Sunday, January 25, 2015

Country Craft Creations DT Project: Valentine Collage featuring BoBunny Serenade

I have another Valentine/Love themed home decor project to share with you for my Design Team Project for Country Craft Creations. I am still working with the fabulous BoBunny Serenade Paper, Brads, Layered Chipboard Stickers, and Noteworthy (die-cuts). 

I knew I wanted to make something similar to this:

http://blog.silhouetteamerica.com/2014/01/valentine-collage
This is what I came up with:


I started out by checking my local Goodwill for a picture frame. Since I was only interested in the frame, I didn't really care about the {ugly} picture inside it. It only cost me $3.54, which was WAY cheaper than going to the store and buying a wooden picture frame. The inside dimensions of my frame are 15"x19". 


After I disposed of the ugliness, I wiped it down then covered it with two layers of gesso.


Next, I tore up pieces of Tim Holtz Tissue Paper and used Mod Podge to adhere it collage-style to the frame. After all the layers were dry I added two more coats of Mod Podge as a protective sealer.


Now, the fun stuff! I searched my Silhouette library for love and valentine themed images. I cut them in a variety of sizes. I inked all the edges with Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink.



The base of this one is from the cut apart page.

These letters are the inside cuts from one of the other die cuts. I adhered them to a tag from the Noteworthy die cuts and added a brad from the collection. I used foam tape to attach the heart and add a bit of dimension to this tiny tag.

I added a red bling heart where the man and woman are holding hands. The hearts on the bottom are an inside cut from one of the other die cuts. 

The base for this is one of the large journaling spots form the Noteworthy. I added the cupid with a red heart bling on his arrow.

I added a piece of red paper to the back of the "L" and filled in the letters with Crackle Accents. I think it adds just the right touch of dimension to this.


The base card is from the cut apart sheet. I adjusted the size of the frame to work with the photo I had. 

Here is my wonderful hubby making sure the frame is level before we hang it on the wall. Since we live in an apartment and don't like to put a bunch of holes in the wall, we used Command Picture Hangars to hang this frame. The Command strips hold 16 pounds and this frame doesn't weigh nearly that much, so I'm confident that it will hang on the wall just fine.

So, here is the finished project. I stapled cotton crochet thread across the back so that I could hang my die cuts using mini clothespins. When I change out the die cuts for spring, I will probably change out the twine for wire. I don't like how loose the twine got after I started hanging stuff from it. At any rate, I enjoyed making this frame and I sure do thank you for making it all the way to the end with all these pictures. 


Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project! Don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website/Blog to stay informed of current sales and available products.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Country Craft Creations DT Project: Key to My Heart Canvas featuring BoBunny Serenade

We are half way through January and LOVE is in the air...well, at least it has been in all the stores since December 26th! I have several love themed projects to share with you this month for my Design Team Projects for Country Craft Creations. This month I got a fabulous package with BoBunny Serenade Paper, Brads, Layered Chipboard Stickers, and Noteworthy (die-cuts). You can check out the video below to see what came in my January DT Package. 


For my first project I made this "Key to My Heart" canvas. I used a 12x12 flat panel canvas that I picked up from my local craft store.


I started out by using Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Aged Mahogany to color the edges of the canvas. Note to self: BAD idea...the stain NEVER dried!


I trimmed 1/4" off all sides of my base paper. I inked the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink and used Mod Podge to adhere it to the canvas. As you can see, the Distress Stain just smeared all over the place. When I was finished, I decided to cover the stain (what was left of it!) and just paint the edges with black acrylic paint. That also helped to hide the fact that my paper was not on there exactly straight. Oops! 


I snipped a piece from the cut apart page and added it to the bottom corner of the canvas. One of the brads from the collection makes a perfect flower center. To use it, I simply broke the legs off the back of the brad and then adhered it down with Beacon 3-in-1 glue.


In the upper right hand corner I used a die-cut from the Noteworthy package. It was actually 4 circles long, but I cut one of them off. I added another matching brad.


This patchwork heart is actually a portion of a card from the Silhouette Store (Design ID 72184). It was designed to be a 5x7 card. I used only the heart portion and enlarged it to fit my 12x12 canvas. I picked 6 pieces of patterned paper to make up my patchwork heart. One of the great things about using a paper collection is that all the papers already go together. I know that I can pick any of them and they will work together. After I cut out the pieces, I inked all the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink and then used Mod Podge to adhere it to the canvas.


Instead of using the paper key that came with the card, I used a metal key that I picked up from the dollar bin at Michael's. It was already painted a cream color and was slightly distressed. The only thing I did to it was add a couple of Prima flowers and a matching brad from the collection. I adhered the key to the canvas with Beacon 3-in-1. This is my go-to adhesive for adhering chunky metal embellishments.


Right now I have my canvas on the end table in my living room. I'm thinking about getting a 12x12 frame and hanging it in my bedroom after Valentine's Day, that way I can enjoy it all year.


Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project! Don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website/Blog to stay informed of current sales and available products.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

County Craft Creations DT Project: Graphic 45 Staples ATC Tags & Cheshire Katt Blog Hop

Thanks for being a part of Cheshire Katt's Blog Hop Challenge. Check out my post, make sure to subscribe and/or follow, and leave a comment!

Today I have a project using the Graphic 45 Staples Kraft Artist Trading Tags. These tags actually came in my October DT Package from Country Craft Creations and I'm finally getting around to using them. The package comes with 6 tags and a ring to bind them. I decided to use 5 of them individually to make a nativity scene and use them as a Christmas decoration.


I purchased this Full Nativity (Design ID 70556) from the Silhouette Online Store last week and knew it would be perfect for this project. I like to design my projects in Design Studio that way I can make sure my die cuts are going to be the right size. To start off this project, I drew 5 rectangles with rounded corners. I sized them 2.5"x3", which is the size of the ATC tags and I filled them with a kraft color to mimic the G45 tags. I really like the silhouette look so I'm going to cut everything out of black cardstock. The pieces that will hang over the edge (stable, star, and angel), I will cut twice and layer them so they will be more sturdy.


The first step was to use a stencil (TH Dot Fade Layering Stencil) and gold embossing paste to add "stars" to the tops of my tags. I thought I had gold embossing paste, but it turns out that I didn't....so I made my own! I used white Studio 490 Embossing Paste and added gold acrylic paint to it until I got the desired color.


After the embossing paste dried, I adhered the die cuts with Scotch Quick Dry glue. I added pop dots behind some of them for added dimension. After they were completed, I used ornament hangers to hang the tags on a garland.


Here are closeups of the individual tags.






Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project! Don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website to stay informed of current sales and available products.

******************************************************************************

Thanks for being a part of Katt's Blog Hop Challenge. Here is the word you are looking for!


**CRAFT**


Make sure you visit all the blogs to collect all the images. Cheshire Katt is giving away an awesome tutorial & kit to the winner! 

  1. Country Craft Creations Website
  2. Kim-Design Team Leader-FattyPaddyScrapper
  3. Alisha-Curse of the Crafter
  4. Alicia-Heavenly Home and Papercrafting
  5. Brenda-Crosseyed Cricket Creations
  6. DeAnna-DeAnna's Crafts and Creations **You are here!**
  7. Julie-Sassy Jewelz **Go here next!**
  8. Katt-Cheshire Katt Scraps 


Friday, November 28, 2014

Country Craft Creations DT Project: December Daily using October Afternoon Make it Merry Collection

I'm back with another Design Team Project for Country Craft Creations in Hooper. In this video, I'll show you my finished base pages for my December Daily. I have found that if I make my pages ahead of time, I'm more likely to get my book completed in a timely manner....like in January. My book from last year just got completed about 2 months ago because I made the pages whenever I had the time. The "junk journal/smashbook" type of book worked well for me in 2012, so I thought I would try that style again with this year's album.

The paper collection I used is October Afternoon Make it Merry. The only other paper I used is kraft cardstock. I know that if I limit my supplies, I'll be happier and more likely to finish my project. I added transparencies from an old K&Co ephemera package I found in my stash and some Basic Grey letters and numbers that I picked up on clearance a few months ago. I used Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink to ink all the edges.

Check out all the December Daily goodness in the video below:


Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website to stay informed of current sales and available products.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Country Craft Creations DT Project: October Afternoon "Make it Merry" Collection

I'm back with another Design Team Project for Country Craft Creations in Hooper. My November DT box included the 12x12 "Make it Merry" Collection from October Afternoon. I was all prepared to start my December Daily using another paper collection, but when I found out I was getting this in my DT box, I immediately changed my mind! I love the vintage colors of this paper collection.


Over the last several years of doing a December Daily I have come to the conclusion that I get the project completed in a timely manner IF I have my base pages already made before the holidays roll around. The first two years I had received a mini album and a "junk journal" already made for me. All I had to do was add my pictures. Those albums were completed by the end of January. My December Daily for 2013 was just finished in August of 2014....just a little bit late! My hopes this year are to have my base pages completed by the end of November and since this is my DT project for this month, I stand a pretty good chance! LOL I also decided to make it easier on myself by limiting my supplies. I used only this paper collection and kraft cardstock. I chose one color of ink (TH Distress Ink, Vintage Photo) and I have already pulled my embellishments from my stash and collected them all in a bag. I'm going to store everything together so that when it's time to work on this, I can just "grab and go" and hopefully get all the pictures and journaling in the book by the end of January.

I started my project by using the "Make a Countdown" paper. I cut the numbers apart and embellished each one for a page in my December Daily.


Check out the video below for a peek into my DT box for November and my finished number tags.



Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website to stay informed of current sales and available products.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Country Craft Creations DT Project: Door Hanger featuring G45 Bohemian Bazaar

Today I have another Design Team project for Country Craft Creations in Hooper featuring Graphic 45 Bohemian Bazaar. When I pick up my stepdaughter from school, I have to have a sign with her last name and grade. For the last 3 years I have just used a sheet of copy paper up in the dash. How boring is that?!? Surely with all my paper crafting skills I can come up with something a *little* bit better. Well, two months into the school year I finally created a better sign.

I used a door hanger template from the Silhouette Online Store (Design ID 32617) as the base for my sign and cut 2 pieces out of Stampin’ Up cardstock. SU cardstock is very sturdy and this will need to hold up all year. The color doesn’t really matter since you can’t see it, especially if you ink the edges. Speaking of ink…I realized when I was about half way done with this project that I had not inked any of the edges. *sigh* Oh well….Back to the project….I cut 2 pieces from the G45 paper. Because this sign needs to last for the remainder of the school year, I adhered all the layers together with Mod Podge and added a coat to the front and back for protection and durability.




And now for the fun part…Embellishments! I designed and printed a label for her name and grade using a big bold font and trimmed it down with my paper trimmer. I cut 3 mats for additional layers and used Scor Tape to adhere all the layers together and to attach it to my tag.

Since I was using a scrap of paper, I printed my label on plain white paper first, then attached the piece of cardstock with a piece of washi tape over the printed area and then sent it through the printer again. 


I finished the sign with May Arts ribbon, bling trim, half of a doily, and some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. I also added a small chipboard piece from the G45 Bohemian Bazaar Chipboard.




Next I took a few pictures of my finished sign and created a Project Life card. The base of the card is the post card from the 4x6 Cut Aparts page. I printed my photos at home and cut them with a white border. I used Scor Tape to adhere the pictures to the post card. I used Wild Orchid Craft flowers to create the same flower cluster that is on the sign and added 2 of the chipboard pieces for additional embellishments.





Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project. Don’t forget to check out the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook Page and Website to stay updated on all the products available.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Country Craft Creations DT Showcase: G45 Bohemian Bazaar

I'm excited to announce that I am on a Design Team for a new business, Country Craft Creations in Hooper.  Country Craft Creations is an online scrapbooking supply store that sells at wholesale prices, or very close to it. It’s a great way to make scrapbooking affordable for everyone! Country Craft Creations specializes in Graphic 45, Basic Grey, and Marion Smith paper lines. 

My box for October included G45 Bohemian Bazaar paper collection. I'm very excited to work with that this month. I absolutely LOVE using G45 paper collections. All of the papers and embellishments coordinate beautifully. 


My stepdaughter and I went to a birthday party a few weeks ago. I took the opportunity to dive right in to this paper collection and make a card. I used OWH Sketch 240 for the card and used black cardstock (Recollections brand) for additional layers. I think the black cardstock really accentuates the bright colors of the paper. I inked all the edges with Distress Ink (Black Soot). I traded out a piece of patterned paper for two of the border stickers (cut down to fit the front of my card) from the Cardstock Sticker Sheet. I used ScorTape to adhere one of the chipboard tags to the front of the card and tied a bow with vintage seam binding. The sentiment is from a stamp set from the $1 bin at JoAnn's. 


I have traded in my traditional 12x12 layouts for Project Life pocket style scrapbooking. These are actually my first 2 pages. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast they came together. I'm going to give you a rundown of how I did this. First, I decided on the page protector that I was going to use (Becky Higgins, Project Life, Design A). Next, I picked a few (ok, 11) pictures from the party. I did a bit of resizing and printed them at home. I trimmed them, leaving a white border so I didn't have to add photo mats. 


I knew that I wanted to use 2 of the 4x6 cards from the paper collection, so I cut them apart and added them to the first and last photo pockets. I arranged my pictures on top of the remaining pockets. 


I knew that I wanted to use the Cardstock Stickers to spell out "BDAY FUN", but I didn't know what paper I wanted to use in that slot. A tip I saw online said to adhere your stickers to a piece of wax paper, that way you can see how they fit in the area. Doing that, I could place different pieces of paper under the stickers to see which paper went the best with the stickers. This way, I didn't ruin any paper or the stickers. 


The next step is to pick out the patterned paper for the rest of the photo pockets. I also added one of the Chipboard tags.


After picking out the paper, I inked all the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and adhered the photos. I used ScorTape to adhere the "Fun Money" card to the layout. 


Now it's time for the fun stuff--embellishments! I put all of the photos in the pockets then placed my embellishments on the outside for a "test drive" to see how everything looked. You can see that I used several different embellishments: a few of the Chipboard tags, paper flowers, bling, flat back pearls, homemade enamel dots, and twine. I also added a couple of Silhouette cut files. A little bit of journaling will finish up these two layouts. 


Here is a short video showing closeups of a few of the cards.


So, this was a pretty good experience for my first set of Project Life pages. I can't wait to do more! 

Don't forget to check out the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook Page and Website to stay updated on all the products available.

Supplies available from Country Craft Creations in Hooper;
Graphic 45 Bohemian Bazaar 12x12 Paper Collection
Graphic 45 Bohemian Bazaar Cardstock Stickers
Graphic 45 Bohemian Bazaar Chipboard
ScorTape

Other Supplies:
Paper flowers, Prima
Bling, flat back pearls, homemade enamel dots, and twine from my stash
Vintage seam binding, Wild Orchid Craft
Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Black Soot, Wild Honey, Ripe Persimmon, Forest Moss, Festive Berries, Broken China)