Nursery Rhyme Wall Art

Hello, Crafty Friends!!

Today marks midway through our week!

HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

I am so tickled to get to share with you today's project! Did you know that there's a National Library Week?? Yup, a whole week in observance to libraries!! It's always great to promote and show your support for your local library!  And today, I will help support my local library and repurpose old books.

 Limited space makes it hard for some libraries to accommodate their ever growing number of books. So, from time to time our local library (I'm sure others do this a s well), clear out and sell their old books. Most of which are tattered or outdated, to make room for new ones. Sales raised from these books go right back into the library system to fund new books or to help with other financial needs... internet may be free for the public to use,  but that doesn't mean that its free to the library. And certainly, any renovations made, also come along with a few dollar signs attached.

So whenever possible, my children and I go to our local library and check out the sales. I know what you're thinking craft with old books? Don't I love books? Why would I take apart and butcher books to craft with?? Simple... remember when I said most of these books are tattered and outdated?? Well, the books that are not sold get dumped into the recycle bins. Which is good that they are recycling, but the library doesn't receive any money for just tossing them... and I would be creating, crafting, and repurposing something  that already has been used and giving it new life as ART. Or in this case, WALL ART. 

These are super quick and easy to make too!!

Supplies Needed

Old Books (Hardback or paperback)

Xyron Creative Station w/ Permanent Adhesive Refill Cartridge

Xyron Mega Runner

1- 12"x12" sheet of Black Cardstock (DCWV- Double Sided Cardstock Stack)

4 - 5"x7" Shadowbox Frames

Cricut Explore Air

Cricut Nursery Rhymes Cartridge

Craft knife (Fiskars)

Scissors (EK Success- CutterBee)

These books don't appear to be in bad shape but were really really outdate... put it this way one of these books was called the "No Cooking Cookbook"... it has a copyright date of 1962. That was several years before the first reasonably priced and sized microwave became available (1967). Yeah, I think it's safe to say, no one will miss that one! LOL

And, I got these from my local dollar store! Yuppers, $1!! Who knew they carried shadowbox picture frames (with mats included too)??!! SCORE!!

Ok, now this was probably the hardest part of the whole project... which really wasn't very hard at all.

Removing the pages from the cover. Seriously it took two slices. One in the front of the book and one in the back, running down the first page to the spine... and then again along the back of the book.

 I will be saving this hard cover to make another project with later.

 I used the chipboard insert as a template for my book pages, added adhesive to them with my Xyron Mega Runner, and adhered my pages directly onto them. Then trimmed off the excess with a scissors.

So super easy, right? Wow... 1, 2, 3, and 4 done in less than 2 minutes!!

Then I used my Cricut Explore Air and Cricut's Nursery Rhyme Cartridge to cut out silhouettes of some of my favorite childhood nursery rhymes... " Hey Diddle Diddle", " Little Jack Horner", "Little Boy Blue",  and "Mary Had a Little Lamb". 

I cut them all from one 12"x12" sheet of black cardstock. Sizing each image to fit into the 5"7" mat/ frame.

Since these will be hanging on the wall, I wanted them to stay put. So, I ran them all through my Xyron Creative Station using the 9" permanent adhesive refill cartridge. And placed them all back into their frames.

And, here are my finished pieces.

I love how these came out. The layout is simple but the old book print makes them distinctive and unique!! This was a great start to  many more "print" crafts! 

I hope you enjoyed this project!

And don't forget to go support your local public library!!

HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY HAPPY LIBRARY WEEK!!

Sweet Dreams

Hey there, Crafty Friends!! I have a super cute card for you today! 

This one was inspired by the youngest of my four children. He keeps me on my toes day in and day out... and more often than not drains the life out of me and worries me to death with his very boyish tendencies. He plays too hard and seems almost fearless. But once he drifts into a  peaceful slumber, everything seem alright in the world, and my mind (and body) are finally at ease. And as I look down at him fast asleep, I don't see that little mischief maker, all I see is a perfect angel

  

Sweet Dreams Baby                                    Sweet Dreams Baby Dies

   

Stitched Greetings              Stitched Greeting Dies

Other Supplies Used

Spectrum Noir Color Pencils

White Cardstock (Bazzill Basics) 

Patterned Paper (Playshop Paper Hawaii)

Odorless Mineral Spirits

Blending Stumps

VersaMagic Ink Pads-Sea Breeze, Aegean Blue, Thatched Straw (Imagine Crafts/ Tsukineko) 

Momento Ink Pad- Tuxedo Black (Imagine Crafts/ Tsukineko)

Sponge Sweeper (Imagine Crafts/ Tsukineko)

VersaFine Onyx Black Ink Pad

2Way Glue Pen (EK Success)

3D Dots (EK Success)

Ultrafine Iridescent Glitter

White Gel Pen (Sakura)

PITT Artist Pen XS (Faber-Castell)

Frame, Scallop (Sizzix)

I stamping my image with Momento Tuxedo Black Ink. Then I used Spectrum Noir colored pencils. I also used a 2 way glue pen to add glue to the sleeping cap rim and pom-pom. Then layered ultra fine iridescent glitter over both.

Then I used blue painters tape to hold my die in place and die cut my image(and clouds) using the matching Sweet Dreams Baby Dies.

For my card base I made an A2 sized card base and taped off the top half with blue painter's tape to mask off only half of my card. Then I sponged on Aegean Blue, Sea Breeze, Thatched Straw chalk ink. 

I shaded the edges of the clouds with Sea Breeze chalk ink and backed them with 3D pop dots. Then I shaded the frame with Agean Blue ink and added more 3D dots behind it. I mounted both onto my card base and a banner I made using the sweet dreams sentiment and double fishtail banner stamp from the Stitched Greetings stamp set. Then cut it out with the matching die and added it to my card with more foam adhesive.

For the final touch a drew tiny hearts onto my background with a white gel pen and added faux stitch lines with my PITT Artist Pen in XS.

And here is my finished card...

I hope you enjoyed this card... it really is such a sweet card!

Until next time...

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

~ Mitsy

Cutest Pumpkin

Hey there, Crafty Friends!! Can you believe it's October already?? Yup, it's time to bring on the changing of the leaves. Fall means sweater season, pumpkin pies, and candy! Yes, let's not forget the candy!! Lots and lots of CANDY!! All because of Halloween!! 

Halloween, my favorite holiday of the year! It's gonna be here just in a few weeks and I am, over the moon, excited!! 

And today's projects I want to make something Halloweeny! AND, on top of that, It's my turn to host the KaDoodle Bug Designs Challenge. So, I decided to "kill two birds with one stone" and combine both.

This KaDoodle Bug challenge is ALL ABOUT TAGS!!! 

If you would like to enter you can join the KBD Challenge Group.

Each challenge last for 2 weeks. Lots of time to get your projects in. The current challenge's deadline is October 16th. You have until midnight CST of that day to enter your projects into that challenge gallery.

For my TAG I used KBD's Charmkin Cuties - Pumpkin Baby.

 I've loved him from the very first moment I saw his bald little head and adorable binky!! I finally got to use him and I'm so glad I did!! He came out super adorable... even better than I imagined!!

Of course, it being a paper piecing, I just had to airbrush him with my ebrush. 

Which is great because I ran out of peach / flesh colored paper and made my own by ebrushing white paper (yes, WHITE paper) with my Spectrum Noir markers in FS4 and FS9. I bet you couldn't even tell it start off as white paper, could ya??!!

I ebrushed the rest of him in a combination of Spectrum Noir and Sharpie markers to get his finished look. I'll post the complete list of markers in the supply list below. 

I know when I say tag most people envision a small 2"x3" or 3"x5" little thing... but that is soooooo not the case when it comes to my tags... I like making my tags HUGE. And, this is no exception. This tag is a nice whopping 5.5"x 8", which commands attention when tied on gifts. Which is exactly what I want. LOL

Look at his adorable face... and those eyes, they make it so hard to not stop and stare, right?! And I found the most perfect sentiment in my stamps set from Pink and Main! It was from last month's FREEBIE( w/ purchase of $30) stamp set called Pumpkin Mouse.

 And, the die I used to cut out the sentiment is also from Pink and Main. It is from their Stitched Greetings Dies Set.

Topped it off with some black wired ribbon I bought years ago from Sam's club... and, it was perfect and screamed Halloween CUTENESS!!

Supplies Used

Charmkin Cuties- Pumpkin Babies (KaDoodle Bug Designs)

Pumpkin Mouse (Pink and Main)

Stitched Greetings Dies (Pink and Main)

Hello Kitty Ribbon Sizzlit (Sizzix, Retired)

Gift Tag Jumbo Die (Cross-Cuts)

Patterned Paper-

 Halloween Text & Polka Dot- Doodle Bug Designs, Haunted Manor

Orange Stripe & Green Polka Dot- DCWV, Great Vacation Stack

Xyron Mega Runner

Spectrum Noir Markers- FS4, FS9

Sharpie Markers- Lime Green, Green, Orange, Light Orange, Yellow, Aqua

White Opaque Marker- (Recollections, Snow)

Artist PITT Pen- XS, S (Faber Castell)

White Cardstock (Bazzill Basics)

Chipboard

Black Wired Ribbon (Kirkland)

I hope you enjoyed today's project!!

Until next time...

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

Baby Ducky Card

Hey craft friends... took a little break for some much needed down time. And just stopping in to share a really quick and easy Baby Ducky Card.

For this card I used Designs on Cloud 9's Flutter Card for the card base

and  Baby Duck for the cute little duckies.

For the Monogrammed "B", I used the Rockwell Extra Bold font.

For a the deep tone on tone shading I used my eBrush with Spectrum Noir markers and airbrushed all my paper pieces.

Sorry no step by step instructions here. Will be working on more in depth tutorial soon and possibly video tutorial also.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you all soon!