Sara Jane's Studio

A Little Shadow Box

More fun with the "Aviary Postcards" from Meyer Imports!!  And, I used a small chipboard shadow box from C&T Publishing too!  (Numerous Craft Critique reporters are going to review various products from C&T Publishing.  Check them out by clicking here.)

This adorable little thing started as a white chipboard box with an acetate window in the cover.  The box is only 3-1/4" square, and 1-3/4" deep.  I covered the top and the bottom in coordinating Designer Paper from the Walk in the Park line from Stampin' Up!.  I liked the blue color, and the small print was the right scale for this project.  I covered the inside bottom with Not Quite Navy cardstock, and used three layers of dimensional adhesive to attach it.  Similarly I used a triple layer of dimensional adhesive to attach the Aviary Postcard.  I added a small piece of 1/8" wide gold "German scrap" at the top and the bottom of the Not Quite Navy background, for a little surprise in case anyone looked closely.

This was the easy part. . .  It then took me at least an hour (maybe two?!?)  to pull together all of the rest of the elements to my satisfaction.  What finally got me on the right path was finding the textured pink glass button in my stash.

I threaded the button with a multi-colored silk ribbon that has iridescent edges, and wrapped the ribbon twice around the top of the shadow box.  I tucked a large turquoise bangle/sequin behind the button before attaching it securely with Omni-Stick glue.

I found the rectangluar gold charm in my stash, and added another piece of German Scrap to the left side (only) of the window on the cover.

Along the bottom front I attached a piece of decorative trim left over from some curtains that I took apart.  It seemed too plain, so I added five little, silver, oval sequins, and along the center added a fuzzy piece of fiber that has just a hint of warm color peeking out here and there.

I thought a little more pink and gold in the lower right corner would help to balance the whole design, and I found the pink flat backed embellishment and a gold colored Dew Drop, and then added one tiny gold flower that matches the border of the window.

All was finished by adding a Stampin' Up! rub-on sentiment (from a retired set) to the window in the lower right corner.  If you look too critically you will see where I almost completely ruined it by trying to finish adhering the rub-on without having anything between the rub-on and the applicator.  DOH!!!!

Side view.

And that was it!  As I've said before, I love small things, and I love doing collage and assemblage.  This project was a real pleasure!!

Keep creating!

Is a Bird on a Box worth Two in the Bush?

While playing with products from Meyers Imports recently, I decided it had been a while since I had made a decorative box.  And I had not yet found a place for one of the "Aviary Postcard Stickers" from Meyer Imports.  SO, there was my starting inspiration.

I began with an unfinished, flat-topped wooden box from Woodcrafters.com.  This particular one measures approximately 6" X 4" X 3" tall, has recessed hinges on the back, and no clasp on the front.  I gave it a coat of sealer, followed by a coat of Jacquard Lumiere Metallic Bronze acrylic paint.  When dry, I applied a coat of crackle medium, and when it was set, followed with a coat of Burnt Umber acrylic paint.  (Yes, this is one of my favorite box finishes.... I suppose I should start branching out a bit!!) 

When it was completely dry, I decided I wanted to add a little punch of color, so I sparingly dry-brushed on some highlights of Metallic Aquamarine Folk Art acrylic paint (Plaid).  The final step was a coat of Exterior/Interior Varnish in a satin finish (DuraClear by DecorArt). 

With the box itself finished, it was time to figure out how to mount the vintage postcard image.  (Note that this is not a vintage piece of ephemera, but rather a quite nice reproduction of a vintage image.)  I finally settled on a double frame using the Nestabilities Large Labels dies, one in Chocolate Chip cardstock, and the larger in Taken with Teal cardstock (both Stampin' Up! colors).  I attached these with Golden Heavy Gel in gloss finish, and added a coat of the Gel on top of the image and cardstock to seal the paper as well.

 

That did not seem to be enough, so I added some antique brass corners near the image (We R Memory Keepers). 

AND I decided to add a ribbon buckle as well.  I liked the texture of twill tape instead of ribbon for this project, but did not like the ivory color.  So I took a length of the 3/4" twill tape from Stampin' Up!, and dyed it with Taken with Teal Classic Ink refill.  (Simple enough:  I diluted the ink slightly, and immersed the twill tape, swishing it gently around until it was completely saturated.  I let it sit for about 30 minutes, then squeegee'd it with gloved fingers, and let it dry on top of waxed paper overnight.)

On the back, I applied some "Fray Check" to the ends of the twill tape so reducing raveling, folded under the top about 1/4", and then I fastened the ends together with two square- topped brads.

I attached the metal ribbon slide and the seam of the ribbon to the box using Omni-Stick adhesive.

On the inside bottom, I added another piece of Taken with Teal cardstock, on which I had stamped and embossed in gold:  "There is more to life than increasing its speed." (Gandhi).  I edged the cardstock with a Pale Gold Krylon Leafing Pen before applying it and coating it with the same Heavy Gel.

And I was done!  I'd love to know what you think.  Anything you would have done differently?

Oh- and if you'd like to read a review of the Meyers Imports products themselves- what they were like to work with, you can check out my post and others' over on Craft Critique.

Keep creating!

 

Vintage Flowers

While I was playing with the Vintage German Scrapfrom Meyers Imports, and after I finished my Easter Eggs using the same images, I re-discovered my stash of chipboard microscope slide mailers and played with one of those.

If you are not familiar with these, they are actually used to ship tissue specimens that are already mounted onto microscope slides. 

Being that they are made from chipboard, and they are a great size (3" X 3-3/4" when closed), they have been in the crafter's stash for altering for years.

I started by painting my mailer with Jacquard Lumiere acrylic paint: inside with Olive Green and outside with Citrine.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lumiere paints- they have a beautiful metallic sheen, come in rich colors, and go on like buttercream frosting.  I found a piece of open-weave mesh in my stash of specialty papers and used that for the base.  The flower image was from the Meyers Imports "Flower Basket" panel of Vintage German Scrap.  It's from the same set of images that I used for the Easter Eggs.  I adhered the flower basket on top of the mesh using Golden Heavy Gel.  (I probably could have used any white PVA glue- the Golden Gel happened to be handy from my other project!). 

I stamped "Je t'aime" in Chocolate Chip ink, and then framed it with an antiqued copper frame.  I did not want the brads to show through the back side of the mailer, so I put them through the frame, but not the chipboard.  I trimmed the ends of the wire brads with a wire snipper so they would not show, and then mounted the whole using Omni-Stick adhesive (which I've found to be the best adhesive for heavy embellishemnts).

  Front of slide mailer.

On the inside, I used a stamp "Pour Vous", stamped in Timber Brown StazOn ink, and I used colored dye inks to watercolor the image with greens and red for the ribbon.  When it was dry, I punched it out using the Wide Oval punch from Stampin' Up!.  I used a Spellbinders oval "Nestability" die to cut out a larger oval from Handsome Hunter cardstock (Stampin' Up!), and I edged it with my favorite Krylon Gold Leafing Pen before adhering to the slide mailer using PVA glue.

Inside of slide mailer. 

For the two slots on the right, I printed out the sentiment in a dark green and a font called "High Society".  I cut them to fit the spaces, and then edged them with the gold leafing pen before adhering them with PVA glue.  I found the gold colored charms in my stash, and finished everything off with some tiny red jewels.

This will be a fun gift for someone special!

(PS If you want to read my review of the products themselves- head on over to Craft Critique by clicking here.)

An Easter Egg - Really?

This was fun!!  And I was able to use one of the plastic Easter eggs without feeling badly about it.

 

I started with a green egg, and using Omni-Stick adhesive, attached a piece of 1/4" velvet olive green ribbon around the center seam of the egg.  Then I adhered tiny Prima flowers all over the top half.  I finished each flower by added a similar colored Dew Drop to the center of each, again using Omni-Stick glue.

 

For the finishing touch, I added a little miniature ladybug from Martin Meyer Imports.

Is it just me, or is this really CUTE?!?!

New Twist on Easter Eggs

 I recently had fun with some products that were new to me from Martin Meyers Imports, and wrote a review of the products themselves for Craft Critique.  You can see that review by clicking here.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the other projects that I made with the same products.  The first was inspired by the season:  Easter Eggs!

I decided to go all the way, and blew out a dozen eggs.  It had been a LONG time since I tried that, so I botched about half a dozen before I started doing an adequate job.  My two cents from this recent experience is to buy twice as many eggs as you need, and take your time! 

After the emptied eggs were washed and dried (rinsed with copious water, and allowed to air dry overnight), I dyed them with Paas egg dye from the grocery store.  I chose to use lots of vinegar, and let them stay in the dye solution for about 20 minutes in order to get the most vibrant color.

Once the color was dry, I decoupaged some European "scrap" to them, using Golden Heavy Gel in gloss finish.  The "Scrap" is what Martin Meyer imports calls "vintage scrapbook stickers", and the ones that I used are the Floral Basket panel.  I put a coat of the gel on top of the flower image and the egg, in addition to using it as my adhesive.  Once this was dry, I coated the back side of the egg with more Heavy Gel, and rolled the egg in White Glass Glitter (also from Meyer Imports). 

The finishing touch was a 1/4" velvet ribbon at the transition between the glittered side and the non-glittered side.  I made a fake little bow for the top by folding the ends of a 2" piece of ribbon into the center, stitching it down, and then covering the stitching with another short piece, wrapped around the center of the first piece. And guess what?!?  The ribbon hid the nasty holes that I made in the bottom of the eggs!!

I really love the effect of the glass glitter on the bright color:  it looks like a sugared egg treat!

This was the first time I had decorated Easter Eggs in a number of years.  I really had a good time with it!  And I've got them on display in a little basket in my kitchen. 

Check back for some other decorated eggs, and some other applications of the vintage European scrap.

Keep creating!

More Dominoes- With One Stamp

It seems once I get started, it's hard to stop.... Here are a few more dominoes.  I taught the class recently, and had an opportunity to do a little work myself,  so I explored variations using the same stamp image.

Here are three versions using the same stamp image from Invoke Arts.   (Please note that if you double click on any of the images, they will open in a larger window so you can see more detail.)

In all three cases, I started by stamping the image on a piece of white tissue paper.  You might wonder:  Why use tissue paper instead of stamping directly on the domino?  The answer is that it depends on which medium you want to work in.  If you want to use solvent based or alcohol based inks or markers (StazOn or Copic), then you can work directly on the plastic surface of the domino.  BUT, if you want to work with water-based markers (such as those from Marvy or Stampin' Up!) or watercolor paints, then you need to work on tissue paper. 

I wanted to use Twinkling H2Os again, because I love the shimmer that results from the mica particles included in the paints.  So I stamped my image with StazOn, since it will not run or bleed when wet from the water color.  And I proceeded to paint the images using different combinations and placement of color.  When I was happy with the painting, I used a small brush, wet with plain water, to draw a line close to the edges of the stamped image.  Then I gently tore the image out of the paper.  The wet line helps to keep the tearing under control- the paper will tend to tear where it is wet before it tears where it is dry.  I put a thin layer of plain, white PVA glue on the domino surface (already lightly sanded!)  to attach the image to the domino.  If you work very quickly, you can make a few adjustments when you lay the tissue down to center the image on the domino.  But you must work VERY quickly!  Use a little more glue to make sure the torn edges are glued down.  (The tearing helps to make the edge of the paper "disappear" once it is glued down.)

This first one used a pink on the border, garnet for the heart and the words, and gold for the background.  Amazingly, I found a Brilliance ink color (by Tsukineko) in the "Twilight" trio ink pad that matched the border perfectly.  I used this to color the sides and the back of the domino.  This was accomplished by repeatedly tapping the edge of the domino against the ink pad, until it was covered to my liking.  I heat set the ink with my heat gun.  On this particular domino, I also covered the top with Crystal Effects, which yields a very shiny, glossy surface.

This domino uses a deep purple on the words, garnet for the background, and a soft gold for the heart and the border.  I colored the edges and the back with StazOn ink- I liked the drama of the contrast of the black with the gold.

On this last domino, I used garnet on the words and the outside of the heart, a pale blue background, and then gold on the interior of the heart and on the border.  The piece was finished with my favorite too, the Krylon Gold Leafing pen, on the sides and the back.

You may have noticed that none of these have been pre-drilled.  It was a conscious choice.  I could still make jewelry out of them- add a pin back, and it's a brooch.  Or, if I can figure out how to use "Hang Tabz" from Renaissance Art, I may attach one of those to the back so I can create a necklace.

But, I also may save these for embellishments on other pieces- a decorative box, an altered book, or some other piece of altered art.  Got any good ideas for me?  I'd love to know! 

Keep creating!

More Domino Jewelry

Here is my last post (for now!) on domino jewelry.  This particular one is a pin, and takes advantage of the shape and sturdiness of the domino itself, but not it's surface.  (You can find my other examples of domino jewlery here and here.)

For this piece, I covered the domino with a piece of heavy, handmade paper- unfortunately the photograph does not do the paper justice.  It is a green base, with lots of texture, and shots of copper running through it.  To cover the domino, I cut a piece big enough to cover the front and sides, and applied it with simple, white craft glue.  I clipped the corners so I could wrap the end pieces around and assure that there was no plastic of the domino showing. 

The image is from a stamp set created by Jessica Wesolek, sold on her site "Cre8it."  (Click here for info.)  They are sized specifically for use on large and small dominoes.  I stamped with copper colored Encore pigment ink, and then embossed with copper embossing powder.  I used a dark brown Copic marker to add some shadows on the right side, and the bottom of the embossed lines to give it all a little more depth.

I used  a paper piercer to pierce through the paper to the pre-drillled holes I had already made in the domino.  Using 24 gauge artist wire, I strung glass beads (they are amber with a blue center) and a cool copper-colored pearl on the top and bottom of the domino.  (The pearl was from Fire Mountain Gems.)  The wire is fine enough so that to finish, I was able to give it a few twists, and then pass it back through a few of the beads on the top row.  I clipped the ends close to the beads, and you can't see where the wire begins and ends.  (Phew!!)

When all was done, I had wished that I had cut the paper slightly larger, so it would wrap around the back.  I would have then added another piece of paper cut to the size of the domino to cover the back.  Oh well.  Next time.  Instead, I used my copper Krylon Leafing Pen to color the back of the domino, and I added a self-adhesive pin-back that I found at Michael's. 

I'm looking forward to making lots more of these!  Why don't you join me?  I teach classes in this technique locally, and can provide an online tutorial if you are interested.  Just let me know! 

And, keep creating!

Domino Jewelry

When I suggested to the ladies at the Art Emporium, (a local store in Needham, MA, where I frequently teach classes) that I do a class in Domino Jewelry, they very politely smiled and nodded and said, okay. 

Today, when I dropped off the samples, we all got a good laugh when they confessed that they imagined unadorned dominoes, strung together to make a necklace.  They were pleasantly surprised to see that the necklaces were anything but pieces of plastic with black dots!!

What I love about dominoes is that they provide a wonderful, smooth surface to work with.  They are dense, so they don't feel "cheap", and they are incredibly sturdy.  The other nice thing is that if you are unhappy with your design as it is evolving, you can pretty much wipe it off or rinse it off before it sets, and you can start all over again.  They are a wonderful "canvas" to work on.

The first step to this necklace was to stamp the image (this one from Invoke Arts) on plain white tissue paper.  Yes, tissue paper.  I stamped the image using black StazOn ink, and then watercolored the image using Twinkling H2Os.  These are fabulous, glittering watercolors that come in their own little pots.

In another live and learn moment (although this one I should have been able to anticipate!)- I painted on the back side of the image, thinking this would reduce any color running when I added sealant.  What I learned is that the glittery effect does not show through to the right side.  Of course this makes sense, because the glitter comes from light bouncing off of mica in the watercolor paints.  And the light can't do that through paper.....Sigh.  So I repainted on the right side where I wanted to accent the glittery nature of the color.

Then, I gently tore the paper close to the image.  To help myself, I used a fine paintbrush dipped in plain water to draw a tearing line.  This helps to prevent tearing into the image.  The reason for the tearing is that you want a rough edge that will blend away more easilly than a cut one.

After tearing the image, I glued it onto the white surface of a domino using plain PVC white glue.  I smoothed the edges so they disappeared at the edge of the domino.  When it dried, I used my Krylon Gold Leafing Pen to color the edges and the back.

I used two pieces of 24 gauge artistic wire, one through the bottom hole, and one through the top.  The bottom was decorated with beads and a brass charm.  The charm was put on first and guided to the middle of the wire.  I twisted the wire to create a loop to hold the charm, and then added some pink and white beads.  The ends were then passed through the holes, and I curled them to hold them in place.

 At the top, I created a loop in the center by twisting a couple of times, and then added the same bead pattern as I put on the bottom.  I passed the ends through the holes, and then finished one side with a little brass charm of a key.

The piece was strung on black satin cord, with a brass clasp added at the ends.

I would wear this piece!!! What do you think?

Keep creating!!

The Domino Effect

First, there were the games in which dominoes were laid end to end, matching the number of dots.  Then came the toppling of dominoes, standing them on end in elaborate patterns, and knocking them over to watch all the rest fall.  And THEN, came domino art.

Funny how every one of these has been a fad:  really, really HOT, and then suddently very COLD.  Including domino art.  A few years ago you could find pre-drilled dominoes, sliced dominoes, hollow dominoes....Not any more.

Fortunately, I am (like many of us, I think!) a hoarder.  And so I still had a few dominoes lying around. I was in one of those moods, and pulled them out again to play.  Here are the results!!

This one was very easy.  I used the Tsukineko Brilliance three-colored pad called "Peacock" to cover the domino front and sides.  (Of course, I first lightly sanded the game piece to remove the glossy finish and give it some "tooth.") 

I used my heat gun to speed up the drying and to set the ink a bit.  Then, I stamped the palm trees using a Stampscapes stamp, and StazOn ink in Olive Green and Saddle Brown. I thought the palm fronds were a little too flat, so I added some bright green using a Copic Spica Glitter Pen, and a dark brown Copic marker on the trunks. 

It still seemed a little plain, so I added three little, yellow, square rhinestones, using Crystal Effects.  (I found these in a mix of colors and sizes from Me & My Big Ideas.)

Not sure what I'll use this for (the domino is not drilled) but I'm sure I'll find the perfect spot for it soon!

This domino (on the right) is drilled twice through the long sides.  (A very good friend of mine who is a carpenter made a jig for me so I could use his drill press.  It was a god-send to drill out lots of dominoes in one setting.)

After sanding, I used black StazOn ink to stamp a part of an image from a new Outlines rubber stamp.  Then I used Sharpies (yes, Sharpies!- found assorted colors at the Office Depot) to add color. 

The next step ended up being one of those "live and learn" steps.  I added Crystal Effects to seal and glaze the image.  You can tell that some of the color ended up bleeding.  Fortunately, I kind of like the look!  I added three different colored rhinestones while the Crystal Effects was still wet.

When all was dry, I used my favorite tool, the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen on the sides and the back.  And when that was dry, I took a piece of 24 guage artistici wire, and threaded it through the bottom hole.  I made random curls along the side, and then threaded each end through the top hole. 

I pulled the ends up over the top, created a loop, and wrapped the ends around the base of the loop multiple times before cutting the ends close.  I used a piece of black satin ribbon to hang this lovely little piece as a pendant.

Check back tomorrow for another necklace and another technique!

Keep creating!

Boxes everywhere!

An area of business I am trying to develop is targeted towards other small-to-medium-sized companies.  I am in the process of creating programs aimed at creative approaches for both client and employee retention.  This will include the obvious things like hand-made "Thank You" cards and birthday cards, as well as calendars, certificates of merit or achievement, inspirational sayings, desk accessories- you name it!

One client of mine was going through a name change for her company, and she wanted a unique way to help get the message across with her key clients.  I had already designed the Pocket Watch "Pieces and Parts" decorative box.  In fact, I had given one of these to my father for Father's Day last year- you can see it here.  My client (now called Towerwall) is in the computer security business, so something having to do with computers was an obvious choice.  So I took apart an old computer, a printer, a key board, a cell phone and a TV remote-control device, and used the various bits and pieces for an assemblage for a Computer "Pieces and Parts" box. 

The pictures below highlight my production process for making 30 (yes, thirty!) of these boxes for Towerwall to give to their best clients.

I started with a medium-sized (4" X 6" X 3") unfinished wooden box with a hinged lid.  A coat of Metallic Gold Lumiere paint (the MOST FABULOUS metallic acrylics!!) was applied, followed by crackle medium.  There are a lot of acrylic paint companies that sell a crackle medium, and in my hands, they all perform roughly the same.  The important thing is to let the crackle medium dry only to a tacky stage.  When mine reached that stage, I painted with a coat of Coffee Bean acrylic paint.  At thsi stage, the most important thing is to NOT brush back-and-forth repeatedly in the same spot, as the crackle effect just won't work.  Also, if you apply a lighter coat of color, you get finer crackles.  A heavier coat of paint gives thicker cracks.

After the Coffee Bean color dried, and my crackles came through, I gave the boxes an antique finish with Burnt Umber acrylic, thinned out with acrylic glaze.  I applied it liberally, and then wiped off with paper towel until I got the final color I was looking for.  The box was given a protective finish using a couple of coats of Matt Acrylic Spray.  (I like the Krylon Low Odor Clear spray- the name of the product tells you why I like it!!)  That completed the box.

For the computer-part assemblage, I took apart an old computer, a printer, and a keyboard, all of which I found at my local transfer station.  And, one night, watching football with friends, we took apart some old cell phones and TV remote-controls that they had.  (The 13-year old twins had a good time helping me with this!!)  I used the green motherboard or computer board as the base for each of my assemblages.  These I cut up using a Dremel hand-held rotary cutter (very fun tool!) into pieces about 2-1/2" to 3" square.  I did not worry at all about straight edges!   The edges were sanded down to remove any splinters of plastic or metal.

Then the fun began!!  I used all kinds of little parts from inside the various pieces of equipment that had been so industriously de-engineered.  Basically, I put things on, took them off, rearranged them, put them on again....Until I got to a composition that was pleasing to the eye.  I used my good old standby glue for heavy pieces, Omni-Stick, to adhere everything to the board when I was happy with placement choices.  And at the end, I flooded the whole assemblage with Crystal Effects, for a glossy finished surface.

I lined the boxes with a paper that looks like burled wood.  As part of the name change campaign, I printed the company name on the liner for the inside top cover, and printed Towerwall's tag line "Four E's" on the piece that lined the bottom of the box.

   

And here they are- an army of boxes!  What fun to make, and the responses were wonderful when I dropped them off.  My favorite?  "I saw the boxes that you made for Towerwall- how cool are those?!?"

 

     

Keep creating!