Spending my #Cre8time making DIY Jewelry

Good evening! It's another Mold Rubber Monday over at the Amazing Crafting Products Blog and today I am sharing a bangle inspired by some acrylic bangles I saw in the mall using the gorgeous Decopatch tissue from Frog Dog Studio April Mixed Media Kit. I've created a bangle mold using Amazing Mold Rubber... and haven't had a chance to use it yet. This was the perfect project - since I was not paying $18 for the bangles at the mall when I can do it myself.

While on a rare excursion to the mall with other half - there was a new stylish store "Desigual" that I've never seen, so I persuaded my other half to run in. They had all sorts of colorful clothes and accessories... and I spied these bangles – the same exact colors and nearly the same pattern of the Decopatch Tissue in the FDS kit. The cost of one of these bangles {$18} is about the cost of an entire box of Amazing Clear Cast Resin; which would produce at least a dozen handmade bangles if not more.

Please click here to jump over to Amazing Crafting Products to see the full how-to... this was a total success! Thanks for dropping by and have a great evening! :) Sb

#Cre8time play and a Collage-a-Palooza of Mail Art with Unruly Paper Arts

Hello everyone! Today I have my first "Thoughtful Abstractions" column published today over at the Unruly Paper Arts Blogozine. I am sharing a review of Altered Pages collage images and this Mail Art for this month's theme "Mail Art and Moos". I have to say that for me creating mail art and ATCs are a bit of an addiction and I love to get all of my supplies out and play. Please CLICK HERE to read my first column at Unruly Paper Arts.

With my column, I've created some mail art to coincide with the April theme, "Mail Art and Moo's". I've selected some Altered Pages collage sheets and created this whimsical mail art using envelopes that were headed for the recycling bin. Don't you just love the free art goodies that come via junkmail - I do! My base is a recycled 6" x 9" kraft envelope that has some ink picked up on it from some other project I had painted. I use papers and envelopes to mop up leftover ink or mists - I don't want to let any of that goodness go to waste.

I have this fantastic mask that is brickwork from UmWowStudio. I traced the brick shapes onto my leftover sections of the background from fussy cutting my Police Man.

I had a return address that I wanted to camouflage. Using butterscotch, earl grey and chocolate Faber-Castell Gelatos, I applied color into the brick shapes and smudged around with my finger to fill in. This fills in the background quickly and makes a nice base to collage upon.

Using a glue pen, I filled in the bricks that were stencil traced and cut from my collage sheet and arranged to make a nice pattern.

I distressed an ATC border with Ranger Distress Stains and Gelatos to use for the address block. I stamped a London Skyline scene using Ranger Vintage Photo distress ink above the address block. I had a small section of address label from previous use to cover - an easy fix! Add another collage image. On the Black and White ATC collage sheet, there is a London skyline image. I fussy cut the bridge section of the skyline and adhered in place over the stamped scene. I glued the address block in place and bordered with postal stripe washi tape, then layered in my policeman and pasted him in place.

I fussy cut a few fun birds with hats to perch around my scene. Using pencil and also grey EK Success Brushables markers, I added some shading and shadows around my fussy cut birds and figure to add depth.

I used a little sky blue gelato smudged at the top of the envelope to add a little color for the sky.

Now my envelope is ready to mail some crafty goodness! It's so wonderful to have so many artist friends all over the map to correspond and swap art with. I know my sister is going to call me up asking for this - London is one of her favorite places to visit.

• • • • • • • •  

Supplies: Collage sheets from Altered Pages - Police Man enlarged from AP-2600 Dad's Day, London Scene from AP-778 Black and White ATC, border from AP-1828 ATC Decorative Borders, and birds from AP-1561 Birds with Hats; recycled 6"x9" craft envelope; Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink; Ranger Antique Linen and Old Paper Distress Stains; various EK Success Brushables Markers; pencil, postal stripe washi tape; Elmer's Craft Glue Pen; various colors of Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos; EK Success Cutterbee Scissors; London Skyline stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps!; and Brick Mask from UmWowStudio.

• • • • • • • •  

Thanks so much for visiting! I'd love to see the mail art you've created. Please leave a link in the comments where I can view or you can share on the Unruly Paper Arts Facebook Group HERE. :) Sb

Monday is Shaping up to be all Sorts of AMAZING!

Happy Monday... I have a project featured over at the Amazing Mold Putty Blog for Mold Rubber Monday straight out of the book of fairy tales. I am so in love with Amazing Mold Rubber and its ability to pick up every little detail. Just wait until you see the painted and embellished end result.

CLICK HERE to jump over to the Amazing Mold Putty Blog. I hope you enjoy my project - it's one tall tale! Have a great day! :) Sb

Saturday Night is Date Night with my PRINCE!

Good Evening All... yes you are seeing this correctly! A double post today. I just wanted to let you know about something real quick. I have a special guest feature post over at Frog Dog Studio today and you don't want to miss it. It is Steampunk and I will give you a little sneak peek though.

CLICK HERE to jump over to the Frog Dog Studio Blog. If you love all things mixed media - it's a blog you should be following, too!

Have a great night! :) Sb

Every Sunset Brings a Promise... Unscripted Sketches #252 and 5th Blogiversary Celebration

If you arrived here from Unruly Paper Arts...
CLICK HERE to jump to my "Teacups and Tiaras" Reader's Art Quest Inspiration

 
 

Good Morning! Today is Sketch-It Saturday and a special celebration with today's Unscripted Sketches #252. Today is Unscripted Sketches 5th Blogiversary - a momentous occasion. I happened upon Unscripted Sketches on twitter way back 5 years ago and have been a follower since WEEK Number ONE! I can't believe it... and now I'm part of this fabulous team here to inspire you each week. Today marks my 3rd anniversary as being part of Unscripted Design Team and I've come so far since my first post for sketch #101. For over a year now, I'm part of the team that's responsible for keeping this inspiration challenge blog going week to week. I invite you to come and join the weekly challenge.

I hope you will take time to visit Unscripted Sketches and check out each of our designers' pages for our 5th Blogiversary Celebration and your chance to win some blog candy, too!

I will be giving away a bottle full of crafty goodness to one commenter who answers this question... "what is your favorite way to utilize the weekly Unscripted Sketches?" I would love it if you also followed me via email or bloglovin' too. If you've never received a bottle of crafty goodies, you are in for a treat. I have a video on my YouTube Channel of a reveal of a bottle I received {CLICK HERE}.

Please CLICK HERE to jump
on over to the party!

Now for my project I'm sharing for the new Sketch #252. I have created a new page in my art quote journal and I took the liberty of using the sketch on the right hand side of my page, but also expanding it to a horizontal with room to add pix or momentos like a two-page spread. It's been a while since I've reached into by bag o' scraps and this page is using papers found there. With it being Springtime, my paper selections coordinate beautifully with my Martha Stewart floral border and anywhere flower punches.

This is the left side detail...

 

and this is the right side, using the sketch.

Now to modify this busy patterned paper. I'm not sure of the make {it may be Quick Quotes} but I have several scraps of this paper that has loads of quotes all over it. It's way too busy for my liking so I'm using my new besties in my daily travel tote... gelatos to quickly modify and highlight my quote. I'm so grateful to Rita Barakat for introducing these to me when we met at CHA in January.

I don't know why I held out for so long trying gelatos. In minutes, I toned down and turned this bright and busy paper into something more artistically me - giving a proper home to one of my favorite quotes... and a bonus - the pastel painted texture! I really have to say I am totally addicted to my Faber Castell Gelatos and I'm enjoying experimenting with them.

I layered this sheet on a yellow orange cardstock matte and repeated smudging of gelatos around the edges and the torn edge on the bottom. In the area where the negative punch shape is, I colored lighter shades of yellow to add a little dimension.

The final touch is layering some ribbon scraps {you know those pieces you save that are less than 12" but still long enough for something} and some various sticky back gems to balance the gem brad in my layered punch and painted Prima flower. I look forward to adding bits to this open space as I'm spring cleaning and getting my studio in order.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun... and post your creation on their page via inlinkz for all the world to see!
 

•••••••••••

Thanks for dropping by today... I hope you join us! Have a fantastic weekend! Sb :)

The Bells are Chiming! It's TIME for Anything But a Card Challenges No. 34

If you arrived here from Unruly Paper Arts...
CLICK HERE to jump to my "Teacups and Tiaras" Reader's Art Quest Inspiration

Good Morning! It's time for a new Challenge at Anything But a Card Challenges and I have a SPRINGTIME STEAMPUNK project to share that I created combining the Frog Dog Studio March Kit and Amazing Crafting Products. I am totally Cuckoo for all things "Steampunk" and I also have an extreme sweet tooth of the marshmallow Peeps® variety. I have created an amazing whimsical timepiece combining both... and repurposing a glitter tray too!

The new Challenge... Anything But a Card Challenge #34 - "SPRING Forward"!! We know Spring is dragging it's feet in arriving as ol' man winter keeps his heels dug in the snow and ice... so we are celebrating the new season with an OPEN THEME!!! Feel free to break out the bright colors and create along with Spring and Easter, or create whatever your muse desires... as long as it's anything but a card!

Please share any current project you have created and JUST REMEMBER... create anything EXCEPT a card for this challenge. Please mention and LINK BACK to this challenge. ALSO - Please new projects only {no-backlinking}. :)

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

This is a sampling of most of the supplies I used to create this masterpiece. Yes there is a glitter tray here. WHAT!!?? Not to leave you in suspense – the glitter tray will be repurposed to be transformed into the faux birdhouse backdrop for my Steampunk Cuckoo Clock.

This project was a labor of love - involving loads of steps and preparing WAY more items to adhere than can possibly fit... and a Tim Gunn "editing eye" was in order. Please CLICK HERE to jump over to see the entire HOW-TO and process.

The resin layered gear assemblies and one bolt finishes the top. I might add more to the other side after this grows on me a bit.

RUSTY found furniture protectors are perfect escutcheons for my clock. I also used ball chain to hang some findings from the bottom.

On one side is a rusty found wrench and the other item, my cast resin wishbone cluster from my favorite handmade necklace... I can always make another... and I will!

Steampunk Cuckoo Clock!

I am going to permanently display this in my studio where it can inspire me daily!

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you find a little time to do some creating. I look forward to seeing what you create {CLICK HERE to LINK UP your projects}.  :) Sb

Some Fabulous News to Share...

I have some wonderful news to share! Starting today, I am one of the new columnists at Unruly Paper Arts. This Blogozine is a perfect match for my love of paper crafting and is comprised of an international team of creatives - each bringing their own style to all things paper.

I invite you to visit Unruly Paper Arts and feast your eyes on some fantastic inspiration. Each month there is a theme and April is "Mail Art and Moos" and all columnists with be sharing miniature works of art from envelopes, postcards, atcs and moo cards. The name of my column is "Thoughtfully Abstracted" – keep a lookout for my first posting mid month. :) Sb

CLICK HERE

to visit Unruly Paper Arts