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 

Love Letters

Hello and happy Friday!! I'm here today with a Valentine inspired make. The Flourished Heart Frame made me think of valentines that a couple would have exchanged in the Victorian days. And of course what Valentine's Day is complete without a love letter?

Heat emboss both frame pieces using an embossing dauber and gold embossing powder. 

Create a collage using vintage photos, dictionary pages and postage stamps. Add some detail with mail themed rubber stamps. Adhere collage to back of the  Flourished Heart Frame. Cut out a heart to back your mini collages. This extra backing will help protect against the adhesive used to attach the heart to the envelope from seeping thru. 

For envelope cut a piece of linen, muslin and two-sided interfacing approximately 10 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches. Layer interfacing between the linen and muslin and adhere with iron. 

Cut ribbon and lace to size. Pin the ribbon and layered lace onto linen and top stitch with sewing machine. 

Fold up bottom third of fabric. Place the House Pocket die on top and stabilize with washi. Make sure to put fold above the bottom of the die. If the die does cut thru the fold don't worry it can be stitched together in the next step. 

Top stitch around the edges of the envelope. Make sure to leave the pocket of the envelope unstitched. Adhere heart frame to envelope flap using adhesive of choice. 

This little envelope is the perfect size for gifting a gift card or a love letter to that special someone. I hope you have a month full of love and get showered with lots of chocolate!! Thanks for stopping by today. Happy Creating ~ Jennalee 

Open a New Page

Hello!! I'm here with my first post of 2018. I am sure like many of you the New Year is a new slate and offers a blank page for new dreams. And who doesn't love a nice notebook to jot down notes? As you may know, I love using houses in my art and thought of these simple but amazing Simple House Ornaments in my stash and got to thinking about how they would make the perfect covers for a book. This an easy project that is taken up a level with a simple Coptic stitch which was one of my goals to learn and practice in 2018, and believe me I definitely need more practice.

I started by painting both front and back of the Simple House Ornaments pieces with Raw Umber. I did one light coat and it offered a wood-like look to the chipboard pieces. 

On the front of one ornament, I did a simple collage with various pieces of vintage text and sheet music. I applied the collage with Distress Medium. Once dry I used a palette knife to add a few random swipes of Gesso to the collage. To add some interest I stamped this image of a postmark and French postage stamp and then layered a vintage French stamp on top. 

To make the pages I made signatures of 3 pages each folded in half. I then traced around one of the house shapes and cut out. I used 6 signatures in my book. I just searched YouTube for a tutorial on how to do the Coptic stitch. This was my first time trying it. It is a simple technique but one that I need to fine tune just a little more. 

To finish off my cover I heat embossed a key from the Keys and Plates Shape Set with Burnt Copper Leaves and adhered using Distress Collage Medium. 

I will probably use my little book to write quotes in. I can see many more of these in my future though!! I hope I have inspired you to try this simple bookbinding technique. If you do give it a try I would love for you to share. Wishing you a creative and happy new year!! ~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