simple dreams

Waiting for Santa Letterpress Tray - Part 3, Altering Doilies

Thank you to all who have been leaving your love and comments in various locations on the internet and thanks to Webster's Pages for featuring this project on their Inspire Me website. If you love Webster's Pages I would highly recommend joining their Ning site for inspiration! I'm not certain if you will be able to view the page I have linked you to above if you are not a member, but becoming a member has been something I have really enjoyed.

As you probably have figured out by now I love the classic elegance and diversity of the Webster's Pages line of products and will do my best to always keep their items stocked in our store.

Now on with today's how-to complete the tray post.

Doilies, doilies, doilies... yes, I have always loved them, even before they became all the rage. Now that they are we have put together collections of various assortments for you to select from. Altering the color of the doily is SO easy!

Two of the easiest methods of altering the color of the doily are with the ink blending tool and/or misting sprays. For this project I actually combined the two looks.

It is important to work carefully with your ink blending tool. Typically I will start off my paper and swirl on to the paper when using this tool, but with the delicacy of the edge of the doily I need to work blending from the interior outwards.

The final step was lightly spritzing with Sweet Clover Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

Today I also want to share how you could get a "2-for-1" when spritzing and use your doily as a mask. As well I would like to introduce you to the new Ranger Perfect Pearls Mists. The beauty of the Perfect Pearls Mists comes in the mixing. Ranger has done a FANTASTIC job of thinking through the mixing process by placing a little "mixer" contraption in the bottle. It takes a LOT less swirling to mix these bottles, for which I am a grateful girl :-D

As you can see in the photo above the coloring of these mists is quite transparent. If you are familiar with Glimmer Mist products and want a similar look it is extremely simple to put a slight amount of the Perfect Pearl Mist into a Mini Mister and then add a squirt of your Distress Reinker to colorize it. Double click on the photo above to see the variation between the simple Kiwi and the mix of Kiwi and Bundled Sage.

When spritzing to add color to your doily you can use it as a mask for an upcoming project. I selected one of the beautiful Webster's 6x6 pages and placed my lacey doily in position in the upper right hand corner of the paper. To hold it in place I simply used my Craft Assistant and a couple of small magnets. This helps to ensure getting a more crisp definition on my masked doily. As you can see I opted to leave the doily in place and dry the mist with my Heat It tool. Yes, I'm a girl who likes to work fast - LOL!

One of my pet peeves when working with "wet" materials is the curling of my paper. Problem solved with the tip below.

TIP: I am fortunate to have a slightly rounded edge on my work surface. By pulling my paper gentley back and forth over this edge in the opposite direction I am easily able to flatten it back out again :-D

I would like to once again remind you that if you are looking for the supplies that I used in the creating of this tray please visit this post.

It's a beautiful, record breaking, sunny day here in Seattle and so I have a grin from ear to ear as I look out the window and prepare to take Jasper for his little lunch break stroll. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you for a few more techniquey posts regarding this tray in the next couple of days!

"BOO" Your Neighbor --- It's a Good Thing!

This activity has been one my family has REALLY enjoyed, especially when my girls were a little younger than they are now ;-D It is always so much fun to hear the laughter as they tell their get away stories and it just feels good to bring this little "tradition" to other families.

Here at work I started asking the others if they had ever "Boo'ed" their neighbors. They gave me the funniest look when I asked this question. I then realized that everyone but Cathy had no clue what I was talking about! Thank you for sharing your poem with us Cathy (I couldn't find mine - insert pink cheeks here).

BOO!

The Phantom Ghost has come to call, and left some goodies for one and all.

The Treats that came with this special note, are yours to keep, enjoy them both.

The fun comes when friends like you, will copy this and make it two.

Then others here among our friends, will give warm puzzles that will not end.

We'll have smiles upon our face, no one will know who boo'ed whose place.

Just one short day to work your fun, or a big zap will strike, so run!

And don't forget a nifty treat, like something cute or something sweet.

Please join the fun, let's really bear it, and spread some boos and a kind spirit.

So here is what you do:

1. Make two fun "ghostly" tags,
2. Make two copies of the attached BOO! poem and stamp some fun images around the corners: Download Boo Poem
3. Fill two bags with a couple of treats,
   
4. Place a copy of the BOO! poem in each bag,
5. Secretly deliver to two neighbors or friends,
6. Watch the excitement grow :-D

Above are just a couple of close-ups to help you replicate this design if you choose. I had so much fun masking, aging, texturizing... I hope to share the how-to's for all these fabulous techniques soon :-D

stamps: Stampers Anonymous Winter Sketchbook, Hero Arts ClearDesign Frightful

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink - Vintage Photo and Tea Dye; Copic Markers

paper: Manila Tags, #10 (X-Large), Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante 8x8

accessories: Sizzix DIes - Rickety House and On the Fence; Texture Fades - Bricked and Wooden; Martha Stewart Witch and Cauldron, Frisket Film, Adirondack Dabbers - Snow Cap and Espresso, Tim Holtz TImepieces, Game Spinner, Film Strip Ribbon, Memo Pin and Tiny Attacher, 7 Gypsies Antique Brass Reinforcers, White Prismacolor Pencil,  Gold Silk Ribbon

Crafting With Kids: Dab It

Today I used the same fishbowl as yesterday and just applied a different technique that I thought would be fun for any age. It is a technique that Tim taught us at Ranger U and so both kids and those of us who are "older" kids will all enjoy giving this a try :-D

I had to share a close-up of the fishbowl before beginning just to give you a better view of these splendid little creatures. 

To begin simply take three different distress ink pads and rub them on the non-stick craft sheet. 

Use a mini mister and spray the surface until you see little beads form. I love the weight of the tags we carry and so used the white tags for this project. They curl when you wet them, but then the flatten right back out when dried.  Simply drag your tag through this delicious little color field.

The next technique is simply scribbling and dragging a reinker tip through your color field before misting.

As you can see the color is so much more vibrant.

The tag in the center is a combination of the two techniques. I created it using the first method and then dabbed it in the remaining vibrant colors from the second scribble technique. It is magical to see what will happen with each new application. Not only will this be fun for kids, but it will be fun for us older kids as well ;-D

 
This photo is to share what not to use - as you can see I used Memento Ink on the first set of fish and when I applied my Rock Candy stickles, well... SO attempt number two using an appropriate ink for this project, in this case Archival Ink.

I should have thought about my finished project before selecting my ink - I knew I wanted to add Rock Candy stickles to my fish to bring up the glam factor. As you can see the Memento Ink was not waterproof beneath the stickles.

At Ranger U I learned that Rock Candy Stickles can be heated! Yippie - I no longer have to wait to allow this beauty to dry. It is the only Stickles product that can be heated - the shimmer that emerges as it dries is gorgeous!

To create the water effect in the fish bowl I rubbed Distress Ink on my craft sheet, lightly misted it and then placed the fishbowl atop the ink puddles. Neenah cardstock will curl, but if you use your Heat It tool to dry it and then drag it over a rounded hard work surface edge in both directions you can eliminate many of the wrinkles and curls that result.

We hope that you have fun scribbling and dabbing! The results can be quite beautiful.
 

stamps: Kim Hughes Ocean Friends

paper: Neenah Solar White

ink: Jet Black Archival Ink Pad

accessories: Non-Stick Craft Sheet, Mini Mister, Distress Ink Pad - Dusty Concord, Broken China, Wild Honey, Distress Reinkers - Broken China, Dried Marigold, Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Large White Tags

Template: Download Fishbowl Template 

  

Crafting With Kids: Watch It Appear

I will always think back to the magic of "disappearing ink." Writing with lemon juice and then heating the paper to watch it appear. The sophisticated products that we now have that allow us to magically watch a pattern appear still intrigue me as an adult and so my thinking with this project was that kids would find this to be so much fun!

The first two tools that I believe will make this process so very easy to clean up are the non-stick craft mats and the craft scraper. These craft mats come in a number of sizes I am currently working with the XL mat on my work surface so that I can completely protect my tabletop. I then use the smaller one on top of it because it is so much easier to store and carry to the sink if need be. When working with a craft mat allow your paints to dry on the surface and then simply scrap them off using the craft scrapper. It is SO very easy! No more big messes to worry about.

Depending on the age of your children you can do the first step of this technique, but this is not about perfection - it's more about the process. Remember all those foam stamps we accumulated! Well, for this project I pulled one of those out. They work fantastic for this type of technique. You can also use "regular" stamps as well - the only important consideration is to pick a design that is quite bold such as a silhouette or one with thicker outlines.

Paint the Matte Medium on your non-stick craft sheet and use this as your "stamp pad." Randomly stamp the image on your Sticky Back Canvas. You can have small diecut shapes, as I have used here, or work with an entire sheet cutting it into pieces later. 

Using the Heat It tool I dried the Matte Medium - I'm an impatient crafter - LOL! If you want to extend the project out over time you can simply set this aside and allow it to airdry.

Using popsicle sticks so that I don't mix my colors in my jars I selected three different Studio paints and dabbed them on my craft sheet. "A little dab will do ya!" Less is more with these paints :-D Then add moisture to your paint with a mini mister, watering it down to a very thin consistency as shown. Using the large size Studio Brush randomly paint your canvas and watch the magic happen. It is so very fun to watch as the design appears!!!

I used Pumice Stone Distress Ink to mute the beautiful colors to coordinate with the Olivia papers. Showing your child how to use the ink blending tool will be so much fun for them. When Trina was creating her Social Studies project it was so fabulous to watch as she adapted the techniques I shared with her to transform her project. Your child's school projects will take on a whole new level if you share some of these little techniques with them!

Another wonderful tip I learned at Ranger U is how to use the Studio Paint as an "ink pad." By simply mixing a little Extra Time with the paint and rolling it out on my craft mat I can then use any stamp to add detail to my canvas projects! This will hold up to washing if you want to stamp on fabric!!!

I didn't have any hair clips at work, but I felt that these adorable Posies from Basic Grey would make the absolute cutest embellishments when fastened to hair clips. Clip a couple of hair clips to your card and you have a quick and fun gift!

Not only will this technique shared today work on Sticky Back canvas, BUT I believe that it will work on T-shirts, tote bags and so much more! The canvas aprons and camera bags we carry are begging for some color. If you haven't seen the fabulous Copic camera bag that Debbie shared yesterday you must visit and leave her a comment. STUNNING I tell you! 

This could be an absolutely amazing project to explore with not only your younger set, but your teens who want to have unique, custom clothing! I sincerely hope that we are inspiring you to try crafting with kids this summer. If you don't have any of your own, then go out and borrow a few - they really can be so much fun to watch and listen to as they create! As well all of us "older set" are young at heart and can be considered kids at times - LOL! So grab a couple of friends and be as free-spirited as kids when you create. Simply have fun!

Thank you for stopping by again today - we hope to see you again tomorrow as we share another idea for a fun summer project!

stamps: Making Memories Foam Stamp (old - I don't remember what the set is called), Hero Arts Clear Design Kiss From the Sun

ink: Pumice Stone Distress Ink

paper: Basic Grey Olivia 6x6 Paper Pad, Memory Box Begonia and Peony

accessories: Non-Stick Craft Sheet, Craft Scraper, Studio Line by Claudine Hellmuth - Matte Medium, Studio Brushes, Sticky Back Canvas, Extra Time, Blank Canvas, Classic Teal, Smidge of Blue, Charcoal Black, Brayer, Martha Stewart Simple Scallop Edger Punch, Basic Grey Olivia Cozy Posies, Ink Blending Tool
  

Be Creative and use Perfect Pearls for an Elegant Look!

Welcome everyone. I have to start by telling you that I have a serious love/hate relationship with my computer - LOL! I am so very unhappy with it right now, because I lost an hour of my time :-(. I stayed up late last night doing the newsletter and then got up this morning, did the must get done list and started immediately in on this blog post. AND I kid you not when I tell you that I am almost finished with the epistle length write-up and out of no where my computer shuts down for updates!!! WHAT?!?

So here we go again - LOL! The second time around I'm not certain I'll be nearly as funny as the first, but perhaps it will be a little shorter (which is probably a good thing :-D)

This morning I introduced you to the Be Creative Tape in our newsletter. I have always thought of my adhesive as "glue" - a way of sticking two surfaces together. It was not until I saw Haroldine at work at CHA, and when I attended Ranger U, was I exposed to the idea that perhaps sticky surfaces are designed for more than just putting paper to paper, or ribbon to paper!

A whole new world of creativity has been opened up to me and I would like to share that vision with you as we support the individuals who brought about that first creative vision by utilizing their products to create with.

This little beauty above was quite the experimental process as you will see. I have to admit that I am thrilled with the end result and my hope is that you will see that sometimes the imperfections that occur during the creative process just bring it to a whole new level as you just carry on.

Begin by stamping your image on your transparency or plastic. (I will provide links at the end of this post to help you find the different products I used for this project.) I prefer Palette Noir and/or Archival Ink. My first mistake was to not allow my ink to dry - LOL! Hurry, excitement - don't let it happen to you - allow your ink to dry :-D

Cut your Be Creative Tape to size - in this case my pieces are 2 1/2" x 4". Remove the brown backing and burnish the tape, sticky-side down, in place.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these little pots of color! So beautiful! Now here is a tip that Tim shared with us at Ranger U. If you can see the writing when you open these little pots - you are in TROUBLE. Yep, beautiful, sparkly color will be all over - LOL! SO...

TIP: NO writing should be visible when you open these containers. Turn them over :-D then gently tap the container once on the table before opening. When closing the container, turn the lid backwards until you feel a "click" then screw the lid on. It will be closed properly each time. Thank you Tim for saving me from powdery messes - LOL!

Now here is my next tip - do NOT put your backing tape under the image like I did - LOL! It is much easier to see what you are doing if you work on a white surface. (see photo below - :-D)

Begin by using a very fine-tip brush and VERY little powder. Just barely dip the tip of your brush into the Perfect Pearls as you apply your color. It is much easier to bring on more than to remove the excess.

Aww - yes, the moment of discovery that perhaps I was not so precise in the placement of my colors - LOL! Oh well, you can't learn without trying is my motto.

I still have to figure out how to remove the excess powder. The beautiful "halo" effect came about after I turned my piece, holding it over a garbage can and "flicking" it with my fingernail.

Not to be deterred I carried on. I applied the Perfect Gold directly around the image with a tiny brush and then used a larger brush to spread it over the entire sticky surface.

Perfection I thought - LOL!

Next I took my second piece of 2 1/2" x 4" adhesive and removed the protective backing. I applied it directly over the surface shown two photos above and burnished it in place.

I now had a gorgeous sticker!

or so I thought until I turned it over and realized that I still  had my halo happening - LOL! In hindsight and looking at this photo it really isn't as bad as I thought at the time. Ms. Perfectionism really wanted to hit it out of the ball park and so I just carried on.

You will find that these images look different depending on what surface you adhere them to. In this instance I held it over several different colors of paper before applying it to a piece of black cardstock. The black really makes the Perfect Pearls just jump off the page.

So I removed the protective backing and adhered my giant "sticker" to black cardstock.

This is when ingenuity began on my part. I felt that the color was still a little flat and wondered what I should have or could have done differently. It was at that moment when it hit me - COPIC MARKERS! I could add transparent color over the surface and still have my pearlescent sheen! I very carefully added color (as I was working on the same side as I had stamped my image and Copics can remove your ink on plastics.) I absolutely LOVE the added depth the shot of color provides!

It was at that moment that another realization hit! I would not have been so intricate in the application of my colors. I could have put color in the major areas only and added the definition at the end with my Copic markers! I can hardly wait to try this again and see what happens next time!!!

Because I was still on my quest for perfection I then cut out my image with my fine-tipped scissors.

Oh how I wish you could see this in real-life. I just have not learned how to capture shimmery, shiny surfaces on my camera. The shot above is the best I can do.

I hope that you will join me as we learn how to BE CREATIVE with our TAPE :) Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

 
stamps: Lockhart Phalaenopsis

ink: Palette Noir or Archival Ink, Copic Markers to add color depth (sorry I didn't write these down)

paper: Basic Grey Kioshi, Memory Box Concord Grape

accessories: Be Creative Tape Sheets (you could also use this 2 1/2" roll or this 4 1/2" roll), Crystal Clear Medium Weight Plastic, Teflon Bone Folder, Perfect Pearls - Forever Green, Green Patina, Interference Violet, Forever Violet, Forever Red, Heirloom Gold, Forever Gold, Long Rectangle Nestability, Word Charm, Silk Ribbon