inspiration from...

the home improvement store...

a recent trip to our local 

Home Depot gave me some ideas...

Rick was looking at something boring...

so I wandered up & down a few aisles 

and found these "things"...

I have no clue what their real purpose is...

but I know what I'll do with them...

I think I'll do a little "series" of posts

over the next few weeks using these items...

today's project starts out with this

black plastic "fence post cap"...

it's a nice solid piece & after using the one I got, I will be getting a few more to use with different products...

I have been so anxious to play with tim's new distress paper mosaic kit & I thought this fence post cap would be a great base...

my original plan was to leave a black border/frame around the bottom, so I masked off around the  base with painters tape, to protect it from the grout & give me a nice clean edge...

you'll see later that I changed my mind...

girls can do that...

grout...glue...glaze...

everything you need is in the kit...

the first step is to spread a layer of grout over the base and set it aside to air dry...

while the grout was drying, I decided to use this  sheet of yuletide paper stash...

you sure could use up paper scraps...

and I know I will...

but I've had my eye on this paper since it arrived...

the small patterns were perfect for this project...

I chopped it up into lots of little irregular sized pieces...

this takes WAY LESS than I thought, 

so I'm ready for a few more holiday pieces...

like about 20 more!

yikes!

after the grout is dry, you add the paper "tiles", using the glue that's included in the kit...

I used a small paint brush to add the glue...

then add the "glaze" over the tiles & 

allow it to air dry...

the "glaze" comes in the kit too...

I outlined the edges of the papers and filled in the center with the glaze...

it was at this time that I decided that the black plastic didn't create the frame that I expected... 

it still looked like cheap black plastic...

imagine that!

so...

I used my gold metallic embossing paste to create a more faux gilded effect...

I scooped out a small amount of the gold paste with the palette knife & put it on the craft sheet...

I like to apply a VERY thin layer using my finger...

a thin layer looks best & dries almost immediately...

it takes very little paste...

the less...the better...

just smooth it on...simple...

and then it dried & looked like this...

goodbye cheapo plastic...

hmmm...

now it looked a little too perfect...

so to make it more vintage & distressed, I used a foil sheet in random areas...

the foil will magically stick to

 the dry metallic embossing paste...

the remnant rub tool is an easy way 

to add/rub the foil...

I like to use the flat end...

remember...

pretty side of the foil goes UP...

now it's very vintage/random/worn looking & 

not looking like cheapo plastic...

to alter the mirrored star, 

I added a thin layer of my fav

glue n seal and pressed a piece of 

the foil sheet 

over the wet glue & allowed it to dry...

when it was dry, I ripped off the foil & got this cool metallic/rusty effect on the surface of the star...

reason #887 why I LOVE glue n seal...

now on to the large woodlands tree...

that mister on the right is holding rubbing alcohol and about 6 drops of the potting soil reinker and about 6 drops of the tree branch reinker...

(I made this to mist over a bare wood frame & it's cool!)

I misted the tree & allowed that to dry...

I used the ground espresso distress marker 

to color the wood tree base...

quick & easy!

next up...

something to jazz up under the tree...

I inked the holly stamp & pressed 

the holly mat mini onto the inked stamp...

then inked over it with fern green archival...

adding another layer is always a good idea...

so, I inked the new vintage text stamp with watering can archival & 

stamped over the holly...

I used red geranium to color the berries, after they were stamped with jet black...

but forgot to take a photo...

oops...

the grout was looking a little too stark, so I added just random little bits of tree branch archival 

to the base, using the blending tool...

now it looks better coordinated with the tree...

to assemble, I used an awl to make a hole in the wood tree base & inserted a nail thru the hole from the bottom side of the fence post cap & filled the hole with multi medium for more stability of the tree...

I first added some hot glue under the base to hold the nail in place...

here's a look at the base...

you can also see the holly & berries under the tree...

the tree is decorated with the 

new jingle bell brads...

I cut off the prongs & hot glued them onto the tree...

believe is a tim/sizzix die...

to make this a sticker, 

I used the adhesive sheet on black cardstock,

 die cut it, removed the backing sheet & added it to the tree...

I did add a tiny bit of multi medium too, since I'll be taking it on the road to 

the convention in Madison, 

later this month...

it's hard to show the cool effect that 

the metallic embossing paste

 creates in a photo, so here's a mini video...

or as Rick called it...

a silent movie!

***edited the video, so you don't get sea-sick!***

you can also see that the paper really does look like mosaic tiles...

this is a GREAT FUN KIT!

so...

the moral of this post is that inspiration is everywhere...

even Home Depot...

sometimes we just need to be open

 to SEE it...

if you're out & about...

check out the other pieces in the first photo...

check out local hardware stores too...

they might have other cool shapes...

I had a blast with the metal pieces too...

because...

I used them to...

make art!

wendy

oh..one more thing...

I've gotten some emails about people not seeing all of my FB posts...

it's my understanding that when you go

 to my page, 

you hover the cursor over the LIKED button, 

then click GET NOTIFICATIONS...

then you should see everything...

hope this helps...