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...

merry Christmas!

hello and

happy halloween eve!

I know...it's been a while...

yikes!

we took off for a 10 day get-away

 to celebrate our anniversary...

we had fun...

and before that it was finalizing 

NEW STAMPS & stuff for CHA January...

S U P E R  F U N!

so, that's where I've been...

normal blogging

 is now on the schedule...

before moving on to the little art, 

I need to update my schedule...

I started getting questions about attending the OOAK stamping convention, 

at the Alliant Energy Center,

 in Madison, Wisconsin...

I replied to at least 10 people & said it was not on my schedule...

but...

change of plans...

now it is!

so I'll be there November 20, 21 & 22nd demoing and 

doing a make & take 

for the event on Friday evening...

I hope you can plan to come see us!

ok...

I know it's halloween eve...

but Christmas is really my favorite holiday, 

so...

here's a fun little holiday art for you today...

instead of sending a card, I thought it would be fun to make little "arts" that can sit on a shelf...

or they could be hung on the tree 

with a hinge clip...

 magic mat board is a nice sturdy, 

lightweight surface to work on & 

it likes paints, embossing powders & 

both distress and archival inks, very well...

you get a 6 x 12 inch sheet of white and 

a 6 x 12 sheet of black in the package...

for a REALLY great price...

here's the steps...

cut a piece of white magic mat board

 to 3 x 4 inches...

cut a piece of black magic mat board 

to 3 ¼ x 4 ¼ inches...

swipe the cornflower blue archival pad onto the craft sheet, add rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and mix the ink into the alcohol with a palette knife...

place the white mat board 

into the inky solution & dry...

lightly ink the script stamp with 

tree branch archival and

 stamp over the base...

use the happy holidays stencil 

to stencil the large tree 3 times, 

using fern green archival...

make sure to vary the heights of the tree...

ink the spatter stamp 

(it comes in the faux graniteware starter set)

with glacier white pigment ink & stamp over the base & dry...

ink the large black mat mini pine tree with 

fern green archival, then sprinkle with 

fern green embossing powder & 

heat to melt the powder...

ink the spatter stamp with glacier white 

and stamp over the tree, then dry...

use jet black archival to stencil

merry christmas at the top...

it's easy to add a snow bank to the bottom, 

using white embossing paste...

sprinkle with rock candy distress glitter, 

while the paste is still wet...

glue the mat mini pine tree to the base and add

 a mirrored star to the tree top...

to create the little bird...

use the custom brick embossing powder...

here's the recipe...

mix one scoop of red geranium embossing powder with one scoop of orange blossom embossing powder and add 1/2 scoop of watering can embossing powder and then mix in 2 scoops of frosted crystal embossing powder...

ink a manila scrap with

red geranium archival ink & 

sprinkle with the brick powder, 

while the ink is wet...

heat to melt the powder, 

then use tim's bird punch 

to create a custom little bird...

this is a great way to use those scraps & create custom perfectly coordinated embellishments...

add the bird to the left side of the snow bank...

add a black glaze pen dot to create his eye...

then mount the white base onto

 the black magic mat board base,

 to act as a frame...

you can write your greeting on the back with a metallic or white pen...

or use one of the metallic distress paints to 

stamp a sentiment...

or you could stamp or stencil it,

 using glacier white...

it shows up very well on dark surfaces...

here's the finished piece...

take a closer look at

 the different textures on this piece...

you can see that the 

custom brick embossing powder 

creates a 

 very textured surface on the bird...

and it's much more matte than the embossing powder on the pine tree...

that's because of the 

frosted crystal embossing powder...

it's a jar of magic, because it doubles your embossing powder options...

 it can be mixed with any of 

the colored embossing powders 

to change them from shiny to more matte, 

and it adds texture too...

just mix equal parts of colored powder with the frosted crystal...

I store the "frosted" powders

 in these little jars...

the faux graniteware tree has a smooth shiny surface...

and the embossing paste sprinkled with 

the rock candy glitter

 makes the best authentic snow!

it's a bonus that the glitter sticks to the paste very well & stays put...

so...think about it...

instead of sending a card...

you might want to try this...

I hope YOU have fun and...

make art!

wendy

ps...I thought about saying...

GO BEARS...

but I think it's a hopeless situation again this year...

custom magic mat board minis...

HAPPY SPRING!

I hereby declare this 

NATIONAL

BUY A PAIR OF SANDALS DAY!

Rick was so happy to hear this...

or maybe not?

it's a balmy 41 degrees here, 

but I'm wearing sandals anyway...

yes...

my toes are freezing, 

but it's a matter of principle...

I'm O V E R winter!

ok...

onto business...

this package of goodness arrived earlier this week...

I couldn't wait to get these mini movers & shapers out & test drive them...

check out the penny, to give you a good perspective of their cute MINI size...

they're mini & ADORABLE!

one of my new products for this past CHA is this package of magic mat board...

in the package you get two 6 x 12 sheets...

one white and one black...

they are a nice convenient size to use & store...

I specifically wanted the black sheet for the faux graniteware technique & I wanted the white to show the true colors of our inks...

the black is also really cool to use with foil...

and with the metallic embossing pastes...

you'll see that below...

and why did I want mat board?

SIMPLE...

to use with tim's Sizzix dies...

the mat board is very sturdy, 

VERY inexpensive 

and it's great to use 

with many products for mixed media art...

inks, paints, embossing powders & embossing pastes are PERFECT to pair with the mat board shapes you die cut...

I'll be sharing even more ideas soon...

if you've been following my blog, you know I HATE to waste any art supply...

Rick frequently sees me digging something out of the trash...

I try to sneak, but he always seems to catch me...

so...

after you die cut your shapes and have left over small pieces of magic bat board...

grab these mini dies...

they are PERFECT for using up those tiny scraps...

I LOVE IT...

NO WASTE!

mat board pieces less than 1 inch square can be used to create these awesome embellishments, that you can customize to perfectly coordinate with your art...

below, you'll see the minis cut from both black & white magic mat board...

you'll see that you can ink them & stamp them...

you can heat emboss them...

you can foil them...

triple emboss them, then stamp into the hot embossing powder...

and so much more...

and I like that they are

 very light weight for cards...

so... they're easily mailable...

here's some other ways these mat board die cuts can be altered...

this was a little display board I made, that shows 10 ways to alter the new mat minis...

these 2 mat mini packages are 

already cut for us & ready to go...

just pop them out of their storage sheets...

we have the pitchers & vases set and 

the flower pot set...

but...

these same ideas can be used with any die cut magic mat board shapes you create...

just grab a favorite Sizzix steel ruled die & the magic mat board & you're ready to go...

those 3 little hearts you see in the previous photo were the inspiration for this mini canvas...

it's a 4 x 4 inch flat canvas panel...

I'm really liking these...

they are sturdy & easy to change up with lots of different products...

they take lots of abuse!

for the background I used

the splattered plaster technique...

click the link to see the original tutorial...

that's those dimensional plaster chunks you see toward the right...

there are also a few toward the bottom...

my colors were sky blue & cornflower blue, mixed with rubbing alcohol & then misted with picket fence distress spray stain...

after I dried the background, I added tree branch to the edges & also stamped the script background with tree branch archival...

I didn't take step by step photos, because I was having too much fun...

but I think it's pretty simple...

the 3 white mat board hearts were inked with tea rose archival and then stamped with tree branch & this stamp in the lower right corner of the set...

the mini butterfly was inked with sky blue archival & also stamped with tree branch & the same text stamp...

I had stenciled just one row of polka dots, with cornflower blue archival & you can see that the mini die cuts fit between the dots...

I like when things work...

to alter the industrious sticker, I inked over it with leaf green archival to cover the whole sticker, then LIGHTLY swiped the sky blue archival pad only over the raised areas...

when dry, these colors are permanent, because I used archival ink...

I KNOW...

sky blue is sold out most everywhere...

but I heard from a good source, they will be producing more VERY soon...

the carnation SiSi was stamped 2 times on the newsprint side of clearly for art, with jet black archival...

I used one full image and just a portion of the flowers for the top layer...

it's inked with tea rose...

I always adhere the newsprint to CFA with 

Glue N Seal...

the bow was stamped with jet black onto the CFA newsprint, inked with sky blue & cornflower blue, then stamped over with the new 4 leaf clover background, using tea rose archival...

a vintage button & some gold metallic thread is a simple accent for the bow...

so far it looked like this...

I like the pastel vintage colors...

you can see the minis better below...

and here's a better look at the layered carnation...

I used the black foam adhesive roll between the layers & to add the carnation to the canvas...

the foam adhesive is A M A Z I N G & STRONG!

it was still lacking something...

ah...a border...

I swiped the tarnished brass distress paint dabber along the edges...

better, but it still needed more...

these new remnant rubs were just what I wanted...

a partial thin frame...

that little gold paint edge is a great simple finishing touch...

these minis are adorable & so useful...

they will never be out of style...

and like I said...

they are a great way to use up your magic mat board scraps...

and best of all...

make them ANY color or any style...

and the price is GREAT!

so that's my love of mini...

now...

moving to maxi...

 it's true...

sometimes...

size does matter...

 at CHA we introduced a 

larger size of my white embossing paste...

you get DOUBLE the amount of paste for a REALLY GREAT price!

the original jars are 4 ounces...

the large is 8 ounces...

we had lots of requests for a larger jar of white paste to use with the mix & store jars...

they are perfect for MIXING & STORING custom colors of embossing paste right in the jars, for no waste...

no cleanup...

I like to use reinkers to color the paste...

these mix & store jars were chosen to keep the paste nice & fresh, without drying out...

that's it for today...

I think I'll go add a new board to Pinterest for the things we do with the magic mat board...

and then I'll look for a new pair of sandals...

shhhhhh...

after all...

it IS NATIONAL

 BUY A PAIR OF SANDALS...

or flip flops

DAY!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you'll have time to grab your supplies and...

make art!

wendy