Make a #Cre8time Quick Change... with Designer Crafts Connection and Expo International Inc.

Hello Friends! Today is a fabulous day full of glitter and gold! I am part of a new Designer Crafts Connection Bloghop challenge and the designers are creating with assortment of terrific Trims, Buttons and MORE from Expo International.

How do you take something from day to night??! You bling it up! For my Cre8time project today I have transformed a zipper makeup pouch from the Dollar Tree into a beautiful clutch to accompany a little "RED" Dress. 

Expo International sent me a selection of items to create: Tuva Woven Beaded Trim in Red/Gold; a package of Carla Crosstitch Rose-Iron-on Patch Applique; and Tianna Beaded Pom-pom Trim Multi Colors {the latter I will be using for a real special holiday project - stay tuned}.

I reserve playing dress up for special occasions and as for accessories, I steer in the direction of less is more. I have this little red velvet halter dress that I scored on sale when shopping for a dress to wear to a formal event. Its funny how you find things when you aren't looking. I don't have anything else to finish this look... but today I will be more than halfway there! 

OMG - look at this TRIM!! It will go with my dress perfectly! The Tuva Woven Beaded Trim is about 1 1/2" wide and comes in 7 different colorations.

Starting with a plastic zipper makeup pouch from the Dollar Tree I transformed this into something stunning with just a few additional supplies from my stash: scissors; one sheet of Graphix Double Tack Mounting Film {a permanent double sided adhesive paper}; a few Marvy colored pens; and Diamond Glaze. 

The pouch was a bit longer than I liked so I turned it inside out, measured a few dots down from the top, then traced a line. I took this to the sewing machine to stitch one seam and trimmed away the excess. I could have used adhesive for this, but the sewing machine had this done in a quick minute {I didn't even change out the green thread in it}.

Enter the super fun and quick way to alter anything... PENS!

This plastic pouch is durable with a hot pink zipper enclosure... and SO WORTH $1. Sewing zippers is a bit tricky and is certainly something that I need to go back to school for someday. I used two pens to prep for the final transformation: a Marvy Liquid Gold pen to color the zipper pull and the teeth; and red Marvy Plume II brush pen to color the hot pink zipper fabric. I colored along the sides and bottom of the pouch with gold as these may be slightly visable after applying trim. I don't mind spending few extra minutes on these little extra details -- they make all the difference in the end result.

I gently rubbed the edge of the gold nib along the zipper teeth. To my delight and suprise... it's all gold when closed!

Now to add the trim! I cut a sheet of the self adhesive paper into 1 1/4" strips and applied to the backside of the trim. From the height I made the pouch, I will need four stripes to cover top to bottom. I like dry adhesives over wet for ribbons/trim. I could have also used my Xyron X sticker maker or stitch in place with sewing machine.

I aligned to the top of trim to the zipper edge, removed backing and wrapped along front, and bent to continue around to backside -- leaving only one exposed seam edge. Having adhesive on the back helps keep trim from fraying when trimming to size. 

I repeated applying three more lengths of trim and touched up the seam edges with dabs of Diamond Glaze to prevent fraying and to keep cut edges of bling in place.

FROM THIS...

TO THIS!!! 

What a transformation! Paired with my gold resin bangles and some gold earrings {nothing fancy, these are all regular day wear} all I need are some shoes. 

With summer approaching I'm sure I can find a cute pair of gold strappy heels to complete my look and I'm ready for the next weekend getaway with the hubs!

What would you transform
from day to night with
Expo International Trims?

CLICK HERE to POP over to the DCC BLOG for info on how you can enter to win a Treasure Trunk of Trims from Expo International! For more information on Expo International and products to dress up anything please visit website HERE.

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Thanks so much for visiting! CLICK HERE to pop over to the beginning of the Designer Crafts Connection "Expo International Terrific Trims" Bloghop and enjoy a treasure trove of inspiration. Sb :)

** This is a sponsored post. Expo International has provided trims for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.

Discover #Cre8time Bliss... #MixedMedia with Rebekah Meier Designs and Therm O Web

Hello everyone! Today I am part of a special Cre8time bloghop at Designer Crafts Connection featuring products from Rebekah Meier Designs {Mixed Media} for Therm O Web. If you like to all things mixed media... then you are in for a treat. Last Summer we were introduced to Rebekah Meier with the "Rebekah Meier Fabric Elements™" bloghop {CLICK HERE to visit}, and I am excited to be giving these new products a try. 

For this challenge, Rebekah Meier Designs {Mixed Media} for Therm O Web provided each of the Designer Craft Connection designers with an assortment of products. I received these products which is one of each of all her products with Therm O Web, which consists of mediums, surfaces, and transfer foils. I am a like a kid in a candy store with a new way to adhere, layer and bling things up!

Where to begin... there are so many projects in which I can use these products. I decided to make some new colorful bangles to match a blouse I have. I grabbed a couple recycled packing tape spools, some monoprinted book pages, black gesso, an emory board, a black marker, scissors, a paper trimmer, a cosmetic sponge, a plastic palette knife and a paintbrush from my stash. The Rebekah Meier Designs {Mixed Media} for Therm O Web products will transform these cardboard spools into something blissfully blingy and beautiful!

First a little prep work. I left one spool completely round and the other I removed about a half an inch and rounded the corners with scissors. Using a emory board, I lightly sanded any rough edges.

Using a cosmetic sponge, I applied a light layer of black gesso to the inside of each spool and up and around the edges; covering up the text and a seal off the edges.

Now the fun begins! I opened up the Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium and stirred with a palette knife. It has a nice consistency, like pudding. I'm going to apply this medium to the inside of each spool differently and see how things go.

This is a bit messy... but FUN! I spread the medium to the inside of one bangle with the palette knife like spreading cake icing. I put it on very painterly and some areas were thicker and more textured than others. 

The other bangle I brushed the medium on with a cosmetic sponge - giving it a lighter coat, but giving it some texture in the strokes.

I set them both aside to dry. On top of the black gesso, the medium glowed a beautiful blue, but dries completely clear and tacky. The sponged on bangle was dry in about a half hour, but the other that I used a thicker slathering with a palette knife, took quite a while longer to completely dry {which was to be expected}.

With the one dry, I trimmed a square of Rebekah Meier Designs Transfer Foil in Patina in a couple strips so that it was easier to adhere to the inside of the bangle.

I burnished the foil down onto the tacky surface and used a paintbrush to help rub it into the texture. This was fun and EASY! Look at the texture... it's like a faux leather with a beautiful smoky silver color. 

WOW!!! I loved how it looked so much I went back and painted the outside with gesso and repeated the process so that one bangle was completely covered in this gorgeous Patina silver.

Now back to finish the other bangle... I repeated the process applying the Patina foil to the inside. I am so impressed how the texture was transferred to the foil. I just need to add some paper to the outside first.

I trimmed the monoprint book paper to size and also a matching section of Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Adhesive Sheet, then rounded corners to match the edges of the bangle.

I removed the backing and pressed the adhesive sheet in place around the bangle. I burnished this down real good before applying painted paper. 

I rubbed edge of cut paper with a black marker to get rid of the white edge so I don't have to go back and fix that later {you can skip this part, but white edges drive me a little bonkers}. Then I peeled off the adhesive backing and pressed the painted paper in place.

OK here's a close-up of the inside texture. This is really awesome!!! I can't believe how easy this was to make... and there's NO MESS {no foil bits floating all over the place}.

Last thing I pressed the foil all around the edges to finish off any sticky parts that may have seeped around the sides. This is what is left of the two sheets of foil I used. Look at all the delicious texture that remains and I can use this to accent something else later.

I am so impressed at this transformation! 

These babies are ready to wear!! 

Blissful Blingy Bangles!

What would you transform

with decorative foils?

CLICK HERE to jump over to the beginning of the Rebekah Meier Designs and Therm O Web Bloghop at the Designer Crafts Connection blog.

To learn more about Rebekah Meier Designs {Mixed Media} for Therm O Web visit http://www.thermowebonline.com or visit Rebekah's Etsy store (RebekahMeierDesigns).

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Thanks so much for visiting! For more mixed-media inspiration visit the Designer Crafts Connection "Rebekah Meier Designs and Therm O Web Bloghop" bloghop HERE. Sb :)

** This is a sponsored post. Rebekah Meier Designs / Therm O Web has provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.

Getting #Cre8time Girly... Last Minute Gift Idea Bloghop

Hello friends! Are you still crossing off all the names on your holiday gift list... you are in luck today. Welcome to the LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS Bloghop hosted by Einat Kessler. Hop along and get Cre8time ready to finish off your list with some ideas for fabulous handmade gifts. At the bottom of the post there is info on how you can link enter a grand prize of a $100 gift card - YAY!!!

I have many girls in my family, two sisters, four nieces, and I'm always on the hunt for fun handmade gifts I can give. I've recently been introduced to Etchall® Etching Créme!... and I am totally hooked! 

Today I'm sharing a quick and easy GIRLY project with you - one that holds a special place in my little GREENcrafting heart, too!

Supplies needed:

• Etchall® Glass Etching BEE-Ginner Kit
• removable stencil letters {or traditional letter stencils}
• permanent marker
• adhesive vinyl {I used Cricut vinyl}
• contact paper
• glass compact
• xacto knife or swivel knife
• rubbing alcohol
• soft towel
• scissors
• plastic fork or craft stick
• timer

If you are like me, you probably are picking up little gifties as you find them throughout the year. I happened upon these fabulous mirrored compacts at Michael's and bought about a dozen of them for a couple bucks a piece. What I really love about them is that they have a beautiful jeweled bezel top on them. A great base to add a custom handmade touch... enter Etchall® Etching Créme!!!

If you aren't familiar with this product - Etchall® is a REUSABLE, easy to use etching créme that creates permanent etched designs on large or small areas of glass, mirror, ceramic, porcelain, marble and slate. No curing, drying required... it just takes 15 minutes! CLICK HERE to read more about this fantastic product. I don't know how I've went on this long never having etched. I have a whole box of glass items I've collected from around the house that I want to etch designs into for home decor and gift-giving throughout the year.

The preparation is the most time consuming part, but since I'm doing a several at once - the process goes quick and easy... and it's FUN! 

This is a fun and easy project that can be done in under an hour. After opening compact from packaging and removing protective film, I cleaned off the bezel surface with rubbing alcohol and dried completely with a soft cloth. Then I cut a small square of Cricut Vinyl to fit over center of compact.

Using pick tool from Etchall® Glass Etching BEE-ginner Kit, I peeled backing from vinyl square and centered onto compact, and burnished down with squeegee tool {also included in kit}- pressing out any air bubbles from center outward. I selected a letter for a monogram and pressed onto the vinyl. I traced the letter onto vinyl with permanent marker, removed stencil and connected lines to fill in gaps. 

Now I'm ready for the hardest part... the cutting! I can cut fine freehand with an Xacto knife, but if you have one of these swivel knives in your studio stash - this is the kind of project that the swivel tool is made for. The swivel blade makes cutting curves so easy. 

I placed my compact on a paper towel to steady it, then as I started to cut, I rotate the compact - NOT THE KNIFE - as I follow the blade along the outline. I find it easier to cut towards myself as apposed to away. 

**A TIP** I recommend doing a test run with contact paper to get a feel for how you are most comfortable cutting vinyl before your finished project. Also to make sure you applied enough pressure to cut through material {it doesn't take much - but it's definitely different than cutting paper}.

After all lines are cut, I used the pick tool to gently pick up the letter and remove to expose the letter shape for etching. I go back and re-burnish to make sure all cut edges are sealed down.

**ANOTHER TIP** I did a dry run of this using contact paper in place of vinyl first. Though it did work, the edge of the edging was not as crisp and sharp as when done using the vinyl. I think it's because the tackiness of the contact paper allowed a bit of etching créme bleed under the edge. The result was fine - but I wanted to see for myself if there really was a difference in vinyl -vs- contact paper... the answer is YES. It's worth it to invest in the vinyl for crisp, sharp edges. 

Before adding etching creme, I add sections of contact paper around vinyl square to fully cover - adding plenty of overlap - to protect from any etching creme drips. It's pretty thick like pudding, but one can never be too careful when making a special gift.

Using the back end of a plastic fork, I placed an even layer of Etchall® Etching Creme to the exposed letter and set my timer for 15 minutes. The leftover creme on applicator goes back in the bottle. This little bottle of créme can be used over and over for loads of projects!!

With the etching créme evenly applied, I set the timer for 15 minutes and wait for the magic to happen.

TIMES UP!!!

With the back of my applicator, I gently scrape away the etching créme and it goes back into the bottle for reuse later. Now the IMPORTANT PART... LEAVE the VINYL and protective contact paper in place and completely wash away any remaining etching créme with water. You don't want to accidentally get any etching smears or fingerprints on the rest of the piece. Rinse under water and rub surface with your finger to ensure all is removed, then dry with paper towel. 

Now it's time for the REVEAL!! Gently peel back the contact paper and the vinyl letter stencil so you can reuse again {I place mine on a sheet of salvaged sticker backing sheet}. I love how the monogrammed letter has added dimension since this bezel is not only glass... it's also mirrored. 

This gift is done and ready for giving paired with a couple other girly gifts - a lip gloss and some bling! The compact was pretty enough by itself... but with the addition of a custom monogram - it's now so much more special and looks so expensive. I can't believe I did it myself. Even my husband was impressed!

Ready for some more last minute gift ideas??! Please hop along at each of the links below and be sure to take a moment to leave each artist a comment and some blog-love.

Einat Kessler {our Hostess} -- Perpetual Calendar 

Ola Khomenok -- Mini Album - Wallet  

Patti Hodder -- Old Fashioned Ornaments 

Kathy Clement -- Pop-Up Gift Card Holders

Alexandra Morein -- Interactive Flip Book 

Sandy Trefger  -- Mini Album Gift Card Holder 

Gloria Stengel -- Altered Notepads/Giftcard

Pam Bray -- Flower Packet Gift Card

Einat Alagem -- Shabby Chic Frame 

Keren Tamir -- DIY Christmas Ornaments  

Terry Ricioli -- Leather Leaf Earrings 

Katelyn Grosart -- Chocolate Gift Box  

Susan M. Brown {sbartist} -- Etched Monogram Compacts

Steph Ackerman -- Ornaments

Eileen Hull -- Sizzix Twist and Style Gift Tag

Rita Barakat -- Mixed Media Altered Items

Mahe Zehra -- Vintage Dictionary Art

You can enter to win some amazing holiday blog candy... a $100 Visa Gift Card! Please enter following the Rafflecopter instructions below. *The winner of the $100 Visa gift card will be announced on einatkessler.com on Sunday, Dec 25th. Good LUCK!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks for dropping by and I'd love to hear what your favorite last minute gift ideas are. Wishing you all a Happy Holidays and I'm off to Chicago for hopefully a white Christmas! xo Sb

** This is a sponsored post. Etchall® has provided products for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.