The Queen's Crown with Connie Crystal

My latest project for the Connie Crystal blog is regal.... find out the details on their blog!   http://sparklebycc.com/the-queens-crown/

Cindi’s Adventures with Etchall

Etchall® Etching Cream is an amazing product with a long history of use on glass, mirrors, and ceramic glazes.  It's easy to use, and the product is re-usable so there is very little waste.   Be sure to visit http://www.Etchall.com to learn more about their variety of products, for a project gallery, and for how-to videos.   And, of course be sure to follow the Designer Craft Blog Connection post on the left to see what the other participating designers have created with Etchall®!

Those of you who follow my creative work know I tend to be a bit of a mad scientist sometimes when crafting.   When I received my Etchall® for this Designer Craft Blog Connection Hop, I immediately began scheming and dreaming up new things I wanted to try with it. First, I'm going to share my finished project, then I'll share my experiments.....

The Plaid® Martha Stewart stencils I used for these glasses are made of sturdy plastic and therefore would not bend well to mold to the shape of the wine glass.  So I traced the stencil onto Etchall® Etchmask, and used a sharp craft knife to cut out the open areas. 

The finished sticker stencil was mounted to the glass and I followed the manufacturer’s instructions for applying the Etchall® - and it worked wonderfully - I was able to easily create four seaside themed wine glasses.  (*Note... I found when etching a curved surface like this, it was better to apply the cream to small areas at a time, rather than the entire image to eliminate the issue of the cream running off the curved edge on to the area of the glass you don't want etched...)

And even though the different designs would make it easy for those using the to determine which glass was there, I like to be optimistic and think that several sets might be in use at a fabulous beachside party.... causing confusion as to whose glass was whose.    My answer - quick and easy wine glass charms made from gold hoop earrings, 4 different colored Connie Crystal pearls, and some sparkling Connie Crystal accents. 

And now... cue the bubbling vials and beakers of steaming green and brown goo in the laboratory....

First Experiment: 

Polished marble door stop......  I am lucky to have access to some great assorted chunks of gorgeous marble and have been wanting to create something unique with a piece for a while.  

I whipped out my KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square and lined up some Plaid® Martha Stewart alphabet stencils to spell out a favorite verse.   Applied the Etchall® and waited not so patiently for the required time.  When I removed the Etchall®, then the stencils, I discovered...... nothing.   Apparently, the manufacturers are correct in not claiming their product works on polished marble - lol......

Second Experiment: 

(Yes, the inner “Beaker” in me... anybody remember him from The Muppet Show?..... persevered and had to keep on pushing the limits beyond the product’s recommended uses...)

Etched luggage tag......... I love the clear acrylic Mod Podge Acrylic shapes, especially the tags, from Plaid®.   Out came my Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square again and those same Plaid® Martha Stewart stencils..... I spelled out my name and was planning to add my phone number too and a pretty little flower design.  

Guess what?  Apparently, the manufacturer was also correct in not claiming the product would etch plastic.  

Was there a third experiment?  Well of course there was.   I took a sheet of rolled, dried Makin’s Clay®, added a stencil and added some Etchall® just to see what would happen.  I bet you can guess what the result was.

With all of that shared, I want to reiterate that the Etchall® cream was very easy to use, and I had good results, when I followed the manufacturer's instructions and used it for it's intended use!  I'm glad I got a chance to discover this product and I already have ideas on ways to use it for future projects! - Cindi

Friends Are The Family We Choose for Ourselves - Mixed-Media Frame

My latest project for KellyCraft uses their amazing Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square and some of my other favorite crafting products - Craft Attitude (follow the link in the right column and get FREE SHIPPING on Craft Attitude products!) , Smoothfoam, Connie Crystal, and Graphic 45 papers!  Find the full instructions here on the KellyCraft blog: 

http://www.kellycraftblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/friends-are-family-mixed-media-frame.html

"Happiness is...." Designer Craft Blog Connection Hop Time!

It's the first Monday in June which means it's time for another Designer Craft Blog Connection hop!  This month our theme was "Happiness is..."   Obviously, that can be interpreted in almost endless ways....  I decided to share some examples of silly & simple things that make me happy.  Both of these layouts were created many years ago when I first began scrapbooking and was trying my hand at creating an "all about me" book.

For lots of other creative ideas all focused on the "Happiness is..." theme, be sure to click on the Designer Craft Blog Connection icon in the column on the right and see what the other designers are sharing with you today!  

I encourage you to think about the quirky things that make you happy and find a way to capture them in a journal or scrapbook album.  It's a great way to remember to enjoy the "simple" things in life, and a great way for your family to get a little peak at what makes you uniquely YOU.  - Cindi

"Three of my favorite things.  Three small pieces of the big puzzle that, when complete, make up me.  Vampire stories, chocolate, and quirky toenail polish.  Three small, simple, silly things.  Three things that make me just plain happy."  7/1/06

Remember that song from the musical "Oliver" - "Food, Glorious Food" - well my version of that song would be "Shoes, Glorious Shoes!"  Especially sandals - I absolutely love warm weather and being able to wear sandals (hey, they also show off my "quirky" toenail polish I mentioned above).  Since we moved to NC I get to wear them almost year round which truly adds to my "happiness" factor!  

"I'm a sandal JUNKIE!  Spring - Summer - Fall.  No day of fun in the sun is complete without cute sandals!!" - 5/05

Getting It Straight & Catching Memories

 

http://www.kellycraftblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/scoring-made-easy-with-kellycraft-laser.html

I have a couple of new projects to share today - the first is a new KellyCraft Innovations video showing how the KellyCraft Get-it-Straight Laser Square makes scoring paper and cardstock super simple.

The second is this simple project featuring Connie Crystal & Craft Attitude - what I call "Memory Catchers" - instructions are featured here on the Connie Crystal Blog.

Cre8time to get crafty today! - Cindi

Poppy's Flags - A Memorial Day Custom

Remembering.... I wanted to share a this page I created many years ago when I began scrapbooking when my boys were still quite small, celebrating one of those “little things” that honor the memory of my grandfather.  Now they are 12 and 14,  my grandmother has joined my grandfather in heaven, and the singing part of this tribute may have stopped, but the flags still find a place of honor in our front yard on each occasion.  

Tom did the honors of placing the flags this morning...

This simple page began with a pre-blocked patterned scrapbook paper.  But even when I started the journey of scrapbooking so many years ago, I wanted more depth & dimension, so I popped things off the page - I added real buttons and wire over those printed on the page itself, cut second hearts and stars from a separate piece of paper, wrapped them with fibers, then mounted with Elmer’s foam tape over the preprinted ones.  Journaling was printed onto a removable tag kept in a pocket.  The photos are done “flip book style” - I used 3 clear envelopes, mounted with the tabs together, to create a flip book of photos of the flags and my boys with my grandmother performing their ritual to place the flags.

The journaling reads:

Poppy’s flags make their annual trip to our front yard each year for Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, (and now 9/11).  Great Grammy King, Joe & Tom have a parade from the back yard to the front yard singing "God Bless America" as loud as they can and I just know Poppy is enjoying the show and smiling down from Heaven!  - 7/2004 

New on the KellyCraft Blog - Decorative Flag Box

Find out how I used the KellyCraft Get-it-Straight Laser Square to create this decorative flag box in my latest post on their blog: 

http://kellycraftblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/memorial-day-decorative-flag-box.html

The KellyCraft Get-it-Straight Laser Square really makes helps making crafting easier! - Cindi