Dear Santa Christmas Village

Hello!! Can you believe it's already that time of year? I love decorating for Christmas!! It's always fun to add a new handmade piece to my collection each year. The theme for my mantle this year is Dear Santa. I love postal ephemera and mail art and love to collect vintage postcards which were the basis for this idea. The Cabana Row Houses are the perfect size and base to build a vintage-inspired Christmas village.

The Cabana Row Houses come flat. They are already scored and easy to fold. I started out by making copies of vintage postcards from my collection. I cut them to size and ran them thru my Xyron. For the gables of the houses, I used scrapbook paper, again cut to size and run thru the Xyron. I did the same for the roofs (not pictured). For the roofs be sure to remember that the bottom side will also be visible so they will need to be covered as well. 

After assembling the houses I added additional pieces of ephemera to each. And my favorite detail snowy rooftops!! For the snow I added Texture Paste to the ridge of the roof with a palette knife. While the Texture Paste was still wet I sprinkled Rock Candy glitter on the paste. Set aside and let air dry. 

I cut a base for each house out of chipboard and attached the houses and trees with Distress Collage Medium. Once dry I added snow using the same technique as used on the rooftops. 

I added a couple reindeer from Tim Holtz's Christmas line of Idea-ology. To color my deer I started with a base of Tarnished Brass Distress Paint and allowed to air dry. Once dry I added some Mushroom Alcohol Ink with a paint brush. 

For the Santa also from Tim Holtz's Christmas line of Idea-ology I painted his suit with some red acrylic paint. Once the paint was dry I added depth to all the white details using Mushroom Alcohol Ink and a paint brush. Adding the Alcohol Ink really makes all the details in his face and beard pop. 

I am so excited to decorate for Christmas and display my new little village!! Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy Creating~ Jennalee 

Snow and Joy

Hello!! Jennalee here today. I have a fun step by step tutorial to share with you today. It all started with this vintage photo I found while out junking. The release of Tim Holtz's Christmas line really got me in the spirit to create some Christmas projects early this year. 

I started with a small size Etcetera Tag. These tags measure 5.5"x10" and are made of thick board. They are very sturdy and can handle a variety of mediums. I covered my tag with a piece of paper from Tim Holtz's Christmas Paper Stash. Adhere paper to tag with Distress Collage Medium. 

With a palette knife spread Grit Paste thru the Starry Night layering stencil. While the Grit Paste is still wet sprinkle on Rock Candy Glitter. I covered my entire tag with stenciled stars. I thought I had overdone it but once you start layering your ephemera you'll be glad you covered the whole tag.

Using your palette knife add some swipes of Grit Paste around the edge of your tag and to the reinforcer and sprinkle with Rock Candy same as before. Grit Paste needs to be air dried, so set your tag aside. Be sure to clean your stencil and palette knife while the Grit Paste is still wet. 

While your tag is drying begin prepping your picture. I made a photocopy of my original picture onto photo paper. It didn't look quite vintage enough so I added some aging using Antique Linen Distress Ink. Using a glue stick lightly tack down photo to piece of black cardstock. Stitch around edge of photo and trim down cardstock with pinking shears. 

 From the Christmas Ephemera Pack pick the pieces you wish to layer on your piece. The music piece is from the Christmas Bookboard Baseboards pack. To add some visual interest I added a strip of black text from the Paper Stash pad. Adhere all pieces using Distress Collage Medium. 

Cut a pair of Ice Skates from white cardstock. I adhered my cardstock to a thin layer of chipboard for some added definition. Tip: Save the chipboard pieces that come in your Myrustycrown.com orders. It is the perfect thickness for die cutting. You can even use it with some thin lit dies. 

Cover both skates with Distress Crazing Medium. Allow to air dry. Once your skates are dry add a bit of aging with Antique Linen Distress Ink. Color in heel with Distress Crayon. Paint blade of skate with Distress Paint. Using a needle and baker's twine lace skates and wrap laces around the top of skates and tie a bow. 

I am obsessed with Distress Crazing Medium. It is the perfect vintage touch. 

To decorate the skates cut some foliage from the Festive Greens thinlits set. Using Distress Oxides in Peeled Paint and Cracked Pistachio color cardstock. Smoosh ink pad on craft mat and spray with water, dip paper into ink and heat set. For the berries I used Beaded Berries colored with Distress Spray Stain in Picked Raspberries. 

Attach foliage and berries to skate. Adhere skates to bottom right corner of tag using Distress Collage Medium. Pick words from Christmas Words and Phrases Chipboard pack and adhere with Distress Collage Medium. At this point also attach the tag reinforcer. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I had so much fun making this piece and using Grit Paste and Rock Candy. It is such fun combination!! If you try making this piece for yourself or try any of the techniques I hope you will stop by and share it in the Facebook Group. Happy Creating~ Jennalee 

Scissors Wall Decor

Hello!! Happy Friday, today I have a vintage-inspired wall hanging featuring this amazing pair of vintage styled scissors. The Scissors Wall Decor is a beautiful piece with the daintiest lady cameo. Once I added some color to them they became even more stunning. Scroll thru to see the process.

I built my collage assemblage on a small sized Tim Holtz Etcetera tag. I started by adhering some paper from the Tim Holtz Dapper Paper Stack. Once dry add Distress Collage Medium. Once the Crazing Medium has air dried highlight the crazing with Distress Crayons. 

Layer a piece of linen fabric beneath a piece of ticking fabric from the Eclectic Elements Dapper line. Sew around edges. With a palette knife spread Ranger Ink Texture Paste Opaque Crackle medium thru stencil. Allow to air dry. Once dry using a blending tool to add color to Crackle Paste. 

Using an Embossing Dabber add embossing ink to body of scissors. Sprinkle with black embossing powder and heat set. Because this is such a large piece work in sections when embossing. 

I knew I wanted my scissors to be black, but after they sat for awhile I decided that plain black was kind of boring. I added highlights with Metallique Wax. I love the way the wax highlighted the differing textures of the heat embossing. 

I wanted the circle behind the cameo to look like a ceramic insert. I covered the piece with the Opaque Crackle Paste. Once dry I coated with Distress Collage Medium and added detail with Distress Crayons. For the cameo piece using the Embossing Dabber add embossing ink, sprinkle on gold embossing powder and heat set. 

The gold wax brings out some amazing details and adds to the aged look of the scissors. 

Prepare ephemera for collage assemblage by distressing edges and adding ink as desired. 

I made a tiny faux needle package with a piece of parchment paper and a stamp from Tim Holtz's Haberdashery set. I stamped the image onto the parchment paper and heat set. Then folded it into a package and added some Antique Linen Distress Oxide Ink for an aged look. The parchment paper adds a nice texture and folding over flaps in the back adds some dimension to the piece. 

Look at that crackle!! It makes my heart skip a beat. 

I'm so excited to find the perfect spot in my studio for this piece. The Scissors Wall Decor really packs a vintage punch with just a few simple steps. I hope you find some time to get creative today. As always thanks for stopping by!! Happy Creating ~ Jennalee