the CLASSroom

Mason Jar Love by Julia Stainton

It's canning season and what better time to celebrate the sweet trend of mason jars! In this case, I was actually inspired by my photo props as I had this set up for other projects. I went down to my craft room and started creating and imagine that, a blue mason jar and some wood elements. It can be a little crazy just how your mind works even when you aren't consciously doing it!

I've long been a fan of mason jars and I use them for so much more than food. Did you know they even make great crafting storage? The clear jars keep things organized but allow you to see what's inside at the same time. Pretty AND practical.  I'll cease my ode to the humble mason jar as I'm sure you love them too. Let's get started!

First of all the die set. I often start creating with dies or a die set and this sweet set from Mama Elephant has lots of great elements to it. Framed Tags - Park Avenue comes as one piece so you need some die snips to cut it apart. Snip carefully to prevent injury.

Once the die set is apart I die-cut the flag banner tag from watercolor paper and then stamped it with both the mason jar and the Have a Ball stamps. I love using Jet Black Archival Ink when watercoloring as it is very permanent and always gives a crisp impression.

For this project I've used Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. To get a soft fluid color I scribble the market onto a palette and then pick up the color with a a wet brush.

You can also go back in after and add more color along the edges if desired direct from the brush. I've added in blues and greens for the mason jar for subtle variation and also to hint at greenery in the jar.

Once the jar is finished and mostly dry, I went in with a pink watercolor pigment and added in a background to tie the design together.

The die-set previously used also has a great border that fits perfectly onto an A5 size card front (4.25" x 5.5"). I cut a piece of patterned paper from the Authentique Utopia paper pad that was just a little smaller than card front size and adhered it to the card front before layering on the frame. By cutting it slightly smaller you won't have any edges showing past the frame.

Once the layers and tag were adhered I started my embellishing. Some sweet white paper flowers accent the top of the jar.

I was also so excited to try out these new Maya Road Wood Slices. They are so natural looking and fit in really well with the down-home feel of the mason jar.

They've been stamped with images from the stamp set in Jet Black Archival Ink and White and Magenta Pigment Inks. Heat set with a heat gun.

The final step was to add a sweet mix of Taylored Expressions sequins with Glossy Accents.

Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom!

Happy creating!

Julia

Supplies:

 

Ranger Artist Brush Set (7 Piece)

Maya Road Vintage Paper Flowers, Small White

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Natural

Sizzix Big Shot Plus

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black

Mama Elephant Creative Cuts, Framed Tags - Park Avenue

Paper Smooches Clear Stamps, Crystal Clear

Prima Marketing 140lb Cold Press Watercolor Pad, 2.5x4.25

Taylored Expressions Sequins, Build A Scene

Taylored Expressions Sequins, Hello Happiness

Maya Road Wood Pieces, Mini Wood Slices

Lawn Fawn Ink Pigment Pad, Yeti

Ranger Accents, Glossy Accents

Maya Road Clips, Mini Safety Pins - Bronze

Avery Elle Ink Pad, Magenta

Tim Holtz, Tiny Attacher

Tim Holtz, Tiny Attacher Refills

Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes, Short Round 4

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker, Set of 24

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker, Set of 36

Authentique Utopia, 6x6 Bundle

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Mini Pallet Mixed Media Art by Julia Stainton

How about a little mixed media art? Today I'm excited to share an altered mini wood pallet that I've created with lots of beautiful layers of crafting products. Mixed media is all about layering, texture and making use of this and that. This project has a fun and unique look as it alters a wood pallet to create the art piece.

I'm loving the new Maya Road wood pallets and they are perfect for altering and home dec projects as well as mixed media. I love using them just like I would a canvas. The pallets come in two sizes: 4" x 4" and 6" x 6". I've used the larger size here but the smaller size makes a darling project as well.

To start off with, I've primed the wood surfaces with a light coat of gesso. I wanted the wood texture to show through into the final design. Gesso seals the wood and allows it to easily take paint or other textures or pigments.

Next step is to add in some texture. I love this Mesh Stencil by Tim Holtz and I've used a palette knife to apply the Whipped Spackle through the stencil.  Remove the stencil and allow to dry.

I love creativity quotes and I've stamped one here from the Tim Holtz Perspectives Stamp Set. This set also includes a huge gorgeous butterfly that I've stamped onto the pallet and texture.

I turned to Gelatos to add color to this design. I love the pastel colors. You just scribble them on and then work into the gesso with your finger or a paper towel to blend them.

Add in another layer of texture paste using the Tim Holtz Bubbles Stencil. This one is one of my faves as it's soooo versatile. Once again, allow to dry.

The Quote Bands are metal charms that have really fab quotes on them. To make it more shabby chic like my project and to help the sentiment stand out, I painted the entire face of the charm with Gesso. While it was still wet, I wiped away the gesso from the surface, leaving it in the depressions of the text.

 

Adding a little gold to the design makes it shine and I simply dry brushed on a few areas with the Dina Wakley Gilt Paint.

One all the background layers were done, I added in the embellishments. The quote band was adhere and tied on with twine. You'll also see vintage buttons, some sweet Maya Road butterfly transparencies and vintage paper flowers. There's also some leaves I die-cut from the Bold Blossoms Stand Alone Die Set from Essentials by Ellen.

Lastly, check out this SWEET charm from Ken Oliver Crafts. It's so lovely and is perfect for creativity projects! It's called Vintage Art Supplies and please forgive me, I missed linking it below but you can click on it here. And just so you know, if you're looking for more detail...click on the first or last images and they'll enlarge!

Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Have a fabulous weekend and make it creative!

Julia

Supplies:

Ranger Artist Brush Set (7 Piece)

Maya Road Vintage Paper Flowers, Small White

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Natural

Sizzix Big Shot Plus

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

Maya Road Wood Pieces, Mini Pallet - 6x6

Maya Road Wood Pieces, Mini Pallet - 4x4

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Gesso, White, 4 Oz.

Faber-castell Gesso

Faber-castell Textural Accents, Whipped Spackle, 100ml

Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black

Tim Holtz Cling Stamps, Perspective

Maya Road Transparencies, Vintage Butterfly, Black

Tim Holtz Quote Bands

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Palette Knife (04176)

Ranger Palette Knife Set

Tim Holtz Stencils, Mesh

Tim Holtz Mini Stencils, Set 5

Faber-castell Gelatos Designer Set, Macaroon

Faber-castell Gelatos Designer Set, Pastels

Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies, Bold Blossom Stand-alone By Julie Ebersole

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 Pk

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Paint, Gilt

Hand Stitched Accents by Julia Stainton

 Making your own embellishments for your cards and other paper crafting projects is fun and easy to do. Lately I've been creating with hand-stiching and thought I'd try out some stitching templates to create some of my own accents.

 

Today I have two projects to share with you. I love how well hand stitching works on both clean and simple, vintage or shabby, and more freestyle designs.

The Amy Tangerine Embroidery Stencils are super cute and I love how they come with a piercing mat and embroidery flors and needles. I've used the Hello Cut and Paste Stencil today, but check out the Right Now Cut and Paste Stencil as well for more fun options.

Working with the stencils is very easy. Simply lay the piercing mat onto your work surface, layer the paper you want to stich on top of that and then lay out the stencil where you want to stitch your image. I used the Alterations Edition Die Pick to pierce the paper but you can also use one of the enclosed needles. You do want to make sure you pierce all the holes first before trying to stitch.

If you're new to hand-stitching, what you want to do is a simple back-stitch so that each of the holes  is filled with floss. Come up through a hole with your needle, take a stitch backwards and then the next time your needles comes up through a hole, it should be two ahead. Take another back stitch and continue with the pattern until you are finished stitching.

For my first card, I've simply stitched on heavy black cardstock using the leaf template. Stitching directly on the card base or a panel that's layered above it makes a lovely accent.

A tissue paper flower was die cut from layers of white tissue paper and added to the design.

One thing you may want to note is finishing off your thread on the reverse side of the paper. When finishing off your stitching or when you run out of thread, slide your needle under a few of your previou stitches to secure it.

I love how sweet the ampersand looks stitched! Instead of having it on the card base of my next design, I wanted to be able to cut it out as a layer.

An easy way to cut out something and make it look more professional is to plan where you are going to cut before you start doing so. Sketch out an outline around the ampersand in pencil. This gives you nice even edges and makes your cut edges smoother. Remove any pencil lines still left after cutting.

Once your stitched element is cut out, you can begin to put your card design together. I've adhered it with a dimensional foam adhesive. I find a foam adhesive works well to hide the bulk of the stitching on the reverse side.

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom! Have a fabulous weekend!

 

 

Supplies:

 

South of Market 6x6 paper pad	3-D Foam Squares, Mixed BlackManufacturer: Scrapbook AdhesivesSKU: SALLL1615	3-D Foam Squares, Mixed	Tonic Paper Trimmer Guillotine, 8.5"
laraine pearl white flowers	Teflon Bone Folder	Wood Bingo Motifs	EK Tools, Precision 5 Inch Scissors with Sheath
Wood Alterable Buttons	Tissuestock 12x12 White, 20 Sheets	Micro Dot Alterable Alpha	Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die, Tattered Florals
Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Powder Blue & Teal	Lustrous Button Jewels	Aqua Paint Dabber	Green Leaf Trinket Pin
Neutral Hemp Cord	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, 250 Sheet Ream	Gummy Worms Card Shoppe Cardstock	Distress Ink Pad, Brushed Corduroy
Tim Holtz Sanding Block

InLinkz.com

Sweet Shadowbox Book by Julia Stainton

 Many of my all-time favorite projects are altered projects. I love papercrafting off the page and away from the card to create a treasure that can be displayed. Yes, they can be time-consuming but the end result is always worth it. It's a labor of love.

 

Today I'm excited to share a new project with you using the Tim Holtz Mini Configurations Book. I love many things about this book.

1. It's a shadow box AND a book. The front cover can be closed for easy storage or mailing and it also a prop to help the shadow box stand up. And did I mention it's a book?! How can you not like a book? Fellow bibliophiles unite!
2. You can rearrange it. All those fun little boxes that can be embellished...they can be removed and reconfigured. Hmmm...how interesting. No wonder it's called a Configurations Book!
3. It you prefer to work in small projects, this works great. With 6 little boxes to design, this project can be completed in small increments. Bonus!

 

To start off this project, I decided to line each of the boxes with patterned paper and trim the edges and side walls with Tissue Tape. Even the outside of the book area of the box is trimmed out with tape for a cohesive look. There's lots of tape on a roll of Tissue Tape though, so don't worry, you won't run out. When choosing the inside paper colors, I used all prints from one pad of paper to make it easy and then varied and balanced the colors throughout.

Starting off with the largest box I layered in paper, a wood ATC panel and then filled a metal book plate will all manner of pretty embellishments.

The tiny square compartments are perfect for buttons, flair and other mini embellishments. Because this is a dimensional project, layering up your elements not only adds more interest but really helps the elements stand out in each box.

This key looked cute along in the little box but layering it on top of a chipboard tag, tying it with hemp and then adding on a button really makes it pop.

 

Finally, the last box layers together some painted chipboard, wrapped spools and pins and flowers. To keep the pins in the large spool from moving around, I placed a large daub of hot glue in the bottom of the spool, then set the pins in to dry.

Additional Design Notes:

• You can adhere the boxes into the book once the project is completed or leave them as is to change things up now and then. The tension fit will keep things in place.
• Use hot glue to adhere the standing embellishments so that they don't move around in the box.
• The box compartments are 3/4" deep. Keep the embellishing under that measurement so that your book will be able to close if desired.
• Mix it up...this is a great project for using up lots of wonderful bits and pieces.
• This book would look darling altered as a seasonal display, a mini wedding album or as a sweet accent for a child's room.
• Deciding on what you want to put in your box will help with designing the orientation of the compartments.

 Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom! Have a creative day!

Supplies:

 

Tim Holtz Mini Configurations Book	Oh Darling 6x6 paper pad by Crate Paper	Sketchbook Tissue Tape	Wooden ATC Lovely Prints
Jenni Bowlin Icon Flatbacks	Tim Holtz Word Keys	Tim Holtz hanger Clips	Tim Holtz Mirrored Stars
Tim Holtz, Ornate Book Plates & Fasteners	Maya Road Ruffle Blossoms, Cream & Mauve	Wood Mini Spools	Scallop Frames Chipboard Set
Chipboard Shipping Tags	Maya Road Wood Embellishments, Love You Heart Mini	Trinket Pins, Vintage Pearl	Maya Road Trinket Pin, Leaf, Green
Vintage Button Trinket Pins	Black Our Town Transparencies	laraine pearl white flowers	Vintage Style Wooden Spools
Distress Ink Pad, Brushed Corduroy	Studio Gesso	Studio Artist Brushes	Pink Lemonade Hemp Cord
Neutral Hemp Cord

InLinkz.com

Easter Window Card by Julia Stainton

It's an early Easter this year! We don't have to wait for April as Easter falls on the last weekend of March. This means that it can also sneak up on you and it's coming up quicker than you might think.

Do you make cards for Easter? I have a sweet window design to share with you today. It's actually more of a Spring theme with an Easter sentiment but you'll definitely see touches of Easter in the oval (egg) shaped window and the pretty lavendar and soft yellow color scheme.

Window cards are a little more work than regular card designs and so I don't make them as often as I should. I confess to being a very lazy crafter. I had so much fun creating this one though that another will be on my to-do list very, very soon.

What originally inspired this design was a sheet of Secret Garden 12x12 paper from Graphic 45. This particular one is called Springtime and one side is patterned and the other has the most gorgeous little images that can be cut apart as images, accents and journaling card type embellishments. It's seriously amazing just how many projects could be made from one single sheet.

And HELLO?! It's only a dollar. I just couldn't resist.

To go along with it I also purchased the Secret Garden Chipboard pieces. I wanted to use this particular frame for it's oval shape and it would make a great focal point for my card design. It's pretty basic. You just punch it out of the chipboard sheet. So why the image? I wanted to show you a little trick.

See the little paper "spurs" that are left after you punch it out? You want to get rid of those for a nice finish on your project. To do that, simply file off the extra paper bits with a Sanding Block or the Basic Grey Precision File Set.

As a picture is worth a thousand words...I have lots of step outs for you today. This first one is basically how I start designing a project. I lay some of the pieces together to see how the design layout will work. You'll notice that some of the pieces I started with didn't make the final cut. That's OK. Just go with the flow.

Here's where I start putting the card layers together. And actually, it's also where I decided that this card needed a window and not just another layer.

Once the layers are all adhered together I planned out exactly where my window needed to be and then traced the inside of the oval onto the card front in pencil. As this is just a touch smaller in size than what I want the opening to be I just cut a very tiny amount outside the circle.

I wish I'd had an oval die that matching up in size perfectly but I didn't so hand-cutting was the only option. This is good to know though so that you make a window and size and shape that you desire.

Because there are so many layers of paper and cardstock, you may have to cut the oval out a few times with your craft knife. The first time I cut it only removed the top layer of patterned paper as you can see in the above shot. You'll find that after you cut one oval, the next layers go really quickly.

To get a nice smooth edge to all those layers of cut paper, I pulled out my Precision File set again and just filed them smooth. This makes it almost look as if it were die cut.

Place your frame on and you have a nice window card design.

You can leave it open or you can also put in a piece of Crystal Clear Plastic to make it easier to adhere your embellishments.

It's always nice to finish the inside of a card but it's really essential with a window card design. Here's the beautiful image panel that I finally decided on adhere to the inside of the card. I'm very fond of florals and birds and so that's what I went with.

To finish off the inside of the card, stamp the sentiment and add a few little flowers and pearls as an accent.

 

The card front needs some embellishing too. I adore the new Maya Road Wood Birdcages and this one worked perfectly for the front of this card. Add in a few more pins and accents and it's complete!

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and have a lovely weekend!

Supplies:

 

InLinkz.com

The Journey with Susan Tierney Cockburn

 

Life is a Journey and like Dorothy, I am thankful for the friends, I’ve met along the way, who have taken this journey with me.  This concept is key when I was inspired by Eileen Hull’s “suitcase” die cut by Ellison/Sizzix and, like Dorothy and the friends she met along her way, I’ve found my way back home thanks to my friends. These last eighteen months, after losing our daughter Kelly to breast cancer, it’s been my friends who have given me support, helped me find love in my heart again, and shown me courage to help me continue on my journey.

One of my dearest friends, Ellen Hutson, who I’ve come to lean on considerably, has even designed a ruby slipper to complete this profound project of mine.  I’m in awe of every one of her shoe creations, but I have to say, this ruby slipper is the best ever!  It became the perfect “vessel” to show off my red poppies--the ones that put Dorothy and her companions to sleep and the symbol of my state of mind after such a great loss.

Lastly, I have to mention Graphic 45’s “Magic of Oz” paper that finishes the project.  The gingham design for Dorothy’s suitcase is a perfect match and the “cards of the characters” gives the box a familiar look to enhance the story.  However, it’s not just a story I’ve watched on television as a child based on the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, but a greater meaning I’ve discovered watching it as an adult.

These little suitcases can hold the most wonderful “treasures”!  And, just like my mother, I love chocolate, and always have a stash when I need some!

The Scarecrow’s Suitcase--he thinks he lacks a brain, but his common sense helps guide this unusual group and develop a plan to save Dorothy in their quest to reach the Wizard so she can return home to Auntie Em and Uncle Henry in Kansas.

The Cowardly Lion--a sweet character, afraid of his own shadow until his friends need him.  He has the courage to help Dorothy in her most perilous situations.

The Tin Man--probably my favorite, who longs for a heart from the Wizard.  However, he has the biggest heart of all and puts his friends first when they need him. I felt as if a piece of my heart was gone when Kelly died and relate to the Tin Man seeking one.  My friends have put warmth back into my heart as I continue on my journey.

I hope you all think about the friends in your life that you take with you on Life’s Journey when you look at this project--I know I do and feel so blessed by their presence.

Ruby Slipper Downloadable Template with PDF Instructions - coming soon!

Eileen Hull’s Suitcase die cut by Ellison

Ranger: Foil Tape Sheet

Distress Ink: Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain

Cherry Veneer Paper

Craft-a-board by Ellen Hutson

Crinoline fabric (about 1/8 yd), Raffia, Sculpy Clay, Viva Pearl Pen/Black, Masonite box, Montana Gold Acrylic Paint/7090 Coke, Brads - Copper, Silver, Bronze, Red

Graphic 45 - “The Magic of Oz” Yellow Brick Road and Journey to Oz

Flower Soft - Shamrock Green and Ultra Fine Black 

Crafter’s Pick “The Ultimate” glue

Copic Markers - R14, R29, 100

Poppy:  Punches - Punch Bunch: Medium Begonia Petals, Small Alpine Snowflake, Small Sun, Small Grape Leaf

Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Green & Black cardstock

Creating a Strawberry Blossom and Gift Packaging

Don't forget that today is the start of our Mother's Day Sale - for more details please visit the home page of our store.

I love red, ripe strawberries - SO delicious! Naturally when I say the new Sizzix Scoreboard die I had to have it. Can you imagine this little lovely filled with chocolate covered fruit (or chocolate covered anything :-D)? Perhaps you could use it as a placecard holder or a few of these scattered down your table to create a juicy centerpiece! Oh the options abound!

I realize that many of you probably do not have the Sizzix Big Shot Pro so we have created a special packet of diecut strawberries for those who may want to replicate today's project. These are in limited supply, so get yours now if you are interested.

 
Immediately the Lilybee Tomato Stationery paper popped into my mind as being THE PERFECT selection for this project! Top it off with a Memory Box Key Lime Gingham and we have a delicious little treat box!

 

Fold the box along the score lines, using a piece of Be Creative Sookwang tape to attach the flap.

 

Thread a piece of Distress Stained Everyday Ribbon through the holes as shown.
 

Pull the ribbon to close the flaps. I inserted the end ribbon back through the same hole as the first ribbon as shown above.

 

Insert the ribbon through the "hull" (leaves) and tie.

 

Susan Tierney Cockburn has been a wonderful inspiration and teacher. The techniques that I have used to create this strawberry blossom are all well defined in her books the Paper Garden and Paper Bouquet, as well as in this video series we created. Just a quick little aside - Susan is also a fabulous baker- you must visit her blog to satisfy your sweet tooth! Be certain to leave her some love in her comments section :-D 

I was on my own for this strawberry blossom as Susan has not yet created an example of this flower, so I did what all good students do... I googled - ha, ha! I needed to learn what a a real strawberry blossom looks like :-D I decided that the Begonia punch petals looked quite similar, so I used the largest size petal for this project. After taking the photo above I realized that I wanted the tips of the petals to be a little "smoother" and so I snipped off a couple of the bumps.

I discovered that most strawberry blossoms are white, BUT there were a few with hints of pink and so I printed off a picture to inspire my color selections. Using Copic R000 and RV11, together with PITT Pastel Pencil #193 I was able to emulate the natural colors.

 

To create the pistil and receptacle (yes, I googled for that information as well - LOL!) I used the Big Sky Flake punch. Use Y000 and YG00 to color the pistil. Snip the short projections just above the first ball shape and the long projections at the base. Reattach the long projections to the base as shown above using a large glue dot. Attach a whimsy button to replicate the receptacle and little Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft for realism.

 

This little blossom suits the strawberry box to a "T." Twirl a little wire through the ribbon base to bring it all together and serve up a red, ripe strawberry to someone special!
 
ink: Copic Markers - R000, RV11, Y000 and YG00; Peeled Paint Distress Stain

paper: Precut Strawberry Box Packet, Memory Box Key Lime Gingham Cardstock, Lilybee Designs Tomato Stationery

accessories: Sizzix Pro Strawberry Box, Punch Bunch Mega Big Sky Snowflake, Super Giant Begonia Petals, 1/2" Everyday Ribbon, Sparkler Button, Cloth Covered Wire, Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft, Be Creative Sookwang 1/2" Tape