HowTo's Making Candle Craft

Supplies:

1. candles-preferably white but I used pink and light yellow
2. music
3. cardboard
4. burlap
5. buttons
6. glue

Cut a strip of cardboard and wrap around candle and glue.
Cut a less wide strip of music and wrap around the cardboard.
Glue your buttons on top of the music.

You can cut music, cardboard, and burlap and make your layers different:
Wrap with burlap then music then buttons...
Wrap music, then a strip of burlap then buttons
Wrap cardboard, then burlap then buttons...

I even wrapped old keys with twin around cardboard on candles.
Why...I just love the look and so do other shabby chic decorators.

Tags-Like Little Petit Journal Pages

I don't know where this journal spread came from but all I know is that I had a ball. I had taken a photo of a water fountain in a beautiful botanical garden in Andover Mass about three years ago. I didn't want the photo to just hang around, I didn't feel like framing it, and I didn't want to junk it.
so months ago, I cut it out and applied it to my journal along with a gum package and gum wrapper. It stayed this way for months. I also love labels or tags from clothing and save them figuring they would make great tabs for journal pages. I gessoed the tags and put them inside the gum container and there they sat until tonight. The whole spread I did this evening. Shocked I am to be honest with you. I just let go and went wild. A bit different than my style because I always seem to go green, black and gold and grungy. This time I went more bright psychadelic colors.

I went to the Dollar Store today and found these small acrylic pots of paint in tropic colors and "Fresh" colors. Yes, that is what they were called. So I began to use a palette knife which is different for me and applied them to the pages-that was step one for tonight.

2. Stenciled with a metal stencil and a plastic stencil.

3. Flicked paint.

4. Stencilled with an absorbent ground to raise an image.

5. Used bronze acrylic paint and used a tool to create texture.

6. Dotted sparkly paint.

7. Attached hydrangea petals stamped out with a punch into paint tabs.

8. Applied with medium the clothing labels onto pieces of papers, ripped the edges, grunged them up with black and walnut ink pads. Punched holes and attached with hemp to the journal page.

9. Added a small embellishment of yard.

10. Began to journal on the back of the re-gessoed tag.

Supply list:

journal page
acrylic paints
personal photo
gum wrapper
gum package
gesso
papers
clothing tags
hemp cord
paint chips
glitter paint
absorbent ground-white
yarn
stencils
metallic paint
modge podge
pen
black ink pad
walnut ink pad
copper acrylic paint


Techniques with this journal spread

flickered
scraped
palette knifed
stencilled
sponged
rubbed
painted
written
glued
gessoed

Elmers Glue and Cloth Paper

Today, I began to make a piece of cloth paper prior to my going out hunting for "yarrow".

A friend of mine was going through a hard time and I know she loves to sew so I had seen "Stitch Alchemy" a wonderful book that I have wanted. I made mention of it to her, she looked at it online and ordered it. It took her mind off of things and onto things she loves. This book has a twist for her though. She has sewed clothing, costumes, stuffed animals and things like that. But this collage stuff is different for her. So, I just picked up the book for myself with birthday money.

I took a piece of canvas 18x12" and layed it on a glass cutting board. The book suggested freezer paper but I didn't want to stop my project because I did not have freezer paper.

I mixed elmers glue two to one ratio with water and applied it with a paint brush that I don't use much except for oil paintings. Apply the glue to the whole piece of fabric (you can use muslin or cotton fabric-preferably cream or white)and begin to add tissue papers and other vintage papers. I had about 6 tissues papers I have saved from packages and old pages from an old bible. Yolana and I are christians so I figured she would love the scriptures from Genesis in the piece and the colors I was using were green, yellow, aqua blue, a bit of pink and just a floral look. The first paper I used was the aqua blue and layed pieces down on the soak covered canvas (glue all over it, don't worry which way your brush strokes go, just cover the fabric good), and then lay a piece of tissue paper down, fill your brush up with glue and apply, dabbing or lightly brushing. Keep adding your papers how ever you want all over the fabric. I tried added layer upon layer of the same colored tissue paper to see how dark I could get the color. I applied another tissue paper over another type to see what I could see underneath. Use the underside of the tissue paper to get a lighter color. I then began to tear pieces of the Genesis pages and put in different areas of the canvas. Then, I thought, this looks like oriental home made paper, so I got my dried herbs, flaked them a bit on the glue cloth, and then filled my brush with glue and patted it on the herbs. So I am getting some nice texture and color. I stopped for awhile to take my walk and to let it dry. If your glue is too sticky add a bit more water. I used a whole small student sized bottle for this days process. I need to buy more perhaps at the Dollar Store.

When I am completed with this cloth paper, I am going to cut it and send Yolana a half. She will do the same project with her supplies and send me 1/2 of her 18x12 sheet. Then more fun will begin. I am going to teach her to collage and mix her medias!