Indoor, Outdoor Autumn Lantern

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I know other people do this ( humor me and tell me you do!) ….pick up something because you see a project in it even if it’s not immediate? Like when I picked up an outdoor lantern at Lowes this Summer and only just decided what to do with it?

When Pick Your Plum had a great deal on metallic vinyl, I couldn’t help myself. Copper, gold, chocolate brown…Yes please! I cut out some designs on my Expression using the Accent Essentials cart and put on each side.

Cut out a flourishy thing and several leaves in different sizes. Of course I couldn’t leave the candle that would go inside just plain. Remember that wood grain contact paper from Dollar Tree I used on my Give Thanks charger?  Cut some of that and wrapped around a plain candle, then added some KandCo scrapbook borders of maple leaves from the Tim Coffey “Fall” package to the top and bottom.

Finished that off with some wired bark ( an endless roll of which I picked up in the floral section of Michaels last year) . Not even sure if I’ll burn the candle ( unless we lose power on Thanksgiving which has been known to happen here in the PNW) .

For now, it’ll just be part of my Autumn décor. But I also wonder if Lowes still has these because I see a Christmas idea in my head!

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Fall Décor: Canvas Corp Chalkboard Paper and Canvas

I had the chance to play with some more of the pieces from the wonderful giveaway I won from Canvas Corp. Included in my goodies were these:

A 10x10 canvas and a 12x12 sheet of chalkboard paper. I’m itching to get some Thanksgiving décor up. Not that I don’t love Halloween but I think sometimes as artsy craftsy decoratsy peeps, we get ahead of the season and by the time the actual holiday rolls around we’re on to the next.

I wasn’t really sure where I was going with this. Sometimes I know. Sometimes I don’t.  But I decided that I wanted these two to go together. Here’s where I ended up:

I used extra strong double sided tape to stick the chalkboard paper to the canvas. Then I got the idea to frame the edges with leaves so I cut a bunch of oak leaves on my Cricut from metallic silver cardstock.

If you can’t take a straight picture, tilt it in Windows Live Writer!
Looked around for something to add and my eyes fell upon my jute twine. Made some spirals and ran the twine around the edges. I’m going for a sparkly Thanksgiving and am in love with tinsel glitter so I covered more leaves with “Champagne” tinsel glitter by Recollections  (Michaels).  Finished up with some rolled paper roses made from a chocolate brown metallic paper and went around those lightly with chocolate brown glitter glue.

Wrote the year in the middle with a chalkboard marker so I can update it again in the years to come.

Not a great pic, but you can see the glitter glue sparkling on the edges of the flower.

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Vinyl Skull Charger and Candle

I love the chargers Michaels always has this time of year and last week they were 2 for $3. They come in the coolest colors and even though I thought I was early, black was all gone. Oh well. They still had the metallic chocolate brown!

The Cricut cartridge Wall Décor and More has a couple of great skull options. I used the plainer one since I knew I wanted to embellish it and cut it out using cream vinyl. Slapped that on the charger and then added a moustache from a package of moustache stickers I’d picked up for no particular reason.
Last week Michaels had all of their Recollections stickers and embellishments 50% off so I picked up a package of black swirly rhinestones. Two went on the skull’s head and two went on the rim of the charger. Easy peasy

I oopsed when I first cut the skull on my Expression and it wasn’t big enough. I didn’t want to throw away a perfectly good piece of vinyl but what to do?

 Why make a candle to go with my charger ‘course!

Mod Podged a black and white damask print scrapbook paper onto a glass candle, along with a taupe crackled scrap leftover from my altered bottles. Edged the top and bottom with K and Co self adhesive scrapbook stickers. Once the MP was dry, put the vinyl piece on and then added a rub on to the top. Kinda looks like a headband but it works. Embellished with some more rhinestone swirly thingies.

Finished off the top with a velvet ribbon scrap, twine, and a couple of stray beads.

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S is for Sweet

I recently changed positions at work and a colleague whom I’ve come to consider a friend over the years but who lives in a different state was thoughtful enough to send me some delicious cookies. Of course this sweet gesture was a reason to make a sweet Thank You card. Can’t nag at my son to be on top of his Thank You cards if I’m not modeling the way right?! Plus I can’t exactly use the excuse of not getting to the store to buy one since I make cards.

S is also her initial so for the card’s focal point I used the Wall Décor and More cartridge to do a monogram on my Cricut Expression.

I ran a piece of cream cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Textile folder, and mounted that on a green then turquoise panel. Card embellishments are from where else…K and Co. Susan Winget’s SW Botanical Grand Adhesions to be exact, along with a scrapbook border from the Abrianna collection. I used some of the small dimensional stickers to embellish the monogram.

Applied the clear “Sweet” sticker to a cream scrap, mounted to a blue scrap and tucked in the corner of the monogram. Off to have a cookie!

Galvanized Metal No Soliciting Sign

Or what happens when a non-gardener finds a tomato cage. We are not big on solicitors. Not that we’re mean people but we’re just not people who like other people coming to our door uninvited, and if we need something we tend to go seek it out.  And yet it’s taken me this long to actually put up a “No Soliciting” sign.

I had some sheets of galvanized metal I picked up on one of my strolls through the HW store, and for reasons unknown, I always look at tomato cages as “what could I do with that” material. I don’t even love tomatoes, and Martha and I part ways at gardening. But naturally it made sense to use a tomato cage as a stand for my sign right?

I thought hmmm let’s put a finial on top. OK why not! And yes Mr. Lowes man, you do carry finials, and no Mr. Lowes man I’m not some silly woman lost in the HW store making words up! So glad I could help you learn your inventory.

I painted one of the finials taupe and dry brushed it w/ white.

Then came the uh-oh moment of exactly how are you securing this to the tomato cage genius? So I wired it.

I stuck the screw from the finial in the middle of the three prongs of the tomato cage and then went round and round with some wire. I went over that with some jute twine. This thing doesn’t have to withstand gale force winds so I think it’s OK.
I cut the letters and designs for my sign from white vinyl using my Cricut Expression and then made rolled burlap rosettes and a burlap bow:

Just to make sure my finial was even more secure I wrapped a couple of strips of torn muslin around it and remembered I had another skeleton key from a Michaels trip in my stash:

And I also had this little birdcage from Michaels “used to be a dollar” section that I thought would like cute hanging from my stand so I wrapped a bit of jute around it and tied it on:

Now when solicitors are turned away, at least it will be pretty!

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Centsational Girl