The tell-tale heart - a cuff in the making

Hey all! I've been learning and playing with our Instant UV Resin recently and having loads of fun. I'm the first to admit I'm way behind when it comes to resin. I know it's been around for a while and I've seen some beautiful pieces created using resin. So let me explain my first attempt to you.

Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

I gathered my supplies:
Piccolo Instant UV Resin
Piccolo Pure Gold Sparkle Glitter
Piccolo Heart Buttons (these are brand new!)
Piccolo 3D Enamel Gel in Buttercream
Piccolo Glastique Gloss Finishing Glaze
UV Lamp
Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Gesso
Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet
Karen Foster Floss
blank cuff

I began by coating all my Piccolo bookboard pieces with Gesso. This provides a primed, clean and ready surface to accept whatever I want to use to on them. I applied Glastique Gloss to the larger of the solid hearts and adhered a piece of vintage index page to it. When it was dry I sanded the edges and inked them lightly with a brown ink.

The heart was then coated with a layer of Piccolo Instant UV Resin and placed under the UV Lamp to cure. With the lamp it was cured within a few minutes. Natural light can be used to cure the Piccolo Instant UV Resin if you do not have access to a UV Lamp. It adds a really nice acrylic-like coating to the piece that provides a solid protection surface - and it shines!

I coated some additional hearts with Piccolo 3D Enamel Gel to add a touch of color, but in the end opted not to use them (they'll be ready for another project). After using Piccolo 3D Enamel Gel in Buttercream to coat a flourish piece and a few more hearts, I stamped over the surface when dry with Ranger's Coffee Archival Ink to add some texture. The pieces were also coated with Piccolo Instant UV Resin.

While the pieces were drying and/or curing, I cut and glued a scrap fabric piece to the blank cuff. I left the edges unfinished which add to the vintage look once they begin to fray. I secured the heart buttons to the covered cuff with Karen Foster Floss. Midway through the project I decided I really preferred only three of the buttons on the cuff so chose not to add the rest.

This project was really easy to put together. The resin coatings on the pieces provide protection and dimension and I have a casual cuff that looks great with any summer outing!

Unpretentious meets elegant brocade

In keeping with the monthly challenge of using our Globecraft & Piccolo embossing powders to create a background, I used a large background stamp to replicate the look of brocade.

I love this photo of my mother. She's young, sitting in her dad's rocking chair with her legs crossed and her pant legs rolled up, holding onto her Brownie camera. So natural, casual and unpretentious. I decided to create a background that would be in direct contrast to her.
Here's what I used:

Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

• Piccolo Copper Kettle Embossing Powder
• Piccolo Chunky Black Embossing Powder
• Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive
• Sizzix Primitive Hearts die
• Ranger Heat-it Tool
• Karen Foster Floss
• Buttons
• Seam Binding
• Chipboard letters from stash
• Stick pin from stash
• Cardstock

I used a large background stamp from JudiKins titled Esponge. The crackle effect you can achieve with this stamp has always intrigued me and I thought it might work well to create an elegant brocade.

It all started with a piece of plain greyish beige cardstock. I inked the stamp with the Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive and stamped onto the cardstock, starting in the upper corner.

I sprinkled the stamped image with Piccolo Copper Kettle Embossing Powder, which has a hint of glitter in it. Then I heat set till melted smooth. I continued across the entire paper inking, stamping and heating one image at a time and lining them up the best I could.

 

Well, that turned out so nice, I couldn't stop! I grabbed three corrugated hearts from my stash of die cuts. I inked these, one-at-a-time, sprinkled with embossing powder and heat set. When it was cool to the touch I repeated the steps again, building four layers. I prepped my stamp with another coating of Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive.

Then, I heated the heart to melt the powders again and quickly pressed the inked stamp into the hot and juicy, melted powders. You want to leave the stamp sit in the melted powder for one-to-two minutes to cool before removing.

Cool look isn't it? Lots of depth and texture. I did this to all three hearts then added a ribbon, stick pin, and some pink gems.

I took two random chipboard letters from my stash to spell the title. They were inked and embossed with one coat of the Piccolo Copper Kettle embossing powder. They were too perfect and smooth and needed a bit more of something so I pulled out my Piccolo Chunky Black embossing powder. I inked the letters again sort of haphazardly so I wouldn't get good coverage. I sprinkled then lightly with the Chunky Black powder and tapped hard to knock a good amount of the powder off.  As I heat set this combo the Copper Kettle rose to the surface and the Chunky Black sunk so it creates the look of marble. A nice little surprise, but a very welcome one!

 

I wasn't done yet! The frame needed some help as well so I reached for my trustee buttons. When all else fails - add some buttons! I inked the stamp up again and stamped the buttons with it, sprinkled on the Copper Kettle embossing powder and heat set before adding some Karen Foster Floss.

I printed my journaling on a manilla shipping tag and just tucked it under the brown seam binding that runs across the page.

I am really pleased with the way the brocade-looking background worked out. The chipboard letters really pop on the page, and the hearts - just loads of chunky goodness there! Here's another look.

G&P announces Design Team members!

We're so excited to announce our Globecraft & Piccolo Design Team members: Diana Gonzalez, Heather Hudson, Arin Flynn, Tracy Alden, Candy Spiegel, Laura Drahozal and Linda Neff.

We're looking forward to all the exciting, inspiring and creative goodness to come from this team over the next several months. We'll be introducing them to you over the next few days. So, to begin - meet:

Diana Gonzalez from Brooklyn, New York. Diana's work has been published in Greencraft magazine, BUST, and Time Out New York. She has been a design team member for Clear Snap and did work for Bombshell stamps, Art Institute Glitter, Mohawk Papers, Pan Pastels, and many others. Diana is a self-taught mixed-media artist with almost six years of blogging experience. Check out her blog : www.arteypoemas.com. In addition to blogging, she has five years of teaching experience, having taught at Kate's Paperie, Brooklyn Spacecraft, Brooklyn Bead Shop, and others.

Heather Hudson from Pinckney, Michigan. Heather lives with her two teenage sons, hubby and two kitties. She is a Registered Nurse, working with ventilator-dependent teens. Heather currently works full time, and designs for Gecko Galz, Really Reasonable Ribbon and Art Glitter. In the past she has designed for Bella Creations (closed now), Sugar Creek Hollow, Scrap Tales, and Pro 31 Designs.  Heather has been interested in paper crafting since 2010. She enjoys painting, pottery and of course digital images and paper! Her ambition is to learn more about mixed-media and jewelry crafting. Take a look at her blog:  http://heatherahudson.blogspot.com/

Arin Flynn from southern California. Arin's crafting motto is, "serving up a slice of creativity" with combining life and creative ingredients of paper, ribbon, glitter and anything else I can toss into the crafty mix! Arin and her husband are parents to two daughters, ages 3 and 4. Arin traded in her employment law books and employment relations (glorified adult babysitting) to stay home and start a family. That is when the crafting bug really bit! "Paper crafting is something I love with a passion and creating things from home decor to party decorations brings me joy and satisfaction. I created a crafting blog in 2011 and am slowly finding my way among the never-ending talent and inspirations that make up the online crafting community. In February of 2012 I had the honor of seeing my first published project sitting on shelves in local retail stores. In July of 2012 I had the joys of being accepted to be a member of a popular Cricut challenge blog, Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog." Visit her blog at http://apieceoflifespie.com/

Stay tuned for introductions to more team members this week.

Globecraft is attending the Great Lakes Mega Meet in Novi, Michigan from May 9-11. If you're in the area stop and see us!

Coffee and card-making

 

I settled in on a warm Spring evening with a good cup of coffee and some Piccolo Embossing Powder to create some cards to have on hand for special occasions. 

My first try was using one of my favorite Wendy Vecchi stamps: Well Worn Art. There's a weed stamp in this set that I find myself using over and over in a variety of ways. This time I inked the stamp with my Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive and stamped the image on a piece of heavy-weight white cardstock. Then I sprinkled over the area with our new Platinum Embossing Powder and gently tapped the excess off.

 

There's a mix of sizes of powder in the jar and so I got this amazing vintage-style image when I set it with the heat tool. 

The entire background is over-stamped with another Wendy Vecchi stamp from Live and Make Art. It's a large script background stamp using Ranger Archival Ink in Coffee. It is then inked with Distress Inks - Broken China, Mustard Seed and Dried Marigold. Cool eh?

I spritzed it with Blue Smoke Perfect Pearls Mists and heat set.

Then I went around the edges with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks to define the edges.

The sentiment is also from Well Worn Art (Wendy Vecchi) and is stamped on white cardstock with Archival Coffee Ink and heat set. Then I punched it out with an scallop oval Marvy punch and inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

 

It's all assembled (mounted on a dark green cardstock) then onto a basic white card. The sentiment is raised with dimensional foam tape and gems were added to a couple of the weed heads to complete the look.

So, grab a cup of coffee of your own and visit my blog for a look at a previous post that shows off additional cards using Globecraft products.

One product, so many uses

I wanted to share a tip about one of our products that I get a lot of use from — Glastique.

This clear-dry liquid glue comes in one ounce or four ounce bottles. It is also available in a matte or glossy finish.

In addition to performing its job as a liquid adhesive, it also makes a great collage medium and finisher/sealer. It can be easily applied with your finger or a brush. I've used it as both the collage medium and sealer on this canvas.

Here, I've used it as an adhesive to connect the rings on the DIY Ornaments that I assemble so frequently.

If it is added in a thick coat straight from the bottle, it adds a nice bit of dimension and protection to your article like this little pumpkin.

 

Remember when using liquid adhesive - a little goes a long way. Too much glue and it doesn't have a chance to set up and connect. Less is more. I like to squeeze out a thin line of glue and pinch my pieces together for a few seconds to ensure good contact between the pieces. For larger objects, like the DIY Ornaments, I recommend using clip clothespins or binder clips to hold tight while the glue is setting.

I really appreciate that I can get so many uses from one product. And, it cleans up easily and quickly with water. No special cleaner required.

More DIY Ornaments!

 

And, YES! It's yet another DIY Ornament from me - Linda! I can't seem to get enough of these. This one is for my aunt who hasn't been feeling well lately. The photo inset is her, her sister (my Mom) and their brother. I think she'll like it.

I started with our Globecraft & Piccolo Portrait DIY Ornament Kit, which by the way, includes two complete ornaments. I coated the outer rings with our Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive in the dabber bottle then sprinkled on G&P Vintage Copper Embossing Powder and heat set it. I layered two coats of embossing powder to create that lovely texture and color on the rings.

I printed out two small identical photos and distressed the edges then applied a bit of Ranger's Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

When all was ready I glued a piece of thin wire between the photos so I could support them between the globes once the ornament is assembled.

I created a charm from our Butterfly Charm Set using our 3D Enamel Gels and our new Piccolo UV Resin. Jump on over to my blog for a quick tutorial on the charm.

Unlocking the secret to faux metal

It's no secret I absolutely love our Piccolo Embossing Powders. I especially enjoy all the different looks that can be achieved with them - like the faux metal look of the door lock and key on this tag. I'm Linda, and if you would to like follow along, I'll explain how you can also achieve this look. Read on ...

Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

I started with a simple little book board piece from our extensive collection of Piccolo Accents and Charms. These pieces are from our Vintage Lock & Keys. After removing the pieces from their backing coat them with our Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive, which comes in a dabber bottle for easy application and great coverage.

Place your book board piece on a scrap of paper that you have creased in the middle (for easy pouring back into the jar). Roll the jar of Piccolo Embossing Powder a few times to blend all the granules (shaking can make the larger particles sink to the bottom so rolling the jar will give you greater success). Gently sprinkle the powder on top of the coated book board piece and tip off excess.

The different sizes of granules and color variations will give you a luscious look.

Place your covered piece onto a non-stick craft sheet and heat set till your finish is fairly smooth and shiny.

This is how it will look after setting the first coating. I prefer to add two to three layers, heat setting between each to create a rustic and aged appearance. When the piece is cool to the touch dab on another coating of the Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive and gently sprinkle another coating of Piccolo Embossing Powder on it. Gently tip the excess off (tapping the excess off may cause your larger granules to fall off and you'll lose all that great dimension and texture so I simple tip the excess off) and heat set.

On this second coating do not heat set till smooth. When you see the granules begin to melt move onto another area; heat set it just enough to hold but not till it is smooth. It may take a couple practice runs but this method really gives your the old-world look of metal. We call this the heat-flash technique and there is a video on the web site.

Second coat of Piccolo Embossing Powder using the heat-flash technique.

Once this is done (I did the key the same way) add a coating of Glastique Gloss and let it dry thoroughly. The Glastique has a chemical reaction with the Piccolo Embossing Powder and speeds up the patina finish.

A coat of Glastique Gloss added to the embossed pieces to create a patina.

I used Piccolo Vintage Copper Embossing Powder on these pieces and the Glastique will cause the green to turn almost black - really cool look! It's a quick, easy and very inexpensive technique for creating faux metal pieces from nothing more than compressed book board.

I 

These pieces were used on a tag that is attached to a scrapbook page. If you like this and would like to see another use of Globecraft & Piccolo products, hop on over to my personal blog to check it out! 

Supplies:

• Piccolo Vintage Copper Embossing Powder
• Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive
• Vintage Lock & Keys Accents
• Glastique Gloss Finishing Glaze
• heat tool

Check your local scrapbook or stamp for our Piccolo products or click the link below to shop if you can't find them locally. 

Making a heart smile

'You make my heart smile' DIY Ornament

Linda here and I seem to remember that a while back I promised a closer look at the ornaments strung from my altered lamp shade I made in December. The decorated piece traveled all the way to California for CHA and then back to Michigan. I picked it up just before my Mystery Mini Book Retreat and had it on display there.

The students really liked it and thought it would make a great little piece in a little girls room or hanging in a feminine little corner of the home. Me, I just love making these ornaments. Such a nice little gift for someone. A piece they can hang from a drawer pull or door knob. I like to hang mine on lamp pulls so the light shines through them.

So here's how this one started:

• DIY Ornament
• Pink Rose 3D Enamel Gel
• Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gel
• Vintage Hearts Charm Set 
• Glastique Gloss
• Gesso
•  Embossing folder and embossing machine
• Clip Art (this one is from Crafty Secrets)
• Garden Moss (from a craft store)
• Ribbon and beads to coordinate
• thin bead wire
• printed phrases

Linda Neff
http://linda-neff.com

I started by placing both the DIY Ornament outer rings in an embossing folder and dry embossed them. Depending on the embossing folder size you may be able to fit both rings otherwise emboss them separately. Then I brushed a thin coat of Gesso on all three rings (front and back of center ring and just one side of the outer rings); set it aside to dry. The thin coat will dry fast and the gesso provides the perfect white background to show off the delicate pink color or the Pink Rose 3D Enamel Gel.

When the gesso is dry, I squeezed the Pink Rose 3D Enamel Gel onto the two outer rings (on the gesso side) and spread it around with my finger unevenly. While you're spreading it on the one the other is already dry. Then I squeezed on the Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gel and worked it into the grooves and crevices made by the embossing. I love spreading the enamel gels around with fingers - makes me feel like a little kid fingerpainting! I let this dry and just repeated the layers allowing them to dry in-between, until I achieved the look that appealed to me.

DIY Ornament painted with Gesso then Piccolo 3D Enamel Gels for color.

I spread a layer of the Pink Rose 3D Enamel Gel on the center ring as well so the color would flow equally on all three pieces.

I chose my clip art to use inside (Crafty Secrets) and distressed the edges and inked them a bit with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I had to reprint the phrase on white cardstock so I could cut it to fit inside the globe. This ornament can be seen from both sides so I chose another clip art piece the same size and before adhering the two pieces together ran a piece of the thin beading wire up the center to make the clip art appear as though it is floating. I wrapped the wire (that's sticking out the top of the clip art) around a wooden skewer to make some curly ques. The wire is actually long enough that it comes out the top and the bottom of the ornament so I could string some beads and hearts. I treated the Piccolo hearts in the same manner as the DIY Ornament rings to add color and dimension.

Piccolo Vintage Hearts Charm Set with 3D Enamel Gels for color.

I was ready for assembly.

• Add a thin line of Glastique around the inner edge of the bottom ornament ring (unfinished side and about 1/4 inch from the inner edge). Lay the globe into the ring and use wooden clothespin to clip it together while the Glastique sets up.
•  Lay the wired clip art across the center of the bottom globe (you can actually do this while the globe is clipped to the ring).
• Determine placement for your printed phrase for this half of the ornament and adhere into place.
• Pinch a very small amount of moss into the bottom portion of the globe and determine where your last printed phrase will sit and adhere it into place as well.
• Add a thin line of Glastique to the backside of the center ring and lay on top of the bottom globe, carefully lining up so it is centered; clip into place with clothespins.
• Add a thin line of Glastique to the top of the center ring and lay the top globe into it.
• Add a thin like of Glastique to the unfinished side of the top ring and lay it over the top globe, carefully lining up all pieces and clipping with clothespins. I like to let mine set up really well before adding anything else.

DIY Ornament with 3D Enamel Gels; setting up and drying.

Once it is set really well then I added the beads and Vintage Hearts Charms - one to the top and a smaller one to the bottom. I finished it off with a piece of coordinating organdy ribbon.

Finished DIY Ornament with Piccolo 3D Enamel Gels.

I have another to show you over my personal blog. Come on over and take a gander at it and let me know how you like them.

You can order your DIY Ornament by clicking the link below. They are way too much fun to play with. You can add such a variety of items to make them for any occasion.