Designer Craft Connection - Party Decorations

Whether it be a birthday, anniversary, graduation, wedding or baby shower or any of the numerous holidays, decorations can be a big part of celebrating.

Special celebrations around here and for family usually give me a good reason for crafting something.  For the past few years one of my "go to" decoration have been banners.

Reversible Banner for Family Celebrations

Happy Birthday - Crafts n Things Weekly 9/11/2013

Congratulation - Crafts n Things Weekly 11/6/2013

For this months post, I will share many of my handcrafted banners.  In my own house there are at least three great spots to display banners.  There is at least one banner that is always hanging somewhere in the house.  So for any celebration make it a "Banner Day" for part of your decorating theme.

Start with decorative papers in any suitable color theme, use dies if they are available to you, pre-cut purchased shapes or design your own templates and hand cut shapes. Use purchased letters in sticker form or in chipboard for making your statement. Expand on materials to use and combine several different type to create more interesting banners - embellish and decorate away!  Start with a banner and expand on to other decorations for your themed celebrations.

******UP COMING CHALLENGE******

Sunday, July 13th come check out the blog hop.

A challenge with a number of designers showing

ways to use burlap in a variety of interesting ways.

There will also be an opportunity to win a prize

package of product worth $100.

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Paper Casting 3-D Shapes

While processing pulp for casting in molds for the last project, an idea came to try and sculpt a three-dimensional shape using the left over pulp.

Experimenting with crafting material of any kind just happens to be something I enjoy doing.  It's fun to push the limits of materials and play with combining products because that's how new techniques and ideas are created in my opinion.

I used wire mesh to form a simple body base for a dragonfly.  Two sizes of wings were cut from wire mesh.  NOTE: The mesh used was Amaco WireForm Metal Mesh.

The process I used to cover the mesh forms was to dip the pieces into the pulp that is in a shallow container.  Move the mesh shapes around in the container, lift the mesh pieces from the container and press some of the water out with your fingers.  Place the mesh covered pieces onto a board covered with a towel.  Use a sponge or toweling to continue to press the water from the shapes.  This process was repeated to continue to add a coating of the pulp to each shape.  NOTE: When repeating this, do it carefully to as to not add too much water, causing the pulp to wash away.  Small amounts of pulp were lifted with a fork and placed onto the mesh shapes to continue to add layers of pulp to cover the shapes.

Dry the shapes in between the layering in a toaster oven.  Once the shapes are covered to your liking, the pieces can be painted and finished before completing the dragonfly.

The body was first painted with black paint.  A combination of other metallic colors were carefully brushed on randomly.

The wings are painted with a white pearl paint and then brushed with a light coat of Ranger Ice Stickles for a bit more sparkle.

A hole was poked through the dragonfly body to add a wire for attaching.  Two bronze beads are added for eyes.  The wings are glued together  and then glued into place on the top of the dragonfly to cover the hole made for the wire, slightly overlapping them.  Shape the wings as desired.  NOTE: The wire mesh makes them easy to shape.

I attached the dragonfly to a "found" branch that is part of a wall arrangement in my front hallway.

I am sure I will attempt this process of working with pulp in the fashion again.  It's always fun to experiment and work on perfecting a process and discover new ideas.

Give papermaking and papercasting a try!

If you haven't tried paper making or paper casting go to the Arnold Grummer website and check out the products, ideas, videos and place an order using the code: SUMMER20 when placing an order.

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Simple Candle Embellishments

Summer time is here and it a time for sitting or dining outside. Candles always add a wonderful element to entertaining.

For this project I created some simple candles that can be used inside or outside for adding some glow to a summer setting.

Recycled jars make great candle holders but embellishing them with a little something extra makes them a bit special.

I made casting using the "dragonfly" casting molds with the cotton linter squares.  Follow  the directions to blend the squares with water in a blender, followed by pressing the pulp into the mold and removing water and then drying.  Instructions can be found in the package of the Linter Squares.

The casting are fine left the way they come from the molds but I chose to add some color to the images.  The dragonfly body was delicately painted with metallic paints.  The wings were coated with Glossy Accents glaze and then sprinkled with clear rock candy Distress stickles dry glitter.  Turquoise Perfect Pearls was brushed carefully onto the background area.  A touch of paint in a round the edges of the squares to finish it off.
I trimmed the squares with deckle decorative scissors.

A strip of wood grain paper ribbon is glued around the jars and the dragonfly square is glued to the center of the strips to complete the embellishing.

If you haven't tried paper making or paper casting go to the Arnold Grummer website and check out the products, ideas, videos and place an order using the code: SUMMER20 when placing an order.

Designer Crafts Connection - Handmade Gift Ideas

This month we are sharing ideas for handmade gifts.  It's funny that I had an actual reason to create something handmade to give to a friend yesterday, and I will be sharing what I made for this post.

Our quilt group was invited to visit the home of someone who helped us get our little group off and running several years back.   We were all invited to go and see her large collection of quilts and other quilt related pieces, as well as her personal creative space and the Gammill Long-Arm quilting machine.  

Front of card box

I will share a few photos of some of the stacks of quilts were had the opportunity to view.  She also shared several patterns with us.  We decided that we needed to once again work on a larger project, with a new application that none of us have tried before.  So Maureen graciously offered to once again to guide us through a new project.  

To show my "thankfulness" for this wonderful, inspiring visit, I wanted to make a little "handmade" something to give her.  

I created a box of note cards for her.  This is a small gift that anyone could make in their own variations, with tools they have available.  

Box back - stamp details

To make the set of eight cards I used blank white cards and matching envelopes.  For the colored cardstock cut-out design, I used a design for a card (#59910 - adapating the front) for my Silhouette machine.  Eight different colors of textured cardstock were used. To add a little contrast to the cut-out area, I used a blending tool and went over the area with coordinating Distress Inks.  I added a coordinating, decorative paper to the backside of these pieces.  Each of these were then glued to the the blank cards.  Another piece of each decorative paper was trimmed to fit into the envelopes for a liner paper.  

The box to hold them was also cut from a Silhouette file (#54224) using a kraft colored paper.

To decorate the box with a "quilting" theme, I used Ann Butler Faux Quilt design 2" stamps.  

Each design was stamped with clear embossing ink and sprinkled with Ranger Gold Pearl embossing powder.  Heat the powder with a heat tool.  Once all designs are stamped and embossed, I added inks over the images to off-set the embossed areas.  Use a blending tool to add the inks.  I used Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and Archival Potting Shed for shading.  Each of the squares were trimmed down to measure 1 3/4".  Cut two black panels of cardstock just 1/4" or so shy of the box front and back.  Glue the faux quilt squares onto the black card stock, leaving a little black show between the squares.

Add a pretty piece of ribbon for tying closed.  

NOTE: I created a small "thank you" card to attach using another image for a card from Silhouette.  I resized it to make it smaller.  Attach a decorative paper to the inside front of the card.  Add a little sprackle with some glitter.

There is something special about making and giving a gift created with your own hands! 

Now just a few photos of the absolutely beautiful array of handmade quilts -

That is just a small part of what we were treated to seeing!  Amazing!!!!!

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Red, White & Blue Banner

Banners can be a simple decoration to be used around the house for any occasion. Celebrate the beginning of the summer season on this Memorial Day, with this red, white and blue banner.  It can remain up as a decoration all summer long or all year long as a simple All-American sign.

To make this decoration, I made three sheets of paper for the base of each of the three pennants.  Using sheets of red, blue and white papers, I cut them into thin strips before processing in the blender.  The red and blue strips were pre-soaked.  I created a thicker sheet of each color using the pour method.  NOTE: I started with the white sheet. Use the water in the blender from the red and blue soaked paper shreds. Continued with the red and blue, cleaning all items used and changing water between the colors in the container.

Once the sheets are formed and dried, trim them each to measure 5 1/4" x 8".  I scanned and printed images from a "flag" book to be used on each of the pennants.  NOTE: Any images can be used, such as photos, drawings or other patriotic images.  The images were layered onto glittered card stock in coordinating colors before being attached to the handmade sheets.

Rosettes, in two sizes, were die-cut from vellum.  Discs and stars, as added embellishments are also die-cut from coordinating papers.  NOTE: Any embellishments of your choice can be used to decorate each pennant.

The three pennants are attached with tiny wooden clips onto a thin length of red, white and blue ribbon for hanging.

Go the Arnold Grummer website to place an order.  Use the code SPRING20 for a 20% discount.

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Paper Layers

Using a variety of papers, some handmade along with other types, then layering them creates a keepsake card.

Begin with a piece of white textured card stock that is cut and folded to make a card measuring 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  The next layer is a a patterned vellum, cut 1/4" smaller then folded card front.  All four sides of the card are trimmed with a deckle decorative scissor.   Glue onto card front with Zip Dry or a narrow double sided tape.  The next layer is a piece of hand made paper.  This piece was made by adding some dried leaf bits with stems.  The processing breaks these down but gives the paper some great texture.

The large butterfly started with another piece of plain handmade paper.  The paper is colored by spraying the paper with color spray.  NOTE: Use whatever method to color the paper.  If the method uses some form of rewetting the paper, press the paper an iron to help dry and smooth it.  Use a die-cut or a butterfly pattern of choice to cut the shape. Cut a butterfly body from a small piece of brown paper.  Cut a short length of wire, form it into a "V" shape.  With round nose jewelry pliers, twist the ends of both to make a slight curl.  Glue the wire shape onto the colored butterfly shape, then glue the brown paper cut-out over the wire and center of the lower shape.

To finish off the card, stamp a short verse onto a strip of ribbon and affix the ribbon on the card.

A casting, using the Arnold Grummer #704 butterfly mold,  was added to the card.  This casting was made with an epoxy resin material instead of paper.  The mold had been used several times to make casting with beeswax before making a casting with the resin product.  NOTE: To use the molds with resin I believe the molds need to be treated in some way to help release the resin.  Testing with an untreated mold was difficult to release.  The mold was placed in the freezer and then I used an X-acto knife blade to carefully lift the resin casting from the mold.  I used thinned Distress Paints to color the butterfly image on the casting then added a litter glitter glue around the image for some sparkle.

Check out the Arnold Grummer website for products and use the discount code SPRING20 for 20% off an order.

Designer Craft Connection - How Does Your Garden Grow

These days, my garden consists of small potted plants, hanging baskets, and container plants for the summer.  Space is limited now and I am beyond the work of a large garden, rose beds and perennial gardens.  Those are things I now enjoy at other locations, like the yards of my three children!

With Mother's Day just a few days away I crafted a floral pin that can be given as a gift.  

For the two flowers, begin with two pieces of fabric that are fused together with a double sided iron on interfacing.  (NOTE: Use something like Steam a Seam or Heat n Bond lightweight.)  Do the same with a green fabric for leaves.  The larger flower was die-cut, using Eileen Hull's Flower, Trinity die (658443), the smaller flower uses Scrappy Cat die, Flower, Rose 3-D (658504).  Leaves are cut using the medium and small size from Eileen Hull Leaves die (657119).  (NOTE: All dies are from Sizzix.)  

The edges of the flowers and leaves are shaded by applying some coordinating Distress Ink colors to the pieces.  Form the flowers according to directions of twisting them into the flower shapes and glue in place.  Iridescent beads are glued to the center of each flower.  Arrange them together as in the photo along with the leaves.  The assembled arrangement is glued onto a 1 1/2" circle of green felt.  Attach a pin back to the felt circle.  

The card background is cut using a Silhoutte Cameo.  The white card design is backed with small yellow circle to accent the centers of the corner flowers and then finished with a pink card stock cut to fit.  Punch two holes to hold the pin in place on the front of the card.  

Use the pin as an embellishment on a headband, a purse, or scarf for a little something extra!  As the saying goes - "Say it with flowers"!

Arnold Grummer's Papermaking - Remembering Mom

With Mother's Day just a couple weeks away, this special day became the inspiration for my latest project, using handmade paper and some casted elements to create a keepsake for a mother or grandmother or any special lady.

A variety of previously formed sheets of handmade paper were used to construct a mini album.  Three dimensional flowers are die-cut and colored from plain sheets of handmade paper and leaves are caste in a mold used for clay.

The base of the album was die-cut from tan chipboard. NOTE: I used Sizzix Scoreboard XL - Album Photo die, (#657122). The front cover uses a sheet of paper made from a mix of a brown paper lunch bag and white copy paper.  This mixture of paper creates a nice mottled look to the paper.  NOTE: This sheet is also die-cut to match the chipboard cover.  Glue this sheet to the chipboard cover.  Paint the back cover and binding piece with Vintage Photo Distress Paint.  Use Distress Inks to shade the edges of all pieces.  Use a strong double faced tape like "red tape" to put the album together, by attaching the front and back covers to the binding strip.  Create a page anchor by accordion folding a piece of paper 4" tall paper every 1/2".  NOTE: My piece was 4 1/2" wide, this will hold four pages.  Add one inch more for each additional page wanted.  Apply double sided adhesive to both ends of the accordion folded piece.  Adhere the ends flaps of this piece to the front and back covers.

For the insert pages I used other handmade sheets.  The pages are random widths.  I ran these through the Big Shot using the same album die, only trimming away the edge that will be attached to the binding.  The right edge is left with the deckle as formed when making the sheet of paper.  Glue each page onto a binding fold.

Flowers are formed from die-cuts. NOTE: I used Sizzix Bigz - Flowers, 3-D die.  Each flower is lightly inked with Distress Inks.  NOTE: I used Tattered Rose and Festive Berries.  Twist the flowers using tweezers to form and glue with hot glue to hold in place.

Leaves were caste in a Makin's Clay Leaves mold.  Trim away any excess paper and color each leaf with green Distress Inks.  With a small fine brush, paint the stem and veins with a green paint.

Form a bow for the edge binding with ribbon.  Glue the leaves and flowers in place in any pattern on the cover.  Die-cut letters to spell M-O-M and glue onto cover if desired.

Add photos or personal messages onto the pages.