Monday, January 16, 2012

Adorable Owl Wall Hanging

Home décor just took on a whole new level of cuteness! These quick and easy owl-themed projects are a great way to bring a smile to the faces of all who see them.

Canvas Wall Hanging
Create this paper-pieced owl—isn’t he a cutie?—then attach it to a 12" x 12" canvas (available at your local craft store). Here are some tips:
  • Cut the pieces freehand or print some clip art from the Internet for a pattern. We used the flower stamp from My Acrylix® Fill in the Blank (D1465) as a template for the feet, and used the
    1 1/4" circle punch (Z1311) to punch the eyes from Cocoa cardstock.
  • We wanted to add Juniper to the artwork, so we added the Typeset Juniper damask B&T Duos® paper to the Sorbet, Crème Brulee, and Olive B&T papers from Elemental.
  • For the background, score a piece of 12” x 12” cardstock at
    1 1/4" intervals. Turn the paper over and lightly sand the ridges using a sanding block.
    • If the Sorbet background doesn’t match your particular color scheme, substitute Olive, Juniper, Desert Sand, Crème Brulee, or Cocoa cardstock for it.
  • Attach the eyes, beak, wings, and belly to the body, using 3-D foam tape on the wings and beak. Be sure to outline the entire wings and beak with foam tape and add some in the middle to make sure it’s sturdy.
  • Attach the finished owl body to the cardstock base then attach the whole thing to the canvas using Liquid Glass or Mod Podge.

Paper Mobile
Crafting this lightweight mobile is a cinch when you use two packages of Dimensional Element On Target (Z1226) chipboard circles, a 1 1/4" circle punch (Z1311), and the My Acrylix® Hot Diggity (C1407) stamp set.
  • Stamp owl five times each in Crème Brulee, Sorbet, and Juniper on Colonial White cardstock; trim. Turn cut-out image over and stamp on the blank side.
  • Punch 10 pairs of circles each from Elemental (Crème Brulee and Sorbet) and Typeset (Juniper) B&T Duos papers. Attach pairs of matching circles together to hide back of B&T.
  • Leaving space between each element, use a sewing machine to stitch through centers of circles or owls. Be sure to leave extra thread at the top.
  • Take the largest scallop circle from each Dimensional Elements package and sponge surface with Sorbet ink. Sponge edges with Cocoa ink, if desired.
  • Create the top of the mobile as follows:
    • Flip one of the scallop circles upside down so the sponged surface is facing away from you.
    • Tie bow in ribbon and secure ends with Liquid Glass to the white side of the Dimensional Element scallop circle. We used the dotted ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Colonial White collection (Z1126).
    • Use piercing tool to punch nine evenly spaced holes on the same white side of the Dimensional Elements scallop circle. Pull thread through each hole, starting under the circle on the sponged side; knot to secure.
    • Use Liquid Glass to attach second Dimensional Elements circle to first, placing white sides together and sandwiching thread ends and ribbon.
  • Alternate idea: If you’d like to use more of your Dimensional Elements circles, simply incorporate them in the mobile by switching out some of the punched circles or stamped owls. All you’ll do is match up sizes from each package, sponge or cover them with B&T paper, attach thread to center of one on white side, and then attach the white sides together. Simple!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Newsprint Rub-Ons

Find out what makes Newsprint rub-ons so easy to apply and fun to use, and then watch as we show you how to create stunning artwork using these rub-ons!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Creativity with Trees and Things

My Acrylix® Trees & Things is the perfect stamp set for showing off lots of neat techniques, including rock 'n' roll, second generation, masking, and more! In this short video, we take these stamping methods to the next level of creativity on cards, a scrapbook page, and even a journal. Easy and fun for all your stamping-crazy customers or those just learning!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Pops with Flowers

Quickly cut, stamp, and curl pretty 3-D flowers using Close To My Heart's new Cricut® Art Philosophy cartridge, My Acrylix® Hooray Bouquet stamp set, and your own creativity. Pick up more ideas for embellishing your layouts, cards, and gifts with fun florals in this how-to video.



Here's a card I made last summer using the Cricut and the Hooray Bouquet Stamp Set.  I did 60 of them in a couple of hours...beginning to end.