Monthly Archives: December 2014

Valentine Faux Postage

Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, , , , , , ,

I had some fun this weekend using stamps from the faux postage collection from Carolyn’s Stamp Store to make postal art for Valentine projects.

Valentine Faux Postage

Images with an all-over design like the one above work well for header
graphics because you can accommodate it to several different sizes and formats. I like to change headers on my various web accounts seasonally. Here are the image sizes you will need for some popular web sites:

Facebook – 646 x 220

Google + – 823 x 464

Etsy – 760 x 100

If you’d like to make your own Valentine Faux Postage, I designed a special rubber stamp set to make it easier – Valentine Faux Postage Helpers Unmounted.

Sleep Pillows

Fabric and Fiber Arts, Home Decor, Mixed Media, Rubber Stamping, Upcycling, , , , , , , , ,

Hand sewn eye pillows filled with sleep-inducing herbs. Pillows are
constructed with flaps that snap in back to make them easily refillable.

Fabric squares on front are rubber stamped, then appliqued and embroidered. Made from recycled fabric by Carolyn Hasenfratz.

Oceanic Mosaic Box

Home Decor, Mixed Media, Rubber Stamping, Upcycling, , , , , , , , ,
Oceanic Mosaic Box with Sea Life Rubber Stamps

Upcycled wooden box from thrift store with faux sea glass on top backed by scrap papers with an oceanic theme. Rubber stamped around the edges and on the sides. By Carolyn Hasenfratz.

Learn how to make a similar box here – http://carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/mosaic_box.php

Get the oceanic rubber stamps here:

Sea Life Unmounted

Templates for Tent Cards

Marketing, Paper Crafts, , , , , , , , ,

I’m planning on using tent cards when I exhibit my crafts in the upcoming year to highlight certain products or draw attention to deals and sales. I designed templates for two different sized tent cards to hold changeable inserts in two sizes – 3.5 x 3.75 inch and 5.25 x 4 inch. The latter is a good size for postcards. Tent cards can be used for other functions also, such as business events, parties, receptions and more.

One example of how you could use these at a business event is to put promotional messages with QR codes on the tent card inserts. Prospects with smartphones on their person can scan the codes and see mobile content that you have prepared for them.

To use these templates, first print out the four pages included in the PDF download. Cut out the two tent card templates and inserts and if you like laminate them for durability. Trace around the tent card templates on card stock and cut out. Cut four diagonal lines in the front of the tent card to make corners for holding the inserts. Score and fold tent card piece along dotted lines and tape the end tab to the back of the card to form a tent shape.

Create inserts and push them into the corners on the front of the tent cards to hold them in place. I’ve included sheets of inserts laid out so you can see how many fit on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper. If you want you can scan or import the insert sheets into the graphics software of your choice and use them as a guide to create content to print out.

Beneficial Insects in the Garden

Conservation, Gardening, , , , , , , , , ,

Are you interested in making your garden more habitable to beneficial insects? Here is a list of invertebrates you might want in your garden, followed by a chart showing what plants are likely to attract them and what plants may repel pests.

Read more:

http://www.limegreennews.com/beneficial_insects.html

Bracelet with Emerald Green Polymer Clay Beads

Beads and Jewelry, Polymer Clay, Upcycling, , , , ,
Double stranded bracelet made with polymer clay beads coated with Emerald PearlEx powder. Short segments of chain keep the strands together. Chain, findings and apple green faux pearl beads were recycled from thrift store jewelry. To make the beads see tutorial – http://www.jacquardproducts.com/pearlex_clay_beads.html

Antique Doll in Shadow Box

Home Decor, Mixed Media, Upcycling, , , , , , , ,

Antique doll displayed in shadow box made of a Necco Wafer box that
looks like it’s probably from the 1930s. It has carnival imagery on the
outside, so I decoupaged carnival imagery on the inside and built a
hollow box for displaying the doll. There is a band of archival paper
holding the doll onto the box.

PearlEx Clay Beads

Beads and Jewelry, Mixed Media, Polymer Clay, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Make Polymer Clay disc beads with PearlEx Powders

Polymer clay beads made with PearlEx Chromatic Colors by Jacquard Products.
Polymer clay beads made with PearlEx Chromatic Colors by Jacquard Products.

Normally when I’m planning a new craft project, I try not to be too influenced by trends. The new Pearl Ex Chromatic colors however seem to be in harmony with some things going on in the world of fashion, so I decided that bead-making would be a great application for these bold new colors. Bright jewel and metallic tones are perfect for jewelry!

Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments are a versatile pearlized powder that can be added to nearly any artist medium. They need to be mixed with or coated with some kind of binder for permanence. In this project we’ll be rolling the beads in the powder to apply it to the surface of the beads, and then sealing the surface with PearlEx Varnish.

Read the rest of this tutorial here – PearlEx Clay Beads

Buy PearlEx at Carolyn’s Stamp Store!

Examples of jewelry made with my PearlEx beads:

Necklace With Metallic Apple Green Beads made with PearlEx powder.Necklace With Metallic Apple Green Beads
26 inch necklace with clasp with 2 inch wide beaded pendant sporting a 3 ¾ inch silver colored chain tassel. Beads on pendant are made of polymer clay with a Pearl Ex powder coating, sealed with varnish. Chain and findings are recycled from thrift store jewelry.

Necklace With Metallic Sapphire Blue Beads made with PearlEx powders.Necklace With Metallic Sapphire Blue Beads
56 1/4 inch necklace with four segments of metallic blue and gold beads on wire. No clasp, can wear as one long strand like a “flapper” necklace or double the strand. Blue rondelle beads are made of polymer clay with a Pearl Ex powder coating, sealed with varnish. Gold color chain is recycled from thrift store jewelry.

Stamping on Tissue Paper – Part 1

Home Decor, Mixed Media, Rubber Stamping, Upcycling, , , , , , , , ,

Stamping on tissue paper can be very useful for planning out rubber stamped designs. This arrangement was made while I was designing a stamped border of hand carved rubber stamps for my kitchen, to which I’m trying to give a Santa Fe look.

rubber stamping on tissue paper
Rubber stamping on tissue paper is a great way to plan projects.

You could use plain ordinary scrap paper and not tissue paper, but tissue paper has the advantage of being transparent. Transparency is a great aid to planning designs in which the paper bits might overlap, since you can see the orientation of the design below through the translucent paper. In the example below, I am upcycling a worn out and cracked wooden cutting board. I filled in the cracks with spackling paste, sanded, and am in the process of building up the design with sponging, stenciling and stamping. I will put cork strips on the bottom to make it into a trivet.

Some of the stamp designs you see above are available in a smaller size in my shop – check out my Petroglyph Rubber Stamps.