Reaching For Light

In my hometown we have gone through days of cold weather, gray skies, and rain.  I was longing for the beauty of Spring, lots of color, and flowers reaching for light.  The forecast hasn't been cooperating with my vision.

I was drawn back to a journal entry I did in the Fall, when I was anxious about the oncoming Winter.  More than ever, I understand how the seasons and the weather can affect mood and spirit.  I think this journal entry, with few words, speaks volumes about what I was feeling that day.

We know our crafty friends like to express themselves with drawings, scrapbooks, and quilting, etc.  Instead of limiting yourself with a notebook, try an art journal this year.  Don't let the lines on your paper keep you contained.  I love chalk ink.  It glides on smooth and is kind to people who don't draw professionally.  These are fairly expensive, but so fun to use.  I drew free-hand because nothing has to be perfect in your journal.  Let go.  Use your craft embellishments to make your next entry 3-dimensional.  I added flowers to my Spring page.  This post is to give you ideas.  The challenge is to get you to gather some bits and pieces to make your own version.  THEN, use the free space to write like you normally would in a journal.  See what the experience brings out of you.

Paper Flowers

Flowers can be the perfect touch on a scrapbooking layout.  I've bought my fair share of cute crafting flowers over the years, always paying more than I should.  

Still, I'd find myself struggling to match the exact shade of the embellishment with my background paper.  That problem is solved.

You can make beautiful flowers out of any paper pattern that you like.  

The crafty gals at Captured Moments taught me how to make my own flowers.  Start by punching out three paper circles, each slightly bigger than the next.  

Crinkle the edges of each circle with your fingers.  Use your thumb and forefinger to hold the center of the paper in place.  It is important that the edges are bent and wrinkled enough to break up the fibers in your paper.  Eventually, start to shape your circle, with portions raised and lowered, to give the flower dimension.  

Once you're done crinkling, ink the edges of your flowers to add a subtle coloring.  Layer the circles with the largest piece in the back and the smallest up front.  Use a brad or button to hold the pieces together.  Then, add leaves using the same crinkle method.  Cut roughly the shape of a leaf, crinkle it, and glue it down.  Voila!!  You have a handmade flower with any paper pattern you like.  If you want to see the full page layout the girls from Captured Moments created, using this flower, scroll down the the next blog post.

Wooden Roses

I love shopping at county fairs, just to see the fun things people create.  I was wandering through the vending booths of a small fair on a rainy day, a few years ago, when I came across a burst of color.

Under a dripping white tent, on a dark and gray day, I found a rainbow of roses.  The vendor told me she had made each bouquet with thin pedals of wood.  

Fascinated, I bought 60 of the wooden roses, figuring they'd live a lot longer than the real deal.  As I was taking pictures recently, for one of our Shutterbug Sunday blogs, I was compelled to rip one of those pretty pink roses to shreds.  I had to get to the core of this creation.  Here's what I found:

The center of the rose is an oval shaped chunk of foam.  There is a wrapped wire stem in the base of the foam, reinforced with glue.

The petals of thin wood appear to be lightly brushed with color on the edges, similar to inking paper with a pad.  Several small ovals of the wood are glued to the tip of the foam, all the way around.  Larger ovals of the wood shavings are glued on top of the smaller ones, totally covering the foam and shaping the rose.

The petals are simply green fabric, cut in a "U" shape and glued onto the base of the rose.

When finished, the wooden part of the rose actually looks fairly real from a short distance.  I'm not sure I'd have the energy to make dozens and dozens of these.  In fact, I was happy to pay the crafty woman who had perfected this treat.  I hope this idea encourages you to envision something beautiful next time you look at a pile of wood scraps that you thought were garbage!!

Flower Power Wall Art

I'm going to will spring to bloom here in upstate New York. It's been a long, cold, snowy winter up here and I am longing for some vitamin D! I thought I'd make this cute little piece of wall art. What I love about this is you can do it too and with little to no cost-- because I know you probably already have everything you need!

Supplies:

1 12x12 piece of scrap book paper

1 3x12 piece of paper

ribbon

large silk flower

some self adhering sparkles

an old 8x8 canvas

staple gun

glue stick

glue gun

Center your paper over your canvas. I made slight slits on each corner of the paper in order for it to fold over neatly. Then I folded the corners of the paper over the canvas like I was wrapping a present. I tacked the paper down to the frame with my staple gun. Then I placed my 3x12 paper in the center of the frame and tacked that down in the back as well. Time now to add your ribbon on each side of the center piece of paper. I did not use any glue. I simply tacked it down in the back with more staples.  Line your ribbon with your sparkles. Then cut your silk flower bud down to the nub. Be careful- if you get too close to the end you will clip the little nub that holds it all together. Stop just short of the little nub. Then place a substantial blop of hot glue in the center of the picture. Place your flower on there and hold in place until it's secure. 

This project is super duper easy and fast! And what a way to brighten up your space! Hope you love it like I do!! Please tell me what you think. I love hearing from you.

Journal with Love

Who says a journal is only meant for ink?  Yeah, sometimes you just need to get it all out quickly.  But, it may be better to spend a little time with your journal entry...really reflect on your mood, consider what you want to write, and try to reveal it with more than words. 

Don't let the lines on your paper keep you contained.  Next time you start a new journal consider getting a large art book, grab some crafts, and create your background.  You'll get a lot of ideas for journal entries from Crafty Girl, who even makes her own books.  But, I want to share one of my favorite things.  I love chalk ink.  I really do.  I love it.  It glides on smooth and is kind to people who don't draw professionally.  It comes in the form of a marker.  These are fairly expensive, but so fun to use.  I drew FREEHAND because it doesn't have to be perfect in your journal.  Let go.  Whatever you prefer, next time you journal....try to put down your pen and express yourself with a drawing and 3-dimensional embellishments.  I used flowers in this spread.  This post is to give you ideas...the challenge is to get you to gather your own flowers and make your own version.  THEN, use the free space to write like you normally would in a journal.  See what the experience brings out of you.

Chipboard Flip Book

Chipboard books allow you to take your scrapbooking to a whole new level- removing the boundaries of the 12x12 or 8x8 paper.

If you're new to scrapbooking and wonder what chip board is... It is basically cardboard you can find at the bottom of paper packets or pads of paper. You can also do what I do and recycle most of your food boxes.
It's great for the environment and great for scrapbooking with! They will allow you to have a variety of thicknesses to choose from.

I used a die cut machine to cut out these small 2 inch tags and then used the same machine and shape cutting die to cut out the paper- so I knew they would match up.

Then I used a glue adhesive to adhere the paper to the cardboard and allowed it to dry.

Now comes the fun part... Decorating! I had never painted on my scrapbook creations so this was a safe way to try it. I whisked the paint across the paper with a foam pad and really liked the results! I think this is where my obsession with paint started!

Once that's dry- figure out how you want to embellish it. I chose to place a flower on the front and stamp my letters. While you can put photographs in these lovely creations- I chose to offer my friend some advice on how to relax. I used the letters in her name as a guide for my advice. So as she flips through the book she will see her name on it and some kind words to help her relieve stress in her life. Finish it off with a lovely charm and lots of ribbons.

The end result is a very special gift for someone you love.