charm give away winners

Hi my name is Amber I am Lisa's niece.........I got to pick random names and the first prize winner is...........MawMawAngela.........the second prize winner is raven...........send Lisa what address you want your prize sent to..........

CHARM GIVE-AWAY !! OVER 60+ CHARMS / EMBELLISHMENTS - Tim Holtz, Steampunk, Birds, More

Here's the promised Give-Away!!  Either my son or niece will pick 2 people from my blog followers on July 1st for a surprise charm pack.  The first drawn name will receive the 60+ pieces shown in the pictures below and the second name will receive a 10+ pack (similar charms as in the pics) -- If you want to be eligible just join the blog :) ... I'll mention the winners in a blog post around July 1st or 2nd and send them a private msg to get what address they want me to mail their package .. Hope you're all having a great crafty summer.

The ones with color and a hole in the center are grommets from We R Memory Keepers.  The Tim Holtz vintage pins have the tiny words "Treasure" and "Trinket" engraved. Each square is one-inch so you can get an idea of the size of the charms. 

Mad Hatter's Hat Charm - Alice in Wonderland - Handmade Polymer Clay

Yesterday I was feeling a little yucky and decided to play with clay - Alice in Wonderland is always a cheery thought, so I made some Mad Hatter's Hats and thought they turned out fun! They do have a hole down the middle so they can be hung on a necklace or charm dangle.  Yep, I will be making more, they were so gratifying to create.  The purple one I put on Listia.com for bidding - it was my favorite and I thought if I got rid of it, I would definitely made more :)

 

 

 

 

Charm GRAB-BAG Give-Away!!

I've decided to do 2 give-aways this month to random blog followers - I'm going to let my teen son (who couldn't really care less what mom's crafty stuff is doing in the net world :) pick out 2 names from those who follow the blog, he doesn't know anybody so I think it's a pretty fair way to do it.
When the names are drawn I'll list them on the blog and then contact the person for the address they want me to mail it to.  To be eligible, you just have to "Join the Site" -- basically if your name shows up in those little pics to the right, you're in the drawing :) --- I'll be posting pics soon of what's in the stash.
Prize 1: (pic coming soon) - 20 Charms / Mixed Media Embellishments
Prize 2: (pic coming soon) - 10 Charms / Mixed Media Embellishments

I plan on doing the give-away on June 20th.

Paper Water Lily -- Waterproof?

My niece gave me a challenge to try and make some water lilies that could float ... hmmmm well, first to get the shape down, this is my first attempt.  Needs a little tweaking but if anyone knows how to make them waterproof, please let me know.  I think there's some waterproofing spray out there somewhere.

Plain white cardstock pinched and hotglued after adding some Tim Holtz distress inks in Spun Sugar and Victorian Velvet, the center is 3-4 layers of a die that has little circles on stem ends.  The flowers are about 6 inches each.

SOLD **ULTIMATE Mixed Media Embellishment LOT (ON EBAY)**SOLD

Black and White Musical Chunky Charm Dangle with Piano Keyboard and Treble Clef

My Mother-in-Law is a most amazing woman.  Talented to the highest degree in cooking and sewing and paper crafting but she excels in playing the organ and piano.  When I hear her playing I often think what a blessing her music was to the 12 children she raised in Blackfoot, Idaho.  One of the cards below is for her but I also thought she needed a little bling in her life so I made her a little dangle for either her keychain or to decorate some little nook in her life.

Handmade OOAK Mother's Day Card # 2

Here's #2:

Handmade OOAK Mother's Day Cards

There are a few women in my life that have influenced me to the extent that I am changed.  Fabulous women who set amazing examples in how to be a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend.  I'm going to make a few OOAK (One of A Kind) Handmade Cards for those ladies - they deserve so much more.  I am proud of who I have become because of them.

Here's the first one :)

Handmade Lalaloopsy Jewel Sparkles Doll Paper Piecing

There's something about these new "ragdolls" that at first made me furrow my brow, then intrigued me.  I don't have a daughter but decided to take some scraps of paper from previous creations and see what I could do with my first Lalaloopsy paper piecing ... now I feel slightly addicted!  I went to their website where I found darling games for children and finally can see why so many little ones are blissfully happy holding their own, button - eyed  LaLaLoopsy dolls.

She's about 5 inches tall.

I can feel a future Lalaloopsy mini album on the way :D

Jeep Chunky Charm Dangle Key Chain with Industrial Chic and Art-i-Cake

Remember your first car? How you took care of it? Loved it? That sense of becoming more of an adult the first time you had "YOUR OWN KEYS" ??  One of my awesome nieces (Alley)  sent me a photo of her first car!! A Jeep! and I remembered I had a Jeep mixed media charm by Susan Lenart Kazmer ( Industrial Chic ).  Since Alley loves the colors black and lime green mixed -- and I also had a glass black pendant charm from Amy Labbe ( Art-i-Cake ) -- it was pull out the pliers time!!!

I put in a few extra links for reinforcement in case she uses it as a key chain. 

Graphic 45 Secret Garden Opening Tag and Chunky Charm Dangle

Making handmade flowers causes me to feel more like a paper artist than anything I create.  I just love the way the creases and folds make each flower look unique.  Here's the tag that goes with the dangle I posted earlier.  It's very simple on the inside, just some paint and cut outs from Graphic 45's gorgeous Secret Garden line.  The papers used to make the flowers are Bazzill and the die cuts of the fence and tag are from Tim Holtz' dies.

Each opening tag has 2 tags that are removable, one from behind the "fence" on the front and one out of the back pocket.

Oops I forgot to get the hot glue strings off  :) glad I took a close up to remind me!

The little leaves dies are a Sizzix sizzlet and the smaller branch of leaves is a Stampin'Up die. The "tulip" design on the back is also a Stampin' Up die.

G45 Secret Garden Stick Pins and Chunky Charm Dangle

Just in time for spring .... wish I could get to all my scrapbooking stuff but right now there's just too many boxes of stuff! But I grabbed a few sheets of Graphic 45 's darling Secret Garden line and made a few things with beads and baubles ... (the display tag for the dangle will be added after I finish it)

 

 

Steampunk Pendant with Prima Junkyard Findings

Using some copper wire I purchased at the local Army Surplus store, an old scrabble tile, some Prima Junkyard Findings that I just found at the Stinkin Cute Scrapbook Shop and Boutique in Blackfoot, Idaho, some odds and ends in the steampunk embellishment drawers and a glass crystal (from my hoard) -- here's my first attempt at making a Steampunk inspired pendant. 

I bent and hammered the wire, poured in some melted UTEE mixed with some Perfect Pearls and here it is! was so much fun -- now that I've worked out the kinks, you'll probably see more in the next posts! (without some of the mistakes hopefully)

LOOK at how cute these teeny tiny gears from Prima's Junkyard Finding make this pendant!

I left the center bent on purpose to offset the hang.

This glass crystal came from the wedding section at Hobby Lobby (I tore apart the chandelier dangle)

"A" is for Art ... or my nieces Amber and Alley that I originally designed this for this weekend. :)

Holding this up to the light so you can see the translucency of the UTEE I poured into the square, then wire wrapped.

All the items on the UTEE were attached using E6000 glue.

TUTORIAL : Starch Flowers using Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die and Distress Inks (and Cheap White Cardstock)

I've seen many versions of Starch Flowers in books and on the net and for me this method works the best.  I've been doing it for decades sadly I don't recall where I originally got the idea from, whether a friend or book (cuz I know I was doing it before the internet was popular).

Starch Flowers are a little stiffer and seem to last a through a little more wear and tear than normal paper flowers (at least to me).  Plus ... who doesn't love a scrunchy crunchy mess? Some of these are stamped some plain, some have buttons, crystals, gems, feathers, pearls ... just add stuff to embellish to your heart's desire. I made these for more of a vintage shabby chic project so they're in the mauve range of hues but any water based ink works to make the colours wick through the paper.  You can also use water based markers and go around the edges of the cardstock instead of using inkpads.  I've used Distress Ink Markers and Stampin' Up Markers and they both work amazingly!
FIRST - a few photos of a couple of finished flowers

  Glitter the edges - I used GlossyAccents and then dip in glitter after you've formed the flower.  Info below on how to make them.

A single flower can be lovely.  They don't all have to be layered.

  

These have mica chips Glossy Accented around the base of the stamens. 

 

Tutorial Part !! :D

Pick your method - either cut the flower shapes out of cardstock and ink - or ink the cardstock then cut the flowers out -- inking the cardstock first seems a little wasteful, but it's faster, whichever method you choose, the result are about the same.  For these flowers I used EXTREMELY CHEAP white cardstock.  shhhhh I bought this in the packs at WalMart where you get a ream of white cardstock for around $6.

 Like many of you I have "crafter's nails" :)

For these flowers I used Tim Holtz, Ranger Distress Inks in Tea Dye, Milled Lavender, and Victorian Velvet

 Stamp them with any image you desire in a waterproof / permanent ink before applying Starch.  I used Bronze StazOn for these.Put flowers in a dish or pan

Using Heavy Starch that you find in the laundry isle of most department stores ...Spray a HEAVY layer of starch all over

Gently move them around making sure each flower gets coated - you may have to spray more starch depending how many flowers there are.  You'll want to leave them in the starch until you can tell the inks are starting to wick through the paper.  Usually this doesn't take very long, remember, you need a good thick coating of starch.

WANT SOME MORE INTENSE COLOUR?

Add some Distress Ink refill directly to the pan or directly to the flower.

 With your fingertips smoosh each flower by grasping the middle and pinching.  Then smooch the "Petals" against the table, your fingers, whatever you want, each flower  will be a little different.

DID YOU BREAK OFF A PETAL? or like me ? BREAK Off a LOT of petals ?? No worries, just save them - they're still useable.

 

                                                                            If petals seem too saturated, just dab off on a paper towel

You can still add more colour by adding Distress Inks before and after you smoosh, if you desire. Make them the way you like them before they dry.

Put all your smooshed flowers on a wax paper sheet to dry for several hours/overnight or if you're impatient like me, put in a heat proof container and blow with a hair dryer or heat gun -- just don't catch them on fire!

 After the petals are dry, gently unfold the flowers (or broken petals that you dried :)  )

 

Punching a hole ( I used the Big Bite) makes it much easier to put them together if you're going to use stamens, but if you just want to hot glue them together you can skip this part)

Glue flowers together to make different shapes and styles of flowers.  Using hot glue makes it fast and easy.  Remember, if you get glue webs (the strings from hot glue, just run your embossing heat gun or hot hair dryer over the webs to melt them).

 Here I just glued on one of the petals that broke off, just a speck of hot glue and no one will ever know!

 Stick stamens in the hole or just add a button, bling, or tule and glitter, decorate like crazy and when you're finished, PUTTHEGLUEDOWN and admire your creations!!  Make a bunch of extras so you have these to put on gift boxes, cards, or to give to friends who want to know how you made them :) 
If you have any questions or comments make sure you leave them below!  If I missed a part or something doesn't make sense I want to fix it!!