Izbzee

Posy Pockets

These are so fun and easy to make....

I whipped a few out the last couple of days after designing the pocket in SCAL 5 Pro.  One piece for the main pocket and 2 bands to go around the top and the bottom of the pocket.  The skycut required about 1 1/2 minutes to do the cutting and scoring.  Once you have added the inking, texture and embellishment, assembly is accomplished with a seam in the back and gluing the bottom edge together.  Glue on the bands and add your hanger.

I used wire for the hanger, but ribbon, twine or other fibers would work well.  Fill the pocket with whatever your heart desires.  

Silk flowers were used in the 2 pockets above. 

For this pocket, we added Spanish Moss (green) and a paper air plant (file from Creative Fabrica).  The air plant was made using white sketch paper and colored using some spectrum noir markers and the Ebrush by CraftwellUSA.  

No watering needed.... EVER!  

Labels ( Label Creator Font found here) are printed with an inkjet printer on tissue paper.  Let dry for about 15 minutes before using Matte acrylic medium to apply to the pocket.  You can add some additional inking around the edges once the medium has dried to cover the edges of the label that was applied to the pocket.  

While some of the details can't be seen in the images, you can also use a scoreboard and score some lines from the back of the piece to make the pocket look like it has some ridges  like a can might have. Then use a ball stylus to emphasize the ridge a bit.   This is a great way to add some additional texture and interest to you piece.  You can also use an embossing folder to add interest. Lots of options to make each pocket unique and have your personal touch.  

Thanks for stopping by and hoping that you've set aside some creative time this week.  Enjoy it! 

* Affiliate links have been used.  

 

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!  

 

new stuff...

I know it's been a bit on the quiet side, but some things you just can't rush.  So let's get started with post #1 for the week.  

Today is publication day for The Artistry.  This one has been in the queue for a couple of weeks, so I'm glad I can finally share this.  

This was so fun to put together!  Lumiere by Jacquard, IkonArt Stencils and Ohuhu Alcohol based markers for the win on this project.  You'll find the details for this project here.  

Working on raw clay.  

Loved working on the baked clay too. 

 

These two options will be used again in the future for a couple of projects on my list.  

I think of the two projects, I love the notebook the best.  So much fun to make and showcase the clay image.  Hope you like them too.  For additional ideas, visit my author page on The Artistry.  

Enjoy some creative time today!  

Featured Blog post on IkonArt Stencils

I was pretty excited to hear that an article was accepted and is now published on the IkonArt Stencil blog.  You'll find it here:  https://ikonartstencil.com/blog/airbrush-handmade-cards-with-ikonart-stencils/

It features a second grouping of cards made using a stencil with images from Creative Fabrica and Craftwell's eBrush and the Poetique refillable Watercolor markers.  It's very similar to this article posted on The Artistry last fall... matter of fact, they picked up the process video.

On a side note, the finished cards were a big hit with Mom.  Her face lit up when I showed her the finished cards (both sets).  Today would have been her 90th birthday.  I miss sharing my projects with her and getting her feedback -- the good and bad.  

from dingbat to wreath!

Dingbat fonts are fun!  The wreath used in this card was created using a dingbat font I found on Creative Fabrica.  Check out all the details (including a process video) on The Artistry.  

I also created a couple of other versions - using the same dingbat font -- but finished them differently.  And remember those hearts I stenciled in the last post?  Well they were used on these cards.  The wreaths and hearts are created in SCAL5 Pro and cut with the Skycut C24.  

And the card below was colored using some NUVO drops.  

and here's a close up to show some of the details:  

 

The same process in creating the wreaths was used as in the post on The Artistry.. so be sure to check it out.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've carved out some creative time this week.  

Thanksgiving Hydrangea Wreath

What a fun project this was.  I'm so excited to share it with you.  You'll find all the assembly details over on The Artistry.  

Beautiful rich fall colors, faux wood plaque and more.  Hope you'll enjoy looking at it as well.  

It's Swatch Time

I recently purchased another set of Poetique Refillable Brush Pens -- now that I know I get get them to work in the eBrush.  Life just got a little better and I'm looking forward to creating some new backgrounds with the markers and some new silk screen stencils I have sitting on the craft table.  




I reached out to my contact with the company that sells the pens  and learned that the company does not provide a swatch sheet for their pens.  SO,......  I decided to make my own and then I won't have to figure out what colors would work best for the project being created.  

You could do the same using Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.  Easy peasy and the 48 count set still fits on a single sheet of paper.  I also liked the fact that I could print the template on a piece of 140 lb watercolor cold press paper (cut to US letter size) with ease using the rear tray feed on my printer.  

The pens in the  four trays  aren't in numerical order or necessarily ordered in the same color family... so I did a bit of re-ordering by numbers with the pen color name facing up. The 48 count  box has a good assortment to choose from.  I am also excited to know that there are ink refills available for each of the pens.  The brush nibs work really well and you can accomplish most of what you want to "paint" with this single nib.  

This made it much easier to create the chart.  Pen numbers and pen name are in the row below the swatch of the color.  some of the colors are pretty intense and others are lighter.    


Leave a comment or reach out via FB messenger if you would like a copy of the file.  A swatch chart will be available for the 24 pen set shortly.  

In the meantime, have a crafty sort of weekend and coming week!  

 

Create One-of-a-Kind Backgrounds with Layering Stencils - Creative Fabrica

via www.creativefabrica.com

I'm in love with this stencil. Hope you'll enjoy the results of using it too!

It's been a productive week...

or at least a productive couple of days!  Birthdays for this month are creeping up and so it was a mad dash to get a few done. A mix of digital and hybrid.  Love all the fun that can be created using the SCAL 5 Pro software and a few fun files and dies from favorite vendors.  

Using the Gradient feature in SCAL 5 Pro, you can create a full rainbow of color and fill the text with lots of fun!  Moving the individual sliders you can play with the color movement as well until you're satisfied with the shift. 

Purely digital and so much fun.  

Let the Skycut plotter/cutter do the cutting of a chunky font and you create the background on the card base using distress inks and blending tools.  Embellish with a single cupcake (digi is from Creative Fabrica) colored with pencils are markers of your choice.  Add a little glaze to the cherry for some shine.  

Digi image from Creative Fabrica (watercolor collection).  Print 2 cut using SCAL5 Pro to set up.  Once the image is printed, use a Spellbinders' border die.  Round the corners of the back edge and add a bit of additional color to the edge with a strip of paper in a complimentary color.  

 

 Hoping you will be able to spend some time in your creative space this week.  Enjoy every moment of it.  Happy Crafting!  

Stencil Art

While preparing another article for The Artistry, I decided to try something I haven't done for a while.  I got out the eBrush and the Tombow markers to see how they would work with the silk screen stencils I was making.  

SUCCESS!  
The design for this stenciled card front is from Ikonartstencil.com and is one of the free files they have on their website under the resource tab. 

There are quite a few files available in pdf or svg format.  I used SCAL5 Pro to set up the files for printing.  The next step of creating the silkscreen stencils is a breeze.  I'll have a full tutorial on that coming up in a couple of weeks on the Artistry.  

I love the option of being able to reuse the stencil multiple times.  Using the eBrush allows for even more flexibility in colors and easy clean up especially when applying the color to paper.  Similar results can also be achieved using acrylic paint and a foam brush, but the clean up for the markers is much easier and quicker.  (wink - no brushes to clean!)

Thanks for dropping by and hoping you're enjoying some creative time or have some scheduled soon.  Keep nurturing your own creativity!  It really is good for the soul!