Back in the Saddle

Now that we've settled in a bit more from our recent move to TX I've found more time to craft and get my craft room organized.  Soooo nice to have a dedicated craft space again!  Here are a couple of recent projects.

Altered Canvas

I love love love working with transparency film.  I often use it to do photo transfers and this time I decided to use the transparency itself.  I picked up a Prima Printery kit from fabulous Karla at her Etsy shop.  The colors in this photo of our kitty Emma worked perfectly.

I layered a piece of Printery paper onto the canvas, then came the photo printed on the transparency film.  I made a pleated paper border from another sheet of the Printery pack and then just started layering and having fun with lace, pearls, flowers, and bling.

I misted the paper flowers and skeleton leaves with some Old Lace Glimmer Mist to give them a a nice sparkle.  A little Patina Glimmer Mist in the center of the top flower added depth.  I took 4 single paper flowers from the kit, folded them in half, and then tucked them in behind the center flower to give it more dimension and "fluffiness".

Of course my favorite part was the the part that involved getting paint and ink all over me.  That came in the form of a multi layered treatment along each edge of the canvas.  I started with a layer of Vintage Photo Distress Crackle Paint.  Once completely dry I rubbed it with Black Soot Distress Ink to add depth to the crackles in the paint.  After wiping off the excess ink with a damp paper towel, I added another layer of Olive ink until I got the effect I wanted.  Once that was dry, I tried out my new fav product - Inka Gold metallic paints from Viva Decor!  I rubbed the edges with Old Silver to give more depth and dimension.  I love the way it came out!

I also used the Inka Gold on a Glimmer Chip for a final corner embellishment.  I covered the chip with black StazOn ink first and then rubbed the Inka Gold over it with my finger.  A small pearl in the center and I was done!

Working with small canvases like this one are great ways to get a big impact without spending a huge amount of time. 

Wish Book

The next project was a mini book made from the wish cards from my one of my dear friend's wedding.  I wanted to do something special with them and thought putting them into a book would be a nice way for her and her husband to go back and revisit the memories and well wishes from their guests on their special day.

The colors from their wedding were purple and green.  The Kyoshi line from Basic Grey worked in nicely.  I covered the front and back chipboard pages with pieces from the paper line.  I bound the book with pieces of coordinating fiber and ribbon.  Super simple and easy!

I had fun embellishing the chipboard flourishes.  I started with a layer of Picket Fence (you guessed it) Distress Crackle Paint.  I can't get enough of that stuff!  After it completely dried, I rubbed it with some Black Soot Distress Ink and wiped off the excess with a damp paper towel.  I then went over each piece with a layer of Mermaid Glimmer Glaze.  I love the transparency of the paint and the faint shimmer it leaves.  It added the perfect hint of green to tie it all together.  I then used a black Copic marker to edge each piece to give it more dimension one on the cover.

From there I embellished the inside of the front cover.  Each page in the book has a small vertical strip of paper with the wish card nestled against it.  Super simple so the focus stays on the wishes.

The Basic Grey lines usually have a matching set of rub ons and I added a few of those along with some bling to decorate the last page in the book.

I kept the back super simple as well.  Just a single rub on in the center with my initials and the date.  A layer of Chandelier Glimmer Glaze coated both the front and back pages to add a bit of sparkle and help seal them against wear.

All in all a simple, easy design but a book I hope she and her hubby enjoying reviewing over and over again.

Thanks for stopping by!