Getting off the page - canvas purse (Helmar)

I am a scrapbooker by nature but once in a while I get a desire to create OTP projects. Here is a step-by-step on how I altered this canvas tote using my favorite Helmar adhesives and some fantastic preferred partner products. For Breast Cancer awareness month I went with PINK - my favorite color anyways :)

My mom gave me this 10x10 inch canvas purse she bought for $2 at a dollar store and said "Can you make something with this?".

So, I started to mist it (outside) and realized I was going through A LOT of mist without the result I wanted. It looked so "blah". Then, I remembered the awesome cross promotion products my Helmar DT received from Faber-Castell this summer. 

I started to play with a pink gelato and a green stamper's big brush pen. I made a pink paste in a plate with a gelato (scrape off a chunk of gelato and add a bit of water) and a green puddle with a big brush pen (scribble and mist some water) and painted them on with paintbrushes (pink paste and green puddle) for nice vibrant colors.

I then stamped with the green and used the brush pen directly on the stamped image to darken it. Next, I created a handmade flower (tutorial to follow soon) and glued it to the canvas using my all-time favorite Helmar product - the 450 quick dry. This stuff is better than any hot glue and won't yellow (or burn you). It's great for heavier items like this canvas flower or metal.

I also used thin gesso and a stencil for smeared writing and then added some water to my left-over gelato paste to create a mist. I misted the script stencil  for crisper pink letters. I next added some gorgeous lace from Green Tara using Helmar's Premium Craft glue. Works great on delicate fabrics - you can't see the glue and it won't yellow the lace.

Lastly, I gave this finished purse a spray of Helmar's Krystal Kote Matt to seal the colors in. It won't be washable so I wanted it a bit resistant to dirt. Because it is canvas I may even give it a water resistant spray too (like you would for canvas or suede shoes).

Merry and Bright (Meg's Garden/ 2Crafty/Helmar)

It feels a bit strange to be designing for Christmas before Halloween but I couldn't resist when I received the beautiful new "A Musical Christmas" collection from Meg's Garden. The glorious colors, the detailed graphics  - OH MY! I think I say it every time but these papers have such a beautiful hand stamped quality to them that you don't need to do much other than add fun embellishments.

This is a picture of my boys a few years ago posing in front the of the Christmas tree. The funny thing is that my own tree is decorated in a similar style as the graphics on this paper - dark red, white and gold (and a touch of pink). I instantly wanted to design with this particular paper. I actually used mini papers from the older "A Vintage Christmas" line for the photo mats since the collections blend so seamlessly.

I added some gorgeous 2Crafty chipboard (title and santa sleigh) and limited the flowers since it is a boy layout. Here is a close-up of the music notes on the paper behind the chipboard. On the chippies I dabbed texture paste to give it a snowy effect and then added some diamond dust (glitter glass would work wonders too). I actually clipped the third snowflake off the title and added to the top of the tree. For this one I simply used gold glitter glue on top of the clear diamond dust to give it extra sparkle.

Here is a close-up of the Santa sleigh that I primed with gesso, added texture paste and lightly inked the edges. Look at that beautiful hand stamped feel of the papers!!!

All of these projects were created with the special help of various Helmar Adhesives - especially my two favorites: the Premium Craft glue for paper and 450 Quick Dry for embellishments.

Before you go, don't forget to enter Meg's Blog Candy Giveaway at the end of the new DT announcement and good luck!

Meg's Garden DT announcement and PRIZE

I am happy to announce that I will be continuing on with Meg's Garden DT for another term. Please visit the official announcement here at;
http://megsgardenblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/design-team-announcement_14.html#c to see all the lovely ladies who made the team as well as an EASY way to win a beautiful blog candy prize pack of gorgeous Meg's Garden papers and some fabulous embellies from her store!