Showing posts with label scrapbook paper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scrapbook paper. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Mr. Skully's Hat and Mrs. Pumpkin's Mask


Continuing with my Gothic Halloween theme, I dressed up a gold leafed skull I made last year. I mean who doesn't make a top hat for a skull? 

My camera battery was dead while I was making this hat but it's a pretty simple construction. 

Supplies Needed: 
  • Heavy scrapbook paper...cover weight or light chipboard weight. I used a chipboard weight glitter paper
  • Strong adhesive or hot glue gun. I used Sookwang double sided tape or the "red liner" double sided tape works as well. 
  • Embellishments ( I really just raided my stash for this)
To make the basic hat, I cut a circle in proportion to the head, with a slightly smaller circle for the top, and then a rectangle large enough to fit the circumference of your circle. Pinterest has lots of tutorials and all of the basic construction is the same.

The fun part is in the embellishments. I used some leftover tulle, paper roses and rolled paper roses that I made from scraps in my stash, along with leftover bits of ribbon and trim and a couple of glittered leaves. 



Mr. Skully needed a friend so I hooked him up with Mrs. Pumpkin, a glittery ceramic pumpkin I picked up for 60% off at Michaels. I decided rather than alter her permanently, I'd just give her a costume to wear that can be removed and she can stay on my mantel through Thanksgiving. 


For this, I just used a black masquerade mask (Creatology, Michaels) and added a nose made from glitter and metallic scrapbook paper, more rolled paper roses, and glitter leaves. Her "eyelashes" are black adhesive rhinestones! 


BOO! Don't they look ready to go to a Halloween Ball ? 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Altered Cigar Box In Honor of Our Newest National Animal : The Bison



Mr. Chocolate was especially excited when the Bison was announced as the newest National Mascot. He loves Bison. Like really loves Bison. 

For Father's Day we took a trip Northwest Trek, the Pacific Northwest's premier wildlife park, home to you guessed it : bison. 


Since Mr. Chocolate likes to collect brochures and this and that's wherever we go, I thought I'd make him something to remember the day and to keep his stuff. 

Supplies: 

  • Cigar Box (You can usually buy or even sometimes get for free wherever cigars are sold. Just ask)
  • Scrapbook papers ( I used papers from the Textured Printed Pack from Oriental Trading Company)
  • Mod Podge ( I used Matte)
  • Washi Tape
  • Vinyl
Fortunately I had everything on hand in my stash! 

After choosing my papers ( I went with two different textures from the same color palette) , measure and apply to the box using Mod Podge. I colored in some areas that weren't easy to cover with the paper using a paint pen and craft paint. 

Before covering the inside top of the box, I edged it with washi tape just to hide the box design. Once Mod Podged and dry, I aged the look using a Distress Ink pad ( Ranger). 


I cut the bison image using my Cameo using a scrap of gold vinyl. To tie the colors together, I added the word "Explore" using letters from the "Lost and Found" pack of Tim Holtz stickers. 



The papers coordinated with the wood inside the bottom and sides of  box so I left those bare. 

If you're ever in the PNW ( or live here and haven't been) I highly recommend Northwest Trek. You get to see majestic animals in a very humane and natural habitat and sometimes very VERY close up! 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

MERRY and Bright Wreath

Merry Wreath DCWV

While taking down our Christmas decorations last year, I had to concede that the evergreen ( faux) garland I’d been using to decorate the railings had seen its last Christmas. I needed to come up with something to do this year and came up with this wreath idea that hangs on the railing you see when you enter the front door.

For this project you will need:
  • Wreath form ( I used one from Dollar Tree)
  • Fabric scraps (I used drop cloth scraps from a never ending painter’s drop cloth)
  • Hot glue and glue gun
  • Paper ( I used DCWV Sparkling Holiday Stack)
  • Glitter cardstock
  • Black Cardstock
  • MERRY die ( Savvy Stamps) or letters
First, prepare your wreath:

Dollar Tree Wreath

I cut strips from my never ending painter’s dropcloth I bought at Home Depot a few years ago. Using as you would ribbon, wrap your wreath form until covered.

Drop Cloth Covered Wreath

If you end up with an ugly spot well there’s where  you’ll glue your focal!
Here’s the stack I used. DCWV’s Sparking Holiday which I fell totally in love with and picked up at Michaels even before I knew I’d be guest designing for them. LOVE this beyond measure!

DCWV Sparkling Holiday

About 1/2 the papers are foiled. Pretty!

I chose a couple of papers for the medallion ( rosette, pinwheel, fan thingy) that would be the focal.

DCWV Sparking Holiday Rosettes

Cut into 6x6 sections and scored 1/2 inch folds using my scoring board. I found an image for the angel wings online, printed and cut a template from cardstock, and traced and cut from glittered paper in my stash.

DCWV Sparkling Holiday Medallion

I used four sections of the grey paper for the larger medallion and two of the gold paper for the smaller one. Layer as shown and use hot glue to assemble and adhere to wreath.

For the banner, I cut the shape from black cardstock , and die cut the MERRY letters. To make this really pop, I added these mirrored stars from DDCWV:

DCWV Adhesive Mirrors

They twinkle so much more than this picture shows.

Merry Banner

Where this hangs isn’t conducive to a great photo shoot ( and of course I forgot to take pics before I hung it …bad blogger) but I love seeing it twinkle as I go up and down the stairs.

Merry Wreath DCWV

Sharing At:



Monday, November 18, 2013

Necessity Is The Mother of Color Combinations: Altered Cookie Tin

Altered Cookie Tin

This will be the second year that College Boy won’t be home for Thanksgiving. It’s all good. He would have to travel late on Wednesday and Sunday, the busiest and most expensive travel days of the year and he is fortunate to have multiple invitations to Thanksgiving dinners.


Still, I wanted to send him some goodies from home which presented a reason , excuse, opportunity to alter something. Oh darn!

My  problem was, the only tin I had was not exactly a Thanksgiving color (bright blue) and I didn’t feel like painting the rim. Then it dawned on me that College Boy’s school colors are orange and blue so I thought orange = pumpkin = I have scrapbook paper in a color that will work!

For this project you will need:
  • Empty tin ( forgot to take pictures…this one was from those long rolled filled wafer cookies)
  • Scrapbook paper ( I used a harlequin and polka dot pattern in matching colors. Paper from Oriental Trading Company)
  • Decoupage Medium ( I used Martha Stewart Matte finish)
  • Coordinating Ribbon, button, beads
Altered Cookie Tin Pumpkin and Blue

Measured the harlequin paper to fit the tin and applied with the decoupage medium. Using the lid as a guide, traced a circle on the same paper, cut out and applied to the lid, leaving the rim bare. When I alter tins with lids I like to leave the top of the tin itself and the rim of the lid bare so there isn’t any issue with fit.
Altered Cookie Tin Top

I decided to keep the rest simple ( OK simple for me) and happened to have some coordinating glitter ribbon in my stash which I applied to the top and bottom of the tin.
Using the coordinating polka dot paper, I made a medallion for the center of the tin ( 3x12 with 1/2 inch pleats). Hot glued this to the tin and finished with a coordinating button tied with plain twine and leaf shaped beads.
Inside the tin are chocolate butter cookies that he loves. I only make these once a year during December, but this year I made an exception !

Altered Cookie Tin Pinwheel


Sharing At:


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Altered Canvas: Stashbusting Tale of Crazy Michaels Lady

One of the most dangerous sections of Michaels for me is their used to be  $1 section that’s now 2 for $3 (sorry Michaels, I’m still not over that although it hasn’t deterred me).

Key Canvas (2)

Despite my grumbling about the whole 2 for $3 thing, that section is a treat for me. It gets even better when that section goes on sale. Yes, that is me... the crazy lady doing the happy dance and talking to herself in that section and digging through the bins trying not to drop stuff because she didn't think she needed a basket because she came for just one thing. You’ve been warned.

Last year, I went a little wackadoodle over rub-ons. Completely justified since they don’t take up a lot of room and can be used on everything and I really truly will use all of the ones I bought ( someday).

Then when I was there on a trip not too long ago, I did an extra happy dance because that section had these cool mirrored pins in all kinds of shapes , ON SALE, and one of the shapes was a key that happened to go with key rub-ons I bought last year! Breathe.

Michaels Key Pin

Now this would have been cute as a pin,  but I’m not much of a pin wearer. So naturally I snapped the pin back off.

I had an 8x10 canvas in my stash that I covered with some shabby paper by Little Black Dress and then went to my scraps and pulled out some coordinating pieces. Layered them on the canvas w/ Mod Podge.

Key Canvas (3)

Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. I used the paper the pins came on and glued those to the canvas. Didn't even tear them or cut them just used as they came.

Tore a sheet from a notepad ( from the same section) and stuck that in the middle. Enter my last year’s rub-ons, an adhesive scrabook border and done and done.

Key Canvas (4)

Key Canvas

Easy, inexpensive, and “green” since I used packaging from the pins.

Sharing At: 

Monday, April 16, 2012

Upcycled Dry Erase Menu Board

My mom has been friends with the sweetest couple for many many years. During her recent surgery they were so supportive, caring, and helpful and I wanted to do a little something to say thanks.

They both love to cook and they trade off each week so I thought it would be fun to make them a dry erase menu board.
Dry Erase Menu Board (3)

I started with an old frame and scrapbook paper I had on hand:

P4154665

I cut out the papers to size and cut on panel in a decorative shape. Put them together as follows:

Menu Board Base


Cut the letters MENU from black vinyl on my Cricut Expression (poor thing has felt neglected since I’ve been using my Cameron, CoCo) using the Plantin Schoolbook font cart. I had some culinary themed rub-ons in my stash and couldn’t decide between utensils or wine themed because they like both but went with the utensils.

Michael's Rub Ons

I put one set of the utensils in the lower right hand corner.

Martha Stewart Satin

I wanted to shabby up the frame so grabbed a couple of paints from my paint stash. Ultimately ended up using just the light blue. Love these Martha paints…they stick to everything! Dry brushed the frame so some of the gold would still show through:

Dry Erase Menu Board (2)

I have divided storage container where I keep alphabet stuff. I have a thing for alphabet stickers, tiles, brads, etc. and often pick them up on clearance for next to nothing, so I went to that and chose a “W” for their last name and glued it into a bottlecap.  I also remembered a metal stand I’d found at JoAnn’s for something like 90% off and knew would come in handy sometime.

Dry Erase Menu Board (2)

Dry Erase Menu Board

Bon Apetit!

Sharing At:





Thursday, April 5, 2012

Easter Scrapboxsket: Easter Basket In A Box

So, even though College Boy aka Chocolate Chip aka our son will spend his first Easter away from home ( sniff sniff, waaaaah) , he still needed to have an Easter “basket” right?

Bunny Box

Shipping costs being what they are, I had to get creative. I wasn’t about to ship an actual basket.  I looked around and had an old box from some photos I ordered from Snapfish. Perfect. Re-use, re-purpose, recycle…especially during April which is “Earth Month”.

Of course I couldn’t just leave it plain, so  I scrapped the inside of the lid!

I took a piece of green Core’dinations cardstock and some coordinating paper from my stash and measured to fit inside the lid. Then tore the patterned paper and adhered to top and bottom as shown. What’s an Easter basket without a chocolate bunny?

Chocolate Vinyl Bunny

This bunny is melt proof since it’s from chocolate colored vinyl. I found a bunny image in the Silhouette online store and dressed him up with a swirly ribbon bow tie, and a rhinestone tail.

I took a scrap of the green cardstock and freehand cut some “grass” for the bunny to nestle in.

Hoppy Easter

I cut the words “Hoppy Easter” from the same chocolate vinyl and embellished with more rhinestones. Son will understand that when it comes to his mom “it don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that bling”.

Oh and what’s inside?
Easter Basket Box

A real chocolate bunny, and lots and lots of “eggs”.