Shabby Chic Altered Monogram G

Howdy.  I hope you are having a great holiday weekend.  Please don't forget, to take a moment and thank those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, so you can enjoy your freedoms.   God Bless America!

I love to create, and make all sorts of items: cards, cakes, altered monograms, pies, altered art, gourmet dinners, and so much more!  I sell a fair amount of my crafts in my Etsy shop HERE.  And I will even create something special and custom for a client.   All you have to do is ask.  Easy Peasy.  Just let me know what  you like, what you hate, color(s), and any inspirational photos you may have. And that is exactly what I did for a special lady Lari.  She wanted a custom altered monogram, and sent me a photo of the space where it will go, and viola!  Here is what I did:

I covered the naked letter with this beautiful green and pink pattern paper.  I painted the letter a white-cream color.  And then added pretty little details!  There is a piece of pink cotton ruffle material.  And then a double white cotton ruffle material.   I tied a piece of pale pink seam binding around the letter, and made a triple bow.  I tied a white button to the bow with thin silver tinsel.  I tucked a flat back faux pearl and button at the bottom.  I tucked in a white resin frame, just above the bow.  I added white paint and glitter to the pink paper blossom, and then adhered it inside the frame.  I tucked in a little white tulle and pearls.  I painted a metal bird with white paint and dipped it into some glitter.  I took a piece of sand paper and distressed the bird a bit.  I adhered the bird to a stick pin, and tucked him in behind the frame as well.  I added a vintage button and another flat back faux pearl.   I added a trio of flat back faux pearls to the leg of the G.  

This is a custom order from my Etsy shop.  Distressed, vintage, shabby chic, feminine, and just plain pretty!  I have several different letters with slightly different looks.  If you don't see what you are looking for, just convo me, and give me the opportunity to create something one-of-a-kind, and unique just for you!   I don't charge more for custom orders.  Just ask that you give me a week, to create something beautiful just for you!

Rag Quilt Insert

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you are well.  And don't forget to give Thanks to those military personnel who have sacrificed and who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy today!  {a moment of silence to say 'thanks' and say a prayer}

I have been working on my 'bed spring light' over the weekend.   I have the frame, which was shown earlier this month.  But, I was struggling with what to put behind the bed springs.  And I believe that I have it figured out!  (yeah!)  I recently purchased this gorgeous Rachel Ashwell shabby chic fabric, and some linen in a light kraft color and a dark brown-copper color.  I believe that I will be mixing all of them.  {smile}

I took the shabby chic fabric, and the light kraft linen fabrics, and cut them into scallop squares.  I also added some cream colored battling between the two fabric pieces.  Made little 'sandwiches' and sewn them together.  

shabby chic fabric squares

I sewn a simple X across each scallop square 'sandwich'.  Then I sewn the squares together in each row.  And then, the rows were sewn together.

Finally, I used super sharp scissors to cut snips in the fabric between the blocks, and machine washed this piece again, to help 'fluff' the snipped fabric between the squares.

Yes, the finally piece has the blocks in a different order. {frown}  Unfortunately, I was doing other 'things' while putting the rows together, and didn't realize I had the bottom two rows switched. {frown}  And now, that I am looking at this photo, I realize that I have two of the same blocks in the same row.  What the heck!  Well, this is the final piece.  I will not be making any changes.  Remember (or at least, this is what I am telling myself) a section of rusty bed springs, with lights will be sitting right on top of this piece.  I created this rag quilt piece to help give the 'bed spring light' a shabby chic, feminine look.  Hopefully, (fingers crossed) that with the bed springs, lights, drag chain, and chandelier crystals on top of this  piece, will distract your eye, and you won't notice the two pink ruffled squares in the same row.

Please stay tuned.  I will be going into town today, to pick up some globe lights for this piece.  The chandelier crystals should arrive around the middle of June; so a few weeks away.  But, I am planning on adding the chandelier crystals after the bed springs and lights are 'attached'.  I'm getting closer to being done!

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great day, be safe, and take some time to craft something!

    

Cream & Gold Fabric Strip Banner

Howdy!  I'm having a lot of fun, and excited to share with you another fabric strip banner.  This one is a little more elegant.  I used all neutral colors: cream, vanilla, white, beige, taupe, brown, and gold.
I also used a variety of textures: linen, cotton, satin, sequin, and chiffons.

The particulars:  I used five different, but beautifully coordinated fabrics: taupe polka dot, beige diamond pattern, gold foil polka dot, cream, and gold sequin fabric.  I just love how pretty and elegant these look together!  This hand-tied fabric strip banner is 4feet wide.  There is 18 inches of twine at each end to make it easy to secure this banner.  The strips measure approximately 10 inches long.
So, I added some pretty trims {smile}.  I added a brown natural cotton wired ribbon.  I just love the texture that it adds.  I also added three different but beautiful laces: antique gold, cream floral, and white lace.  For the ribbons, I added two different satin ribbons: beige and vanilla striped.  I also added gold sequin trim and white rosette trim.  I love how the stripes and polka dots work so well together.  {smile}

Use this hand-made, homespun banner to dress-up a window, a headboard, a wall, or crib, etc.  You can also use this decorative piece to decorate your next party!  Hang this banner at the edge of a cake/gift table, use as a backdrop for the cake table, or photo booth!  Let the pinks and purples add that special girl-y touch to your next birthday party/tea!
This banner has been added to my Etsy shop, HERE.  This beautifully hand-tied fabric banner is ready to ship, but if it doesn't sell soon, you can see it in person at this year's Trash to Treasure Trunk Show @ Nativo Lodge in Albuquerque, NM on Jan 23, 2016.

Glacier Painted Tin

Howdy!  I want to share a craft I am making for my upcoming Arts & Craft Fair in a few weeks.  For those who follow me, I love vintage country chic.  And I love sharing what I create.  So, this craft fair is the perfect venue just for that {smile}.

Let me warn you now.  This craft takes a few days.  But, I believe it is well worth it {smile}.  I think if it can be crafted in 10 mins or less, it doesn't really have any heart.  [Let me apologize for those of you, who love 10m in challenges.]

To begin, I took a plain, hinged lid tin.  Its the size of an Altoid tin, but without the metal embossing. I used my chalk paints to give this plain tin some dimension.  I first painted Burlap chalk paint.  Let it dry for 8 hours*.  Then I painted Cotton chalk paint over that.  Let it dry 8 hours.  Then I painted Glacier chalk paint.  Let it dry 8hrs.  Then, I let the whole tin cure for 24hours**.  

[*I live in the desert, so my drying time is shorter than those living in another part of the country.  Typically chalk paint needs to dry for up to 24hrs.]  

[**curing time allows to the paint to bond to the surface.]

Now comes the fun part - distressing!  I took a sanding block and sanded the whole tin.  I allowed the sanding block to dictate where I would distress more.  It felt more random and natural for me to do it this way.  For the dry distressing, I used two different grits of sand paper to distress smaller areas.  I also did a wet distressing for finer paint removal.

You will have to look close.  But look close.  The larger patches on the top are NOT sanded down to the metal.  Thats Burlap chalk paint peeking through.  Also, there are some small patches were the (white) Cotton chalk paint is peeking through.  There are a few places were I distressed down to the metal.

Ok, now I need to seal what I did in the distressing.  So, I sponged on the sealant.  Let it sit for  20 mins, and then took a cloth and buffed it.  Now it needs to sit for 24hours to cure.  This project will test your patience.  But all good things take time.  Also, if you start on Friday after work, you should be able to complete one by Sunday evening. {smile}

Because I couldn't wait for my curing time, or to take a photo, the top is not actually complete.  The paper and embellishments are just placed on top of the tin for photographing.  I will actually adhere them later today, after the sealant has cured.

I took a scrap piece of stacked pattern paper, and tore all the way around the piece I wanted.  I sponged the edges with Corduroy distress ink by Ranger.  I added a scrap piece of aqua crochet trim.  Tied a vintage vanilla button with kraft twine.  I love how vintage, aged, and sweet this tin turned out.  It looks like something you would find on your grandma's farm.  Tucked away in the attic, or lost in the barn. {smile}

The inside is a little prettier.  I used Corner Shop pattern paper collection by Tilda.  I love the aqua pattern paper in that collection.  Some of these pattern papers look like vintage wall paper, while others are just sweet and gorgeous!  Let's take a look:

I used my 1/2" corner rounder to make the corners fit a little better.  I left the bottom empty.  So, no matter what you place inside, it will fit {smile}.  I used pattern papers that have this glacier/aqua color in them, to coordinate with the outside color.  

For the inside of the lid, I took a scrap piece of pool party seam binding and some white crochet trim and machine stitched them to the pattern paper stack.  Then I tied a trio of buttons with cream twine.  The buttons are adhered to the lid with hot glue, so they will lay as flat as possible, and hopefully don't get pulled off {fingers crossed}.

Thank you for looking.  So far, I have three Glacier painted tins and two Shell (a pale, soft pink) painted tins.  I haven't quite decided if I am going to paint more, or simply decorate them with pattern paper.  If I paint them, I need to start painting very soon.  Hmmmm.  But I will post a few photos of them once I have them completed. Look for these little cuties for sale at my next craft show @ La Cueva High School, in Albuquerque, NM, on Saturday May 2, 2015.

Spring Birthday, Card

~ photo heavy post ~

WOW!  I have been busy crafting, and that always makes me happy {smile}.  I have also been busy cooking/baking!  Another happy chore!  So, lets get right to the paper craft you have come to see {smile}.  Today, I am entering a card in a few four paper crafting challenges.  Some of these challenges are new to me, and some are favorites {smile}!

For the sketch, I stopped by the Retro Sketch Challenge site.  They always have easy to use sketches, and the inspiration from the design team is always great to look at {smile}.

Then I stopped by a 'new to me' recipe challenge site:  Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge.  Their current challenge is : R#218 Pastel Shades.  Now, if you know me, I can do this {smile}!

I also stopped by another 'new to me' challenge site:  Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge.  Their currently challenge is: Girly.  Now, I can do girly very well, if I say so myself!  And I love their quote: 'less is more . . . but more is better'.  LOVE IT!   Because if you know me, I love embellishments and layers!

And my last stop is by a favorite challenge site, that I have to admit, I don't play very often with: Crazy 4 Challenges.  Now, don't let that discourage you.  These ladies are super talented and they have some very fun, and creative challenges.  I just, well, kinda get side tracked.  But check out this 'still open' challenge:  Put On A Bow!  Now, if you know me, I love bows.  I put bows on almost everything I make, and not just a simple bow, but my favorite multi-loop bows!

Ok, so with all of this inspiration! and creativity! HERE is what I made:

Recipe:  I started with white card stock by Paper Trey Ink.  They make some of the best heavy weight card stock in the industry.  

The two pattern papers are from a craft company LemonCraft, in Poland.  The paper collection is called Heart Painted.  It is a collection of sweet, floral, vintage-y papers in green, pinks, polka dots, music sheets, and text.  Yes, a treasured purchased {smile}.  I added a strip of wide cream lace between these two pretty pattern papers along the left side of the card. 

So, I used a thread cutter to rough up the edges of the two pattern papers, and in doing so, I had a heavy hand on a small section of each paper.  I added a scrap piece of music paper to fill the 'hole'.  I then I inked them with crumb cake classic ink, by Stampin' Up!  I just love their products!  Great quality and beautiful production!  

I'm a big fan of sewing on cards, and so I did a double messy border stitch along the smaller pattern paper.  I made sure not to stitch over my tear {smile}.  I think machine stitching always adds such a 'home-spun' look, and helps elevate the craftsmanship.  (my opinion)

I had three small scraps of some of my favorite trims sitting on my craft table.  And you know me!  "Use what you have!"  So, I machine stitched the tulle ruffle piece under the cotton trim piece first.  And then machine stitched the white thin crochet piece over them {smile, love it}.  I purposefully left the top of the cotton trim peeking out over the crochet trim.  I also used the edge of my scissors to help 'un do' the cut edges.

I made a double bow with some cream cotton twine from Paper Trey Ink.  I just love this stuff!  And then I made a double bow out of some pale pink seam binding.  But, it looked too pink for this card.  (hard to believe anything could be 'too pink'.)  So, I had a left piece of light cream seam binding sitting on my craft table, so I tied a bow around the pink  double-bow, to create this triple-bow piece.  I think that the light cream seam binding helps soften the look, and adds a little neutral to the pink.

I took off the legs of a vintage pearl brad, and used glue dots to adhere the brad top to the bow collection.  And then I added a clear crystal dangle in the bottom of the multi-loop bow collection.

I pulled out two small pink and white paper blossoms.  I added white paint to their pink petals, and some glitter.  And adhered them to the top of my sweet bow collection.

For the sentiment, I stamped the piece onto shimmer white card stock by Stampin' Up! in versa mark ink.  I added some pale pink embossing powder and heat embossed this piece.  I added some foam tape to the back and adhered it to a scrap piece of very vanilla card stock, by Stampin' Up!.  I fussy cut the very vanilla piece by hand, and used a photo corner punch to make the banner ends.

I actually finished the inside of the card.  I took a piece of whisper white card stock and matted it with some blushing blossom card stock, both by Stampin' Up!, and did a little machine stitching and some hand stamping {smile}  Hoping these two steps would show some cohesiveness of the card front and inside.

Well, thank you for visiting, and getting the scoop on my creation.  Now, I need to get this card in the mail.  Yeah, it is actually going to someone special.  Sorry if you were looking to purchase this card out of my Etsy shop, HERE.  {frown}  I hope you have been inspired, or motivated to play along in any of these challenges!  All of them are great, creative, and inspiring on their own, too!