Spotlight On...

...Altered Projects

Stephanie's wooden clip using our Seashells 2 digi stamp is just adorable.  Very creative Stephanie!  The clip has real sand and small shells added.

On the 4th Day of Christmas

Today we are showing you how to make a cute container for the Letters to Santa that the children write each year.  What a great way to keep and preserve these fun letters.  And imagine how fun it will be to open these 5 or 10 years from now.  

If you have trouble viewing this video you can go directly to the You Tube link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpLnQupa3qU

We have a number of files that go with this tutorial to give to you.

The first file is the template used to cut out the pieces for the top and bottom of your container.  Just insert the image into a Word document as you would any other digi stamp that you use.  It should insert at the correct size for printing.  Print it on the wrong side of your patterned paper and cut out.  Be sure to print and cut two.

The second file is the file used for the letters to put in the container.  Follow the link to get the Word document for printing.  I forgot to mention it in the video, but these will print on a 5 3/4 x 9 inch piece of paper.

lettertosanta.docx

We are also giving you the tag we used on our project.

And lastly we are offering the Flourish .svg file used to cut the flourishes used on our project.  This file actually contains two versions of flourishes.  It can be used with Make the Cut software or any other software that allows you to import .svg files for cutting.  (We would love to hear how many of our Shelly's Images friends are using .svg files.  Please leave us a little note if you would be interested in more .svg files in the future.)
shellysimages.com-2flourish

Spotlight On....

Christmas

Here is a fantastic project by Scrappy using Shelly's Images "Santa" digi stamp.

Scrappy made this beautiful altered night light using Santa.  If you want to see how Scrappy made her night light click here for the tutorial.  We hope this beautiful project inspires you.  Be sure to click on our "Spotlight On" category in the side bar for more great projects.  Or click on the specific Holiday or project type that you are working on for more great ideas and inspiration.

Spotlight On....

Fall

Here is a fantastic project by Jen using Shelly's Images "Corn Harvest Set" digi stamp.

 

Jen really shows how versatile digi stamps are with this project.  I love this cute altered can for a caramel popcorn cup.  What a great project for a "movie night" party.  We hope this project will inspire your projects.  Be sure to click on our "Spotlight On" category in the side bar for more great projects.  Or click on the specific Holiday or project type that you are working on for more great ideas and inspiration.

Bead Spray Tutorial

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Today I want to share my Bead Spray Tutorial with you.  Like many of you, I am a pretty frugal crafter.  There are so many wonderful embellishments on the market, but they can be pretty pricey.  

Try these "do it yourself" embellishments.  :)

 First gather your beads, wire, wire cutter, and a ruler.  This picture shows some different wires that I have.  The colored wire really gives a ton more design options.  Cut 5 or 6 lengths of wire.  You want to have enough wire to twist your spray together later so I would suggest cutting your wire to 4 or 5 inch pieces

 Now choose the beads that best match your project.  I chose to add 2 beads to each of my wires.  Of course you can add more or less.

Use Glossy Accents to adhere your beads to your wire.  I found that adding the Glossy Accents directly to the wire worked better than trying to put it on the bead itself.  Be sure to turn the bead on the wire to spread the glue on the inside of the bead.

 Here is one stem of my bead spray completed with two beads.  

 Once you have all of your bead stems done set them aside to dry completely.  I would suggest at least 6 hours, but overnight is probably even better.

Now I am ready to gather my stems and arrange them to complete the spray.  Try to vary the lengths so your beads are at different heights. 

 Once you are happy with the arrangement you are ready to twist the wires a bit.  Use your wire cutters to trim the ends of the wire.  

 Now wrap the ends for a pretty finish.  I chose white florists tape for my project.

 I bent the ends of my wire for a more finished look.

Now add the bead spray to your project.  Here, I have just shown how the beads could be added as decoration to a big bow on a project.  There are so many different uses for this pretty embellishment.

Have fun making your own bead sprays and please come back and show us any projects you make using our tutorial.  We love to hear from you.

Spotlight On....

Birthday

Here is a fantastic project by Amanda using Shelly's Images "Presents" digi stamp.

Amanda made a wonderful notebook and pen holder.  Click here for Amanda's tutorial to make this altered notebook.  Be sure to click on our "Spotlight On" category in the side bar for more great projects.  Or click on the specific Holiday or project type that you are working on for more great ideas and inspiration.

TECHNIQUE TUESDAY AUGUST 23 - Notebook Cover

Make a little gift for someone special!!!!



As you know I love to make boxes and little projects, the following notebook is one of my favorites, I made one for all my collegues at work for there birthday, last year, and they could use it right away.

You need a Notebook size A6, cardstock 6 x 9 7/8 inches in your favorite colour, tape (I use Scorpal), a scoretool, scissors and designpapers.

Take the papers and score at 4 3/8, 4 6/8 and 5 1/8 inch and then fold as shown at the scoreline in the middle. I gave a cut from both from the top and bottem at 2 inch.

Fold the cardstock open one side is wider than the other, the small side should be at the left, put some tape at the left as shown above and put your paper together.

Take your A6 notebook and put it at the right side, use some tape or strong glue.

This is the final result. Now you can decorate it as you please. I'll show you mine on Thursday with the featered Image.

I hope you have a lot of fun making it!!!

Spotlight On . . .

This and That

Here is a fantastic project by Darlene using Shelly's Images "Hummingbird" digi stamp.

 

 

 

We hope this cute altered tin can will inspire your projects.  Be sure to click on our "Spotlight On" category in the side bar for more great projects.  Or click on the specific Holiday or project type that you are working on for more great ideas and inspiration.

Technique Tuesday at Shelly's Images

Hi again! I'm back with another exciting post! This time I'm here to share another super functional tutorial!

Ever working on a card or project and realize at the last minute -you don't have the right color ribbon, trim, or embellishment for it? Yeah...well, I definitely have had this problem! However, being the frugal (aka: perpetually BROKE) sort, I have found a way to ALWAYS have just the right color ribbons and flowers on hand - whenever I need them! I buy mostly white or ecru ribbons and embellies & DYE 'em to match! Curious? Well, here is how I do it!

Materials List:

Mixing containers - I used recycled pudding cups.

Ribbon/Lace/Twine/ Fibres, etc.

Paper/Silk/Felt Flowers or shapes.

Reinkers -  ie: water based, alcohol-based (See the list at the end for how to prep each type!) 

Water and/or Vodka (depending on ink type)

Optional - spray starch, oil, Non-Alcohol baby wipes, curling iron, protective sheet for work area, tweezers, drying rack.

Step 1: Gather the materials you want to dye. Felt shapes, ribbon/twine/lace of any sort, paper/silk flowers. Anything that is absorbant will do!

Tip: Ribbon and lace are often starched, so you might want to rinse it with clean water and hang it to dry so it will properly absorb color. If it feels stiff...it's probably starched!

Step 2: Gather your Dyeing tools and materials. Be sure to check out the info below as different inks require different additives! I used Stampin' Up REinkers, but there are a wide variety of inkers available - just find out wheather they are water or alcohol based inks and you should be all set!

Step 3: Place a few drops of ink in your dyeing container.

Add a little bit of water, and gently swirl container to mix.

Add your material.

Tip: You can always add more later...but you can NEVER take it away...so use your supplies sparingly! You don't wanna waste ink but you also don't want a full spool of ugly ribbon!

Step 4: Gently squeeze out the excess dye. I do this with my hands, and then use a baby wipe to remove more of the color before hanging it to dry. The longer your material is left soaking, the richer and deeper the color will be. Wear gloves if you are going anywhere in the next few days...the dye's stain skin pretty badly! 

Tip: My 'drying rack' is a part of an old shoe rack! The legs got lost during one of our moves, but it still serves a great and useful purpose! You should be able to find one at goodwill if you want one.

Step 5: Once my ribbon and embellies are completely dry, I can use them! To speed up drying time you can also spray them with starch and hit them with some air from a HOT hairdryer. A fun & frugal way to make functional embellies for your projects doncha think?!

Copic Various Reinkers, Rangers' Adirondack (Tim Holtz) Alcohol Inks, and many others are Alcohol Based. I disperse the ink color by dipping the item in Vodka before adding them to the dye mixed with 1/2 water and 1/2 vodka. Vodka carries no scent and evaporates quickly. (So your materials will dry quickly!) They are usually very stiff too, and will not require any starch. Using a steamy curling iron will help straighten your dyed ribbon and lace. Just move SLOWLY as they are not as stable after dyeing. If you notice they are giving off color after drying, blast them with hot air from your hair dryer to set the color!

Tutorial Tuesday

Let's alter a mug.

Supplies Needed:  Mug to alter, desired papers, adhesive, embellishments, image

Step 1:  Remove the insert from the mug and trace on the back of paper.  Cut out the template.

Step 2:  Embellish paper as desired.  I added Shelly's great image, "Goal!".  Please keep in mind that you don't want the insert to be so thick that it won't bend. 

 Step 3:  Insert your new paper in the mug.  Put the mug back together.  Your mug is now ready to use.  Enjoy!!!!

Spotlight On . . .

This and That

Here is a fantastic project by Stephanie using Shelly's Images "Goal" digi stamp.

 

 

 

We hope this cute altered mug will inspire your projects.  Be sure to click on our "Spotlight On" category in the side bar for more great projects.  Or click on the specific Holiday or project type that you are working on for more great ideas and inspiration.