Hanging Around the Kitchen Kit

Introducing our Thanksgiving Kit

Create the perfect hostess gift and 

make one for yourself too! 

The kit contains a wooden hanger, wood clothespin, recipe cards, collage and die-cut stickers for decoupaging.  We even provide a couple recipes!

We give you a choice of a kit with or without chalk paint.  It's a ready to go kit or add your own colors. We show you how to create two different paint techniques.  And when not using it for recipes, add a photo and hang it where it can be admired.

Die cuts are so versatile and help create Fantastic  projects of all sorts.  

Thanks for visiting, now order one of these sweet kits!

Camelot

I went to see my first play during my Freshman year of high school.  What better introduction to theater than to see Camelot?!  I love the romance and the action and, oh the music!  

I wanted to capture that Medieval feel with today's card.  Castles always have tapestries and banners so I used two different size banner dies with three of the images from the Mists of Avalon collage sheet and two pages from the Life Time Prima paper pad.  

What is royalty without a little pomp and circumstance, right?  So I added shine to these tapestry banners with some gold glam stickers and gems.

I just happened to have a crown and sword die cut in my stash and it really gives this card the Camelot feeling!  Both shapes were cut out of gold paper.

Please stop by again tomorrow for more inspirations from the DIY Design Studio Team!

Bee-ing Happy Creating a Journal for a Friend

Bee-ing Happy Creating a Journal for a Friend

Recently I attended a workshop with Cheryl Boglioli Gel Press Ambassador where we used the Gel Plate and a Sizzix Travellers Journal Die to create a fun journal. I wanted to make another journal having purchased the die to share this method and idea with a friend who I know loves bees as I had just brought a magazine that included a Bee die. I thought this would be perfect to share for our Die Cut Theme this month.

I worked with honey tones of yellow and orange paint along with white and black to decorate the covers of my journal by layering paint on my gel plate and taking prints and starting with the darker tones working to the light tones, subtracting the paint of various layers from the plate using stencils etc. including a hexagonal pattern to represent honeycomb.  My first layer was black.

I kept layering on color with my Gel Press Plate and Stencils until I was happy with the look of my inside and outside covers.  Any excess paint I had on my brayer I painted over a page in my journal with.

Once I was happy with the look of my journal covers I constructed my journal gluing the two halves of my die cut journal together.

I created signatures using bee patterned paper in a PAPER COLLECTION and Watercolor Papers.

   

To finish my cover I die cut 3 bees out of glossy black card stock and stamped out the sentiment BEE Happy on a white piece of paper in black ink and then proceeded to cut this out before coloring it yellow with a Paint Pen.  Using the same Paint Pen I outlined some of my honeycomb/hexagonal stenciling.

Now it's just a matter of fastening the signatures in place inside my journal and adding a band to keep my journal held shut working with elasticized cord weaving it through the allocated holes.  This style of binding I love as it requires no stitching.

I will hopefully have the binding completed and some pages decorated to share with you next time.

Danie xx

In the FALL mood

We are a DIY store, so let's DIY Fall!

I like to have a simmering pot or mini crock pot of spices to give the house a great autumn aroma.

Below are a couple recipes and ideas for gifting a welcoming aroma for the home during fall and winter holidays.

Add the following combinations to water and allow to simmer to bring out the gorgeous aromas.  

You can also use cheesecloth to gather your spices (dried), tie with twine and place into a mason jar with our wonderful lids, give with a bag of oranges or lemons as a hostess gift. 

For a truly special gift add our ornate Vintologie Silver metal jar jewelry added to the jar with a label.

You could also use our Autumn Felt flowers.

 

We also have die cut instructions for creating beautiful flowers as adornments as well.    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   
Orange Cinnamon scent

2 cinnamon sticks 

1/2 tablespoon nutmeg (or a whole nut) 

1 orange (large slices) 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups water

Orange Spice Scent

• 1 orange rind  fresh or two rinds dried
• 2 whole anise stars
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1-2 cups of water

Southwest Autumn

• 3 lemons thickly sliced
• 3 star anise
• 1 small knob of fresh ginger cut to release scent (or grated)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried orange peel
• 2 dried chili peppers
• 10 peppercorns
• 5 cups water

Thanks for visiting today!

Building My Stash

Hi there!  Welcome to The DIY Design Studio Blog.  
All this month we are going to be showcasing original art and crafts featuring die cut images and laser cut chipboard. 

Today I have for you a giant tag that I created for when I need a little something extra to add to a gift bag, package or hostess gift, such as a bottle of bubbly.  How cute would this be tied to a bag of specialty coffee beans?  Put the bag of coffee in an oversized mug and who would not love to receive that?  

Here is how I started...

I have a large metal book ring that I keep tags in all stages of doneness on.  Today I grabbed a tag from that ring that I created a backround on long ago.  For this tag I used tissue to give it some texture.  I also used inks in green and rust as well gold and copper metallic paints for a base of color.  This really spoke to me for a Fall hostess tag.  I also gathered some lace, ribbon, a chipboard letter S and the star of the  show a die cut embellishment in a circle flourish pattern.  I also grabbed a few charms but did not end up using them.  They can always be added later if I choose. 

So, here you can see the tag looking almost leather-ish.  The photo really does not do it justice.  I also have a large piece of lace that I fussy cut.  I added copper and gold paint to the die cuts.  I had planned on painting the blue "S" completely, but I really loved that little bit of blue shining through the copper.  So, I only gave that one coat of copper.  Oh and in this pic above you can see another plain tag there.  I used that tag as a base for doing my painting.  So I am already starting on another backround.  I used up the last of my paint from my palette and that tag now has a beautiful copper base for future use and bonus - no paint was wasted. 

I adhered the lace with a Aleene's tacky glue.  A great happy accident happened...when I added the Tackly glue it reactivated some of the inks I had previously used and it began to colorize the cream colored lace, which I LOVE that result! 

Next, I hot glued the die cut circle to the tag and then the "S' to the circle.  I also added a gold metallic bow to the top for hanging.  

I really love the look...and there are so many uses for it to step up your gift giving any time of the year.  Tags and die cuts are just great to have a stash of.  I think it is a great idea to have on hand ready to go original "mini" art creations to give along with a store bought gift.  This tag could even be arranged in a greeting card format.  

Here is that ring of tags with the newly painted copper 

tag right on top.  ;-) 

I just love making tags...they are  quick, original art and have so many uses.  

DIY Design Studio has everything you need to make your own!

Thanks so much for jointing me today!

Stephanie

Supply list - 
Tags   and more  Tags
Paints
Embellishments and die cuts
Tacky Glue
Ribbon and Trims

A little Frida is good for you!

Day of the Dead Celebrations must include Frida!

Mixed Media by Stephanie Siatta

Frida Kahlo

Painter

BIRTH DATE

July 6, 1907

DEATH DATE

July 13, 1954

Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico.

Family and Education

Frida Kahlo’s father, Wilhelm (also called Guillermo), was a German photographer who had immigrated to Mexico where he met and married her mother Matilde. She had two older sisters, Matilde and Adriana, and her younger sister, Cristina, was born the year after Frida.

Around the age of six, Kahlo contracted polio, which caused her to be bedridden for nine months. While she recovered from the illness, she limped when she walked because the disease had damaged her right leg and foot. Her father encouraged her to play soccer, go swimming, and even wrestle — highly unusual moves for a girl at the time — to help aid in her recovery.

gelprint by ingrid Vient

In 1929, Frida Kahlo and famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera married. Kahlo and Rivera first met in 1922 when he went to work on a project at her high school. Kahlo often watched as Rivera created a mural called The Creation in the school’s lecture hall. According to some reports, she told a friend that she would someday have Rivera’s baby.

Kahlo reconnected with Rivera in 1928. He encouraged her artwork, and the two began a relationship. During their early years together, Kahlo often followed Rivera based on where the commissions that Rivera received were. In 1930, they lived in San Francisco, California. 

Mixed Media by Ingrid Vient

The family home where Frida Kahlo was born and grew up, later referred to as the Blue House or Casa Azul, was opened as a museum in 1958. Located in Coyoacán, Mexico City, the Museo Frida Kahlo houses artifacts from the artist.

 Frida Jewelry by Jean Moore

Frida and Diego a love-hate relationship

Join us in November as we provide 
Die Cuts for your approval!

Halloween History

Reminiscing about Halloweens past.

Day of the Dead card by Robin Horasanian

Journaling by Danie May

Trisha Neal  pop-up Book

Board Book by Lyneen Jesse

Skeleton Tin Jen Rothstein

Spooky Paper Flowers  Stephanie Siatta

Tag book by Kellie Green

 Katrina Rollings using our Tombstone Die

Roni Johnson Tombstone cards kit

Barbara Rankin wall hanging

Steampunk Halloween Francie Perry

Tags from Christine Telega

Halloween Hattie ATB by Becky Voth

Debi Wind Halloween Collage

Book of Spooks by Gia Lau

Tag by Daniella Hayes

Solitary Raven Card Jean Moore

Not everyone is represented since they might not have had a Halloween project.  They all did a fantastic job!    Thanks to all of our current and former Design Artists for sharing their talents with us.

Get ready for DIE CUT MANIA!