Lucky Star

Hello Friends!

Happy to be here today sharing my Vignette Divided Drawer. I don't normally go for "purple" but the Transparency with the flower was the catalyst for this project and it just lead me that direction.  Lets get started!

I first adhered paper to both the inside and outside of the Divided Drawer.  I used paper from Backdrops 4 (the neutral pack) because I needed a neutral base for the "purple" story. It takes a bit of time to add all the paper pieces, but once it's done the rest was easy to fill in.  I also think the choice of the green Trim Tape was good to offset the purple.  I've never used the green tape in the Trim pack before, but once it was on, I knew it was the perfect choice.

*I previously drilled a hole for the Tiny Lights, that will be added to the center section.

I added Large Fasteners to the sides of the box that I had dented with the new Texture Hammer.  I cut the brad "legs" off each Large Fastener before denting and adding white paint - then I just used Collage medium to glue each metal Fastener to the box, mimicking rivets.  I added 3 Large Fasteners to each side of the Divided Drawer.

I added a Quote Chip Labels to a metal Label Frame. The oval size worked perfectly on the top of the Divided Drawer.  I adhered it with Collage Medium and let it sit for 30 minutes before laying the box down.  While this was drying, I worked on coloring the Photomatic and doing the stitching with embroidery floss. 

Distress Crayons were used to color the Photomatic: Peeled Paint, Uncharted Mariner for the background and Villainous Potion for her dress.

EMBROIDERY

I used a sharp needle and embroidery floss to stitch three french knots and two small leaves, as a corsage on her lapel. The photos are easy to stitch through and the texture is a fun addition.  Just remember, a sharp needle is a must.

TIP: to get the photo to appear to be freestanding, I added a small wood block to the back.

FIGURE STAND

I glued the star to the stand.  Once secure, I wiped white paint over the metal and let that dry.  A few pounces of Mushroom Alcohol Ink gave the metal a good Patina, making it look much older than it is.  The words LUCKY STAR came from the Clippings Sticker book.  The stand was secured to the box with Collage Medium.

*Figure Stands - this is the one item that is still on pre-order.  Hopefully they will be in shortly!

PEARLS

The pearls are vintage (from an old necklace).  I painted Collage Medium onto the surface of the box and just poured the pearls into the box to see which ones stayed put.  Once I let them dry, I banged the box on table to see if any would come loose - about 4 rolled to the back.  I used tweezers to grab the loose ones and glued each of them back in place with a little more Collage Medium.  

*remember, Collage Medium dries clear and shrinks around the item being glued.

TRANSPARENCY

I cut the flower transparency to fit the center compartment (where I had already added the Tiny Lights). I used 1/4" Scor-tape to adhere the Transparency to the wood box. The transparencies are thick and hold up really well over the open space.

After the Trim Tape is added to the box, the transparency will be enclosed on all sides. I added a piece of mica over the transparency (collage medium just on the edges) to add texture, but that part is optional.

For the bottom section, I wanted to keep the nature theme going.  I started with the background, adding ephemera pieces from the Transparent Things 2 pack.  I used Scor-Tape to add them to the back of the box before adding the Barrel and Toadstools.

TOADSTOOLS

You might notice I covered the cap of each Toadstool with vintage paper from an old book.  I coated the Toadstool cap with Collage Medium, then wrapped strips of book paper over the top till covered, adding more Collage Medium over the top.  Dry with a heat tool before adding the paint splatters (Villainous Potion and Picket Fence).  I also glued moss up inside the Toadstool so it hangs down one side.

BARREL

The Barrel is just glued into the box with Collage Medium (a nice big dollop!).  That much Collage Medium takes longer to dry, but once it is dry, it's like cement and will not move.

I added the moss and then some Bouquet flowers that were sprayed with Shaded Lilac Distress Spray.

One of the new metal leaves (Foliage Adornments) was added at the bottom.  I wiped Rustic Wilderness Distress Paint over the leaves before adding to the barrel with Collage Medium. 

I hope you liked the project today.  I love the spring colors and the nature theme.  It's hard to photograph with the Tiny Lights on (in the center section) but I like the way it looks in person. 

Now carry on,

paula

Festive Christmas Tin

Hello Friends,

Happy to be here to share another Christmas make, the Festive Tin.  This is an easy project to create so follow along and I'll show you the steps.

Start by punching hole through the tin with an awl.  

*This photo shows the tin on my glass mat.  In reality, I punched the hole over a cork trivet on my craft table so the awl would not damage my glass mat.

I added Backdrop paper to the back side of the tin top and punched a hole through the paper where I previously made the hole with the awl.

Run a string of Christmas Tiny Lights through the hole.  

Add foam pads to secure the battery pack to the lid.

I secured the wire (the thick part) to the tin with hot glue.  Hold the wire in place until the glue is stable.  

Hide the battery pack (except for the light switch) with a poinsettia from the Layers Botanical pack. The words are from the Baseboard pack - I just cut the flags at each end with sharp tipped scissors.

Moving back to the top of the tin, I did my special "wire wave thing" (that's a technical term) that I like to use when feeding tiny lights around large Woodland Trees.

Now for the trees.

I used wire cutters, to cut off the base of each tree so the branches would be right on the snow.  I used hot glue to add a chipboard square to the bottom of the trees (for stability). 

You may want to hot glue the trees to the tin top, but I think they would just pop off the metal at some point in time.  So I used Collage Medium to glue the trees and let them dry in place for a few hours.

Notice how close the trees are together.  I did that so the lights could go seamlessly between the trees (no hanging wires). 

Once stable, I wound the lights around the larger tree, then over to the small tree.

At first I was going to wrap the Tinsel but when I was trimming it, the tiny pieces kept piling up and I thought, I could use it on the tree like the old fashion tinsel.  

So that is just what I did.  

I used a brush to add Collage Medium on the tips of the branches and then sprinkled the cut Tinsel over the trees.

As for the other details, I added cotton batting around the trees for snow - that helped ground the trees to the tin top.

I used a damp brush and Distress Crayon Walnut Stain to color the Salvaged Deer. It is amazing the transformation of the deer with just a little bit of crayon.  Once the crayon dries, it will not come off on your hands.

Cut the Wood Slice in half and sprinkle with Rock Candy glitter.  Once dry, add to the tin with Collage Medium.  Glue the deer as close to the Wood Slice as possible.

Add old fashion Jingle Bells to the scene.

The 1/4" ribbon has been sprayed with Aged Mahogany Distress Spray Stain.  I made a double bow and hot glued it to the snow, tucking it into the tree.

Peppermints were added to the right of the bow.  You could add as many as you wish!

Add the Remnant Rub 25 to a label from the Sticker Book, then add it to the tin.

I used Label Stickers to decorate the black handle.  You will need to use Scor-tape underneath on the strips that go around the two corners.

Now just fill with candy and you are good to go.  What a fun gift for a friend or family member.  It would be a fun project for a"girls night" party, especially if you had all the holes punched, trees and ribbon pre-dyed, and deer colored with crayon!

Now carry on,

paula

idea-ology Festive Tin

Hello Friends!

I cannot believe it is only 2 weeks before the holiday - this month is speeding by so quickly!  I started decorating the week of Thanksgiving so I have been able to enjoy the lights and smells of Christmas each evening!  I am looking forward to taking some time off in the next two weeks to be with family and just enjoy the end of the year.

Today I am sharing my cute little Festive Tin.  This tin was a last minute addition to the Christmas line!  It is just so darling, I'm glad we did not give up on the idea, even though we knew it wouldn't arrive till November.  I just love it! And I sure am hoping it makes an appearance next year too!

Follow along and I'll show you how I created it...

So what you are seeing here is the beginning stage of the thin.  This is what I have done so far:

1.  Filled the cavity of the tin with green floral foam (it should fit very tightly) .

2. Used Collage Medium to glue the lid to the very back of the floral foam (I painted my lid green but found that was unnecessary since I covered up the entire back).

3. Cut two pieces of white cotton batting.  I used scalloped sheers to cut one long strip that wraps around the edge of the tin (about 1 1/2" wide).  The second piece covers just the top. Use Collage Medium to adhere the long strip around three side of the tin.  That glue is hidden under the second piece of batting.

4. Use a thin foam square to secure the Tiny Lights to the back of the tin.  Pull the lights around to the front and wind light into a circle (this will need to fit up inside the Paper Village house).  You can see in the previous photo that I just used tape to secure the light wire to the tin lid.  

*notice the tin lid sits inside the tin, and is glued directly to the top of the floral foam.  I left this to dry overnight before moving on to the cotton batting and lights.  Another trick is to use multiple T-pins to hold the lid in place while the thick Collage Medium is drying.  You can just push them into the floral foam and one side the T-pin holds the lid in place.

Background

I did not take a picture of the background before I added the house and tree so I have recreated how I did it.  All I did was cut another piece of cotton batting the size of the tin lid with scallop scissors.  Then stitched the Layers ephemera to the batting.  I added a flower from the Worn Wallpaper Pack in the original, but here I used a poinsettia from the same Layers pack that the red card came from. Both will work.

I glued two bingo chips to the inside of the lid so the batting piece would not sit so far back into the lid itself.  The flowers (no matter which ones you use) were added with foam squares to create even more dimension.  I would suggest waiting to add the flowers till after you add your tree and house so you can position it better.

I sprayed some Woodland Trees with Bundled Sage Spray Stain and dried them with the heat tool.

Next up, the Baubles in Crimson, Laguna and Lettuce (with Mushroom added for good measure...)

I cut the wood base off the big tree, added gobs of hot glue and stuck the end of the wire right into the floral foam.  Hold in place till it is secure! You do not want a leaning tree!

Again, using hot glue, add the colored Baubles to the tree.  As I have said many times before, I like to add the hot glue into the tree, then push the Bauble into the glue.

Next is the Mica Flakes...use your finger to wipe Glossy Accents down the tree.  Then sprinkle the Mica from the top so it looks more like falling snow on the tree.  Once the glue is dry, just turn the tin over (over a piece of paper) to pour off the excess Mica and return to the jar.

The bow is Crinkle Ribbon from my secret stash - if you have rayon seam binding that is dyeable, then use that to recreate the look.  I colored the ribbon with Aged mahogany and Barn Door Spray inks.  Once dry, fold a long piece of the ribbon in half and tie a bow (thats how you get multiple loops).  Adhere to the background (and behind the tree) with hot glue.  

To keep the ribbon from sagging over time, spray lightly with aerosol hairspray.

Cut a "Paper Village 2" house using Watercolor cardstock.  Color roof and door with Candied Apple Distress Ink before adding to the house to the tin.

Use Collage Medium or Glossy Accents to add clear Rock Candy Glitter to some Confections pieces.  You can also add Rock Candy to the Decorative Deer at this time.

Once dry, cut the confections stick to add to the front of the house.  Add peppermint drop above the door.

Cut the back needles off the medium sized tree so it can be hot glued directly to the house, once the house is in place over the Tiny Lights.

Use a paint brush to add Collage Medium to the roof and tree, then sprinkle more Mica Flakes.

Use Label Stickers to add Christmas sentiments around the black handle of the tin.

A view from the back showing the light pack.

You can almost see the dried Collage Medium that the tin lid is secured with.

Well, I hope you like the tin tutorial!  It was fun to be one of the first people to use the tin!  I know there are so many more ideas out there now (and more to come I am sure)!!

now carry on,

paula