Swap event at Scraps of Color.ning

Hi everyone. Thanks for stopping by again.  Tell your friends to stop by and become a follower too....

I'd like to take the time to post pics of the swap items that were exchanged during the Pay it Forward swap event over at http://scrapsofcolor.ning.com/events/pay-it-forward-with-creativity-2013 where our hostess was Tiare (Classygirl).  First let me quickly explain how the event was organized.  When you sign up to attend, you would then make a crafted item  for the members that signed up "before" and "after" you.  You had four...yes FOUR months to get the item to your partners.  Easy peasy and straight to the point right? Gotta love that.  Therefore, the two ladies that I had to create for were Shirley and Mary J.  I took a month or two to decide what to make, but decided on altering wooden boxes.  I had a wonderful time deciding what to do to the boxes and really, really love how they both turned out!

This first box was created for Mary J. (I hope that she loves it....it was hard letting it go! LOL)

Products used:  naked wooden box from Consumer Crafts, naked wooden placque painted in black acrylic paint, Prima flowers, feather, Want 2 Scrap bling, Colorbok animal print patterned paper, 

MS butterfly punch, ModPodge, black acrylic paint, bling ribbon, 

metal frame painted black and covered with Glossy Accents

The second box was created for Shirley M. 

and again, I hope that she loves it too...

cause this one was hard to let go because my daughter tried to claim it as her own!!

Products used: naked wooden box from Consumer Crafts, metal frame painted in copper acrylic paint and covered with Glossy Accents, Want  2 Scrap bling, Colorbok patterned paer, TH Distress ink in Walnut Stain, ruffled ribbon, various mulberry flowers, bird that was cut in half from my stash, feathers, 

white acrylic paint,  MS butterfly punch, and ModPodge

I really wanted to create something that was feminine and pretty, but useful and something 

that they would absolutely love.  I hope that I've achieved that!

And plus, I reallllllly had a good time...Who could ask for anything more!?

Whaddya think?

By for now with Hugs+Kisses

Renee

Another challenge entry....CAS card

Hi all:  This card was created for Father's Day.  It will be entered into the http://brownsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/ #43 challenge.  It's a clean and simple card with just a little bling.  You know us gurls...gotta have our bling!

Father's Day Card

Products used:  Colorbok craft cardstock, Colorbok smoother cardstock in 

Tuxedo Black, bling, Copic markers #s E27 and 100

Please be sure to become a follower, leave your blog address also and I'll visit you really soon!

God bless!

Hugs+Kisses

Renee

Happy Birthday Diva!

Hi everyone.
Just wanted to share a quick post of a birthday card created for a friend's friend! Get it? Ok, good.  She asked for something relatively simple,  but said that the friend was like me and loved the color brown.  So I used a birthday stamp of presents, a few mulberry flowers and some ribbon.  Simple, but pretty don't you think?

Products used: K& Co. textured cardstock in creme, tan and dark brown, mulberry flowers, silk ribbon

I'll be killing two birds with one stone on this one as I'll be entering this into the http://www.craftindesertdivas.com/ andhttp://avenue613.blogspot.com/2013/05/challenge-21-anything-goes.html Anything Goes challenges.

Wish me luck.

Thanks for blessing me with a visit.  Be sure to comment and follow me and also leave your blog address too.  I'll be sure to stop by soon!

Hugs+Kisses

Renee

She did it!

Hi everyone:
Just a quick shout out to a friend that will be graduating from college this coming June.  
Aisha B., we haven't known each other a very long time, but I count you as a friend! We've had many long, deep, conversations about everything under the sun and we've come to know each other better.  I feel blessed to know you.

Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment! You did it!  

I wanted to give her a gift.  Nothing big.  But just wanted to let her know that I was thinking of her.  Everyone needs a little encouragement and accomplishments should be rewarded! Even if it's a sincere word of congratulations....

[Products used: raw wooden box, various mulberry flowers, ModPodge, ribbon, 

acrylic paint and patterned paper from K&Co.]

I'll add a little somethin'-somethin' to the box when I present it to her.

Hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by, please visit again soon!

Hugs+Kisses

Renee

Using a Homemade Stencil and Texture Paste

Hi everyone!
So very glad that you stopped by to pay me a visit. Please take a moment to follow me! I'd truly, sincerely appreciate it!

I've been playing around with stencils a lot lately.  Some bought, others I've hand cut myself.  They are very tedious to cut though, and you've gotta have patience, otherwise you'll make some wrong cuts for sure.  I've gone through a lot of acetate just to make one stencil.  I've tried cutting flowers and brick so far.  And although I haven't tried to use the flower stencil, I've started a few projects using the brick stencil.  Here is one project that I've done:

using the homemade brick stencil

[Products used: homemade textured paste made from talcum powder, white acrylic paint,

 and ModPodge and homemade stencil made from acetate packaging, Copic markers

Adirondack ink,  patterned paper from the K&Co. Charlotte stack and black puffy paint]

I've noticed that the texture paste absorbs inks very nicely and the colors are easy to blend.

I'm working on using the texture paste on a cigar box next.  Wish me luck!

Again, I appreciate you blessing me with your visit. Be sure to leave a comment and your blog address too so that I can visit your place!

Bye for now!

Hugs+Kisses

Renee

Door Placques

Hi there scrap-happy people.

I just wanted to share a quick post of my latest projects.  A friend of mine is redecorating her daughter's bedrooms and I thought it would be nice to make them something to hang.  I have several pieces of scrap wood in my stash that I'd been holding on to.  And random flowers left over from another project. You know, stuff you just don't throw away.  Because you just never know when you'll need them right?  The pieces of wood were just the right size to make door placques.  It's great what a little bit of paint and  faux flowers can do!

for Nia

for Indiya

for Monica

[Products used:  Various mulberry flowers, Petaloo sparkle flowers, acrylic paint (Majestic Purple, Orchid, Azaelea Pink) Copic markers Nos. 100, Y06, E23, E25 and E27, Adirondack ink in cranberry, watermelon, citrus, patterned paper from K&Company Charlotte stack, ModPodge, Ranger Liquid Pearls in silver, random ribbon, and Prima Doll stamps]

They were fun and easy to make!

And I hope that Nia, Indiya and Monica really like them.

Bye-Bye for now...please come back soon!

Renee

That's Alterable!

Hi there folks!
The fun continues at Scraps of Color with monthly challenges of altering every day items.  And I'm back with another project. My intention is to complete all twelve months of these challenges.  This month we alter a frame.

$1.00 Store Wooden Frame

Since I wanted to try using the homemade modeling/textured paste, I decided that I'd try it on a naked wooden frame.  I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do, and I had no actual design in mind,  but you know when you have a piece of patterned paper that you've been holding onto for "something special"?  Well, a co-worker will be retiring at the end of the month and since I am unable to attend the celebration I decided that I would give her gift.  She has a beach house at the Jersey shore and I wanted to create something that she could have there.

Decorated Wooden Frame

Supplies used:  Shells, ribbon, chipboard cut free hand starfish, modeling/texture paste, ModPodge, MuddPuddles snow/sand, Color Bok Textures patterned paper

I love this patterned paper.  It looks so real.  Like if you touch it, the paint would actually flake off!  And I really like the way it turned out.  I'm having fun playing with the paste too.  Just like a big kid! Haha.

Next month (June) we will be altering flip flops.  That should be loads of fun.  So be sure to come back to see what I come up with.

Thanks for stopping by and blessing me with some love, I really appreciate you!

Hugs+Kisses

Renee

Crafting science...

Hi there craft happy people!

Over at http://scrapsofcolor.ning.com/ there is a discussion entitled "What are you lovin' on right now?"  One of the ladies there mentioned that she loved using modeling paste or texture paste.  She also said that although she buys many different brands of the mixture, she makes her own.  Now that caught my attention immediately! I tend to be very cheap when it comes to buying craft supplies.  I want more bang for my buck.  And spending between $8.00 and $12.00 for a little jar of modeling paste seems out of my league you could say.  I asked for her recipe and she generously provided the YouTube link that she used to create the mixture.

Now....laugh at me now, get it all out of your system.....ready?

I didn't have talcum powder in the house.  I didn't have a new box of baking soda in the house.  Aaaah, but I did have oatmeal bath treatment in the house!  It's powdery right? And so I decided, what the heck? Can't hurt to try!  So while I'm sitting here at my desk, cutting a homemade brick stencil to try using (cause I'm also too dang cheap to buy one of those too!) and listening to a strange sound that I can't figure out....I turn the tv down, I'm crawling on my hands and knees around the room, I keep going over to the windows and listening, and then I head for the dog....Yup, it's him. He's SNORING!  Anyway, I digress ..... out comes the  white acrylic paint, ModPodge, a mini plastic storage container, popsicle stick, newspaper, and yes, the oatmeal bath treatment.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, I didn't bother - as usual - with pesky measurements.  I figured that I was only testing it, so there was no need to make a big batch of it. And so I mixed the paint, ModPodge, and oatmeal bath treatment...stirred....mmm, too grey looking....in goes more white acrylic paint, mmmm....too thin....more oatmeal bath treatment....Eureka! The perfect consistency. Not too thick, not too thin.  Of course, depending upon the amounts of liquid that you use will determine how thick or thin it will  become.

This is the result:

Homemade modeling/textured paste

I like that it dries rather quickly. And because of this, you definitely have to keep it in a container that has a lid.  It doesn't flake off when rubbed. It does have good flexibility too.  It didn't crack when I bent the card stock this way and that.  And there's a very fine grittyness to the feel of it.  And I figure that you can definitely add whatever color acrylic paint color that you like; like greens for leaves of flowers and trees, and adding different tones of brown and tan for bricks. So many possibilities!

It's been about three hours since my little science experiment. I just checked the container to see if it's dried out. So far, so good.  Will check again in the morning to see if it retains its moisture and smoothness.

Thank you QP for your help....this is going to be one of those things that I'm lovin' on right now!

P.S.....here's a link for making your own modeling/texture paste: http://youtu.be/BX9XRhcw6ao. Plus, there are several other homemade versions on YouTube using household products.

Now, are you still laughing?

Thanks for checking in with me. Leave me a comment and let me know if you try it!

Bye for now,
Hugs+Kisses
Renee

Are You Ready for A Giveaway?!

My birthday is May 20th, and it's the big 5-0! 
Yes, that's right....I'm turning 50 years young.  And I'm feeling so blessed.   I'll be celebrating all month long.  Nothing big, but every day I intend to do something  just for me. LOL.   A little bit of crafting. A banana split (to heck with weight gain LOL). A trip to my local craft store.  Reading a book that's been just waiting for me to crack open.  No real plans, I'll just wing it.  So this would make a verrrry nice gift as I'm always on the lookout for crafty goodness. Here's to keeping my fingers crossed and increasing my craft stash....

Ok, so on to the good news...
The lovely, creative, talented, inspiring, and yes - generous,  Ms. Christina Griffiths of Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls is sponsoring a new giveaway this month. It is the CD "Wishes and Kisses" and it is full of backing papers, wordbooks and digital stamps for all your projects.You will also find a text writer on the disc which means you can add your own verses and sentiments and alter the font and the size to suit your own projects. The papers are lovely and over the next week Christina will be making cards from some of them to show you what you will be getting if you win.  Into the mix she'll be adding four of the beautiful "Bling" packs  from  Want2Scrap to dress up your cards.

There is also a very useful Alphabet Stamp set that was donated by
 Edith Coleman....and plenty more craft goodies!

So here's the rules if you would like to win this lovely prize ...  which will be open for one week until the 18th May ...
Join Christina's list of followers ... leave her a comment ...  then add your name to the list,

 just once - as duplicates will be removed.

If you don't have a blog then leave the URL blank but add your email address so that you can be 
notified if you win.  And if you win you will have one week in which to claim your prize 
or it will be drawn again for some one else ... can't be fairer than that !!

Wish me luck and I'll do the same!

Hugs+Kisses

Renee