One Snowy November Day

See what I did yesterday! 

Thanks to my good friend, Tracy, I have lots of paper with which to choose in making gift bags and cards. That is exactly what I did yesterday.

My Silhouette Portrait got quite a work-out!

I found the Xyron Create-a-Sticker to be useful for adding adhesive to the thin fonts.

I used templates from the Silhouette Store to cut these gift bags.

Instead of scoring the fold lines, it cuts perforated lines; not good. Apparently there is a way to score the lines, so a little research is in order. These are small bags. I really like the papers! 

I found a template on Aunt Annie's Crafts blog for using 12-inch scrapbook paper for making a bag. It is really easy, especially with the Martha Stewart Scoring Board.

My template for the bag below.

For larger bags it would be very simple to disassemble a store-bought bag and use for a template.Would be really cool to use hand painted newsprint!

Play time must come to a halt until after Thanksgiving. The studio needs a cleaning and some organization so I will be able to start on Christmas projects as soon as we return from Texas. 

Blog Hop

I have been invited by two different bloggers to participate in a World Wide Blog Hop. One was supposed to be done on a Monday before November 6. Whoops!

This is an attempt to share our blogs with a worldwide network of bloggers with like minds. I have been asked to answer four questions:

Question number 1, what am I currently working on?

Being self-diagnosed with AADD, I have several projects in the works;

a paper mache' box for my journals, 

a project board,

a prayer flag,

cover for a new journal 

and an aluminum can covered birdhouse.

Question # 2, how does my work differ from others in its genre?

I suppose my work does not differ much as I take ideas from Pinterest and other blogs. I recently read, the difference between a crafter and an artist is a crafter copies other's work and an artist creates originality. I am definitely a crafter!

Question #3, why do I create what I do?

Creativity is in my soul. As a child I made doll clothes, through the years I have done cake decorating, macrame', decoupage, knitted, crochet, to name a few. With AADD, I tend to switch interest a lot.

Question #4, how does my creative process work?

Typically I see something on Pinterest or on a blog that I want to try. I check my stash, usually I have what I need. I start the project but may not finish it for several weeks, as something else will grab my attention.

So, there you have it! Now hop on over to my friend, Quilt Artist Rose Hughes , she is truly a talented textile artists! After you visit Rose's blog, check out needle artist, Stephanie Young at Wooly Thyme. You won't be disappointed!

As for me, I saw a pair of earrings on a blog this morning, I have all the supplies.............

But first, let me pass this hop to Carol Harlan at My Art, Carol Harlan and also to Brenda Smoak at Artists Tell Their Stories. 

Back Gate Sign

I have wanted to put a sign on our back gate but kept forgetting to have HR cut a piece of wood for me.  Just as I was preparing to take a box of clutter to the curb for Free Friday, I spotted a plastic

frame and the light bulb went on. I could use it for a frame for a sign! I just happened to have a 6-inch tile from my days of decoupaging that fit, (well close enough) and I had Folkart Enamel paint. Using the Silhouette Portrait, I cut a stencil from contact paper.  I stenciled our name to the tile. The directions on the paint said it needed 21 days to cure or it could be baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Into the toaster oven it went for 30 minutes.  In the meantime I spray painted the frame to look like metal. I glued the baked tile, which kind of yellowed in the oven, to the frame with E-6000 glue and added a soda can butterfly.  Only time will tell how well the paint holds up in rain, snow and sun.

Have any of you used Folkart Enamel paint for outdoor projects? If you have, how well did it hold up? Do you typically bake the projects or do you let it air cure? Have you used the new multi-purpose craft paint for outdoor projects?  Thank you for leaving feedback in the comments below.