ormolu

i did some scrapbooking...

(papers: cosmo cricket, bazzill; tags: hold your horses @ ormolu; journaling paper: hold your horses @ ormolu)

And I felt so much better. If I don't scrapbook- or do something creative for a while- I get seriously depressed. 

One of Poppytalk's posts last week had me on the search for a wood graining tool. Then I got home and realized I had no furniture to try this technique on...so paper it is!

After watching this video I got started. 

First, I decided my media had to be non-porous. As most scrapbooking surfaces are porous- I opted for a sheet of acrylic (or plastic...whatever you call it). 

Then I mixed up the paint. I used the same ratio found in the Martha Stewart video- only I used acrylic paints. 1 part acrylic paint, 1 part acrylic gloss, 2 parts water.

Next, I used a cosmetic wedge to apply the paint to the acrylic. I learned this handy little trick or using a cosmetic sponge for paint from Heidi Swapp. I was going through paint brushes like crazy (because Reiley does not clean them). These are a great thing to have on hand- along with brushes. 

 

Here is what the wood graining tool looks like- and the technique is just like the video (plus a little trial and error). Pull, twist and rock all together now! 

Here is what my first run looked like- not too bad really for a first. I did small sections (about 3-4 inches) at a time to make sure the paint did not dry out. 

Here is the result. I did an entire 12x12 acrylic sheet. I used a 5x12 inch piece on the layout at the beginning of this post. 

Then I used the remainder on this cute little pocket sized scrapbook. 

Although it still has to be filled with photos. 

(papers: sassafras, american crafts; buttons, tags: savoir faire @ ormolu)

typing on tags

I try to use a combination of handwriting, type and alphabets on any or all of my projects (just to mix it up a bit). 

A couple of years ago I picked up an old typewriter at the antique store that was only $10! I was so excited! It even looks cool! Only, it did not work quite right. I was determined to get it working though because I wanted to be able to use it. Sure, I could have used my typewriter from middle school (yes, I actually bought a typewriter to type up school reports) but it is not nearly as cool looking as this one. 

Anyway, I called around some computer repair places after realizing I could not get it to work and talked to a guy who said bring it in. So...i did! 

He was actually very interested in why I wanted it fixed. He also had a few old typewriters and so he knew how to get them working. A week and $40 later it was all clean, had new ribbon, and was working perfect! I told him I was going to use it for scrapbooking. I am not sure he understood that part. 

First, I picked out some of my tags I want to use. These are some of the savoir faire tags in my shop... 

Next I adhered them to a scrap piece of paper. I left some space around each one- did not even line them up in any way...I forgot to take a photo of that part so just imagine they are adhered to the paper... 

Slide your paper in and shift it around to type on each tag!