Izbzee

Wreath of Sunshine

Upcycling  some cardboard and creating a wreath for the door....

My last post shared all the details for making the sunflowers using the eBrush, siphon adapter, fabric dye and staining with tea.... so I won't repeat those steps here.  You will need something for your wreath base -- I cut a box using a couple of large bowls for the pattern.  A styro form would also work well. Now, gather the rest of your supplies:

I used:  4" wide burlap "ribbon,"  printed organza ribbon, novelty yarn, the prim flowers and a few twigs from the yard.  You'll also want to have a glue gun and a little bit of wire and some scissors.

I loosely wrapped the burlap around the base, making sure the cardboard didn't show between the wraps.  My ribbon was 4" wide and I used a couple of yards from the roll to wrap the base.  Hot glue the end on the back of the base.  Wrap some yarn around about 1/3 of the wreath.  Arrange your flowers and twigs, add any additional items to your wreath as desired.  Add a length of ribbon and tie the ends together to create a loop around the wreath base and hang from the door.*

*TIP:  If using a foam wreath, make sure that you use a cool temp glue gun if you apply glue directly to the form.  You can also use floral pins to attach the printed ribbon loops and twigs. 

Here's another look at the wreath. 

Hope this inspires you to do a little creating in the days ahead... and to nurture your creative spirit.  AND most importantly, thanks for stopping by. 

 

 

Summer Sunshine

It's national Upcycling month and the Craftwell Design Teams are celebrating it too.  I hope you'll enjoy this fun prim project.

For this project I chose to recycle some material and a plastic bottle.  The eBrush, Tulip Fabric dye and white glue and hot glue were used on the flowers, leaves and a bit of tea for a little more vintage look. 

Cut the circles in the sizes desired.  I chose to add a little design to the flower centers using the glue.  Be sure to let it dry before you use the eBrush with the siphon adapter  to add color.  Once you've finished spraying, let dry.  Heat set the dye.  If desired you can wash out the glue, I liked the way it looked, so left it on. 

 

Cut the larger circles to make flower petals.  Do not cut past the stitching.  Dip the flower into some tea.  Add a little cinnamon to the tea -- squeeze out the excess tea and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Repeat for each of the flowers.  Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees F.  Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes.  You will want to watch to make sure you don't "over cook" the flowers. 

TIP:  HEAT SET the DYE.  I didn't heat set the first batch of flowers to the dye faded a lot.  I re-colored the petals and center for a little more color.  The flowers looked a lot happier!  :) 

For the leaves, cut double the number of shapes and spray (or dip) with dye.  Let dry.  Iron if needed.  Using the glue gun, on one side of the leaf, draw in some veins.... put a leaf shape on the top, matching the edges as best as you can.  You may want to tap lightly to make sure that both pieces of fabric are "stuck."  Flip over.  You should be able to see your vein pattern.  Repeat as needed.  When all your leaves are finished, grab a sharpie and spray around the edges for a little more color and depth.  Using the glue gun,  glue the leaves to the back of the flower head OR glue to a "stem" you've added to the flower.    (Kabob sticks are my stems for this project). 

(no pics, sorry)

I chose to recycle a fruit juice bottle for my vase.  Just cut with an exacto knife at the height you want.  I wanted a copper look so grabbed a can of spray paint I found at my local home improvement store and gave the "vase" a quick spray (Hammered Copper was used in this project and it is safe on most plastics).  Spray a second coat following manufacturer's directions if desired.  It was a bit humid here the day I sprayed, so it took longer on the drying time.  Using a piece of recyled styro, I hot glued it into the vase and then added my flowers. 

 

While I liked the hammered copper look of the vase - I decided to take it a step further and add a little "patina."  Here's how it looks now.  Ranger's Vintaj Patina was perfect!  You can use the siphon OR a brush to apply. 

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you're enjoying this month's projects... be sure to check the rest of the #eBrushteam's projects on the Craftwell blog. 

 

And the winners are:

Thanks to everyone for participating in the #sizzixeclips blog hop over the past weekend. 

The winner from my blog is:  CraftJunkieJeannie!   Please contact me ASAP!   Prize has been claimed! 

 

 

The winners from the rest of the blogs are: 

Deb: Linda

Camille:  Misty  (claimed)

Lynda:  Beverly (claimed)

Maria:  Leah  (claimed)

 

AND THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS:  Misty!  (claimed)

PLEASE CONTACT ME NO LATER THAN THURSDAY AT 4:30 pm MT TIME TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!!! 
email me at nurturedheartgal(at)gmail(dot)com. 

#Sizzixeclips Blog hop

This HOP IS CLOSED! 

I'm excited to be a part of this small but hoping to grow bigger blog hop featuring Sizzix' eclips machine.  Hoping you'll enjoy your stops and the projects created using the Sizzix eclips and files from a broad group of designers and shops. 

 

I chose to use a file from a recent release by Mary Rudakis at SVGCuts.com.  The Game Day Marquee Signs Set is so much fun and for my Baseball fanatic hubby, it's a perfect addition to his growing collection of Baseball decor on the walls and shelves in his space.  The title is my own design and you can download a copy of the file in SVG form here. 

I used some SU 12x12" stock and the Grand Slam Mini Theme Collection from Echo Park. Some red floss for the stitching AND Old Paper distress ink by Ranger.  Scraps for the title.  The eclips2 and eCal2 software made matting and cutting a breeze! 

Use a good quick drying glue as adhesive. I used Scotch Quick dry for this project.  It's a good quality glue and still gives you a bit of time to adjust if needed before the bond is secure. 

Following the excellent assembly tutorial here, Mary made assembly EZ!....  Assemble your title and using some dimensional pop up dots, secure to the front of the baseball. 

Add the lights. Heidi Swap has several kits available for use with Marquee items.  You'll need a set of 24 lights for this project.  Don't forget those triple A batteries! 

T caught a glimpse of this and gave it 2 thumbs up! 

 Thanks for joining us in the  #sizzixeclips Blog Hop. For your chance to receive a free gift certificate, you must leave a comment. The more blogs you visit and comment on, the more chances you have to win! Our blog hop runs from 8/19/2016 12:00 am ET thru 8/21/2016 11:59 pm ET. Each participating blog in this hop will award 1 lucky commentor a gift certificate. 1 Grand Prize certificate will be awarded based on all comments from all participating blogs. Winners will be posted on August 22, 2016. Be sure to check back. You may be one of our lucky winners!  You must claim your prize within 48 hours after the hop ends! 

Here's the list of bloggers participating in this hop:

You are here -->Jan (http://izbzee.typepad.com/izbzee/2016/08/sizzixeclips-blog-hop.html) 

Deb:  (http://debscraftyside.blogspot.com/2016/08/sizzix-eclips-blog-hop.html)

Camille:  http://shortonideasaz.blogspot.com/2016/08/sizzixeclips-august-blog-hop.html

Lynda:  http://lyndacreates.com/2016/08/18/sizzix-eclips-blog-hop/

Maria:  http://craftnkc.blogspot.com/2016/08/sizzixeclips-august-blog-hop-okay-im.html

 

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a gift certificate.  AND be sure to check back on Tuesday, August 22nd for the winner's list! 

Join us on the eclips/eCal FB page to participate in future hops and challenges. Using your eclips and eCal software can be lots of fun with this versatile machine!  Wishing you some happy creative time in the very near future!

 

Reclaimed table

We found this at a local thrift shops for just a few bucks.  It was definitely in need of some love, don't you think?

With some TLC, it now looks like this!

 

The hardest part was deciding what the finished top should look like.  I decided to put a doily on top.  The file is from SVGCuts and I cut it with my eclips2 using the vinyl settings. 

I wanted all the details to really pop, so I painted the top with black flat paint I had on hand with 2 coats after sanding and removing any the dust.  I let it dry overnight.  I applied the stencil to the table top, making sure that the rest of the table was not exposed to any stray spray from the eBrush and siphon adapter. 

I chose an opaque white paint from Createx. 

The coverage was awesome as you can see! 

I loved that the paint didn't drip and the mist provided nearly full coverage on the first layer.  The eBrush made this such an easy project!!!!
Once the paint was really dry (a couple of hours later), I removed the stencil/mask from the table top.  It was so much fun watching the pattern reveal as the vinyl was removed.  (Mom was totally surprised and in awe at the precise image -- she has Alzheimer's and these kind of things make her very happy). 

I applied 3 coats of a Mod Podge matte finish. Voilá! 

 

Loving this and I think I may head back down to the thrift store and look for a couple of other small tables.  They would be perfect to use downstairs! 

Thanks for dropping by... hope you'll take a peek through the archives for more eBrush projects!

 

Summer blow out sale @CraftwellUSA

To be honest, this is the best every deal you'll find on the eBrush and marker adapters!  Check it the sale today!