Gone #Cre8time Fishin' for Anything But a Card Challenges No. 37

Good Morning! I'm traveling this weekend... but I still manage to squeeze in a little creative time here and there. Today for the current Anything But a Card Challenge No. 37, I have a fun Summertime tag to share that I made for a tag swap at Viva Las VegaStamps! Please CLICK HERE to jump over to see the other creations by our fantastic design team at ABAC.

The current Challenge... Anything But a Card Challenge #37 - "ANYTHING GOES"!! With the summer season in full swing full of vacations, days at the beach and summer camp – we thought we'd go with an OPEN THEME!!! Feel free to break out some supplies you haven't used in a while, try something new or create whatever your muse desires... as long as it's anything but a card!

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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}. :)

**A REMINDER** This Challenge will go through midnight July 26th giving you one week to play along and ENJOY the creative process! Look forward to another Artist Spotlight + Mini Challenge next Sunday to keep you inspired.

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Now for a little more about my tag...

I'm sharing some creative magic today combining stamping with Amazing Mold Rubber along with my favorite new friends... my Faber-Castell Gelatos®. 

I joined a summer themed tag swap at Viva Las VegaStamps! and I wanted to have a painterly background to showcase my stamped images. Faber-Castell Gelatos® are my current favorite go with me everywhere tool and this was a perfect occasion to do a little Cre8time experimentation with monoprinting on my AMAZING No-Gelatin Rubber Plate. 

**To view mixing and preparation of Amazing Mold Rubber and how I created my AMAZING No-Gelatin Rubber Plate CLICK HERE! To view a second video which is a test run on my faux gelatin plate... and my FIRST TRY at Gellin' – CLICK HERE.

Using an assortment of yellow, green and blue Gelatos®, I colored directly to my AMAZING No-Gelatin Rubber Plate. I added a few spritzes of water and then pressed a natural color cardstock onto the top, rubbed and pulled off the monoprint.

The yellow is pretty strong and still has some color left after the first print. I added a little more blue and green, spritzed again and repeated to create a half dozen prints with similar color... each with it's own painterly personality.

Here's what two of my collection of Gelatos®

monoprints looked like before stamping.

The completed tag comes to life after adding some stamped and inky goodness! I trimmed my papers to tag shape, added some VLVS! stamp images and added touches of color with Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens applied like watercolors using a water brush. I added some shimmer the airstream using my Gelly Stardust Hologram pen and topped off with some colorful ribbons and fibers. It's total summer fun!!!

Now it's time for project cleanup {boo-hoo}. Despite my best efforts, the Gelatos stained my AMAZING No-Gelatin Rubber Plate and wouldn't wash off very easily {they do have a bit of a waxy composition to them}. No worries! I have a crafty fix-it... pour resin on it and peel it off! I rubbed a sheet of blank cardstock over to make sure it was completely DRY and FREE of water/moisture before proceeding with resin.

My apologies I didn't get a photo of the resin mixing/pouring step {CLICK HERE for mixing/preparation of Amazing Casting Resin}. I prepared a small batch of Amazing Casting Resin and poured directly on top of Gelatos – spreading around with stir stick evenly to edges. For added stability and to help speed up curing of thin layer of Amazing Casting Resin, I gently pressed a crumpled sheet of deli paper into the liquid resin – careful not to press so hard to squeeze the resin out off the edges of the rubber plate. Just enough to get a bond of resin to paper.

When cured after about 20 minutes, I gently peeled the resin back from the rubber plate which completely removes all of the Gelatos®. It's so AMAZING!

Side-by-side the clean rubber plate and my paper-backed resin pull.

My plate is clean now and I also have a wonderful painted resin base for other mixed-media arting on another day.

I hope you find some time to have some creative play today and I look forward to seeing what you create. Happy Sunday! Sb :)

Cutting up some SpOoky Cute Ornaments for May Arts Design Team Call Round 2

Greetings everyone! The year is flying by and it's already mid summer - WOW! I have a craft show coming up in three weeks so I am in a frenzy making handmade holiday goodness for my shoppe "Salon D'Arte" which will be at the my Big Bang Bazaar [an Indie Craft Show} on August 9th. I haven't  done a show in a while so I've stocked up on my May Arts Ribbons to adorn my handmade ornaments, cards and mini books.

Today's project I'm sharing is a variation on the cookie cutter Christmas ornaments {CLICK HERE to view}… but this time super SpOoky Cute for Halloween. We've been doing a lot of cooking at home on the weekends lately and one day I came across this package of seasonal cookie cutters stashed in the deep, dark recesses of my pantry. I think they came from the Dollar Spot area at Target and they are older than I can remember. One touch rule in effect… these headed straight into the crafting pile with the Christmas cookie cutters for rebirth as ornaments!

These are super quick and easy to make and you only need a couple things. I gather some scissors; my stash of May Arts ribbons in seasonal colors; Herma Dotto by EK Success adhesive runner {my personal preference for flat ribbon}; a black Sharpie marker; and some holiday spirit! **PLEASE NOTE** I made every effort to locate links for all ribbon used at May Arts website, though some patterns may be retired.

Now I'm ready for some fun! 

I set off on embellishing the pumpkin and bat cookie cutters.

First up the pumpkin…

I selected this beautiful variegated orange {NY38 two-tone stripes} ribbon and added a stripe of Herma Dotto adhesive to the end to tack in place and began winding the ribbon around the ornament. I continued wrapping, slightly overlapping each previous wrap and continued all the way around. When I reached the beginning, I added another stripe of Dotto adhesive to secure the end. Easy Peasy!

Next I selected an orange, gold and green check {WTT28 3/8" Metallic Band} pattern to line the outer edge. For this I applied the Herma Dotto adhesive along the entire length that I cut to fit and pressed into place. I left about 2" overhang and looped this back over onto itself to form a leaf shape. The Herma Dotto is a dry adhesive that it great for tacking down ribbon on cards, scrapbook pages and flat surfaces.

The finishing touch is to add a hanger and some contrast to the stem with WS-02 Celery Sheer/Iridescent Pinstripe ribbon. I first cut a piece that was about 10" and tied to the top of the stem, knotting in place with the two loose ends meeting at the top. I laid the two ends over each other and tied in a knot to form a closed loop to hang. I added some Dotto adhesive to the end of another section and wrapped around the entire stem area, trimmed and tacked down the loose end with more adhesive. My pumpkin complete and totally full of personality!

Now on to the bat. I have a silvery grey ribbon that is two-tone like brushed metal - lighter on one side and slightly darker on the other. I applied Dotto adhesive down the length of this ribbon and applied to the outer edge of the cookie cutter.

I repeated with the black/white grosgrain circles ribbon and centered right on top of the grey ribbon - pretty straightforward… but is so Totes Adorbs {sorry… couldn't resist}.

 

This little pretty also needs a hanger! I grabbed my spool of natural SM-10 burlap string and a black Sharpie marker to color it to match. I have loads of inks, markers and paints… so the best way to make sure they are always getting used is coloring everything in sight - INCLUDING my staple spools of May Arts burlap string, EA-01 crinkle white nylon ribbon and paper raffia {each in white or natural}.

I have two ornaments done quick and easy and they are so lovely - they can be used for seasonal decor, gift toppers or even for the kids to make at the Halloween party.

 

I want to add a little more personality to the cat and the frankenstein head with some GOOGLIE eyes, resin and hardware before I trim those with ribbon. I'll be sure to share them before I send them off to a happy home at the craft fair.

Thanks for visiting and wish me luck! I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be selected to join the fabulous team of Ribbonistas at May Arts. Sb :)

REPURPOSING with Natural Beauty... Designer Crafts Connection Burlap Fabric Bloghop

Welcome to a special Designer Crafts Connection Bloghop dedicated to all things Burlap. I'm very excited to have an opportunity to create using the wonderful products from BurlapFabric.com. I have so many projects in the works - some being "REPURPOSED". I'm beautifying items for functionality and organization in my studio {a room that is currently getting a much needed overhaul}.

Join us July 13th through 20th for this blog hop promoting Burlap Fabric. Burlap is so popular in crafts and decorating and we will be sharing some wonderful ideas and projects using it... there will also be a giveaway too {scroll down for Rafflecopter entry info}.

For my project today, I have altered this generic dry erase board that lives under my craft table... mainly out of sight and out of mind. It would be really nice if it could serve as a dual purpose - the backside being a bulletin board.

When I received the generous assortment of burlap fabrics from BurlapFabric.com for this event... I was thrilled to have received a purple check burlap trim and also some 14" wide burlap fabric!! I knew exactly what to do. Make another faux palette piece for my studio. I have a couple fun projects in the works with the yards of red burlap fabric too.

First thing I needed to cut a piece of foam core to mount into the backside of the frame to use as a bulletin board. Since I will be mounting the strips of burlap horizontally like a wooden palette would be, I will be able to use pushpins as well as clips.

Using some 3M Spray Adhesive, I mounted the foam core to the backside of the dry erase board. This just happened to fit the depth perfectly - aligning flush with the edge of the frame. Now I'm ready to alter this in a similar fashion to a 24" x 36" inspiration quote board I made a while back for my studio and was a huge project, because I created the whole thing from scratch {CLICK HERE to view}.

Before I started mounting the burlap strips, I wanted to give a wash of color to the stark white foam core so that I wouldn't notice it through the weave of the burlap fabric.

Using Vintage Photo Ranger Distress Stain, I swiped the dauber to apply color over the entire sheet of foam core. I'm not concerned at how it looks, I just don't want any white showing through the burlap. This did the trick and the large burlap fabric made this project easy to complete in under two hours {including the primping for photos}.

The burlap fabric I'm using is 14" wide by 10 yards. I can make several of these if I want! I cut three sections the length of the board with approximately 3" overhang on each side. Then I cut each of these sections into thirds lengthwise. 

To help keep the strips folded in thirds, I applied strips of masking tape. Final step is the stapling. I started along one edge, then on the opposite edge - alternating and working towards the center; adjusting the widths as I filled in.

I laid one strip across the board and wrapped the overhang around the side, setting with a staple gun loaded with 1/2" staples. I folded over the excess and stapled in place giving the faux wood board look {as in photo above}. I flipped over to the opposite edge, pulling the burlap strip taught, and repeated the stapling. To cover this board I used nine strips that are approximately 2 1/4" high. Using a regular stapler, I set some staples across the length which disappear into the burlap texture to help prevent sagging over time. I may go back and add some fabric glue to tack it down permanently later on.

Now for the FUN PART... adding all the stuff that's cluttering my desktop that needs to be properly displayed!

My dry erase board now has a dual function which matches my studio inspiration quote board which is a larger faux palette piece... and will certainly be utilized instead of being stashed under the desk.

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Don't forget to enter to win the fabulous prize package from BurlapFabric.com valued at $100 that includes a really nice variety of natural and colored burlap yardage, ribbons, embellishments and totes.

http://burlapfabric.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/burlapfabric/
https://www.facebook.com/burlapfabric
https://plus.google.com/+BurlapFabric/about
http://instagram.com/burlapfabric
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https://www.youtube.com/user/BurlapFabric

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks for visiting. Continue on the Designer Crafts Connection "BURLAP" Bloghop by selecting hop back/forward on the logo below. The next stop on the hop is "Life in the Craft Lane™" with Julie McGuffie. Enjoy all the wonderful Burlap inspiration! Sb :)

Julie McGuffee - juliemcguffee.blogspot.com 

Kristi Parker - kristiscreativecafe.blogspot.com

Lisa Fulmer - lisalizalou.com

Madeline Arendt - madelinesthoughts.blogspot.com

Marilyn Gossett - marilyngossett.blogspot.com

Michelle FraeCummings - faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com

Sue Eldred - sueeldred.com

Susan M. Brown - sbartist.com (you are here!)

Terry Ricioli - terryriciolidesigns.blogspot.com

Angela Holt - www.angelaholtdesigns.com

Anita Scroggins - www.theflamingochronicals.blogspot.com

Beth Watson - bwdesignstudio.blogspot.com

Carmen Flores Tanis - florestanisstudio.com

Cherish Flieder - somethingtocherish.com

Cindi Bisson - fatcatcreations.blogspot.com

Jennifer Priest - hydrangeahippo.com

Designer Craft Connection

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WHOvian #Cre8time Celebration... for the Designer Crafts Connection July Bloghop

Welcome! It's the first Monday of July which marks the monthly Designer Crafts Connection Bloghop. This is my first time participating... and I'm so very excited to be a part of this wonderful group! This month's theme is "Party Décor" and I have a special project I'm working on... I'm making a handmade WHOvian themed party for the premiere of the new Doctor Who season on August 23rd. There are so many things I want to make, I will be sharing several of them throughout the week. I will share food related goodies closer to the event next month.

Using a handful of supplies, I have created some fun WHOvian themed cutlery pockets. Supplies used: bowtie stamp; burgundy pigment ink and embossing powder; red cardstock; heat gun; scissors; buttons; grey marker; cutlery and napkins from Dollar Tree; Herma Dotto adhesive; color copies of plaid fabric; and mini kraft treat bags.

To start, I glued the bag flaps closed using

my Herma Dotto adhesive runner.

I cut up sections of a recycled security tint envelope into four equal sections to mimick a shirt fabric. The patterns and colors of security tint envelopes are wonderful and I love using them for crafty projects. This blue one is perfect for the Raggety Man's dress shirt.

Using mini guillotine cutter, I trimmed three sides squared to match edges of bag - and cut the inside edge slightly curved with scissors for a natural shape.

I layered two more shapes {eyeballed size/shape to fit} to create a faux lapel and complete the jacket look. I rubbed all the white paper edges with chalk ink to blend with the kraft treat bag.

Any overhang off the top of the bag was trimmed

flush after everything was adhered.

I ran the Herma Dotto adhesive to seal up the sides of the bags to make a pocket and give a snug fit to hold the napkin and cutlery.

I have a set of WHOvian themed stamps {from Viva Las VegaStamps!}, one being a bow-tie. The size of the tie is the perfect size/scale for my handmade WHOvian cutlery pockets.

Using a Royal Burgundy Memories Pigment Ink,
I stamped the bow-tie onto red cardstock. 

While still wet, I poured over Ultra High Gloss Clear Embossing Powder {from Viva Las VegaStamps!} and then heat set to see the magic happen. I repeated this to make four bowties - one for each set of cutlery.

The deep red ink on the bright red cardstock
is the perfect contrast and just 'POPs'.

I fussy cut the ties out for application on my suited cutlery pockets. The finishing touch is a couple real buttons from my stash and a some hand drawn details with a grey marker.

I have so many items to prepare for my premiere party on August 23rd. Please drop by  often this week to see additional projects with WHOvian flair!

Be sure to come back on the July 13th for a blog hop promoting Burlap Fabric. Burlap is so popular in crafts and decorating and we will be sharing some wonderful ideas and projects using it... there will also be a giveaway too!

Thanks for visiting. Continue on the Designer Crafts Connection "Party Décor" Bloghop by selecting hop back/forward on the logo below.
Sb :)

Designer Craft Connection

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