XMAS THX

***I have been getting so much spam in my comments that I had to turn the verification back on sorry! I know it is a pain but the spamming is horrible.

I usually don't send pixmas cards but I like to send our thank you cards with updated pics of the kids.  I took a picture of them holding the chalkboard frame which said thank you and happy new year.  I wasn't sure how I was going to put it together until I saw that THE DIGI CHICK came out with a beautiful chalkboard themed kit called LIFE STORY.

It has so many gorgeous papers and elements to choose from.  I put the whole thing together in photoshop and printed on some white, Georgia pacific card stock. The matte card stock gave a  nice vintage look as opposed to photo paper which made the image too sharp.  I used elements from the kit for the inside also.

Very quick and easy but so nicely personalized.  That is what I love about doing digi. Yes, my son badly needed a haircut but I couldn't talk him in to getting one till a few days AFTER I took the photo and by then I was too lazy to take another. Teenage boys are so fun....

MOOSE

The design team members at THE HYBRID CHICK have started to challenge ourselves to come up with unique ways to use some of the designers templates from THE DIGI CHICK. This month we were asked to come up with ideas for the SOAP BOX by KELLEIGH RATZLAFF and this is what I came up with.  

It is a little box that I converted into a moose.  I think it would be really cute for an animal themed party.  I have a tutorial on how it was made HERE and check out what a couple of the other design team members come up with HERE.  

FAMILY SIGN

*Scroll down to bottom for a larger view.
We have a very long hallway which I use as a picture gallery.  I started out wanting to make a stenciled "family" sign to go on one of the walls but I saw the beautiful, vintage style letters in this VINTAGE CHARM  SCRAPBOOK KIT by Quirky Twerp and thought they might make a nice sign.

I started out with an old, light oak,  kitchen cabinet door front that I got from our local rehab place Construction Junction.  I can't remember the exact price but I know it cost less than 2 dollars. I didn't take a pic before I painted but it looked pretty much like this.

 I gave it two coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint in old White and distressed it a bit with some fine grit sandpaper.

Next up was the application of some brown glaze. I used Rustoleums Transformations glaze in Java Brown which I got at Home Depot.  I used a foam brush to apply as evenly as I could.  Make sure you wear rubber gloves and work in a well ventilated space. It looks yucky at this point but wait....

It is easy to wipe off as much stain as you like as long as you use a damp cloth.  The top shows what it looks like after wiping with a dry cloth and the bottom after a damp one.

It is always better to remove a lot and then add more if you want a darker glaze.  This was how it ended up after a couple applications/wipings of the glaze.

I printed out the word family from the digital kit onto tissue paper.  This is done by taping the tissue paper all around the edges onto a standard sheet of copy paper and printing as you normally would.  I sized them to fit the center rectangle spaced evenly.

 I used a newer product called Mod Podge Antique Mat. It is supposed to give your projects a vintage tone.   

I used 4 layers and it maybe, kinda looked a little vintagey????? Since the wood was already glazed it was hard to tell. I not only put it on the letters but the also the entire sign to keep it uniform.

The letters are so pretty and the Mod Podge blurred everything a little which added to the vintage feel.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

TEA LIGHT HOLDER

Scroll down to bottom of post for a large view.
I made this as a Christmas decoration but it isn't necessarily Christmasy so I am leaving it out.  I want to make a few more to hang around the living room but it took a while to make the flowers so I am not sure when I will get to it.

I started out cutting four Spellbinders Labels 20 dies out of grunge paper.  Make sure to use the paper not the board as I hear it doesn't cut very well with the dies.  I glued two together for each side then painted them a bronze metallic color.

I then cut a strip of paper (I think this was Graphic 45) high enough to reach the top of the tea light and long enough to go around. Then added a quarter inch extra along the long side.  This was nothced as shown.  Not giving exact dimensions just in case tea lights differ by size.

I cut two layers a Floral Doilies Motif die of paper and one layer of a plain circle of grunge paper.  The circle fit inside the two floral layers to form a sandwich.  This provided support for the tea light. The strip was wrapped around the tea light for size then adhered to the base.

The tea light can now be popped in and out to access the switch.

I Circle was punch and a little hole made to slip over the top of the light. I did attach this part so it wouldn't slide off.

For the flowers, I used the Posy Patch Die from Heartfelt Creations.One each in the smallest and up to the fourth largest of both a solid color and printed.

The edges were sponged with a light brown ink.

On the smallest two flower sizes, I used a stylus and a foam mat and worked in circles to bring the petals toward the center.

On the two larger flowers, I turned the petals outward with a piercing tool by wrapping the edges of the petals around it.

The two largest petals were attached directly to each other and a pop dot was placed on top.

The next set was then placed on top of the pop dot and the center on that.

The flowers were then added around the edges of the candle.  It took 5 loosely placed to go completely around.

The tea light  was attached to the frame with glue.  It took a while to hold it together while the glue set because it is an awkward arrangement.  I added a couple flourishes and flowers to the edges and wrapped some wire around a pen to make a hanger. 

It looked so pretty lit up at Christmas!

 

GOODWILL BOX REDO

I had no idea what I wanted to do with two boxes that I found at goodwill for $1.49 each. Then I saw a shelf that had some raised decorations along the edge and thought maybe I could replicate the look and decided to practice on one of the boxes.







This is what the box looked like when I found it.  Someone had rubbed off the picture that was on the side but they were good sturdy boxes and way cheep.

 I cut some grunge paper (Tim Holtz) using some spellbinder's dies.  Make sure you get the paper and not the board. I haven't tried the board but I have read several posts about people not being able to cut through the board.  The grunge paper cut pretty well but I did have to use small, fine edge scissors, to trim out some of the more intricate parts.  These were glued on to the box.  I have had good results with some new glue I picked up recently. It is Beacon 3-in-1 craft glue.  It adheres quickly and dries clear.  It is a little stringy but overall it works pretty well. I cut two of each of the dies, glued them together then glued them to the box on both sides.

I then spray painted the entire thing with dark brown paint.

Next up was two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in old white followed by a little distressing with fine grit sandpaper.

To finish, I added a dark brown glaze. I left quite a bit on cause I liked the darker, worn look. This pic is before I wiped off the glaze.

For the holidays, I made some candle wraps for the candles that I wanted to put inside the box. The candles were first wrapped with a strip of burlap then I used another spellbinder die to make a top.  This was tied on with some twine.

I cut some more dies of leaves and flowers to embellish the candle.

The leaves were attached on top of the twine.

Then I made some flowers by first cutting them out then spritzing them with a little water.

I then scrunched them and let them dry.

For some reason I didn't take a picture of this but I then layered the petals onto a brad to form the flower.
And then attached it to the candle.

The box technique is such a fun one that can be used on so many different home decor items and it is fairly inexpensive and easy to do.  I have quite a few ideas in mind for this in the future.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
I am entering this project in the monthly DIY PROJECT PARTY

STEAM PUNK (SORTA) CLOCK

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I thought it appropriate to have a post centered on time for New Year's day!

This started out as an idea to make a wall clock for my son using the robot/steam punk theme.  It morphed into something I really love and want to use in my living room.  My son will have to wait for a new clock....or maybe a trip to target to buy one.







I had a cigar box that I bought at a flea market which was used for the base.  Paper mache boxes were used for the top portion.  I used only the deep parts of the boxes and left the back open because the lids interfered with the stacking of the rounds. So, ignore the painted lid in the picture.    They were painted with two coats of a dark brown craft paint.

I wrapped the edges of the circles, covered the front and base with some scrapbook paper from Simple Stories  Documented collection.  

The decorative elements on the box are Spellbinders dies cut from brown card stock.

To make a little shelf to hold some tiny Tim Holtz bottles was made using another die.  I cut one of paper and one of grunge paper.  I  trimmed off the top and glued the two together.I folded the edges to form a little shelf with the center of the die.

This was attached to the medium circle.

I made the gears for the front of the clock using Sprightly Sprockets die, also from Spellbinders and grunge paper from Tim Holtz.  The far left is the raw grunge paper. They were then painted dark brown and then covered with some bronze metallic paint.

And finally dabbed with some pewter metallic paint.

The clock was purchased at JoAnns and was really simple to put together once I realized the little washer parts were attached to the clock and not lost....doh.  I added so Tim holz feet thingies to the bottom of the base to lift it up.

This is one of my favorite projects that I have made.  You know how things don't always turn out how you envision them?  That happens to me a lot! Well, this turned out better than I had thought and that is so rare that I can't wait to put it in my living room and enjoy it.  I just have to finish another project in order to have something on which to put it.

I wish you all the best for a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year! I am entering this in the monthly DIY PROJECT PARTY