Izbzee

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!  

Mixed Media Scroll book

It's been a while since I've done much with mixed media, but this was a fun project and definitely something I'll be doing again.  

Way back when, I remember as a child building a cardboard TV with a scroll and filling the paper on the scroll with pictures.  And we'd have our own fun evening switching out the scrolls and laughing at our art.  Now, as an adult, it's a fun way to use digital images for backgrounds and the base for some mixed media painting and texture.  

You'll find all the details for this project, once again, on The Artistry!  I'm up for doing this project again and likely, sooner rather than later.  For a peek at all of my projects on The Artistry at Creative Fabrica, you can find them here.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll find some creative inspiration today!  

5 Tags of Spring -- shortened version for 2022

This week, the eCal/SCAL Facebook group celebrated the reveal of the annual 5 Tags of Spring Challenge and today is the last day of the reveal.  

Due to time constraints and ongoing projects, I've combined a week's worth of posts into one.  All tags were cut using the SkyCut C24 and SCAL 5 Pro.  

Day 1's reveal:  
Bunny Silhouette from a Creative Fabrica collection.  Tag shape and leaf cut are found in the SCAL library.  This is a large tag and will be used on a gift bag with an added silk ribbon hanger.  Distress Inks were used for color.  Misted with some water for some additional texture.  

Day 2 Reveal:  

This shape was created using a half circle with added circles distributed across the arch and unioned with a rounded rectangle.  The shape was stenciled using a script stencil from StencilGirls and pan pastels.  After the stencil was removed, the pastels were blended a bit.  Hoppy Easter - the bunny silhouette was unioned with the text.  Masked while the color was added and adhered to the tag.  A spray fixative was used to prevent further movement of the color.  

Day 3 Reveal:  

A fun shape created using basic shapes found in the library.  A little shading done with some chalk on the ears and cheeks.  Brads, twine and a jewel for facial details.  

 

Day 4 Reveal:  

No week would be complete without the addition of a shaker tag in my opinion.  Combined use of the skycut and a die (from Queen and Company - to cut the foam  which was too thick for the skycut) the piece covering the foam is also cut using the die.  The acetate circle was cut using the skycut. This tag will be a focal point on a gift bag.  It measures about 3 inches across.  Love all the sprinkles inside too!  

 

Day 5 Reveal:
My favorite for this week's tag reveal.  

Tag shape created in SCAL using a half circle and the rounded rectangle.  Score and swipe the color on the tag for a wood look .  The inset rounded rectangle tag is foiled using black foil and the foil quill. The use of the line fill command gives a distressed look to the foil.   A  Rabbit silhouette cropped to fit in the boot and small ovals were used for the carrot shapes.  Boots from the Spring folder in the shapes library were cut in blue and dots were added using the end of a paint brush and a small outline using a Micron marker.  Green raffia was hot glued to the back of each carrot for the green tops.  

if you have some time, stop by the page and check out all the fab tags created for this challenge in the Challenge Album.  Happy Crafting, All!  

Framed Spring Themed Trio

I loved how this trio of framed projects came together.  I used a couple of techniques from a previous project (Farm Fresh) to pull it all together.  

You'll find additional details for each framed project at The Artistry - it's posted here. 

 

  

Easter Egg Box with a Twist!

This project was so fun to make!  I wanted the box to have a little more interest both inside and out and I love how it looks!  

You'll need 3 cutting files from Simply Crafty SVGs and the foiled leaf pattern from FunLurn.com.  

Easter Egg Box
Bunny in a Basket Card (Bunny, grass, eggs)
Easter Chick Treat Box (chick)

Foil Leaf Pattern (FFF02 Foliage Pattern) found in the free library at FunLurn.com.  You will need to register on the site and verify your email address to have access to the files in the library.

Ready to get started?
You'll need cardstock  - 3 sheets for the egg box (I used the same color for the top, bottom and panels)
Scraps of assorted colored cardstock for the elements on the inserts
Electronic Cutting machine and software (Skycut C24 and SCAL5 Pro)
adhesive
Foil Quill and foil (standard [fine] point and adapter for your machine)
Foil (Spellbinders Glimmer System foil - brushed gold)
Ink ( assorted colors) 
cotton swab
embossing folders

Cut the egg top and bottom pieces.  (I resized and cut at 75% of the original size) You can assemble those while you let the machine do the foiling.  

To do the foiling, I used SCAL5 and placed a copy of the foiling pattern on the mat.  Change the foiling pattern from CUT to DRAW.  No need to resize the foiling pattern.  Import the panels to the mat. Resize to 75%.   Ungroup,  set the bottom pieces to the side for a few minutes.  Delete all but one of the top panels and place the remaining top panel on top of the foiling pattern.  Highlight the top panel and foiling pattern and Select PATH > INTERSECTION.  The panel color will go clear and you should be able to see the pattern inside the panel.  GROUP and then copy and past 5 additional panels on the mat.  Check preview to make sure that the pattern is set to draw and the outer edge of the panel is set to cut.  

Unhide the bottom panels and set them off to the side a bit, but on the mat so they will cut when your cut the top panels.  Get your mat ready by placing your paper and the foil in place while your foil quill is heating up (for best success, allow the quill to heat for about 15 minutes).  

When it's ready, let the foiling begin.  It shouldn't take too long - two sets of panels took about 15 minutes at the draw settings for my machine.  I was nearly able to put the box together by the time the machine had finished.  Remove the foil without removing the mat.  Replace the quill with the blade and cut the panels.  

I randomly added some flowers to each of the top panels, using two shades of ink using a cotton swab.  5 Petals and a center.  The colors are pretty subtle and are perfect for the effect I wanted to achieve.  

Adhere the panels to the top of the egg.  I chose to use a basket weave embossing folder for the bottom panels and swiped the ink pad across the embossed pieces.  Adhere to the bottom of the box.  

Resizing the elements for the inside of the egg was the most difficult part of this project.  I still wanted the detail, so resizing to 75% for most of the items was spot on.  A couple of others needed a little more nudging to make them the right size for the inside of the egg.  It really helped to measure the egg to determine the length of the strips that would support the elements.  The grass and egg piece are adhered together, using some foam tape and squares for some added dimension.  The chick is adhered to the front of the strip and the bunny to the back with the paws attached to the front.  

You can add some colored shreds to the bottom and back of the box.  Set a few jellybeans or chocolates and place the top on the egg.  You're Easter Egg Box is  now ready for gifting!  

If you decide to make one of these, or something similar,  please feel free to share your make with the Simply Crafty SVGs Creator's Group on Facebook or tag #simplycraftysvgs on your other social media accounts.  We'd love to see your work!  Happy Crafting!  

 

 

 

Farm Fresh

This was such a fun project to make.  The original design is from Simply Crafty SVGs.

This antiqued version of the milk can is fairly easy to replicate and I hope you'll enjoy making one too.

The supply list is pretty basic:
Milk Can SVG
Cardstock (Sea by Bazzill)
glue
acrylic paint (Off White, Black)
paper crimper
foam brush
ground cinnamon
Clear Acrylic sealer (optional)
Printer

Cut the following pieces for the can:  
Lid pieces
Can pieces (handles optional)
Bottom panels (the top decorative panel pieces were not used)


Assemble the lid and can as directed in the video.  BUT do not put the decorative panels on yet.  

Once the can has been assembled, using the foam brush, dry brush some of the off white paint on the sides for some highlights.  

Dry brush the bottom decorative panels with the white paint. 

Once the paint has dried, crimp each of the decorative panels.  Glue the panels to the can.  They should fit snugly between the seams.  




Add the ring pieces that have also been dry brushed.  

If desired, add a label.  This was created in SCAL 5 and the "Farm Fresh" was printed and then the label was cut using the print2cut feature of the SCAL software. 

Using a small amount of black paint and the corner of a foam brush, create some "rust" areas using the paint on the label.  While the paint is still wet, add a little ground cinnamon to a few of the wet areas.  Brush some of the excess cinnamon away if desired.  Let the paint finish drying.

Repeat the process for the can and lid to add some "rust" as desired.  Let the paint dry.  

Lightly spray the can and lid with the clear acrylic spray.  Let dry. 

The finished can stands about 6 inches high.  It's perfect for displaying a bouquet of spring flowers or filling with treats for a gift.  Or it can stand on its own on a shelf or in the kitchen window.  Enjoy! 

 

Faux China Plate Heart

This was such a fun project to make and I'm glad that it's now live on The Artistry.  Check out all the details here.  I've also done a couple of other similar projects using paper mosaic pieces and They will post shortly here on the blog.  

Here's what this final piece looked like:  

A second heart:  

Using the same paper, just a different part of the cut photo paper.  Not sure which one I like better -- but both are heading out the door as gifts in the next few days.  Wood for both hearts is from Thoughts in Vinyl.  

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.  

exploring DIY stencils-part 1

After doing a little designing recently, I decided to try a new "to me" technique of using a mini word stencil since I didn't have a stamp that would fit the current need....  and use some embossing ink and embossing powder to see if the results would work as I'd hoped.

 

THEY DID!

The stencil area is less than 1" square.  The lettering is about 1/4" high.  Arial Narrow was used for this test.  I like how it turned out.  

I used:
IkonArt Stencil materials 
Printer
SCAL 5 Pro
VersaMark Watermark Ink Refill
Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder (White)

A few water colored hearts (110 lb cardstock) were made earlier and thoroughly dry before this test.  

Design your word sentiments in the software.  I used SCAL 5 Pro.  I can resize the words as needed to fit the specific design I'm wanting to decorate.  In this case, I used a heart that was specific to a card I was creating for some friends. After creating each of the words and making sure that they fit the shape, print them on the printer film.  You don't have to reverse the images to print as long as the lettering is black.  

Create the stencils following the directions of print, expose, rinse and post expose lined out by the manufacturer of the stencil materials.  You'll find details here and here.

When you're ready to do the first stencil, choose a piece of material that is similar to what you will be using for your final product to do as a test.   You don't need to use a lot of the ink.  A single drop will last for about 5 individual stencil uses. 

To much pressure or too much ink will result in bleeding or non-crisp edges as shown below.  

An embossing buddy was not used for this sample, the speckled look was desired.  

One drawback - the ink doesn't clean up as normal paints or inks do.  So plan on making multiples and throwing away after multi-use.  The ink is "sticky" even after washing the stencil with some Dawn. 

One plus - Since the stencil is so small, you can use a small piece of the stencil material and reuse your master print over and over to create new stencils.   

 

2021 quick review

While 2021 was filled with lots of ups and downs, it was also a new start in many ways.  

My Top 9 projects created for Creative Fabrica:  

Over the course of the year, I was able to explore new techniques, use new products and explore a new cutting machine and put a twist on a few of the old techniques.  

To explore any of the photos in the collage above, go to my Author page at Creative Fabrica.  You'll find it here.  All of the articles for the year are posted there.  My crafting stash came in very handy and while we made a few new purchases, for the most part, we were able to stick to a pretty austere crafting budget over the course of the last 12 months.  

I'm looking forward to exploring additional techniques and creative play in 2022 and hope you will be able to do the same.  Keep nurturing that creative part of your being in the months to come!  It's time!