Fab Fun Makeover

I have this Rubbermaid stepstool that must be about 30 years old.  If memory serves me correctly, my children (32, 31 and 23) would sit on the bottom step, put their legs under the top step, and use it like a little desk.  It was their favorite place to have a snack at their Grandma Riley's house.  The stool is still a sound piece to use for climbing and there are 3 Grandbabies that can use it for snacking.  BUT, it lacked pizazz.  I decided to keep it in my scrap/craft room.  Since that room has a lot of orange, that was the perfect color choice. .  Here is what it looked like THEN:

I cleaned it, but did not sand as recommended.  I used Rust-oleum Gloss Painters Touch in Real Orange.  My hubby recommended I grab a snap on spray nozzle to make it easier on my hand.  It is also by Rustoleum.

I sprayed the underside first, let it dry, flipped it over and did several light coats waiting about 20 minutes between each coat.

Then I applied Krylon Glitter Blast in Orange Burst.  I did several light coats of it also.  I love the glitter accents, though it is a little pricey, I wouldn't have liked the end results nearly as much without it.

You really can't tell that it is all that glittery in the photo, but I really love it.  It was an easy updo and I kept a memory filled object but gave it a great makeover.

I have always found spray paint intimidating.  My past experiences always had runny spots.  I did not have any trouble with runs at all.  So, grab something ugly and give it a fun makeover this week.  Share it with me, won't you please?  Now, go be crafty.

The Magic Of Oz

Last night I pulled out a stack of paper and found my Graphic 45 "The Magic Of Oz" 8x8 paper pad.  Thumbing thru it I was inspired to make a birthday card.  Graphic 45 paper always lends itself to fussy cutting.  This paper was no different.  I grabbed my Fiskars swivel tip craft knife and began fussy cutting away.  This was my first creation:

I added dimension to the card using Stampin' dimensionals from Stampin'Up.

I am not sure that the photo really shows the dimension too well.  I popped up Dorothy and the poppies in the lower right hand corner, and the "Make A Wish" greeting.  I love that she is pointing to the greeting.  I used Cloud Nine's "Simple Thoughts - Happy Birthday" clear stamps for the greeting.  I cut the stamp to make it 3 seperate words.  I stamped it with VersaMark and used silver embossing powder.  I love embossed greetings, I think they add an extra dimension to help give even a simple card some "WOW" factor.

I also used Stickles in Christmas Red to make those ruby slippers shine.  Using the same 2 pieces of paper, I cut out the Tin Man and made a similar card.

He is popped up also, along with the poppies in the left lower corner and the greeting.  I used a Uni-ball white gel pen to to color in his eyes as they were looking to the right, and I wanted them to look to the left.  Then I added the eyes back with a Sharpie to make them look toward the left.  I really love how these turned out.    Thanks for stopping by.  I love reading your comments too.  Hope you have time to go and be crafty today.

It Is About Time...

My LSS (local scrapbook store), The Scrapbook Page, ordered this cute square clock kit for me from Kaisercraft.  I have been looking at papers for several weeks, thinking and rethinking what I wanted to do with it.  Today, I decided to use Little Yellow Bicycle's  "Paradise" papers and embellishments.  The clock measures 11 inches square.  The paper I wanted to use for the top of the clock had little doodle type marks all around the outside edges.  I trimmed this off and recreated it with a white Uniball gel pen.  L-O-V-E was added with the white pen on the banners also.  I used another LYB Paradise paper for the back solid piece and then placed my embellishments.  Then I used Thickers glitter numbers for the hours.  I can't wait to get photos of the Grandbabies printed out in black and white for the 4 remaining openings.  I am really pleased with how it turned out.

Creatively Made Week 2 Project

I won a virtual seat in a virtual classroom a while back from Cheryl Waters "Artsy Findings" blog.  Jeanne Oliver's Creatively Made online class has been so inspiring.  This project is using one of the techniques taught from week 2.  Jeanne used the faceplate and hardware from an old doorknob to mount her small collage and charcoal creation.  I didn't have such a creature at my disposal, but, I did have a beautiful vodka bottle that I made my Hubby stop to get from the side of the road.  I had seen some lovely angels using similar bottles and that was what I planned to use this one for.  Then it occurred to me, why not use it to hold my canvas?!  First, I trimmed a wine cork down to fit the bottle.  Then I used some silver elastic string and tied some charms to it.  Since this canvas represents my Sister - Julie, I used some charms that reminded me of her: a crown, a high heel, a fleur de lis, a heart, a pair of wings and a diamond ring.  I fastened these to a piece of wire and pushed it into the cork.  Then I added some silver glitter to give it some extra shine.  Next I adhered the canvas to the cork using a glue dot by Glue Arts.  The wings were cut from a soda can, using the Vagabond and a Sissix die "Wings, Angel".  I backed the wings with paper and adhered them using double sided tape.  I am very pleased with the outcome.
This is my inspiration photo:

This photo is of my gorgeous Sister - Julie.  This is my collaged canvas and charcoal drawing:

And here is my finished project:

I added a simple ball chain and a charm that says "Sister" on it.  I really enjoyed this project and I am eagerly looking forward to my next "Creatively Made" project.  Thank you Jeanne and Cheryl, for the chance to win and participate in this class.

I had fun playing along with "Inspired By Stamping today.  You can see their blog here:  http://www.inspiredbystampin.com/inspired-by-stampin/2012/07/ibsic-16-a-new-sketch.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+inspiredbystampin+%28Inspired+by+Stamping%29
The flower is made from repurposed  paper.  As soon as I saw this paper on the Simple Stories retail catalog, I knew I had to use it.  The paper is from Kaiser Craft's "Bonjour" paper pad.  The ribbon is from my stash and the sentiment is from StampinUp. I used the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die and my beloved Fiskars trimmer and Vagabond.

                                                                   Here is the sketch:

Here is my card:

The flower paper is slick and shiny, sorry for the glare.   The internet provides unlimited inspiration,  I am still amazed at this tool.  Hope you can do something crafty today.