Izbzee

Lucky Me...

This week's craftiness was lots of fun and is a quick project over all.  So let's get started!  

You'll need:
Heart Plaque (heart and back from Thoughts in Vinyl)
Modeling Paste
Gesso
palette knife
eBrush, siphon adapter and Marker adapter
White acrylic paint
Markers
electronic die cutting machine (Sizzix eclips) and software
Cardstock
glue (wood glue)
Hammered Copper Paint (Krylon)
Tack cloth

Prep your wood.  Make sure that all sawdust is removed and you have a prepped surface.  Apply a thin coat of Gesso to both pieces of wood.  Let dry.

Using the spray paint, spray the heart.  Let dry according to the manufacturer's directions. 

Using the siphon adapter and the eBrush, fill a cup or bottle with the acrylic paint.  You may need to thin is just a little for easy flow.  Spray a coat on the board.  I liked the speckled look so I did a light coat.  Let it dry and added another light coat.  Let dry.

Create a stencil using the shamrock in the shapes library.  I resized to about 1/2 inch and then used the copy and paste command to fill and manipulate for my stencil.  Cut.  You can also create your Lucky me title using one of your favorite script fonts.  Some of the areas of my cut are pretty thin, so be careful as you lift it off the mat and or get ready to color and apply to the wood.

Using the stencil and a knife, apply some of the modeling paste.  Lift the stencil and let the paste dry. 

Using the eBrush, marker adapter and markers, place the stencil back down over the shamrocks and spray.  I decided to use 2 tones  of green and used the gray lightly in some areas around the edges of the shamrock to add a little bit more of a dimensional look. 

Glue the heart to the base, glue the title to the heart.

Hoping you've scheduled some time in your crafting space this week!  Let's celebrate National Crafting Month in a big way! 

And in honor of National Crafting Month -- when you go shopping at Craftwell for your eBrush and accessories, use the promo in the button on the left side of the page at checkout for this month's sale!  The whole store at 50% off!  Don't miss out.  Prices good through March 31st.  Don't miss it!

 

Related articles

Framed!

The garden gate with Pink & Main

Tag Album with Latina Crafter

Holiday Kisses

Just a quick stop by to share a fun and easy project for the holidays-- would be good for birthdays, and Valentine's Day too. 

You'll need
Kiss box from the Beary Sweet collectionPaper (1 full sheet of 12 x 12)
Ribbon
eBrush with the siphon adaptor (order before December 31st for a super good deal!)
Electronic Die Cutting machine (Sizzix eclips) and software (eCal2)
Glue
Scissors
Silver Pearl Ex, Water
Fixative


Cut and assemble the box. 
Prepare the Pearl Ex using a little bit of water and using the eBrush mist the box top. 





When dry, spray a light coat of fixative and set aside. 



Add the ribbon.  Fill with goodies.  Ours were perfect for adding some Christmas wrapped hugs and kisses.  It's also just big enough to add a gift card too as well. 

Enjoy some crafting time this week! 

 

Dixie Belle for home decor

Up-cycling an old bottle, a pop can, a stripe of Dixie Belle Chalk Paint and some twine makes for a quick bit of home decor for the foyer to light up a shelf. 

You'll need:
eBrush, Siphon Adaptor
Cut -n-Boss
Painters' tape
bottle (with or without a lid)
Dixie Belle Chalk paint (Mint Julep)
twine
pop can, empty and clean
Tin snips
Star die
sequins (optional)
twine flower
glue dot
LED lights

Let's get the star out of the way first.  For the star, cut the pop can with the tin snips.  Lay out flat... using the Cut-n-boss and the sandwich for your star die, you'll cut a star for each bottle.  Set aside.  Be aware that the edges may be very sharp --

Wrap the bottle with painters' tape leaving about 1 - 1 1/2 inches of the glass exposed.  Be sure burnish the edges of the tape to keep any bleeding to a minimum. 




Get your eBrush and siphon ready.  I diluted the Dixie Belle Paint a bit (not quite a 1 to 1 ratio).  Spray the bottle and set aside to dry.  My photos didn't turn out for this step -- sorry. 

Carefully, remove the painters' tape from the bottle. 

Lightly spray the star if desired.  Let dry.  I chose to add some Ranger Ink Patina using a small cloth. 

Add a couple of sequins as desired to the star with some glue.  Add the star to the twine flower with a glue dot.

 Wrap some twine around the bottle on top of the painted strip. Attach the twine flower and star to the twine wrap. 




Since my bottle didn't have a lid, using a glue dot, attach the end of the LED light thread to the bottom of the bottle.  The switch fits just inside the mouth of the bottle I'm using.  Turn it upside down so the mouth of the bottle is the bottom and the switch is inside the mouth of the bottle. .

This was quick and easy.  You could also fill the jar with notes or goodies for a fun last minute holiday or any occasion gift! 
Have a crafty and creative week! 

eBrush Whimsey

Last week's post featured pumpkins.... I regret to inform you that today's post features more pumpkins!  I hope you'll bear with. I didn't want anything too formal looking, but not quite prim either.  Maybe this leans a bit more on the whimsical side... so here goes!

We've been shredding a bunch of old paperwork the past several months.  This last batch of shreds didn't make it out for the latest pick-up -- so we decided to put it to good use.

You'll need:
shredded paper (or crumpled paper would work too)
garbage and grocery bags
twine
masking tape
eBrush and siphon adaptor
Createx Airbrush paint
Hammered copper paint (spray can)
Patience ( you have to wait for the paint to dry)

Partially fill the garbage bag and two small grocery bags  (our local markets are still using plastic) with shreds.  loosely shape into a circle and tie the tops into a knot.  The largest and middle bag knots should lie pretty flat. 

Using the twine, shape the pumpkin by wrapping the twine over and under the bag.  Tie off .  Repeat for each "pumpkin." 

Make sure your work space is protected -- I worked in the garage and have lots of cardboard to protect surrounding surfaces from any overspray.  If you're sensitive to fumes and choose to use the copper spray, make sure the area is well ventilated.  TIP:  Allow at least 2 to 3 days for all your paint to dry on the plastic surface of the bags.

Wrap some masking tape around the knot of the smallest pumpkin to create a stem.  Using the eBrush with the siphon adapter, spray the stem and the area where the twine is wrapped.  Just to add a little depth to the colors you'll be spraying on top.  Your paint may pool a bit and will not dry immediately.  This is where the patience comes in.  LET IT DRY completely before going to the next step.

(sorry, the pics for this step and the next did not turn out) 

I wanted a bit of metallic - so I sprayed with some hammered copy spray paint -- since I didn't have any acrylic or enamel metallics for use in the eBrush on hand...  LET IT DRY completely.  We were experiencing some heat and humidity the days I was working on this, so the pumpkins had to sit for a couple of days.....  can you see me pacing and checking to see if the paint was dry yet? 

Once the metallic paint is fully dry, get your eBrush ready with some orange paint and spray to give the copper paint a hint or orange.  Spray more in some areas and lightly in others.  This adds to the look. 

Use some E6000 to secure the pumpkins in a stack.  You can spray with 2 coats of sealer for a little more weather proofing if your pumpkin stack will be directly exposed to the elements and not protected.  Add some foliage, raffia or ribbons to finish.  



If you try this, and put your own spin on it, I would love to see the pictures!  In the meantime, I hope you'll build in some creative time this week and every week!  Nurture your creative soul! 

Don't forget that the rest of the Craftwell team will be blogging for the next two weeks this month.  Don't miss out on any of their creative projects. 

 

Pumpkin Thanks

We've put all the jack o lanterns, mummies, ghosts and trappings of Halloween away -- Turning the calendar to November still brings lots of fond memories of crisp leaves, pumpkins, apple cider and most importantly, family gatherings.  Pumpkin puree for pies, bread, cookies and soups and roasted seeds for late afternoon and evening snacking. Our focus word for November this year is Gratitude.  This year, I wanted to share something a little different than what what we have done in the past.  

A fun project for a simple gift to special friends is this 3-d paper pumpkin.  I love how it turned out with dry embossing and additional addition of color using the eBrush and siphon adapter. 

You'll need:
Paper (AC paper - textured burnt orange, textured dark brown and smooth white)
Electronic die cutting machine and software
SVG file (SVGCuts' Pick a Pumpkin SVG Kit)Cut-n-boss, embossing folder and appropriate plate for the folder you're using
eBrush and siphon kit
Marker and adpator (Tombow)
Createx Airbrush Paint (orange, green)
adhesive
Hot glue gun and glue stick

Using the electronic cutting machine, cut the paper using the orange for the pumpkin and the panels, white paper for the leaf, flower and centers, brown for the stems.  Set the white paper pieces aside for right now.

Emboss the orange panels for the pumpkin in the folder you desire.  Let the Cut-n-Boss do the work.  Remove from the folder.

Using the eBrush and the siphon, spray the edges of each panel lightly with orange.  The Createx paint is pretty close in color to the AC paper. 

Change the color on the siphon (You  may also want to clean the straw so you have no orange bleed through with your green)  Using the green paint, spray on the fold lines of the pumpkin base. 

This adds just a bit more depth to the pumpkin, you could choose brown or create a burnt orange that was a little deeper -- even a red.  Most importantly, have fun. 

Once you have the pumpkin and panels sprayed (and cleaned your siphon), switch to the marker adaptor.  I used a couple of yellow markers, a deep brown and a dark yellow green to color the remaining white pieces for the flower and leaf.  Here's the leaf --




Glue the pumpkin, leaf and flower together as directed in this video. 

Display or gift as you desire.  As part of our gifting this year, we're including a personalize thought and card of gratitude for each person receiving one of these from our "Pumpkin Patch."

Hope you're enjoying the week of blogging by Craftwell's Creative Design Team!  There's plenty more to see this month!  You won't want to miss a single day. 

 

Black Cats and Hats

 

Halloween isn't all that far away and we've been opening a few boxes finding some older decor and creating some new!  We've had a Halloween tree in the past.. and we're putting one together for this year too; taking it up a notch by adding some quick goodies featuring some eBrushed "ornaments."

You'll need:
Black Cat SVG (download here)  Eyes (download here)
Hat  from the Jack O'Lantern in the Haunted Forest SVG File (SVGCuts)
Black 12 x 12 solid core paper
Orange paper (scrap)
Pearl Ex (Iridescent)
eBrush
siphon adapter
water
marker adapter (I used a medium gray marker)
Stencil (you'll find mine here)

electronic die cutting machine and associated software  (Sizzix eclips2/eCal2)
glue
embellishments for the hats as desired

Cut the cats and the eyes.  Glue the eyes to the back of the cat (the hole will fit a small LED light - the strand I used had 20 lights and was purchased at HL a few years back).  When the glue has dried, spray the front of the cats with a mixture of Pearl Ex and water using the eBrush and the siphon  Set aside.

Cut the hats from the pumpkin file.  Stencil the panels using the eBrush, and gray marker.  Assemble the hats according to the directions in the video (see here).  Embellish as desired and lightly spray with the Pearl Ex mixture you used a little earlier on the cats.

Add your new ornaments to the tree and enjoy!


Did you recognize this one hiding on the tree?  Directions can be found here. 

Wall decor - click here. 

The tags on the tree were a free download via Pinterest. The fabric ghosts, crows and candy corn were made by a special friend of mine, named Amy quite a few years ago, but are still fun to pull out every October!   

Enjoy some happy Creative time!  Keep checking back... and don't forget to delve into the archives... there are some other ideas there as well. 

Autumn Colors

Autumn and Fall bring lots of joy to me.  The change from hot to nice, oodles of harvest goodies, colors on the mountain, sweaters, and more...We haven't seen lots of color on the mountains for the last 15 years, but we're going to make the most of the colors this year.  Golds, deep orange, reds and even a few shades of purple will replace the green that now graces the sides of the mountains to the east of us. 

Using a couple of embossing folders from the Teresa Collins collections, I wanted to share some textured color with you today. 

You'll need:

Teresa Collins A6 folder (Herringbone)
eBrush and siphon adapter
Markers (Tombow)
water
Cut-n-Boss
white cardstock cut in desired sizes.  I used 1.125 inch squares (1 1/8)
scrap cardstock in coordinating color for frame (5.50 x 7.00)  Some papers are textured and should be cut with the grain for clean cuts in your machine. 
Leaves in coordinating colors
electronic die cutting machine
Autumn Colors Frame SVG (click here to download)*

Paper towels, extra water

TIP:  No die cutting machine?  If you have dies that are similar in size, you can also cut using another machine like the Cut-n-Boss or use an exacto knive.  Download and save the file to your desktop.  Open the SVG in your internet browser and print the page. 

 

Let's get started.  Emboss the squares in the desired folders.  Set aside.  (showing a larger square for this tutorial)

Open the embossing folder.  Choose the side you want the color to be on and color with markers.  using the eBrush, lightly spray the folder with water. 





You should see the color move a bit.  Select a square of cardstock and place face down into the color.  Close the folder and apply pressure with your hand to press the color into the square.  (Turn over the folder to see the new pattern on your cardstock. 



You don't want to deboss the original embossing, so no need to run through the machine again.  Open the folder and remove the square.  Set aside to dry.  Clean the folder between uses using a damp cloth or paper towel.  Repeat as desired.  I used both the Houndstooth and the Chevron folders for demonstration purposes here.  Below are a few samples of the squares I made using the folders. 




For the larger window in the design design, Emboss the entire sheet, then turn the folder and emboss on the diagonal. 

*TIP:  To get the splatter effect, don't seat your markers like you normally would.  Test off the page to make sure you're getting a splatter look. 

Mount the squares in the desired patterns and the focal piece in the larger space.  Add the strip of paper to the back of the wording.  Embellish as desired.  I used some leaves I had left over from a previous project and a heart -- all colored using the eBrush.  Add a little Crystal Effects to the heart, let dry before adding to the corner decoration. 




Mat and frame if desired or add a card base as a card for someone special who loves Fall as much as you do.   

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope you'll join us the rest of the week for more eBrush fun! 

 

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. 

 

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!