Supplies List:

5"x 7" Cream Card
Bo Bunny - Double Dot Paper; Mellow Yellow, and Hot Pink
Darice - Clouds Embossing Folder #1217-53
Darice - Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Metallic Collection pack #GX-1960-01, bronze sheet
Darice - Bakers Twine Pink/white
Impression Obsession - Watering Can die #DIE155-A
Ranger Stickles - Diamond
Echo Park Jack and Jill Collection; Jill Floral, Dress Pattern and Cute as a Button Papers
Marvy Uchida - 2" Scalloped Cirlce Punch
Martha Stewart - Medium Frond Punch #M283047
Sticky Thumb Tape Runner
3M Foam Tape

Directions:

Cut Mellow Yellow paper to 3 3/4" wide x 4" and emboss with cloud folder, attach to top of card (centered and 5/8" from top) with tape runner

Cut Cute as a Button (woodgrain side) paper to sizes 4" x 1/2" and 4" x 1 1/2", cut the sides of larger piece at a slight angle to resemble a planter
    
Attach to bottom of card (centered and 5/8" from bottom). Tie bow around smaller piece with bakers twine (approx 12"). Adhere on top of larger piece with foam tape

Punch 1 - 2" scalloped circle with Hot Pink paper and cut in half (need only 1 half, adhere above planter in the center

Punch 1 - 2" scalloped circle with Jill Floral paper, cut in half, adhere on top of both sides of hot pink circle so the hot pink is peeking through

Punch 3 fronds with Dress Pattern paper and adhere, tucking behind scalloped pieces. Die cut watering can with Tim Holtz metallic bronze paper

Adhere to top right corner of yellow paper at an angle. Add "drops" of water with stickles to look like water coming out of the watering can

I had never heard of 'brain vacations' until a professor of mine included them in his power point class lecture. Some days it'd be the Grand Canyon, other days a tropical location- and they always followed with personal stories or facts about the location.

This easy to make "Beach in a Box" would look great on a work desk or in a home office- anywhere you might need a visual brain vacation!


Supplies used:


KAISERCRAFT makes these cute shadow boxes that are the perfect size to house a small collection or a few special trinkets. They also have a fabulous selection of paper, die cut shapes, and pretty much any other scrapbooking material you can think of. The paper pad I used was the "Salty Kisses" collection, along with the "Sandy Toes" pack of die cut shapes. Putting together the shadow box was like a mini puzzle, but I powered through (and there’s a photo to help you out!)



Keeping the box pieces in order is key in this project - mostly because the gluestick I used works really well - it would be very hard to peel off paper that was put somewhere you weren’t intending it to be. It was my first time using the PIONEER Embellishment Glue Stick and it did not disappoint! You can find it for under $3 at Craft Warehouse (www.craftwarehouse.com/). I didn’t have any peeling or bubbling problems at all. It’s a must have in your craft box for sure.



After figuring out what paper I wanted where, the next part to do was the bottom of the box - or in the case - the ‘sand’. I could have used paper or paint, but I thought I’d try for a textured effect. I did start with paper though, a wavy sand print. I used Golden Gel Meduim Molding Paste to add some texture. I just painted it on, following the sand lines on the paper, and used some toothpicks to swirl it around and a tissue to blot here and there.


Since I didn’t want the ‘sand’ to be white, I used Distress Ink by Tim Holtz (www.timholtz.com). The Vintage Photo ink, when watered down, makes a good sand color. By patting the inkpad with a tissue then spritzing with water, you can dab some color on the textured area and be in control of how much color you are putting on.



After paper is glued on and the sand base is completed, then comes the real fun part! I chose a few shell die cuts and quotes for the sand and sides but the real focal points was a beach chair and little red pail. Darice has a line of minis that are so cute and are perfect for projects like this. The little pail comes from their Timeless Minis collection. I filled it with some of the molding paste to add some realism - there are no clean, empty pails at the ocean! If I was the kind of person who saves sand, I would have sprinkled some on at this point - maybe just a reason to go to the coast!



For the edges I used more of the Distress Ink but in a different color - Evergreen Bough. I just ‘stamped’ it on the edges and then with a wet paintbrush dispersed the color to places that were hard to reach with the ink pad. After assembling the rest of the box (I just used the Golden Molding Paste as a binding agent but you could easily use hot glue too), all that was left was the cardboard drawer for the bottom.



The planks were on the same paper as my background ocean so I was able to utilize the whole sheet. I taped a little piece of paper to the inside that hangs out a little to serve as a handle until I can find a little shell to use as one. (Another reason to go to the coast!)

The KAISERCRAFT paper pad was full of so many gorgeous beachy designs it was hard to not go overboard on the outside of the shadow box. I did the sides with one sheet and the back with one that reminded me of a sunset. Add a couple more of the die cuts and voilà! The brain vacation shadow box is complete!



I didn’t seal the top on just yet, I’m determined to bring some sand from the coast to add to this later. I love the quote on the top - fits just perfectly for this project. Hopefully you are inspired to create your own mini brain vacation! Here’s to daydreaming of sand, the sea, the breeze in your hair…ahh, summer.


- Heather Valadez

Welcome local Northwest design team member Heather Valadez! We love Heather's mixed media style! She loves to get creative with canvas and paint which makes us just as happy! We've invited Heather to share with us what inspires her to be creative...




 How long have you been crafting? I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. I loved the idea of crafting to make gifts. I never had a lot of money so I would draw pictures, or make cards for gifts because it was all I could do. But people seemed to love it. So now, even though I could afford to go buy a gift, I try and make ones that I know the recipient couldn't get anywhere else while including a piece of their personality in it.

  

What inspires you to be creative? It really could be anything any given day. Perhaps a quote, a vibrant colored painting, a doodle, song lyrics, etc. There really isn't a concrete method to my madness. : ) I used to scrapbook all kinds of things from magazines just I so could keep them around in some way. But now we have Pinterest for that!




What Craft Warehouse products do you love to use? Do I have to pick just one thing?! I love drooling over all the paper, the selection is always great. I could easily be a paper hoarder. I love the vast selection of frames and canvases, both things that seem simple but can be hard to find for a great deal! I also really love all the wood pieces - ones you can Modge Podge stuff on and bam! You have a cute box, or plaque.




How can you encourage others reading this column? I think just helping people see that crafting doesn't just have to be for the pros - anyone can create something awesome with good supplies, some inspiration, and simple instruction. Also, that you can craft on a budget - because I always seem to be on a budget!

You will be completely inspired visiting Heather's blog and get to know her on Instagram! Visit again to see her mixed media tutorial she created for our readers!

Welcome local artist McCall Clifford! We LOVE McCall's DIY spirit! She loves to create anything special whether it is for her home, children in her life, or as a great gift! This month we are featuring DIY projects on our blog and thought McCall fit the definition perfectly! Here is what inspires her to be creative... 


I've been crafting since childhood. Arts became my way of life. I took all sorts of art and performing art classes and continue to.  I am currently working towards an art therapy major and minor in art education. Clearly I'm an art nut.

Arts and crafts has personally enriched my life in so many ways. It has helped me find relief from stress, improved my self esteem, and has helped me battle through a tough case of anxiety and depression through the years. Arts and crafts really is my therapy. Not completely free but a lot cheaper, and a lot more fun. ;)



I currently work as an art teacher at my local Boys and Girls Club here in Kennewick, Washington and I love every minute of it.

The children I work with really are the ones who inspire much of my creativity. I love watching kids try their hardest at art and craft projects and seeing them improve. I love to see their eyes light up when they finish and feel great about what they've created. I am also very inspired by color. I LOVE bright and fun colors. (as you can see on my blog. ha.)


I could go on for days about all the awesome products at Craft Warehouse I've purchased. To name a few.... my personal favorites are: The wooden coaster tiles (for my wall scrabble craft), Jelly Pens/ black markers for my doodles, fabric sales are amazing, and the variety of kid art activities/booklets that I give out for prizes to my work kiddos. I love it all.



It's not about how good you are at arts and crafts, its about taking and enjoying the time for yourself to create.

One of my favorite quotes: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul" -Dieter F Uchtdorf

Seriously, those Zentangle shoes!!! Make sure you come back for McCall's "Frozen" DIY project she made tomorrow! You won't want to miss it! In the meantime be inspired some more on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest feeds!

 

Welcome back to our Designer Spotlight where we feature local artists like NW mixed media artist Dana Sanchez! We love Dana's style and her art completely wowed us when we saw it! We knew we wanted her to share some of her knowledge with our customers and are pleased to have her designing for our store! Here is a little bit about what inspires Dana to create...





How long have you been crafting?
 
 As a mom of four and creative person I've been scrapbooking since 1998 when I decided to personalize my son's baby book.  I searched for weeks for post-bound book that I could add my own pages to.  Baby books are filled with questions to answer and pages for specific photos. This felt so confining to me.  I wanted to be able to add my son's story and all the things that were important to me, plus, I didn't want to be confronted with the guilt of leaving spaces empty.  As three more children were added to the mix, they each needed a personalized baby book, by the time I had my daughter,  I'd moved on to the 8 ½ x 11 albums and started working with 12x12 and I had more than enough of a “stash” to start making a family album.



What inspires you to be creative?

There are so many things that inspire me to be creative.  First it was this need to “remember and save” the memories.  I've read articles on how sometimes it is important for mom's to come out from behind the camera,” But I have to say, with four children born one right after the other, their days pass in a blur.  I cherish every photograph I ever took and wish I had taken more -with a better camera.

These days, as I become more comfortable in my creative skin, I find everything inspires me.  My Faith, my family, bright colors, Pinterest, illustration, new technique videos- my ten-year-old daughter is an amazing illustrator. The scraps and comics she just leaves laying around the house often inspire me and I've created a couple of mixed-media canvases with them.

I have to be careful, I see a different style, or something with bright colors, or something wonderfully altered, and I'm just, “Oooh shiny!  I want to make that!”



 What Craft Warehouse products do you love to use?

There are just not a lot of local art resource options and Craft Warehouse is my go-to spot.  I love walking into that store.  They have lovely home decorating displays to explore, (which often inspire the mixed-media craving in me)  but the big draw for me is the scrapbook and Arts section.  Pretty much everything on the left side of our Vancouver store!  Craft Warehouse carries Tim Holtz, Thickers, Pima flowers and Petaloo, Teresa Collins, and We R Memory Keepers to name a few.  I  love the Tim Holtz Ideology line, and I think both boxes of the Tim Holtz tissue papers that I use in my collaged-mixed-media were purchased from Craft Warehouse when I found them on sale. 

Plus, there is a great selection of wood that can be altered for projects.  My absolute favorite surface right now for mixed media and collage is this 12 x 12 that set in a little box frame.  I can't find it anywhere else, it's a locally made product and only Craft Warehouse has it.



How can you encourage others reading this column?

When I started my first scrapbooks and my first mixed media project I kept telling myself that it was for me, and nobody else.  I am the audience I'm making this for me and I'm the only one who needs to be satisfied.  I would encourage others to make art for themselves, as a way to tell and express their own personal story.   Stories are everywhere around us, in our families, our history, in our day.  Knowing where you come from helps you know where you are going. The story is everything.   Even if we don't have time for eloquent journaling or finding the perfect quote, the story is in the photo.  Once you have your story, don't compare yourself to anyone else. It's your personal story!

I am just a home crafter who has never even taken a class because of time restraints and financial reasons . I've learned as I go, and I love learning new things.  Anyone can do this.  Everyone should do this.

Creating with myself as my audience helped build confidence to start creating for others.  When one of my boys took special mini book I had made him to show and tell while simultaneously reading through it so much it became dog eared- It's hard to describe how pleased that made me.  Or when I made my eleven year old laugh with a story/mini-album I had made for him.  Or that time I made my husband cry...

I am more than just someone who plays with paper- I have lot's of stories to tell, share, and give away.  My Grandma always wanted to write a book, my mom says someday she still might write her book, but I have two shelves of albums stuffed with already written stories to share with my family and cherish the rest of my life.

There are so many ways to ease into this paper-love hobby, so many ways it can go, that there is no reason anyone can't do it and feel like they have accomplished something wonderful.

Visit Dana on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, and Pinterest to be even more inspired!

 ICE Resin is a fun and versatile product.  Although used mostly in jewelry, there are many other uses for the product and I had a lot of fun showing you a new way to use the product to create a beautiful Christmas Inspired Wood Star for your home.









Instructions:

Start with the wood star, cutting various pieces of paper to create a collage on the bottom of the star.  Once you have it adhered, spray with red color spray to give a nice uniform base to the project.


Cut out Santa, words, postcard or any that you desire and adhere to the paper inside the wood star. 



Also cut out other images that we will also cover in resin to add to the outside of the project.  They also make cute ornaments once you cover in resin, as well.



Mix your ICE Resin and pour a thin layer in the bottom of the wood star.  Use a foam brush to move it around and cover the entire bottom surface.  This will create a base.  Mix more ICE Resin and pour into the wood star and create an even layer of the resin. 


Add your found objects, glitter, mesh, etc as the ICE Resin will serve as an adhesive to hold the items in place.  Keep your wood star flat on your surface, the resin takes 24 hours to set.  Be sure the layer is thick enough that heavier items sit down into it. I have added small real gears into Santas beard to give him a Steampunk feel.




Leave overnight to set.  Then you can use a cream colored paint to give it a distressed look.



- Candy Rosenberg