Welcome Gnome...House Warming Gift

My best friend, whom I call "Chickadee", got married on May 19th. She is such a wonderful person and am so very thankful that God put her in my life. Mr. & Mrs. Chickadee also just bought a house so what I made for them should fit right in. 

Chickadee likes gnomes and I am sure these gnomes will like hanging on the wall in her new home. 

I used three 6x6 deep canvases from my local craft store. I believe the brand is Artist's Loft. 

I used an old Butterick clothing pattern and Mod Podge to prepare the canvas. Once dried, I painted the grass and sky. Before the paint dried, I wiped off as much of the thick paint as possible. I did this so that the pattern will show through the paint. 

Next, I used the "My Little Friend"clear stamp set from There She Goes stamp company. The clouds and sun were painted on with Golden Molding Paste mixed with paint.  

I plan on giving Mrs. Chickadee this home warming gift tomorrow. I am sure she will like it because she always tells me that she likes my crafts. She is such a supportive friend...

Enjoy and if you make something like this, please post a comments & picture. I would love to see what you make. 

Emma1

P.S. on a side note, Emma 2 & Family might be moving into a house of their own in the next couple of months. Emma 2's mom (my sister) & her husband have found the house they want and put a bit on it today. We are praying that if this is the house the Lord wants them in, He will make it work out!

Mixed Media Wall Art

I have really started to get into mixed media wall art. There is a lot of inspiration out there on the internet like this website and this website. Stephanie Ackerman and Christy Tomlison are very talented women and I have learned quite a bit from both of them.
That brings me to my most recent creation:

These wall art pieces are done on 12x12 painting canvas. I did not prepare the canvas in any unique way, just started Mod Podging old Butterick patterns on the canvas; then added a light layer of paint once the Mod Podge dried. The tree, flowers, and house are paper pieced on the canvas. The clouds and walkway on the cottage canvas are a mixture of paint and molding paste. SO MUCH FUN!!! I still have a few things to add to the cottage canvas so I will put a final picture up when I am done. 

Thanks for stopping by and watch for the next installment of Mixed Media Wall Art. :)

Emma 1

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***********************************UPDATE**************************************

Here is the finished house canvas...Let me know what you think.

The photo isn't great but I think you get the idea. :)

Summer Paper Bag Album

A long time ago, I found a video on a now-defunked website called Scrapbook Lounge, how to make a mini-album out of a SINGLE paper bag. Yes, a single paper bag - not like the albums that use multiple paper bags. It is a really easy way to make an album. (video can be viewed HERE)

***Unless you buy special paper bags from a crafting store that are acid free, I do not suggest putting real photos in the book. Print pictures on your home printer and you won't feel guilty when the photos start to fade.***

This is my latest creation: 

This mini album incorporates two great ideas...One shown in the video link above through Scrapbook Lounge, and one shown in THIS video by JenniBellie. In the JenniBellie video, she uses greeting cards but I used an oatmeal box recycled. It turned out GREAT!!! 

And the binding below is a using the technique also from JenniBellie but with wax linen thread (not yarn like JenniBellie uses). I like wax linen thread. I bought it at a local scrapbook store (not a chain but a "mom-and-pop" store). You can also buy wax linen thread at www.clubscrap.com (that's where I first learned about it.)

The clouds and grass are made by mixing modeling paste and paint. I let it dry overnight but it might only need a couple of hours to dry completely. 

I hope you enjoy my latest creation. Message me with any questions. 

Emma #1

PS I will be visiting Emma #2 in August and hopefully making LOTS of crafts to post pictures of. 

Jenn Wiemann Photography: Expansion!

This website is made by my beautiful cousin Jenn Wiemann. Take look at what she is starting up!

Jenn Wiemann Photography: Expansion!: Hi, Friends and Family! Thank you so much for the overwhelming support already! I am looking for ways to expand my portfolio, so, are you r...

Gift Bags

I like to read craft blogs.
Okay, I am obsessed with reading craft blogs.
That's where I get most of my craft ideas.
And most of the time, the craft ideas turn out really great.
This idea came from Cosmo Cricket. Click HERE to go to the blog post I got this idea from.

Now onto my own gift bags. I made 2 for work. We had a salsa competition in honor of Cinco De Mayo. The first prize winners got the bags. Let me know what you think of the bags. Aren't they cute???

I like creating things like this. I also made a gift bag for a friend's baby shower but forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her. If she posts a picture of it, I think I shall put it on here. :)

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions about how I made these.

Emma 1

Regrets

Have you ever done anything that you have regretted so completely that it eats you up inside? I have. Quite recently. I am not going to say what the regret is except that I hurt my best friend and don't know how to fix it. My first instinct is to run away, hide from the people I hurt, and force myself to suffer alone. That would be sufficient punishment right? Wrong...If I run way, nothing will get fixed. So how do I fix it while facing my fear of confrontation? I always imagine the worst, even if it isn't that bad.
So how do I make it right with my best friend?
Pray.
That's all I can figure out.
Pray.

Emma 1

Shoe-Box Fish bowl

***Please note that is post was actually started on October 14, 2011 but never finished. Emma #2 is now 9-years-old and really into art stuff. Enjoy the post!***

Emma #2 asked me to post an idea she would like to share with you. Until she is either old enough to post for herself or have her mommy or daddy help her, I will be posting for her.

Emma #2 is a bright, funny, loving, caring, 8-year-old with really great ideas! I am hoping that by fostering those ideas here, she will become more creative. For privacy reasons, Emma #2's picture will not be shown on this website but her ideas sure will be.

Supplies needed:
Empty shoe box
Paint
Paint Brushes
Paper plate (to put the paint on)
Water
Paper Towel
News Paper (to protect the surface you will be working on)

Construction:
Working on newspaper to protect your surface:
1) Remove the lid from the shoe box, set the shoe box aside.
2) In the lid of the shoe box, cut a hole. (Emma #1 recommends adults help with the cutting part.) Cut the hole no bigger than 1 inch from the sides of the lid. The idea is the lid will become a "window" into the shoe box.
3) Place some white paint on your paper plate and add about 1/2 teaspoon of water, stir until completely mixed and paint the entire shoe box, inside and out. (by painting the shoe box with white paint, it will make it easier to add other colors to your shoe box without too much fading)
4) Once the white paint has dried, paint the INSIDE of the both shoe box and the inside of the lid BLUE to represent water. **A lighter blue would probably work best. Set aside to dry.
5) Once the blue paint dries, use other colors to paint the top of the lid and the outside of the shoe box as desired. Emma #1 also recommends painting some plants on the back and pebbles on the bottom.
   OPTIONAL: to add dimension to the project you could draw and cut out fish bowl plants, glue in small stones as the gravel, and even add a little castle like you might see in a real fish tank.
6) Take either cardboard or think paper (like cardstock), draw and color a fish on one side, cut and color a mirror image fish ton another piece of paper to be glued on the back side of the first fish.
7) When both fishes are ready to be attached, take a piece of "magic strength" or clear thread, knot at one end and place between the fish with glue. Set aside to allow glue to dry.
     ***Make several fish of different shapes and sizes to add variety to your "fish bowl" shoe box. Emma #1 also suggests that you cut the thread to hang the fish at different lengths to make the "fish bowl" look more real.

Assembly:

When all your pieces are painted and decorated as desired (with GLITTER, per Emma #2), begin to put the fish bowl together.
1) To attach the fish, place take on the loose end of the string and place on the "top" of the inside of the shoe box. Hang in the desired locations. Emma #2 suggested hanging a fish or two from the inside of the lid so the fish will look like it is close to the side of the fish bowl.
2) Once all your fish and fish bowl are decorated as desired, place the lid back on the box, and set on the side to display your "fish bowl"!

I will add some pictures later on when I have made one of my own. Until then, you can use your imagination. :)

Emma 1 & Emma 2