Dino Birthday Bash

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It's all about dinosaurs at my house right now. We have a grandchild's birthday coming up and what could be cuter than this dinosaur birthday banner? Because I have so many projects I want to complete before the big day, I took advantage of a few ready-made pieces to bring this banner together quickly - including Joy iron-on embroidered letters.

Supplies:

• Joy Letters 
• Chipboard banner set
• Wood dinosaur and palm tree pieces
• Coastal and Brushed Metal paints from Plaid Crafts
• adhesives, ribbons, paintbrushes, hot glue gun/sticks

I painted each chipboard piece in the background color, then added some gold highlights to each one. When dry, I used a white paint pen to add a few details.  You can certainly iron the letters onto the chipboard (I have done that before) but for the sake of speed, I used doubled-sided tape to attach the letters. Use hot glue to attach the wood pieces to the banner sections on the ends. Run a long ribbon through each of the chipboard pieces along with some smaller pieces of ribbon between each banner section. Done and ready to party!

Not all those who Wander are Lost Frame

Not all those who Wander are Lost - one of my favorite quotes. I have been wanting to make this project for a couple of years. I saw something similar on Pinterest a while back and thought it would be a fabulous way to display all the coins I collect while traveling. I knew I wanted to use this quote because it just seemed to sum up my how I feel about wandering the globe. 

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I am super happy to announce that I am part of the very first StyleTechCraft™ Design Team! I am looking forward to working with this very talented group of ladies for the next year and I can't wait to show you all the amazing things you can do with this fabulous product. 

I started with a frame I picked up from Hobby Lobby and some Coastal paint from Folk Art. Lightly brush on the paint so that you can barely see it. Then mist it with a tiny bit of water so you can smooth it out just a bit. I was going for a warn beachy kinda feel. 

When the first layer of paint was dry I added the barest wash of Pickling Wash in Cotton (also from Folk Art) - listen chickens, if you have not tried this paint yet you need to go grab some. It is awesome. I have used it on everything in the last month; paper, chipboard, wood, and fabric. Seriously, you need some. 

I cut my quote using my Cameo, of course, and Tiffany Blue Ultra Metallic vinyl from StyleTechCraft™ . I loved the color and I thought it was perfect for my project. To see all the colors in the line check out the color chart ATSM Crafts site.

Once I have an image cut, weeded, and have applied transfer paper, I like to figure out my placement on my project BEFORE I get crazy and remove the backing. 

I have learned the hard way that taking off the entire backing at once is not a good thing for me. I normally fold back an inch or so from the top and make a nice crease in the backing paper. This way I can position the vinyl on my project without the whole thing sticking down.(and me messing it up)

Once I very carefully get that first section of vinyl down and make sure it is level and where I want it, it is super easy to slowly pull the rest of the backing off and rub the vinyl into place with my scraper. Now- don't go nuts rubbing the top of the transfer paper with your scraper/ Why? I'm so glad you asked! Because that makes it really hard to pull the transfer paper off your project! Learn from me chickens. Learn from me. 

Speaking of removing transfer paper from your project --- I have found, for me personally,, that pulling the transfer paper back almost parallel to the project yields the best results. If I try to pull it straight up it tends to pull the vinyl with it. 

So there you have it! Be sure to check out the StyleTechCrafts™ Facebook Page for amazing ideas and videos. 

National Mod Podge Day Upcycled Memory Box

It's the 50th Anniversary of Mod Podge- can you believe it? To celebrate I upcycled a box I was going to throw away into an elegant memory box. There are so many things going on as part of the celebration - be sure to hop on over to the website above to share your projects and find some inspiration.

Plaid was generous enough to supply me with a some product to create with. Let me just tell you - that wide brush is my new favorite tool! You should run right out and get one. Today!
I started my project with a box that has been sitting in my studio for about a year. I received it as a gift - it was filled with skin care products. It was such a nice box I couldn't bring my self to throw it away!  I grabbed some tissue paper, and some Paper Mod Podge.

I started by tearing my tissue paper into random sized strips. Working in sections, I applied a thin coat of the Paper Mod Podge to the top of the box and started layering on the tissue. At this point I am not worried about covering every tiny speck of the box. I just want to cover most of it. As I lay the tissue pieces down, I apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on top as well, brushing to make sure everything is smooth.

While the box top is drying, I grabbed some embellishments and went to work. I used the new Stencil Spray from Folk Art to paint my chipboard pieces. Y'all - this was the quickest I have EVER colored chipboard. Ever. Then I just set them aside to dry.

When everything was dry I needed to jazz up the embellishments a bit- Sparkle Mod Podge has always been my favorite of the formulas. I am all about the Sparkle!! I used a foam sponge to apply small amounts to the flower layers.

Fabulous, right???

As a final touch I sponged some Brushed Metal in Gold onto the chipboard using a foam sponge.

Be sure to hop over to the Designer Crafts Connection Blog and enter for your chance to win the give away sponsored by Plaid. Who doesn't need more crafting supplies, right??