Izbzee

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.  

 

 

Play Ball part 2

Creating this sign for the "man cave" was fun and welcomed!  

The base is a piece of corrugated cardboard!  And I L. O. V. E. the texture it gave to the vinyl when it was applied to the painted base.  You'll find all the details on The Artistry at CreativeFabrica.com.  

 

July Welcome

 

We needed some new porch decor this month.  So I upcycled another side piece of a deconstructed shelving unit.  The Crackle background stamp from Mixed Media Supplies has always been a favorite of mine.  And even on this big piece, it added just the right touch.  

You'll need paint (Decor Art Multisurface satin- antique white, blue and red and dark gray - wrought iron)

Prep the wood -- I sanded to give the surface a little more tooth for the paint.
I used a based coat of Wrought Iron - let dry thoroughly. 

 

Mark off sections for the "stripes" of color.  Dry brush your colors on.  Let a little of the dark gray wrought iron color show through.  Let dry.  If desired apply another light coat and let dry. 

Base coat your letters, mine are 4 inches tall and about 1/4 in thick (Hobby Lobby) The star is about 6 inches in height and has some texture.  I basecoated with the antique white and then applied a coat of Krylon's Hammered copper paint (be sure to apply in a well ventilated area and let dry thoroughly. 

 

Glue the letters and star to the painted base.  Let the glue dry.  For final touches, brayer a light coat of paint onto a portion of the crackle stamp, press lightly to the edges of the board as desired.  It's a nice touch and added just the right amount of texture. 

Spray with several light coats of sealer, letting dry between coats.

 

Thanks for dropping by today and hope you'll set aside some time this week for some creative fun!

where stencils and gelli prints meet

Hi everyone!  It's been a crazy few weeks here and crafting time has been limited, but I wanted to share this quick and fun ATC with you. 

A couple of months ago I created a whole stack of gelli prints -- and began a journey creating some art  in ATC size.  I still have a stack of prints, albeit it's a tad bit smaller.  So let's start there...

I picked one with a pink, orange and yellow base.  The colors remind me some recent sunrises here and even an occasional sunset when the colors are high in the sky. 

Select a stencil.  My stencil is a new digi from Mixed Media Supplies.  I'm so excited to get to share the Alpha stencil.  There's also some numerals in the digi and it's created at ATC size  for perfect use on these mini sized canvases. 

I got my eBrush out and a Tombow® marker ( which worked well with the colors in my background.  Place the stencil as desired and spray.  Reposition and spray again 

Challenged to use some cardboard for another project, I cut a few hearts using a Sizzis® Originals die (Hearts, Primitive - retired) and removed a bit of the paper exposing the corrugated layer.  I "painted" a light coat of Gesso on the cardboard with a finger and let it dry.  Mix a little mica with some water and brush onto the dried Gesso for a bit more color and sheen.  

Print and color one of the beautiful butterfly digi stamps from MMS.  I used a couple of Tombow markers on the reverse side of the vellum.  Add some Glaze to the front of the digi and let dry. 

Once everything is dry, arrange as desired on your background and secure in place.  If desired, add an appropriate word or phrase to your artwork.  Sign, date and frame!

Thanks for stopping by today.... hope you'll join me again soon and don't forget to nurtured your creative soul as frequently as possible. 

Come, sit with me

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by.  I'm so thrilled to be back as a Design Team member for Mixed Media Supplies again this term and I wanted to share this project with you.

You'll need:
cardboard (about 8 x 6), with some of the corrugated areas visible
Printed book paper sheet - stash
Park bench (cut 5 times) - stash
Mica (Sapphire)
Texture Background stamps (bark background, diamond fence background)
ink
markers
e-brush with marker adaptor
leaf and vine punch
acrylic medium
flexible modeling paste
gesso
putty knife
brush
small spray bottle
gelatos (green, blue, lavendar)
white tube paint
flowers
small jewels (flower centers)
word processing program
micron pen - .01 black

Prep the cardboard, remove additional paper if desired exposing more of the ridges.  Apply a light coat of gesso and let dry. 

Rub the Gelatos on the gessoed surface.  Using a waterbrush, smooth the color a bit on the surface.  Let dry. Spritz a little of the mica if desired at this stage.

On a palette, shave a little bit of the gelatos and mix with a small amount of modeling paste.  The color should be a little lighter than the surface of your now colored cardboard.  Lightly spread the colored modeling paste for a little more texture on the surface.   Let dry. 

Stack the 5 cut benches and let the glue dry thoroughly. 

With the bark texture stamp, lightly add some texture to the bench.  I used some black and medium brown ink...

it was pretty stark looking so I dry brushed a bit of white paint on the surface to soften the tone a bit.  Set aside.

Tear the printed book page into strips and using the acrylic medium "glue" to the cardboard as desired. Apply a light coat of the acrylic medium to the surface of the project.  Let dry.  Glue the bench in place on the cardboard.  Let dry.  



Using the diamond fence stamp, lightly add the texture to the far right of the cardboard. 

Add flowers and leaves and vines as desired on the fence, secure with glue and or acrylic medium. 

Using the ebrush and a marker in a very light brown, lightly spray the edges and around the bench and on the book print.  Just for a little more aged look. 

Add the gems to the flowers, add vines and leaves.  Print Come, sit with me. and add a doodled box around the words.  Lightly spray the edges using the eBrush and glue to the cardboard. 

When everything has dried, lightly spritz with the sapphire mica for a subtle bit of shine. 

Sign your work and display as desired. 

Again, thanks for stopping by. Hoping you are enjoying some creative time this week!  I'll be back with another Mixed Media Supply project in a couple of weeks!  In the meantime, keep on creating!

*I have used products that were provided by Mixed Media Supplies - the project and opinions in this blog are mine and I have not been compensated otherwise. 

 

 

happy "hello"

The wreath I posted earlier this week is too small to stand on it's on in a large space -- Right now, I don't have a grouping or small place it can stand out as a focal point.... so another shelving piece upcycle to the rescue. 

Super simple... a little bit of white acrylic paint, vinyl and sandpaper.  A hook for hanging (and it also will make it easier to switch out wreaths each season! 

I used the Gracias font and Gracias Stylized Font for the lettering. 

Open your software, and type in your lettering.  I stretched it to 18 inches.  Weld all the letters together.  When you add the glyph from the Stylized font, use the Union Command under the Path tab.  Be sure to check Preview to make sure that all the letters are connected and will cut as one.

Cut using the vinyl setting.  Weed the excess vinyl away and apply some transfer tape.  For best results, apply the vinyl first...  burnish as needed. 

Dry brush some white acrylic paint on the board.  While the paint is still not quite dry, lightly brush another light coat.  This will cause the paint to crackle a bit and add some additional texture.  Let dry. 

Using a piece of sandpaper, scrub some of the paint away.  Wipe away the dust.  Repeat that process as needed. 

My piece isn't going to be subjected to weather or extreme temps, so I chose not to seal it at this point.  Add a cup hook to the board and slide the wreath on the hook.  My board is setting on the mantel -- you could add hangers to the back of your board BEFORE you paint and hang if desired. 

Products used*:
Sizzix eclips2, eCal2
Expressions Vinyl - white 651
Apple Barrel White paint
foam brush
cup hook
sandpaper (120 grit)
wreath details can be found in this post. 

No affiliate links are used in this post.  Some of the materials used in the wreath were provided by MixedMediaSupplies.

Spring? Just around the corner?

We're getting things ready to switch out some decor for the month of March which begins today!  Hard to believe that we're entering the 3rd month of the year.  I wanted to get a head start on National Crafting Month, so here's my first project to usher in March a day early:

My "NEW" porch sign. 

*No Affiliate links are used in this post.

I printed some digital paper  (Irish Eyes - retired) from PlainDigitalWrapper,  The lettering was cut using the Sizzix eclips2 and eCal2 software.  Once the letters were cut and inked lightly around the edges, I used my Xyron Creative Station with permanent adhesive to make it easier to apply to the board.  I used the "X" for the smaller letters. 

The Banner pennants were cut using the scraps from the lettering pages.  A little bit of ribbon, and some SCOR Tape made for quick work there.  Since my board was part of an old shelving unit, I "filled" the holes in the four corners with a coordinating brad. 

I love the chunky font for the word Lucky and the smaller serif font for "to have friends like you."  I'm really excited to add this and a few other things to our March porch decor this year.   

I still need to seal this since it will be used outside -- and exposed to weather.  Several light coats should do the trick! 

Make time to #CRE8TIME throughout the year! 

the start of something new

Just a quick share this morning... as we're anticipating a full day power outage due to some work on the lines in the city.  (edited:  this post was written and pre-scheduled prior to the outage)

Hoping your days are filled with moments of fun and creative time.  I've been privileged to have a few extra hours this week and today, it looks like another good day for some creative time.

Mini-albums are fun to make and I'm still using that stash of $1 store coasters we garnered a few years ago. 

For this one, I used stamps, Alcohol ink, clay and some clear glass heart stones, glue dots, hot glue and a few brads from my stash. 

Quick technique tips:  apply a couple of dots of color on a felt pad.  Swipe the felt pad across the stamp and stamp on the desired surface.  Repeat.  Before the colors muddy, swipe the felt across the edge of the coaster. 

You can apply a drop of color on the back of the glass hearts too for a little more interest.  Let dry.  Use a heavy duty glue dot to secure to your surface. 

Apply color to the word stamps (I used separate letters) and stamp into the clay.  Cut into rectangles and bake according to manufacturer's directions. 

 

There are so many possibilities....  I've added an accordion folded paper insert.  It's ready for decoration and completion... more to come later on this one.  

 

Still creating

*No Affiliate links are used in this post

It's been a sort of crazy week around here.... but one of the things I did get accomplished was to make some wobblers -- you know, those springy things that allow your cards to be a little interactive.  I made 30 of them, only to find out that I was a little heavy handed with the glue gun.  I've been able to fix a few of them, but not all.  Oh well... I have the mat set up to cut the discs and a spool of wire for the next batch and will remember to use a lighter hand on the glue using my go to machine, the Sizzix eclips2 and eCal2.

But that didn't stop me from making the fun card above that still has a little bit of action.  I used Stampendous' Spring Short Stack set that has been waiting to be inked up for much too long. 

Images colored with watercolor pencils and blended using a water brush.  Background sheet is blended using ink and a blender.  Hand lettered sentiment for a little more hand crafted look.  Glue Dots and tape runner used for adhesive on this card. 

And this project, the Heart Lock Box file from SimplyCraftySVGs was a very quick cut and put together project.  It will now be our Valentine "O" on the mantel.  Paper from an old stack with no cover or identifiers.  (Bummer).  But it was perfect for this project and I have enough paper left to make a couple more. 

And since I had a broken leg last year, I didn't get much crafting done or our Valentine porch sign made -- but I took care of that yesterday!  Nothing fancy, but fun to make using a recycled shelf and some vinyl from my stash!  A little bit of red jute finishes it off. The font is a little funky, but looks pretty good.  The heart cut outs were from the Sizzix eCal2 library of basic shapes.  Vinyl cut using the eclips2.  Transfer Tape for this project can be found here (and yes, I buy by the roll!) 

Now to finish the wreath and banner this coming week!  Hope you have some crafting time scheduled in this coming week! 

 

Paper Fabric Part 2

Yesterday, I shared part 1 and shared the steps in making some paper fabric using one of the many digital images from Mixed Media Supplies.  Yesterday's post is here. 

I'm using the "fabric" as a book cover for a plain white small binder. 

 

You'll need
scissors
fabric paper (see my previous post here)
batting
spray adhesive
hot glue
Cardstock inserts for the inside covers
small binder

Cut a piece of batting just slightly larger than your binder.  You can trim it once it's applied to the outside cover.

In a well ventilated and covered space, spray one side of the batting.  Lift and apply to the outside of the binder.  Press to secure in place.  Trim excess.  Spray the backside of the fabric and carefully smooth the fabric on the batting, leaving about an inch or more around all sides.  Trim the area where the rings are and if you can slide the fabric under the metal on the spine  I couldn't do that for this binder, but did get a pretty clean edge.  Using the glue gun, glue the edges of the fabric to the inside of the binder.  Trim edges if if you need to clean things up a bit.  NOTE:  Don't pull the fabric too taut, but you don't want it sagging either after some regular use.

Measure the material for the inserts, cut.  Spray with the adhesive and press firmly into place. This binder has now been designated as my #30daysofgratitude2017 journal.  If desired add a closure. 

Hope you'll try your hand at creating some paper fabric and share your results!  Enjoy some crafting and creative time this week!  Thanks again to Peggy @MixedMediaSupplies for the fabulous images we have to work with. They're so amazing to work with.