Izbzee

Sugar-Free Wreath

This year I needed something new to decorate one of the windows for Halloween.  I decided to see what I had on hand.... and came up with some paper twist, card stock and an embroidery hoop.  Yep, that would work and using Craftwell's eBrush would be the perfect tool to help dress it up. 

The pictures are pretty self explanatory.  The biggest time taker was "painting" and putting all the "candy together.   If I were to rate this project, it would definitely rank as EASY! 

You'll need:
 8in embroidery hoop (mine was wooden)
Paper Twist (for this project I used some jumbo twist I had in my stash)
Halloween Peppermints SVG file ( Miss Kate's Cuttables)
Electronic die cutting machine and associated software
eBrush
Sharpie Markers
Hot Glue gun and glue
Xyron adhesive and 5in Sticker maker

Cut a piece of the paper twist about 2 inches longer than the circumference of your hoop.  Untwist the paper twist and smooth out as shown above. 

Wrap the twist around the hoop -- securing to the hoop with the glue gun.  You want to be able to scrunch and do a little shaping of your paper for dimension before you begin the next steps.  it should like something like this.  I left the hoop together and left the screw in it as well to use if needed to wrap my fishing line hanger around. 

Set aside while you cut all the embellishments for your wreath.  I used my electronic die cutting machine to cut all the pieces.  I made 48 candies in total for the 8in embroidery hoop.  If you wanted more fill, then you could certainly cut more.   The spider web die cuts from a Tim Holtz steel rule die.  Once everything was cut, it was time to start coloring.  The eBrush makes it so easy and Sharpie Markers were perfect for this project.  The colors are bold and bright! 

I put all the candy pieces through the Xyron sticker maker... this holds the pieces in place and you don't have to use your fingers or a stick to hold the pieces down while you spray.  I sprayed the wreath and set that aside and started layering all the candy pieces together.

 

Because the step of putting all the candy together takes some time, you may want to have a treat to eat on hand..... chocolate sure sounds good to me!  :)

You will use hot glue to secure the pieces on your wreath, but the adhesive provides enough "grip" while you decide on placement. 

Consider adding some shimmer mist or glitter to the final project for a little more dimension.  When you're ready, you can thread some fishing line through the back of the wreath and around the screw, tie off and hang as desired.

With the rest of the Winter Holiday's fast approaching, I'm betting your heads are swirling with ideas on how you could make a holiday wreath for your home or as a gift! 

Happy crafting and eBrushing! 

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Tis the season....

Keeping tabs...

Fluttering Fall leaves

  finished size 12x 23.5

 

The leaves are just beginning to turn colors here -- oh how I miss seeing the mountains in Utah burst into golds, reds and oranges every year... however, luckily with crafting we can create those same colors and enjoy Fall just a little longer before jumping headlong into the holidays!

I started this project (and a companion project) by creating some leaf stencils using SVG leaf files from SVGCuts.com. Resizing as needed in my cutter's software, I used transparencies for my stencils and cut them all on my eclips and saved the negative images of the leaves as well to use as masks when needed.

All of the leaves were colored in using Craftwell's eBrush and Spectrum Noir markers on a half sheet of foam core I picked up at a local craft supply store. 

The lettering on this project is 3.75 inches tall -- Just pick a serif font like Century Schoolbook; cutting 3 of each letter on my electronic die cutting machine.  I embossed the top layer of each and then adhered each letter into a stack and prepared them as well to be colored with the eBrush using the same fall colors.

If your project will be exposed to the outside elements, you will need to seal your project.  Several very light coats of  a sealer should protect it.  (Be sure to test your brand first to make sure that it won't melt the foam core if you choose to that as your base.)

Thanks for stopping by today.  Your visit is very much appreciated.  Happy Crafting! 

 

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Tis the season....

Boo! Trick or Treat Banner

If you've dropped by from the Craftwell blog today, welcome.  Hope you'll stroll through my pages and discover even more of what the eBrush can do.

Halloween is just a few days away!  If you were watching any of the eBrush segments on HSN on the 7th of October you may recognize this banner. 

Difficulty:  EASY
You'll need:

eBrush, Sharpie adapter
2 - 8.5 x 11 pieces of white cardstock
2 - 8.5 x 11 pieces of black cardstock
desired svg file for faces (I used Jack Pumpkin by Creative Pointe)
electronic die cutting machine and associated software
Adhesive (the Xyron 5" sticker maker was perfect for this)
Embossing folder of choice
Checkerboard Stencil (my design)
Sharpie Markers (dk gray, dk brown, orange)
Cording, fibers, buttons, beads, tulle, etc

Using basic shapes, put a tag shape on to your design mat and size as deisred (my tags were sized at 5 in x 7 in each).  Copy and paste two more tags on your mat.  Add the svg pumpkin face file and break apart and place the face designs on your tag fronts as desired.  Add your text to each of the tags.  Center the text as deisred according to your software.  Make sure that all the lines are set to cut.  Cut on white cardstock. Now hide all but the tag shape and cut the tags using the black cardstock.

Next, emboss the lower section of each banner piece with your choice of embossing folder.  With a checkerboard stencil secured in place on the top part of the tag, cover the lower portion to avoid any overspray - spray with the ebrush as desired.  I chose not to fill all of the open spaces with color.  

When you've completed that step, cover the upper portion of your tag and spray the bottom section.  You can get creative here if you want or just simply "sweep" the color across the tags leaving the center portion of the tags white or just barely colored with the orange marker.  Adhere the black tags to the back of the now decorated tags.

Using the ebrush and the dk brown marker, lightly spray the edges of all the banner pieces for an antiqued or distressed look.  Now comes the most fun.  String your banner together.  I used buttons to thread the cording through the single hole in the tag and added beads as I continued to string the tags on the cording.  If you plan on adding beads make sure you do that as you add the tags.  Finish your banner as desired by tying on fibers, tulle, additional buttons, beads and dangles as desired.

Here's one last looksie! 

If you've been thinking about an eBrush... I just heard that Craftwell is giving one away this week through their Facebook page.  Enter their sweepstakes here. 

Thanks for dropping by!  Have a crafty day! 

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Halloween Faux Stained Glass

Keeping tabs...

 

Creative Cutting Challenge #41 

I'm a collector.  A collector of quotes and have been doing so for many years... enough that I would need to borrow some fingers and toes to count them on.  This file from Creative Pointe provided just what I needed to write down a few more. 

I resized the recipe card and created a front and back cover.  Then resized the 2 center dividers to the same size ( 5 x 7).  I decided to use a digi redwork embroidery image I've had hanging around for a while and use that on my cover.  I used a Sakura White Gel Pen to get the details of the image on the cover using the pen tool for my cutting machine and filled in a bit with a green and red glitter marker. 

The titles on the divider cards were also "penned" in using the pen tool and I eBrushed the printed papers with stencils using some Spectrum Noir markers for a quick finish securing them to the divider with some edge-to-edge adhesive.   I used the Bind-It-All to secure all the pages following the manufacturer's directions. 

Thanks again for dropping by!  Time to share some links to the rest of the Design Team's creations for this week's party.

Carolyn--Granny Ma's Creative Blog

Cindy--The Creative Pointe

Marina--My Perfect Life

Tina--Tina's Scrap Corner

Valou--The Enchantment of Scrap

Vicki--Izzaboutchu!

Heather, Guest Designer--My Artistic Adventures

Victoria, Guest Designer--Paper Squirrel

 

Want to join our Anything Goes party?  Check out the rules and link up!  Hope to see you again soon! 

Harvest Moon

This was an exceptionally fun project to work on and to use with the eBrush.  I'm grateful to Trina Walker for allowing me some creative license with her original artwork which you can find here. 

I decided to use a crackled paint technique and see how the Spectrum Noir markers would react to acrylic paint and crackle medium. Follow manufacturer's directions for best results.

This project was created on chipboard, but could also be done on wood -- Watch this video to see how easy it is.

 

and mounted in a shadowbox frame completely made of paper.  The pattern for the frame is available here.  I cut the pieces using my electronic cutting machine.  Lori's pattern was easy to create and very quick to compltet once all the pieces were cut. 

I love the depth and intensity of color you can get with a single marker.  And even after all the coloring, the colors were still transparent enough that the crackled effect was still visible.  If you're adding several coats of marker color to your project, you'll need to allow a little bit of drying time as the alcohol markers were a bit sticky until they were thoroughly dry. 

The metallic stars began as silver colored and they were sprayed with a copper color.  The project that was shown on the HSN segment recently (Oct 7, 2014) had a heart added that is not showing in the picture above.  If you missed the demonstration of Craftwell's eBrush on HSN, you can revisit it here.  There is a video in the listing of pictures on the page. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy a week filled with crafting and creating from the heart.

Halloween Faux Stained Glass

This was one of three (3) projects shown on HSN's 24 hour Craft Day during Craftwell's eBrush segments.  I was so excited to have 3 of the 5 projects I submitted on display. They are on the shelf under the table on the left side.  It was so exciting to see them there and highlighted during the segments.

For this project you'll need a stencil (I used vinyl cut on my electronic cutter) and secure it on the clean glass. 
Choose your colors for the project.  I stenciled the graveyard scene from SVGCuts and sprayed the glass using Sharpies and the eBrush.  Once that portion of the project was completed, I removed the stencil.  Be careful not to scratch the glass -- Sharpies and alcohol markers will scratch off.  I chose to spray it so it wasn't transparent. 

Once the stencil is removed, you can begin spraying the rest of the glass.  I chose a deep purple, a medium purple and a pink for this particular look.  It's okay to spray over the stenciled piece you've done previously as long as you've sprayed it in a very dark color. 

It's really pretty easy.  If you'd like to see how it's done, check the youtube video   

Please forgive the clicking in the background, Busted was really adament about being included in some way in the recording. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Enjoy a crafty weekend! 

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IN the box at the moment....

Tis the season....

for Jack-O-lanterns and all things pumpkin!  Our oldest daughter has been baking up a storm recently - lots of pumpkin goodies now that Fall has finally arrived.  And from the looks of things in the pantry, we're in for a few more yummies!

The theme for the Creative Cutting Challenge  #40 is Halloween.  Pumpkin Carols came to mind.  After consulting with a long time teacher friend, this was my final choice.

Jack - O - Lanterns all lit up
Sitting in a Row
Just what makes them
Smile so much
No one seems to know
I have nver heard them speak
When they start to gleam
All they do is sit and stare
And smile right back at me.

Although my lanterns aren't sitting in a row, being stacked up looks pretty good to me!  The Jack-O-Lantern file is from CreativePointe and is a very easy file to work with. 

 

All cuts were made on my Sizzix eclips using the eCal software.

I chose vinyl for this project, though paper could be used as well.  


The lanterns are "painted" using  the eBrush. 



I layered them onto a shadow background at the same size as the stack and set aside until the rest of the project was ready

I applied a coat of white acrylic paint as a base coat on the canvas background, let dry a couple of hours.  Then came the rest of the background which is painted using the eBrush and Spectrum Noir markers (dark gray, dark brown, a medium yellow and a light gray).  Once that had dried thoroughly, it was time to begin applying the letters and get the pumpkins in place.  Burnish well if you choose to apply to canvas.  Because the pumpkin piece is relatively "heavy" with all the layers, I used some tacky glue to make sure it was really secure. I also used an ultra-fine tipped Sharpie to outline the lettering for a little more depth and dimension on the canvas background. 



I also made a checkerboard stencil to apply to the sides of the canvas to finish it off.  Sorry you can't see it in these pics,,, but it turned out pretty darn cute if I say so myself! 

Now, don't forget to check out what all of the other Design Team members are sharing -- and if you're so inclined, join the linky party.  Rules can be found here.  

Thanks for dropping by and hope you'll enjoy a happy crafting week!   

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IN the box at the moment....

happy

Have you heard????

Just a short note: 
The Craftwell Design Team  members have been announced and I'm so excited  to have been selected and that some of my projects were chosen to appear on the next HSN eBrush segments!  Check out the times and dates here. 

I'll be sharing more about my selected projects  in some upcoming posts... so come back often to check or be sure to follow me so you'll get updates! 

Then be sure to like Craftwell blog and Facebook and follow them on Instagram for some fun and exciting giveaways!  

The Raven

our oldest daughter loves all things Edgar Allen Poe.  The Raven is one of her favorites.  So in  honor of the poem and Halloween coming all too soon.... but just to throw her off guard, I used Boo instead of Nevermore...

All the files for this are from SVGCuts.com and were cut using the Sizzix eclips and eCal software.  The branch, moon, raven and heart were all painted using Craftwell's eBrush 

And did you know that Craftwell is rolling out their design team this week... and since it's Wednesday... I get to announce that I made the cut and I'm on the e-brush design team!  You can check it out here.  And Monday, I'll have more news to share!  

 

Enjoy creating something today! 

Files used:
Townhouse Windows
Fall Harvest
Haunted Forest
Cherry blossom Branch (free file)

I wanted everything to fit in an 8 x 10 frame, so I sized the window first, cutting 2 windows.  I also used some transparency for the "glass."  Then opening each of the other files, I created my design, sizing if necessary.  The branch is cut to fit to view in the window.  I sandwiched the files between the transparencies that were adhered to the window frames. 

 

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cutting up....

IN the box at the moment....

quilting again?