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2023 5 Tags of Spring - Day 2

using some Pastel Digital paper from Nit Wit collections,  as well as the floral image used in the framed areas of this tag, this tag was a fun make.  I used the faux glassine technique used in the Valentine Tag project shared in this project. 

The Tag is made of a simple rectangle with equal sized and spaced circle cuts. The hanger element is created using a round rectangle and half circle and the Union command in SCAL 6 was used before adding a smaller circle for the twine to go through.  A little bit of antiqued cheesecloth and a word strip were used to finish off the tag.  

I really like the spring colors and hoping they brighten your day as well.  Spend a little time in your creative space this week!  Enjoy!

Layers

I loved the images I found in this grouping of cute fairy houses at Creative Fabrica and wanted to do something fun with one of them and use it in a fun frame.  This is the result for this project now being shared on The Artistry at Creative Fabrica.  

Lots of fussy cutting on the focal image - and some added layering for more dimension.  The hexagon frame was easy to assemble, and would be perfect for a series of images on a wall.  The Skycut and SCAL 6 were my go to's for this project.  The SCAL software makes it very easy to do the print then cut and resizing of the frame was also an important process.  Scaling the background image to fit in the frame was a breeze to accomplish as well.  

Again, the step-by-step process for printing, cutting and assembling this project can be found here.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've got some creative time carved out this week and through the month of March!  Hoping that there's a real change in the season soon and we'll be seeing things green up and blooming as we enter Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere!  We've had quite a winter!  Another fresh 5+ inches of white stuff on the ground this morning!    

Valentine Tags

Have you ever made glassine paper?  I remember doing this years ago, but tried it again using a couple of different types of paper.  The plan was to use the paper in some Valentine tags - These tags are oversized a bit -- as I didn't want to lose any of the detail in the images.

The article with most of the details can be found on the Artistry here.

Rather than stamp images I decided to print on the papers....  I used tracing paper and tissue paper as my test mediums... The prints came out as expected.  The tissue paper image colors are a little diffused and the tracing paper image is much brighter.  I used SCAL 6 Pro as my editing program to size and print from while using the png images from Creative Fabrica. 

I didn't antique either paper before printing or afterwards.  Once the printing was completed, I finished the process by adding the wax and loving the change in the look of each of the papers.  

tissue paper

tracing paper

These were really fun to make and I have some ideas for some other versions I'd like to try in the next couple of months.  We'll see how that rolls out!  LOL 

The tags were created in SCAL 6 Pro using several steps... it's important to have your tag just the way your want it before going to the next step.  Once the tag was ready, I placed an image on the mat, placed the tag on top and used Clip Path > Set Clip Path and printed the tags and cut them using the Skycut C24.  

Details for assembling the tags is in the article -- found here.  

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you've carved out some creative time this week and month.  Nurture your creative spirit any way you feel you  must.  

Valentine Tiered Tray take 2

Last year, I created this one.

 

I wanted a few new things in 2023... so this was the result!

I even cut the fabric for the mini hearts using the Skycut and SCAL 5 pro!  That was a fun and very successful project, though my stitching small stuff like that wasn't as "perfect" as I would have liked.  But it was fun and very enjoyable seeing how the skycut managed the fabric.  I used Jacquard's cotton fabric.  It's already pre-treated and can be run through the rear tray of my inkjet printer with ease.  

You'll find all the details for creating the hearts and other items for this year's tray on The Artistry.  

 

More Halloween ....

The Frightful Flower from SimplyCrafty SVGs has joined this year's Halloween decor and I'm loving it!  It's definitely worth the time to cut, color, ink and assemble. Here's my version.

Isn't it fun?  The flower petals are hand painted -- well, I let the Watercolor ink from Poetique just run on some wet areas of the cardstock.  The edges are inked with distress ink for a little more definition.  Erase any pencil lines if you need to.  I used them to create a basic shape for the colored area of the petals.  

The face of our flower has just a little bit of inking and I did leave one of the pieces off (dripping blood).  

I added additional texture to the leaves using the backside of a craft knife... inked the entire leaf using Distress Inks and a blending tool.  

Three leaves were used for this version of the Frightful Flower.  The file does include 3 different leaf patterns for you to mix and match for your own special version of the file.  

For the easiest way of assembling this project, be sure to watch the video here.  Just scroll down the page for the video.  TIP: Be sure to pull your embossing folders, inks and a spritzer filled with diluted mica for another layer of interest before you begin to assemble.  

 

All papers from AC Cardstock and Stampin' Up!  
Skycut C24 and SCAL 5 Pro
Green wrapped wire
Hot glue gun, clear glue sticks
Poetique Watercolor Ink refill (Argyle Red)
Waterbrush, flat and fine
Distress Inks, blender tool
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue
Silver Pearl Ex
Rubbing Alcohol
Mister spray bottle
Brown moss

 

Prim Stenciled Sunflowers

This latest project created for CreativeFabrica.com was lots of fun - and turned out just the way I'd hoped.

Fabric, felt, tulle, cheesecloth, dowels, paint, ink and lots of tea stain brought this project to life along with the reusable stencils created with files from Creative Fabrica and the IkonArt Stencil kit.  For all the details, you can check here. 

Even the #10 tin can got a do over with a quick rusting process using Hydrogen Peroxide, salt and vinegar.  It only took about an hour for the can to rust.  Sprayed with a seal coat will keep some of the flaking at bay.  

While I've cut back on the number of projects I've been working on, it's still a joy to complete the ones I have selected to move forward with.  This is one that I really have liked seeing come to life...  and it was worth it.  Hope you enjoy the process article on The Artistry.  

dimensional butterfly

We haven't seen too many butterflies this year... but the ones we have seen around have been beautiful. 

I had so much fun creating this dimensional project for The Artistry, using fabric, paper, stencils and paint, distress inks and some inkjet printed fabric and cardstock!  The butterfly pattern was an Etsy purchase, but the remaining files used were from Creative Fabrica.  I even upcycled a needlework frame I've had for ages!  You'll find the details here.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Hoping you have some creative time lined out this week.  Enjoy it!  Nurture your heart along the way too.  

 

 

Slider in a box card & more

For this card, I chose the At the Ballpark box card from Simply Crafty SVGs.  You'll find it here.  It's very easy and quick to assemble.  I adapted the baseball diamond and added a slot for a slider.  I chose to use the baseball from the file as the ball for the slider.  I like the size of the ball and it does look like it's being hit out of the park as you pull the slider.  Once the slider component  has been completed, the baseball diamond is added to the back insert using foam strips.  

The Grand Slam title is part print to cut and cut.  It looks like there are 4 layers, but actually, there are only 3.  It is popped up on the insert as are the bats.  

Digital papers from Creative Fabrica.  Other papers from AC Cardstock.  

 

A couple of other cards made recently for a couple of grandsons.  

Both are Pinterest inspired.  

All the papers in the Cool Kid card are from the Manual Labour collection from NitWit Collections.  Lots of fun masculine looking papers and lots of fun ephemera.  It was fun filling 3 inch squares with the papers and then making some cuts after printing.  The stars were filled and the print 2 cut option was used in the SCAL5 Pro Software with the Skycut C24 making all the cuts.  

The background paper for this card was also printed from the Manual Labour collection.  The stars are colored in using Tombow markers.  The tone on tone for the background and personalization for the card was what caught my interest when browsing through Pinterest.  I think it turned out quite nicely and I'm sure that the boys will enjoy their cards when we celebrate birthdays this coming weekend.  

If you haven't set any time aside to do some crafting, today might just be your day! Have a great one and enjoy your creative time!  

It's warming up...

and time to chill out with a cool drink!  The old coasters we've been using were showing a bit of wear - and heck they were made of coated chipboard purchased from the $ store.  New ones are needed and needed ASAP!  So my solution?  Make some brightly colored new ones using mason jar lids and rings and some printable fabric.  

Finding the perfect images was easy on Creative Fabrica.  You'll find the tutorial on The Artistry today.  Hope you'll take a look.  

I love the bright colors and hope you do too!  SCAL 5 and an inkjet printer make it all happen!  And once the images have been printed, ironed to set the ink (plus a couple of other quick and easy steps) and been sprayed with some waterproofing, your glassware can sweat and drip all it wants once the coaster is assembled.  

All of my previous projects for Creative Fabrica are posted on my author page at The Artistry.  Take a peek there for more creative ideas you may have missed.  

Spring Pitcher of flowers

Sandy's been a super support lately and I really appreciate her help with this project.  I'm sure at some point the pitcher design will be in her shop -- so stay tuned!

 

 

After perusing Pinterest a couple of weeks ago, I found an antique pitcher shape I really liked... however, there wasn't much in the design shops that I could find that looked close to the shape and would be simple to put together without using panels.  Sandy had already started something similar and she was gracious enough to send me a test version of a file.  

Needless to say, I fell in love with it and the shape was near spot on to what I had in mind.  This was created in Blender and Pepakura.  NitWit Collections Lilac Blossoms collection was a perfect fit for a Spring look.  I used SCAL5's option for print 2 cut and added the Lilac spray to the base of the pitcher cut.  

Assembly is easy for someone with a little experience.  The handle is 3 strips of paper glued together and shaped before the glue dries. It is attached to the back seam wall of the pitcher with some white washed brads I've had in my stash for years!  

Apply a coat of gloss Mod Podge to the outside for a nice finish and a little more strength.  If you plan to use live flowers, you do need to seal the interior of the pitcher BEFORE you assemble.  A tall pharmacy prescription bottle fits nicely inside and a 2 inch styro ball can be scrunched into the bottle to help with placement of your paper or silk floral pieces.  

Did you know that only one shop has a design for 3D lilac flowers? And that site requires a paid membership to access.  Budget being what it is, I looked for something that I could use - and found the Filler Flower at Maison Gregoria's Etsy shop to be a great fit.  Lots of tiny flowers, all cut on the Skycut using sketchbook paper.  Assembly is a bit tedious since each bloom is on it's own wire.  But it's worth the time and effort.  Once everything is wired and bundled into groups, it was time to use the eBrush for a little color.  Tombow markers in three shades of purple (623, 620, 636) were used to add some texture and depth to the shapes.  Even bundled the color went on fairly evenly.  PLUS:  it didn't take but a minute for the bundles to dry with the layered colors and you're ready to start putting your arrangement together.  

Add some additional greenery from the Poinsettia Wreath file (also from Maison Gregoria on CreativeFabrica.com) which I downsized a bit and also cut using the Skycut.  Wired and ready for use.  I used some chalk for a little extra color and used my exacto knife and a pair of craft tweezers to add the veins to the greenery.  While most of it is too tiny to see in the images, it was worth the time and effort to make it happen.  




The pitcher and floral arrangement stands about 8.5 inches tall and would be perfect for a side table, tablescape tray or open tiered tray or riser decor.  

 

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hope your day is filled with beautiful things!  Wishing you a creative day!