"End of Summer" layout ~ !3 Arts

Hello, 13 Arts friends and fans! 

Sandi Clarkson here with you today sharing my most recent project for 13 Arts featuring the 13 Arts End of Summer collection. Although I am still actually knee-deep in Christmas preparations at the moment, I  had an idea in mind for scrapping this sweet photo of my young granddaughter Marianne playing in the leaves. So, I'm mixing in some Fall along with the Christmas season. 

Let's look at today's project, shall we?

As usual I prepared my paper with clear gesso before moving on to stenciling with the new Stencil Vintage letter, END OF SUMMER and 13 Arts modeling paste. 

Then it was a matter of adding papers from the End of Summer A6 paper pad for my focal point and to serve as photo matting. I added lots of corrugated cardboard between my layers for dimensional and to enable me to tuck in my embellishments. 

I adore the gorgeous rust and cream sunflowers in this End of Summer Ephemera Pack. So, I added with abandon as I wanted a very full look. Also, we now have the wonderful Art Book, vol 1 for fussy cutting even more images. 

I also used some of the chipboard from the collection for further embellishing. 

When my composition was nearly finished, I added both Brown Water Ink as well as Yellow Amber Water Ink (links below) to make the focal area more dominant.  As an additional layer, you can see that I also used some ecru Sisal from 13 Arts.

I finished the layout with some splattering of watered down 13 Arts White Gesso. 

The butterflies from the End of Summer Ephemera pack are bright and beautiful. I just had to use a few for whimsy and to brighten things up.  Also, the new Badges are so fun to tuck in amongst your layers. 

I hope that this will inspire you to create and make use of your 13 Arts products. 

Below is a list of products used in case you need to shop: 

13 Arts products used: 

End of Summer A6 paper pad

End of Summer Ephemera Pack

Daydreaming paper, End of Summer

ART BOOK vol. 1 8x8" Paper pad

Stickers A4 END OF SUMMER

End of Summer chipboard

Stencil Vintage letter, END OF SUMMER

Badge set, 6 pcs, 25mm

Yellow Amber Water Ink

Brown Water Ink

White Gesso

Gesso Clear -500 ml

Modeling Paste

Gel Medium

3D Medium Balls

3D Sand Balls

Sisal floristic hair ecru 37-40 gr

Silicone Brush 50 mm

Splash Brush

4mm round Watercolor Brush

Thank you for stopping by today! 

See you next time, 

Sandi

Fast and Easy Christmas Cards with Sandi Clarkson

Hello, friends!  

The clock is ticking and you just remembered someone else that you want to send a cheery Christmas card. 

Sandi Clarkson here with you sharing a couple of quick, easy ideas! 

The hardest part is choosing your papers! 

When planning this post, I knew the key was using some Creative Embellishments holiday chipboard sentiments that were on the larger side and essentially statement pieces.

 So, planning tip number #1 is to stock your stash with a few gorgeous chipboard or word veneer pieces. that have a more grand scale. 

Here I'm sharing a 6x6 card that consists of the white card base as well as 3 co-ordinating Christmas papers that were each about a quarter inch smaller than the one beneath it. After choosing my 3 pieces of papers, I ran them all through my Distrezz-it-all. You can also use your scissors or hand-held distress tools.  To add some interest, I tore off one corner. 

For some fun dimensions, I placed corrugated cardboard between each layer. That allowed me some space for tucking in some elements .. in this case the small snowflakes from the Snowflakes set. These were painted white and have some iridescent glitter glue added to glam them up! 

In the open area to the right, I added a small piece of the Pine Cone Clusters which was colorized with some 13 Arts watercolor and glitter glue. 

The large sentiment is the wood veneer Seasons Greetings. No alteration needed! 

Because the word veneer is light and I adhered it to a darker base, it didn't require any alteration. 

A final quick bow and it was complete!

 ***

Now for the REALLY easy one! 

Again I selected 3 co-ordinating papers and added them in a pleasing manner to my 5x6.5 card base ...  after inking the edges. 

Then I chose my Happy Holidays chipboard which is approximately 5" wide by 3.2" high. I altered this piece with walnut stain and dried it using my heat gun. .. quick and easy. 

I adhered the sentiment to my card base. 

Then for a little pizazz, I added a pink flower and some pearls. 

This one was quick, quick so I recommend keeping. these types of sentiments in your stash for those times when you need a fast card! Just duplicate my steps and you are all done. 

Thanks for coming by today. 

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! 

Sandi

Creative Embellishments products used: 

 Snowflakes

Pine Cone Clusters

Happy Holidays

Seasons Greetings

More Christmas Cards for Creative Embellishments

Hello, fellow crafters! 

We are happy to see you here today and hope that we can provide some inspiration for all your holiday crafts and beyond. 

It's Sandi Clarkson here sharing a couple of Christmas cards created with my Creative Embellishments products.  

Both my cards were created using papers from Graphic 45s vintage Twelve Days of Christmas collection. I love the combination of the faded reds along with the teals and peach tones. The Christmas quote on the bottom of the card on the right is from my old Christmas stash. I believe it was My Minds Eye maybe. 

I've altered 2 different Artist Trading Coins and backed them with paper after colorizing them. The Coin on the right is adhered with dimensional squares. The first is from the Winter Artist Trading Coins while the second is from the Merry Christmas ATC coins. 

Just a little addition of some green moss, a single red sequin and some red hydrangeas and this one is ready for giving! 

***

My second card looks a little busy in the photograph but really it is just a wreath shaker and a sentiment. The Wreath Shaker Set is quite beautiful but it is also quite intricate, so tackle it when you have a lazy afternoon rather than a busy one. There is quite a bit of perimeter and several layers involved. Take your time, work slowly and find a prominent point for helping with your alignment. You'll need some adhesive with a fine trip or you could also brush it on. 

I added some Aileen's glitter snow but kind of wish I hadn't so that you could see the piece a little better. My shaker mix is from Buttons Galore and More. 

** Also, please note that I substituted the bow that comes with the shaker set to one of the new Curly Bows. These are larger than the one in the shaker set and more voluminous. I altered it wit watercolor, Stickles and glitter now. A random button embellishment and twine for the center completes the bow. 

The sweet holiday sentiment was altered the same as the Curly bow above. 

Thanks for coming by today! 

Hopefully, you can take some time for yourself during this busy season to make a few new holiday decor pieces or a few cards. 

See you next time! 

Sandi

Creative Embellishments products used: 

Wreath Shaker Set

Curly Bows

Winter Artist Trading Coins

Merry Christmas ATC coins

Christmas Sentiments

Creative Embellishments December Challenge

Welcome to the December Challenge, everyone! This month I was inspired by the Old World steampunk colors in the challenge image and opted to create a couple of Christmas cards using some older Bo Bunny papers and my Creative Embellishments Chipboard.

 On the first I've used the Bow Borders and a couple of the Christmas Bulbs. All my chipboard pieces were altered using 13 Arts paints and mists and then glammed up with some of their gold glitter paint.

 For the second I used one of the Ornament Frames and the classic favorite, the Jumping Deer. For a sentiment I've used "Jingle Bells" from the Christmas Sentiments.  A little gold ribbon and they are ready to mail! 

Can't wait to see your take on the Challenge this month. 

Here is the Challenge image: 

Thanks for coming by! 

Hugs, 

Sandi

Creative Embellishments products used: 

Bow Borders

Christmas Bulbs

Ornament Frames

Jumping Deer

Christmas Sentiments

All paints and glitter are from 13 Arts. 

Winter Time ~ 13 Arts

Hello, lovely people! 

This is the time of year when we are experiencing a transition from one season to the next. I decided to sprinkle in a little Winter vibe. 

Sandi here sharing my November solo blog post with a mix of the Bella collection mixed with the Dreamland collection and the awesome moose photo from the November mood board. 

As always, I prepped my paper with 13 Arts Clear Gesso and did some Stencil work with both the Adorable Circles Stencil and the  Abstract Flowers Stencil.  really like that the 13 Arts modeling paste is pure white. That way I can either color it or not and still have the lovely white dominating the project. 

For my papers I've used the Bella Ciao Paper 12x12  and the Dreamland By the Fireplace Paper 12x12 .  These two collections really play nicely together. My fussy cut ephemera is from the Dreamland Ephemera Pack. 

As I worked I also used some Rice paper from the Dreamland Rice Paper. 

My photo layers were from both collections paper pads as noted below in the materials list.

I've included the wreath chipboard from the Dreamland Chipboard 6x6 and painted them white for a frosty look. 

Here is a nice close-up of the Abstract Flowers Stencil highlighted with Indigo Chalk Mist. 

After tucking in various embellishments and epehemera, I did some focal highlighting with the Indigo Chalk mist. When that was dry, I adhered all my 3D balls (see links below.)

The burlap ribbon is from my stash but provided a nice texture to my piece. 

Here is a look at the splattering done as my last step. You can also see the random stamping done earlier in the process using the Wonderland Stamp and black archival ink. 

I think that's about it for today. 

I wanted my piece to be clean and fresh like fallen snow before anyone had walked in it. 

Thank you for coming by today! 

Materials used:

Dreamland Paper Pad A6 

Sunrise Paper Pad 6x6 

Dreamland Chipboard 6x6

Dreamland Ephemera Pack

Dreamland Rice Paper

Wonderland Stamp

Abstract Flowers Stencil

Adorable Circles Stencil

Bella Ciao Paper 12x12

Dreamland By the Fireplace Paper 12x12 

3D Balls Medium

3D Balls Small

Indigo Chalk Mist

Clear Gesso

White Gesso

Modeling Paste

Gel Medium

Silicone Brush 50 mm

Splash Brush

4mm round Watercolor Brush 

old florals from my stash

Christmas Home Decor piece with Creative Embellishments

Hello, Creative Embellishments fans! 

Are you decorating for Christmas yet? 

If so, I have a little crafting inspiration for you. 

Sandi Clarkson here sharing another fabulous Home Decor wood piece designed by CE owner Nicolle Grabowski. This is a 3/8 inch birch wood piece that I've altered for the Christmas Season. It could actually be used all year as general Word Art and either altered in your favorite colors or left bare as an accent against dark walls. 

 

Originally I had planned to go with a mint green base but wasn't happy with it. Finally I went with a teal watercolor from 13 Arts and then covered it with a clear distress glaze to seal it. I've used the same technique to alter my Poinsettia Set using red for the flower petals (bracts actually) and olive green for the stems being sure not to skip the sealing step. 

I stacked my poinsettia pieces using a couple of broken sets from last year and after adhering them to the base piece, I used yellow Stickles to create the yellow flowers in the center of the plant. Although I'm not a fan of Stickles, sometimes it provides just the right amount of pizazz. I used green for the stems and red for the poinsettia bracts. While those 3 sets were drying, I added some dry brushed white gesso over my teal paint to give it some shabby character. 

Additionally, I used some Nuovo drops for accents here and there. 

All three flower sets got some Aleene's Snow Glitter as did portions of the actual letting for a finished look. A couple of pinecones were added for just a little more wintry feel. 

Because I'm not sure if this will be used on my tree or on a wreath, I wanted to go ahead and add some ribbon for hanging in case I go that route. I thought some gold ribbon would add the most festive feel. So, I looped it through the top of the B leaving enough ribbon to make a bow and then looped it again thought the top of the second loop of the V. 

Just a few little touch-ups and my project was finished. 

I hope this inspires you to get crafty! 

Thanks for coming by! 

For those of you in the USA, I hope you have a great, safe Thanksgiving. 

Sandi

Creative Embellishments products used:

Believe Home Decor piece

Poinsettia Set

Merry Christmas Canvas ~ Rockefeller Center, 2016 ~ 13 Arts

Hello, scrappy friends! 

Sandi here with you today sharing a canvas that I created for 13 Arts group post featuring anything Christmas. 

I haven't done a canvas in a while, so thought that would be a fun project to do. The hard part was choosing a photo (Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2016) and then spending hours fussy cutting elements. 

Using modeling paste and texture powder, I created a crackle paste which I applied and the air dried for 24 hours. Next I added my Pastel Mint and Pastel Cinnamon colors along with some Pearl Gold. 

I choose a couple of papers from the 2 paper pads and distressing those and adhered those to several pieces of corrugated cardboard for height and dimension. Under that I had already adhered a fussy cut piece of the Dreamland transparency. 

I added color and Aleene's snow to my evergreen trees before including those. 

Once everything was added and glued down, I enhanced the focal area with the Sap Green mist. When that was dry, I splattered my white gesso and Old Gold Glitter. 

Love how the pine cones and stars bring a Christmas feel to my canvas. 

I hope you will drop by the 13 Arts Blog for more Christmas inspiration from the Design Team. We are posting our Christmas creations on the 18th and the 25th. 

Thanks for coming by! 

Sandi

Materials used: 

Dreamland Ephemera Pack

Dreamland Paper Pad A6

Sunrise Paper Pad, A6

Dreamland Wonder of Nature paper

Wonderland Stamp A7

Dreamland Transparency

Badge Set, 6

Art Book

Down Under mini Watercolor set

Pastel Mint Mist

Pastel Cinnamon Mist

Sap Green Chalk Mist

Gold Pearl Mist

Old Gold Glitter

Aleene's Glitter Snow

Gold Stars Self-adhesive, 56 pcs

Natural pine cones

White Gesso

Modeling Paste

Texture Powder

Gel Medium

Silicone Brush 50 mm

Splash Brush

4mm round Watercolor Brush

Family is a work of heART ~ Creative Embellishments

Hello, Creative Embellishments fans! 

Fall is in the air here in the Northern Hemisphere. 

I so love seeing the leaves change color and put on a gorgeous show! 

Sandi Clarkson here with you today sharing my newest project created for Creative Embellishments. 

This Floral Circle 2  was SO fun to alter!  

All papers and mediums are 13 Arts except for the waxes and I really put them to use replicating Fall's change of Color. 

There is some End of Summer paper behind this 8 inch round panel but I altered the chipboard prior to adhering to the paper. I was able to develop texture on my chipboard by simply adding multiple layers of the same (or different) water inks and then drying when it was still in puddles. Love how that turned out. 

And don't you love my sweet photo of grandson Jake with his family? His wife Olivia is the sweetest lady and manages all these boys with ease. 

The Family is a work of heART was misted black and then I added gold wax for some shine. I mounted in on paper and then fussy cut around the lettering so the the title would stand out more. 

Various color waxes were also applied randomly all over my round panel. That really helped in making transitional color to mimic leaves. 

 

I added a few matching ephemera pieces from the End of Summer collection and then added some florals of various color to help soften the layout. 

Some cheesecloth was tucked in a few spots to provide additional texture. 

Ah, I love, love how beautifully I was able to alter this amazing piece. 

Have you seen this month's Challenge? 

I used that as inspiration for this project but saved it to share today.

Anyway, there are some great prize opportunities. I hope you can play along this month! 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

See you next time! 

Sandi

Creative Embellishments products used: 

Floral Circle 2

Family is a work of heART

"Together" Home Decor piece ~ Creative Embellishments

Hello, Creative Embellishments fans! 

I'm excited for today's post. 

Sandi Clarkson here sharing my latest Home Decor piece for Creative Embellishments. 

These Home Decor pieces are made from 3/16" plywood and are perfect for altering or in some instances, for using bare to showcase multiple layers of decor. 

I knew right away that I wanted to order the gorgeous Large Leaf piece as soon as I spied it in the CE storefront and do something Fall-ish with it. However, when it arrived, I liked it SOOO much "as is" that I waited awhile before altering it. In the end, I knew it would be awesome once I started adding some Fall touches to it. But I most certainly will order another one simply to use "naked."  

After deciding what direction I wanted to rotate my piece, I applied a thick layer of crackle paste and allowed that to dry overnight. You will get the best crackle effects if you allow it to air dry. 

Once my crackle was dry, I began adding color using my 13 Arts water inks in olive, brown, yellow amber as well as my Woodbine mist. I painted all of it with a brush and dried each color separately but knowing that they would blend somewhat without letting them get too muddy. 

It was so hard to decide on a photo but ultimately another horse photo took the win. 

I felt the photo needed some strength to balance out the dark background. 

Tucked under my photo is a blackened Punchinella Panel. I had planned to use my Punchinella Pieces but couldn't find them quickly enough. So much for my great filing system! So I just cut away a section of the panel, painted it and tucked it under the focal area. 

I've also used a couple of pieces of the Acorn Clusters which were painted brown with olive green leaves. Then I added some waxes and some more paint to give them character. I tucked one on the upper left and one on the lower right of the photo. 

For my title piece I used the word Together from the Family Word Border Set. It was also painted black and accented with gold wax. 

Ahhh, don't you love that crackle?! 

As far as further embellishments I used some green roots, a metal key and a bow from last year's ribbon. 

Here is a close-up of the focal area. 

I finished off the piece with some splattering of gold paint and Ranger's Wild Honey. 

This Decor piece was so, so fun to create! 

The stars must have been perfectly aligned because the whole process went so easily and creating was just a dream. 

So relaxing! 

Thanks so much for coming by. 

I hope you have a chance to play along with the November Challenge! 

It's a great one. For all the details, please visit the CE Blog. 

See you next time! 

Sandi

Creative Embellishments products used: 

Large Leaf

Punchinella Panel

Acorn Clusters

Family Word Border Set