a wet wipe to disperse the ink over parts of the surface. 

4.  Spray Scattered Straw sparingly in random spots, then again muddle the surface of ink and glue with a wet wipe.  

5.  Randomly stamp (no block) the typography stamp with Hickory Smoke Archival Ink.  NOTE: You will need to wipe off your stamp after use since there will be portions of wet glue still on the surface that you are stamping into.  

6.  Dry surface with a heat tool.

7.  Use "Everyday Art" circles stencil + Distress Paint to add paint details.

8.  Add Snapshot photo and Clippings Stickers.

I use these 4 "From the Vault" paints in the booklet.

Pages 1/2

Wild Honey Paint on the Snapshot

Close-up

Pages 3/4

Stormy Sky Paint on the Snapshot

Pages 5/6

Lucky Clover Paint on the Snapshot

Back Cover

And there you have it, and fabric envelope with a paper insert. It's and easy make and really you can do anything you wish with the booklet. I like this technique because you have to be fast (working with wet glue!) so it goes together quickly. I would just say, have your Collage Paper ripped into pieces before you start! It will make it much easier!

Thanks for stopping by! I sure appreciate it!

now carry on,

paula

EMBARK Canvas Cloth

Hello Friends,

Grateful to be here today sharing my first make for the Embark Fabric release.  I love mixing idea-ology and fabric so this was a match made in heaven!

Lets start with the shaped center piece. 

I used the shield shape from the new Etcetera Facades as a template, to cut one piece of fabric and one piece of matching Warm and Natural (cotton batting).

You can see that the shield shape has a hole in the middle - I'm going to fill that with the circle that comes in the same package (the shield can always be used with or without the center piece). 

FYI: I wanted more of the fabric to show, so I decided not to cut away the center.

FYI: If you are looking for "craft" size fabric pieces, Simon Says Stamp sells a pre-cut 6 piece bundle.  The bundle contains the 6 different canvas cloth designs of Embark, each cut square measuring approx. 10 x 10"  for $9.99.  They also sell previous collections - just type in Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements and they will populate.

This is a totally optional step - but I sprayed the batting piece with Sulky, a temporary adhesive to help the two pieces stay in place while I sew them together.  If you don't have this - just pin the fabric and batting together.

1.  Go to the sewing machine and stitch the two piece together around the outside edge.

2.  Stitch a diagonal line across the center. Use that stitching line to guide the presser foot, creating all the other lines.

You can see from the back that the lines are evenly spaced apart.  That is only because I use the edge of presser foot as my guide.

Use Collage Medium to adhere the fabric piece to the Facade. Press down until secure.

Turn over and replace the center circle.

I am using a small Etcetera Tag as the base for the project.  This paper is from Backdrops 4.  

Adhere paper to the small tag with Collage Medium.

Use a cutting knife to remove the excess paper.  

Add a layer of Collage Medium over the top to seal the paper.

Once dry, scribble Distress Crayon over the edges and rub in with damp fingers. Use a wet wipe to mottle the crayon and get rid of any fingerprints.

Use Collage Medium to add two of the "riser" sticks (they come in the Facades package) so the shield will sit up, off the tags.

Add Collage Medium to the "risers", then add the shield Facade. I put a book on top and let it sit for a bit till I knew it was secure.

I painted 3 Hardware Heads with Old Paper Distress Paint (one of the "from the vault" colors). Once dry, I pounced Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the top, then added them to the Facade with a dot of Collage Medium.

So, I have a couple more things to prepare before we can put it all together.

1. Industrial Gears: each have been randomly painted with the three colors of Distress Paint shown here.  Once dry, drip *Smolder Alcohol Ink over parts of the surface (*remember to shake first).

2. Paper Dolls Groups: I chose these boys for the focal point.  Quickly colored them with Distress Crayons and a Detail Water Brush to give some visual texture.

Now to put it together!

Add the Quote Chip "Labels" to a Label Frame and add to the top with Collage Medium.

Add a piece of idea-ology Layers Ephemera (I got this piece from the Layers Collector pack) to the fabric with Collage Medium.

Next up is to add the Paper Dolls. 

I doubled up on Foam Squares so the boys would sit higher than the Industrial Gears.

NOTE: the gear you see here has not been glued yet, it's just there so I know where to place the boys.

Start with the small gear. Use Collage Medium to adhere any heavy metal, as it will dry like cement in a few hours.

Then add the second gear so it fits right under the boys arm on the left.

I chose a Number Strip from the snippets pack and stitched it on one end.  My sewing machine made a big knot and left a bunch of string (as it does sometimes) - which was awesome in this case, since it looks as if I did it on purpose.  I wiped Collage Medium on the strings so they would stay in this crazy formation (something I do regularly with thread and string).  Once dry, I added a thin Foam Square .04 to the back and placed on the boys.

Well, thank you for stopping by!  Glad you are here to see this sample, as many more Embark samples to come in the next couple weeks - some need more skill than others and one is even no sew!  

now carry on,

paula