Burlap is the New Black

I ordered in these awesome stretched burlap canvases from Canvas Corp for the shop.  Having made this project, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to be able share the boxful.  They are awesome.

 I had fun in the cornfield taking pictures of my little project.  So handy.  Hope the renter doesn't mind if I bent a few of his ears are artistically arranged.



 Supplies Used:

• Canvas Corp 12x12 Burlap Canvas
• Prima Alder Regent Flowers
• Prima Pearls and Roses Swirl
• Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder
  
• Graphic 45 Magic of Oz Paper-  Scatterbrained Scarecrow, The Magic of Oz, There's No Place like Home
  
• Alphabet Stencil & Black Paint
• Vintage Photo & Black Soot Distress Ink
• Foam Dots
• Dried Wheat

 Directions:

1. Fussy cut out  Scatterbrained Scarecrow paper.  Stencil the burlap canvas with black paint.

2. Add a little distress embossing powder in a pleasing manner.

3. Add some pearly swirls

4. Give the Dorothy quarter of There's No Place Like Home Paper a little rough love.

5. Then a little rub with distress ink to make it all better.

6. Fussy cut out Dorothy and the Scarecrow.  While your are at it cut out the Magic of Oz banner from The Magic of Oz paper.

10. Glue the red No Place Like Home square you just distressed to the Magic of Oz banner.

11. Tuck a little wheat behind.

12. Add the straw colored flowers and a little more wheat.

And there you have your very own!  Have fun :-)

Magic of Oz

I grew up in Kansas.  It wasn't black and white.  Sometimes it felt pretty sepia toned, especially when I was in high school.  I have to say I'm glad to be living in full technicolor now.  I think that Iowa (where I live now) might still be stuck in an episode of Green Acres. That isn't all bad, what with quirky characters and the occasional adorable pig.  But sometimes, just sometimes, it's time to run away to Oz.

Handily, I ust got the new Graphic 45 Magic of Oz paper.  Sometimes you need one of everything.  Especially Graphic 45 anything.  In which case you might need two of everything :-)

I made me some home decor.  I think Dorothy is your happy medium of happiness and good wholesome Midwesterness.  And then like little good and bad angels on each shoulder, you've got your witches.

Glinda makes my teeth hurt. But you have to give her points for character.  Not just everyone can carry off a crown that big.  Takes serious Personality (with a capital P)

The Wicked Witch rocks.  Everybody loves a bad ass :-) and the flying monkeys.  That's just genius.

And of course you must have fabulous shoes.  Must.

Supplies Used:

Graphic 45 Magic of Oz Collection-

• Parcel Post
• Goblin Gazette
• The Magic of Oz

Door County Rubber Stamps-

• Trick or Treat Witch
• Trick or Treat Fairy

Misc.-

• 8x10 Oval Mat
• Tim Holtz Rosette Die
• Ruby Stickles
• Vintage Photo Distress Ink 

I don't have a Work Desk this Wednesday

Last night I got the Spring Cleaning bug.  I think they look a lot like ladybugs, but they bite.  You know the cleaning urge that hits about the same time as the sun comes out and temperatures reach the 50 degree mark.  So I don't have a work desk today.  Today it is buried beneath things that used to be on the store displays.  Lots and lots of things.   It should be put back together soon, freshly scrubbed, vacuumed, and rearranged in a more Feng Shui manner.

In the meantime I'll share my work desk from this weekend at Vintaj:

Alcohol (ink) was involved.

Polymer Clay Bezels and Faux Enamel & Patina

My inky pieces.  Two of these are polymer clay we modeled from the metal.  So cool.

Shortly after this I got so involved I forgot my camera, so, you'll just have to be patient while I assemble al the pieces into finished works and post them :-)

You can see more class pics on the Vintaj blog HERE.  I'm the one with the crazy buns and the green shirt.  Or to see some arte metal hammering mayhem (about 20 people hammering at once) check this video out.

A great experience.  If you ever get a chance to take one of their workshops, jump at it.   It was about a semesters worth of art jewelry technique in one day.

Bonus!  Finished Project from last Wednesday:

I'll be teaching this May 8th at Backroads Plum Crazy.  If you're in the area, stop by!  If you are not in the area, I know a great bed and breakfast, haha (I live and cook there, if you are new to the blog ;-)

To see more fun work desks, go to the Stamping Ground and join in!

On my work desk; a Summer Fantasy

Has it been a week already?  Craziness.  I've been a busy bee this week, making banners of various forms out the whazoo.  I did manage to back off from having taken over 4 tables and a counter at the shop and am back down to my usual two.  Definitely an improvement. Gold star for me :-) !

The banner on the table is the last one to be finished of a seasonal series I'm going to be teaching at Backroads Plum Crazy.  This one is Summer.

Antique Linen Crackle Paint makes pretty good sand!

The Old Lace Glimmermist on the canvas word doesn't show up too well in person or in the photo.  I may paint over it, or maybe leave it as is, with the barest hint of glitter.  More is less and all.

A few pretty beachy flowers. Positively minimalist compared to the other seasons, but it helps keep the airy feel.  None of this is glued down yet as I ran out of hot glue and wasn't brave enough to ransack the office in search of a fresh stick.  I get the urge to organize whenever I go in there.  And by "organize" I mean take everything out of the lawn like a TLC show and put a great big "Free to a Good Home" sign on it. I'll try and sweet talk Michelle to get me one out later today.

In other news, this weekend I'm going to Galena.  What is in Galena you ask?  Nothing less than Vintaj, darling!  Oh, and a lot of other cool historic things, but mostly (for me) Vintaj.   I'm going to take their Art Metal Workshop.

And maybe a dash over to a stamp store ;-) I'm so, so, so, excited.Plus I'm staying a the Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel (ooh lala) which has a fairy ring and Woodchuck Cider on draft.  Perfect for just before St. Patty's day.

Lil' Sprout

Here's the baby cards for card club, made just in the nick of time.  I was drying the stickles with a embossing gun just as the first car rolled in, lol.

The stamps are from Rubbernecker, a great little stamp company.  I especially like their Goddess stamps.  They remind me of Alphonse Mucha paintings.  Lovely and unusual.  Now that I think about it, I bet they'd look great with Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante collection.  Anyway, train of thought back on the rails, you can check out everbody else's cards here.

Workdesk Wednesday

Here's what my table looks like today and most days :-)  This is actually the second table I'd made a fine mess of.  I'll be doing an uber ten second tidy before card club tomorrow for sure!

I'm working on a banner for Door County Rubber Stamps, where all these little girl stamps are from.  Oscar in Door County is a few weeks behind me here in northern Iowa, seasonally so I thought she could use a Happy colorful Spring banner.  I need it, too.  I clued in about 7:00 when my fingers started getting really cold that the furnace had been out for about 2 hours.  Brrrr!  I must have gotten a little wrapped up in my project if I didn't notice a 10 degree temperature drop.

 

My iPad playing an old Live With Prima show while I work.  If you haven't watched these, go, do, they are so amazing.  So much technique it makes me a bit giddy with inspiration when I watch.

  

Panel 1 was pretty much together already, I just added some flowers today.

 This is my favorite one so far.

 I had planned to use these flowers on another project, but they fell on this one and I kinda loved them and glued them down, so I'll be needing another package.  Darn! (hehehe)

 Put it all together and whaddaya got?  HAPPY!

I'm planning a little kite flier for the last panel and am toying with the idea of some stripy paper ruffles and lace along the bottoms... It's so hard to stop embellishing!

And here we have what I had really meant to work on today- Baby themed cards for Card Club tomorrow night.  Don't they look great? lol.  I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow if I can tear myself away from that darn banner!

Love Notes

My first fling with Cricut Design Studio.  Oo la la, the romance, it has begun!

  

1. Weld the shadow from LOVE from Home Accents with the square from George.  
2. Add a few wings from Indie Art to a Door County Girl to turn her into a sweet little cupid.
3. Dangle the smallest scallop heart from a string.