Home Panel featuring Palette Indigo Fabric

Hello friends,

I'm glad to be here today sharing a special make for Simon Says Stamp using beautiful Palette Indigo fabric from Freespirit. I love how the rich indigo contrasts the light ledger background. This project can be created with or without sewing so it really is for anyone! What you might notice is the "frame" on this project. The Etcetera Panels do not come with a frame, so I created one from something that might surprise you! If you are interested in the project tutorial (or how I created the "frame"), it can be found on the Simon Says Stamp blog. Click the link and it will take right on over!

Now carry on,

paula

Yours Truly Display Panel

Hello friends,

Lot's going on behind the scenes here. I just finished up a project for Simon Says Stamp that will post on Sunday the 9th on their blog. I also have a Palette Orange fabric project for next week and it is so fun. Who knew how much I would love orange!

Well anyway, back to todays post...Today I'm sharing a project focused on love, featuring Salvaged Hearts and Typography! Let's get started and I'll show you how I created the Display Panel from scratch.

I chose paper from Backdrops Vol 1 for the front of the 9 x 9" Display Panel. You can also add paper or paint to the sides of the panel - totally up to you. Adhere the paper with Collage Medium, then add a layer over the top to seal the paper. Let it dry while you work on preparing the Collage Paper.

I decided to add a floral from the Collage Paper Serendipity pack to the left side, over the green paper. 

I used two methods of eliminating as much of the background as possible. First, I used small scissors to fussy-cut around the larger areas. For the areas around the small leaves, I used a Detailer Water Brush to draw a waterline and to pull the paper away from the image. Both ways are easy, but it might take a little longer to fussy-cut.

Add Collage Medium over the entire area that the Collage Paper will touch. Lay the floral into the glue. If you palm is clean (glue free) then you can press the paper right into the glue.

Pick up Collage Medium on your brush and immediately start to brush over the paper (I like to work from center out).

I add Collage Medium to my finger tip and repeat the process to embed the Collage Paper into the glue. Again, I work from the center out until it is adhered and transparent.

You can leave it as is if you like a clean look.

Or you can add Distress Ink with your finger to give it some color variation.

Here is the result.

Once the surface was dry, I used a Walnut Stain Distress Crayon to add definition the edges of the Panel and the seam between the two papers. Scribble it on, rub with a damp fingertip, then pounce over the crayon with a wet wipe. If you wipe too much away, just add more crayon.

Paper Embellishments -

This card from the Palette Ephemera Pack was very clean looking so I painted over it with Collage Medium...

And while still wet, dipped it an ink puddle I made on my Tonic Studio Mat.

I pounced over some of the really wet areas with a wet wipe as I was drying the card with a heat tool. Set aside while you work on other embellishments.

Next up, the Photobooth photos. I cut out three I had never used before + a long strip of pink Backdrop paper (about 1 3/4" wide)

Next I colored the Photobooth with Distress Crayons, using both a water brush and a cotton swab to add the crayon.

NOTE: Normally I do not seal Photobooth, Photomatic or Paper Dolls, but because these were going to be handled and sewn over, I decided to spray them with a clear Spray Fixative. You can find it at any craft store in the art department. The crayon is not effected by the spray and will not wick. Once the fixative is dry, the crayon will be permanent. Be sure to spray in a well ventilated area or outside. I put images on a paper plate and once they are sprayed, it's easy to carry them back to my craft room.

I used E-Z Dots (my favorite repositionable tape) to adhere the images to the paper strip.

Then sewed around each photo.

Next, I used a Mini Blending Tool to add ink to the edges of the paper.

I also inked a tag (found in the Palette Ephemera pack) just like the card with the pink roses.  I also added an eyelet and some string. 

Hearts -

I used hot glue to add a couple Salvaged Hearts to craft sticks 

So much easier to paint when its on the stick! And you just pop the heart off the craft stick once the paint is dry. 

I am only going to use one Salvaged Heart for this project, but I just wasn't sure which size was right at this point.

I left them to dry for quite a while, then lightly sanded the edges.

If you want a more aged heart, scribble Distress Crayon over the top and rub it around (a wet wipe will help).

Arrow - 

I used gold Mixative to color the metal arrow. You might ask why gold Mixative instead of Foundry Wax? Well, you could use Foundry Wax, but I wanted an aged looking gold over the metal and that is easily accomplished with Mixative. 

1. Shake the bottle till you hear the mixing ball. 
2. Add the Mixative to a Blending Tool with felt or just pour some over the arrow (I used a combination of both).
3. Use the felt to make sure the arrow is covered.
4. Use a paper towel to rub the arrow removing some of the gold from the arrow (It should reveal some of the metal underneath). The ability to remove some of the gold by rubbing is something you could not do with Foundry wax which is permanent.

TAKE NOTE: This next step is optional. It is dependent on the size heart you use.

Use wire cutters to clip the arrow in half if you want to "extend" the size of arrow under the heart.

Add a DOUBLE STACK of small 3D foam squares to the back of the heart. *The arrow pieces will slip in between the foam.

So let's gather all the pieces that will be added to the Display Panel.

I added a piece of chipboard to the back of the card with the roses to give it more stability before adding it to the panel with 3D foam squares. 

The tag was added with thin 3D foam squares.

I also added a thick chipboard piece to the back of the photobooth strip for stability. Then added 3D foam squares on the right side (so the foam attaches to the panel, not the roses)

Add the photo strip, the stamp from the Postmarked sticker book and the slide frame from the Palette Ephemera pack.

The Salvaged Heart goes on next.

Then slip the arrow pieces under the heart. I used Scor-tape on the tip of the arrow, along with a small 3D foam square where it leaves the photo strip. There are two small 3D foam squares under the feather end.

You can add any kind of sentiment with Typography. I thought Yours Truly was perfect for this piece. It is so easy to use...just glue it in place with Collage Medium. There is plenty of time to adjust the letters before the Collage Medium dries.

Just a couple more steps...

Cello Sticker Tape for the win! Perfect for adding a vintage touch to any project!

And last but not least, cover the photo strip with post-it notes. Then use a Distress Splatter Brush to flick Picket Fence Distress Paint over the panel.

And that's it! Let the paint dry and you're good to go!

I hope you have learned something in today's tutorial. I also hope you'll take what you learned and make something fun for February!

Now carry on,

paula

Making Spirits Bright

Hello friends,

Great to be here today sharing a fun project. Yesterday I posted a tag on Instagram using Distress Grit Paste Opaque and Distress Lumberjack Plaid Spritz, using water to push the Spritz into the background. It worked so beautifully that I wanted another try with a different color and on a larger scale. However this time there is no Grit Paste involved, just idea-ology Typography letters.

So lets get started!

I chose a small Etcetera Panel (7.25 x 5.25") as the substrate, then used Collage Medium to cover the panel with Christmas Backdrop paper. Once secure, add a layer of Collage Medium over the top of the paper, then let it dry. Do not skip the layer over the top, it will become important in a following step.

Once the Backdrop is dry, use Collage Medium to add the sentiment to the right side of the Panel. I used my Tonic Media ruler + Glass Studio Mat to keep the line straight when adding each letter. This sentiment is an easy one because each line is about the same length.

Here is the finished sentiment. I let this dry overnight because I was at the end of my work day. But in most climates, it would be secure enough to in about 30-45 minutes. You also might notice that I rubbed Walnut stain Distress Crayon over the edges of the panel. The crayon will show up in the end to give the paper an subtle edge.

The next step might seem a bit crazy, but I sprayed the entire panel with Antique Linen Spritz. You can see that I sprayed it quite heavy, going over the panel multiple times.

Immediately, I sprayed the surface with water which will cause the Spritz to pool up rather than just being speckled across the surface. If we had not added the Collage Medium over the paper to seal it earlier, you could not get this pooling effect.

Use a paper towel or soft cloth to wipe off the letters. It's not as hard as it sounds.

Then SLOWLY dried it with a heat tool. I say slowly because it takes a while for the Spritz to dry over the Collage Medium surface. I kept the heat tool further away and just let it dry little by little.

I also used a small bit of paper towel to dab up any puddles, then finished the drying.

The shine is so awesome! The Spritz made the Backdrop paper look like vintage wrapping paper. I just love the effect.

Set the panel aside and lets work on the tree. You could make the Woodland Trees any color you wish. I decided to do a multi-color effect using Evergreen Bough and Bundled Sage. But before I got started I cut off the back of the tree so it would lay flat against the panel. Once the cutting was done, I sprayed the entire tree with Evergreen Bough.

Before drying, I went to the kitchen sink and ran water over the top of the tree, then squeezed out most of the Spray Stain.

Back at the table, I sprayed Bundled Sage in the middle section to get the triple tone effect.

I added Collage Medium to add Mica Flakes over the front of the tree. I like to add the glue, then sprinkle mica Flakes from above. I know some people like to roll the tree in the Mica Flakes but I'm a sprinkler! Mica flakes are heat stable so you can dry them with a heat tool or let them dry on their own.

After the flakes were dry, I decided to cut notches into the tree shape. I know what you are saying, "why didn't you do that BEFORE you added the Mica Flakes?" Well yes, you are right I could have, but this way, the Mica was way more random and vintage looking. Like when you buy an old tree in an antique shop, most times the mica is missing in some spots and heavy in others. 

NOTE: I painted the base of the tree with gold paint.

I love the way it looks with the three colors of green. By the way, the Mini Re-Coil scissors are sharp to the tip and made the cutting a breeze.

Time to break out the "big gun" to glue the tree to the panel. I needed a lot of hot glue and my tiny precision glue gun is no match for my old school glue gun. Be sure to press the tree down while the glue is drying.

I decide to add a bit of variegated metallic floss to my tree. I wanted to add something without it looking heavy!

The metallic threads some apart just like embroidery floss. I tied a knot in one end and just pushed it into the tree, then ran it back a forth a few times till I got to the top. You could used hot glue to keep it in place or a dot of Collage Medium. I found tweezers were very helpful with the fine threads!

To fill in the space beside the tree, I opted for a simple solution that tied in the gold in the background, Mini Stencil Chips. I grabbed the numbers two and five, taping them together with Cello Tape Stickers, then using my Tiny Attacher to add staples at the top. I added four thin foam squares to the back and placed it on the panel. I also slipped a piece of Backdrop paper under the numbers to give them visual texture different from the poinsettia background.

The last thing to do was to add a star to the tree. I have some mirrored stars in my stash from years past and was able to find a large enough one for the tree. I covered the star with Mushroom Alcohol Ink and dried it with a heat tool. Then I sprayed the star with Antique Linen Spritz and dried it again. I added Collage Medium to the back and slipped it behind the tree.

What fun experiment this was. I love the woodland trees since there are so many options. I fact, it's sometimes hard to choose...texture paste? Rock Candy? gold Stickles? Mica Flakes? Which to choose? 

This is an easy project that cold really be done in an afternoon. It would make a fun decoration for yourself or to give away as a gift at the beginning of the season. I'm looking forward to seeing how people adapt the concept to suit their taste!

Now carry on,
paula