School Memory Jar for Petaloo

Tomorrow it's back-to-school for my kidlet. I'm going to miss having that boy around all day.

I have to be honest, I'm usually completely stumped when challenged to create a 'back to school' project. This year however I was a woman on a mission! I knew that I wanted to create a project for keeping memories.

I've taken a good sized jar with a wide mouth. The lid has been gussied up with a bit of paper from Graphic 45's ABC Primer Deluxe Collector's Edition and I've added trims and flowers from Petaloo.

A length of wide Crochet Lace Trim and Burlap Trim are wrapped around the jar, then Burlap Small Sunflowers, Burlap Wild Sunflowers and a sprig of DIY-Baby’s Breath is added. A tag and key are the final touches.

So now I have a place to store all of my son's memories from grade 7. Notes from his adventures, snapshots and small treasures found in his pockets. They'll fill this jar and be kept safe and sound. 

Here's hoping grade 7 is the best year ever :)

Petaloo Supplies
Crochet Lace Fancy Trim 2.25 ydsBurlap TrimBurlap Small SunflowersBurlap Wild SunflowersDIY-Baby’s Breath

Other:Graphic 45's ABC Primer Deluxe Collector's Edition1 Inch Wide Wooden Finial 
Glass jar
Glue

Paper Gypsy Wagons Galore!

I've been making a series of paper gypsy wagons for a commission. Here are a few I finished up this weekend.

They have been great fun to create.

The wheels on these ones are from Gina's Designs and can be found HERE. I coaxed Gina into making them and I ADORE them. If you create small wheeled things they are so useful. They are especially good for use with lightweight and paper projects. I found that some of the wheels I've used on other projects added too much weight. These are damned near perfect.

The little mushrooms here are handmade with Paperclay. The wee flowers, leaves and buds are from AlphaStamps (I usually get the small 1/2" buds).

You can find those Gypsy coins from AS too. The papers are a mish-mash of G45, Marion Smith and Sanctuary Scrapbook Papers (which I'm totally smitten with at the mo'). 

If you have a question about any other supplies I've used, ask away. I'll have another post with a better supply list soon.

A stinky smelly goblin pod

We used to have a troll who lived beneath our hanging tree. He was a lovely, quiet fellow, who enjoyed a good cup of tea and collecting odd socks. Last summer his hole was overrun by a bully snake who chased him off. We were so saddened by his departure that we vowed we would not maintain the troll hole beneath the hanging tree.

Summer has very nearly come to its end, it's time to start cleaning the remains of the garden. Mr. Pixie decided it was time to clean up the weeds in the overgrown spot that once belonged to the dear old Troll. He soon shouted over to me, and I ran to see what the hullabaloo was all about. "Just look at that thing!" he exclaimed, pointing to a spot on the ground near a largish rock.

There, nestled in the ground and bundled in rags, was a very ugly little 'thing'. From the slight snorting noises and bubbling drool running down it's chin we surmise that it is sleeping. From the stink and green of his skin we suspect it is a goblin pod.

We have goblins a-plently living near our stream and are offering this pod to anyone who might be in short supply of the smelly things. The listing for this foul fellow is HERE.

We trust that the purchaser is educated on the care and maintenance of garden goblins.

We cannot be held responsible for the inevitable shenanigans and mischief caused by the creature.

Old Bird ATC Pocket Letter with tutorial

It's the first Friday of September (already!) which means it's my turn to share a tutorial using magnifique products from Gina's Designs Lasercuts. Woo hoo! This month I thought we'd do some nitty gritty paper crafting and create a sort of pocket letter.

I've been seeing these pop up all over my timeline and wanted to give it a try. 

What is a pocket letter, you ask? Janette Lane, the creator of Pocket Letters™, explains on her site:

"Basically, you fill all the pockets of a 9 Pocket Trading Card Protector and send the whole page to someone who wants to swap with you... You fill the pockets with anything you like (stickers, tea bags, a note, washi tape samples, pictures, etc.) A short note or letter is included and tucked into one of the pockets. Then the Pocket Letter is folded up and sent in a standard 10 size envelope."**

I am a huge fan of ATC's (Artist Trading Card: miniature works of art measuring 2.5" x 3.5") so I've created a cohesive set of birdy themed cards to fill those little pockets with. You can source your own public domain images, or purchase a collage sheet with all of those vintage birds and sentiments available HERE.

When creating your own piece, consider other little bits and pieces to tuck into those sleeves. Stamps, ephemera, feathers... little bits that match the theme or look of your cards.

Also consider the sleeves themselves. I've added clear stickers to the exterior.

Of course you could just create these pretty ATC's and trade/give them separately. There's nothing wrong with spreading the crafty love around.

If you're not keen on making these little bits of art, you may want to check out the tutorial anyway as it includes creating the textured background seen below.

But enough blabble! HERE is the video tutorial. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give me a shout. I'm happy to lend a hand or answer any questions you have. Seriously. Don't be shy ;)

THE SUPPLY LIST

From Gina's:
Cardstock Doily Set 1
Cardstock Doily Set Intricates
Steampunk Fan
Ornamental Birdcages Shape Set
Pen & Ink Shape Set
Faux Metal Number Plates
Herringbone Stencil (available soon!)

Other things you'll need:
For the Birds Collage Sheet
Cardstock
Paper (I used pages from an old book)
Decorative scrapbook paper
Glue
White acrylic paint
Watercolour paint
Stamp pad
Clear stickers
Tim Holtz Long Mini Brads
Foam spacers
Ultra fine glitter
Jute twine
Washi tape
Buttons, stamps and other small embellishments and trinkets
ATC Pocket Pages

**For more information on Pocket Letters you can visit Janette Lane's YouTube Channel or join the Pocket Letter Pals Network

Check out my fancy pants in American Miniaturist

I've been sitting on this news for a while and can now jump up and down and sing it from the tree tops...

My "Abandoned House" project from a couple of years ago is getting some love from American Miniaturist in their spooky October issue.

Here are the original blog posts about this project:

The Abandoned House

Progress on the abandoned house...

The abandoned house is done!

For the Birds Collage Sheet

A new pretty collage sheet "For the Birds" freshly listed in the etsy shop.

AND I have a project and tutorial using these cuties lined up for this Friday's blog post.

I think you'll like it :)

Old Timey Tuesday: Something new

I thought I'd try something new with a weekly feature sharing old grungy pictures from my personal collection.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado...

You can absolutely use this photo in your art and craft projects. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

You may NOT sell, give or distribute the images, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group.

Violators will be turned into toads... I mean it... It won't be pretty.