Enter Foolish Mortals

 Hello Friends,

Great to be here today to talk about the Eclectic Elements fabric line, Laboratory! The YouTube live had so many samples for all levels of sewers. It was so inspiring to see all the makes up close and have Tim talk about each of them. I'm starting off sharing how I created the small banner. This one just came to me and I knew I had to make it. Follow along and I'll show you how I created it.

I cut two 10 x 12" pieces of Anatomy, then cut a point using the bottom 3 inches. 

I cut a matching piece of Pellon Fusible Fleece 987F that I ironed on to one side of the fabric. 

To quilt the front of the banner, I use a cheap Pilot "FriXion" erasable pen (you can buy it at any Walmart or Target office supply section) to mark my stitching lines. I love this pen for marking fabric because it just works so easily. Absolutely worth the $2 it cost.

Once marked. I just sewed right over the lines until I finish the pattern.

Then just iron over the pattern and the pen marking disappears like magic.

And just like that the pattern is done.

I added the fabric back on the banner, then worked on binding the fabric piece together with the purple Tapestry fabric. I'm not going to explain how to do binding here, as there are so many YouTube videos that show and explain how to do it. I will link to the video I always go to when I need a refresh on binding. I will say, once you try this method, you'll never do it another way. Here is the link... Brilliant Machine Binding Method

The Letters

To make the letters, you need two things along with the Sizzix Alphanumeric Bulletin die. Heat n' Bond + a Stiffened Felt Sheet. I found the 12 x 18" Stiffened Felt at Hobby Lobby for .99 cents a sheet. You only have to touch it to know why it's called a Stiffened Felt Sheet and not just felt. If you are at Hobby Lobby it is in racks next to the regular craft felt.

Cut 2 1/2" strips of Stiffened Felt, fabric and Heat n' Bond.

Iron the Heat n' Bond onto the Stiffened Felt, then pull away the release paper once cooled.

Next, iron the Fabric onto the Heat n' Bond/Felt. Basically you are making a sandwich of Heat n' Bond with felt on one side, fabric on the other.

And yes, that is a craft sheet protecting my ironing board cover from the Heat n' Bond. One of those "just in case" scenarios. 

I used the Alphanumeric Bulletin die for this project since the letters are the perfect size. This die also comes with that all important border piece that really completes each letter. 

I found that I could get a cleaner cut when I cut small groups of letters at time, rather than 10 or 12 letters on a large sheet (and it was much easier to handle). So I cut my 2 1/2" strip into 4" pieces - I could run 4 letters at a time. Every single letter came out of the die with a perfect cut.

I discarded the thin outside border (that is also cut by the die), but you could save them for use on another project if you wish. for this project I am just using the letters seen at the bottom.

After I cut out all the purple letters that I needed. I went back and cut the same exact letters in black felt, but this time I only used the outside edge (the letters were saved for another project). That black edge was added to each purple letter.

I laid out all the letters on the banner (no glue) just to get the basic spacing. Right now the black outline is still a bit wobbly but once glued down, you will never detect that the purple letter and the black border are two separate pieces.

I added Fabric Glue with a small brush, then added each letter to the banner. I like using the fabric glue because I could easily control where I placed each letter and adjust as necessary.

As I added each letter, I used an old brush to wipe away any glue that oozed out.  Fabric glue dries clear so there was never a hint of any mess in the end.

I added 8mm grommets that I bought at Hobby Lobby. They come in a package with the tool, which makes them very east to use. All you need is a hammer.

You can see here the two sides of the grommet and the tool. 

1. Mark where you want the grommet to go.

2. punch a hole in the fabric to create a hole for the grommet.

3. Add the large side of the grommet to the hole in the fabric.

4. Add the small side of the grommet on the back.

5. Place on the black portion of the tool (it fits snugly).

6. Place the silver part of the tool on top and hit it with the hammer to close up the grommet.

It's just that easy. You can always practice on a scrap before setting the real thing.

I added chain, held on with idea-ology Swivel Clasps so my banner can hang on my door. And that's it!

The letters are not hard, but they take a bit of time. I think it was worth it to get the final result!
Now carry on,
paula

Fairytale Vignette Kit

I am happy to announce a new kit, “The Fairytale Vignette". With its dreamy aesthetic, the “Fairytale Vignette” evokes the enchantment of a fairy garden with hints of nature, soft pastel hues, and floral patterns that feel timeless and magical.

The kit includes everything you need to create the layered Vignette, including 12 x 6” wood tray, custom cut wood base, Square Vignette Box, and two glass domes. Also included are full packages of Palette Backdrops, Adornments Sweetheart, Memoir Ephemera, Toadstools, Mini Flair, Salvaged Hearts, and Typed Tags + all the bits and bobs to bring it all together.

My comprehensive written instructions are included, as well as 7 pages of detailed, color step-out photos and complete supply list. 

*Kit does NOT include wet mediums such as glue, paint, crayon, or ink.

Please email if you have any questions,

kind regards, 

paula

Click on the link below if you wish to purchase the kit.  The link will take you directly to PayPal.  

If you wish to pay with debit or credit card, click on the box at the bottom of the PayPal login page (you do not need a PP account). 

The total cost for the kit is $130.00 + $12 shipping (US domestic).

If you are outside the continental US, please contact me directly for shipping rate.

Kits will begin shipping immediately in the order they are purchased.

Instant purchase link:

Buy The Fairytale Vignette Kit now

Stampers Anonymous Everyday

 Hello friends,

It has been a loooong time since I have taken the time to blog! So many things going on behind the scenes these past couple months due to up coming releases for summer and seasonal. Releases means YouTube lives for Tim where he will be showing all that we have been working on (now that is exciting stuff). The first release is our last Stampers Anonymous release before seasonal comes to market. I can truly say this a a super release with seven new stamp sets! Here are the images of the new stamps...

HODPODGE

One huge stamp! You can stamp any portion or stamp the entire image! 

DECONSTRUCTED

This one is more fun than you might think. I have a Halloween project that uses it quite a bit. I was so pleased with the project that I now put this one on my list of favorites. The project will be part of the idea-ology Halloween Live in August.

TIDBITS

This one is all individual stamps...amazing to use with all the other stamps. 

SIGN PAINTER

1" letter to spell anything you want!

FRENCH GARDEN

a must have for me...

EMBROIDERY

Based on simple but beautiful old embroidery patterns.

FLORISTRY

A huge stamp that comes with a block. Can be turned every which way to get a different look every time. The sentiments work with everything!

Colorful Tags

Thought I could show a few steps to make my colorful tags. 

I added the Polka Dots with Archival Hickory Smoke, then stamped the main images with Archival ink Black Soot (Ranger #5 tags). 

Sentiments: Floristry

Numbers: Tidbits

polka dots: CMS220 Dots & Floral (older stamp set)

Then I just sprayed a few ink color at a time on my silicone mat and dipped the tags in the ink. I usually only use 3 colors per tag and dry between pressing the tag into the ink. 

Add a ribbon and you are done!

I love the way they look! These would be so great to have on hand for a quick gift tag.

If you want to watch the re-play of Tim's Live with all the samples (and there are over 100 ideas) then go to his BLOG to click on the YouTube link.

On Side note, Simon Says Stamp had made dies for 4 of the stamp sets (you can see them below). They are available for pre-order now.

Thanks for stopping by.
Now carry on,
paula

Distress Spritz Panel

Hello Friends,

Today we are talking all about Distress Spritz! Twelve colors of Spritz that match the Distress palette were released today. It's hard to capture the brilliant shine the new Distress Spritz create, but I think I got a few good photos for this post that really show them off. 

You might notice that the bottle is long and narrow. The new bottle helps with a quicker mixing process. It does not take much shaking to mix the liquid and the pearl because there is a mixing ball inside. Distress Spritz are sold individually, so if you want to buy more of one color, you can! Fossilized Amber is my favorite and I know I will be needing more! Another feature is that the label does not reach all the way around the bottle, so you can easily see how much is inside. So helpful to actually see the liquid to determine if you need to order more. 

I used 6 different colors in my project today: Wilted Violet, Peacock Feathers, Peeled Paint, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, and Worn Lipstick. 

The Spritzers also come in Walnut Stain, Weathered Wood, Barn Door, Picked Raspberry, Twisted Citron and Uncharted Mariner.

You can see some of the colors that I sprayed over the new large Collage Strips. You might notice the two strips at the front - the difference between Picked Raspberry on the left and Worn Lipstick in the center. Both are pretty wonderful.

I sprayed a bunch of Collage Paper strips in coordinating colors. I didn't want to use photos in project, so I just cut the strips with my Tonic Mini Guillotine Trimmer to use just the portion that I wanted. Super easy with my handy trimmer.

I cut a piece of cardstock the same size as the Display Panel. Then I added the cut up strips (no glue yet) to see what should go where. I didn't want a rainbow effect, but rather a overall Spring/Summer feel.

Here is what it looked like once I got everything into place. You might be able to see all the colors of Spritz I used too!

Once I had all the pieces in place (using just a bit of tape runner), I took the background to the sewing machine and sewed the Collage Strips to the cardstock.

This is what the back of the cardstock looked like when I was done sewing.

NOTE: I used Collage Medium to glue the paper background to the Display Panel and set it aside to dry while I worked on a few other things.

I added Saltwater Taffy Distress ink to Watercolor paper, the added both Worn Lipstick and Fossilized Amber Distress Spritz to the paper.

Bold Text 2 had the sentiment I wanted, so I easily cut out the words for the project.

I like this photo of Peeled Paint Distress Spritzer over leaves from the Layers Organic pack. The Spritz will dry over a non-porous surface (which is amazing). The coordinating pearl in the liquid gives the leaves a shine that stays. It almost looks like the leaves are wet when they are not.

I added the embellishments I made to the panel with different levels of foam squares (standard and thin).

When you tip the surface the shine from the Spritz is there,

Worn Lipstick Spritz is a favorite! Subtle pink shine!

The Peeled Paint Spritz matches perfectly with the leaves.

And Fossilized Amber is the connector color that just goes with everything.

Worn Lipstick and Fossilized Amber next to each other.

Some added vintage buttons.

Fossilized Amber over the floral element.

And just one more "test" to share with you. 

I tested to see how the Spritz worked over Collage Medium to answer the questions: would it dry and would it still shine?

On the left, I added Collage Medium to the paper, dried it, THEN added the Spritz. After drying again, the Spritz was stable enough to not come off on your hands and it was still shiny. 

On the right, I added the Collage Medium and sprayed the Spritz directly over the glue when wet. Once dry, the Spritz was stable and still had shine even though it was embedded into the Collage Medium.

Great results on both tests!

I know this is just the start of the journey for Distress Spritz.  Can't wait to try out more techniques using Distress Spritz!

Now carry on,
paula