Palette Indigo Vignettes

Hello Friends,

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite new fabric collections: Palette Indigo from Tim Holtz and made by FreeSpirit. This shade of blue is so versatile, working beautifully in both light and dark patterns. As I was looking through the collection, I couldn't help but notice how perfectly the patterns worked together. There were so many great choices, that I knew I had to use multiple patterns together for my project. An idea popped into my head to create little scenes that look like postcards, using multiple indigo fabrics, layered on idea-ology Vignette Squares. So that is just what I did! Follow along and I'll show you how easy it was to create these fun little scenes!

Honestly, everything I did was just "going with the flow", adding the fabrics with Collage Medium one layer at time. Sometimes I cut the fabric to size and other times I glued the fabric down, then once it was dry (I used a heat tool) I flipped the vignette over and cut off the excess with my rotary cutter. Let me walk you through the basic steps:

1. Cut a piece of fabric (Palette Indigo Map) and adhere it to the Vignette with Collage Medium.

2. Cut another piece of fabric (Palette Indigo Wallpaper) and adhere it to the bottom half.

3. Adhere yet another wave of fabric (Palette Indigo Ledger) and let it dry for a time. Before it was totally dry, I used my secret weapon for fraying the edge of the fabrics, a Tiny Blending Tool. Works like a charm every time! If any of the edges come up, just add a little more Collage Medium and glue it back down.

4. Choose a photo from the Snapshots pack (NOTE: there are two packs of Snapshots - these came from the Snapshots Volume 2).

Fussy cut as best you can around the photo of your choice.

5. Use Distress Crayons to add a bit of color. The patterns and color of the fabric are bold, so I kept the colors muted.

6. Use 3D foam squares behind the Snapshot so it is raised from the surface.

7. Add embellishments:

You can add anything that goes with your photo. I cut a circle using Metallic Kraft-stock to mimic a sun. I also added stamps cut from the Indigo Stamp Fabric. I had previously cut a 4 x 6" piece of the Stamps fabric and added Collage Medium to the back and let it dry. So each time I needed stamps for my "postcard" look, all I had to do was cut them out with sharp fabric scissors and glue them on.  Super easy!

8. Clippings Sticker - Each Vignette has some sort of sentiment that was pulled from the Clippings Sticker Book. I dipped the sticker in a puddle of ink/water to age it and dried it with a heat tool. I added it to the Vignette with Collage Medium and finished it with a Cello Tape Sticker.

SMALL VIGNETTE

For the next Vignette, I followed the same steps but I started with the Snapshot. That helped me to know how I needed to cut the fabric.

First fabric - Tapestry

Second fabric - Tiny Print

Third fabric - Typography

Then I added the ladies (3D foam squares), the stamps and the Clippings.

This one needed something more, so I added a blue tag, slipping it just behind the second layer of fabric. FYI: The blue tag is from the Memoir Ephemera pack.

LARGE VIGNETTE

I started by picking the Snapshot would work best on the largest Vignette Square. I chose this line up of men because I thought they would look great across the box. Again, I kept the colors light.

 

So this is how I laid it out. I cut the waves in the fabric a little wider than needed so I can move them back and forth till I decide where the waves work best. So in this shot, nothing is glued down...as I was just working out the placement.

Once the decision was made, I started the gluing process (fabrics Ledger and Vintage).

Then I added the last layer of Indigo Collage. 

The men have foam squares behind their backs/heads, but I also added Collage Medium to the bottom edge of their legs so they will stay under the fabric.

The necessary stamps to make it look like a postcard.

I didn't like the image in the left corner so I patched over it with the Queen Victoria stamps. That patch helped tie in the Indigo 'Vintage' fabric behind the men. Collage Medium is perfect for adding the patches since it dries clear!

The 404-4 strip is also an added patch (just for a more detailed look).

I love the forced perspective of the men with the house in the distance. That ledger fabric is my favorite!

Just some final shots.

Hope you liked these as much as I do! Something about making them was just so fun! Maybe because all the wave cutting was just done by chance, no pattern, no thought...just cutting. Maybe I should do more of that!

Now carry on,

paula

Curious Things

Hello friends,

Hope your week is going well! I have been as busy as ever working on many behind the scenes projects for the holiday season, as well as 2022.

I wanted to share one last project specifically for Halloween, and that is my stacked windows project. It truly is a fun project to put together. My tutorial is not all-encompassing, but it will give you some needed details and information to build your own if you choose.

Backdrops Halloween was used for all paper on base and boxes.

The base is the largest Vignette Panel with Etcetera Trims glued to the sides.  I used the new Trims die to cut the paper to match the Trim.  That made easy work to get them covered with paper before adding to the base.

You can see here that the die cut matches the trim perfectly!  SO MUCH EASIER!

Use Collage Medium to adhere Backdrops paper to five different Vignette Boxes.

Please note, I used 2 sets of Vignette boxes.  One complete set + the smallest box from the second set.

The Baseboard Windows fit many of the Vignette boxes perfectly.  I used Collage Medium to adhere the windows to the Vignette boxes and blue painters tape to hold it in place while I wait for it to dry.

Some boxes have to be filled before you add the window to the front, like this small box with the skull and bird inside. I also put a foam square under the skull to raise it up since the frame is wide at the bottom.  

This window is shorter than the box so I cut a piece of chipboard to fill in the open space at the top.

For the horizontal box, the frame is longer than the box, so I just cut it and glued it back together.  I bet you can barely see where I cut it.

And my trick with the Toadstool...How do you get a Toadstool to stand up (and be very stable)?  Double up thick chipboard, then punch a hole with a Cropadile. 

Add glue around the bottom of the Toadstool and push it into the hole, creating a base.  Use moss to cover the base once the Toadstool is glued to the project.

So on to the project photos...

This box has a large Bubble that I have covered in Lettuce Alcohol Ink (you will see it lit up later).  Candlestick with a Drippy Candle that I painted Black and added black glitter to the top.  The Snippet Labels come into play in this project and you will see them repeatedly on the books, stuffed into corners, on the birdcage, etc

This vignette is filled with books (the book covers are in the Ephemera pack). I used the snippets pack to add tiny labels to the spines. 

You can see there is a bottle on the left and a pumpkin sitting on the stack of books on the right.  Of course the vignette was filled before the windows were added.

The levitating boys are my favorite. To create this magic, just use a 1/2" wood block to hold them in place.  It's just that easy.

Hardware Heads were used on the Window Frame to make it look like they were locked inside.  That adornment spider is going to crawl right in where the "glass" is broken.  The glass is a thin, thin layer of Mica.

A combination of a Machinery Head and Hitch Fastener make up the door knob. The little key is from the new Locks and Keys.

For this box, I filled it with a few random things, like a Mini Pocket Watch, Drippy Candle and more of the Snippets labels.  They really come to life when you spread Collage Medium on both sides, then wrinkle them up.  Once dry, they remain in the wrinkled state and you can prop them up easily.  

The top box was set in place before I added the Toadstool on the little ledge to the left.  I used a dot of Flickering Candle Mica Spray to give the raven a watchful eye.

I love this new cage we did for Halloween. Personally I can see it used on so many things throughout the year! I stuffed it with mummy cloth and eyeballs, added the label on the cage and a chain to attach the big lock (which is actually really small) from the Locks and Keys pack.

I wanted to add a Halloween Word Plaques to the front of the base. 

1. Wipe Antique Linen Distress Paint over the entire plaque and 2 Hardware Heads. Wipe away most of the paint, just leaving it around the words and in the corners. Let the paint dry completely. 
2. Pounce Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the white paint but don't cover it all.
3. Scribble Distress Crayon in Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn over the raised areas.
4. Add the Hardware Heads with Collage Medium.

Now just add the plaque to the base - you can use Collage Medium or THIN foam squares.

Oh and that tiny Toadstool is darling (notice how you don't see the chipboard base?)

Let me address the lights - I am not showing exactly how to light the project, but I will tell you that only three boxes are lit - the two at the bottom and the levitating boys.  

I drilled a hole at the back to thread the lights into the box with the books but the light is only on the right side and just glows INTO the right end of the box.

From the back you can see where the lights were added.  I attached the light pack with two thin foam squares.

Then I drilled another hole at the back of the front box (right behind the Bubble) so I could add just one light, to light up the Bubble.  The green light contributes to the eerie vibe and makes the Bubble glow like a crystal ball. 

Then the light string travels up through another hole I drilled in the bottom of the next box to the levitating boys. It runs up the wall and top of this box (held in place with hot glue).

The lighting may sound complicated, but the light path was thought out BEFORE anything was added to the boxes - no paper, no windows, no glue...nothing but a stack of Vignette Boxes and one string of Tiny Lights. When you have it worked out at the beginning, it makes it MUCH easier to make decisions later.

If you don't know already, I have taken this idea and made it into a Christmas themed stack (just a bit bigger).  There will be kits available for the Christmas stack, not for the Halloween shown here.  I would have loved to have created this as a kit, however the supply chain issues for Halloween were challenging and I could not get enough product in time to make that happen.  

If you are interested in getting an email about the Christmas version (as seen on Tim's LIVE) please email me paula@oneluckyday.net to get on the mailing list.  If you are already on the mailing list - then no worries - you will get an email.  

I am crossing my fingers kits will be ready for shipping by November 10th.

now carry on,
paula