Beth Watson Design Studio: February 2016

HAPPY THURSDAY and welcome to the Ann Butler Designs and Resin Crafts Blog Hop!

So, I have to say that initially I was pretty intimidated to work with resin. Measuring, mixing, timing and pouring - it all seemed way to technical for my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style of crafting. BUT, do it once and you will be hooked, just like I was!

Now on to my project!

Paint unfinished wooden tray with Americana acrylics by DecoArt in Light Buttermilk and Lamp Black, let dry. I found my tray at Michael's.

Stamp Ann Butler 2″ square Faux Quilting Stamps by Unity Stamp Company in Leaves All Over; Stripes Dots Hearts and Doily Picnic on light blue and lavender cardstock with Colorbox® Crafter’s Ink by Ann Butler in Lilac and Aquamarine. Cut out the squares with scissors and dry fit in your wooden tray. Apply black, self adhesive black chipboard letters to spell WELCOME.

Once you are pleased with the design, glue down and seal the stamped cardstock and chipboard letters with ETI Ultra-Seal. Make sure that you apply a nice heavy coat and let it dry overnight. You have to seal the cardstock and chipboard, so the resin does not seep underneath and discolor your project.

Prepare your project for resin by finding a level surface that is out of the way and line with waxed paper, a non-stick craft sheet or parchment paper. Place your project on this surface.

Next mix the resin. Pour equal parts of EnviroTex Lite resin and hardener into the plastic cup and stir for 2 minutes with wooden stick. Make sure to scrap the bottom and the sides as you stir. I used my cell phone to time my mixing. Next, pour this mixture into a new plastic cup and stir for an additional 2 minutes with a new wooden stick.

Pour the resin onto your sealed wooden tray, scrapping out all of the resin. Spread resin out with wooden stick to make sure that all edges and corner are covered. The resin will self level as it dries, so making sure that your surface is level is important.

I wasn't able to get a good photo, but the resin had a ton on bubbles in it, so I simply "huffed" over the surface with my hot breath. Worked like a charm!

Here is another close up of my project. Now I have a gorgeous and weather proof (important in SW Florida!) WELCOME sign to hang on my gate and greet all of guests!

I hope you have enjoyed my project today and hope you decide to try something new outside your crafting comfort zone soon!

Check out the Ann Butler Design blog and the Resin Crafts blog for TONS more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by! -Beth

Hello and welcome to the Tombow USA and Stampendous! Blog Hop!

You probably came here from the wonderful blog of Wendy Price, but if you stumbled across my blog, please go to the Stampendous! blog to start!

Now, on to my project!

The stamps the Tombow Design Team received from Stampendous! were so beautiful and winsome, so I created this lovely Blooming Box to feature the Stampendous! Cling Feminine Face #CRW169 - isn't she beautiful?

Peel the Feminine Face stamp from the acetate (notice that there is a clear plastic cling material that the stamp is attached to) and place on clear acrylic stamp block.

Stamp the Feminine Face onto plain white cardstock and book paper with black archival ink, let dry. I also received the Stampendous! Cling Beautiful Braid CRR247 stamp, which is gorgeous as well.

I then proceeded to pull out my Tombow Recycled Colored Pencils and create a sample color template on my white paper. I used this as a guide and colored in both faces on the white paper and the book paper.

Originally, I was going to create 2 gift bags, but decided that these lovely ladies needed something more permanent, so I used the Walnut Hollow Card Box #1704op from my craft stash. Stain the outside of the unfinished wood card box with Tombow Dual Brush Pen #126 Light Olive using random strokes, then go back across with a baby wipe and blend out all of the pen strokes to create an even layer of transparent color (I LOVE this technique!).

Next ,we are on to the embellishments - DIY Flowers from Petaloo, again from my stash. Cover your work surface with an old towel and lay out a variety of flowers. Color the flowers loosely with assorted colors of Tombow Dual Brush Pens then mist with water and let the magic happen! The colors will blend into a beautiful watercolor effect. Let dry for several hours, or use your heat tool if you are impatient, like me!

Cut out your Feminine Female and attach to top of box with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue. The MONO Aqua will not leave wrinkles in your paper, grabs fast, sets in just a few minutes and dries quickly. Finish the cut edge of her neck with off white half pearls to create her very own necklace!

Dry fit your flowers onto the top of your card box to create a blooming head piece! Once you are please with the composition, attach the bottom layer of flowers with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue. Attach the second and third layers with Tombow Xtreme Tabs, to not only create dimension, but also to create a permanent bond to your box lid. Finish the flowers with colored half pearl centers (or you could also use rhinestones).

Embellish the edge of the card box with lace trim attached with Tombow Xtreme Adhesive. Remember to roll out the adhesive, then snap it off at the end. The Xtreme Adhesive is 5 times stronger than regular adhesive runners and is my favorite! The finishing touch is a shadow on the left side of the face made with several strokes of the Tombow Dual Brush Pen #126 Light Olive.