Palette Green

Hello friends,

For the past 3 or 4 years, I have kept a saying scrawled on a bight pink Post-it note on a wall leading into my kitchen. When I pulled the Palette Green fabric out of the box, that message immediately popped into my head and I knew I had to somehow add it to my project!
Green is a wonderful addition to the Freespirit Palette collection. It's a great color to add to Palette pink, yellow and even orange projects (since orange has bits of green in some of the patterns). It will also go with the blues that are coming in the next few months. 

I used just two of the ten fabrics for my tray: Palette Green Stamps for the background and Palette Green Tiny Print for the center feature. I quilted both pieces - one with squares following the stamp lines and a diamond pattern for the center. You will be able to see the quilting better in the close-up photos. 

There are 8 more fabrics to choose from:

Palette Green Collage

Palette GreenVintage

Palette GreenTapestry

Palette Green Numbers

Palette Green Ferns

Palette Green Typography

Palette Green Map

Palette Green Tickets

Lets get started with the Vignette Box. 

I decided I wanted to leave the wood showing but I wanted a smooth satin finish. So I painted Collage Medium on the parts of the tray that will show: the inside and outside walls. The Collage Medium gave it a finished look and really elevated the look of the raw wood.

I cut the Stamp fabric and a piece of Warm & Natural for the back of the tray - 6 x 12". That will give me enough fabric to be able to trim up the sides after quilting.

I used a temporary fabric adhesive to keep the fabric in place while I do the quilting portion.

For the stamp fabric, I followed the lines of the stamps. That made it very easy to follow and no pre-marking was needed.

Then I went to the cutting mat and trimmed up the edges to fit the large Vignette Tray.

I added a good amount of Collage Medium to the entire back of the tray, before adding the quilted fabric. I used a small brayer to help adhere the fabric panel to the wood then set it aside to dry.

I also decided to add Design Tape to the lip edge of the tray. Of course my absolute favorite green tape worked perfectly for my green theme. I do like to add Design Tape with Collage Medium underneath for longevity.

I cut a piece of heavy chipboard 4 x 10", then once I had my phrase planned out, I cut it to 4 x 7.5" (4" was as wide as it could be). I did not account for the eyelets that I added later, so in hindsight I wish I would have cut the chipboard about a 1/2" longer - 4 x 8". Sometimes that happens and you just have to go with it!

The Sizzix die is one of the newer Vault Dies - called Edges. I love this lower case alpha - that 'g' gets me every time!

I used  Distress Heavystock for the letters (cutting two sets) because it is so thick - the perfect cardstock for die cutting (and it has a silky smooth surface). Cutting all the letters took a bit of time, but I added Sizzix Adhesive sheets to the back of the cardstock, which made stacking the letters very easy. I just put on some music and worked my way through the phrase.

NOTE: Be sure to take a quick photo of the layout before sliding the letters off the chipboard.

So lets quilt the second piece of fabric. Again, I added Warm & Natural to the Tiny Print with spray adhesive. Then got to work marking the first set of sewing lines using a Pilot FriXion Pen. It looks like a lot of sewing but it's not.

Once the first set of diagonal lines was sewn, I marked the second set and went back to the sewing machine to finish it out.

Next is trimming it up to fit the chipboard.

I used Collage Medium to adhere the fabric to the Chipboard. I also used a small brayer to make sure it was adhered well.

Next up is the eyelets. It's always scary cutting into the fabric to make the hole but you just have to go for it.

Once the eyelets are in, you can proceed to recreate the layout of the phrase. You can see that I had to shimmy the lines closer together because I had not accounted for the eyelets in my original design. Not ideal, but still doable.

It looked pretty good when I was done, but gosh that extra 1/2" would have made it easier. 

I added some stamp pieces at the top. I followed my easy patch making technique, by painting Collage Medium onto the back of the fabric and letting it dry completely. Then I just cut out the pieces I needed and stitched them together. 

It was only after that, that I glued them to the panel as if I had sewn them on. The string was threaded through the eyelets for hanging. I love how the string, dyed with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, completes the panel. Now, how to hang it?

I painted a handle from the Mini Hardware Set. 

Then glued it to the fabric with Collage Medium. This is why it was important that the background fabric is secure to the back of the tray. Once it was secure, I placed the panel over the background with the string around the knob.

I added a five bingo chips to the back of the panel to raise it from the tray and keep it secure.

And there you have it! One of my favorite sayings (and not on a Post-it note anymore!).

If you have a favorite saying, maybe it would work for a project like this? 

Now carry on,

paula

Wonder-FULL

Hello friends,

Happy to be sharing a colorful mixed-media wood panel made with the largest of the square Vignette Boxes. I had the idea to use the Mini Marquee letters over the colorful inked background with the words Full of Wonder. However, as I began placing the letters, a playful idea sparked. I decided to break the word "Wonderful" onto two lines and intentionally add an extra "L," creating "Wonder-FULL." It became a visual reminder to not just experience wonder, but to be truly FULL of it in our lives. I love how a small shift in perspective can add a new layer of meaning to a piece.

I started by painting the sides of the largest Square Vignette. I used Worn Lipstick, but the are many colors in the Distress Line that will work. Anyway, I painted two coats over the sides of the box and let it dry overnight. When I came back in the morning, I sanded it heavily with a sanding block to reveal some of the wood beneath the paint. You can add a layer of Collage Medium over the paint to give it a more polished look, but that is up to you.

I cut a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of Distress Watercolor Cardstock to use for the top of the Vignette. 

Next, I sprayed three colors of Distress Spray Stain (Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed and Peacock Feathers) on a Tonic Replacement Mat.

I lightly sprayed my Watercolor Cardstock with water, then began the process of dipping into the ink spray, tapping off and drying with a heat tool. Little by little the colors came together after repeating the process over and over until I was satsified.

Add a good amount of Collage Medium to the top of the Vignette Box (it takes a good amount to secure the heavy Watercolor Cardstock). 

Add the cardstock to the Vignette. If you have a small brayer or a bone folder, both can be used to help secure the cardstock.

Just a shot of the Vignette with the cardstock applied.

I cut up a sheet of Serendipity Collage Paper to add to the surface.  The colorful background makes it easy to hide the edges of the Collage Paper. If you need a refresher on using Collage Paper, here are the basic steps:

1. Use water brush or scissors to "cut out" the image you want.
2. Add Collage Medium to the surface where the image will go.
3. Lay the image into the Collage Medium and press into the glue.
4. Cover the image with Collage Medium.
5. Dip your fingertip into water, and lightly wipe over the surface before the glue dries. If you are working on a vintage piece, you can dip your fingertip into a ink/water mix.

I wanted to share this photo to show that the Collage Paper can be cut (I used a Water Brush to do that here) to suit your needs.  The small vine that has already been added is "as is". I cut the flower from another part of the image and added it to the panel where I wanted it.

I cut up vintage paper + Worn Wallpaper Scraps to create a pinwheel of sorts. I kept it very neutral so the colorful background would still be the star. Once I had it glued down, I added a layer of Collage Medium over the top. You need the slick surface it creates so you can add crayon after it is dry.

I used a Picket Fence Distress Crayon to highlight the pinwheel. I used it heavily so the crayon could build up around the pieces. 

I grabbed a circle die and a Stabilo pencil to create the circles around the pinwheel. I also used my Tonic clear ruler to create the lines. So easy to see exactly what you are doing.

Now use your fingertip to smudge random lines so it looks more organic. You don't need water, just touching a damp wet wipe will do.

NOTE: Once the lines were drawn, I sprayed the surface with a clear sealer. I wanted to seal the Pencil lines from the layers that will come next. 

Adding the Mini Marquee is easy. Just wipe some Collage Medium onto the back and press into place.

I still need to add the dash between the words. There is no dash in the package, so I just cut an L down to use as the dash.

You could leave well enough alone, or keep going (which is what I did). I added words from the Remnant Rub sheet (Tiny Text) to the pinwheel.

Next I added a few pieces of Cello Sticker Tape (because, why not?)

I decided to add a few paper dots to the mix. 

Once the dots were glued on and Collage Medium was added, I added more Picket Fence crayon just like I did over the pinwheel.

I also added crayon to the edges of the Mini Marquee.

I love this little panel. 

All the bright Distress Ink colors make for such a fun background. 

Now carry on,

paula