Jar of Joys for 2015

This year, I am starting a new tradition, a little jar of joys. In this jar, the moments that bring us joy will be written down and stored safely in the jar until New Year's Eve. As part of our celebration, we will read and relive all the little moments that made 2015. There are only a few moments recorded now.

From me and my husband:
The best date night ever, Seahawks Playoff Game at the Clink. Cam jumped the offensive line!

Seahawks NFC Champions! Super Bowl bound.

Budgie in a deep voice... Who took a little nibble of my sandwich?

From the bigger little:
McDonalds has Ninja Turtle TOYS!

From the littlest:
I got to make a card at school. It says I'm IN!

I decorated my jar with a handmade tag, ribbon, and some beads. To make the tag, I used kraft cardstock and stamped some deep blue circles lightly in the background. I added some washi, and then added dimension by using Smooch and glitter glue to highlight the stamping. I added some word stamps on the Washi, and hand lettered and fussy cut the word Joy. Once the flower was added, I felt the tag was ready to remind us to be full of joy.

The color scheme was part of SWATs Fresh Start Mood Board Challenge. Go ahead and join us by using this dreamy mood board to start your own project. Link up on the blog, and you will be entered to win a great prize! As always, I cannot wait to see your creations over at SWAT, and I wish you and yours many joyful moments.

~Venetia

Authentique Guest Designer!

Hey Everyone! So happy to share this guest post with Authentique. If you're new, please follow. I love sharing with friends!

 

 

 

Guest Designer: Venetia Holbrook

Hello! I am Venetia from Atomic Venetia. I am from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I enjoy crisp grey days with coffee, and warm evenings in front of the fire with my family. My whole life I have created objects and art across many media.

I am incredibly happy to be sharing some projects I made with the gorgeous collection from Authentique, Natural. As soon as I saw this collection I was in love, and the collection pairs well with both warm and cool neutrals. It was a breeze to make projects perfect for host gifts for upcoming fall and winter celebrations.

My first project is a mixed media canvas. The patterns in Natural are a beautiful mix. This collection’s colors feel rich and bright. Canvases are one of my favorite projects because they are a fun way to mix techniques and media. I also like being able to add a sentiment intended for the recipeint. For this sentiment, I mimicked the design of the stickers in the Natural collecton pack. On the canvas, I mixed basic punches with Silhouette cuts. To add depth, I distressed with ink, added texture with gesso, and added a pop of sparkle with glitter glue.

I also created a pomander. I am so in love with how this collection pairs with gold, which reminds me of fall. I built stackable flowers with a mix of Silhouette cuts, hand cuts, and punches. I used a foam ball as a base, and used gold and pearl floral pins to place the flowers around the ball. Authentique papers have long been my favorite for paper floral designs because they are a heavy weight, allows for the manipulation of the floral to build dimension and texture.

For my final project, I created a wind chime. This time, I paired the collection with silver and black neutrals. I knew that Natural would pair perfectly with the aluminum pot when I found it, and I remembered a pin on Pinterest of a wind chime using recycled materials. I decided to adapt the pin into an altered project.

To create this, I punched circles from the papers in Natural. Then, I decoupaged the papers and sequins onto the bottle caps. I used some alcohol ink to distress the caps, and used a metal punch to create the holes. I connected the pieces together, and then added some sparkle to the pot with some ink and glitter ribbon. To hang the pot, I drilled two holes, and placed two eye screw and nut sets through the holes. I then used a chain to create a hanger.

I am so grateful to share my love of Authentique with all of you, and hope you found some inspiration from my projects. Thank you!

Scrapbook Steals Birthday Blog Hop!

Happy Birthday Scrapbook Steals! I am so happy to be a part of your birthday blog hop!
You should be visiting from my wonderful friend Cristine!

I'm happy to take a turn on all four birthday challenges!

Challenge #1 - happy 4th birthday – use 4 items
Use four items and ONLY four items for your project.

My four items are:
Washi
Paper
Ink (pads and mist)
Pen

I chose to make a layout celebrating my sweet love, Gregory. He is a reluctant photography subject, but he has a sweet smile that melts my heart. The journaling is hidden in the folder.



Challenge #2 – 2009
Since we launched in 2009, do a project remembering your favorite part of the year.

2009 was the year I married my husband, and we became our unique little blended family. Later that year, my youngest was born. For my family, 2009 was a big deal. I've wanted a canvas celebrating our year, but never made one. Luckily, this challenge was the perfect motivation. I want to frame this black and hang it.



Challenge #3 – Favorite Vendor
Choose your favorite scrapbookSTEALS.com vendor and create a project using their products.

It's not a surprise that my favorite Scrapbook Steals vendor is Authentique, and their steals with Scrapbook Steals have been nothing less than amazing! They have offered many mega packs that I have stolen. This layout uses papers from several of those steals, highlighting the beauty of many Authentique lines. Bridget, my youngest, put stickers on her dad and I. I thought the picture was too cute not to scrap. I adore playing with her, and our matching stickers were fun to model in a photo.


Challenge #4 – Washi Fever
Create a project using everyone's newest obsession, washi tape. On this project you must use 4 different tapes (since we are celebrating our 4th birthday).

I chose to do a mixed-media plaque for my washi project. "Love" is a word that came to mind often when working on a project for Scrapbook Steals! I used washi as part of this project, and the four types are zebra, red print, turquoise print, and turquoise stripe.  I used washi to finish the edges of this plaque, and it finished this project nicely.

 

 

Of course, there are prizes! Create your take on any or all of the four challenges, and link up your projects to Scrapbook Steals by Wendesday at Midnight Mountain Time. Also, follow my blog and comment on this post, and you will be entered to win a mystery 4 pack grab bag! Comments posted before Wednesday at Midnight Mountain Time will be entered to win!

 Next, you get to visit my extremely talented friend, Cyndee!

Happy Birthday Scrapbook Steals!
~Venetia


In case you are lost, here is the whole line up!

Cathy Caines:   www.inthecatcave.com.

Cristine Redmond: http://onescrappynovice.blogspot.com

Venetia Holbrook:  www.atomicvenetia.blogspot.com

Cyndee Kawa:  http://scrappydaylily.blogspot.com/

Heather Conklin: http://goldiecar.blogspot.com/

Van Nguyen: http://likethecar.blogspot.com

Staci Jones: http://scrapbookingischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

Charissa Miller: http://www.akihasmommascraps.com

Brenda Smith: http://theimperfectscrapper.blogspot.com

Erin Colby: http://oursliceofcheese.blogspot.com                                

Erica Bass: http://stampingstarlette.blogspot.com

Kristy Lee: http://lifescrapped.blogspot.com/

Heart Tutorial

Urban Grunge Tattoo Heart Tutorial

I wanted to create a 3-D version of the classic winged tattoo. You will learn the ins and outs of creating this project, and a little of my creative thought process. I’m a klutz, and kind of messy, so have fun!

Supplies:

Pre-made paper-mache heart

Decoupage Glue
Black Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens: Small, Medium, and Brush
Faber Castell Pitt Monochrome Graphite Pencil
Painter’s Tape
Sepia Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens: Brush
Faber Castell Art Grip Colored Pencils: Blue and Red
Faber Castell Metallic Gelato: Gold
White Ribbon
Flower Embellishment
Glue Gun
Plastic Garbage Bag
Sponge Brush
Plastic Clothes Hanger
Shrink Plastic

Instructions:

1. Cover the work surface with a flat garbage bag.If you are like me, decoupage can get messy.If you are not like me, then you may disregard the need for the bag. Gather your pre-made heart, and a 12x12 sheet of red (or your favorite heart color paper). At this point, you have to make a choice, some people are precise, and the torn edges on the finished project would drive them nuts. If that is you, cut the paper with scissors.If you like the torn look, then sit down and tear up some paper. Take all your aggression out on it. You’ll feel better.

2.Get your decoupage material and sponge brush. I use Collage Pauge, mostly because my craft store did a demo of it one day and let my kid glue marbles to their table for a half hour or so while she was supposed to be making magnets. She wasn’t intentionally gluing them, but when you are six, more glue is better, and everything gets glued together. When we were done, she wanted to make more, and I had to purchase the products they used, because when you are six, you do what the teacher says. I guess the lady on the front label is famous, I don’t know, but she does make a good decoupage medium.
3. Use the garbage bag as a palate, and just squirt the decoupage medium on the plastic. If this would drive you crazy, then go get a plate, or something in which to put the medium. Brush the medium on the paper mache heart and all over the paper. For me, using the brush lasted about ten seconds, and I ended up dipping the paper in the pool of medium, placing it on the heart, and smoothing it out with my fingers. Either way works. Place paper all the way around the heart. If the paper doesn’t want to smooth, tear it into smaller pieces. When you are done, hang the heart to dry. I didn’t really think of that part beforehand, so I was wandering around with a sticky heart and hands trying to figure this mess out. The beautiful thing is that once I figured out to hang it from a kid’s plastic hanger, the garbage bag folded up nicely, and my mess was gone.


4. For the wings, I used shrink plastic; remember shrinky dinks? This is the same thing, but not preprinted, so it can be whatever you want it to be. I wanted it to be wings, so I sketched out a wing with a Graphite Pencil. If you prefer, you can find a wing image and trace it. Whatever works best for you. I secured the shrink plastic with painter’s tape because when I do not, it slides all around, and I mess up my tracing. I used Black Artist Pens to trace the sketch, and build up the lines for more dimension. Be careful tracing, as the artist pens and the shrink plastic work like a whiteboard, and if you drag your hand across tracing you have already done, it will rub off. I learned this the hard way, so don’t be like me on this one, or you’ll end up with missing lines and a black smeared hand. This is useful, however if you mess up, just rub it off and try again. Flip the image on the second sheet so your wings face out opposite and complete the second wing.


5. Once you have the tracing done, you can add some color with Colored Pencils. Don’t color against the black lines, or you will rub off the black. Then, cut your wings out, and place them on a baking sheet. At this point, I noticed I forgot to flip the wing so they would each point outward correctly, so I quickly retraced the image through the plastic. I like to live under the rule that if I mess up and it turns out ok, then it was on purpose. So, I on purpose decorated both sides of the wings. After your oven has preheated, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for shrinking the plastic. Don’t get too creative here, no one wants melted plastic in their oven. It smells bad and is a pain to clean.














6. Take your ribbon and distress it by running the SepiaPen along the edge, and by rubbing the Silver Metallic Gelato on the top of the ribbon. I used a plain white grosgrain ribbon. Once I was happy with my distressing, I laid out another garbage bag and set up some more collage pauge and ran the ribbon through the medium, and then laid the ribbon across my heart artfully. Then, I placed the heart on a new garbage bag, and set it so the ribbon had a bit of a wave to it and let it dry. The medium gives it a bit of stiffness, which works well with the end project.

Once the heart is dry, you can use the Black Art Pens to add wording to your ribbon. Glue on the wings and flower embellishments, I use a low temp glue gun because I am clumsy and burn myself on high temp, but you can use your preferred adhesive. You too now have an Urban Grunge Tattoo Heart to call your own!

Hope you liked my tutorial!

~Venetia

Another Look Craft- Rosettes Valentine

Rose Pendants

I didn't realize I was interested in making jewelry until I went to CKC in Seattle, and saw the booth for Craft Fantastic doing a make and take. I have a soft spot for decoupage and collage, so making altered tray pendants seemed like a natural fit. 

Inspiration from Pinterest- Motivational Poster

Like many of us, I browse Pinterest.  I don't usually make what I see, but this project was perfect for my office.  I have hyperlinked the image to what I reasonably believe is the original artist, Amy Rice's,  Etsy store.  I believe in giving credit when credit is due, and Amy's piece was the clear inspiration for my interpretation. She uses a letterpress on antique atlas pages for her unique creations.

 For my version, I used an older, but not antique folded car map of my home state and cut it to a 16x 20 canvas size. I used pen to draw the letters, and then decoupaged the map to the canvas, which gives is a slight sheen in the light.  

~Venetia

Valentine's Ideas- Decor

 I thought I would reshare some of my favorite Valentine's themed projects in the weeks leading up to the holiday, starting with the Kissing ball (or pomador) I made last year.  This is one of those projects that look amazing, is super simple to create, but consumes massive amounts of time.  I enjoyed making this, and I think that my 8 year old would be able to do this craft this year if we wanted to make special presents.

 

Supplies:

Styrofoam Form (could be a different shape)

Floral pins

Paper

Flower Shaped punches

Ribbon

 

 

Punch enough flowers to cover your shape well, and pin them onto your form.  It took about 300 for this 6in round ball, and I had double flowers, so it really was 600, but the flowers were about the size of a dime, so larger flowers would cover it quickly, which is what I would do if I were making this with the little one. As you can see above, shaping the flowers after you have covered the ball adds some gorgeous dimension and depth to the piece.

 

 

Finished Sandy Hook Project

Remember this sketch? I started this sketch after the Sandy Hook shootings, as I thought about the families of the victims. Eventually, the sketch turned into a colored pencil drawing, which I incorporated into a collage.  I am sharing this with you because  a piece that was born out of a reaction so many of us had.

Creating this was a way for me to reflect upon my thoughts about the incident, and the lives lost that day.  I wish nothing but comfort and love to the Newtown community, and the relatives and friends of those impacted by the event. 

I am not explaining the piece; it should speak for itself, because it grew from an event for which there are no words.

~Venetia

Altered Canvas-re look

 I find myself using a lot of hearts in my art. This canvas was a gift last Valentine's day for my husband. 

I painted the canvas with acrylic paint to get a subtle background.  I used Authentique papers for the heart element, and sketched on them to create the name banner.

I like the mix of elements on this piece, and it has happily lived in our dining nook since last year.

Supplies:
Paper- Authentique Journey
Paint- Daniel Smith Acrylic
Ribbon: May Art

Product Review- Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage by Aleene's

My absolute favorite collage material is Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage from Aleene's.  I picked this up one day at  Artco, which is my favorite local (5 miles or less) craft store.

I bought this one day when Artco was doing free demonstrations.  They had a magnet making workshop, and the employee let my 6 year old sit there and glue paper to glass with this stuff for what seemed like an hour.  When we left, she begged me to buy stuff to buy more, and of course I had to buy the glue that the lady used because my daughter is literal, and if the lady used it, then this must be the only kind that would work.

I bought a 16 oz bottle, which was over a year ago and still have plenty left, after making magnets, canvases, altered items, plaques, and more. I have been very impressed at how long this stuff lasts.

I purchased the glossy version, there are versions in matte, and the website says there is a sparkly option as well. This dries clear, and does not have that sticky feeling that some products have even when dry.  The texture is thick, and it has a greenish purplish cast when it is wet, but that goes away after drying.  I've managed to get this stuff to stick to paper, wood, canvas, plastic, glass, and cardboard. Once dry, this is pretty durable stuff.  I can't get this off my kitchen table, which is also the craft table, and kids table, so the whole thing is pretty much a mess with stickers, collage pauge, acrylic paint, markers and whatever else. Thank goodness for tablecloths!

 I have not had problems with this bubbling, and it seems to level itself as it dries, so paper I adhere has warped wet, and then dried flat.

I had to google the lady on the front to see who she is, because I had no idea. Traci Bautista is a mixed media artist with a bright and eclectic style.  According to the Aleene's site, Traci designed the art on the bottle. 

The only caution I can give for Collage Pauge is to test any ink you are using on scrap paper before you use the medium on it, as many inks such as pens and markers are picked up by this product despite being permanent or waterproof. If you test first, you know how it will react, and what to expect in your finished product.

My overall rating: 5/5

Urban Grunge Heart

I like mixed media, mostly because I can make up the rules as I go.  This project started as an idea adapted from some Artist Trading Cards that I created a few months ago.

I found the heart premade at Artco Crafts, my local craft store.  I like Artco because it is locally owned and has an amazing mixture of products available. I also bought the shrink plastic, Collage Pauge, and  Faber-Castel Pitt Pens at Artco.

This project mixed combined decoupage, shrinky dinks, colored pencil, and scrapbooking techniques.