Tammy Tutterow

Home again, home again...

 I really meant to blog a bit before I left for CHA.  But the prep for this show was unlike any others for me.  I was actually still making samples to take with me right up until bed time the night before I left.  I then thought that perhaps I would blog on the plane, but since I woke up at 3 am in order to make it to the airport in time for my crazy early flight, I ended up sleeping most of the time during the flight.  Next, my plan was to blog from the show about the show, but I never really stopped demoing long enough to even think about blogging.  At the end of the day, by the time dinner was done and we were back to our room, I was just too tired to think about trying to write much of anything, nevermind the internet connection in my room was non-existant.  There was internet on the show floor, but I was just too busy.  My next plan was to then just snap some photos to share after I got home, but, I never left the booth to walk around the show until the last two hours of the last day.  By then I was moving at a furious pace to make the stops I needed to, which meant there was no time for photos.

Finally, on the flight home (I scored a row of three seats all to myself!) I realized that I had gone to California for a fabulous week, spent time with fabulous people, and was surrounded in crafty goodness and managed to take barely a handfull of photos.  I barely even tweeted or Facebooked (so unlike me!).  I was just totally busy and totally immersed in the moment and enjoying it all so much.  Sometimes I think recording the moment with a photo is far less important than living in the moment, and that is pretty much what I did all week.  That leads me to the photo above, one of the few photos I snapped all week, taken only after I realized that I had taken hardly any all week!  A row of three seats on an airplane with room to stretch out totally seemed photo worthy!

Now that I am home again and almost unpacked and almost back on central time, I am thinking about tackling blog posts for the nearly 30 samples I made for the show.  I am planning on starting work on them tomorrow and will be posting something nearly every day until they have all been shared.  I can't wait to share the projects with you!  For now though, it is back to unpacking. . . (yuck).

BasicGrey: Indie Bloom Frame

This summer, BasicGrey is skipping the summer CHA show and having a "staycation".  They usually wait to share images of the collections or sample projects until the show starts, but since they are skipping the show, the designers who made samples get to share their projects now!

For Indie Bloom, I recovered a clearance aisle from green and blue patterned paper from the collection to create sky and grass.

I layered some of the new canvas elements with a chipboard diecut flower to create a whimsical flower with lots of texture and dimension.  I added a stitched brad to the center.

I added a few butterfly and flower rub-ons to round out the scene.

• patterned paper: BasicGrey Indie Bloom Guacamole and Salsa
• brads: BasicGrey Picadilly Stitched Brads
• flowers: BasicGrey Indie Bloom Die Cut Flowers
• borders: BasicGrey Indie Bloom Canvas and Cardstock Borders
• rub-ons: BasicGrey Indie Bloom Rubon Book
• ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo
• adhesive: Ranger Inkssentials Glue N Seal; Therm O Web Tape Runner XL and Zots
• tools: Fiskars Craft Knife; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Sanding Block; Ranger Ink Blending Tool

Glitz Design| Easy Acrylic Pendants featuring Scarlett

If you had the opportunity to  CHA in Chicago this past week and visited the Glitz Girls, you may have noticed some fun jewelery they were wearing featuring the rub-ons from the new Scarlett collection.  The Girls received a ton of compliments on them!  I thought you might enjoy a quick tutorial on how to make them.

You will need a piece of pattern paper, a rub-on, and a acrylic pendant (Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Fragments or his new Facets).  Although any rub-on or stamped image will work, I particularly love using the Scarlett rub-ons because they feature a great selection of florals in really rich colors and also really fun vintage style black silhouettes that are the perfect size for the Fragments and Facets.

Apply the rub-on to the pattern paper.  Place the acrylic piece over the image and trace around it.  Cut the piece out along the pencil line. 

 

Cover the back of the Fragment or Facet with a thin layer of Glossy Accents.

 

Place the image face down into the Glossy Accents.  Use a flat edge of a tool or craft scraper to burnish the back of the paper.  Burnishing will help to spread the Glossy Accents evenly between the paper and acrylic and will push out any air bubbles.

 

Use a dry towel to wipe away any excess Glossy Accents that comes out of the sides.  If you get any smudges of Glossy Accents on the front of your piece, use a small squirt of glass cleaner (like Windex) on a dry cloth to clean it off.  You will want to clean off any smudges before they dry.

 

Set your piece aside and allow it to dry.  I prefer to let them dry at least 2-4 hours before trimming any excess paper away from the edges using a craft knife or fine tip scissors.

 

After trimming, lightly sand the edges of the paper to smooth them.  (I used my Tim Holtz Sanding Block.)

 

Use the tip of a pair of scissors, a craft knife, or a round metal file to poke through the hole and smooth it.

 

Although it is optional, I like to put some sort of sealant on the back of the pendant over the paper.  I like to protect the paper from moisture and soiling so that it stays nice looking.  There are many types of products you can use, but my favorite is clear nail polish.  One coat soaks into the paper and dries with a nice almost matte finish that doesn't get tacky around moisture.

 

Once the clear coat is dry, you can add a jump ring and hang the pendant on your favorite type of necklace.  In this example, I added one of Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Baubles.

 

In this example, I combined the Scarlett rub-ons with the Scarlet Paper Layers.

 

For this pendant, I added a bit of Ranger's Alcohol Ink to the inside edges of the Fragment before adhering it to the paper.

 

Thinner paper like the Paper Layers actually have a bit more give in them when they are wet.  You can add other thin elements on them and still get a good bond and seal with the acrylic.  On this piece, I added Teeny Alpha Stickers in red and black to a piece of Paper Layers.

 

This piece combines a Scarlet Glitzer with Paper Layers for a fun piece with bling inside.  (This piece is on a Tim Holtz Swivel Clasp and embellished with his new Baubles.)

 

Glitz's new Peek-a-Boo printed transparencies can be used in place of paper for a totally clear piece.  (Give pieces on transparencies extra drying time before trimming and sanding.)

 

Add another layer of paper behind the Peek-a-Boo and get a piece that has a design that looks almost like it is floating inside!

 

 

You already knew Glitz could bring some awesome style to your papercrafts, now it can bring awesome style to your look too!

Glitz Design| Love Nest Traveler Canvas

Finally, I have a project featuring Glitz's Love Nest to share.  I think that this is probably my second favorite project that I created for the show, definitely my favorite Glitz project.

I created a stretched box canvas decor piece with a travel theme.  I used one of the new distress stamps that has a vintage style map pattern. (If you haven't seen Glitz's distress stamps, you really need to!)  I stamped the image randomly on this gorgeous blue print paper that has a script on it.

After covering my canvas with the stamped paper, I began piling on fun accents.

Glitz has delicious new packs of tulle to match the collections.  I added a band of brown tulle around the canvas.

The base of my layers is a vintage map print from the collections book print ephemera packs.  I layered it on a piece of chipboard and adhered it to the canvas with foam adhesive squares.  Next I added this wonderful ticket transparency.

I stamped the same map print on two pink fabric covered brads.

The centerpiece of the whole canvas is this cardstock sticker.  It inspired the whole theme.  I love the sentiment.  Oh, by the way, that awesome birdcage image is also available on a stamp!

Under the sticker is another bit of book print and one of the really cool cardstock ephemera pieces.

The leaves, crystals, and flowers are all by Prima.  The metal charms are Tim Holtz Ideaology and Vintaj.

That officially wraps up my CHA show and tell, I guess I better get to work creating some new things to share!

BasicGrey Jovial| Tidings of Joy Card Holder

Finally, I wrap up my BasicGrey projects with a project featuring this year's Christmas collection, Jovial.

I created a decor piece for collection and displaying holiday greeting cards. 

I embellished the front of the box with rub-ons from the collection.  I love that these rub-ons can be layered over one another and are sheer enough that they allow bits of the design below to show through.

I matted the large cardstock sticker label on a piece of pattern paper and cut it out.  I adhered it over the top of the rub-ons using adhesive foam squares.

I added sticker letters to the front of the label.

I adhered the large sticker flower, leaves, and stem on pattern paper and cut them out.  I layered them together with a brad and adhered them with an adhesive foam square on the corner of the label.  I added Crystal Stickles to the stem piece to give it some holiday sparkle.

Love how there is so much dimension in this project.  This project is going to be in an upcoming ad in Woman's Day along with a companion piece.  I believe there will be instructions for the other piece in the ad as well.  I am super excited about the matching piece and will let you know the details of where to look for it as soon as I know.

Okay, tomorrow I wrap up my CHA show and tell with another project from Glitz so come on back tomorrow and take a look, okay?

Glitz Design| Love Nest Remember When Keepsake Box

Ahhh, Glitz Love Nest. . . quite possibly my very favorite Glitz Collection ever.  This sneak doesn't show both sides of the papers.  If you love cottage and shabby, you really must see this collection!  I had a hard time deciding on what to use.  Each side is just too pretty!

You might have noticed, but I kind of have a thing for pink damask, so I especially loved that piece!

I actually created two projects with this collection.  For the first, I recovered and embellished a keepsake box.

I really love this combination of yellow and pink together.  After adhering the paper to the box I sanded over it and added distress ink to give it a very vintage and worn feel.

On the top, I layered a transparency with one of the heavy weight vintage ephemera pieces with a flower, vintage hanky, and a title tag.  There is a bit of vintage style book print from the collection tucked under the flower also. 

The transparency frame has a red design.  I loved the size of it and the design but the color was a bit bolder than I wanted.  I discovered that if I turned it over I could still see the patter but the color was a softer shade.  Perfect!

I applied a Glitz sheet music rub-ons over the vintage ephemera card.  I then lightly wrinkled and sanded the surface which softened the look of the rub-on, making it look printed on the card.  I added distress ink to the edges.

Okay, I will be back tomorrow with another BasicGrey project to share.  I hope you will check it out!

BasicGrey Marjolaine| Walk With. . . Canvas

And here is the lovely BasicGrey Marjolaine.  I love the combination of soft blues and greens.  For this collection, I created decor piece on a stretched box canvas.

I added a stitched border to a piece of pattern paper and adhered it to my painted canvas.  I trimmed the lace paper from the collection to fit the canvas.  I cut a piece of clear acrylic to match the lace.  I adhered the lace to the acrylic and then adhered the assembled piece to the paper covered canvas with adhesive foam squares.

I added a quote to a journal paper using letter stickers.  I adhered the matching transparency over the letters and adhered it.  I adhered both to a piece of chipboard and adhered it to the lace with adhesive foam squares.

I embellished over the journal card/transparency with a combination of dimensional stickers and cardstock stickers.

To give the cardstock sticker stem and leaves extra strength, I layered it on pattern paper and cut it out leaving an extra border around it for contrast.

I painted the canvas with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Traditional Tan paint.  Interestingly, I brushed it on in a criss cross pattern by chance.  You could actually see those brush stokes in the first coat.  I thought it was interesting looking so I stopped at the first coat and left the effect.  I added a touch of Distress Ink to the edges.

Tomorrow I am back with another Glitz project.  I hope you will come back by to check it out!

Glitz Design| Scarlett Shadowbox Frame "Always Dream"

Today I am sharing a project I did for Glitz Design featuring their new Scarlett collection.  I love how rich the colors are and that the patterns are delicate and bold at the same time.

 For this line I created a piece of wall art using a chippy cream shadowbox frame.

The inside back of the frame is covered with this yummy green polka dot paper with gorgeous rose motif.  I layered a chip sticker on a piece of book print from the collection and then layered that onto a printed frame transparency.  All are adhered to the frame back with adhesive foam squares to make the piece look like it is floating away from the back.

I added a small rose Glitzer to the bottom of the cardstock sticker and a few bling stones to the frame to give each a little sparkle. 

Tomorrow I will be back with another BasicGrey project.  I hope you will come back to check it out!

BasicGrey Wander| All Roads Lead to Home

Here is another new BasicGrey project to share with you, this time from the new Wander collection.

Obviously, Wander is a travel themed collection.  I really don't travel for fun a whole lot so I wanted to use it in a way that wasn't really travel and would maybe help spark an idea for someone like me who loved the line but didn't have any great vacation photos.

I decided on a frame.  I love the paper with the rows of buildings.  It kind of reminded me of the row houses in folk art but with a more modern twist.

I cut a row of buildings out and adhered them to a layer of chip board to give them some extra depth.

I used strips of stickers to create stems and added fabric Bloomers for some fun and whimsy.

I added Glossy Accents to the letter stickers to give them an epoxy look.

I used a heart punch to cut a heart from one of the patterns of paper.  I added chipboard for strength and adhered it with a adhesive foam square.

I loved this big gear sticker I added Rock Candy Stickles to it for some texture, adhered it to chipboard and placed it with an adhesive foam square.

I also added chipboard and adhesive foam squares to the houses for more dimension.

I really love how it turned out and how it demonstrates using a theme paper in a much broader way.

Okay, tomorrow I will be back with another Glitz project so come on back tomorrow and check it out!

CHA in review: My new Claudine Hellmuth love!

Wow, so many amazing moments and amazing things at CHA this year.  I am not sure how to even share them all, it may take a couple of posts to do it. I think, maybe my most favorite product was one that wasn't really new at all: Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Paints and Sticky Back Canvas.  I consider myself very paint illiterate.  I have no idea what makes what paints better for one project or another, I just kind of grab whatever I have on hand, which is usually what was a good deal at the craft store.  As I have been working to make some of my decor projects a bit more classroom friendly (watching paint dry is seriously not too exciting in a class), I knew that would entail finding the right paint for the right application, not just using whatever.  That is where Claudine comes in. Claudine was at CHA demoing her products.  My mom and I happened along as she was sitting up and I decided to ask her about paint and see if she had suggestions.  She was so very sweet and spent time with me talking about what I was making and what and why the paint made a difference.  She had tons of examples of her work out and told me how to do every single technique I asked about.  She made quick samples for me and gave them to me to help me remember what she shared with me.  I know she says it is her job to explain the products and share about using them, but still it was so kind to help me the way she did.  She totally opened my eyes and inspired me to a whole new avenue of creating as well as helping me find the solution to the paint drying part of classroom projects.  It is phenomenal what you can do with her line.  I can not wait to have it all in my hands and put into practice so much of what she shared with me. Huge thank you's to Claudine!  I truly appreciate your sharing!

You can find Claudine's products through Ranger.

Her website is-  Collage Artist

She shares tips and ideas here- Hip Art for Playful Hearts

Her blog is- Diary of Claudine Hellmuth