July Welcome

Hi everyone.  Jan here with a fun upcycled bit of porch decor. 
I upcycled another side piece of a deconstructed shelving unit.  The Crackle background stamp from Mixed Media Supplies has always been a favorite of mine.  And even on this big piece, it added just the right touch. 
You'll need paint (Decor Art Multisurface satin- antique white, blue and red and dark gray - wrought iron)
Prep the wood -- I sanded to give the surface a little more tooth for the paint.
I used a based coat of Wrought Iron - let dry thoroughly.

Mark off sections for the "stripes" of color.  Dry brush your colors on.  Let a little of the dark gray wrought iron color show through.  Let dry.  If desired apply another light coat and let dry.

Base coat your letters, mine are 4 inches tall and about 1/4 in thick (Hobby Lobby) The star is about 6 inches in height and has some texture.  I basecoated with the antique white and then applied a coat of Krylon's Hammered copper paint (be sure to apply in a well ventilated area and let dry thoroughly.

Glue the letters and star to the painted base.  Let the glue dry.  For final touches, brayer a light coat of paint onto a portion of the crackle stamp, press lightly to the edges of the board as desired.  It's a nice touch and added just the right amount of texture.
Spray with several light coats of sealer, letting dry between coats.

Thanks for dropping by today and hope you'll set aside some time this week for some creative fun! Would love for you to stop by my blog to see more ideas using Mixed Media Supplies stamps and more. 

Love at Home

"There is beauty all around When there's love at home." *

I purchased some wood shaped houses a while back and I decided I would use them for this last post of May.

You'll need:Wood Houses in graduated sizes (Fun Stampers Journey)
Digital Journal Pages (Mixed Media Supplies)
Doily stencil
Digital photo editing program (Photo Shop Elements)
Digital cutting machine and software (Sizzix eclips2, eCal2)
American Typewriter (light) Font
Souffle Polymer Clay (Gold)
Modeling Paste
Acrylic Medium (or Gel Medium)
Gesso
Digital paper (This & That Collection from Echo Park)
Foam brush (1 inch)
Glossy Accents or Hot Glue Gun
Craft knife
Scissors
Xyron X with permanent adhesive
Sandpaper
eBrush, TB adapter
Tombow markers
Ink

Prep your wood. Apply a thin coat of Gesso and let dry.

This piece has an oops!  I started out doing a transfer and it didn't work out as planned -- so this piece has been sanded and a second light coat of Gesso was added.
Open your photo editing program and open the journal pages you want to use.  I created a new file and set the size to the same size as the largest house.  Copy and paste a small portion of the desired journal page into the new file as a new layer.  Using the Type Tool, create your text.  Adjust size if needed.   Repeat for the other two houses adjusting the size of the base layer.
Print the papers for the houses on copy paper.  Print the digital paper from the Echo Park collection on cardstock (110 lb). 

Using the acrylic medium, apply a thin coat to the wood and burnish the journal page prints to the houses.  Trim with the craft knife as needed.  Let dry.
Using the stencil and the modeling paste stencil on the largest house as desired.  You can repeat on the other houses if you'd like.  Let the modeling paste dry thoroughly.
With the eBrush, lightly spray some color around the edges of the houses.  You'll get some color on the modeling paste, but that is fine.
Using the cutting machine, cut the lettering using American Typewriter  as desired.  My lettering is just a bit over 1 in high.  Apply adhesive to the back of the lettering by using the Xyron X and permanent adhesive.  Apply to the houses. 

Soften the clay according to manufacturer's direction.  Use a texture plate and add a little texture to the clay.  Cut in to the heart shape using a cutter or a template.  Bake according to the manufacturer's direction.  Let cool.  Attach the heart using some Glossy Accents or hot glue gun.
Cut some strips from the digital paper.  Measure and trim as needed.  Using the ink or the eBrush, add a little color along each of the edges to soften the colors just a bit. Using some double stick tape, or glue, apply the "roof" to each house.

Here's a closer look at each of the houses.

Thanks for stopping by the Mixed Media blog today.  Have oodles of fun in your creative endeavors! Feel free to drop by my blog for more Mixed Media ideas! 

Prim Spring Bouquet

Hi Everyone! Jan here and back for a last post for March.  It's official!  Spring has arrived -- at least on the calendar.  We've even heard a few lawn mowers in the neighborhood in the last week or so -- hoping to see a few more sprigs of green and color in a few more days
I've wanted to do a hanging mason jar project for a long time... but just didn't get the right vibes until the tulips came to mind.  So let's get started.

You'll need:
cream colored brushed flannel (2 fat quarters or a 1/4 yard)
Tulip fabric dyes (green, orange, yellor)
tea (berry and black)
sewing machine
fiber fill
bamboo skewers
hot glue
wire cutters
board
screw
mason jar/with lid
twine
mica powder (Mixed Media Supplies)
filler (optional)
scissors
pattern (I drew my own)
gloves

Plan on working on this project for a couple of days.... First steps for me were

1) draw my patterns.  Be sure to allow a 1/4" seam for the flowers. 

2) I chose to make 3 different colored flowers... 3 in each color.  Cut three pieces of fabric large enough to cut 6 flowers from.  Remember you'll also need a piece for the leaves.

3) Mix the dyes as directed by the manufacturer.  I poured about an inch of mixed dye into a pint sized mason jar and placed the fabric  - one for yellow and one for orange.  In a third mason jar, steep a couple of bags of the berry tea.  Add the fabric.  In a 4th jar, add some green dye and place the fabric you've set aside for the leaves in that jar.  Let the fabric soak for about 30 minutes.  Using gloves, lightly wring the fabric.  I did not rinse the extra dye out of the fabric before air drying.  After the fabric has dried, heat set using an iron.  Use a towel to absorb any additional ink that may be released with the iron.  Begin with the lightest color first, then gradually work to the darker colors.  Set aside.  But you're not ready to cut yet.  You can return the leftover dye to their storage containers to use at a later date.  Clean the jars.

4) Steep 2 large bags of black tea.  Divide between the 4 jars and place a piece of fabric in each of the jars.  Allow to soak for about 20 minutes or until the fabric is sufficiently grunged.  Again, using gloves, wring the fabric.  Let dry.  Heat set the fabric again as described previously.

5)  Trace the patterns on the fabric and cut. You'll need two cuts for each flower and one cut for each leaf - I forgot to take a picture of the leaves.  OOPS!

6) Stitch each flower, wrong sides together using a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving about 3/4 " area unstitched to allow for turning.  Clip curves and corners and turn.  Set aside.

7)  Lightly stuff each flower with some fiberfill. 

8) If desired, "paint" the skewers green. 

9) Using the glue gun, apply a small bit to the base of the flower and attach to the skewer.  Repeat until all the flowers are attached.  Spritz each flower with a bit of Mixed Media Supplies mica powder mixed with water and let dry.
10)  Trim skewers if needed.  Glue a leaf to the skewer and repeat until all the flowers have been completed.
11) With the crop-o-dile, punch a hole on the ring on either side.  Thread some twine through the holes and tie off leaving enough to hang the mason jar from the hook in the board.
12) Arrange the flowers in the jar as desired.  Add filler if desired.  Spritz with a little more mica powder dissolved in water.  And you're done!

There's a little bit of shimmer on the flowers and leaves, but it's hard to catch.

I added a string of fairy lights to my bottle before adding the flowers.  They're easy to turn on and off and sure add a touch of whimsy to this prim bouquet.

Hope you have some creative time scheduled soon! Thanks for stopping by and joining in the fun this month... stay tuned, Debi's up next!

It's been a fun month of creating for me -- so stop by my blog for more . 

Spring Wreath

It's my turn today to start the week with some fun and bright flowers made using Mixed Media Supplies Digital Printable Journal papers from the shop. 

You'll need: 
Digital  Printable Journal papers from Mixed Media Supplies
dies*
die cutting machine*
Printer
copy paper
Micron Pen .01
Marker AirBrush*
3/4 " circle paper punch
markers*
Hot glue
Sapphire and Pearl Mica from Mixed Media Supplies
grapevine wreath

Download and print the journal page from Mixed Media Supplies using regular copy paper.  Using your favorite flower dies, cut an assortment of flowers and layers.  TIP:  Cut multiple layers at a time.  

Remove cuts from the dies, sort according to size.

If desired, add a doodled outline to the "petals" using the micron pen.

Punch a circle in the yellow paper for the stamens of you flower.  Fold in half, cut a small vertical slit in the fold.  On the arched area of the circle, make small cuts to form a fringe.  Unfold, and slide onto the brad,    Make one for each of the flowers that will be open flowers (not buds).

My wreath is a small wreath -- so I chose to use the smaller of the dies and create a small arrangement for the wreath. 

Cut a few leaves.  I used white card stock -- they need a little more body.  Color using the marker airbrush and colors as desired.

Add a spritz or two of pearl and sapphire mica to the edges of the flower petals and buds.  If desired, add a little pearl or gold mica to the leaves.
Secure the flowers and leaves on the wreath using a little hot glue.  Add any additional embellishments and fillers as desired.

Add a ribbon and hanger if desired. 


Thanks for stopping by the Mixed Media Supply blog today and I hope you'll be setting aside some #CRE8Time this month and every month!  Explore new ideas and new techniques! 

You'll also find additional information and ideas on my personal blog... feel free to drop by!

*Specific products used:
Sizzix Big Shot (you could also use an electronic cutting machine and files specific to your machine)
Spellbinders Rose Creations by Donna Salazar (retired?)
Craftwell eBrush and SN adapter
Spectrum Noir Markers