Hearts Have All Things

Hello and Happy Friday!! I'm here today with a collaged assemblage featuring the Doodled Cage with Solid Back. This cage was the perfect jumping point for the whole piece.

Start by prepping the cage. Emboss the front of the cage using Ancient Amber Baked Texture powder. Heat random spots a second time and sprinkle on Patina Oxide Baked Texture powder and heat set. 

Paint the back of the cage and add random bits of Patina Oxide Baked Texture. 

Make a copy of a vintage photo booth photo and add a layer of Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture powder for the perfect vintage touch. 

Adhere photo to back of cage. With sewing machine stitch down the top of the cage. 

The bottom of the cage ripped a bit when I was stitching it down. I love the added texture and detail. 

Begin building layers for the collage under the cage. As I was looking for the perfect pieces I stumbled across this bit from a vintage cabinet card folder. I added a bit of lace with my machine and some hand stitching with a needle and Tim Holtz's Craft Thread. 

Heat emboss a key and key plate from the Keys and Plates Shape Set with Burnt Copper Leaves powder. Punch holes in the key, the key plate already has holes and attach to top of collage with mini brads. Attach chain piece from Tim Holtz's Assemblage line to other side of key and key plate with mini brads. 

Add sentiment sticker to bottom of birdcage. I used a sentiment from Tim Holtz's Clippings Stickers. 

I really enjoyed this project. It was one of those pieces that I didn't think and just followed where it took me. I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial. Thanks for stopping by!! 

~ Happy Creating ~ Jennalee 

The Red Thread

Hello!! Happy Friday, I'm here today with a quick tutorial for this assemblage piece featuring the rusty Altoid Insert Fairy Frames.

This piece was inspired by a Chinese Proverb I recently read. It says "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of the time, the place or the circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."

This proverb resonated with me so much because my husband and I worked at the same place for a few months back in 2010. Somehow we never noticed each other. And that's quite surprising considering he's 6'3 and red-headed. He moved cross country and came back in 2011 when we met and the rest is history. Our red thread led us to each other. 

I began by rusting up the frames from the Altoid Inserts. Paint all the frames with Burnt Umber while the paint is still wet apply ground cinnamon. Build layers and heat set until the desired effect is achieved. Add accents with Prima Metallic Waxes. 

Apply same rust technique to a couple keyholes from the Key and Plates Shape Set. 

Attach key plate to frame with gold brads. 

Adhere frame to postcard. 

Make copies of vintage photos. Apply 3 layers of Vintage Beeswax. 

The thicker you apply the Vintage Beeswax the more transparent your photo becomes. And look at all that amazing crazing. 

Attach photo with a simple hand stitched X in all four corners. 

Attach a vintage key beneath the Altoid Frame. I used glue dots to help hold it in place due to the weight. Add handstitched details. 

To connect the two postcards stitch on a set of hook and eyes.

For the hanger at the top of the assemblage stitch on just the eye portion and tie on a red string hanger. 

Complete the bottom card the same as the top. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a few minutes with me today. I really enjoyed this project. How can you go wrong with faux rust and some hand stitching? Happy Creating ~ Jennalee 

Santos Doll

Hello!! Happy Friday, I'm here today with a Santos Doll. I am so excited to share this project with you. With a few different mediums, this Santos really comes to life!!

To begin paint all skirt pieces front and back with brown paint. Once dry assemble skirt. 

Once the glue has dried rust the skirt with Rusting Powder from PaperArtsy. Cover piece with Distress Collage Medium and sprinkle on Rusting Powder. Spray with vinegar and set aside. (I forgot to take a pic of the rusting in action)

While skirt dries paint doll body with gesso. I only painted the front. The back I inked up with Frayed Burlap Distress ink. 

For the face and hands (sorry forgot a pic again) I painted them a peach skin tone. Once dry using a palette knife I added a layer of Distress Crazing Medium. Allow to air dry. For the body and arms mix Opaque Crackle Texture Paste with Bundled Sage Distress Ink. Add to body with palette knife. Allow to air dry. 

I chose not to do a face on my doll because I can't draw, period. And I may have gone a bit crackle crazy, but I wanted my doll to have a very worn look like she had just been dug up. 

Using a craft knife I remove a few areas of medium. To add an extra grungy look rub Artisan Powder and Vintage Photo Distress Crayon into the cracks. The hairline was drawn on with Walnut Stain Distress Crayon.

The arms are one of my favorite details. I originally planned to use brads but they didn't hang quite the way I envisioned so I decided to use thread. 

Using Vintage Photo Distress Crayon color Tim' Holtz's Craft Thread. With a baby wipe run thread thru wipe and then randomly apply Distress Crayon to length of thread. This adds the perfect amount of grunginess. With needle thread thru arms and tie off. Attach arms to body same way. 

To finish off your Santos Doll drape her with your choice of jewelry. 

I used a variety of pieces from Tim Holtz's Assemblage line as well as an Idea-ology Philosophy tag. The medal came from my stash and was the perfect adornment. 

Here you can see some of the wonderful rust effect. I added highlights using Cracked Pistachio Distress Crayon. 

I really enjoyed watching this piece come together and am already planning my next one possibly for my mom, but shhh don't tell. I hope I've inspired you to explore making your own Santos Doll. As always thanks for stopping by!! 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