Friday, November 28, 2014

New Little Booh Bear on eBay - Auction Ends Monday, Dec. 1st!

This little guy is made of the most unusual mohair.  It is gray but has black and lighter gray guard hairs and the backing is a pinkish color!   Such a whimsical little chap!  At first I offered him bare because I love his odd mohair but my friend thought he would look cuter with a little cap...I couldn't stop with the cap and decided to give him some knickers, as well!  I think his new look suits him just fine!  If you have a moment to peek in on this dapper little fellow's auction, here is the link ... Dustin is on eBay until Monday, Dec. 1st
I hope you have a blessed weekend!
Lots of hugs,
Janice


Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Another Giveaway!

CONGRATS, KIMI S. from INDIANA!  You are the winner!

A very simple giveaway - all you have to do is comment on this post!  This little antique baby shoe has been decorated with an antique tatted hankie, bells, a vintage earring, a vintage button, dried miniature rosebuds from my garden, some vintage millinery leaves and even a feather from my little conure ;o)
I will draw a winner the day after Thanksgiving.  Please leave your contact info on your comment!
Thanks so much!

Hugs & Blessings,
Janice
p.s.   I will not reply within this post as I don't want to add comments to the total number of comments for the random number generator but I did want everyone to know that I appreciate your kind words and compliments so very much!  Good luck!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Christmas Crafting! How to Make Jumbo Flower Gift Toppers!

I promised myself I would finish a Booh Bear this weekend.  Tomorrow is THE day!  In the meantime, I've been making Christmas flowers.  My latest project was another "found on Pinterest" idea (Originating from hilaryscraps.typepad.com).  Pinterest is my favorite place to go for inspiration ... the problem is, I am inspired by so much!  There aren't enough days in the week to make all the things I want to make.  These flowers took me hours to make but they were so much fun.  Using a large Sizzix die, I cut all the leaves, petals, etc. from different types of paper, wool felt, burlap, and tulle.  Then I layered the different textures, splattered with gesso (my new best friend) and sparkles. What fun I'm having!  Below is a tutorial (of sorts) explaining the steps to making these flowers.  Should you decide to make them, be prepared to make a huge mess but it will be well worth the fuss!

I best get to bed now because tomorrow is THE day to finish my latest Booh Bear.  I need to be well rested to make her little face!   I hope you have a lovely Sunday!

Hugs & Blessings,
Janice

SUPPLIES:

Gather any type of fabric, felt, burlap, cardstock, paper, etc. you wish you use
 for the layers of your flowers.
 I used Merino Wool Felt, Burlap, Tulle, Old Sheet Music, Old Books,
Old Dictionary Pages and Various Cardstock Papers. 
A Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutter and a Hot Glue Gun were used,
along with the following supplies, to make my flowers:
Tim Holtz Jumbo Tattered Florals (Sizzix Die # 659441)
Extended Cutting Pads are required for this die
Susan's Garden Tool Kit (Not Necessary but helpful) Sizzix Product # 658437

Dew Drop Brilliance Colors - Used Starlight Silver and Cosmic Copper the most
Versa Magic - Aloe Vera and ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ice Jade for Leaves
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo for some edges
Martha Stewart Crafts - Water Resistant Fabric Stiffener
(Watered Down Elmer's Glue works just as well)
Liquitex Gesso Surface Prep, Glitter, Rusty Bells,
Hemp String for Bows


HOW TO:

I try to keep my pieces together in regards to fabric
or paper used to make it easier when layering
After all the pieces are cut, I use the Tim Holtz Distress Ink
and the Brilliance Colors to treat the edges.
Then I take the biggest felt flowers and apply Martha Stewart Fabric Stiffener 
to the centers mostly and then lightly treat the petals, as well.
I also use the stiffener on the felt leaves.
For the flowers that I want to use burlap as the second layer,
I place the burlap on top of the felt but in such a way
that the bottom felt layer shows.
Then I apply a coat of fabric stiffener to the center of the flower.
I bend the petals and allow it to dry on top of a water bottle
to create a cupped flower rather than a flat flower.


After the felt flowers and leaves have dried, crumple them in your hands.
For the flowers with Cardstock lower layers,
I bend the papers using Susan's Garden Tool Kit, pencils,
my hands, etc. to create a tattered look.

Now comes the fun part!  Layering! Heat up the Hot Glue Gun
and work your way up from the largest flower cut
to the smallest layer
adding leaves between layers as you go.
On some flowers I don't use all of the cuts.
After the final layer is added, 
I tied a hemp bow on a rusty bell and glued that to the center.
Then taking the Gesso you can splatter, paint, dab -
however you want to get the color on the flower - get messy!
Sprinkle glitter over the wet Gesso so it sticks 
and voila ... you have a tattered flower!
Here are some examples of the flowers I have made.


IDEAS FOR USING THE FLOWERS TO DECORATE




HAVE FUN!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Repurposed Vintage Spoon Shelf ... What Next?!!

Many years ago, my Mom gave me some beautiful hand crocheted hankies that my Grandmother made.  Through the years, I have also collected beautiful, lacy antique hankies.   Occasionally, I will use them to embellish my bears, but for the most part, I just keep them in a drawer - only to look at and admire and then back they go.

A couple weeks ago, I saw a post on Pinterest - someone had repurposed an old spoon shelf and they were using it to display their antique hankies.  It was a brilliant idea!   Since I've been going to the Goodwill at least once a week anyway in my quest for glass bottles, decanters and ornate picture frames to paint, I decided to add spoon shelves to my quest.  It paid off because yesterday I found a spoon shelf!  You can imagine my excitement .. and to top things off, it was "yellow tag day" which means anything with a yellow tag was half off.   I couldn't go wrong!   Even though the price of the shelf was only $1.49, I ended up spending several hours painting, waxing, sanding, and staining - time well spent, I think!  I used Louis Blue Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, light and dark Annie Sloan Wax, sanded lightly on all the corners and raised areas and finished by whitewashing with Gesso.  I love the outcome.

I hope you are not getting tired of my "Upcycling" and "Repurposing" posts as I am really enjoying making all these things and they are things I used to share with my Mom.  I know she would have loved this latest project.  I can almost hear her say "that's a wonderful way to display my Mother's handiwork"!  I also know I would have looked far and wide for another vintage Spoon Shelf for me because I would have given this one to her.  Wish you were here, Mom.  xoxo