Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Eclectic Ellapu June 2017 Challenge - Design Team


The June challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu is "A Touch of Purple/Pink"; come create with us!

This challenge, plus my Little Free Library being in need of some free bookmarks, me being in need of some crafting time, and having a random package of blank pastel bookmarks in hand made for a winning combination. I am not a big fan of pastel colors (except in hair dye!) and tend to veer away from them in crafting, which explains my burning desire to make these bookmark blanks go away. I wanted a simple project so that I would not sink hours and hours into design and execution; I quickly settled on a combination of subtle watermark background stamping with bolder stamping.


 

Inks used: Versamark and Versafine in Vintage Sepia, Onyx Black, and Spanish Moss
Stamps used:
text: Papertrey Ink's "All Booked Up" and "Bibliophile" sets
Character Construction's Mad Tea Party set #3
Close to My Heart's Elegant Floral (D1087)
Flonzcraft's Sailship Ocean Addicted
Hampton Art's Cling Birds
Deep Red's Mechanical Heart


{crafted while listening to my 90's dance playlist}

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Eclectic Ellapu May 2017 Challenge - Design Team

Due to the kindness of a fellow crafting friend, I have a plethora of colored tags. The stash of green tags keeps catching my eye, so several of my projects lately have started with a green tag base. As a few birthday presents sat on my desk calling out to me to finish packaging up for the mail, I felt that they needed a little something extra before I sealed them for mailing. Tags! I had already made another birthday tag for a present that went into the mail a couple weeks earlier, so more sounded like a great idea! This is part of Eclectic Ellapu's May "Anything Goes" challenge; come create with us and enter your project in the May challenge!

These tags I took in a different direction. I started by spraying what became their backs with hickory smoke Distress Spray Stain and Lindy's Stamp Gang gossamer gold Moon Shadow Mist spray. A little heat from the heat gun to dry, then flip over for some leaf green and grey Brushos application. I wasn't in love with how the Brushos turned out, but knew I was going to cover it up with ephemera anyway. It did cement that the Brushos' side of the tag would be the front, though!


Because I have a bit-too-abundant scrap paper drawer, I was determined to use some of it for my tag ephemera.
Tag #1 (starting on the left) has a scrap of napkin, inked book paper, soap packaging, used dryer sheet, and an image from a package of rubber stamps I ordered.


Tag #2 has a fiber paper scrap, metallic doily, used dryer sheet, and a fussy cut of a mis-stamped image from a past project.


Tag #3 has a catalog scrap and a cut out from a Netflix mailer.


As you can see from my ephemera list, I am a fan of upcycling. See an interesting image? Cut it out and add it to a drawer or folder collection. Twice or thrice used dryer sheets? A great source of soft texture or fog/snow effects for projects.


{crafted while listening to M.R. Carey's "The Girl With All the Gifts" audiobook}

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Matching Tissue Birthday Tag

When I had a birthday gift to mail out last week, for some reason I was not in the mood to add a birthday card. Instead, I decided to use some of the teal pinstripe tissue paper (thanks, ThredUp for a cool reusable!) that I had wrapped the gift in to make a tag.


I dry-brushed gesso in a neat pattern over a green tag, then used acrylic glazing medium to stick some tissue to the tag in a somewhat transparent manner. It needed some more tissue, so I took another piece and dabbed it in some excess twisted citron Distress Stain Spray I had puddled from another project I had been working on, prior to adhering it in an opposing direction on the tag.

My ephemera for this project came from the Tim Holtz Thrift Shop pack. As I played with layout and finalized my specific ephemera picks, I saw that the background needed more behind the ephemera. Washi tape to the rescue! The vintage ephemera needed a touch of vintage tape, and I love that the metallic arrows both added some shine and could stand in for the ups and downs of our days.


Here is the finished tag with pop-up ephemera moths, inked edges, baker's twine, and a sea green Brushos & Lindy's Stamp Gang gossamer gold back:




{crafting while listening to Jonathan Franzen's "Purity" audiobook}

Entered in:
4 Crafty Chicks - challenge #347 Butterflies

A Bit More Time to Craft - challenge #42 anything goes
Artistic Inspirations - challenge #177 anything goes w/optional twist
Crafting By Designs - Vintage challenge
Crafty Catz - challenge #367 anything goes w/optional twist
Creative Fingers - challenge #128 anything goes

Creative Moments - challenge #116 anything goes w/optional twist of Spring
Word Art Wednesday - challenge #278-279 anything goes
 

Friday, March 31, 2017

Eclectic Ellapu April 2017 Challenge - Design Team

The last few months have been quiet in SambuCOrona blogland, but not so much in my non-digital life. There has not been much crafting going on at my desk with the exception of some starts-and-stops kind of projects. Last week I started another project with not particular vision; I wanted to alter some vitamin bottles I have sitting around. Finding ways to reduce and upcycle trash while living in remote Alaska is even more important to me than usual, for currently, all trash here is burned or goes into the ocean. Neither are ideal, so I am conscientious in my purchases and creative in my disposal.

In this particular case, as I was working through a tentative plan for another larger bottle, I gessoed this smaller bottle as I worked on the larger bottle. Then it sat for a few days until one evening I randomly grabbed some of my blue acrylic craft paint and painted the bottom third of the bottle. After waiting just long enough for it to dry (no heat gun assistance this time, thank you very much), I liberally sprayed the entire bottle (and my hand) with Dylusions London Blue ink spray. Darling dearest thought I was joking when I told him I was about to dye my hand blue! This did give me an opportunity to test out some charcoal soap though, and it really does do a good job. I tried washing with both our regular hand soap and Dawn dish soap, but neither pulled as much of the blue ink out of my skin as the charcoal soap did. Good to know for the next time I dye my hands.


Hmm, what to do next? Since I had not yet played with the Pebeo Fantasy Prisme & Moon mediums I snuck up here earlier this year, after a day's drying time I decided to add a moon-type shape using the Onyx Prisme. FYI, the instructions are not kidding about needing mineral spirits on hand to clean your brush! Thankfully, my fast-acting hubby grabbed a nearby bottle of acetone to clean my brushes. After another two days for the Prisme to cure and much time digging though the deeper recesses of my stash, I settled on some lovely vintage rub-ons, a vintage apothecary sticker, some twine, and a quick sponging of white ink to embellish the bottle. My constant struggle is to push myself to embellish more and in a tasteful manner, so I kept wanting to add more, but found that simpler worked best for this "prescription" bottle. And what a lovely prescription it is, no? Take some time... to love, to craft, to soak up the elements, to pamper, to adventure, to visit, to do what brings you joy. And do shake things up occasionally! ;)

Join us over at Eclectic Ellapu this month for a Vintage/Shabby Chic crafting challenge!





{crafted while listening to Marissa Meyer's "Winter" audiobook}

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Eclectic Ellapu February 2017 Challenge

After a long Winter Break, Eclectic Ellapu is back with an "anything goes" challenge!

This was a special make for me; it is my first completed mixed media canvas, and it is a personal ode to a place where I have spent the majority of the last two years.