Christmas Glitter Ornaments

I didn't create this technique but thought it looked so cool I just had to try it.  And it's super easy!  Keep this project in mind if you are looking for quick, inexpensive, handmade ornament gifts.

Here's the supply list: clear glass ornament (the ball shapes are easy to find but I found this neat light bulb shape at JoAnn Crafts), Glossy Accents, water, small container for mixing, and glitter.  Any kind of glitter will work.  I used Martha Stewart glitter - the colors I used for this project were Turquoise and Golden Beryl.

First mix some Glossy Accents and water.  Glossy Accents is a clear dimension gloss medium - also can be used for glue and sealer.  I used about a teaspoon of Glossy Accents to a half teaspoon of water. You just want to thin it down a bit.  After it is mixed take the top off the ornament and pour in the liquid and swirl to coat the entire inside.

After it's coated let it drain out for a few min.  Then pour in glitter and move the ornament around while you are pouring. After that set the ornament aside to dry for about an hour.

While waiting I decided to take alcohol inks and color the silver top of the ornament.  I picked Sailboat Blue and Gold to go with the ornament colors.  To put alcohol ink on an object (not glossy paper or flat surface) wad up the felt and squeeze a lot of ink on the tip of the felt.  Then dab over the surface.  Note - your fingers will get really inky so you may want to wear gloves. 

I took the inked felt and dabbed it around the silver top.  I let this dry.  And when the ornament was dry I replaced the top and hung it on the tree. 
One of the best things about this project is the glitter is on the INSIDE of the ornament and won't rub off!  Cool huh?

Wishing you a sparkley Christmas!

December card making classes

People that know me know that I love making my Christmas cards.  Sometimes the hardest part about creating a Christmas card is the design.  After I have the idea I'll do a few samples and then it's assembly line time. 
If you want to make your own cards this year and don't know what to make you may be interested in these two holiday card making classes.  I'm teaching these classes at  Artist and Display in Milwaukee.  Please check with the store to sign up.

First one is Sunday December 8th and the main product used here is alcohol inks. Alcohol inks are so easy to use and they dry very fast so these cards will be very quick to make...but they look like they took a lot longer! With a plethora of ink colors available you'll be able to customize the ornament and tree any way you like.

Second class is Saturday Dec 14th and involves heat embossing and rubber stamps (shown below). I'll  go over the basics of using embossing powders and the heat gun.  The stack of presents card is really fun to color in. 

 

Both of these are short classes (1 hour and 1.5 hours) so they can easily fit in to busy holiday schedules. And a great way to give yourself a break and create something fun.  

Make Your Mark event @ Artist & Display

This Saturday I'll be at Artist & Display doing a hands on demo for their Make Your Mark event. At this twice a year event the store is filled with demo tables.  People can go from table to table to try out some neat art supplies and make a project or sample at many of the tables.  And best of all it's free!

Saturday, November 9th

11am - 3pm

Artist and Display

 

At my table we'll be coloring some stenciled stained glass images with tri tone colored pencils and marvy le plume markers .  The pencils and the markers would also work well for coloring in a rubber stamped image.   This event is great for kids and adults.  Hope to see you there!

 

Halloween tags (part boo)

The Tim Holtz Sizzix "Apothecary Bottles" die was the main item used to make this tag.  The mini glass bottle is from Tim Holtz Mini Corked Vials (Idea-olgy series) and contains newt eggs (aka green glass beads). 

So my fellow Hogwarts/Harry Potter fans, when creating these bottles I was thinking of what bottles would possibly be in Professor Snape's Potion 101 class.  Please note that these Spider Webs are (of course) 100% organic.  Only the finest materials used at Hogwarts!

 

I used the die to first cut the bottle shapes out of patterned paper.  Then I cut them again out of vellum.  I glued the vellum onto the paper shapes to give the bottles a frosted bottle look. The die cuts the bottles, labels and corks separately.  I used Distress Inks "Vintage Photo" on the edge of the bottles to give them a "been on Professor Snape's shelf for a long time" look. 

for this next tag I used the coolest product ever...spider web in a spray can! Okay so it's a type of spray paint but it looks like webbing.  I used "spider silver" on black paper.  I purchased the paint at  Artist and Display.  Honestly, once you get this paint you'll want to cover lots of stuff. It's soo fun to work with!

 

 

For the final look I didn't want to cover up the background at all (like I did with the apothecary bottles) so I painted a spider on the tag.  When the spider was dry I used Glossy Accents to give his body a dimensional look. 

 

Halloween tags (part 1)

Getting in the spirit of Halloween with these two tags.  I like the whimsical look of the Cauldron Tag.  The frog and the potion bottle were buttons - I cut off the button part on the back so they would lay flat. The background was done with Distress Inks and then splashed with water.  A pack of patterned paper (Recollections "Haunted Manor" paper pad) was used for the mini tag embellishment and the words.

The same patterned paper book provided the background paper in the Skeleton Tag as well as words cut from one of the papers.  The skeleton key and skull are grungeboard pieces painted with Distress Paint-Brushed Pewter.

Patterned paper is a great way to create embellishments as well as borders for your cards/tags in addition to just being a background paper.

Another Halloween tag is in the works...with a Harry Potter movie as my inspiration...

Celebrate Autumn Tag

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons of the year and I just had to make a tag to celebrate. 

 

The quote used here is a rubber stamp from Whipper Snapper Designs and is one of my favorite quotes about autumn.  The tree branches rubber stamp, used for the background, has been in my collection for many year and is from Rubber Monger.

 

The leaves were cut using a Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves Die. I used alcohol inked paper for most of the leaves - love all of the color combos you can get with the inks. 

 

Also found some old needle point canvas and since the odds are slim that I'd actually use the canvas for needlepoint I decided it would make great leaf material.  This is also where the "don't throw anything out 'cause you might need it!" comes into play. Although I try not to let the studio supplies get out of hand (emphasize "try") I find it helpful to keep boxes of odds and ends to use for embellishments...or leaf material!

 

I colored the canvas leaves with Distress Ink Vintage Photo. Distress inks were also used to color the background of the tag and color the edges of the quote piece.

 

Next on the agenda is getting in the spirit to make some Halloween tags...stay tuned!

autumn watercolor card demo

I'll be at Artist & Display this Saturday for a card making event.  If you're in the area I encourage you to stop by and have fun with art supplies and making cards.
At my table I'll be demoing watercolor crayons - which are so cool to use with rubber stamps.  Mist a rubber stamp lightly with water, take the crayons and scribble all over the stamps (mix colors), and if desired mist again with water then stamp onto paper.
The result is a beautiful soft water colored image. Love this technique with leaf stamps because it's so easy to create colorful autumn leaves.

So it's kinda like going back to your childhood and playing with crayons...and who doesn't love crayons? You will love the results from using these watercolor crayons with rubber stamps...and you get to take home a completed card. 

Saturday October 5th from noon to 3:00pm.  Hope to see you there!  Here's a link to the store for directions and more details. http://www.artistanddisplayonline.com/demos.php?classid=545