SIZZIX FRESH VINTAGE BLOG HOP

Starts tomorrow!



My Designer friend, Eileen Hull has created a new collection of 12 dies featuring three dimensional flowers and signature ScoreBoard dies, including a bird, butterfly, suitcase, album, vase and caddy. ScoreBoards are unique to Sizzix and specially designed to cut and score matboard and thicker materials. Fresh Vintage dies were created to be used with recycled and vintage materials, fabric, fleece, felt, packaging materials, old patterns, ledger sheets, tissue paper and coffee filters.

The excitment is building!

Hop around, starting tomorrow, and see what the Designers create each Tuesday and Thursday for the next SIX WEEKS!

See all the details here at Eileen's Blog and check in with all of the Designers here and see what they have been up to!

Thanks for stopping by! -Beth

BUTTONS GALORE AND MORE - START UPS

I have a project up on the Buttons Galore and More Blog today! We were using the Start Ups line of blank craft shapes and the possibilities are endless! I created three Mixed Media Necklaces - see the entire post here.

Thanks for stopping by -Beth

BLOG COUNTY FAIR

Being from Florida, we do not have traditional County Fairs like up North, so I am so excited to participate in the Blog County Fair! This is going to be so much fun!

Fellow designers Vicki O'Dell and Laura Bray decided to get a linky party going to show projects that you might see at a county fair. Click on the Blog County Fair blinkie in my sidebar for more information.

Since I have a black thumb instead of a green thumb, my entry is a Circular Saw Blade that I painted to look like a Sunflower.




Sand the used saw blade and then seal it with a coat of Krylon Triple Thick Crystal Clear Glaze, so the rust would not come through the painting.

I created dimension under my painting with Golden Molding Paste and a palette knife in long strokes from the center to the edges. The saw also had a large hole in the center, so I taped the back and filled it with molding paste as well. (TIP: Let the molding paste dry over night or up to 24 hours before you begin painting.)

Base coat the sunflower petals in a medium yellow tone (Marigold), then add highlights with a lighter shade of yellow (moon Yellow) and shading with a darker shade of yellow (Antique Gold). Repeat for the flower center with three shades of brown (Milk Chocolate, Light Cinnamon and Dark Chocolate) and a stiple or stencil brush to create the "fuzzy" texture. I created accent dots by dipping the wrong end of my paintbrush in the medium yellow paint and randomly dotting the center of the sunflower. I used Americana Paints by DecoArt.

I added additional depth to my sunflower by antiquing the entire piece with Light Cinnamon. Simply paint a sloppy, thick coat of medium brown paint over the entire flower, getting in all the nooks and crannies, then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Seal with another coat of Kyrlon Triple Thick.

Hope you enjoyed my project for the Blog County Fair! Be sure to hop around to all of the other Blog County Fair entries - and add some of your own - Blue Ribbons handed out on Monday!

Thanks for stopping by! -Beth

DESIGNER CRAFTS CONNECTION - FIRST MONDAY IN SEPTEMBER PROJECT

CUPCAKES, CUPCAKES & MORE CUPCAKES!

My Niece Marlee just LOVES cupcakes, so her last birthday celebration was - you guessed it - a Cupcake Themed, fun-filled afternoon!

There was a giant cupecake shaped cake with smaller cupcakes surrounding it that all of the girls decorated in their own special way, a special rhinestone cupake t-shirt and cupcake crown for the birthday girl.

When thinking of a special gift, I sketched a Cupcake Gift Box and knew it would be the perfect container for this celebration.



I started with a basic 5" round paper mache box from the craft store topped with a 5" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam Ball, which I cut in half, layered with Aleene's Tacky Glue and Glittered with Tourmaline (hot pink) glitter from the Martha Stewart collection at Michael's. The papers are from the October Afternoon Thrift Shop Collection - Near Mint (stripe), Collector's Item, (blue doily) and Still in Box (yellow damask). I used pastel jumbo brads for the "Candy Sprinkles", a white tinsel wrapped 1" STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam Ball for the "Cherry on Top" and custom dyed Satin Seam Binding Ribbon with Dusty Concord re-inker from the Tim Holtz Distress Ink line by Ranger. A green painted wooden skewer with paper flag, Melissa Frances celebrate rub-on and pearl accent, finishes off this special gift box.

Since Marlee is my crafty pal, I filled the Cupcake Gift Box with some craft supplies and a Michael's gift card, so we can go shopping together!

So, now it is time for the SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY!

The Designer Crafts Connection has something special this month - a set of Scrapbook Soup, Series 100 DVDs! Scrapbook Soup is now airing on your local PBS TV channel featuring Julie McGuffee and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. Check your local listings and if it isn't listed, call the station and request it! Program managers always like to hear what their viewers want to watch.

To enter to win, list the names of the Designer Crafts Connection blogs where you see the Scrapbook Soup logo back in the comments section of Julie McGuffee's blog Life in the Craft Lane. To see all the blogs, click on the "hop forward" button wherever you see the blue DCC logo in the sidebar. Keep on hopping and you will end up back at Julie McGuffee's blog where you can add your comment. The winner will be announced on Julie McGuffee's blog on September 15th!

Thanks for stopping by! - Beth