"Land of the Free" Home Decor for Helmar

Hi everyone, I have a sweet patriotic home decor project up on the Helmar blog today. I don't do a lot of holiday themed projects, so when I saw that I was to create something for the 4th of July, I started brainstorming. Blue jeans are part of Americana, and I have this old pair I've been cutting up for projects. I thought the pocket would make an adorable base for a door hanger. I went to my stash and pulled out some red, white, and blue elements to tie things together. Let me know what you think?

This is a simple no-sew project using Helmar Fabric Glue.

"Land of the Free"

Here are a few close-ups:

So simple to adhere everything with Helmar Fabric Glue!

I stamped this patriotic sentiment directly to a snippet of denim, then distressed the edges.

For more details, please stop by the Helmar blog HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Masculine Graduation Card for Donna Salazar Designs

Welcome to my creative space today!! I always adore working with Donna Salazar's fabulous products. I enjoy the change of pace when I get to go grungy and masculine to create cards for the men in my life. We are so thrilled for our son-in-law who after many years of hard work and dedication finished his post graduate work this spring. I wanted to create something extra special to celebrate his accomplishments.

Here's a sneak peek:

Gold leafing has been around forever, but has risen as a hot technique in paper crafting this year. It's something I've never worked with in all my years of crafting. I tried it out for the first time with Donna's new E-Z Stars by Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™ and adore the results. Let me know what you think. All the details can be found on Donna's bog HERE.

Donna Salazar Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™

Canvas Ribbons

Pigment Powder ~ brown

E-Z Stars

3D Foam Keys

Clearsnap

Mix’d Media Inx ~ Truffle, Stormy, Honey, black, Leather

Zutter

Distrezz-it-All

Donna Salazar Designs

Rubber Stamp ~ Ruler

Partner Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™ ~ Crafty Power Tape

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™ ~ Crafty Foam Tape

Other Products

Card Base, kraft ~ Stash

Advantus by Tim Holtz ~ Idea-ology - Paper Stack - Lost & Found

Advantus by Tim Holtz ~ Idea-ology - Paper Stack - Kraft Resist

BoBunny ~ Timepiece - Villa

Dusty Attic ~ Mini Wrought Iron Fence DA948

K&Company ~ Live’s Journey - Keys Metal Art

Spare Parts ~ Clocks & Time - Metal Charms

Bead Landing ~ Found Objects - Charms, rulers

Chain ~ Stash

Mona Lisa ~ Gold Leaf Kit

Tim Holtz ~ Stampers Anonymous - Cling Stamps, Saying Stuff

Advantus by Tim Holtz ~ Idea-ology - Steampunk

Stampendous ~ Clear Stamps - Hope Verses

Thanks for stopping by today! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

"Old Oaks" Details 7 Dots Studio Tree Challenge

I posted a sneak peek of this layout for Donna Salazar last week. I'm back to share the details.

I used the 7 Dots Studio May/June Challenge for inspiration featuring the gorgeous Cold Country collection along with Thoughts Keeper stamps. This challenge is all about trees. Details for the challenge can be found HERE. We took a vacation to Florida this spring and I was captivated by the live oak trees on the grounds of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. These ancient trees have so much character, and I enjoyed them as much as the delightful Lighthouse.

"This month challenge is about TREES. Trees have amazing energy and many people love to “hug” them or just stay close to them. They give us some shadow during hot days. Trees are the shelter for birds, squirrels and many other animals. Many trees give us wonderful fruits like apples, pears, oranges and many more. Trees produces oxygen that is necessary for every human being. We should love and honour the trees as living part of our planet."

"Old Oaks"

Close-Ups

I extended the tree with Dusty Attic chipboard branches

and snippets of Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Ribbon.

I've layered Cold Country papers and Elements tags around my photo.

7 Dots Studio Products

Cold Country - Lost Letter

Cold Country - Freezing Tears

Cold Country - Elements 6x12

Thoughts Keeper - Clear Stamps

A complete product list can be found HERE.

For details on how I've used Donna Salazar products, please stop by her blog HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

"Old Oaks" Layout for Donna Salazar

It's always such a treat for me to work with Donna Salazar's fabulous girlie grunge products!! I have a new layout up on her blog today HERE.

Gary and I took a trip to Florida this spring and this vacation shot was taken at the lovely lighthouse in Saint Augustine. No, it's not of the lighthouse, but of the gorgeous old live oak trees on the grounds near the lightkeeper's house. 

Here's a sneak peak:

Donna Salazar Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™

Canvas Ribbons

Lace Ribbons

3D Foam Swirls

Pigment Powder - brown, gold

Clearsnap

Mix’d Media Inx ~ Black, Mossy, Leather

Smooch Spritz ~ Wood Stain, Green Olive 

Spellbinders

Fanciful Flight

Pockets and Swirls

Carnation Creations

Donna Salazar Designs

Dear Sir Rubber Stamp

Zutter

Distrezz-it-All

Partner Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™ ~ 3D Foam Creative Sheets

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™ ~ 3D Foam Squares - Regular, black

Clearsnap ~ Smooch Spritz - Log Cabin

Clearsnap/Colorbox ~ Foam Applicator Tool

Other Products

7 Dots Studio ~ Cold Country - Lost Letter

7 Dots Studio ~ Cold Country - Freezing Tears 

7 Dots Studio ~ Cold Country - Elements 6x12 

Tim Holtz ~ Idea-ology - Label Letters

Dusty Attic ~ Branch #1 DA0881

Dusty Attic ~ Mini Branches DA0439

Prima ~ Shabby Chic Treasures - Bugs #892524

Prima ~ Engraver - Brads #564698

Prima ~ Tiny Junkyard Findings - Vintage Trinkets, Nail Heads #891657

Momenta ~ Wood Buttons

Prima ~ Vintage trinkets - Stick Pins #560065

Momenta ~ Metal Stickers - ST-5707

Prima ~ Romance Novel - Flower #561147

Petaloo ~ Darjeeling Hydrangea - black/cream

Petaloo ~ Darjeeling Petites - cream/green

Petaloo ~ Darjeeling Collection - Sage Green

Petaloo ~ Penney Lane - Assorted Small, brown

Recollections ~ Embellishments - flower

Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Rosebuds 8mm, white

Micheals ~ Metal Icons A Place in Time

Iced Enamels ~ German Glass Glitter - Chocolate

Stampendous ~ Frantage - Guilded Mica

Liquitex ~ Gesso, clear

Golden ~ Light Molding Paste

DecoArt ~ Texture Crackle

7Dots Studio ~ Clear Stamps - Thoughts Keeper

Tim Holtz ~ Stampers Anonymous - Clear Stamps, Regal Flourish

Tim Holtz ~ Stampers Anonymous - Clear Stamps, French Connection

Tim Holtz ~ Stampers Anonymous - Layering Stencil, Speckles

Tim Holtz ~ Stampers Anonymous - Layering Stencil, Gothic

Helmar ~ 450 Quick Dry Adhesive

Helmar ~ Scrap Dots

Helmar ~ Super-Tac Glue

Darice ~ Heat Tool

Thanks for stopping by today! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Trust in the Lord ~ Canvas for Helmar/Scraps of Elegance

Hi everyone, it's starting to warm up with hot summer days here in Ohio. I'm so grateful for air conditioning! I hope you're finding a way to stay cool as well. 

Birthdays are a special time to show appreciation, and I've created this canvas with an encouraging verse for a dear friend. She has a creative sweet soul and adores anything vintage. I've featured Helmar Découpage & Craft Paste as well as other Helmar adhesives on my canvas. Be sure to scroll down for all the details. 

I've also used products from the gorgeous April Scraps of Elegance Kit.

"Trust in the Lord"

Tips and Techniques

It can be tricky to adhere paper to canvas smoothly without wrinkles or bubbles. Helmar Découpage & Craft Paste worked perfectly for this application. The Découpage Paste is rather thick, so for my 5x7" canvas I put about three tablespoons or so of the paste on my craft mat and added water until it was a nice consistency to brush onto the canvas. I'm guessing about 1 part water to 2 parts Découpage Paste. I then used a foam brush to apply the paste onto the canvas, I also brushed it onto the back of my patterned paper. Finally I gave another quick brushing to the canvas to make sure there weren't any spots that had dried out. I put the paper in place and gently rubbed with my fingers to make sure there weren't any air bubbles. I set it aside to dry before continuing to decorate the canvas.

I wanted to make sure everything was securely adhered so that all the elements will stay in place over the course of time since a canvas will be hung or displayed on an easel. Of course I grabbed my Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive for this job. This is not a place where a little dab will do. I used generous amounts of adhesive. I didn't worry about adhering every little place on the clock chipboard, but rather focused on applying glue to the thicker outer rim and in places where the chipboard design was a bit thicker.

Here's a close-up of the flower cluster using gorgeous flowers, metal leaf, and resin bee from the April Scraps of Elegance Kit. To allow for added dimension, I only adhered the leaves at the base. The skeleton leaf is a metal piece I colored with pearl medium and is actually floating above the other leaves. It's quite secure though with a generous dollop of Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive at the base which is hidden by the other flowers clustered over the glued area.

I stenciled the clock with a pearlized medium resulting an a slightly raised an uneven surface. I applied the stamped sentiment strips using Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots which allowed me to apply them over the textured surface without warping the strips. The butterfly, chipboard, and flowers are all adhered with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. The gorgeous butterfly and background paper are from the April Scraps of Elegance kit.

I hope you've been inspired to grab some Helmar Découpage & Craft Paste to use on your next canvas project.

Helmar Products Used

Découpage & Craft Paste

450 Quick Dry Adhesive

Liquid Scrap Dots

Please hop on over to the Helmar blog to leave a lovely comment HERE.

SOE April 2015 Kit

Prima ~ Butterfly Collection - Princess Papillon

Prima ~ Butterfly Collection - Vintage Collage

Reneabouquets: Our signature hand-crafted butterflies

Prima: Butterfly Collection Flowers - Bulbe

Lindy's Stamp Gang: Magicals Pigment Powder - Sweet Violet Purple Teal

Elements Add On:

Fabscraps ~ Filigree Embellishments - Old Silver 2

Prima - Shabby Chic Treasures Resin - Bugs

Floral Add On:

Prima - Butterfly Flowers - Chenille

Prima - Butterfly Leaves - Aile

Creativity Add On:

Faber Castell ~ Texture Luxe Metallic Paste - Pearls

Faber Castell - Gelatos Designer Series - Bali Set (Limoncello)

Color Add On

Viva Decor ~ Paper Pen - Rose

Be sure to check out the SOE/SOD Store for $10 off a $50 purchase through June 12.

Other Products

Canvas - 5x7

Leaky Shed Studio ~ Flower Corner

Leaky Shed Studio ~ Clock #2 Small

Leaky Shed Studio ~ Cross Set

Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Rosebuds 4mm - pastel

Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Rosebuds 8mm - white

Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Heather Stem Flowers - white

Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Sweetheart Blossoms - white

Liquitex ~ Gesso - white, clear

Pan Pastels ~ iron oxide tint, burnt sienna, burnt sienna extra dark 

The Crafter's Workshop ~ Mini Time Travel 6x6 Stencil

Thanks for stopping by today! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings