Designer Crafts - Flowers

April showers may bring May flowers, but Designer Crafts Connection members are bringing them to you in April for their DCC First Monday project.

Flowers are everywhere, and not just in your garden.  You don't have to look too far for flower themed projects, especially now that Mothers' Day is right around the corner (May 10th, in case you need a reminder).  You can easily find ideas for paper flowers, painted flowers, molded flowers, fondant flowers, etc, etc......  but my flower project is all about magnetic flowers......

I usually visit the Dallas Gift Market in winter and summer and one of my favorite showrooms is Demdaco.  I think I could spend the whole day browsing their creative displays.  One of the companies they represent is "Embellish Your Story" by Roeda.  This company has designed a whole line of metal frames, boards and embellishments for every season and family celebration you can possibly think of.  You can imagine how delighted I was to see that this company was a new exhibitor this year at the CHA trade show in Anaheim.

I've been dying to work with their product and the representative offered to send me a few samples to play with.  Each item is already perfect, but, what can I say, I'm a designer and, like everyone else, I can't resist adding my own personal touch.  Here's what I received:

2 large magnetic boards - one black chalkboard and one aluminum
2 sets of 4 small flowers (yellow and teal) and
a set of green magnetic flower frames.

As you can see from their booth photos, this is just a smidgeon of what they have to offer.

Since our theme this month is flowers, I started with the chalkboard.  I have 3 grandchildren, so I was immediately drawn to the flower frames (I used the stock photos that came with the frames for this project), but needed to add just a little touch of my own.  It had to be quick'n EZ, so I added brush handle dots around the edge of each frame.

To make the dots, you need a paintbrush with a small handle and some white craft paint.  Squeeze some of the paint onto a disposable plate, or piece of wax paper, then, holding the brush straight up and down, dip the end of the brush handle into the puddle of paint.



Lift then place a dot of paint onto the edge of the frame.  Dip the handle into the paint each time you want to make a dot, so all your dots will be the same size.

I also wanted to add a touch of white to the small, yellow flowers.  Using the same technique, I placed a dot at the outer edge of each petal, but instead of lifting the handle up again I dragged it toward the flower center to create a short line.  You can also do this with a toothpick if you want a narrower line.

Once I had all the embellishments embellished, I used chalk to to draw straight lines and leaves for flower stems on the chalkboard, added my saying, lines around the edge and it was done.  It was so easy!

Chalkboard art and lettering is very forgiving and it's supposed look as if it was made by hand, so no one can go wrong here - and if you do, wipe it off with a damp cloth and start again.

I created something completely different with the aluminum board.  I love photography and am fascinated by the look of photos on metal.  I don't have whatever it is that one needs to print directly onto metal, but I have the next best thing.

 

My sister took this photo of my daughter and granddaughter, so I printed it onto Craft Attitude™ a printable film for inkjet printers that is perfectly clear and adheres to any surface.  I also have a Cricut™ Explore™ digital die cutting machine, so I used that to cut out the title in vinyl and added it to the bottom together with a thin black strip to underline.  I'm sure you can do this with any die cutting machine that will make intricate cuts.  There are tabs on the back of each board, so all I have to do now is add a ribbon and hang it my room.

You can find more information about where to buy this product here: http://www.demdaco.com/Embellish-Your-Story-collection/collection-landing-embellishyourstory,default,pg.html?title=Embellish%20Your%20Story&brandId=B2C

Watch how everything clicks together here: https://vimeo.com/70141513

 Hope you enjoyed my introduction to this new "craft" product....  y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Thanksgiving Gifts

November 3rd is First Monday and this month Designer Crafts Connection is sharing ways to say "Thank You"...  For more inspiration, hop thru the webring using the "hop forward" link in the DCC logo found in the sidebar of each member.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday.  Catherine Millard wrote: "We can trace this historic American Christian tradition to the year 1623. After the harvest crops were gathered in November 1623, Governor William Bradford of the 1620 Pilgrim Colony, “Plymouth Plantation” in Plymouth, Massachusetts proclaimed:

"All ye Pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill… there to listen to the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings."

Although Thanksgiving seems to be more about getting ready for the Christmas holidays and looking for the best shopping bargains on Black Friday, I think the majority of families still remember this as the day to give thanks for our many blessings and to share with family, friends and neighbours.  Here's a gift idea using a large, clear glass mason jar with smooth sides:

 

 Step 1:  Etch the outside of the jar with etchall® by immersing the jar in dip'n etch up to the neck.  (See instructions for glass etching in the second part of this previous post, which will explain how to dip using an empty soda bottle. http://juliemcguffee.blogspot.com/2014/09/glass-etching.html)

Step 2:  To decorate the outside, I printed a photo (sized to 4" x 11") on to Craft Attitude printable film then wrapped it around the center of the jar. I secured the ends with tape, so the wrap could be removed later when the jar needed to be washed.  The photo I used was a pile of apples taken with my phone at the grocery store, but you can use any photo.

Step 3:  Cover the top and bottom edges of the wrap with 1/2" wide burlap ribbon.  Secure the ends with 3D glue dots then adhere additional embellishments to the front with glue dots.  Cover the rim of the lid if desired.

You can fill the jar with a mix to make an apple dump cake, then place it in a basket of red apples and your favourite dump cake recipe to give to a friend or neighbour, or simply place a small LED tea light inside and use as a decorative accent in your own home.  

  

For a different look, fill the mason jar with etchall dip'n etch then découpage the printed layer of a fall themed napkin onto the bottom half of the jar with DecoArt® Americana® DécouPage.  Embellish as shown.  Etching the inside of the jar will give the jar a milky look, but it will still be shiny on the outside.

              Etched on the outside of the jar                Etched on the inside of the jar

                                 
There are so many other designs you can create using these easy techniques.  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now...........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

DCC First Monday - Preserving Memories

Growing up in England I have some wonderful memories of holidays at the seaside.  Our favourite holiday destination was Bridlington, a small seaside town on the east coast of Yorkshire.  I remember days at the beach collecting shells, paddling in the waves, building sand castles, playing cricket on the sands. donkey rides and the one hour trips on either the Yorkshire Belle, Bridlington Queen or the Thornwick,  pleasure boats that made the trip from the harbour jetty in the centre of town to Flamborough Head and back.  Like many Brits, I loved the sea and still do......

Here's a quick look back at Julie at the seaside in the 50's and the 60's.

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to go back to Bridlington to visit a friend.  Like most places it had changed a lot, but the boats are still there making their trips to Flamborough Head and back and the sands are exactly the same as I remembered, including the donkeys!  I spent a lovely morning walking along the same old beach and couldn't resist picking up a couple of the white rocks, rounded by the waves that had washed up on the sands.  You can see Flamborough Head in the distance, so I'd like to believe they came from there.

My original idea was to paint our house number on one of the rocks and place it by the front door. Being an ever practical Yorkshire lass however, I started to wonder what I'd do if we moved......  Then it hit me - not the rock, but a really good idea...  I've been using Craft Attitude to feature a lot of my photos on all kinds of surfaces, so why not print one of the photos onto Craft Attitude film and glue it on the rock!  It now sits on a patio table outside my home in land locked Texas, a constant reminder of my childhood holidays at the seaside.  I even have a few shells so we can listen to the waves rushing to the shore....

There are lots of ways to preserve memories.  Hop thru DCC member posts by clicking the blue logo in my sidebar to see more ideas to inspire you.  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Stained Glass with Attitude!

I'm sure everyone realizes by now that I pretty much love all kinds of crafts, but I do have some favourites.  As a craft designer in the creative, Arts & Crafts industry for 30+ years, I've had the opportunity to see and work with some wonderful products.  It's always a special thrill, however when a company introduces something that's brand new to the industry - something that hasn't been seen before.  Craft Attitude™ is one such product and it is absolutely amazing!  Craft Attitude is a printable film that works with your every day inkjet printer and whatever surface YOU like to work with, whether it's wood, glass, fabric, metal, or...... you get my drift.  You can print anything onto it, photographs, clip art, music, graphic art, etc. then adhere it to a surface you like to work with.

When I was asked to create a project for the Spring blog hop, I had the hardest time trying to decide what to create - I was overwhelmed with ideas!  Since Easter is just around the corner and I love working with glass, I finally decided to make a "faux" stained glass piece to hang in a window.

I purchased a float glass frame for this project.  This type of frame includes 2 pieces of glass and no backing.  The design is a combination of a photograph of the Amaryllis growing in front of  my house and graphic art I designed for this project. You can download a PDF of the artwork here (it's free): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1iqvH1CdtvxRktaZ25TbW9qcGM/view?usp=sharing

 

I printed the artwork onto Craft Attitude, applied it (printed side down) to one of the pieces of glass then placed the second piece of glass on top.  The film clings to the glass easily.  Remove the backing slowly, smoothing as you go with your fingers, or a soft cloth.  If there are any wrinkles in the film, carefully lift the film then smooth out the wrinkles working from the center to the outer edges. 

I used fishing wire to hang the frame from the top of the window, but you can also prop it up in a well lit corner. 

I posted a jpeg of the artwork, minus the flowers, on the "Images for Personal Use" page here on my blog if you would like to use it.  You can drag the image off onto your desktop then click to open in "Preview" or,  import the jpeg into a Word document if you would like to re-size.  

Check out and "LIKE" the Craft Attitude Facebook page here 

https://www.facebook.com/craftattitude?ref=ts&fref=ts 

for more ideas and year round inspiration.  Enjoy!   Y'all come back now.........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

  


Disclaimer: This is a paid post. I have a professional relationship with Craft Attitude and received compensation and/or product for this blog post. The opinions and project are my own.

Crafts for the Holidays with Craft Attitude

I've hosted a TV show on scrapbooking for 14 years so it's only natural that people think I'm a scrapbooker, but, truth be told, I simply LOVE ALL KINDS of crafts!  I enjoy the creativity of designing a scrapbook page, but I have to admit that my first love is photography followed closely by decorative painting.  I received my first camera, a Brownie Reflex, at the ripe old age of 11 and I've been snap happy ever since.  I'm always on the look out for new surfaces to print photos on and was totally ecstatic when I saw Craft Attitude at the craft & hobby trade show a couple of years ago.  I came home with treasured samples to "play" with and haven't stopped since.  I was thrilled when Jonathan Fong asked me to create a project for their holiday blog hop.  The hardest part was deciding what to do!  I also love to etch glass so here's a project that incorporates both my love of photography and the magic of etched glass.

These are the supplies you'll need, plus ribbon and a few embellishments - I used deco mesh ribbon and a holiday craft pick.  I took this photo of a Cardinal in our back yard a couple of years ago, so all I had to do was crop it to the size I needed.

The first step is to etch the glass block.  The block is hollow, so instead of etching the outside surface I used dip'n etch, another of my favorite products, from b&b etchall to etch the inside.  Dip'n etch is easy to use and I love the fact that it's REUSABLE!  Gently pour about a 1/4 cup of the dip'n etch liquid into the glass block.  TAKE CARE - this is etching liquid and it will etch any type of smooth surface, so you won't want it to splash onto your granite counter top, porcelain sink, or on the outside of the glass.  The etch is permanent.  Being careful that the liquid doesn't spill out of the opening, gently lay the block onto its side, so the liquid covers the inside flat surface completely.  If you added too much dip'n etch, use something to prop up the open end.

 

BTW, complete directions are on the product so read and follow them carefully.  After 20 mins, I carefully turned the block upright again, then placed it onto its other side to etch that too.

While the glass was etching I printed my photo onto the Décor Attitude film, then cut it to size.  Pour the dip'n etch liquid back into the jar to be used again, then thoroughly rinse and dry the block.  Peel the backing from the Craft Attitude film then place it printed side down onto the glass surface.  If there are words in your photo, don't forget to flip your image horizontally before printing, or use the "print mirror image" setting on your printer.  Although the film clings well to the glass, I covered the surface lightly with a glue stick.  Check out the Craft Attitude website for all kinds of videos and tips on how to work with the film on a whole variety of surfaces. 

 

I positioned my photo with the opening in the block at the bottom so I could place it over an LED tea light at night.  I also glued the bow and embellishments to the top with a 3D glue dot, making it easy to remove at a later time.

This project only took a little over an hour to complete and makes a great holiday accent for your home!  Plus it's a great hostess gift!  So put a little "attitude" into your next crafting project to make it truly personal!

 

Don't forget to check out these other projects from the hop. 

This project is also featured here:

Enjoy!  Y'all come back now..........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!