Forget-me-not

Hello friends,

Today, I'm excited to share a project featuring Tim Holtz Palette Teal fabric from FreeSpirit. Teal is a personal favorite, and this collection did not disappoint — each fabric is absolutely gorgeous. The majority of the 10 Palette Teal designs exude a serene tranquility, but then you have 'Palette Teal Butterflies,' 'Tiles,' and 'Marble' which introduce more saturated tones. I blended both the calm and bold, incorporating pops of color from idea-ology ephemera to tie everything together. You might not immediately think orange pairs with teal, but it works perfectly here, right down to the vintage button stitched with red/orange thread. So enough talking, lets get started making!

I used 5 of the 10 Palette Teal fabrics for this project. 

Teal Collage

Teal Tiny Print

Teal Stamps

Teal Tiles

Teal Butterflies

Teal Wallpaper

Teal Marble

Teal Ephemera

Teal Tickets

Teal Map

Paint the 9 x 9 Display Panel with Evergreen Bough Distress Paint. I wanted a more sheer coverage so I painted it on, then wiped off some of the paint. When the paint was dry, I sanded it with a large sanding block to reveal more of the wood. 

While the paint was drying (before sanding), I set work on the fabric background. I chose Teal Tiny Print for the background since it's subtle and it will work perfectly with all the other fabrics and ephemera. I cut a 9 x 9" square of both the Tiny Print and cotton batting.

Then stitched them together with a random pattern of straight stitches. Once the sewing was done, I cut the piece to fit the inside of the Display Panel.

So the panel and the fabric backing are ready to go!

I just added Collage Medium to the back of the Display Panel, then added the fabric into the back. 

TIP: cover the entire back of the tray with Collage Medium so the quilted fabric will be completely secured to the panel. You will be adding metals to the fabric and you do not want the backing to flop forward once the metal is glued in place (that would not be easy to fix).

Cut a piece of the Tiles fabric large enough so you can fold the sides under and iron flat. I colored a Photobooth image for the top and added it once I cut a "frame" into the fabric. Meaning, I cut a hole in the top tile so you could see the image like a frame. At first I didn't color the image, but I took it out and colored it with Distress Crayons to reinforce the teal and orange color scheme and it was so much better. Distress Crayons are magic!

I took the whole piece to the sewing machine and stitched around the outside. To get the clump of messy thread, I pull some thread from the machine, wad it up and stitch over it a few times. I use my fingertip to add watered down brown ink to color the thread before drying iwth my heat tool.

Next up is the metals. Each of these pieces was painted with white paint (either Distress or acrylic will work), then wiped away. Once dry, I added either more paint (like the blue on the key and blue and yellow on the flower). 

I also added Walnut Stain Distress Crayon to the Sweetheart Adornment and the flower (also from the Sweetheart pack).

For the Quote Token, I chose to keep it simple and just added Picket Fence Distress Crayon.

Add the Sweetheart adornment to the tile with Collage Medium. The Quote Token has two THIN 3D Foam Squares on the back. These will keep the Quote Token in place until it can be nailed to the wood panel.

Next up is the stamps. I stitched cotton batting and a block of stamps together. The fabric has a white background so I spritzed it with Antique Linen Spray Stain to give it an aged feel. I just spritzed and dried it with my heat tool.

Each of the three stamps were cut from the block, leaving the stitching only at the top. 

I spotted this piece of ephemera from the Keepsakes Ephemera pack that worked perfectly with the color scheme. I trimmed off the edges since there is a lot going on, I didn't need more distraction. I added a scene from the Collage Fabric to a piece of Watercolor Cardstock (because it's sturdy), then added it to the frame with Scor-tape.

For the ephemera on the bottom left, I created another stitched fabric piece with the Teal Collage fabric and cotton batting. I added more Watercolor Cardstock to the back of the ephemera piece (Keepsakes) then added it to the fabric with Collage Medium. This piece is long, so it's best to put something heavy on top while it dries so the ends don't turn up like a potato chip. Just saying...

Our last piece is the Optical Lens. I used the lens as a pattern to cut the circle of fabric from the fabulous Butterflies fabric. This was easy to do because I had painted the area I wanted to cut out with Collage Medium and let it dry before cutting. It makes the fabric just stiff enough to make the cutting easier.

I added a layer of Collage Medium over the top of the fabric and added it to the glass of the Optical Lens. 

Then I adhered the painted flower to the Lens with Collage Medium. Add enough glue to let the flower sit in it. Once dry, it will be super secure and ready to add to the Display Panel.

Putting it together -

After deciding on the placement, adhere each piece with Collage Medium.

I used the Texture Hammer to add a Tack Nail to the top of the Quote Token.

Once one side is complete, add the pieces to the right side. You can choose to use 3D foam Squares behind the Souvenir Views ephemera if you want it to be raised from the background like I did. The card with the bird is from the Layers Organic ephemera pack. I glued it with Collage Medium then added Cello Tape to the edges. The small key was added with Collage Medium. If you wish, you can choose to add another Tack Nail at the top of the key.

The buttons are all vintage. I collect buttons that have the thread left in, so all I had to do was glue these down with Collage Medium. Obviously, any buttons could be used and you could either stitch them right to the fabric backing or add faux stitching and glue them on like I did.

Once that section is complete, add the stitched piece to the left side. Again, I placed something heavy on top to make sure I got complete connection to the fabric below. Once secure, I added the vintage piece of ribbon and a tiny vintage button at the top. 

Finish off with more Cello Tape. That looks so good to me!

And the last piece is the Optical Lens. Again, use Collage Medium to secure it to the background.

I decided to add a handle to the top of the Display Panel. So I added a couple Screw Heads I had previously painted with white paint to the holes at each end of the handle. Once the glue had dried I just dripped one drop of Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the top. I also used a Walnut Stain Distress Crayon over the handle itself to add some aging.

I used Collage Medium to add the handle to the top of the Panel (of course I did that with the panel standing up).

And there you go. Done deal!

I couldn't be happier with this project. I love things collected - especially things that you might not think go together. I also know you could make this with with any of the Palette colors, but Teal just has a soft spot in my heart and maybe that's why this is so special to me.

Now carry on,

paula

Palette Teal Tag

Hello friends,

It's June, and that means it's time to add a Palette Teal Tag to my growing collection! This month's tag was a fun one to create with all things teal! Beautiful Palette Teal fabrics combined with idea-ology embellishments like Sprocket Gears and a Thought Token set the scene. Then, a touch of Salvaged Patina Distress Paint brought it all together for a winning mix of idea-ology metals and Palette Teal fabrics!

There are of course 10 Palette Teal fabrics. I used two of the ten to make the Teal tag: Butterflies and  Tiles. I will say the butterfly fabric is AMAZING! Every other Palette fabric works with it, so if you are even thinking of purchasing a piece by the yard, Butterflies would be my choice! The colors are so beautiful and vibrant!

I don't usually do tutorials for my Palette tags, but today I thought I would at least share the 4 easy steps to transforming the metal Photo Frame to fit within the teal theme.

Step 1 - Paint the Photo Frame with Salvaged Patina Distress Paint.

Step 2 - Once dry, add a layer of white Distress Paint (but not too thick).

Step 3 - add random scribbles of Walnut Stain Distress Crayon. Rub the crayon with your thumbs so the paint looks aged.

Step 4 - Use a Splatter Brush to splatter Scorched Timber Distress Paint over the frame.

And there you have it. Add a Photobooth image of your choice and you are good to go!

If you missed my previous six tags, you can see them all in my post HERE.

Now carry on,

Paula

Precious Things

Hello friends,

With the introduction of the New Large 3D Texture Fades from Tim Holtz and Sizzix, I knew it was time to get to work to see what all the hullabaloo was about! The new size is awesome - something I have dreamed of for a long time. It opens so many possibilities for larger projects or more than one card front from one pass. Today I used a 6 x 8 1/2" Etcetera Panel and it fits perfectly! 

There are 5 new large folders that fit a piece of 6 x 8 1/2" paper. 

Foundry

Botanical

Lumber 

Typewriter 

Entangled 

I used Distress Watercolor Cardstock to emboss three of the folders before choosing to go with Typewriter for today's project.
*Please note that an A5 Cutting Pad is required for use with these large-format embossing folders so the machine can grab onto the cutting pad.

Paint the entire surface with Salvaged Patina Distress Paint.

Once dry, lightly rub over the surface with Distress Embossing Ink. I did not squish the pad onto the surface, I just went over the raised texture best I could.

I sprinkled (with my fingers) Scorched Timber Distress Embossing Glaze over the surface. Then embossed it with an embossing gun. Distress Embossing Glaze melts quickly so be sure to watch it as you are melting...you don't want to melt away the texture!

Next, just paint over the surface (I did one half at a time) then wipe most of it away with a wet wipe. The paint will get into all the recessed areas and really bring out the letters. *Compare the last photo with this one to see the difference!

This is what it looked like when I was done. I LOVE IT! Nice and grungy! The Distress Watercolor Cardstock is really holding up to all these layers!

Okay, just one more thing...I took Distress Spritz Vintage Photo and shook it up. Then opened the bottle and used the plastic tube to drip Spritz into the lines between the letters. If you get too much, just pounce over the top. And if you need more, just add more!

Now go back two photos to see the before and now the after! The Spritz added not only another color, but some shine to the texture. It just keeps getting better! 

The new folders are 6 x 8 1/2" - the exact same size as the larger Etcetera Panel. It's like they were meant to go together! I painted the entire back with Ground Espresso (for a finished look), then turned it over to paint the edges and up onto the front. The cardstock will cover the entire front, but I want to make sure there is a bit of brown just in case I get it on there crooked!

Use multiple strips of wide Scor-tape to add the cardstock to the panel. 

For the embellishments, I pulled three windows from the Baseboard Windows pack.

Because they were all so different, I decided to make them the same using Distress Paint and a Distress Crayon. You can also use acrylic paint if you have that on hand. All the painting is done very rough, don't worry if the colors show through. It's the layers that matter.

Step 1: Paint windows with Salvaged Patina Distress Paint.

Step 2: Once dry, paint with Black Soot Distress Paint

Step 3: Once dry, sand with a sanding block to reveal the color under the black.

Step 4: Scribble heavily with a Walnut Stain Crayon so the window is totally covered. Rub with your fingertip to smooth it out, then pounce over the top with a wet wipe to reveal the colors underneath.

This shot might be better to show the finished result. A little Salvaged Patina showing through the black paint and a little brown crayon to soften the black.

Use a combination of 3D Foam Squares and THIN 3D Foam Squares + Collage Medium to adhere the windows to the panel.

For a centerpiece, I chose a large butterfly from the Transparent Things pack. I turned it over and pounced Gold Mixative on the BACK to create the metallic gold border around the butterfly.

I also sprayed Salvaged Patina Distress Spritz over the butterfly. Distress Spritz will dry on plastic (and other slick surfaces) unlike most Distress products (like Spray Stain or ink). I did use a heat tool to dry the Spritz, I just kept the tool at a distance so the butterfly would not melt. The transparencies are tough!

Once the Distress Spritz was dry, I used 3D Foam Squares to add the butterfly to the panel. 

I added Screw Heads to the corners of the windows, then worked on the gears. You could add as many or just a few. Totally up to your taste.  I focused on adding Long Fasteners and Mini Fasteners to a few Mini Gears and Sprocket Gears. Then just moved them around till I got the configuration I liked. NOTE: The solid gear that looks like the sun is from the Sprocket Gears pack...the rest are from the Mini Gears pack.

Again, here is the same combination of gears on the left side of the panel. You can see where I have pounded the Long Fastener in the center of the Sprocket Gear with my Texture Hammer. I love that the pebbled side of the Texture Hammer will smash a Long Fastener like this! I also sanded the edges of the Sprocket Gear so the gold came through on the edges of the sunburst.

I chose a quote from the Quote Chip Labels and added it to the Label frame. Then it was adhered to the window frame with Collage Medium. I also added a string bow on the left side with Collage Medium. 

And that's a wrap!

Tim hosted a Live all about the new folders. The techniques he shares are quite amazing so if you missed the live I would suggest watching it now. It is absolutely inspiring!! Here is the link to his BLOG.

Now carry on,
paula