I was invited to a Scrapper’s weekend retreat, (Ok, really, I invited myself, but they said “yes”!) So I drove 45 minutes to St. Dorothy’s Rest, Camp Meeker, CA. yesterday afternoon and I am enjoying every minute of it. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t scrapbook, but I love being in the company of creative women. Most I know through my kids’ sports or school. We are in a house on the top of a hill inside a breathtaking valley. There is one large room that we are all set up in that overlooks pastures of grazing horses. We each have our own 6′ table and all brought lots to work on. I hope to have many more tutorials for you next week. I have to go to another house on the property for wireless, so later I will come back and post some photos. Have a great weekend!
I almost didn’t post this project, it wasn’t at all what I had in mind for a final project, but instead of throwing out what looked like a complete failure, I kept going with it and watched my project take a completely different look and actually, really like it!
I wanted to experiment with printing on leather. I have some scraps that my blogger/designer/etsy friend, Desirai in Florida, sent me in a crafty care package months ago. This leather was too thick to feed through my desktop printer (I’ve really pushed my luck cramming stuff into my poor Epson,) so I thought I would try fabric iron-on transfer sheets.
If you knew me, you’d know I have a terrible memory, especially as the tasks build up. And I had a stack of little yellow note pads that I picked up cheap when they were being discontinued at the grocery store a while back. I wanted to sew a beautiful leather note pad cover with a beautiful crisp image to tuck into my purse. Successfully iron on a cool graphic, stitch along the edges, line with cool fabric, you get the picture. So, with images off a CD-ROM from the book Label Art, by Dover-Pictura, I chose a beautiful root beer label and modified it in Photoshop and Illustrator.
I printed a transfer sheet, and usual, I always forget to flop the image before printing, so that takes care of the first sheet of every new package. But the second turned out perfect. I knew the image would loose it’s color brilliance when transferring to the taupe leather, figuring that would give a weathered look. So on to ironing…
Even with the steam turned off, there was quite a bit of moisture when ironing as the leather isn’t porous, and the transfer got pretty funky. So instead of tossing it, I trimmed it out like a patch, roughed it up by rubbing it on my jeans and other textured surfaces, and sewed it to some scrap denim cut from the leg of my husband’s old Levi’s. (He’ll never know.)
A fold here, seam there, a strap inside, then some fraying of the edges (because I wasn’t in the mood for more seams,) and I created a sort of Bohemian-Cowgirl-notepad-thingy.
I’m including a JPG of the modified image, you can click on it then drag it to your computer. Whether or not you make a note pad or use the image, hopefully you’ll be not only inspired to create outside the box, but to hang onto your mistakes until you think of a wonderful alternative.
Next I’ll try transfer sheets for dark fabric, they are more of an applied decal, I’ll keep you updated!
And while on the subject of taking notes, I wanted to share this fun neckace I made with darling little dance-card pencils I found on Etsy, that I attached to an old and broken rosary chain. You never know when you’ll need to write something down!
Last December through the end of February, I was a guest blogger at SC Johnson’s Right@Home website. If you missed my posts, I wanted to share my favorite with you on making your own vintage style sign.I cleaned up and lightly sanded a simple $2 cupboard door that I found at the recycle area of our local landfill {1}. Cupboard door panels, whether old or new, work well because most have nice framework around them. If there are hardware holes, simply fill with spackle, dry and sand before painting. Other things that work great as sign boards are center panels removed from an old door and tall baseboard moulding. Of course, most any surface can be painted on using these techniques, even your wall as long as there isn’t a texture to it.
First, measure the dimensions of the panel for the text {2}. Using craft acrylic paint, create a light colored background and paint the frame border to best match your decor. I painted a thin coat of white over the already light wood and painted the border a soft grey to go with the slate and stainless steel colors in my kitchen {3}.
Using decorative type on your computer or with letters from a typeface book, design your sign to the dimensions of the measured panel and outline the type {4}. I chose a baking theme since everyone in my family loves to bake. Enlarge your image to exact size and either print from your computer tiled into several sheets of paper or on a copy machine in sections. Line up and tape all pieces together, trimming away as much overlap as possible {5 & 6}.For transferring the lettering, you can use graphite transfer paper, found at most art supply stores. Or you can create the same effect by simply taping your sign to a window, with the back of the paper facing you and the lettering now appearing in reverse with the light coming through. With a standard pencil, scribble over all areas of type to be traced {7}.Once you’ve penciled the back of your paper, using masking tape, lay the design in place, face up on the board and adhere the top corners. Trace over all of the type with a ballpoint pen . Lift the paper as you go to be sure you are not missing any areas of the lettering {9}. When all type is transferred, remove paper and begin painting {10}. Most minor errors in your painting can easily be fixed later when sanding your piece.I added one additional border of black around the inside trim of the framework and gave the whole sign a aged and distressed look with sandpaper by sanding areas along the edges of the board & trim and sections of the painted type {11}. Finally, finish with a coat of spray surface sealer and hang!
I was invited to a Scrapper’s weekend retreat, (Ok, really, I invited myself, but they said “yes”!) So I drove 45 minutes to St. Dorothy’s Rest, Camp Meeker, CA. yesterday afternoon and I am enjoying every minute of it. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t scrapbook, but I love being in the company of creative women. Most I know through my kids’ sports or school. We are in a house on the top of a hill inside a breathtaking valley. There is one large room that we are all set up in that overlooks pastures of grazing horses. We each have our own 6′ table and all brought lots to work on. I hope to have many more tutorials for you next week. I have to go to another house on the property for wireless, so later I will come back and post some photos. Have a great weekend!
