The Best Things in Life

The Project this week is an extension of a previous week's project...but this time I've got step-by-step photos!! Woot!!


I am masterfully in love with the Letters by Janna shapes we have in the store. You might remember the star I decorated awhile back (here's the link). This week I grabbed the smallest flower shapes and got to work! It is a super fun size and shape to work with. And the possibilities are endless...pink for a girls room, ivory and black for wedding decor, a housewarming gift in the colours of the new home, etc. etc. I love them!!!

You Will Need:

• An MDF shape. Right now Treasured Memories has two sizes of hearts and stars, and three sizes of flowers, but you can also order them directly from Letters by Janna. I am using the smallest flower ($12) for my project.


• Gesso/primer: I used gesso to prime the surface before I started applying the papers and ink, but any kind of primer or white paint will work. This just gives a nice even surface to start on. And if you're not keen on the white gesso, you can tint it with a little bit of any acrylic paint. I used some yellow in mine.


• Pattern papers: scraps work great for this, as you are going to rip and tear them and if you cover them in more paint the colours and pattern will be muted.


• Paint: I used yellow, red, and black. I really like the new Claudine Helmuth line we carry in the store...her paints go on really smooth. But any craft or acrylic paints works well here.


• Matte Gel Medium: I use this to adhere all of the pattern papers, and seal them. White glue works to adhere the papers, and you could use any kind of varnish or sealer (water-based) that you have on hand. Matte is just my preference.


• Glimmer Mist, foam stamps, rubber stamps, letter stamps, chipboard shapes, charms, etc. Grab anything you might want to use to further embellish your shape once you have the base down. I'm using Riff Raff Designs peacock and a big Prima flower. As well as some red and gold Glimmer Mist to give a little shimmer!

Before I did anything else, I painted my chipboard peacock so it would be dry by the time I wanted to use it. I used Black Claudine Helmuth paint, as well as some black Ranger crackle paint for texture.


Some Helpful Hints: Your project might go through an ugly phase, but you've got to just ride it out and keep going! Remember that this is about layers...lots and lots of layers. So if you do something that doesn't end up looking very nice, just add another layer and keep playing with it until you like it!

Also, it's a good idea to let each layer dry completely before you add on to it. This way it's easier to rub off the paint/gesso/Glimmer Mist etc. if you don't like it, without wrecking the layer behind. If you are impatient (!!) use a heat gun or hair dryer to speed up the process!!


Step One: Assemble all your supplies...you don't want to be running around looking for things.


Then prime the entire shape with gesso. I mixed mine with a little bit of yellow paint, because I didn't want the bright white background.

You can mix it before you apply it to the shape, or as you go, it doesn't matter. At this stage it can be super messy and ugly...you will be adding a lot more layers.

Step Two: Start ripping your pattern papers and gluing them down. I'm using my Gel Medium to adhere them to my shape with the same brush I used for the gesso...and I didn't clean it off! This way the papers are already starting to blend into the background colour.

Keep ripping and gluing as you go, filling in empty spots and balancing out the pattern and colours.

Here you can see how they blend into the background, but you can still see the basic shape and texture of the paper.

Once I got my layer of papers down, I covered them with a light coat of gel medium mixed with the gesso/paint mix. You can wipe this off if you apply it too heavy...use a wet paper towel or a baby wipe. Try wiping more off in some areas to let the pattern paper show through!

Step Three: Once that dried, I sprayed some Brick and Antique Gold Glimmer Mist over my project. This gives a lovely shimmer to the piece and adds a little bit more (subtle) colour.

Here's a close up. Remember, the more Glimmer Mist you add, the brighter the colour will be. I like using colours that match well with the background, so they begin to blend in with the papers once they dry...you don't want them to completely obscure the layer you have already laid down.

Step Four: Once the Glimmer Mist dried, I began to add more paint. I'm using red and black Claudine Hellmuth, but any acrylic paint will work fine. The best way to apply this, and not get too much paint, is dry brushing. Get some paint on your brush, wipe most of it off (a paper towel or rag works), then gently brush it onto your shape. The texture it produces it great, plus you can gradually build up the colour without adding too much at once.


I found that the black when dry brushed over top of the pattern paper picked up and accentuated the edges of the papers and left a really amazing texture! And as I edged the piece with black paint, I brushed a little bit over the edges to further define them.

And here's the finished shape!! I finished it with some Prima flowers and a Creative Imaginations brad.
And my peacock looks great all crackly.

You could try:

• Adding some lettering with stamps or sticker letters
• Add a photo (or two!)
• Hang a gem or button or whatever in the centre of the flower using ribbon or wire.
• Hang the entire shape using a lovely ribbon or tulle (reinforced with wire!)

And yes, I am TOTALLY teaching a class on this in February!! Check out the calendar here.

See you next week!