AJVD Post - Everything is Coming Up Poppies!

Howdy and happy Monday! Here's a little peek of the project I have posted over on the AJVD blog today. ;-) Head on over to see the whole enchilada…

Have a great week!!

Mixed Media Monthly December Challenge!

It's mid-month inspiration time over at Mixed Media Monthly. Our theme this month is 'Believe' and you still have time to enter!

Our sponsor this month is Boozybear, creator of unique chipboard shapes and stencils to inspire your mixed media projects. I love the detail in them. I used the following sets on my Christmas steampunk project:

yummy chipboard shapes!

… and here is my project, assembled in the large Vignette Tray:

I lined the tray with Christmas paper from my precious hoard of Basic Grey cardstock (guess I need to use it at some point lol). I added clear crackle texture paste to parts of it, especially in the corners. Once that was dry, I misted it with a green/gold Tattered Angels mist to get in the nooks and crannies and add a nice shine. The chipboard shapes I painted with various colors of Silks Acrylic Glazes. The clock hand 'ornaments' also got a coating of Stickles for more sparkle. The Fresh Cut Pine Die Set was perfect for adding Christmas tree branches.

To make the electrical cord for the light, I used Eileen Hull's Twist & Style Tool to twist some wire into shape:

There is the wire hiding under the branches.

The tool is really easy to use. Eileen recently did a FaceBook Live video where you can see how (you can forward through the chit chat to get to the how-to part). I also have a tutorial on how to use it to make flower stems (same idea) HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out our MMM challenge posts (main & mid-month). We'd love to see you enter. =)

Also, I am entering this into the SanDee & amelie Steampunk Challenge Blog Winter Challenge. Check out the fun there too. ;-)

Dies Used:

AJVD:

Fresh Cut Pine Die Set

Chipboard Shapes Used:
clock mechanicals
shabby snowflakes

bulbs

gear cluster

Other:
Idea-ology Clock Key
Idea-ology Vignette Tray
Sizzix Twist & Style Tool

Distress Collage Medium - Matte

Kraft Core Classic Paper Stack

Silks Acrylic Glaze

Prima Texture Paste - Clear Crackle

gesso

Distress Paint - Tarnished Brass

Stickles - Purple, Pink, Twilight

Sizzix & Simon Says Stamp links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Get a Holiday Jump Start with Eileen Hull!

Don’t look now but the holidays are fast approaching but Eileen Hull and crew are here to help! This month the theme is “Holiday Jump Start” and we’d like to inspire you with all sorts of fall and Christmas holiday projects. Grab a pumpkin spiced latte in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other other and let’s get started!

First things first, Halloween will reach us soonest so I chose to create a cute little Halloween themed bouquet that fits perfectly in Eileen’s 3-D Vase.

A while ago Shelly Hickox shared a technique for faux galvanized metal and I’ve been wanting to try it. (See her original tutorial here.) I cut the vase out of Sizzles matboard and base coated it with black gesso. When it was dry I embossed it in the Honeycomb folder.

I glued it together according to the directions on the die package and then gave it a coat of DecoArt Media medium grey Antiquing Cream. Antiquing Cream is still reactive to water once it’s dry. You take a damp cloth and wipe away the excess, leaving traces of color in the textured parts. I did that with the grey and added a few accents with the carbon black Cream. When the finish is to your liking you need to seal it, so I coated the whole vase with DecoArt Media Ultra Matte Varnish.

(I also cut a scalloped circle (the top of the Cookie Box) out to use as a base to glue the vase onto to give it more stability.)

Next up was cutting out flower parts! Sizzix Bigz dies easily cut all sorts of materials. I gathered together some fabric, tulle, wide ribbon and white coffee filters. I made plenty of cuts from each material so I would have lots of flower parts to work with as I mixed and matched them when building the blossoms.

To make the stems I used Eileen’s Twist & Style tool, which makes it an easy task. I cut several lengths of 24 gauge black wire (about 15 inches or so) and bent them in half. From my button stash I selected several that would make good flower centers. I looped the wires through the button holes or shanks and fastened the ends of the wire into the end of the tool with the screw mount (second photo).

The button end goes over the center post in the clamp. Some of the bigger buttons kept popping off so I taped them in place with washi tape. Helpful children make good button holder downers too. ;-) Holding the wire taut, twist the tool and in moments you have a perfect flower stem. Thread the stem through your stack of flower parts and add some glue to the back to hold them all in place.

I twisted up some lighter 20 gauge wire to glue to the bats. I also cut the fluttery ghosts out of white Clearly For Art plastic and glued them to a twisted wire. (Clearly For Art plastic is moldable plastic. Heat it with a heat gun and you can bend and form it while it’s warm. When it cools, it holds the shape!)

the flower making possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to head on over to Eileen’s blog and check out all the holiday inspiration. The team has been sharing all month long. We’d love to have you share your projects on Eileen's Facebook page too. Have a great week!

Dies:

Eileen Hull 3-D Vase - ( Sizzix )
Eileen Hull Cookie Box - retired
Eileen Hull Romance Flower - retired but still available at Scrapbook.com
Eileen Hull Twist & Style Tool - ( Sizzix / SB )
Tim Holtz Hocus Pocus - retired
Tim Holtz Ghosts - retired

Sizzix & Scrapbook.com links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)