Bloom Project and an Announcement

Alright, this frame I created has been posted a few places now (including Crate Paper's blog!!!), so I think it's time I posted it here with a few directions.
This project was truly easy to create, it just takes a little time. The frame measures 12" x 12". I just happened to have an old frame in the right size that wasn't being used. It was black, so I used some Claudine Hellmuth paint to make it white. The background is a 12" x 12" piece of kraft colored card stock. I used my Silhouette to cut the brown outline of the flower and the word "Bloom". For you Silhouette users, the file is Chrysanthemum_CO583_20508. There are only 2 flowers as part of that file (the center and right hand flower), so I copied, pasted, flipped, and shrunk the flower on the right so it became the flower on the left. Then I used 1 piece of every paper from each of Crate Paper's new lines; Restoration, School Spirit, and Snow Day to fill in the petals. I only had small pieces of each of these papers, so I traced and cut each petal by hand (easy, but it does take a bit of time). The tracing and cutting don't need to be exact, because you attach the petals behind the brown outline of the flower, so you don't see the edges of your hand cut petals. I really love how this project turned out, and can't wait to do it again. I think the same technique would look really cool with Christmas ornaments, trees, or one large flower (no stem). If you have any questions about how this was done, please feel free to ask. If you want to see this project in real life, it's on display at A Walk Down Memory Lane in Rock Valley, IA.

Now on to a quick announcement. As some of you may know, I've been on the in store Design Team at A Walk Down Memory Lane for about a year now. Recently Lisa, the owner, asked me to be her Social Media Coordinator for both the physical location and the on-line store. What does that mean? Well, I'll be coordinating posts and hosting giveaways on AWMDL's Facebook Page, I'll be writing a few newsletters for the store, and I'll be posting projects, info, and all sorts of fun stuff on AWDML's blog every day (Monday - Friday). I'm excited to be starting this new position, and hope you'll join me in the fun!

Grunge Board Bracelets

I'm really excited to show you these bracelets today. I've seen bracelets like these pop up here and there around the Internet, but now I've finally had the chance to make some. I'm not sure who came up with this idea first, if anyone knows who did, let me know, I'd love to give them the credit here. They're relatively quick to make, and lots of fun. I made 6 to start out with, but you better believe I'll be making more. I think I'll try stamping on them the next go around. First I'll show you all 6 and give you a run down on how to make them yourself. Then I'll show each one individually and tell you the different items/techniques I used to embellish it. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

To make one of these:

1. Cut Tim Holtz Grunge Board to 1”, 1 ½” or 2” with. I used pre-embossed Grunge Board, but you can use the plain GB and emboss it yourself.

2. Paint the front side (the side with the bumps) of the GB with any kind of acrylic paint (I used Adriondack and Claudine Hellmuth). When the front side is dry, paint the back side. I painted all of my back sides a white, almost clear color so the color of the GB color could show through.
3. Sand the front side until the paint comes off the raised pattern, exposing the GB on the raised pattern.
4. Ink the front side of the bracelet. Then use a wet paper towel to wipe the ink off of the bracelet. The ink will wipe off of the painted areas, but not off the exposed GB (at this point you can add a clear, shimmery layer of paint or Glossy Accents if you like, but it is optional).
5. Add a way to fasten the bracelet. I set a snap into the bracelet for a fastener.
6. Add some embellishments to the bracelet. I sewed most of my accents on, I figured they would hold longer sewn than glued.

This one is one of my favorites. I painted it yellow, added orange ink, and embellished with flowers from Bo Bunny and a yellow button.

This one was done with purple paint and grey ink. I sealed over it with a pearl paint to give it a pearly sheen. I sewed on a pearl and crystal beads for the embellishment.

This one has green paint and brown ink. I traced and cut 2 flowers from the same Grunge Board I used to make the bracelet. I painted both flowers brown, then sanded them and inked them with a lighter brown ink. I sewed the button and both flowers onto the bracelet.

This one was painted red with grey ink. I set My Mind's Eye Red Lush Brads into the bracelet. I'm not sure how comfortable it will be having the brad ends on the inside of the bracelet, but I'm going to try it out.

This one was painted with blue paint and sponged with blue ink. I used a pearl paint on this one as well. The big metal flower is a decorative grommet from We R Memory Keepers. After setting the grommet, I sewed a button in the center.

This is my other favorite. It was painted with tan paint and inked with brown ink. The cork button is from Pink Paislee's Queen Bee line. I sewed it and the tan button onto the bracelet.

If you try these out, I'd love to see them. Just leave a link in the comments.