Another use for vintage book paper

Hello, friends. I'm actually playing in the studio tonight working on a new project!  As usual, I'm working in mixed media. I've got found objects out, some vintage book pages and fabric pieces.  I'm using glue, paint, the sewing machine...you name it!  I found myself working with an old holy card and trying to find a way to matte the card or "frame' it.  I like to use up my scraps whenever possible. I had a stack of vintage book pages that I've been saving which gave me an idea.

I cut a small stack of my vintage book pages to size then machine sewed the edges.  Once I was done, I applied a paint wash (that's mostly water and a touch of paint mixed together) to the top page.  The text is foreign which will help keep the eye from being distracted but the wash helps too. I also decided to run the text vertically because the rest of my piece has vertical lines. That is just a personal preference.

Now, the fun part.  I used this tool to distress the edges.  You could also use the edge of your scissors.  I worked the layers of paper with my fingers too to separate and get the look I wanted.

 As you can see in the first picture in this post, I'm also adding a layer of cheesecloth to the top of this.  I love the look.  Now to sleep on it and start to put my little Easter project together tomorrow.  I'll share more soon. For now, here is a glimpse of my delightfully messy project table!

So glad to squeeze in some creative time tonight.  How about you?  Creating this weekend? Friends, if you have time please follow along on the new Linky tool on my right side bar. I would hate to lose you if Google decides to eliminate our followers button.  xoxo

Altered bottle brush tree project

Hello!  I'm finally posting the altered Xmas bottles my friend Jodi and I made last weekend.  These are simple to make and so pretty. I love the way they turned out.
 

Here's what you need to make yours: 

Old bottle(thrift store)

Bottle brush tree (craft store)

Bag of faux snow 

Champagne or gold tinsel glitter

E-6000 glue

Liquitex matte gel medium

Fabric scraps 

Jewelry pieces for decorating

 

Jodi came up with a great concoction for decorating the bottle brush trees.  She mixed faux snow from Michael's with champagne tinsel glitter in a bowl.  This really helps stretch the glitter and gives it more texture.  We bleached bottle brush trees from the craft store.  Removing the green makes them easier to cover.  We then applied spray adhesive to the dried trees and sprinkled our mixture onto the tree until covered.  It did take a few layers.  Tip: Create two stations. A spray station in a box or over newspaper then a second station where you apply glitter mix. I put newspaper down and used a plastic bowl to mix and apply glitter.

 I think this is an inexpensive alternative to using all your fine German glass glitter.  I really like how easily it covered and the texture it creates. We glued the trees onto the bottles with E-6000.

The bottles were finished off by wrapping them in fabric scraps. I used gel medium to adhere the fabric to the bottle. It dries clear.  The coordinating jewelry pieces were attached with more E-6000.  The large bottle has a strand of pearls hanging about the neck.  These will definitely be part of my Christmas decor this year!  Hope you had a great week.  More Christmas projects on the way!

Magnolia Leaf Art

Kara and I did a really fun project last night with Magnolia leaves. We have two Magnolia trees in our yard.  I am always fascinated by the leaves, which are waxy green on one side and a gorgeous rust on the other.  The color inspired this Fall project.  At first, we considered painting and stamping on the leaves. I had seen others do this with their fall foliage.  But, as we sat in the studio surrounded by my fabric scraps, we came up with our own idea.  Here are a few of Kara's leaves -

These are simple to make.  Gather the leaves from your yard.  The first thing we did was to add some machine stitching around the edge of each leaf.  Then, we printed some words onto cream colored card stock.  Kara cut out the words and distressed the edges with brown ink.  The words could have easily been printed on fabric too. Then, just layer your scraps and add the word using gel medium that dries clear.  On the leaf above, Kara sewed on her fabric scraps then glued on her word.

We added a touch of clear gel medium in spots and sprinkled on some glitter too! Just tap off the excess.

Here are the close ups of my altered leaves.  I have the perfect spot for all six of theses and can't wait to show you this week!

We really enjoyed making these. If you don't have a sewing machine use a white ink pen, stamps or paint to doodle stitches instead. You can certainly use paper instead of fabric too.  Just make sure you use glue that dries clear.  EDIT:  A few of you have asked about preserving the leaf before you start. I imagine you could use the clear matte gel medium (Michael's) all over the leaf before you start.. Just let dry before you sew. Magnolia leaves are very thick and waxy. They were very easy to sew. I was making a seasonal project and was not too concerned about preserving these permanently. I used the leaves that had just fallen from our tree.  I did play with a fresh leaf too. It gave off a yummy smell and turned my thread green! lol

I have the perfect place to hang these six little creations (stay tuned!), but I also suggest you consider framing them or making a banner out of these.  For a banner, you could easily wrap the stems in wire or jute or glue small pieces of straw on the back and run your ribbon through for your banner. Get creative! Thanks for stopping by my friends.  I appreciate your comments and follows so much. xoxo

Dunking and Spraying

Dunking and spraying are my high tech terms for how I color lace, cheesecloth, shipping tags and found objects for my artwork.  Anyone can do this and it is fun.  Kara helped me color this cheesecloth shown above with Glimmer Mist and Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution.   You simply place the item on wax paper and spray until the desired color is achieved.  Consider mixing the colors too!

Love the earth tones we created here.  I do this with any fabric. This weekend we focused on cheesecloth purchased at the grocery store.  I spray it while it is double layered then often peel it apart when dry. The thinner layers provide different textures when making projects.

Left over morning coffee never makes it down the drain at our house. I will dunk something in it first. I love the color of coffee and tea stained objects.  I will purchase anything white knowing I can alter the color later to fit the needs of a project or decorating plan.  The longer you soak and the less you rinse (just wring out in your hands), the darker the color.  If you went too dark, run under a bit of warm water.

If I want to quickly age a found object, like these brass bells, I will use an antiquing solution purchased at my local craft store.  It helps speed things along. Of course, follow directions carefully and look for solutions that are more environmentally friendly please.

There are so many ways to dye and age your supplies. Leave a box of metal objects outside this winter. You will have beautiful rust and patina by Spring. Try slow boiling some of your summer blooms and see what colors you get. Have fun with it.  I love having a stash of goodies like this ready to use in my creations. Hope you are having a great week. Thanks for visiting and for your sweet comments. 

Make it rusty paint technique

Need something to look rusty and crusty?  Well, that is my favorite color and texture. I have a concoction for small items but some larger items really need a paint technique. Let's face it, wood doesn't rust.  This is a great technique for a picture frame, candle holder or for me today...a monogram!  Here is a picture tutorial for you:

 

The second paint color is Autumn Brown. It is a textured paint. I will describe it as brown with flecks of sand in it. Creates a sandpaper feel on the item being painted.  Mine dried a nice faux color that looks pretty darn close to the real rust on my nail barrel shown above.  I added a little flower to the "M."  This monogram is the topper for my shabby window which I have decorated for my MIL's bday party this weekend. Can't wait to share this cool picture display, but that's another post! xoxo

I am partying with:

Nest for a friend

I finished one of my nests on a spool.  I've decided to mail this one as a surprise to a sweet friend.  I kept it simple. I did not want to take away from the beauty and texture of the nest.  I wrapped a bit of paper around the spool then added some waxy flax and a vintage button.  Here's a close up of the nest on this one -

If you missed my post on how to make these, go here.   It is a fun project and you probably already  have the materials to make these.

I embellished a store bought card (love the Michael's $1 section for this) for her too.  I love to add a personal touch to these pre-made cards.  You could also use your own scrap cardstock to make cards.  Pull out your bits of lace and paper, do a little stitching or just use glue, maybe even add a rubber stamp image...add your special touch.  I could spend hours making these. Sometimes I do!  It is great to have a stash on hand. The extra touches on these make them so much more fun to give.

I hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day weekend.  We are staying close to home, and I plan to do a little creating.  What about you? Any big plans?  Linking up to:

Tutorial - Making bird's nests

Some of my best days creating are the ones I didn't plan. No project idea in my head that I'm painstakingly trying to recreate on the project table with what I have on hand. No expectations or deadlines.  It is all about being spontaneous. Something just inspires me, and I sit down and start creating.  Last week, Kara (my daughter) and Sydney (her BFF) were making birds out of clay at the dining room table. I sat down to check things out. I decided the birds needed a nest, so I began to play too....

I had some wooden spools on hand. They seemed the perfect size and proportion for the birds being made. They would make great little stands for my nests and bring in the wooden element of a tree.  Next, I grabbed some 30 gauge floral wire. I wanted to be able to bend and mold the nest as I was constructing it. Anything similar will work. I actually wrapped it around two of my fingers. I started with a tight wrap and released the tension each time I wrapped around to get the bowl shape you see here. I added a heavy dollop of EX6000 (EDIT: This is a craft glue found at Michael's. Holds heavy embellishments and great for metal) to the top of my spool and placed the nest on top, holding it a minute or so until it set. Time to pull out your floral moss and grass.

I started by adding EX6000 again to the center of the nest on the spool. I then placed a clump of green grass to the top center and held it until set. I then added glue directly to the spool again but this time around the top edges. I added small bits of green grass here to the outside edges to help cover the wire. Now, don't worry about all the excess.  You will trim that later. Be sure not to trim it perfectly.  For a realistic nest, leave long pieces here and there. Create texture with different lengths.

Adding some moss will really make your nest realistic! I added EX6000 all around the outside edges of the nest (wire) this time and added clumps of green moss.  I also added moss in the center of the nest.  I used my fingers to mold the shape. Again, I trimmed the edges at different lengths to create texture.

Now we just need to finish our birds and welcome them home!  I plan to dress up the spools a bit too. This is a work in progress. I wanted to share the nest tutorial though. It was so easy to do and can be recreated on a much larger scale.  How about you? What is on your project table this week? Have you taken any time to play lately? Tell us about it.  Until next time...xoxo