Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Box

Hi all! I have a sweet new project to share with you today using the new Toolbox die from Eileen Hull's Vintage Travel collection. I decided to use Graphic 45's Botanical Tea paper to turn it into a pretty tea-themed gift box.

Before assembling my tool box, I first painted the inside and all the edges with blue paint. I adhered the papers as shown and added some paper roses and lace to give it even more of a feminine look.

I was so excited when I discovered the cards from the 12"x12" paper pad fit inside the box! I adhered various tea bags to the back and then wrote the name on the front. Very quick and easy and such a nice treat for the recipient. I finished my box by tying a small silver spoon on the handle with some crinkle ribbon.

I'm so happy with how this turned out! I think it would make a lovely Mother's Day gift, teacher's gift, or just a special treat for a friend who needs a little lift.

You still have time to take part in this month's Art with Heart Challenge. You can find all about it on Eileen's blog. I hope you'll join us!

You can find the supplies I used at Sizzix and Simon Says Stamp. The Toolbox die will be available in May, so make sure you check your local and online retailers!

Eileen Hull Toolbox Die Assorted Mat Board Graphic 45 BOTANICAL TEA 8 x 8 Paper Pad 4500888 *Graphic 45 BOTANICAL TEA 12 x 12 Paper Pad 4500889 Tim Holtz Idea-ology CRINKLE RIBBON TH93020 Tim Holtz Distress Paint TUMBLED GLASS Ranger TDD38894 Beacon 3 IN 1 ADVANCED CRAFT GLUE Crystal Clear Instant Grab Fast Dry Glue 00210 *3M Scotch PINK ATG ADVANCED TAPE GLIDER 1/4"" Adhesive Glue Gun

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Double Embossed Dog Tag Tutorial

Hi all! I have been having a lot of fun in the studio lately playing with some new products and I have a very cool project to share with you! A couple of months ago, Els from Elizabeth Craft Designs was kind enough to send me a set of her new jewelry dies. Of course, my first thought was, 'what can I cut with these?!' They are wafer thin dies, but I really wanted to see if they would cut aluminum flashing. I was shocked when they cut it like it was butter! I set the dog tags aside and got distracted with something else (typical). Last week Wendy Vecchi sent me a selection of her embossing powders (it was like Christmas!) and a little light bulb went off.

My first experiment yielded a cool necklace (which I'll post soon). After that, I was inspired to try combining techniques and came up with what you see above. I have fallen madly in love with Tim Holtz's embossed texture paste technique from his March tag and thought it would be fun to try over the enameling. I wanted it to look like raised lettering with a rusty enamel surface behind it. Here's how it did it:

Begin by cutting a dog tag from aluminum flashing (I got mine from Lowe's) using the largest dog tag die. Cover it with embossing ink.

Next, sprinkle Wendy Vecchi's Orange Blossom embossing powder over the tag, making sure to leave a few areas open. Add random sprinkles of Watering Can embossing powder over the tag. Tap off excess and use a heat gun to melt the powders. Make sure you're working on a non-stick craft sheet and be careful - the metal gets very hot! Let tag cool before proceeding to the next step.

Using Tim Holtz's embossed texture paste technique, apply Wendy's silver embossing paste over the top of the embossed tag.

While the paste is still wet, cover with silver embossing power. Tap off excess and allow paste to dry completely.

When paste is try, heat to melt the embossing powder. SO cool! Adhere gears to the tag using Tiny Fasteners. After I'd added the gears, I decided I wanted a little more texture, so I reheated the tag and sprinkled Vintage Photo Distress embossing powder in random spots. I love how grungy it looks after adding it.

To create a necklace, add a jump ring and ball chain and you're set! If you want to give the back a finished look, you can add another layer of flashing, or a piece of cardstock or felt. I left mine as is because I'm a bit lazy. ;) If you didn't want to wear this, you could use it on a card, in a mixed media piece...pretty much anywhere!

How cool is that embossing powder? I've been intrigued by torch enameling lately and think this gives a similar look, but is much easier. I can't wait to experiment even more!

The dies I used can be found at Elizabeth Craft Designs. The Dog Tag set is only $8.75 and you get three sizes of dies - I think that's an incredible deal! The rest of the products can be found at Simon Says Stamp. I also added a link to flashing on Amazon in case you can't find it at your local hardware store. It's quite inexpensive for the amount you get. You'll never run out of that stuff!

Elizabeth Craft Designs Dog Tags Die Set Ranger Wendy Vecchi Embossing Powder ORANGE BLOSSOM WEP43904 Ranger Wendy Vecchi Embossing Powder WATERING CAN WEP43935 Ranger Embossing Powder SILVER EPJ37361 Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder VINTAGE PHOTO Rust Effect Ranger TIM21179 *Ranger Inkssentials EMBOSS IT CLEAR INK PAD Embossing CEP07036 *Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste METALLIC SILVER Studio 490 WVPASTESIL Tim Holtz Layering Stencil 2015 TYPO THS040 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology MINI GEARS Sprockets TH93012 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology MINI FASTENERS Brads Screws Hardware *Tim Holtz Idea-ology 75 JUMP RINGS Hardware Attach Ring *Tim Holtz Idea-ology BALL CHAIN Hardware Altered Jewelry Metal Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 Amerimax Home Products 66006 6-Inch x 50-Feet .0078-Inch Thickness Aluminum Roll Valley Versa Flashi

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Thanks so much for stopping by today - have a great week!

DecoArt Media Faux Galvanized Canisters

Hi all! It's time for another Art with Heart Challenge from Eileen Hull. April's theme is Spring Break - we want you to take the road less traveled and try something new. Anything goes with this theme, so there's no excuse not to play along!

My project was inspired by a set of canisters I saw online. Of course, you know me - I had to figure out a way to make them with dies! I had a blast experimenting with my Canister die from Eileen and a variety of DecoArt Media paints. Using just a few paints and a sea sponge, you can achieve this look on any kind of surface.

Here's how I did it:

Begin by cutting the canister pieces out of dark matboard.

Assemble the canister using a strong glue like Beacon's 3-in-1.

When canister is dry paint entire piece with silver DecoArt Media paint. When done, add a squeeze of Paynes Grey to the silver and mix.

Use a sea sponge to dab the darker silver/grey paint over the surface of the canister. Play around until you get the look you want. The more mottled it is, the more it will look like metal.

Next, add a dab of white to the existing mixture and mix.

Apply the lightened mixture to the surface in the same manner.

Only a couple more steps - I promise! Add a squeeze of Burnt Sienna to some silver paint and mix. Sponge this metallic brown color randomly along the top and bottom of the canister.

 Finally, add a squeeze of Panes Grey to the mixture. Sponge canister randomly with the darker metallic to add an aged appearance. Let paint dry completely.

To create a label for the canister we'll use one of my favorite tricks - stamping on tissue! Stamp the botanical flourish on white tissue paper using StazOn ink. Use a number set (this one is from 7gypsies) to add the numbers. Cut out or tear paper away from image.

To apply the label, brush a generous amount of DecoArt Media Ultra-Matte Varnish over the surface of the canister. Lay the stamped tissue onto the canister and brush with more varnish. Let piece dry completely.

How easy was that?! To create the smaller versions of the canister, just cut an inch from the body for the medium-sized one and two inches for the smallest one.

Here is a pic of my inspiration. How do you think I did?

I hope you're inspired to try this yourself! The DecoArt Media paints are really the key to this look. The colors are so intense, you only need a small amount to get great coverage. And the Ultra-Matte Varnish makes the label almost disappear. I can't wait to use these in my studio!

All the supplies I used are available from Sizzix, Simon Says Stamp, and Amazon via the links below!

Eileen Hull Canister Die Assorted Mat Board Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps NATURE WALK cms181 Tsukineko Stazon JET BLACK INK PAD SZ-31 Beacon 3 IN 1 ADVANCED CRAFT GLUE Crystal Clear Instant Grab Fast Dry Glue 00210 Martha Stewart 32228 Sea Sponge, Set of 6 Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylic Paint, 1-Ounce, Silver Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylic Paint, 1-Ounce, Titanium White Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylic Paint, 1-Ounce, Payne's Grey Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylic Paint, 1-Ounce, Burnt Umber Deco Art Media Varnish, 4-Ounce, Ultra Matte

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Make sure you check out Eileen's blog for all the details on the challenge. We'd love for you to join us!