Special Announcement

We have been trying to determine how to make a very special announcement since October, however, we are all soooooooooo busy getting January samples ready for new product releases on HSN and for the upcoming CHA show and that we simply forgot to tell you that I have become a part of the Anna Griffin Design Team - yes it is wonderful!  To celebrate with you, here are a few of my Christmas samples previously released.  Please go to both HSN for products and to Anna's blog for sneak peeks of the January 21st show and chances to win beautiful new products!

I look forward to sharing MANY samples and ideas with you in the New Year, updated graphics, bells & whistles on this blog, and wish you the very merriest of holidays!  Best always - K

Noel Vignette Box

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season - it is my pleasure to share with you detailed finished photographs and instructions for a piece featured in this years Somerset Holidays and Celebrations, one of my favorites:

For many years I have been a miniature enthusiast so the concept of combining small "left over" boxes from Tim Holtz Configurations (thank you Paula Cheney!) appealed to me and could be used in any themed project, filled with whatever your hearts desire, even saved memorabilia pieces from past celebrations, then displayed as home decoration, framed as a art piece or given as a wonderful memories gift to family and friends.

This vignette uses a diecut frame on the top along with the Noel diecut greeting, filled with a handmade cabin, trees, gifts and diecut village in the background.  I chose blue as my holiday color since I live in Florida, but pick your pleasure, let your imagination soar and enjoy!

To secure the small boxes, I use Ranger Multi Medium Matte brushed onto the box sides, hold them together with small binder clips, then wrap a large rubber band around to keep them straight as they dry. There are many combinations - remember these can be art framed in shadow boxes if desired rather than chipboard framed as shown.  This example is not the one I used but shows you the process.  Set aside to dry before decorating.

After assembled boxes are dried together, measure and cut papers to cover the sides and back, adhere with Multi Medium.  I used coordinating papers from Tim Holtz "Seasonal" paper stash.

In this project, a heavy chipboard frame is cut to fit over the boxes, the one used is a book cover with trimmed ends (shown in photo below).  You could easily create your own by measuring the outside of the boxes and adding however many inches you want the top width to be then depending on the size, hand trim a decorative top with craft knife OR diecut using a Sizzix On The Edge pattern. Measure to cut the inside of the frame with at least a 1/8" overlap onto the top edge of the boxes - the frame has to have something to sit on and be glued to.  When the frame is completely cut inside and out, cover with a medium to heavy coat of Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint - Clear Rock Candy and set aside to dry.  After completely dry, use Broken China and Tumbled Glass Distress Paints to colorize crackle. Please refer to instructions in CC3C Challenge 14 (below in this blog) and Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Volume III on how to paint and complete the crackle finish frame.

Now you want to cover the inside of the boxes - measure and cut papers to fit - glue in with Multi Medium - cover edges with tissue tape.  I do not like to reinvent the wheel and there are multiple instructions and measurements available on these boxes - use either Tim Holtz or Paula Cheney blogs for details, YouTube also has videos.  TIP - if tissue tape is not stuck down after drying, brush on more Multi Medium under and over to secure - dry.  Broken China Distress Ink was used to color over all tissue tape edges.

All boxes have a "piece" of the Sizzix On The Edge - Townscape diecut in the background - cut out of chipboard - Distress Paint with Broken China - dry - ink edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink - glue a small piece of yellow paper to the back to give appearance of lighted windows - create a shadow in the windows using Frayed Burlap Distress Marker - set aside to add snow later with other pieces then "elevate" with foam dots and glue into back of box before adding other elements.

The left side box has a small idea-ology Woodlands tree, colored with Evergreen Bough Distress Stain - again, please see Tim Holtz blog or YouTube video for this process - dry - add snow (instructions below) then glue on bead ornaments and top with a small Mirrored Stars.  Small gift packages can be made or found in store miniatures departments or online.

The center box has a handmade chipboard cabin - draw and cut to size for fit.  I used Brushed Corduroy Distress Paint on cabin, roof and chimney, woodgrain detail and stone chimney with Walnut Stain paint, wreath and garland with Peeled Paint - highlights in Antique Linen paint.   Add a painted wood look frame around a square yellow piece of paper for front window.  Cut the top off another Woodlands tree (it is smaller) then spray stain and decorate for the side.  NOTE - after snow has been added and cabin glued into place, add a bit of "smoke" coming out of the chimney with fibers from a cotton ball - pinch a small amount of fiber from a cotton ball and glue into the chimney - dry - add a tiny bit of glossy accent to the inside top of the box and pull the fibers to the top to glue - dry.

The right side box has several branches of Tim's NEW Pine Twine Garland inserted into the box side by punching a small hole with a Tonic craft pick or awe - add a drop of glossy accents - insert branch wire into the box side - dry.  The wire will allow you to shape after dry. Ornaments were cut from a matching small paper print, then coordinating Stickle glitter was used and finally glossy accents used to secure ornaments to branches.  Gifts are from same package as on left side box.

IMPORTANT ASSEMBLY NOTE - the following directions are for two types of snow - your choice - which HAS TO BE ADDED to houses & trees before they are glued permanently into place AND before the "groundwork" snow is added.

SNOW - two types were used on the original box - Spackle snow from a jar was applied with a palette knife (you could use a disposable craft stick) to the roofs on the background Townscape, the cabin roof, smokestack and patted on the dry stained trees - dry. NOTE - do not add snowy "groundwork" to boxes until houses and trees are glued securely in place and completely dry.  The original "groundwork" snow in each box was made using a piece of crumpled white tissue paper - patted and glued into and around the bottom, then more glue was added on top of tissue and dry snow flakes were patted into the tissue to clump and stick.

NEW METHOD of making SNOW - using Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Stickles Dry Glitter - Clear Rock Candy and glossy accents in an approximate ratio of  3 glitter to 1 glossy - mix together in a small plastic cup with a wood craft stick - if it is too liquefied, ADD more glitter, it should be a fluffy consistency - if it is not sticking together at all, add more glossy accents - after mixing use the craft stick to pat into place in and around areas to be snow covered - dry thoroughly.  After dry - boxes were gently tapped from the back over a trash can to remove any loose flakes, spackle or glitter.

Cut TWO "Noel" diecuts and paint with Adirondack Silver metallic paint - dry - cover ONE with Distress Silver glitter - dry.  Position and glue the glittered diecut to the top of frame - dry.  The second diecut is optional, however, it will hopefully keep the Noel piece from breaking off since it has many openings and details.  Position the second diecut from the back and pencil mark and cut to match the top of the frame, then glue to the back of the first diecut (photo below, this reinforces the glitter diecut and thickens it to the width of the frame - touch-up paint in silver if needed.

To create the window, use either Bazzill "Plastic Paper" OR heavy laminate sheet OR a piece of packaging, measure box top size to include 1/4" overlap on edges - in other words, you want the plastic to be larger than the hole you cut out of the chipboard frame or it will fall through.  I used Glossy Accents to glue plastic top to boxes - dry flat - then glue the frame on top of the plastic - dry flat.

Since this box was made, Tim Holtz released rub-on snowflakes to use and finish!

Thanks for stopping by, please leave comments and come back soon - K

Christmas Necklace

I am pleased to share a detailed photo and the updated version of a necklace recently featured in Somerset's Holidays and Celebrations, adding the NEW Tim Holtz idea-ology Adornments - Tidings Tokens, Numbers filled with Stickle colors and the Snowflake with a bit of red Stickle.  Please enjoy and start your own yearly edition to a holiday wearable.  Happy Holidays always!    K

  

Wallflower Jewelry

I am pleased to share two of my jewelry pieces featuring Tim Holtz Wallflower papers in the latest edition of Belle Armoire Jewelry released on December 1st by Stampington & Company:

                

I have always been intrigued by shadowboxes, especially really small ones that would be appropriate for jewelry pieces - thus - a Tim Holtz idea-ology watch body or the Spellbinders "A Gilded Life" series that was introduced this past year is perfect for using small prints and those in back of a paper stash pack.  I was inspired by a sample in his 2014 CHA booth and look forward to working with the new 2015 papers as well.

Begin with the watch body, remove the metal backing plate to use only as a pattern, then lay the open part of watch on a sheet of plain paper and draw a pattern around the outside edge - remove pattern and save to use in later step.   With open side of watch down, center, stack and glue (as shown in photo below) three gear parts to glass and metal watch frame using Ranger glossy accents or a good jewelry glue to secure - dry flat.  TIP - when gluing jewelry parts together, use only a LITTLE BIT of adhesive as too much will run out from the edges and look messy - if this happens, use your finger nail & soft cloth (old T-shirt) to clean up immediately as later chipping off dry adhesive from glass & metal is risky.

Using the metal watch back as a pattern, select and cut a paper circle to fit inside the watch body, sign and date the back before placing against the glass, you may also wish to distress ink the edges. Secure the background paper circle with tiny dots of glossy accents around the inside of the watch - it is best not to glue paper against the glass backing as it will create a mess - trust me on that one! Select two or three of the same small paper print to cut apart for your scene inside the watch. Fussy cut apart and separate the paper print - in this case the flowers and leaves - shape the paper using rounded cuticle stick or simply your fingers - glue only center or end parts of the back of the shaped prints into the watch body on top of the background print with glossy accents OR a heavy bodied paper glue - dry flat.  TIP - before gluing in the paper parts, use Tim Holtz Distress ink markers to colorize the edges, creating illusion of reality and "covering" the white edges of the paper - it really does make a difference in the appearance of the project - try it on a scrap piece.

Tiny rhinestones were added to the flower centers - you can find the small ones on "blinged" alphabet sheets, pick them off the backing and color with alcohol inks to match paper prints then glue into the flower centers with Ranger glossy accents - dry flat.  When interior is dry, reshape paper pieces as desired.

To enclose, cover and protect the contents of the shadowbox, use your paper pattern to cut a piece of heavy plastic (Bazzill plastic paper) to cover the open area - use glossy accents around the top edge of the watch body frame to secure - dry.  The scalloped framed accent covering top edge is made using Ranger Sticky Back Foil sheets, cut to width of 1/2" then trimmed on one edge with small scallop decorative scissors - remove paper backing and gently work around the frame edge - 1/2 of the foil covers the plastic edge and the other half goes onto the watch body.  After secure, use a bit of Black Soot Distress paint on your finger, smear over the foil to dull and grey to match watch color - wipe off excess - dry.

Colorize metal adornments or charms with alcohol inks - dry - attach to the gear parts with jump rings.  NOTE - the  heart and type charms have been "filled" with a piece of the same small print paper in the Wallflower paper pad.  The small metal piece of a flower adornment actually broke off a larger piece I had already colored, so I glued it on top of the heart charm.  I used two link chains for the necklace with stations of colored crystals, add your closure and you are done:

The Wallflower bird necklace also uses small paper prints in the back of the pad, match size to the piece you are working on. The beauty of using the Spellbinders frames is having their exact matching dies to cut the background papers AND included clear top to drop on and finish the enclosure.

Instructions for this piece are basically identical to those above, however, I added real bird feathers under the layers of the wings to enhance and a dot of glossy accents to their eyes.  The butterfly has been glued in the center to the very top and alcohol ink colored rhinestones have been added to the outside frame.   

I do hope you have enjoyed these selections and will comment on the blog and share this site. 

Thanks so much for stopping by - see you soon with some new holiday goodies!     K