Life's A Picnic

Hello Friends!!  This is Joyce Shaulis with my last post with the 2016 Susan K. Weckesser creative design team.  This month, we're making gifts that we can give away to strangers, neighbors, or friends.  I had these miniature picnic baskets on hand just waiting for creativity to strike!  I thought these would be adorable to fill with candy and given away as little gifts. 

For this crafty project, I used Susan's co-branded stamp set, "Going Wild".  To begin, I used the clearsnap mini POP ink in Mystery to stamp the fox and the owl on white cardstock. 

Next, I used the mini POP ink in Kiss and Fresh on the basket lids.  I just swiped the ink pad right onto the wood lid.  I also used a damp paintbrush to fill in small areas where I couldn't get into with the ink pad. 
I colored in the images with markers and cut them out.

I used Decoart acrylic paints in red, yellow, light and dark green to paint plaid and polka dots on the  lids, on top of the red and green ink. 
After experimenting a bit, I decided to add a border around the images so they would stand out better.  I glued the images on top of cream colored cardstock and cut around them.   I lettered out the words "Be Merry" and "You are loved" with an ultra fine sharpie marker onto white cardstock and cut them out in rectangular shapes. 

 

 

With an old paintbrush, I brushed Decou-page on the back of the cut out images and adhered them to the lids.  When they were dry, I brushed more Decou-page on top of the images.  After completely drying, I outlined all images with a charcoal pencil and gently smudged them with a Q-tip. 

I added dashes, a squiggly line and dots around the lid border with paint and a small paintbrush.  Then I coated the surfaces with the Decou-page.  When dry, I sprayed them with Decoart's acrylic matte sealer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my final 2016 project, as I have enjoyed sharing ideas with you these past months.  I hope you have a beautiful Holiday Season with loved ones and family. 

 

 

Joyce Shaulis                     Susan K. Weckesser Creative Design Team Member

 

 

Susan K. Weckesser products used:

https://www.unitystampco.com/  Going Wild

https://www.clearsnap.com/ mini POP inks in: Mystery, Kiss, Fresh

 

Other products used:

https:decoart.com/ acrylic paints in red, yellow, light green, dark green. Decou-page, Acrylic matte sealer

https://kuretakezig.us markers

miniature picnic baskets from Michaels

charcoal pencil

 ultra-fine Sharpie marker

Q-tip 











Believe In Yourself Art Journal

Hello all

I am back with another mixed media journal page for the Susan K Weckesser team. The theme on the blog this month is mixed media and one of my favorite themes. 

I started off by applying modeling paste around the page using a stencil and then i spritzed DecoArt Media Misters on top. I spritzed water over to dilute the colors.

Next i added more colors using acrylic paint which i painted on in blocks of color. I then used the In Circle Me stamp to add a textured layer to the background. I used a stencil with black modeling paste for the quote and writing. I let it all dry and then added another layer of stencils.

I used the A Little Grunge Love stamp set and used the Clearsnap Color Pop Mini inks to color them with. I glued them down and once dry i went over the top with a stencil to create a textured effect.

I used the A Little Bit Washi stamps and stamped them on to tissue paper. I learned this trick of Susan and this way you can position the images before gluing them down.

Thank you for visiting 

Paint your own rainbow art page with Irit

Hello my dear crafty friends and welcome to my second  September post made for Susan K. Weckesser blog.

This time it's an art page made with lovely Susan's products and some recycling too.

So here is my small step by step tutorial:

1. Use texture paste  with stencil to make the bricks over the thick cardstock page that was covered with gesso.

Then I added some texture circles made over punched cardstock with the same texture paste  (not shown as a separate photo). Let all paste dry!

2. Use Susan's Clearsnap Color Pop mini inks to make the rainbow over the page. I also added Clearsnap yellow and purple inks to make the full range of rainbow colors over the page. The colors used here are Kiss, Sky, Fresh and Ice.

 Add a line of each ink over the the top side of the page and mist with water over it.

3. From this step over I didn't take the step by step photos and there is only written steps for the rest of this page.
First I added all flowers from Israeli post stamps booklet. I love recycling and those rainbow colors from the booklets are so lovely!
Now  stamp the Unicorn image with Susan's Unity co-branded stamp (Unicorns and Rainbows set) and color it with Zig Real Brush watercolors. Hand cut the unicorn image and glue it over the page with Gel Medium.
Stamp the " paint your own rainbows" saying using the same stamp set all over the page using Susan's  mini ink in Mystery color. Add a stamped rainbow image over the page and leave it in a very light colors; this is just a small rainbow we are looking for after the rain.

Woodland Gnome Hideaway

     Mixed Media Mania!  I love mixed media and I love to recycle in my art.  Hi!  This is Joyce Shaulis here today to show you how to make a cute gnome woodland hideaway using an ostrich egg shell and Susan's fabulous mini POP inks and her adorable gnome stamp set. 

To begin, I used the mini POP ink from Clearsnap, in Mystery and Susan's co-branded stamp set,
What's up Gnomey?  I stamped out multiple pieces on white cardstock.

For the background of the hideaway scene, I smudged Ice ink on a half of sheet of rice paper.  I then smudged Sky over top of the Ice.  On the other half of the rice paper, I smudged Fresh ink and then Cocoa on top of that.  Neutral or white tissue paper could be used as well if no rice paper is available.

 

 

I then used the mini POP inks like watercolors.  I pressed the ink pad onto a foam palette and then I was able to paint with a watercolor brush.  For this project, I used Ice, Sky, Fresh, Cocoa, Mystery, and Shimmer. 

  

Next, I brushed Decou-Page on the inside of the ostrich egg and smoothed out the inked rice paper.  I overlapped to cover all areas.  Wrinkles give a nice textured affect.  I then brushed overtop the adhered paper with more Decou-Page.

 

 

Using the back side of the "Live in Color" scrapbook paper, I cut small pieces in geometric shapes approximately 3/4" x 1/2".  I used modeling paste and a palette knife to smear small sections of paste and then I directly adhered the cut paper pieces.  I applied the paste about 1/8" thick or less.  I covered the whole exterior of the egg with the paper mosaic.  I allowed it to dry overnight, then I coated each paper piece with the Decou-Page.  I let this dry and then I sprayed the whole exterior and interior with a matte acrylic spray. 

  

 

 

I cut out all the gnome stamped and painted pieces.  I edged them all with the Mystery ink.  Then with hot glue, I glued wood picks to the back of all the pieces for stiffness, allowing about 1/4" of the pick to stick out from the bottom. 

  



 

 

I stained three wood balls with Ice, to be used as feet for the egg.  I adhered the balls to the bottom of the egg with modeling paste.    

 



  

 

 

With natural items like bark, wood, alder cones, acorns, I started hot gluing them inside the scene working from the back to the front. 

  











 

  

I continued to decorate the woodland hideaway, adding natural pieces and putting in my gnome.  I used reindeer moss and glued all around the edge of the egg, adding acorns and the painted leaves. 

 

 

 

I glued in the painted mushrooms and flowers.  I then embellished with tiny dried straw flowers. 

 





 

 

I hope you enjoyed my mixed media piece.  I am sure you can be creative and find other items to use for a woodland hideaway if you don't have an ostrich egg available.  Thank you for visiting and feel free to leave a comment. 

 

 

Joyce Shaulis     Susan K. Weckesser Creative Design Team Member

 

 

Susan K. Weckesser Products: 

 

What's Up Gnomey?  https://www.unitystampco.com/

Mini POP inks https://ww.clearsnap.com/  Mystery, Kiss, Fresh, Shimmer, Fresh, Cocoa, Sky

Live in Color  scrapbook paper

 

Other Products:

Decou-Page https://decoart.com/

hot glue and glue gun

rice paper

empty ostrich egg

3  1" wood balls

straw flowers

modeling paste

acrylic matte spray

nature findings: wood, bark, acorns, alder cones

 



 

I { Heart } Coffee

As September comes to an end, I will celebrate our friendship theme again - this time  with a Coffee card. Anyone who knows me will tell you how much I enjoy my coffee.. But I think that part of the reason that I like coffee so much is that I very often share my coffee time with friends. It is often in person but I also have many wonderful "conversations" with online friends as I sit in my studio sipping my cup of Joe..

I have a group of online friends in a Facebook Group called Coffee Loving Papercrafters. There are over 1000 members in the group. We share our love of all things coffee -- cards, stamps, dies, flavored coffee etc. Several times a year, there is a Coffee Lovers Blog Hop where we can link up our Coffee, Tea or Cocoa projects.This year the Hop coincides with my assigned post for Susan so what did you think my idea for this post would be ??? Coffee, of course !! But wait -- Susan doesn't have a coffee image !! Well, I wasn't going to let that small detail stop me...

I stamped the ornament from an { Artful } Ornament  with Colorbox Color Pop ink in Mystery and then traced a coffee sleeve on the stamped image and cut it out. It was colored with Distress Markers.. The coffee cup and lid are from the Sizzix "Fresh Brewed" Bigz Die. A piece of colorful cardboard created the coffee lid.. Small banners were punched out of Color Burst paper and curled a bit using a bone folder and to add another pop of color and some texture, a piece of We R Memory Keepers Bakers twine was wrapped around the top of the card.. I used my DYMO Pink Caption maker to create the sentiment at the bottom of the card..

I'd love for you to take the time to leave a comment and also to follow this blog...  I am hoping that sometime soon Susan K. Weckesser Inc. will create a coffee/tea themed stamp set and then I will be ready for the next Coffee Lovers Blog Hop !! Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects over on the Coffee Loving Papercrafters website and get some amazing inspiration !!

An {Artful } Ornament

Thank you for visiting { My Sweet Earth }.

Debra Davison

Susan K Weckesser Creative Team

Love Is in the Details....

Sometimes a card is not fancy.

Sometimes it is just made especially for someone you love.

My daughter is away.

We miss her like crazy.

I made this card for her.

I wrapped the card stock behind the stamped piece with vintage string.

This stamp was perfect for what I am feeling...

I will be dropping this in the mail soon this week...

She loves to get snail mail...

Make a card for someone you love....

Stamps from Heart-FULL Homes stamp set

Brooke Bock, Susan K. Weckesser Design Team 2016

Going Wild with Irit

Hello my dear crafty friends and welcome to my first small tutorial post for September made with Susan K. Weckesser products.

I was not sure what this project will be, but it became the Mixed Media card. 

So here are all step for your inspiration:

1. Die cut the thick white cardstock with stitched rectangle die and paint with 4 different paints from Tattered Angels range. As you can see I didn't even use the green color, but the mix made it green with just a bit of other colors seen.

2. Die cut the circle from the painted panel with Die Versions die.

3. Use Susan's Doodle stencil and ColorBox Color Pop Snow ink to add some borders to the card.Let it dry or use your heat gun as this is pigmented ink.

   

4. Going Wild co- branded with Unity Susan's  set Fox was stamped with Color Pop mini Cocoa ink and hand cut later.

5. And this is a finished card.

The sentiment was stamped with the same Snow ink over the card.As this ink is pigmented let it dry for a few minutes or use your heat gun.

The fox was painted with Zig Real Brush colors and covered with glaze.

I also added the faux stitching with white pen inside the circle.

"Friends Forever" Friendship Card

Hi Crafty Friends!  Joyce Shaulis here today sharing a quick and easy friendship card with you using Susan K. Weckesser's fabulous ink, stamps, and scrapbook paper. 

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the day with my two best friends that I've known since elementary school.  I won't tell you how many years that's been, but we did the math and it's a lot!!!  For this card, I used a photo of myself with my one friend from 1982.  I will be happy to send her this card as we cherish our years of memories. 

To start, I made a card using light yellow cardstock measuring 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" when folded.  Then, I cut a piece of the "Live in Color" scrapbook paper 5" x 4", using the green back side.  Then, I cut out two flowers from the same paper from the front. 

Next, I stamped with Mystery mini POP ink and quotes from the Insta-Cute stamp set onto yellow cardstock. I also stamped the framed image onto light yellow cardstock, also with Mystery.  Then I cut these images out and edged them with Mystery ink. 

I then edged the two flowers, the card, and the green background piece with Mystery ink. 

I copied my original photo and cut it to size to fit in the desired place.  I glued each layer down using mini glue dots.  I also cut tiny flowers from the "Live in Color" paper and edged them in Mystery.  I attached those with mini glue dots also.  I added an additional sentiment inside the card. 

 

 

 

Thank you for allowing me to share my friendship memory and card with you today.  Be sure to share a card, a call, or a special gift with a good friend today.  Friendships are a true treasure. 

 

 

Susan K. Weckesser products:

 

"Live in Color" scrapbook paper

Mini POP inks - Mystery  https://www.clearsnap.com/

Insta-Cute rubber stamp set https://www.unitystampco.com/

 

Other products:

 

Mini Glue Dots http://www.gluedots.com

Yellow and light yellow cardstock

Copy of a personal photo

 

Joyce Shaulis       Susan K. Weckesser Design Team Member