Mixed Media - Advice From A Christmas Tree

I have often looked at Mixed Media projects and thought some of them were really cool looking and my LSS, Scraptopia, has classes quite often and my friend Linda H. asked if I wanted to go to the Advice From A Christmas Tree class and I told her I thought it sounded like fun. I was suppose to do another class one time with her but what I had pictured in my head was something totally different than what they did and when I saw what she made I was upset I didn't go.

Anyway, last night I made it to the class and not only did I have a great time and meet some new people but I also made a really cool Mixed Media project!

I am not sure where Trina came up with the idea for this project but I just love it! I always thought Mixed Media projects looked complicated but I guess it's all in the techniques that make it look complicated. 

I always wondered how they got the textured look on the canvas and was surprised it was just crinkled tissue paper, not to be confused with toilet tissue paper of course, and Modge Podge. 

We did stamping on the canvas as well with a variety of stamps and I was nervous about the stamp not being a full stamped image but Trina assured us that it wasn't suppose to be *okie remembers how she had to take a deep breath on that one and just go with the flow*. 

Now as we all know, or most everyone knows I am all about inking edges and to get the brown ink around the elements we used a brown Tombow, I believe it was, marker and then we either used our fingers or a Q-tip to smear the marker ink. I used my finger and it may never come off but who cares since I have a cute canvas now. 

In the picture you might notice some of the red dots on the tree look foggy, well that was because I took a picture before the glossy accents had fully dried. I still have to go over the whole thing with a coat of Modge Podge but since I have some of that gluey goodness at home I knew I could finish it up later instead of waiting at the scrapbook store and allowing it to dry and then applying the final coat.

I'm so glad my friend Linda H. asked me to go and I can't wait for the next class which is going to be Advice From A Snowman. We won't be doing that one until after Christmas but that's okay and I think I might have my daughter go with me to that one. 

Sometime ago I bought some packs of canvas, because I am sure I got them at a good price, and I can't wait to maybe do some with Santa Claus themes since that is what I love to decorate with at Christmas time. After all, I still have 9 days before Christmas!

For the Love of GLIMMER

Ya know there are times when we see something that just catches our eye and the other day when I was in Walmart I saw something that definitely fit that bill! I was actually back in the craft section getting some paddle wire to use with my Bowdabra, yes folks I am one of those people who actually owns one of those fabulous bow making contraptions. In fact, I own two! I have the regular Bowdabra and the Mini-Bowdabra but that is another story...back to what caught my eye!

I had grabbed my paddle wire and something hanging on the end cap caught my eye....glimmer!! I mean GORGEOUS GLIMMER too! It reminded me of little shiny diamonds on a roll that resembled contact paper. Why had I never seen this product before...oh wait, that would be because I rarely go in the craft department of Walmart anymore and now I'm thinking maybe I need to stop in every now and then because I could be missing out on some awesome stuff!

The price was $5.97 for a roll that measures 20" x 6' and I quickly half way did the math in my head and thought "well this is cheaper than glitter vinyl". The packaging says it is permanent but since I thought of using it on ornaments I didn't figure it not being like super permanent would be a problem. I wasn't sure if the Explore Air 2 would cut this stuff but since that machine seems to cut just about everything else I've tried I tossed the roll in my buggy and figured if it didn't cut then I could find some use for the lovely glimmer sticky stuff. 

I had to call Carmen and send her pictures of the stuff and her reply was "OOHHH SHINY DIAMONDS!" and we both cracked up laughing *okie wonders if she should explain why she and Carmen would both have the same thought but the figures she doesn't want to do all that typing*. I first tried cutting it on the "washi sheet" setting and that didn't work so well. I looked for what material was a notch or two more than that and I saw the printable vinyl setting and that my friends seemed to be just about right!

Now to see how sparkly this stuff really is you will probably need to click on the picture and make it bigger...go ahead...I'll wait *while waiting okie stretches her neck from side to side, takes a few relaxing breathes* SEE!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?? It is one of those OOOHHH MMMYYY GGAAWWDDDD. Okay it might just be OMG in the picture but in person it is for sure OOHHHH MMMYYY GGAAWWDDDD!

I immediately regretted not getting the gold Deco Glimmer Laminate but I went by yesterday and picked up a roll to try on some red ornaments and while I don't think it sparkles quite as much I still love the look it gives. It's really hard to get a good picture to show the true mesmerizing sparkle of the glimmer laminate but if you click the picture look toward the outer edges of the design and I think you can see the sparkle a bit better. 

I had an extra little set of silver swirlies and my stainless steel tumbler was sitting in my handy dandy ScrapMaBob ***side note: if you don't have a ScrapMaBob and you are a heavy drinker like me I highly recommend this handy dandy gadget*** and I figured why not put those swirlies on the tumbler for experimentation reasons! So that is what I did. I took a picture with my flash off and then my flash on trying to convey how this stuff sparkles...again click the picture and make it bigger *okie picks at some glitter under her fingernail and wonders where it came from since she didn't remember using any glitter this morning* Yeah so what did I tell you?? OOHHH MMMYYY GGAAAWWDDD right??!!!!

Flash Off

Flash On

I suggest you RUN, don't walk...RUN LIKE HELL to your nearest Walmart and see if they have this stuff because I tell ya what it is worth every cent if you love bling!

Oh and.....You're welcome!!! *okie gives a smug grin because she knows some folks are gonna go TODAY and look for this stuff and fall in love with the blingy goodness*.

Ghiradelli Box with BONUS Candy Favors

It seems at Christmas time, and other holidays as well, we are rushing around trying to figure out cute little things to make to dress up simple things like candy to make it a little more special. One of my favorite things is a little box that holds those scrumptious delectable Ghiradelli Squares!

I have made these for Christmas and Valentine's day and they were always a hit. I try to watch after the holiday's for them to go on clearance so I can use them for the next holiday since they can be quite expensive. 

These little boxes are quick to cut and decorate and are great for coworkers, friends, stocking stuffers, etc. 

There are instructions out there for cutting these without a machine but why do that when we have perfectly great machines that can make the task so much faster and simpler, no measuring is always a good thing in my book!

In the Zip file I have also included the Lollipop Holder and Tic Tac Holder.

The lollipop holder is another fast and easy cut and they are just adorable! You can dress them up for any holiday by choosing different papers. They would also be great for birthday favors.

I have included 5 different decorative tops to choose from so the favor can be used for what ever occasion needed.

The Tic Tac holder does have a snowman cut but I also included a full cut blank cover so you can decorate anyway you wish. There are so many ways to decorate that I can't even list them all. 

I ran red line tape along the middle of the cover and applied ribbon to keep the cover closed and then also used the red line tape down the spine to keep the Tic Tac box in place. 

To purchase just click the "Buy Now" button and follow the directions that are listed below the buy now button.

4 files are included in this purchase and is downloaded as a Zip File.

• 1 PDF file - instructions for assembling the Ghiradelli Box
• 3 SVG files - Ghiradelli Box, Lollipop Holder, Tic Tac Holder

Price: $5.00

Once you hit the "BUY NOW" it will take you to Paypal where you can pay for the item. Once purchase is complete Paypal will redirect you to "Return to Merchant" where you will given the link to download the file from Google Drive. 

Transfer Tape...8 Years Later

I read so many complaints about people not being able to find a good transfer tape so I thought I would make a post about the transfer tape I use.

Back in the summer of 2008 I needed a good transfer tape that would hold up in the mail but also release well since I was selling Cricut Head Decals at the time. I looked around and decided on the R-Tape Clear Choice from Signwarehouse. At the time I thought the expense was quite great but I didn't want to get complaints about the tape not working, etc. Here it is 8 years later and I am still using the same roll! I have even shared part of this roll with my friend Carmen. She recently asked what the tape was because she thought it was the best she has used and I think she might have ordered her own roll. 

As you can see by the picture my tape has yellowed a little but it still works great and I am able to reuse pieces over and over. 

This particular roll is the 6.5" x 100 yards but they do have other options. I liked this size the best because it was wide enough for most things but if I needed it wider I just add how many more layers I need. 

I have used this on wall quotes but I actually prefer a paper tape that is less tacky so it's less of a struggle. For that I use the R-Tape Conform and it has worked really well. Since I use this tape mainly for wall quotes that I sell or give away I can't reuse most of it and I go through it quicker. And by quicker I mean I have about the same amount of tape on that roll as I do the Clear Choice and I think I bought the roll back in 2010 or 2011. The roll I have is the 6.5" x 100 yards as well. 

Here are the links to the tapes I use:

Clear tape - R-CLEAR CHOICE AT-60

Paper tape - R-TAPE CONFORM 4078RLA