Cynthia Shaffer

Mixed Media Essentials ... Giveaway and Tutorial!

I'm so excited to finally get to show everyone these super fun rubber stamps by Roben-Marie Smith and even more honored to be considered part of a design team that includes some super talented artist!

So there's a little blog hop going on right now ... come along and check out the art that everyone   created using Roben-Marie's rubber stamps. You'll soon see that the art is among the best I've seen in a long time ... and the variety is vast and great!

April Cole

Carissa Paige

Danielle Donaldson

Jen Osborn

Kristin Peterson

Lorraine Bell

Roben-Marie Smith

Sandi Keene

These are the samples I made using the rubber stamps ... One thing you'll notice is that the stamps are really big and so much fun to use in mixed media, shrink plastic and for embroidering on clothing or napkins, or ... well just about anything!

I was channeling my inner Roben-Marie when I creating this tag.

Here's the GIVEAWAY >>> This 6 arrow shrink plastic necklace ... leave a comment, or even just say "Hi" and I'll toss your name into the pot and on May 8th I'll pick a winner! 

The shrink plastic necklaces were just too much fun to make ... I couldn't stop ... It's one of those addicting kind of crafts!

And then at some point late one night, I grabed bits of odds and ends and created this little collage masking off one of the rubber stamp to show just one little cross.

And then this happened ... a little bit of embroidery on a panel that was stamped using three of the rubber stamp images and black StazOn ink and then stitched to a onesie!

Ok, I have to admit ... my pieces are a bit out there, but as I was telling Roben-Marie, I am so in love with these stamps that my mind kept jumping from project to project and I my hands couldn't keep up with my ideas!

Here's what I did to make the above shrink plastic arrow necklace: 

• Grab a sheet of shrink plastic and using black StazOn ink, stamp three arrows

• Cut out around the arrow shapes and punch small holes into the 4 corners on 2 of the arrows and 2 top corners of the third arrow.
• Using a cotton swab, lightly brush on three different coordinating chalk colors.

• Place the arrow into a pie tin and using an awl and a heat gun, shrink up the plastic.The side that was stamped on and colored on will now be the backside.

• Apply a thin coat of white gesso to the back of the shrunk arrows.

• Sand the sides of the arrows to smooth out any sharp points or edges.

• Add edge of black around the arrrows, using a black Sharpie marker.

• Link the necklace together with jump rings.
• Add a clasp to the back and then you are done!

 

 

 

Corry and Dylan

Just a few photos of my oldest son Corry and his girlfriend Dylan ... all dressed up and heading out to the homecoming dance. Notice the corsage and boutonniere I talked about in this earlier post.

 Sooo cute don't you think?

As it turned out, I was taking Flora's painting class while my husband was snapping away here, hence the slightly silly photos!

I'm not kidding here ...

I don't think he snapped a single photo of them looking somewhat serious.

And apparently they were just killing time here and making each other crack up over absolutely nothing. 

Really! Now this is a proud mom moment!

And of course as it would turn out ... Corry has a broken finger, just like last year, same time, same place ... oh wait, of course ... it's football season!

Oh my how I love these kids ... so comfortable in their own skins and having sooo much fun during these last few months of high school! 

Soldering : : My First Attempts!

Had a little impromptu crafting night with a friend and here are my first attempts at soldering. Ok so, don't look too close, I know the tape isn't lined up even and the jump ring is leaning  slightly off to the  left side, but I Love It!

Thankfully  the trend in some soldering circles is this messy kind of chunky look ...

Because without much experience here, chunky and messy is what happens. It is definitely something to experiment and play with and, learning a few tricks of the trade will help.

Still playing here and as you can see, the sky is the limit. Truly there are no limits to the things you can solder together or in-between a couple of pieces of glass. 

How fun is this? A  little free motion stitched and quilted piece I sandwiched between some chunky glass I bought way back when.

So from the looks of my soldering station you would have thought I'd been dong this for years ... no, no ... You see a few months ago a friend of mine (Laurie Crutchfield) passed away and she was a crafter like none other. There really wasn't a craft that she had not tried and mastered. Her friends had a private  sale of all her supplies and so I helped myself to all her soldering supplies. Oh, and bunch of other stuff including bags of yarn that I used here. 

Happy Soldering!