Wow! Ok... Let's Update! :)

This blog post is going to be super lengthy so hang in there! I am in some serious need of updating. I have posted my projects to my YouTube that I have not displayed on my blog. It is my goal for September to update my blog at least twice a week! :) We will re-evaluate in October to see how I did!

So, what has been going on in my crafty world? WELP, I am so in LOVE with the Graphic 45 Magic of Oz paper collection. I mean what is there to not love about it?!?!? Here are a couple projects I have completed with it.

First up:  Magic of Oz Altered Michaels Box

I made this within an hour of returning home with my freshly purchased paper collection. I made it for my mom to hold her rings in! I thought that was a cute use for it.

I took on of the smaller $1.00 balsa boxes from Michaels and painted it using a mixture of Santa Red and Black acrylic paint by FolkArt. I then cut the image on the top of the box out of the paper collection and inked the edges using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain. I used Matte Mod Podge to adhere the paper and create a protective layer on top. For the sides I used a variety of embellishments. The flowers used are all Recollections flowers. I used a Tim Holtz Fragment and placed and image of the Wicked Witch under it and then adhered it to the box with hot glue. I used a Tim Holtz Muse Token that said "Journey" on it as well. The house "bingo token" is from Maya Road and I thought it went well with the collection. The added some Prima Say it in Pearls to add alittle bit of pretty! The peach pearl trim I purchased at a local scrapbook store and the elastic trim I used as a closure is purchased from Hobby Lobby! I think it turned out super cute! :)

The Next Magic of Oz Project is and Altered Photo Tray:

I just had a blast making this! I purchased a blank photo tray in black from Hobby Lobby. The brand is The Paper Studio. This is what I created with it:

Ok so super fun to make! I just cut images from the paper collection and placed them into each slot. I then embellished some of the sections. On the top right hand corner you can't really tell in the photo but on several of the pairs of the ruby red slippers I used red Stickles to make them shimmer. Used a gear piece from the 7Gypsies gear pack and placed a cut image from the collection inside and then topped it with Crackle Accents to make it look like a cracked compass. I had cut and rolled a felt rose and placed a pearl inside for the center. Middle left I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to color the paper flower red, created a rolled felt flower and used another Maya Road Bingo Piece as accent. More rolled felt flowers on the bottom right hand corner with a Tim Holtz Word Key that says "Dreams". Then to complete the project I fussy cut the Wicked Witch image and Flying Monkeys from the paper collection covered them in Matte Mod Podge to give them stength and adhered them onto the tray. This was such a great project to create! 

I have also been enjoying creating Altered Frames. I take an unfinished wooden frame purchased from Michaels and alter it. It's super easy and inexpensive! Here are the two I have completed:

First up Steampunk Debutante Altered Frame:

  I love the technique I used on the "skirt" of the dress form. First I cut the dress form out using the Tim Holtz Sewing Room die. I used medium weight chipboard covered in sticky back canvas for the dress form.Then I used the TH Caged Bird Die to cut out the birdcage using Grunge Paper. I trimmed the birdcage to fit the dress form as a skirt. After I was pleased with the shape, I inked up the skirt using Distress Embossing Ink. I then covered the skirt in Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder. I melted the embossing powder using a heat gun and waited for it to cool. I then rubbed my finger over the skirt knocking loose some of the embossing powder. After I was satisfied at how that looked I went over it with the Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a blending tool to make it look kind of like rust. And I of course lifted this technique from Tim Holtz book The Compendium of Curiosities Book! (If you have not checked it out stop reading my blog and do so now!) :) To create her wings I used the TH Heart Wings Die and then ran those through the Clockworks CuttleBug Embossing Folder. I then fussy cut images from the collection to create the women. What do you think about her?

Graphic 45 Curtain Call Altered Frame: This frame was for a swap on A Lil Scrap of Heaven. My partner was Adele and she created a beautiful frame for me as well. Funny thing.... there was no theme for the swap yet somehow we both ended up using the Curtain Call paper. I said it's because great minds think alike! ;)

 Painted frame using FolkArt Sandstorm paint first. Brushed over it with a Crackle Medium then over that with black acrylic paint. Achieved a very nice crackle effect. Created a couple handmade flowers (bottom left corver the satin lollipop flower and the rolled rose next to it and at top the felt flower). Cut out dress form using TH Sewing room die. Adhered feathers to bottom to appear as if it were a skirt. Attached a flower to look like a pin and some pearls as a necklace. Put on some prima pearls for some elegance and shipped it out!

Well for those of you who made it through this terribly long post Thank you! For those of you who did not I totally understand! :/ Thanks as always for stopping by!

XoXo,

Katie

Steampunk Debutante Altered Michaels Box and My Very 1st Tag

Hello Crafty People,

I wanted to share with you the Steampunk Debutante altered box that I made as a gift for Tonya who is Psychomoms on YouTube. I love the way this box turned out! I will explain step by step what I did to make it and then I will show pictures at the end. Okie Dokie!

First I paint the whole box with a thin coat of mod podge to seal the box. I really need to get the gesso to do this with I think the paint would go on better, but I use what I have! :) After that is dry I lay down a coat of paint. With this box I mixed two colors because I wanted the color to match the paper collection perfectly! I do not paint the part that paper will be going over completely. I just apply paint around those edges just in case the paper doesn't cover part of it you wont just be seeing the plain box underneath. I then will adhere my paper to the box using mod podge. I place mod podge on the box as well as on the underside of the paper.
Then, after that is dry I will edge my box in whatever color ink I want. This one I took Tim Holtz distress ink in Walnut Stain and edged the entire box. It is important to do this BEFORE you mod podge because I have noticed the ink really doesn't want to stay on the mod podged box as well. Then I apply a generous coating of mod podge. I will often use my heat tool to speed up the drying process for all of this because I want to get to the embellishing part! Then the best part yet! EMBELLISHING!!!!

Ok, for the top of the box I fussy cut 3 different size butterflies fromt he paper collection and super mod podged them to give them strength to be on the top of the box. Then I hot glued down a flower from a recollections collection and placed the butterflies on and around the flower with hot glue. I then adhered a Tim Holtz Philosophy Tag that says 'Inspire' with hot glue.

On one side of the box I stamped an image from the Hampton Arts Stamps inspired by the Graphic 45 Steampunk collection. I LOVE THESE STAMPS!  I stamped using my Versa Mark embossing ink and then sprinkled black embossing powder and set with a heat gun. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out because the box was already mod podged, but I thought it turned out well! On the other side I used a Tim Holtz Fragment piece and cut out an image from the collection and used glossy accents to adhere those together. I then used Tim Holtz Gears and used glossy accents to glue three of them together as an accent.

For the closure I glued a 7Gypsies Gear on the knob and then used brown elastic trim to close the entire box.

Inside the box I placed my very first tag. I like how it turned out! FUNNY STORY! If you look close enough you can see that the french script stamp that is on there.... it's upside down! :) I didn't notice it until I was editing the video and I had already mailed the gift! Lol! Oh well! It makes it unique.

Here are the pictures and the video to follow!

XoXo

~Katie