The Olde Saltbox: August 2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Operation Salvage Snowmen

Remember this photo? From my last post... Yes the snowman Brileigh decided to help me paint. Well because I don't like to waste, I decided to see what I could do to save them.

So I started Operation Salvage Snowmen. Let's see how I did. Step 1. Pull any extra pieces off of the snowmen. Scarves, safety pins, tags, etc.

Step 2. Strip the snowmen of any stitched parts, ripping the thread right out. Also sand off mica flakes. This ended up being a little hard. I used Fabric ModPodge to glue the flakes on, and that stuff sinks into the fabric.

Step 3. Use the already prepared pumpkin orange/red paint Brileigh originally used to paint the snowmen completely. (Here is where you all say, well if you left the paint out can you really blame her for getting into it? She's only 3!)

Step 4. Allow the now pumpkins to dry completely. Here you can see the trouble with the ModPodge. Since it soaked into the fabric, it acts like a resist to the paint.

Step 5. Sand the pieces to distress them. This helps blend the lighter areas in on the smaller pumpkin.

Step 6. Embellish the pumpkins with other fabric, thread, cheesecloth and tags.

I'd like to say that I've learned my lesson and I'll never leave paint sitting out again, but...

Til Next Time

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

What I've Been Working On

Here is a peek at some of the things I've been working on for Handmade'ns. I've been sketching different snowmen and santa idea's and a couple have come to life so far.

This little guy is approx. 8" tall and has a light dusting of mica flakes. He's the perfect size for tucking into small places. I have also altered this pattern into a pumpkin guy that isn't quite finished yet.

This one is slightly bigger at 9" tall. I made some custom tags from old book paper and have attached one to the wool scarf.

And last....... This is what happens when I leave the room for 1 minute and leave my paint sitting out. Brileigh watches what I do like a hawk, so naturally, given a couple precious seconds unwatched, she'll try to "help". These two might turn into pumpkins, I hate to just throw them away. We'll see what I can do.

Sketch N Scrap Card Challenge

Okay so seriously! I love these card sketches from Sketch-N-Scrap! Not only is it fun to make cards, but these sketches are totally keeping me on task when it comes to getting cards done for various occasions. I used the two sketches for the month of August to make cards for my niece & nephew's birthdays.

For the August 5th Sketch I made this card for my nephew. There are papers from a fun Bo Bunny line, On The Go Collection. I used stamps & dies from PaperTreyInk, Little Hot Rod Collection. There is some ink & stickles as well to finish off the card.

I used the August 20th sketch to make a card for my niece. I kept this card pretty simple using paper and embellishments from My Minds Eye. I added some stitching to the papers and a touch of stickles for a glittery effect on the center embellishment.

Head on over to the SNS Blog to upload your cards for a chance to win prizes!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Sketch-N-Scrap Layout Challenge #39

Check out this fun sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap! Spot for 3 photos and room for embellishments! Could you ask for more? Make sure you upload your take to the blog for a chance to win a great prize!

For my layout I went all John Deere green! My kids decided they wanted to check out their papa's tractor. All 3 climbed aboard, but once it was running two chickened out. That left Rylan in the drivers seat to take it out for a solo drive. (with a little help from papa)

My title piece was cut out with my cricut, just a simple cut of letters.

Just a quick note on this banner piece. In my August 1st layout I used the grid stamp to accent the title piece on the layout. I wanted a muted stamp look so I stamped it on another paper before I stamped on the piece I was using. I saved the initial stamped paper and cut it out to make the banner below. Save all of your scraps, they'll come in handy somewhere!

Items I used in this layout:

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Evergreen Point

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Buffalo Lake

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Twin Lakes

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Elk Creek Trail

Elles Studio • Lil Snippets • This Week

Elles Studio • Lil Snippets • Date

Thursday, August 1, 2013

More Finished Goods

Yay! More finished items! I've been hard at work lately, trying to get as much done as I can. Our house is coming along and soon I'll be stuck there with a paint brush in my hands.

I had a lot of fun making this little paper Halloween house. My fingers are still stained from spraying the trees black!

And here are a couple of my completed pumpkin dolls. I held two back to list online and the others went downtown Kearney to The Country Nest.

Both the House, Tree set and the Pumpkin Dolls have been listed on eBay!

So what's next? (Please refrain from throw things at me.) I'm starting on Christmas items now... With the new house going up and our impending move, if I don't start now, it will never get done. So look forward to seeing some Handmade'ns peeks as I get things going for that. I'll throw some more fall, Halloween & Thanksgiving items as I dream them up!

Sketch-N-Scrap Layout Challenge #38

It can't seriously be August already can it? Where is this summer going?

I'm here today with another sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap! I had a lot of fun with this sketch, make sure when you play along that you upload your take to the blog for a chance to win fun prizes!

For my layout I chose two pictures of Brileigh from this summer. While at my parents house one weekend, she had her first tree climbing experience.

I custom made my title piece, I show you how I did it below.

The Dear Lizzy line that I used has so many fun embellishments it's hard to choose what to use. I thought these cloud chip shapes fit my layout just right. Along with the pinwheel below photos.