Glittered ornamentations for anytime …
Posted: April 24, 2013 Filed under: Art Glitter, Design Team, Gift Items, home decor, technique, Uncategorized, Xyron | Tags: Art Glitter Gala Glitz, Claudine Hellmuth Gesso, Independence Day (United States), Linda Neff, Memorial Day, patriotic, Ranger, Sizzix, Sizzix Primitive Heart die, Xyron 20 Comments »Hey there! It’s been a crazy week or so around here – more about that next time; today I want to show you these adorable little glittered ornaments I made using cardboard, Art Glitter and Xyron!
Xyron is updating photos on its Web site and so design team members selected ‘old’ projects and gave them ‘new’ life. I drew the “Glittered Ornaments.”
I just couldn’t get my senses into Christmas mode so opted to make Patriotic ornaments that can be displayed from Memorial Day, which is right around the corner, through the Fourth of July. I was actually inspired by the events that took place recently in Boston. I wanted to somehow pay homage to those who worked so hard to bring the criminals to justice and to all those citizens who pulled together to help each other during the tragic events and I’ll think about how we all pull together in time of crisis each time I look at these.
I cut the hearts from corrugated cardboard using the Sizzix Stars, Primitive die on my Vagabond die cutting machine.
After punching them all out I spritz them with water to make it easier to rough them up a bit. I just use my fingernails for this or a pick or piercing tool work too.
I use a heat tool to dry them before finger painting them with Claudine Hellmuth Gesso to provide a nice white background for the glitters.
The gesso can also be quick-dried with a heat tool. To easily coat these pieces with glitter I run them through my Xyron 5″ Creative Station using re-positional adhesive. I put them in face-down so the adhesive goes on the side with the gesso.
I peel the cellophane backing off and discard. Because I do not want a good solid coverage on these (other wise they won’t look distressed!) I quickly peel the stars off the Xyron adhesive strip so some of the adhesive strings and comes off. I love this technique – it just cannot be perfected any other way. I find that just quickly peeling them off always gives me the kind of coverage I want for this technique. Then, the fun begins! I lay them on a creased piece of office paper and sprinkle them with beautiful shades of Art Glitter that stick very nicely to the Xyron adhesive.
For the patriotic look here, I used Art Glitter No. 27 Navy Ultrafine Opaque, No. 500 Ruby Red Microfine Opaque and No. 533 Mini Pearl Microfine Pearlescent. I just love the way the Xyron adhesive has pulled away from the body of the star so the beautiful Art Glitter colors coat the stars in a random, vintage style exposing some of the gesso and corrugated parts.
Once the glitter is in place I pierced holes on each side of the stars to attach wire for hanging. I tied some tulle and scrap muslin around some and left the others plain. I printed a few patriotic words to adhere to the stars using my Xyron 1.5″ Create-a-Sticker with permanent adhesive, lightly inked the edges and stuck them down.
I added a few embellies here and there: buttons, threads, clear beads, stick pins and an old rusty star that I treated with gesso, Art Glitter No. 533 Mini Pearl Microfine Pearlescent and then just a light sprinkle of the Art Glitter No. 27 Navy Ultrafine Opaque. I’m happy with the way they turned out and I’m going to enjoy seeing them hanging here-and-there around the house.
These are so easy and quick to create – have a go!
To see other great projects from my Xyron and Art Glitter design team members, please click on the links to visit our blogs and enjoy!
Wearing my heart on my fridge …
Posted: April 11, 2013 Filed under: Art Glitter, Art Glitter Design Team, Gift Items, home decor, Uncategorized, Xyron | Tags: Art Glitter, Canvas Corp Clothes Pin, Claudine Hellmuth Gesso, corrugated cardboard, Linda Neff, Magnet, Refrigerator magnet, Sizzix Primitive Heart, Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker, Xyron 2.5, Xyron Magnet Tape 11 Comments »Howdy! Wanted to share a quick little idea with you for creating magnets.
My fridge magnets were really in need of an update since all the kids have left home – and it’s been awhile.
I created a couple to start with that are a bit more my style than child-like. I was able to use up some materials I had stacked and stored (it’s always a good thing when you can decrease your stash!) which made me happy.
Whenever I cut dies such as the Sizzix Primitive Hearts or Sizzix Flowers, 3D, I save the extras I don’t use in a container. I started by gathering the smallest hearts and a couple of the cut flowers, some glitter, Xyron Magnet Tape, Gesso and printed words.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while you know how much I love my Sizzix Primitive Heart die, especially when cut from corrugated cardboard.
I spritz the hearts with plain water so it’s easier to rough them up a bit.
I ran some leftover scallop circles punched from old book pages through my Xyron 2.5″ Create-a-Sticker, roughed up a heart or two, blotted off some of the water and stuck the circles to the top of the hearts. The overhang is torn off.
Dry the hearts briefly with a heat tool and finger paint them with a bit of Claudine Hellmuth Gesso. If the Gesso is too thick and you cannot see the book page words through it, just spritzed with a bit of water and use your finger to rub it around so it becomes a bit more translucent. Rough the hearts up a bit more if needed and briefly dry them again.
Process the hearts face-down through the Xyron 2.5″ Create-a-Sticker Maker. For a distressed look I do not rub the back or outline the edges of the hearts while they’re on the Xyron backing. I tend to peel them off quickly so the adhesive is pulled off randomly and hap-haphazardly. The point here is stringy and missed spots.
Place the hearts, sticky side up, in a glitter tray and sprinkle with Art Glitter #102 Mimosa Ultrafine Transparent Glitter.
The transparent glitter allows all the texture and dimension beneath to show through – it simply adds a nice gentle sparkle.
Cut some printed words or words from old book pages and process through a Xyron 1.5″ Create-a-Sticker and adhere to the hearts.
Adhere the decorated hearts to the top of the clip clothespins, overlapping as desired. Tie a knot in a small piece of dyed muslin and adhere to one of the hearts. Add a bit of Vintage Glass Glitter #901 Krystallos Shards to the upper corner of the top heart.
Zip off a bit of Xyron Magnet Tape and add to the back of the clothes pin. I simply sliced it to fit and used the remaining to totally cover the clothes pin.
They look cute on the fridge and a bit more my style!
To learn how to make the flower magnet, click on over to the Art Glitter Blog for another tutorial.
Piccolo Resin has charming personality …
Posted: April 1, 2013 Filed under: Design Team, Globecraft & Piccolo, technique, Uncategorized | Tags: 3D Enamel Gels, Charms, DIY Ornament, Globecraft & Piccolo, Linda Neff, UV Resin 5 Comments »Well, I tried my hand at using Resin. Globecraft and Piccolo just released their new UV Resin product so I had to try it!
I started small by first making a charm. It turned out pretty good for my first attempt and it really didn’t take long at all.
I started with a bookboard butterfly from the Butterfly Charm Set. I gave it some dimension by running it through my Vagabond in an embossing folder. I wanted some texture so the Piccolo 3D Enamel Gels would settle in the little cracks and crevices.
I first applied Piccolo Yellow Ochre 3D Enamel Gel and spread it around with my finger.
I spread this color around and let it set for a few minutes to dry. When you spread it thin with your fingers or brush it dries pretty quickly. I then added my second color, which was Piccolo Dark Green 3D Enamel Gel.
I did this to both sides and set it aside to dry thoroughly. Then I coated it with Piccolo UV Resin and placed it under a UV light to cure. It cured in under three minutes. Then I coated the other side with the Resin and placed it back under the UV light.
Once cured, the Resin protects the piece so it works great as a charm to hang from an altered book or, in this case, another DIY Ornament! Check out the G&P Blog to see how I used this charm on a new DIY Ornament.
ATC sparkles and shines
Posted: March 28, 2013 Filed under: Art Glitter, Art Glitter Design Team, card, Cracker Jack Stampers, Ranger, Stamping, Uncategorized | Tags: Art Glitter, Artist Trading Card, ATC, Linda Neff, Mail Art and Artistamps, Ranger Ink, Tim Holtz stamp 8 Comments »
Well, I’m finally delving into the art of Artist Trading Cards thanks to our Cracker Jack Stamp Club! We’re hosting an ATC swap at our April meeting so I’ve been experimenting with products to use on them. This one is stamped, glittered and inked. Skip on over to Art Glitter’s blog for a tutorial on how it was created.
Creating projects using Childhood Memories …
Posted: March 27, 2013 Filed under: Blog Hops, card, home decor, mini album, Stamping, Uncategorized, Xyron | Tags: Adhesive, altered home decor, cardmaking, Childhood Memories, coin envelope, Creative Station, frame, home decor, Imaginisce, Linda Neff, mini book, Ranger, Xyron 30 Comments »
This week the Xyron team has the opportunity to share projects made with Imaginisce paper and stamp collections. I received their Childhood Memories line and had fun creating several projects over the past couple weeks.
I started off with a discounted and discarded frame due to its broken glass. Without the glass it opens the possibility for dimensional embellies that I knew would be fun to play with.
This frame is the perfect accessory for a child’s room and it was way too easy to create with Imaginisce and Xyron. Here’s how: I removed the broken glass and measured the openings using the faux photos that came in it. I kept the background paper of faux photos to use as a template. The Imaginisce papers (Carefree, Snapshots, Day in the Life, and Tree House) were cut slightly larger than the openings then processed through my Xryon 5″ Creative Station.
Once processed, it’s a simple matter of peel-and-stick! The papers are adhered over top of the faux photos for a perfect fit.
Once the papers are were in place a put the frame back on and decorated the front with a variety of stickers from the Childhood Memories collection. I used stickers from the Just Be Little Icons and Kid’s Stuff 5X7 Sticker Stacker. To create a very stable dimension on flat stickers I run scrap chipboard pieces through my Xyron 1.5″ Create-a-Sticker (both sides) to make my own dimensional pop-ups. This works great and the chipboard is very sturdy.
Here’s the finished frame. I think it would make a great piece of wall decor in a kid’s room as is or pop photos onto the pattern paper backgrounds.
But that’s not all! I had fun making a little wall hanging from corrugated cardboard and more of the Imaginisce Childhood Memories collection. This is a scrap of cardboard box painted with Claudine Hellmuth Gesso from Ranger, strips of Childhood Memories papers processed through the Xyron 2.5″ Create-a-Sticker and the photo through my Xyron 5″ Creative Station. I used the Childhood Memories ABC Sticker Alphas to spell out siblings and popped the ‘Cherish the little things’ sticker up for some added dimension. I bet my Aunt Alice will love this when she receives it in the mail!
Next up is a simple coin envelope mini book using scraps of the Childhood Memories papers and stickers along with Snag ‘em Stamps that go with this collection. They are just too cute! I inked my tags first then stamped with Ranger’s Archival Jet Black Ink and used Ranger’s Perfect Medium Pen to color in the images, sprinkled it with UTEE and heat set. This creates just a bit of dimension and shine on the tags that easily slip in and out of the coin envelope pages.
And, there’s one more! I made this card for my Aunt Jane’s birthday recently. She turned either 88 or 89 (I got contradictory ages from different people). It’s a picture of her and my dad many years ago. I love making photo cards as much as most people love receiving them. They seem to bring back fond memories. This card uses paper from the Childhood Memories line as well along with a coordinating sticker. The paper was processed through the Xyron 5″ Creative Station. Hope you’re inspired to give one of these projects a try soon.
Cherish life’s glittery moments …
Posted: March 13, 2013 Filed under: Art Glitter, Design Team, Globecraft & Piccolo, home decor, Uncategorized, Xyron | Tags: Art Glitter, Decorations, Designer Dries Clear, gift, Glastique, Globecraft & Piccolo, home decor, Linda Neff, ornament, Xyron 18 Comments »
I know you may be tiring of all my DIY ornaments but please suffer through one more with me. I just can’t seem to get enough of them lately and when I finish one – or sometimes while working on one – thoughts of how I will decorate the next one are already running through my mind. They’re so easy to play with and you can fit them to any theme or event.
This one is actually reversible! The heart can be seen from either side so it can hang anywhere it may spin or be viewed from both sides. And, yes, that’s the Sizzix Primitive Heart once again as well. What can I say …
So here’s the steps to how I created this precious little hanging.
I cut two of the hearts from corrugated cardboard, ran them through my Xyron 1.5″ Create-a-Sticker. I left the hearts on the Xyron backing and spritzed them with water and roughed them up a bit before painting them with G&P Pink Rose 3D Enamel Gel. While the Gel is still wet I sprinkled them with Art Glitter Mimosa #102 Ultrafine Transparent. I love the way this glitter glistens as the globe turns and moves – it sparkles in different colors. Really cool.
The rims of the ornament are also painted with the Piccolo 3D Enamel Gel and the outer rims sprinkled with the same Mimosa glitter. I coated the fairy wings with a clear layer of Glastique so the natural color of the bookboard shines through. Once all the pieces are dry the assembly begins.
I laid a strand of wire on the backside of one of the hearts and used Designer Dries Clear to adhere the wings to the same backside. The same Designer Dries Clear is used to adhere the hearts back-to-back. The printed, cut out and inked words and gems are also adhere with the Designer Dries Clear.
I assembled the Globecraft DIY Ornament following the directions that came with it. Before adhering the top globe and rim to the bottom, the wired hearts are laid across the center of the globe. Designer Dries Clear is used to adhere the top half to the bottom half and I use clip clothespins to hold it together till the glue sets. One side of the heart says ‘wish’ and ‘dream,’ the other side says ‘cherish’ and ‘love.’ When the light catches this it just sparkles and makes me smile.
Visit the Art Glitter blog to see another project I created recently with their glittery products!
Adding simple elegance to everyday cards
Posted: March 11, 2013 Filed under: card, Design Team, Globecraft & Piccolo, Stamping, Uncategorized | Tags: cardmaking, Glastique, Globecraft & Piccolo, Greeting card, heat emboss, Linda Neff 4 Comments »
Linda Neff
I rather enjoy the challenge of making cards nowadays. It took me a long time to feel comfortable creating a card, but it isn’t nearly as scary as it once was. I’ve learned to keep my designs simple, use my scrap papers and stick with simple embellishments. This first card is a design I use often. It’s great for using two pattern papers that coordinate and the pieces can be moved around, put at angles, left uneven and the design also works horizontally or vertically. The embellishments used here are by Globecraft & Piccolo, known as G&P. They’re a local company out of Midland, Michigan and I like their products.
I’m on their design team, but I was using their products long before that ever happened. What I like about the bookboard accents for card making is that they are pretty thin. If they’re adhered directly to the page and not lifted, they will go through the mail at a normal rate.
For the card above I removed the pieces from their backing and coated them with Glastique Gloss Finishing Glaze. This product leaves a nice shiny finish on the piece and acts as a sealer. These pieces are from the Birds & Butterflies Accents. There are enough pieces in this collection to easily stretch over two to three cards.
The Glastique is applied directly to the bookboard piece from the bottle with the fine tip and left to dry for a bit. I also used the Glastique as an adhesive to attach the bookboard pieces to the card.
The next card uses the G&P Girl’s Night Out Embossing Powder applied with the G&P Embossing Powder Adhesive with a dabber top. The dabber top on the embossing powder adhesive really helps it to apply easily and with good coverage. We always recommend rolling our jars of embossing powder to blend the granules rather than shaking which could cause the larger granules to sink to the bottom of the jar. The heart on this card has three coats of powder on it; each applied after the previous coat is cool to the touch and then heat set again till smooth. The variegation of colors in the powders gives the embossed pieces a great dimensional look.
The key is embossed with two coats of G&P Vintage Silver Embossing Powder in the same manner as the heart. Each piece is adhered to the card with Glastique. The embossing powders help to create a faux metal look which blends well with the paper selection.
Cardmaking is a fun activity that anyone can learn. It doesn’t have to be difficult and over-the-top. Keep your cards basic and simple and easy to mail. It’s the sentiment that you write on the inside that touches people’s heart and the just the thought alone that you cared enough to send a hand-made card.
