Mixed Media Monday - How to make a Quilted Bird - Spellbinders Media Mixage

Being a creative person also means I'm a packrat. I hate to throw ANYTHING away because I might need it, or I have attached memories to it. One solution I have to holding on to this memorable junque is to up-cycle and re-cycle it into something new. I have a couple quilts from my Grandmas that are over 100 years old, well loved and in shreds. They really needed to be trashed, but I couldn't bear to part with them. Repurposing them into something new keeps the memories alive and gives them new purpose and meaning. The die templates from the Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™ line are just the perfect size to create mini treasures from these small bits and pieces.
Project Dimensions: Quilted birds approximately 2" wide and about 3" tall on the stand


Spellbinders Supplies:
MMM-001 Spellbinders® Artisan X-plorer™ Machine
MD2-011 Susan Lenart Kazmer for Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™ Birds One
MD1-005 Susan Lenart Kazmer for Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™ Hearts One
Quilt or fabric scraps
Small amount Fiberfill or batting
Thread (contrasting color)
Needle
20 gauge wire
Small cork
Small wooden spool
Decorative paper (i.e., dictionary pages)
Embellishments of choice (buttons, small charms, etc.)
Tacky glue
Scissors
Wire cutters
Pliers


Cut two birds from the #2 die (with #1 being the smallest) Note: Cut One bird on the right (patterned) side of the fabric and one on the back side of fabric. You should have two birds facing each other.

Place birds together with right sides facing out.
Beginning at bottom, stitch around bird with a running stitch. Leave bottom open about ½" inch.

Stuff with fiberfill and stitch opening closed.

Decorate and embellish spool as desired.
Cut a length of wire and press into cork to create hole.
Glue cork to spool and allow to dry.
Insert wire between stitches on bottom of bird. Glue to secure.
Trim wire to desired length and insert into cork. Glue to secure.

Designer Tip: These would make adorable place card holders for a country wedding or baby shower, each guest could take them home as a little party favor! Spritz with essential oils to create a sweet mini sachet. Use the #2 heart from the MD1-005 Hearts One template to create quilted hearts.

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Mixed Media Monday New Video - How to create a 3 dimensional Birdhouse Charm - Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™

GOOD MORNING Crafty Peeps!!!

This post is coming to you from London England where Mariah and I are beginning our first day of photography on a new book due out in February.  We will have a busy busy week but hope to pop in and share some of our journey along the way and give you maybe an insider's behind the scenes look at developing, writing and producing a diy how to book.

Today's DIY how to Mixed Media Monday video is all about dimension and "small". 

I love to create dimension in my work and took the Explore Beyond theme to heart to create this 3-dimensional 360 degree birdhouse charm.  Birds and birdhouses are among my favorite things to create.  It reminds me of Grandma and her love of birds – she had figurines everywhere!  Now, when I wear this pendant, I think of her and she’s still a part of me.

Project Dimensions:  approximately 1”


Spellbinders Supplies:
MMM-001 Spellbinders® Artisan X-plorer™ Machine
MD1-003 Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™ Rectangles One
MD2-003 Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™ Houses One
Cereal box
Decorative papers (one pattern for house, one pattern for roof and base)
Head pin or eye pin
Embellishments/charms as desired
Chain or ribbon
Clasp
Jump rings
Aleene’s Tacky Spray
Double Stick tape
Aleene’s Tacky Glue
1/8” hand held round hole punch
pencil
Craft knife
Ruler
Scissors
Round nose pliers
Wire cutters

Adhere decorative paper to cereal boxes with tacky spray adhesive

Cut 1 rectangle using the #2 die (with #1 being the smallest) from “house” paper and one from roof paper with the Artisan X-plorer™ machine.

Cut two house shapes using the house small #1.  Punch a hole in one house using 1/8” punch.

Trim  approximately 1/8” off the top of the body rectangle shape.

Using the diagram, score at 1/8”, ½”, 1 ¼” and 1 5/8”


Apply tape to shaded areas on front side of rectangle using diagram.  Fold backwards at lines.

Center house shape over center tape area.

Adhere side tabs to remaining house shape.

Using the base shape as a guide, trace outline onto a roof rectangle.  Cut out with scissors leaving approximately a 1/8” edge.   Poke a hole in center and insert headpin.

Glue base to birdhouse with tacky glue

Make a hole with a needle tool in the center of roof rectangle shape.

Bend in half to form a “V”.

Apply glue to roof angle on house and set on roof, threading headpin up through the hole.
Allow glue to dry.

Create a loop in the headpin with round nose pliers.  Trim excess with wire cutters.

Embellish house as desired with charms or other findings of interest.

Attach to chain or ribbon using a jump ring.
Attach clasp
Attach birdhouse pendant to chain/ribbon using jump rings.



Designer Tip:    This is a fun way to use up left over paper scraps.  Or try using aluminum, texturizing it with a texture plate for a silver looking charm.

Remember each Monday Morning a brand new Media Mixage video is Live so be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel and to this blog so you don't miss'em


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Mixed Media Monday Video Tutorial - How to make vintage metal flowers - Spellbinders Media Mixage

I have a special drawer that I just throw stuff I want to keep in.  It’s filled with letters, postcards, ephemera – just all sorts of stuff that has more sentimental value than actual worth.  On gloomy rainy days, I often get out the box and look through it.  It was on one such day that I discovered an old postacard that I bought at a flea market in Paris.  The flowers on the postcard caught my eye and the color palette was so gorgeous.  It was this card that inspired these flowers.

My family smirks and calls me the Trash Princess, because I love to upcycle trash and bring out it's "treasure".  Using soda cans seemed like the perfect material.  They're easy to find - FREE is good! and they're easy to work with.  Just be careful as sometimes the metal can get kinda sharp.

Enjoy today's video and remember it's easy to turn your trash to treasure! 

Spellbinders Supplies:

MMM-001 Spellbinders® Artisan X-plorer™ Machine

MD1-010 Susan Lenart Kazmer for Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™  Hearts Two

S5-143 Spellbinders® Jewel Flowers and Flourishes

Aluminum Soda cans – 2 cans per flower

Item to embellish (i.e., vintage kitchen grater, old book, photo frame, etc.)

Photograph or post card

Lace

Embellishments of choice

Brooch or large bead focal piece

Krylon® Spray Paint in two colors of choice (one main color, one accent color) plus off white

Ancient Page Acid Free ink – chocolate

Tacky Dots

2-part epoxy glue

Makeup sponge

Knitting needle or needle tool

Pencil

Sanding block

Scissors

Instructions:

Carefully open soda cans with scissors and flatten

Cut 6 petals from soda cans using the #3 heart (with #1 being the smallest), 5 petals from the #2 heart and one flower from Jewels Flower and Flourishes with the Artisan X-plorer™ machine.

Spray paint the 6 hearts your main color, paint 5 hearts your accent color and spray the jewels flower off white.  Allow all to dry

Lightly sand edges of petals to distress

Ink edges with brown ink using a make-up sponge

Curl top of hearts backwards with needle tool

Curl bottom forwards with pencil

Cut small angle snips into bottom of heart (see diagram)

Bend sides towards center to give a little more shape to the flowers.

Place two tacky dots together and arrange larger hearts clockwise to form large flower. Repeat same process with smaller hearts.  Arrange flower petals into a pleasing form and shape if necessary.

Attach smaller flower to inside of larger flower with 2 part epoxy glue.

Attach jewel flower to inside of smaller flower with 2 part epoxy glue.

Glue brooch to center of flower with 2-part epoxy.

Gather embellishments and arrange flowers, lace and other embellishments as desired onto your main base (i.e., book, frame, etc) and secure in place with glue

Your creativity is limitless - Explore Beyond™!

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Mixed Media Monday - VIDEO - Take a day away from STRESS and visit my HAPPY PLACE!

Today is also a new installation of a new feature called Designers Craft Connection.  The 1st Monday of each Month - this post will also become part of a Designers Craft Connection Blog Hop.  Below this post and on the side bar you'll see a badge that will allow you to hop forward or backward.  This is a great way to get your month kicked off on a creative adventure and  I know you'll enjoy all the gorgeous projects that my fellow designers have designed.  So don't forget to click the badge and hop on...

....but now on with the story....

I was at BlackBerry Creek B&B in Rogersville, MO attending our girls creative retreat  weekend when I first designed this canvas. 

 I can get lost for hours just playing with paints and texture.  It’s a real respite from life’s little challenges.  

For me, it’s about discovery, not following a recipe, not purchasing a lot of pre-made embellishments, I prefer to create my own, not follow any rules and get down right messy. 

 The possibilities that the die templates give you in creating your own foam stamps is beyond amazing and fits right in with my “make it yourself” philosophy.  

When I took a step back at the canvas I was working on, I really loved how the colors bounced off of each other and I really thought – “Yeah, this IS MY HAPPY PLACE!”

Making your own HAPPY PLACE Art Canvas
Linda Peterson

Project Dimensions:  8 x 10 Canvas or any canvas size you choose

   

Spellbinders Supplies:

MMM-001 Spellbinders® Artisan X-plorer™ Machine

MD1-007 Spellbinders® Media Mixáge™ Circles One Die

S5-151 Spellbinders® Shapeabilities®  Expandable Patterns Basic Lattice

S5-143 Spellbinders® Jewel Flowers and Flourishes Die

(You can also add your favorite patterns and dies to this list)

Other Supplies:

8 x 10 Canvas ( or size of choice)

Dictionary pages, music sheets

Craft foam – any color

Clear packing tape

Repositionable tape

Plastic sheet

Decoupage medium

Acrylic paint in desired colors

Black ink stamp pad

Phrase/words printed on ink jet printer

Scissors

Brayer

Wax paper

Baby Wipes

Instructions:

Creating your own foam texture stamps with positive and negative images

1.      Cut foam using Shapeabilities® Expandable Patterns – Basic Lattice

2.      Apply packing tape over the entire back surface of the foam, press foam firmly

3.      Carefully remove lattice pattern leaving the small squares attached to the packing tape.

4.      Spray backside of packing tape and one side of lattice work with spray adhesive

5.      Align foam stamps onto plastic sheet and cut out

6.      Repeat this step till you’re blue in the face cutting out all different shapes using the various die templates.  You’ll want to have lots of choices

Creating the Canvas

1. Decoupage sheet music, dictionary pages and other decorative papers to front of canvas.  Let dry.
2. Apply paint to wax paper.  Load paint randomly onto brayer.  Hit and miss over different areas of the canvas.  Repeat with coordinating colors.  Allow paint to dry in between each color so that they don’t muddy together.
3. Add touches of paint with your fingers or a brush randomly over the canvas.
4. Selectively wipe away some of the paint in random areas allowing portions of the background paper to show through. 
5. Cut a heart out of music sheet paper and decoupage onto front of canvas over background patterns.  Water down paint and lightly paint over top with a coordinating color.
6. Apply paint to foam stamps with brayer.
7. Randomly stamp lattice pattern to canvas.  (I use darker colors around the edges to give it a framed look and lighter colors on the inside to add interesting texture and pattern.)  Repeat for as much pattern and color as you like.   Don’t worry if you do not stamp complete patterns
8. Repeat step 6 except this time use the circles stamp.  For this particular pattern I used black permanent ink.
9. When your background has been completed, cut out words from paper and decoupage to front.
10. Jump up and down because YOU DID IT! – You now have a certified HAPPY PLACE!

Designer Tip: 

You can’t make a mistake!  Baby wipes will take away paint in unwanted areas and are really handy to have when creating canvases.

If you are totally dissatisfied with your results, you can wipe away most of the paint with a baby wipe or simply decoupage more paper over the areas you don’t like and work from there.

I have mentioned the above dies because they are among my favorite shapes to work with when I create mixed media canvases.  EXPLORE BEYOND my suggestions and mix and match dies that you have in your collection to come up with your own unique stamps.

These stamps can be used with cardmaking, art journal pages and because they are flexible they are ideal to stamp curved projects – like paint cans, candles and more!

Your creativity is limitless - Explore Beyond™!

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