Proxxon Mixed Media Sign

Hi everyone, I have a new mixed media sign on the Proxxon blog.

I've used the Proxxon Delta Sander and Proxxon Bench Drill Press along with Plaid paints.

I've used an assortment of left over embellishments - chipboard, buttons, keys, clocks and flowers created with Makin's Clay.

Stop by the Proxxon blog for full details.

Thanks for stopping by.

Steph

Proxxon Leaves

Hi everyone, I'm on the Proxxon blog today with a new home sign.   It was easily created with the help of some amazing Proxxon Tools.

Using a Walnut Hollow bark edged panel, I sanded it with the Delta Sander.  Then I painted it with Folk Art Color Shift Acrylic Paint  - Yellow Flash.  Once dry, I added streaks of Folk Art Brushed Metal Paint - Silver.

I placed a Plaid Folk Art Stencil - Tropical Leaf Stencil - on the wood then painted leaves in assorted colors of  Folk Art Color Shift Acrylic Paint - Red Flash and Green Flash.

I moved the Leaf Stencil around the wood adding 3 leaves.

Once the sign dried, I used the Bench Drill Press to drill holes in the top edge. 

Using some left over numbers, I painted them with Folk Art Color Shift Paints in Green Flash and Red Flash and glued them to the sign.  Finally, I added some fuzzy trim and hung my sign.

Thanks for stopping by.

Steph

Quick and Easy Gift Ideas - Day 2

Hi everyone.  Christmas will be here before we know it.  The last two years I've blogged about last minute Christmas ideas you could make in under 30 minutes.  Well, it's that time again and I've got some new projects to share.

If you need to create something quick for the holidays, stop by the next 10 days and  I will show you some fun, quick and easy projects.

Today's project is reindeer Christmas ornaments.

Lightly sand assorted wood blocks and then paint with Milk Paint.

Use tool to make holes in each block.  Add wiggly eyes and a red pompon to create the reindeer faces.  Wrap with pipe cleaners and create antlers.

Create pipe cleaner bows for the girls, then add wire hangers for the tree.

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to stop by daily as I show you more quick and easy Christmas projects you can make in less than 30 minutes.

 

If you missed my previous posts, you can find them here: 
Day 1

Steph

Handmade Holidays Blog Hop 2015

Hi everyone, welcome to the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop.  I've been involved in this hop for the last several years and I am excited to be participating again.  Check out this list of sponsors.

 

My project is a tote which I've filled with candles for a friend.

I'm using a Walnut Hollow tote which I painted with Deco Art gold paint inside and out.  I love the rugged texture so I wanted to emphasize it.

 

Next I aged the tote a bit by inking randomly over the paint with ColorBox Crafter's Ink in Stone.

 

I used ColorBox Crafter's Ink by Ann Butler in Deep Woods with the ColorBox Bloom Artscreen in the corners.

 

I wanted to add assorted candles for the recipient so I decorated them first.

 

I added flowers to the top of the smaller jar, then wrapped ribbon around the lid.  The tapers were tied with ribbon and the white candle was rolled in 2 colors of ColorBox Glitter for a fun striped effect. 

 

The largest candle jar was etched with Etchall dip 'n etch.  Then I used the ColorBox Tropical Artscreen with Deep Woods Crafter's Ink on the jar.  Dip 'n etch provides a tooth by which inks and other products adhere to glass.  It creates a really nice texture to work on.

And the candles fit nicely inside the tote.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.   Continue on the hop by clicking the links below.  Be sure to visit all of the blogs so you can enter our amazing giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies from all the sponsors.  Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Inlinkz

Outdoor entertaining with Walnut Hollow and Kunin products

 

 

 

Welcome to the Walnut Hollow and Kunin Group blog hop! April 22 is Earth Day and we are celebrating with a very special blog hop. Kunin Felt and Walnut Hollow, two “Made in the USA” companies committed to eco-friendly practices and quality products partner to bring you indoor-outdoor home decor projects.

At Kunin Group, it all began with Stephen Seymour Kunin in the 1960’s, “the Father of Craft Felts”. Now The Kunin Group, located in NH manufactures adhesive-backed, die-cut, embossed, and stiffened fabrics in several color and style options using their Eco-fi fiber. Kunin turns trash into treasure using 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Over six hundred million bottles end up in landfills each year, so far this year Kunin has recycled over 350,000, 000 and counting. This adds the value of environmental stewardship to the fun of making crafts. 

Walnut Hollow® began as a small family-owned business in Dodgeville, WI in the 70’s. Walnut Hollow is committed to protecting the environment and replenishing natural resources.    The company’s owners and employees have been since the beginning strongly committed to preserving natural resources through its raw materials consumption practices, production processes, recycling activities, and community involvement. The Ladd's (owners and founders of Walnut Hollow) have planted more than 300,000 trees and shrubs on personal property in the surrounding area. Whenever possible, raw material is harvested from plantation and managed woodlands for the manufacture of their home décor items and wood surfaces. Through their manufacturing process no wood waste ends up in landfills, all is recycled. Walnut Hollow’s emphasis has always been to bring the best possible quality products to art and craft hobbyists.

Today I am sharing how to make outdoor (and indoor) entertaining more fun and enjoyable using some amazing products from Walnut Hollow and the Kunin Group.

I used a Rustic Tray Square from Walnut Hollow.  I began by painting it with Deco Arts paint, then grunged it up a bit by inking it with ColorBox Crafter's Ink in Stone.

The tray is approximately 11" square so I pieced the Brown Leopard Printzfelt from the Kunin Group and adhered it as the bottom layer with Helmar Fabric Adhesive, which is perfect for adhering all kinds of fabric, including felt.

The second/top layer is Cashmere/Tan Prestofelt which is another felt collection, and it's self adhesive!  Prestofelt's bond is strong and it bonded well with the bottom layer of felt and it looks great on the tray. 

 

 

 

The tray is the perfect piece for holding glasses and silverware for your next outdoor event.  Using some left over scraps of felt I tied them around the silverware and the glasses to dress them up and have them coordinate with the base pieces.  The felt is easy to cut, does not fray, is fade resistant and doesn't mildew.

Once the tray was completed, I decided to work on the Rustic Bin.  I also painted it with Deco Arts Paint and grunged it up a bit with Clearsnap Crafter's Ink in Stone.

Using Black Friendly Felt and the Leopard print, I adhered it around the bin with Helmar Fabric Adhesive.   I also placed silverware in the bin to show another use for it.

I can't wait for Summer to arrive so the outdoor entertaining can begin.  And this will be a focal point on my table.


Find out more about Kunin Group here:

• Kunin Group Website
• Eco-Fi Website
• Kunin Group Facebook Page
• Kunin Group Felt on Instagram

And find out more about Walnut Hollow here:

• Walnut Hollow website
• Walnut Hollow's History and Earth-Friendly Practices
• Walnut Hollow Facebook Page
• Walnut Hollow on Pinterest

Our teams are sharing projects that pair both Kunin Group felt and Walnut Hollow wood products to create practical and beautiful home decor, organizing solutions, and entertaining items. You can make these projects all year long, not just for Earth Day. To see more inspiring projects, continue on the hop using the list below:

Walnut Hollow
Kunin Group Felt
Sue Eldred
Beth Watson
Debra Quartermain
Sabrina Alery
Abby Davis
Jennifer Priest 
Marilyn Gossett
Laura Kelly
Steph Ackerman YOU ARE HERE
Laura Bray GO HERE NEXT

And to sweeten the Made In the USA, eco-friendly fun, we're having a giveaway! We're sending an assortment of Walnut Hollow wood products to one lucky crafter. Use the widget below to enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Steph

 

 

 

 

Clearsnap and Walnut Hollow Blog Hop

Welcome to the Clearsnap and Walnut Hollow blog hop.  I am so excited you are here.  Please visit everyone's blog and see what they've created.


I received this awesome Roomy Box to work with  from Walnut Hollow.  Walnut Hollow has tons of amazing products to work with including boxes, plaques, clocks and more.

I began by painting the box with ColorBox Crafter's Ink in Stone.  Placing the ink on a craft sheet, I spritzed it with water so I could use it with a paint brush.  Then I used ColorBox Crafter's for Ann Butler in Berry to stamp a pattern across the top with EZ-De's Stamps - Checkered Woven Hearts.  I was going for a slightly aged look, so I was not concerned with the "missing" spots you can see about the top.

Earlier this week, we blogged with Fancy Pants Designs.  Still having some papers from the Burlap and Bouquets collection on my table, I used a sheet of corrugated paper and spritzed it with ColorBox Spritzers in Putty for an aged appearance.

The corrugated papers were inked with Stone Crafter's Ink and adhered to the box top and bottom.  Then I selected assorted papers from the Burlap and Bouquets collection to decorate the interior, cutting them to fit and inking with Stone Crafter's Ink before adhering.  I cut several doilies from the paper collection and added them under a piece of torn paper.

 

 

To finish, I stamped the same pattern around the bottom of the box.  Along the top edge, I used Ann Butler's flower stamp strip from EZ-De's Stamps - 1" Rail Fence Set A, also in Berry Ink.  Stone Crafter's Ink was used along the edges using the inkpad directly on the wood.  It provided a nice darker finish to the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

Now my dilemma was finishing off the top.  I knew I wanted some dimension, but wasn't too sure how to proceed.  I pulled out Ann Butler's 2" Flourish Stamps from EZ-De's Stamps and stamped my initial in Berry Ink on white cardstock.  I then mounted it on a piece of corrugated paper.

 

 

 

 

My initial was just the right embellishment I needed to finish my box and mounting it atop a Spellbinders die cut just completed the box.

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Please stop by all the designers and see what they've created today.

 

 

Clearsnap Blog http://blog.clearsnap.com/
Chris Wallace http://walnuthollowcrafts.wordpress.com/?p=2097
Steph Ackerman http://stephaniescraps.blogspot.com/2014/09/clearsnap-and-walnut-hollow-blog-hop.html      HERE

Suzanne Austin http://whatsinalousyananut.blogspot.com/2014/09/clearsnap-and-walnut-hollow-blog-hop.html
Tami Sanders http://tamisanders.com/2014/09/19/walnut-hollow/
Sara Shirman http://walnuthollowcrafts.wordpress.com/?p=2099
Jennifer Priest http://hydrangeahippo.com/?p=8641
Vivian Keh https://contadinak.wordpress.com/
Meihsia Liu http://meihsia.blogspot.com/2014/09/mixed-media-wall-hanging-with-clearsnap.html
Denise Hahn http://inmyblueroom.blogspot.com/
Sabrina Alery http://www.sabrinaalery.com/?p=2080

 

Steph

 

Spring blog hop with Ann Butler and Walnut Hollow

Hi everyone I am so thrilled to be participating in the Ann Butler and Walnut Hollow blog hop today.

The Walnut Hollow product I am working with is the 11" x 11" Rustic Pallet.  It has so many possibilities!!!

I lightly white washed the pallet with yellow paint.  Since I really wanted a white washed appearance, I spritzed it with a lot of water as I painted.  Once dry, I added some Earth Safe Finishes - Iridiscents to the top three panels, applying it with my fingers.  Spritzing with water allowed it to be a little more fluid.

Using burlap from DCWV, I die cut the 2 banner layers using Sizzix dies and added brads to hold the banners together.  The Kellycraft 2" Flourish ABCs were stamped with ColorBox Berry Ink and then heat set with Clearsnap Opalescent Embossing Powder.  Once the letters cooled, they were fussy cut and added to the banner.

Along the bottom panel, I painted some ColorBox Limelight Ink which I mixed with water.  When dry, a striped stamp from Ann Butler's acrylic stamps from Kellycraft was stamped along the bottom twice to give the illusion of grass.

Using another Sizzix die, I cut the tree trunk in brown cardstock and then fussy cut the tree top from burlap.  I then used a stamp from Ann Butler's 2" Doily Picnic stamp set from Unity, stamping it on the tree top in Limelight and Tangerine Inks to give the tree some dimension.

The fence was cut with my Cricut Expression.   Before adhering, I held it in place and stamped the leaves from Ann Butler's 1" Leaves All Over stamp set on and about the fence.  The fence was then added with foam adhesives for dimension.

The birds were stamped in Sunshine Ink and once they were die cut, they were inked with Tangerine Ink.  The flowers were added to the fence after being stamped in Tangerine Ink and Berry Ink and then fussy cut.

I had so much fun working on this pallet and it looks amazing hanging in my room.

Now what is a blog hop without prizes!!!!!   To Enter for the giveaway please leave a comment.  For each blog you leave a comment on your name will be entered into the giveaway drawing, so be sure to check out the entire Blog Hop for more chances to win!  Thanks for stopping by today.

The Prize:

 

 

Blog hop order:

Ann Butler 

Beth Watson
Connie Hall
Irit Shalom
Kristi Parker 
Larissa Pitman
Lisa Rojas
Paula DeReamer  
Roberta Birnbaum
Steph Ackerman         HERE
Vishu Reberholt
Judi Kauffman
Sara Shirman
Chris Wallace
Emma

Jennifer Priest 

Melissa Cash

 

Steph

 

 

 

 

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

It's that time again - Graphic 45 is having an open audition for their 2014 design team.  I have waited all year for this call and am thrilled to be submitting my work.  Graphic 45 has an assortment of paper in a variety of styles and I adore creating with them.

Graphic 45 has asked for at least 6 of my favorite projects so here there are:


11" x 14" canvas using Graphic 45 Secret Garden

 

 

 

Shadow Box using Graphic 45  to create the backdrop for the living room setting - shown at the Basically Bare Booth at CHA in January 2014

 

 

 

 

 Banner using chipboard houses covered with Graphic 45 Oz and Springtime collections

 

 

 

Easel Card using Graphic45 Ladies Diary

3 dimensional box and mini cards using Graphic 45 Secret Garden

Wood box using Graphic 45 Secret Garden

Christmas Envelope card using Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium

 

Gift bag using Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells

     

Witchy card using Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells

 

 

 

Party favor using Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Steph