This just might be a hint...

of things to come! But until I can share more, here is something that I think would be totally fun to attend! Are you going? I wish I was!

Short and Sweet but Happy Hugs!
Juliana

Whoo-ligans Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Well not exactly, but I sure am in the mood for Halloween after working with Bo Bunny's Whooligan collection. Today I am sharing an altered project I created. I found this cute little witch last year at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section and held on to her, knowing I would find something to do with her! Well, I did and here she is covered in Bo Bunny Whooligan from head to toe!!!I used the new wraps to add some texture to her hat and the base of her dress. I cut the wrap in half length wise. Next I adhered Provo Crafts Terrifically Tacky Tape along the center of it. I then folded down the top part and then folded up the bottom part to create a strip of material with no raw edges. I then hot glued it along the dress and hat, gathering it as I went along.
I created my own buckle by taking one of the Bo Bunny brads and removing the epoxy sticker. I then cut a small piece of patterned paper the same size and glued it onto the brad. I then applied a coat of Ranger Glossy Accents. Once this was dry I add another brad to the center.
Here I used a small piece as her scarf. And more of those awesome layered glitter stickers...see the little spidees!!!
The cape was created using a piece of patterned paper. I sprayed it with matching purple Glimmer Mist and then while it was still damp I folded it so it would look more like a piece of fabric. The pumpkins I thought needing a some fun little eyes, so I gave them one that I cut from the patterned paper and the other a googlie eye!
And last but not least, what witch would be complete without a cat! Doesn't he look scary?!
Here are a few tips I have on covering wooden figures...
If you can take them apart, it makes things so much easier. I didn't think I could take this one apart at first, but I just started wiggling and gently pulling on things and it worked. If you can take it apart, you can cover each piece and then just cut around the edges. Just like you can do with chipboard.

I prefer to use Yes Paste when applying paper to wood or metal, because it dries a little slower and allows you to move the paper around a bit if you need to.

If you can not remove them, use a transparency to trace the sections and create a pattern. Cut out the pattern, lay it on your paper and cut it out. Then you can adhere it to its proper place.

If you have any more questions, please ask! I will be more than happy to explain things in greater detail!

So are you getting ready for Halloween yet?!

Happy Hugs and Halloween!
Juliana

GCD Studios + Sculpey = Fun!!!

What better way is there to enjoy a day than to try a fun new technique? I love trying new things, so I am hoping you will find this tutorial fun and enjoyable as well! Today, I am going to share with you how to create your own charms using Sculpey clay and the Chip Art tool and stamps! It is a rather simple process that only requires a few supplies including the clay, some water based paint, and the Chip Art tool and stamps. Here is one of the necklaces I made using a charm I created. It is much more shimmery and shiny in real life...I promise!
Here are the supplies you will need...
GCD Studios:
Chip Art Ornamental Stamps /Bloom, Butterflies and Mini Shapes

Other:
White Clay by Sculpey
Clay Cutter by Makin's
24 inch Ball Chain by The Jewlery Shoppe
9mm Jump Ring by The Jewlery Shoppe
Paints by Shimmerz
Acrylic Coating Spray by Krylon


And here is another necklace I created. I am going to share with you the step by step on how I created this one, so keep reading!
First roll your clay out in a small round shape so that it is about 1/8 inch thick. Then take your desired stamp and stamp it gently into the clay. It will leave a lovely impression. If you are not happy with it guess what? You can easily start all over!!!
Continue to "decorate" your clay piece as desired with other stamps.
Continue stamping...now we have a lovely little butterfly family ready to take flight!!!
Use the clay cutter, which is really a little mini cookie cutter if you ask me, and cut out your shape.
Center the cutter over your stamped image and gently press it through the clay.
Remove the excess clay. Pick up the clay piece and use your finger to gently soften the edges of your cut out piece.
Now, take the head of a large needle or other poking device and make a small hole in the top of the clay piece. This is where you will place the jump ring which will attach the charm to your chain.
Here are several pieces I made. These are now ready for the oven. I baked them following the package instructions for Sculpey... 275 degrees Farenheit for 7-8 minutes. (The package says 15 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness and these are half of that thickness so I halved the cooking time and it worked perfectly!)
Here they are fresh from the oven! They will be solid upon removing them from the oven. Once they are cool it is time to start painting!
I found Shimmerz to work perfectly for this along with a small tipped paint brush.
I love how the water based paint filled in the stamped image so nicely and still allows you to see the details so well!
Here are my charms with a bit more paint. My finished charms had a couple more coats of paint on them in places as I continued to add coats of paint to get the desired coverage and color I preferred.
Finish by applying a coat or 2 of the acrylic spray coating. Once this is dry, add the jump ring and then thread it onto the chain. Now you are ready to wear your own hand made jewelry! Or maybe play around and create some as gifts for your family and friends!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and thanks so much for stopping by!!!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

GCD Studios + Pink Paislee

This perfect combo has teamed up for a fabulous giveaway!!! Keep reading for all the details...

Kim Arnold, a designer for GCD Studios recently shared a fabulous tutorial on the GCD blog about how well the Chip Art tool works with the Pink Paislee Artisan Elements! If you did not see it, you can check it out HERE. Well these 2 fabulous companies are giving you a chance to win this prize package....

So make sure you stop by the GCD Studios blog for all the details!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

More GCD Studios Jewelry

Do you like or maybe even love jewelry? Well if you do, then this month at GCD Studios is just for you! All month long you have been and will continue to be inspired with all kinds of jewelry that you can make using the fabulous GCD Studios products!

I love jewelry! It makes me feel pretty and it often gives my outfits a sense of completeness. Some of my jewelry means a lot to me because it was given to me as a gift from either family or friends, some of it belonged to my Grandma's, some of it was purchased just because they were cute or I had to have it to go with that certain outfit. I am sure you all have some pieces that fit into these categories.

So, what about making your own jewelry? Have you ever it given it a try? If you haven't, maybe this month you will be inspired to give it a try. Or if you have, maybe you will be inspired to pull out your stash and create yourself a one of a kind piece to go with your latest new outfit!

I decided to create a pair of earrings using some mini birds from the Chip Art Chipboard Shapes. I covered them with paint, poked a hole in the top of each one and then coated them with Diamond glaze. Once dry, I added the jewelry findings and beads to finish them off!Supplies:
GCD Studios Chipboard Shapes/Birds

Other:
Paint by Shimmerz
Gold Leafing Pen by Krylon
Glossy Accents by Ranger
Fish Hook Wire, 4mm Round Jump Ring, 1" Eye Pin by The Jewelry Shoppe
Czech Glass Beads by Bead Treasures

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

Bo Bunny...Wraps & Trim!

Today on the Bo Bunny blog we are featuring the new wraps and trims just released at CHA this summer! They have quickly become my latest new favorite product to work with on my projects because they add such a wonderful crafty feel to them. To me, fabric always adds such a great feel to a project because of its texture. For my LO I choose to use Cambridge because it is one of Danny's favorite collections from this release. From the moment he first saw it, he just loved it, so I knew I wanted to create something with it just for him. And I could think of no better subject than him playing his bagpipes while in Scotland. We are blessed to have a fabulous photographer friend who was with them at the time and who took this amazing photo of Danny playing outside of Eilean Donan Castle.
As for the trim, I scrunched it up a bit and then hot glued it into place. I cut the brown leather looking wrap into 2 small pieces, folded them in half and then attached them to the LO using brads. Here you can see some of the new layered glitter stickers! Layers, glitter and bling make this girl super happy!
As for the title, I really love the look of having 2 different sized letters at times. For this LO I really wanted something smaller than the cardstock stickers, so I created my own small alphabet letters in Word and printed them onto some of the patterned paper. I then cut them apart and attached them to the LO.
I hope you have gotten your hands on some of these fabulous new products from Bo Bunny and are having fun playing with them! If not, you really should! I know A Cherry on Top carries the entire Bo Bunny collection if you happen to be looking for them online.

Thanks again for stopping by and please make sure you stop by the Bo Bunny blog to see what the other DT gals have created! I am still amazed at all the talent on our new team and I am sure you will be too!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

Sprout Roses?!

I am sure some of you know by now that I have a thing for making paper flowers! Well, my love for this has not stopped and most recently I came up with a way to make roses using the fabulous Jillibean Soup Sprouts! Yes, you heard me right! Sprouts become roses! All you need to make your own are a pair of scissors, a quilling tool and some glue! You can check out the tutorial HERE on the Jillibean Soup blog. In the mean time here are 2 recent projects I created using this fun technique....
This next card was up on my blog last week, showcasing Norma Kennedy's stamps. I had a few people ask me about how I created the flowers...well now you know!!! On this one I applied Glimmer Mist to the Sprouts before I cut them! Oh...I love me some Glimmer Mist!!!
And just a quick reminder...you still have until September 20, to turn in your project for the Jillibean Soup Millionth Sprout Contest! Wouldn't these add a great touch to your project?! Check out all the details HERE and good luck!!!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

and the winner is...

Glynis!!! Congrats girl! You have won the giveaway I had on my blog for the GCD Studios Homespun Chic mini album! I will also be sending a few other scrappy things with it!!!

Thanks so much to all of you who stopped by! I appreciate each and every one of your comments!!!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

Sweet Ollie!

On Tuesday, (HERE) I shared some projects I created using a stamp set created by Norma Kennedy for her online scrapbook kit club and store For the Luv of Art. Well, as I mentioned, Norma sent me two stamps sets, so today I am sharing with you the projects I created with the other set called Sweet Ollie. This was the exclusive stamp set for her July Kit called "Sweet Ollie".

First off I stamped the images and had fun coloring them in with colored pencils. I then added some Diamond Glaze to give them a little shine. It was really hard for me to get a good photo that showed the shine, but believe me, it is there!
Next up I played with banners and birds! What a great combo! This time I used chalks to add the color to the images after stamping them in brown ink. I stamped multiple images of the banner and the bird, cut them out and then layered them using double sided foam tape to give them some more dimension.
And lastly, a quartet of corrugated frames with the theme of...
Spring
Summer
Fall
and Winter!I colored in the leaves once again with colored pencil and then added some Stickles for a little extra sparkle and shine!
Thanks again to Norma for letting me play with her stamps! I had a great time working with them!!!

And thank YOU for stopping by and saying HI!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana

My favorite things!

Recently I had posted on Facebook about running out of gold embossing powder in the middle of working on a project. Well, Norma Kennedy came to my rescue and sent me a mongo huge tub of gold embossing powder...more than I will probably ever use,...but who knows! It was fun to play with! But along with the embossing powder she sent me some of her stamps! Did you know Norma designs her own stamps to coordinate with her monthly kits? Norma is the owner of For the Luv of Art! A fabulous new online monthly kit club and store. And one of the fabulous things about her kits are her exclusive stamp sets. This post I will be sharing with a trio of cards I created using the stamp set "My Favorite Things". This stamp set was part of her August Kit "Favorite Things" which is still available here.

For this first card I simply stamped the sentiment and colored in the "&" with colored pencils. The flowers are created from Jillibean Soup sprouts. Anyone interested in a how-to demo for creating these? Let me know if so!
This card again has a colored pencil sentiment, but for the gift boxes I used water color pencils! It has been soooooo long since I did something like this, but it was quite fun! I think I need to work on my shading a bit. Not so sure this is a strong suit of mine! LOL!!!
And for my final card I simply stamped the dress image on cardstock and cut it out. I created the mini hanger using some wire and then hot glued it to the back of the dress. Oh, how I love my hot glue gun! And once again....you guessed it....colored pencils for the title!
I have another set of projects I created with the other stamp set she sent me and I will be sharing those with you all soon, so stayed tuned! Thanks again Norma for you kindness and sweetness! And thank you all for stopping by and for your comments! I love them all!

Happy Hugs!
Juliana
Subscribe