After Much Needed Break, I Am Crafting Again!

Just a quick note to let all my followers and fans know that I am coming back soon with new posts and new thoughts and crafty ideas! Be ready everyone this fall is going to be the most creative ever! Of all time!

Hugs,

Sher

Marie A. Matchboxes!

So I have been having fun this week making Marie Antoinette themed matchboxes, and here are my first offerings!

The first one is a bit more whimsical and more like a little piece of confection or candy. It's pretty mint green background and honey colored undertones suggest as much. Then add the little heart at the bottom and how yummy Marie herself is dressed and it becomes a scrummy little treasure.

For both of these projects I started out with a normal 32 count matchbox.First, I crumpled up some patterned paper for a while until it became weathered and softer to work with. After smoothing it back out I used a glue stick to cover the back of the piece of paper.

For ease and efficiency measure out the paper for the outside of your matchbox before crumpling it up. Center your matchbox on the paper at one end and apply the paper around the outside keeping the paper taunt, then tuck in the edges.

I use a paper boning tool (or any small flat edge) to help smooth the paper on the inside edges, especially around the corners so the matchbox tray can slide through easily without catching. After that, I added pieces of vintage books pages, text, and pictures of Marie.

Once I had all the paper designs in place I used the Distress Paint in Rock Candy as a clear crackle coat on the top side of the box and let dry. You can now apply any other embellishments like the rose you see on the second matchbox or brads, paper flowers, etc. For the tray I used a combination of Walnut Inks in Lilac and Willow, along with Perfect Pearl mists that I made myself, once applied I dried with a heating tool. I used a small Fleur dis Lis stamp with metallic silver ink to decorate the inside bottom the the trays.You can finish by adding more to the back of the matchbox and tray bottom which I did, with some more vintage book pages. Then fill your matchbox with all sorts of sweet little goodies that will inspire the recipient to create their own unique piece of art.

I hope that this helps out in creating your own little matchbox and until next time as always, happy swapping everyone!

Vintage Pockets of Whimsy

Another swap and my second Whimsy Pocket! This was so much fun to make too. This particular pocket is for a swap for the Tim Holtz Addicts group on Swap-bot. It is suppose to have a vintage Tim Holtz feel to it as the overall style for the pocket.

As with the last one I made in 2010, I started out with a paper towel roll that was 3 1/2 inches in length. I flatten it out, then stapled one end together to make the bottom. You can also glue or tape the end together as well. I then lined in inside with some chocolate colored felt that I glued down and slipped snugly into place.

I took a thin sheet patterned scrapbook paper(I got this design at Jo-ann's), and crumpled it up and smoothed it back out a few times to get a softer more worn look to it and glued it to the outside. Then I cut more strips of the same paper and glued it around the edges and bottom to give it texture and make it more secure.

After that I embellished it with ephemera, a Tim Holtz Ideology ornate plate and seam binding for the handle. The fun part is filling it up with rare goodies for my partner, which include vintage bits of ruler, a small compass, an old game piece, a charm I made and a vintage silk rose.

I love participating in swap like these especially with this group in particular. They are so creative and make some of the most lovely craft items I have found anywhere. It's nice to put such love and effort into something you make and know that what you receive will be just as fabulous and made with care as well. I am very fortunate to be a part of such an amazing group of artists. Blessings for a happy week and as always, happy swapping everyone!

Pretty Little Pink Dress

I made this dress for a swap on Swap-bot titled "Pretty Little Dresses." The size is 5x8 in. Printed on heavy card stock. This dress has more than a few layers of color. First, I used Milled Lavender re-inker basically like a stain by dropping a few drops on a sponge and dragging the sponge across the paper that the dress template was printed on and then sprayed it all over with a Perfect Pearls mist I made myself from the Milled Lavender re-inker and Perfect Pearl powder.

After that I used the Victorian Velvet Distress Ink around the edges, added the script writing stamp block in Milled Lavender as well and finished off the edges with Distress Stickles in Worn Lipstick, then added the embellishments.

I think I will be making more of these in the near future and seeing what else I can make from them. What can I say, it is great to be back and crafting again. I dedicate this dress to my mom, this is the first Mother's Day with her with us and I know she would have loved a little dress like this. Happy swapping everyone and bless you all!

Steampunk Themed Mini-zine

So, I am hosting a swap for a mini-zine with a steampunk theme on Swap-bot. I really like making zines and I can take my time and add to them slowly over the course of a week or even two, so no rush, I like that very much.

This one was really fun for me because I love steampunk. This zine has more of a picture book feel to it more visual than chocked full of information and it's a little colorful and with a more whimsical approach to steampunk than serious or true to form, but I like it!

I make all my zines by hand so I have an original, tangible template for each one I have made so far. I do not have any digital programs to aid me in making zines. But making them by hand is fun too. I use inks, and stamps, tissue tapes, just whatever I have in my stash to help make my idea come to life.

So enjoy a little sneak-peek and have fun crafting this week and happy swapping to all!

Slowly Creating Once More

My newest inspired act of creativity is this set of hand stamped, hand stained muslin ribbon I made for a trade on Flickr. I used various Walnut Inks and Glimmer Mists to stain the ribbon and then used different colors of Staz-On inks to stamp the designs.

I also made the tags that are shown with each ribbon. For them, I used Distress Inks in Barn Door, Black Soot, Dusty Concord, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo and Milled Lavender to name a few, Distress Crackle paint was used on a tag as well. I then misted then with water and Glimmer Mists and used Staz-On once more for the images I did not want blurred around edges. Essentially, these are ribbon and tag sets. I hope to sell them soon when I get my Etsy store set up. Listing from top to bottom they are Bloody Valentine, Celtic Garden, and Parisian Post.

I added vintage hat pins to secure each set and give that special touch. The ribbon I used to finish off each tag is cabbage roses ribbon from a great Etsy shop I have mentioned before in my blog... MemrieMare, the link follows: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MemrieMare

I hope you enjoy these new items and thank you for looking. Happy crafting!

Taking a Break...

My sincere apologies to all my followers (believe me I appreciate every person that follows this blog). I am taking a short break now for some family business. However, I will be back and blogging soon once more. Please don't give up on me, there will be more fun crafts to come! Thank you to all who follow this blog, you all make me smile!

The Art of Domino...

I joined another great swap recently to expand my crafting experience. I signed up for a domino booklet swap for my group Keepers of Avalon on Swap-bot. I have never made a domino booklet before so this was an exciting as well as a learning process for me.

I used acrylic paint and Distress paints on the domino. I then covered the surface with Rock Candy Distress crackle paint. The images are waterslide transfers that I glazed over with Glossy Accents. The pages are tea-stained paper I stained with Distress Inks and Perfect Pearl Mists. I also used stamps with Staz-on inks for design as well. The last touch is some cabbage ribbon to tie it all together.

I may not have gotten everything right this first time, but all in all I do not think it is a bad first effort. I cannot wait to try more in the future. Thank you for coming along with me on my creative journey today. Until next time happy crafting!

Steampunk Container

I was in private swap with a lovely swapper, LadyStephanie and as I looked over her profile I notice she had been flaked on for some swaps and offered to angel one for a Steampunk Container. Here then is my offering for this swap to her.

It began as a humble, unassuming and unfinished wooden box from Hobby Lobby. But after some layers of quality acrylic paint in a dark umber, a lot of sanding it down to a smooth finish with worn edges. I began to decorate it at last.

I used acrylic paint to stamp the floral pattern on either side. I then found a clockwork print paper that I went over with Distress Inks and then glazed with Rock Candy Distress Paint. After that, I went over it once more with Distress Ink to reveal the cracks for an even more aged look. Then I just added the embellishments. The rest of the box is decorated with a stipple brush and acrylic paint and with a stamp that I inked with Staz-on over the paint.

I really hope this will brighten her day as I had so much fun making it. Until the next blog, happy crafting!

Watercolour Ribbon

I am making hand stamped, hand dyed ribbon for another wonderful Shabby Chateau swap! This is my first try at it and there will be more examples to follow shortly.

For this first try at making ribbon I purchased some inexpensive muslin and tore it into 1 yard strips. I then stamped it with various stamps using Staz-On ink pads, you can use any colour you like. Then using inks I dyed the ribbon in a Zip-loc baggie rising it in cold water after and drying it out to get an aged look.

I then used Distress Inks to make the tag along with my own mix of Perfect Pearls mist to give some sparkle to the tag, stamped it and then added some cabbage ribbon to complete the tag. I wrapped the ribbon around the tag securing it with a lovely pearl tipped hat pin. Hope this inspires you to make some of your own ribbon. Have fun and happy crafting!

Parisian Dreams

Once more I have turned my thoughts to canvas for my latest swap, titled "Shabby Time to Shine" where participants create their favorite craft as an introduction to their partner. Since I adore working on canvas so much it is the craft I chose to send.

This one is a bit different from others as it is more pastel in colours, and heavy on the vintage feel. I used a variety of acrylics, Distress paints, stamps, Perfect Pearl mists, vintage book pages and more to create a romantic canvas.

I hope my partner likes it, I can't wait to send it off a bit later this week! Until next time keep creating and keep swapping!

My "Poe"tic Crush...

My latest canvas offering is for one of my favourite Poe quotes from "Ligeia." I started out by layering black and brushed pewter acrylic and distress paints onto the canvas, then began mixing in other colours and inks, letting them dry and layering more colour to give the background depth. The edges are finished with Perfect Pearls powder from the metallic collection in pearl.

All artwork is my own with the exception of the stamp bordering along the top. I also used a vintage book page from one of Poe's narrative's to give a bit of an anchor to the piece, as to me a narrative is a stark contrast to a poem. But both are equal sides to Poe's diverse and creative nature.

Steampunk Dreams...

Another one of my favorite themes is steampunk! I wanted to do something more romantic for this set, these three ATC's are the result.

Once again, most of them were created simply with pre-cut images I found at my local scrapbook store. I then used various Distress Inks, Perfect Pearl Mists (or mists that I create myself), stamps, and embellishments. I then used a gold gel pen to highlight certain aspects of the ATC. The backgrounds are various 12x12in paper sheets I thought would coordinate with the images.

From top to bottom the titles are: "Memorabilia in Steam," "Steampunk Romance," and "Steam Goddess." I hope you enjoy! Until next time stay warm and happy crafting!

Faerie Fantasy ATC's...

I have been busy making ATC's and as you can see I have been on a faerie themed journey lately! There is also a cute Beatrix Potter one in there too.

These ATC's are fun, whimsical and just a joy to make. I hope you enjoy them too. Most of them were created simply with pre-cut images I found at my local scrapbook store. The images are from Graphic 45 a branch of Mind's Eye. After finding the images I just use various Distress Inks, Perfect Pearl Mists (or mists that I create myself), stamps, Stickles glitter glue and embellishments. I then used a gold gel pen to highlight certain aspects of the ATC. The backgrounds are various 12x12in paper sheets I thought would coordinate with the images.


From top to bottom the titles are: "Spring Rose Revisited," "Springtime," "Catching Up," "Woodland Faerie," and 'Daybreak." ATC's are fun and fun to trade. If you have not tried making any yet there is always time to experiment, play and learn! Don't be shy, create a little faerie magick of your own!

Until next time, Happy crafting and swapping!

Fairy Tales and Tiles

I really love experimenting with canvas now. It's relaxing and fun and no limit to what you can do, just let your imagination run free!

This first canvas I made for a WTA for the group "Once Upon a Time..." on swap-bot. The theme was "Hansel and Gretel" so I made a representation of the witch's cottage in the woods with a little bread crumb trail. Some fairy tales are true...is this one? Every folk tale or fairy tales has some roots in local legends or truth, so I wanted to bring that out and let the mind wonder which part of this tale may have been true.

The second one is something new for me. Using layers of acrylics and crackle paints, stamps and washes I created the back ground for this piece. Then I used vintage book pages and acrylic tiles with images from some of my favorite papers applied to them to create the finished look.

These were fun and I want to make more. We'll see what I can come up with in the next few weeks as I play and discover new ideas! Until then, happy holidays everyone!

Dusk in Paris...

This is my second canvas to date. I love this shade of purple, purple is one of my favorite colours and I love using varying shades of it in my art when I am able.

This time I used Distress Inks in "Broken China" and "Dusty Concord" for the background and edges, respectively. I then used the Perfect Pearls Mist in "Forever Violet" and Glimmer Mist in "Iridescent Gold" to set and also add some shimmer and glam to the piece. The stamps are by Tim Holtz and inked with StazOn in black. I then used pieces of handmade Lokta paper and added strips here and there that I then coated with Distress crackle paint in "Rock Candy for a slight sheen and to make them stand out just a little more. I then embellished with a small image of the Eiffel Tower and paper roses and ribbon.

I am enjoying creating little pieces of art like these, it's new for me and I am very excited at all the new possibilities! Happy crafting and have a lovely day!

Dancing in Paris...

This is my first canvas piece. I made it for my niece for a Christmas gift this year, as she loves anything Paris. I started with canvas I purchased at Hobby Lobby, and used various Walnut stains that I sprayed onto the canvas. I immediately used my Heat-It tool to dry, then I layered Liquitex acrylic paint in "Portrait Rose" over that. I then used a hand-carved stamp that I received from bluemonkeymama of the Eiffle Tower and stamped it with StazOn in black.

Then I added the image of the dancer, lightly sprayed with Glimmer Mist in "Pearl" with tacky glue and lightly heated to make the edges slightly curl. I sealed the entire surface with Distress crackle paint in "Rock Candy" and heated it to dry. After that I lightly sprayed the smaller squares with Perfect Pearl Mist in "Forever Violet" and attached them with tacky glue as well. I then added a brad and some ribbon for the final embellishments.

I really hope she likes this and that "Dancing in Paris" will make the holidays a bit brighter. Have a lovely season everyone!

"Faerie Post" is here!

Hello everyone! I am back after a long bout of not feeling my best. We are expecting in June and this first trimester really took everything I had including creative energy. But I am starting to feel better and so here start the crafts once again.

This is an ATC to a friend of mine in my swap-bot group Keepers of Avalon. She won the "Winner-take-all" (WTA) this October and here is what I made for her. It is backed on illustration board. The background is Distress Ink in "Dusty Concord" then sprayed with Glimmer Mist in "Pearl." Since Distress Ink is a water soluble ink, the mist reacted with it to make a weathered water stained look. I then just used various pieces from my stash after that like tissue tape, ribbon, twine, charms, etc. Then I sealed it all with Distress crackle paint in "Rock Candy," and used my Heat-It tool to dry.

Thank you for stopping by and reading this post, hope to be back soon with other little treasures and crafty bits! Until then, happy crafting!

Pretty Lil' Pockets

Hi guys! So, I joined a swap for our group Shabby Chateau on Swap-bot to make these Lil' Pockets of Whimsey! How fun! These have so many wonderful uses and you can make them however you wish, this is just one example.

I started by flattening a 3.5 inch section of a paper towel roll. I lined the inside with felt and stapled one end together. I then used a beautiful brown Lokta paper for the outside. I then adhered a gorgeous vintage style parfume sticker I purchased from Regina's Studio on Etsy, a paradise for altered artists with many quality vintage items to be found! For the back I used a part of a lovely paper napkin she had sent along as a little extra with my purchase. After that I embellished with mini pearls, stained vintage book pages around the top and Rock Candy Stickles, Glimmer Mist and a tiny butterfly sticker. For the handle I used some amazing cabbage roses ribbon in Haunted Woods from another store on Etsy, MemrieMare a yummy little shop with some of the best ribbon! I then filled it with some ceramic buttons, a faerie charm and some of the ribbon for my partner!

So easy, so pretty, so many options! So get creative, these are great to give as gifts or hang on trees as ornament with a little surprises inside! Until next time, happy crafting!

Branching Out...

Here are two of my newest ATC's. I am really trying new things, making may own backgrounds, using inks and masks and many other new tools and techniques.

I am trying to find my own style and see what works for me and what does not. I want to thank bluemama from Flickr for sending me the little art squares along with her last ATC to me! They worked perfectly for these two ATC's I made. Thank you!

Until next time everyone, happy swapping!