I was thinking of things I cannot live without when it comes to my art.  What are your favorite items?

Stencils are a go-to for fabulous creating and of course, the paints and texture paste to make them even more fabulous!

SPARKLE, SHIMMER, MAGIC

Glitter is truly a gift from the Craft Gods!  However, the cleanup cloth is a gift from housekeeping!

YES, even waltzing Cowboys need some glitter!  This project was a gift for a special friend who loves the true Cowboy Southwest.

 

The cowboy hats and the feet of the box are glittered magic!

PLEASE Stop by the website and see some of our wonderful items to inspire your creativity.    Our small business appreciates your purchases.

Thanks for your support!

Jean

Thursday Makes - Tiny Art Tiles with Scraps

Christmas is one of the times of year that thoughts may turn to religion, it may be the only time you go to mass or find yourself thinking of Jesus. 

 For me its also a time my creating connects me to it.

Creating can be a fleeting few moments or a day of focus depending on your time constraints, usually, at this time of year, it is a fleeting few moments.

I often gather bits and pieces, leftover scraps on my desk etc to begin and see what can come to mind.

Some simple bases (eco artboard squares) painted black, then teamed with leftover cutoffs from Gelli Prints, a religious icon image, a touch of glitter and glossy dimensional glue to seal and create a glass like finish, form small works of art in no time which can be put to use in a variety of ways.  You just have to remember to let the glue dry before touching it.

Icon suggestions click here

Holy Cards click here

Gold Leaf Click here

Eco Art Boards ON SALE click here 

Perfect for Gift Giving

Let's make a beautiful gift box!

Today's project is a great upcycle using sturdy packaging from a recent purchse I made.  It is very much like a circular wine bottle "box", but a bit shorter.  It will be great for odd shaped gifts or plyable type gifts like a scarf, kitchen towel or a cute pair of fuzzy socks.  So, let's get started...

Here is what we started with.

YOU can see the complete supply list & links at the bottom of the post.

Here we have the first layer of vintage text pages decoupaged onto the surface.

Next, I dry brushed ivory colored chalk paint, added a bit of black chalk paint here and there, then the final layer was a thin coat of gold metalic using my gold metallic Gelato.  I was going for a worn, vintage look. 

Then, it was time to decorate the lid.  I added more gold metallic, laces, big chunky glitter and die cut snowflakes that I painted white and added more chunky glitter to.  I initially thought I would use a pretty glittered Prima flower on the lid (seen in the top pic here), but decided on the glittered snowflakes. 

 

Now, it was time to add my digital images.  For the back of the box I cut out a number of smaller vintage Santa images and decoupaged them in a random pattern.  I then added more glittered snowflakes.  You can see in the image below that I added beaded trim to the lid of the box...you can never have too many embellishments! 

And here is the front again with a much larger focal image of a very cheery St. Nicholas and a cute little angel peaking over his shoulder...along with a few more glittery snowflakes to tie it all together. 

I hope you are inspired to upcycle your own creation!

DIY Design Studio has everything you need to do just that!

Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting! 

Steph S. 

Supply List -
Santa Brings Cheer Digital Art Collage
Embellishments, Lace and Trims 
PPA glue
Vintage law books  for text pages
Chalk Paint -primitive
Chalk Paint - relic
Gelato Metallic - gold 
Die cuts and other embellishments