How to create shipping tag collages

Along with vintage cigar boxes, I also inherited old shipping tags.  The warping of the shipping tags did concern me at first.  However, as soon as I started painting, the tags flattened out on their own. I love it when problems solve themselves. 

·      For this tag, I made a background using acrylic paint.  Click HERE to see tutorial. 

·      The bird is a stamp.  I stamped him onto card stock.  I then colored him in with colored pencils and glued him to the tag.  His eye is an enamel black dot, which I “dotted” using a white Signo uni-ball pen.  I also used the Signo uni-ball to make the dots on the inside of the circles. 

·      The black branch is a transfer rub from Tim Holtz.

·       The roses at the bottom are from a 1920’s Valentine postcard.

·       Finishing Touches:   I used a black marker to go around all edges and silk ribbon to tie it off.

Where To Find Silk Sari Ribbon

I'm very excited!  For Valentines Day, I received 80 yards of gorgeous silk sari ribbon.  The rainbow colors are so vibrant and I can't wait to use all of it. In fact, I  have several projects in mind, the first being an art journal I'm currently working on.  I'll post photos of it when I'm finished.

Anyway, the ribbon was purchased through Etsy from Victorian Gypsy Girl.  They have a huge variety of silk ribbon.  I definitely see another purchase in my future. 

Altered Cigar Box

I was given a lovely selection of cigar boxes.  They were all similar in shape and size, except for the one above.  I liked the square shape and how it opened with a slant.  I decided to alter this cigar box into a Rolodex-style box to organize my yearly goals . . month by month.  To see how I attached the drawer pull click HERE

After decorating the box, I made monthly tabs out of background papers I had painted earlier. 

I then made cards out of cardstock, to go behind the monthly tabs.  Each card represents one category of my monthly goals.  I used fine tip Sharpies to draw the lines and finished the cards by stamping titles on each. 

I didn’t touch the image on the inside of the cigar box as I felt it was perfect as is.

Here’s what my goal box looks like on the inside: 

Now I have no excuse for not working towards my goals.  Well, none right now, anyways. 

Seattle Snow

It's not often we get snow in the Seattle area.  Here are some pics from my backyard of the beautiful scene we woke up to.  With schools closed today, it's also a perfect day for the kids.

As for my Chihuahua, she wasn't that impressed with the snow.

How To Transfer an Image using a Blender Pen

Using a Blender Pen is the easiest way to transfer an image.  Some of the pens are toxic, so you’ll need to use them outdoors or in a ventilated area.

Supplies:

Blender Pen

Photocopy of image you wish to transfer

Paper, fabric, or wood to transfer image onto.

Burnishing tool such as a bone folder, plastic spoon, or even the TV remote. 

Optional:  Masking Tape

Steps: 

1) Pick the image you want to transfer.    

2) Lay your image face down on the surface you want to transfer the image onto.  I tape mine in place, just to ensure success.

3) With a blender pen, swipe across the backside of the photocopy repeatedly, overlapping your strokes.

4) Burnish this area. 

5) If you have a large image to transfer, do it in sections (swipe then burnish). 

6) Lift a corner up and see if you’re happy with the transfer.   If not, reapply the blender pen and burnish again until you’re happy with the results. 

How to Make a Stencil Using Hot Glue

I’ve been brainstorming ways to get more use out of my hot glue gun.  I was trying to put texture onto a canvas when I realized I could make stencils with my gun.  First, I sketched what I wanted my stencil to look like. 

I then covered my paper with a piece of parchment paper.  Be sure to use parchment paper, rather than wax paper.  It’s probably obvious that the hot glue will stick to the wax paper.  Well, let’s just say that I double checked that theory and yes, indeed, hot glue does stick to wax paper.

Then I traced the lines of my sketch with the hot glue gun.  Here’s what my stencil looked like when I was done. 

The possibilities are endless.  I’ll be using this stencil in an upcoming project.