Sara Jane's Studio

ChalkBoard Calendar and Memo Station

Where, or where does the time go?!?  Here it is already February, and Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  I love making Valenine's and can't wait to get to them - but for now, I wanted to share a ChalkBoard Calendar and Memo Station that I just put together.

I've beem wanting to do this for a while.  I bought a metal base from Strano Designs - it's a generous 18" square, they call it their Swag Inspiration Board - and they can be gotten on sale for $9.95.  They will hold magnets, and you can use a dry erase marker on them.  You could also use a piece of galvanized metal from one of the big box home improvement stores, or you might find something at a big box craft store. 

 

I added one of Stampin' Up!'s Decor Elements that has a chalkboard finish, so I can change the calendar dates for each month.The chalkboard base is the medium-sized Curly Sign, which is 12" square.  I applied it very easily according to the instructions that come with each applique.  (For a short tutorial, click here to see the application of a large element to a glass jar.)  On top of it, I direcly applied the large Decor Elements Calendar.  Now, you can see that my application was a little cock-eyed....The most challenging thing about this project was trying to get this on straight!!  You really have to be cautious, because you only get once chance for application - once a piece of the applique touches a surface, it is pretty much committed.  I'm still trying to decide if I can live with this, or if I need to remove it and start again.  :) 

 

I'm going to make the months from the Full Calendar stamp set - I've only done February, with the rest soon to come.  It's basic stamping, with a strip of magnet tape on the back to hold it to the board.   Of course I am planning on making a little box to keep all of the months in it - I'll share it when it's done!

 
Here's my new calendar and note station in it's place- which right now is a window.

I'm going to have to find a new location as soon as the nice weather hits!!

Easy Christmas Decorations

I have some large windows on the front of my house that just beg for holiday decoration.  Last year, I used the snowflakes from the Stampin' Up!' Definitely Decorative line of vinyl appliques.  This year, I tried the Vintage Ornaments, and love the look!

I bought two sets, one in Real Red and one in Chocolate, in the Medium size.

 
Above and below: Combination of Decor Elements, from the inside of the house.

 
 

Above and below:  Vintage Ornaments from the outside.

 
You can see that the Chocolate elements don't show up as well from the outside (even in person they don't).  And at night, even on the inside, they are harder to see than the red.

But overall I call this a success for holiday decorating this year, and I'll be looking forward to exploring next year's offerings. 

There is also a 17"-diameter wreath in the vinyl applique, and I"m thinking of putting it on the front door.  What do you think?  Too much?

 Happy holiday decorating!!

Quick and Easy Presentation

Have you ever wanted an inexpensive way to present flowers to a dinner hostess?  How about an easy craft to keep the kids busy on Thanksgiving Day, or at Christmas-time?  This is one of them. 

I don't nomally do crafting with trash, but this seemed just too easy and perfect to pass up.  All you need is an emply half gallon container (the waxed paper kind, not the plastic kind), some decorative paper, and some tape.  The carton is already made water-tight, so you can present an arrangement of realy flowers (like I did, below), or use silk flowers for a more lasting decoration.

 

 

Rinse out an empty milk or juice carton (or pour what is left into a pitcher so you can use the carton!), and cut it down to about 5 inches tall.

Using heavy duty adhesive (like Sticky Strip or Red-LIner tape), attach the decorative paper of your choice.  Your kids could even use construction paper.  Decorate the paper as much or as little as you like- because the flowers are really the focal point here.  Big polka dots are great, or just tie on a ribbon like I did and let the decorative paper speak for itself.  I used the Stampin' UP! decorative paper from the Holiday mini catalog, "Autumn Spice", added a 1-1/4" strip of Early Espresso cardstock at the bottom, and a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock at the top that I had used the Scallop Edge punch on (1-1/2" wide before punching). 

You can fill it with floral foam to hold your arrangement in place.  And if you want something to last throughout the season, make an arrangement of silk flowers.

Enjoy!!

 

 

Oak Leaf Ornament

Here is another ornament for the fall holidays.  And another one that I saw somewhere and said: "I can make THAT!"

 
This ornament, like the other ornament for fall (see it here), starts with a plain, 3" round ornament from a big box craft store.  Then you can use silk leaves, or real leaves, or preserved leaves.  I found mine in the florist section of my local grocery store.  Apply the leaves one at a time with Mod Podge or other decoupage medium.  When dry, apply more Mod Podge all over.  I used the gloss finish Mod Podge, and you can see the brush marks when you get close.  And the glass is no longer completely transparent.  But I don't mind that look, and the brush marks are not obvious from a distance.  I finished with a large, gold, organdy ribbon with wired edges.  A pretty chocolate brown or ochre color would look great too! 

Hang them in your windows for the fall through Thanksgiving, or even use them in the centerpiece for your holiday dinner table.   Enjoy!!

Ornaments for Autumn

 
I saw this ornament somewhere- can't remember where.  And it was one of those that I had to try.  You know that thought:  "I can make THAT!"

It really is super easy:  Start with a plain glass ornament from one of the big box craft stores.  This one is 3" in diameter.  Cut some lace-patterned cardstock in a circle that is about 3-1/8" in diameter- in other words just slightly larger than the ornament.  Roll it up, and carefully push it into the ornament.  Now comes the hardest part:  unrolling the cardstock.  By trial and error, I got the best result with a long pair of tweezers, and bent the cardstock in the opposite direction it was originally rolled. 

Glue a piece of ribbon around the top, and tie more ribbon on the hanger, and you are done!  These will look great hanging in your windows through the rest of the fall, and then maybe even on your Christmas tree!

 

 

 

The Twelve Weeks of Holidays - 2010

Each week leading up to December 25, Sara Jane's Studio newsletter contains complete step-by-step instructions for a new project, ranging from holiday and thank-you card designs, to home decor, hand-made gifts, and quick and simple last-minute ideas for all of your holiday needs.

But these great projects are only available to readers of Sara Jane's Studio newsletter.  So sign up now, in the easy sign-up box on the left.  If you've missed any issues, just drop me a line and I'll get them to you.

The Twelve Weeks starts on September 28, with a vintage Christmas card design.

Sign up now for fun and creative holiday inspiration!

 

 

 

A Year of Collage - August 2010

I am the first to admit that his is not exactly a collage... But I'll claim poetic license in this case.  For my year of collage, I enjoy highlighting a different stamping or crafting technique each month.  And I'd not yet shared the reverse-image stamping technique, so here it is!

This image is from the retired Stampin' Up! set "Summer by the Sea".  And what you need to make the technique work is another plain piece of rubber.  It is simple enough:  ink your image, and transfer this image to the plain piece of rubber, and then stamp with the plain piece of rubber. The result is a softer, mirror image of the original. 

The keys that I found to making this work:

• Use StazOn Jet Black ink, so there are absolutely no chances that the black will run when you water color over it.
• Make sure the ink pad is not too dry and not too wet.  (I know- this is a tough one.)  If it is too dry, you won't have enough time to stamp the mirror image.  If it is too wet, then your mirror image will be much too strong and you'll lose the effect.
• Stamp the mirror image first, before you do anything else.   Keep trying until you get one or two images that you like (remember, it does not have to be perfect, and is better if it's not perfect).
• Next, create the water.  I used a combination of brayer (with Not Quite Navy), and stippling (with Not Quite Navy and Bashful Blue).  Don't use too much ink on the brayer- because you don't want the water to be too dark.  If it does get too dark, try lifting some color with a wet Aquapainter, followed by a paper towel to blot up the color.  You can keep doing this quite a bit before the cardstock starts to break down.

You've now done the two most challenging parts and the rest is relatively easy!!  Stipple the sky with Bashful Blue and a little bit of Pink Pirouette.  Stamp your main image on a separate piece of cardstock, and color with water color crayons and the Aquapainter.  When you are happy with it, cut it out close to the edges. 

Lift some of the blue color from the reflected image with your Aquapainter and a paper towel to blot.  Then color the reflection in the water with a very watery mix of the same colors, and don't hesitate to add a little blue back for "realism". 

Then, mount your main image using Stampin' Dimensionals, and you are done!

I have my calendar on my desk at work, and have already found it to be a welcome distraction during stressful, hectic days!!

 

Happy Summer! Happy July!

Somehow red, white and blue always comes to mind when designing something for the month of July. . . No real mystery there:  Independence Day is a fun and festive, not to mention important, holiday.  So of course it infuses our thoughts in this first full month of Summer.

And so it is no surprise that the month of July in my Year of Collage calendar is inspired by the Fourth.

This is really a simple design, with a variety of woven ribbons providing the color, and cardstock providing the white.  The color scheme is obvious.  What may be less obvious is the loose connection to the flag, with blue and white on the top left, and red and white in the lower portion.  And, I had fun taking it one step further:  instead of using plain white cardstock,  I scanned and printed book pages with various languages on them:  German, French, Chinese, English, and (because I had it) shorthand!!  (Not exacly a language, but it looks cool on a page!!)  Thus the melting pot that is America is loosely represented in the various languages that are included in the design.  I added a few finishing touches in the form of red, white and blue buttons from my stash, and called it complete!

You can see all of the other months in the calendar by clicking on Year of Collage on under "Categories" on the left side of the blog.

Happy Fourth!

A Year of Collage - June 2010

Most years I manage to create a calendar that consists of a unique collaged design for each month, and call it "A Year of Collage".  I try to play with different techniques for each month, and as much as possible, of course, have the design be appropriate to the month.

Here is June for 2010.

I used cold press watercolor paper for the base together with some great watercolors from Stamp Zia.  She formulates her own sprays which create these vibrant colors that just come alive.  I used a plastic template with a flourish design, and simply kept spraying.  I'd move it, and use another color, and move it and use a third color.  Then, using a heat gun, I'd dry the whole design and start over again.  The key is to keep layering colors, drying when needed so they don't all blend together and create a muddy mess.

The gold embellishment is a piece of chipboard from my stash, painted gold with Jacquard Lumiere paint, and then highlighted with a gold Dew Drop. 

The colors seemed to match perfectly with Crushed Curry and Rich Razzleberry cardstock.

You can see all of the other months for 2010 by clicking here.  If you are lucky, you can join me late in the year for a two-part class to create your own calendar for next year.  Just sign up for my newsletter so you can get notice of my upcoming classes as a reminder. 

A Year of Collage - May 2010

Happy May Day! 

This month's calendar is based on a tried-and-true layout:  the Grid.  If ever in doubt, you can base a design on a grid pattern, and you can almost never go wrong. 

 My inspiration was the design in the upper left corner- it's a transparency with a printed brocade image that I adhered to white cardstock with Crystal Effects.  To that, I decided to add brown and green, and a variety of patterns and textures of paper.  Each square is 1-1/8" on a side, with a scant 1/4 inch in-between each one.  The lower six squares are adhered directly to the Chocolate Chip cardstock base, and the top six squares are adhered with Stampin' Dimensonals.  I used a variety of embellishments: a brass charm, ribbons, a small Prima flower, and beads in coordinating colors.

The dates of the month were printed on Whisper White carstock on my computer, and I highlighted the edges with one of my favorites:  a Krylon Gold Leaf Pen.  It was then adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.

And there we have the lovely month of May!  Click on the Year of Collage link to see the other months I've created.