All is Calm Christmas Canvas

Hello again! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, or have found some excellent Black Friday deals. I'm only shopping online this year, so I won't see you out there!

I love the snow.  I really love being in a quiet snowy place and I cannot think of a more peaceful setting.  This was the feeling that I was thinking of when I put this canvas together.

I used wood laser cuts from Unique Laser Designs on this canvas. The Swirly Christmas Tree was lightly brushed with gesso, leaving some of the wood bare.  I wanted to make the tree look like it was snow covered.  After the tree was dry I gave it some green ink. 

 The reindeer was given two separate coats of embossing powder.  The body, head, and ears were covered in a translucent powder and the antlers were covered in gold glitter embossing powder.  The reindeer is shiny and sparkly, but you're going to have to take my word for it.

If you're going to be brave and go shopping today, take a deep breath and remember "All is Calm."  May it bring you a moment of peace.  Good luck out there!

Shameless plug for my sponsor:

ULD also has a Black Friday sale.  Click here to check them out!

Happy Life Wooden Tag

Hello friends!

I have a small project to share with you today. I decorated one of Unique Laser Design's wooden tags. The tags come as a set of three, so I culled one from the herd.

The tag was given a layer of gesso, then sprayed with various mists while the gesso was still wet. I then immediately misted parts of the tag with water so the mist would look marbled. After the tag was dry, I inked a stencil on the left side. The rub-ons were added next.

I cut out paper embellishments and glued them down with gel medium.  I must have really enjoyed the gel medium, because I decided to add it over the whole tag.  Remember to use a dabbing motion when adding gel adhesive over dye ink because it will smear with your brush strokes. Once the gel had been applied, I sprinkled micro-beads over the tag. When micro-beads are applied the only sensible thing to do is add another layer of gel medium to seal those little guys in! I also gave the curly tree embellishment micro-bead treatment.

The tag was finished off with the Curly Tree laser cut, also from ULD; flowers and ribbon. Thanks for stopping by and having a look!

Vintage Keepsake Box

Hello! Today I have a box that I altered to share with you. You will have to forgive me because I dug into (again!) my favorite paper stash. Graphic 45 has the perfect paper to use for altered items that will be displayed around your home.

I knew I wanted a vintage feel to my box, then I decided to make it masculine. I imagined what sort of things a boy might collect in this box. I just moved that collection to the top of the box.

The patterned papers were trimmed to fit the sides and top of the box. I inked the edges and applied the papers to the box. I sealed the papers with matte soft gel, because I used dye ink; I did not want the ink to come off on fingers as this piece is meant to be handled. I trimmed the flourish laser cuts,  I cut one flourish in half so it could work like a latch. Flourish B's flowers were removed. I painted the latch and corners. The corners were painted black with my eyes shut (on purpose), and I was able to ink the bare spots brown.  

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my altered keepsake box. Have a great day!

Fairies and Flowers

Fairies and flowers are made for each other.  Beautiful flower gardens are made to attract fairies, attendance by birds, bees, and butterflies are just a happy side effect.

I put together this mini album with the idea of using this cute fairy from Unique Laser Designs.  I think she is so sweet!

Again I have paired this embellishments with a Graphic 45 collection.   I usually refer to G45 as "the big guns."  Does anyone else feel this way?  This time I used Secret Garden.  I thought the fairy would be perfect with that collection and I had enough supply to build a mini album.

I started my fairy just like one of my Unique Laser Designs design team members had.  (We are like crafty twins separated at birth! And her name is Lea.  Lee and Lea!  See her fairy here.)

I applied gesso to the fairy's wings and dress, but not on her "skin" as I wanted to leave the warmth of the wood to come through the paint.  I then painted the fairy with Lindy's Magicals.  I love these paints!

The other laser cuts I used are "Border Swirl D," which come in a pair.  These were painted with Distress Ink, then topped with Glossy Accents.  I would have added more chipboard, but I had to be able to close the album.

Now let's see if you can watch the whole album!

Thanks for stopping by!