Gala Glitzy Trees by Laura Fraedrich

This is the best time of year to stock up on supplies for next year’s holiday projects. I scored these funky wooden trees for about 70% off last year during the local craft store’s Christmas clearance sale. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them at the time, but I knew I’d turn them into something special eventually. An idea popped into my head when I came across them this year in my craft supply closet. It only took a few scrapbooking supplies and some Gala Glitz from the Art Glitter Institute (which, by the way, is my favorite product of theirs) to give these clearance items a new life!

Supplies Needed:

Wooden trees - mine came painted white already, but if yours didn’t, paint them using acrylic paints and let dry.
Two sizes of circle paper punches
Miscellaneous scrapbook paper
Collage medium (I used Collage Pauge)
1” sponge brush
Craft Glue (I used Tacky Glue)
Assorted sizes and colors of plastic buttons (about 20)
Designer Dries Clear adhesive
Gala Glitz in assorted colors (I used red, teal and lavender blue)
Assorted fibers or yarn
Small wooden blocks in various sizes
Ribbon

Instructions:

Punch out two sizes of circles out of your scrapbook papers. Cut out enough to cover most of the tree, leaving little bits of white showing through.

Using the sponge brush, apply a thin layer of collage medium to the tree and lay on the circles. Let dry, then repeat, adding more circles on another layer. When you are satisfied with your circles, apply one last layer of collage medium to seal.

Take the buttons and apply Designer Dries Clear adhesive to their centers, then sprinkle with Gala Glitz. Let dry. Leave some of the buttons plain.

Adhere the buttons randomly on the tree with craft adhesive. Use the largest buttons for the tree toppers.

Wrap several wooden blocks in scrapbook papers and glue into place with craft glue. Wrap ribbons around them and top with one or two tiny plastic buttons. Glue them to the base of the tree (if your tree came with a base).

Wrap a strand of fibers or yarn around the tree and adhere at both ends with a drop of craft glue.

Fantasy Butterfly Pendants by Emily M. Miller

Happy Holidays to all! I just wanted to share with you these pendants I made. It is a small variation of some 4" Fantasy Film butterflies I did a couple of years ago.

These guys are all about 1.5" wide. Above and below are pin versions.

When you make jewelry with Fantasy Film you have to keep in mind that it will be a very light piece. So I added some beads and findings to the bottoms. Actually, some of them are recycled earrings that I don't wear anymore. They worked perfect for this project.

Some have a little bit of Fantasy Fiber in between the Film, like the first one above, this necklace below is just Film. The Fiber gave the butterfly a great texture.

You can't tell by the photos, but I made these pretty thick, at least 5-6 layers of Film. And I ironed them a bit too long. The ink became embossed almost and the colors are just fantastic!

After stamping I mold them over a candle flame just a touch for a little bit of lift. Take a look at my poor old blog (I have neglected it!) for a tutorial on the 4" butterflies. BlogbyEmm.com That will give you a good idea of how I created these.

This one above has fiber in it, can you see the texture difference? I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I'm giving several out at Christmas.

I'm making a class out of this project too, planning on it in February. See more of our classes HERE.

Have a wonderful Holiday Weekend! More fun to come soon!!!

Salt Shaker photo or place tag holders by Cassandra Midkiff

I’ve seen this idea a few times and have always wanted to add my own “sparkle” to it. I found two vintage glass salt and pepper shakers at my local thrift store. I like items that have some wear and tear to them; I think it adds to their charm.

To begin I took the cap off and rubbed some Designer Dries Clear Adhesive around the edge of it. I then placed it directly into my Apricot Vintage Glass Glitter and rolled on the sparkle, I love the texture and quality of these glitters. I set it aside to dry and began to work on the body of the salt shaker. 

I took a small amount of diluted adhesive and added it to the inside of my shaker I put my finger over the top and swirled it around. Next I took about half a teaspoon of my Ultrafine Transparent glitter in Urchin and added it to the inside and also swirled it around until it was coated.

While that was drying I went through some of my vintage rhinestone jewelry to find a piece that would work as a frame if you don’t have any rhinestone jewelry try using a shell, flower, metal finding or making a frame out of glitter. Once I found my perfect piece I used Beacon 527 glue to attach it since it is metal to glass.  Again I set it aside to dry and went back to my lid.

I had some jewelry wire lying around so I am not sure the gauge. It is thick enough to stay in place but easy enough to bend with pliers. I twisted it around in a circle twice leaving a “slot” where my photo can go and then attached it to my shaker lid. I can tell this is something I will have to practice on more. I decided the silver was too shiny for my vintage inspired piece and painted it white with an acrylic paint. I didn’t seal the paint and don’t mind if it gets chippy I think it will add to it.

I then went back to the body of the shaker where I had glued my rhinestone frame. I use words from vintage poetry books often so I had some already pre-cut you could always print out your words if that isn’t convenient for you. I placed some of my DDC adhesive inside the rhinestone frame and added my word then took some more Apricot Vintage Glass Glitter and sprinkled it on top.

I rubbed some DDC adhesive all over the top of my shaker lid and sprinkled some Confections Dazzlers on top.

When that was dry I put it all together and viola a charming piece to give as a gift, adorn your home with or as an addition to a party as place holders.

Glitter Ornaments with Transparencies by Candy Spiegel

I love the sparkle glitter provides. It seems a natural match for Christmas ornaments. But, sometimes I have a hard time getting it to look just right. I’ve watched Barbara Trombley, the owner of Art Glitter, do magnificent creations with glitter and glue, but mine just never seem to turn out as well.

Until I discovered a little secret … If you stamp on an acetate transparency and then put glitter on the back side, you will get a beautiful image without any glitter “mistakes”.

Using a stamp from Holly Berry House, a plastic ornament and some products from Art Glitter, I created this...

Isn’t it amazing!?!

I started by stamping the image on an Acetate Transparency using a Very Black Permanent Stamp Pad. Then, I used my heat tool to set the ink and then punched the center out so it would fit over the top of the ball.

Next, I turned the image over and used the Ultrafine Metal Tip and Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to apply the following glitters: Ultrafine Opaque Berry (4), Ultrafine Opaque True Red (1), Ultrafine Opaque Emerald (48) and Vintage Glass Glitter in Red Damask (608). I also covered the metal top in Ultrafine True Red glitter.

As you work, you’ll see the glue on the front side of the image. However, when it is totally dry, the glue vanishes and all you will see is the glitter.

While that dried, I cut strips of Fantasy Film in Waterfall, crumbled them up and then added them to the inside of the ball.

Once the transparency was dry, I cut out the image and then placed it on top of the ball and then put the clip back in place.

I didn’t like how wide the flower was, so I bent each side and glued the edge of the petal to the ball. This takes some time — Designer Dries Clear Adhesive dries quickly on most surfaces, but attaching glitter to plastic is a bit tough. I used a piece of tape to hold it in place while the glue dried overnight. Since all of the glitter is on the underside, it didn’t cause any damage when I removed it.

Of course, I was so excited with that project, I got a bit carried away and made this one, using the same technique:

For this one, I stamped the image twice and cut the green leaves out of the second one. I glittered them with the same ones mentioned above. However, since this one was keeping its center, I added Microfine Opaque Glitter in Cayman (521) to the center of the top layer only. I did not place any glitter in the center on the bottom image (the one with the green leaves), since I wanted a place to attach the two images together.

Once dry, I cut out both images and used adhesive foam to attach them in the center, to provide a dimensional look. Then, I added Large Glass Beads in Solar (803) to the center of the flower. (The beads are the only thing attached to the top of the transparency, rather than the back side.

Finally, I used my Crop-a-Dile to add an eyelet to the top and then strung a piece of ribbon as a hanger.

I wish you could see the sparkle and dimension in person! It’s beautiful. I hung it on the tree in front of a light to give it even more elegance.

Happy glittering!
(I received Art Glitter products in exchange for this post).

Freehand Glittered Holiday Cards by Barbara Trombley

What could be easier than a few swishes of the glue bottle, a dash of glitter and voila a beautifully handcrafted holiday card!

Barbara’s Designer Dries Clear adhesive with the Ultrafine Metal Tip attached coupled with her exquisite glitter make her smooth, flowing designs simply divine!

Did you know this is exactly how Barbara got started? By making homemade Christmas cards for friends and family she developed a handmade greeting card business that grew into her glitter manufacturing business of today.

She started out with cheep white glue and that big metallic glitter of old. Soon it was apparent how popular her ideas were and she needed quality materials. Hence the industrial strength Designer Dries Clear adhesive designed by a calligrapher, (Barbara) it is forever flexible and will hold glitter for over 30 years. At least that is how long it has been around, I’m sure it will last longer!

Here’s Barbara sharing her talents with a class of glitter enthusiasts, learning how to freehand holiday designs on cards.

They did a great job!

Barbara’s products have grown so much from just glitter to the organic pleasures of Elements Earth Textures shown in the wreath above. Faux Snow, Glass Beads, Vintage Glass Glitter and even Dazzlers, all favorites for the holiday season!

Speaking of Glitter for the Season…make sure you take advantage of our 25% off all Art Glitter products sale, it will be over soon! We also have free shipping though the month of December. So Get Your Glitter On Now!!!

Visit our SALE page for more details!

For The Love of Zentangles ® by Laura Fraedrich

I am hopelessly in love with Zentangles®. What's not to love about an art form that has been referred to as 'yoga for the brain'? There's nothing more calming than getting out a  Micron marker and sketch pad and mindlessly drawing repeating shapes which will end up turning into an amazing piece of art. I started by trying to draw them myself, then decided to invest in a book that taught me how to draw some patterns. After awhile, I began adding colors to my designs and loved how they contrasted with the black and white patterns of the 'tangle'. I took it a step further by taking a class at  Art Unraveled in 2010 with Rena Tucker on how to use Zentangles® to enhance other media such as collage. Shortly thereafter, I started noticing fabrics in the stores that had small black and white repeating patterns and just had to have them. Born were my 'Zentangle® Inspired Art Quilts' (which can be found in the Winter 2012 issue of Sew Somerset).

My latest project is also inspired by this captivating art form. I found some Zentangle-ish paper in the scrapbook section of my local craft store and knew exactly what I was going to do for my first project as a returning guest designer for Art Glitter. May I present to you...

Zentangle® Inspired Glittery Ornaments

How to make them yourself:

Supplies needed:
• paper mache ornament
• black and white patterned scrapbook paper
• collage adhesive
• small sponge brush
• ribbon that is the same width as the side of the ornament
• Designer Dries Clear adhesive
• small wooden letters to spell Joy and/or Love, or whatever other word you choose
• paint that cooridnates with your ribbon
• paintbrush
• coordinating glitter,  Gala Glitz and/or Dazzlers Art Glitter
• small jingle bell
• assortment of fibers
• black permanent marker, such as a Sharpie

Instructions:
1. Start with a paper mache ornament, which you can get at your local craft store. Tear up pieces of patterned paper and collage them onto the ornament with a collage adhesive such as Collage Pauge and a small sponge brush. Seal by applying another layer of adhesive. Don't worry about covering up the sides completely (see step 2).

2. Cut a length of ribbon that will wrap all the way around the sides of the ornament. Glue on with Adhesive Dries Clear.

3. Cut a few 4" lengths of coordinating fibers and tie around the hanger of the ornament. Use one of the fibers to tie a jingle bell to it. Make sure you make a tight knot so it stays in place, or use a small dab of glue to hold it.

4. Paint the wooden letters with acrylic paint and let dry.

5. Put a healhy coating of Designer Dries Clear adhesive on top of each letter and sprinkle on the glitter, Gala Glitz or Dazzlers of your choice. I used the following colors:

        Joy -  Ultrafine Opaque glitter in Summertree (j and y)
                  and  Gala Glitz Teal (o)

        Love - Vintage Glass Glitter in Thistle (l, v, e)
                    and Dazzlers Fruit Punch (o)

6. Once dry, glue the letters onto the ornament with Designer Dries Clear adhesive and let dry.

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Gingerbead & Christmas Tree Garland by Candy Spiegel

With Thanksgiving behind us, I’m ready for Christmas.

So, when Art Glitter asked me to make a few projects for December, I was excited to get started.
My first project is a miniature gingerbread and Christmas tree garland. It’s simple and cute and perfect for a little trim on a stocking, a table-top Christmas tree or on the edge of a shelf. I hung it on the window sill and it’s adorable.

The nice thing about it, is it is simple enough that the kids can get involved and soon everyone will be sparkly!

I started by cutting out gingerbread men and trees using dies from QuicKutz (Lifestyle Crafts). For the gingerbread men, I smeared Designer Dries Clear adhesive over the front of the die cut and then sprinkled Elements in Carrot (3) over the top. I love the dimension that Elements add and I must admit, Carrot is one of my favorites. Sometimes it is gold, sometimes orange and sometimes brown, but always fabulous!

(If you’ve never used Elements, they are organic compounds that have a bit of glitter added to them so they sparkle. They come in a variety of earth hues and smell wonderful, but since they are made from organic elements, they are not safe for your scrapbook. They are great for cards and other craft projects. Always spray with an acrylic or matt spray when dry to preserve.)

Anyhow, while the men were drying, I turned my attention to the trees, again covering all of the die cut except the trunk with Designer Dries Clear and then sprinkled them with Emerald Ultrafine Opaque Glitter (48). Once dry, I covered the trunk with Elements Sediment (27). If you click on the photo for a closer view, you can see the dimension it adds to the trunk.

Then, I added the Ultrafine Metal Tip to my Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and made tiny ornaments on the tree and buttons on the gingerbread men with Ultrafine Opaque True Red (1).

Then, I went through with Ranger’s Liquid Pearls and added eyes and frosting trim to the gingerbread men.

Once dry, I turned them all over and added a drop of Designer Dries Clear adhesive to the back of each one and then stuck on a piece of We R Memory Keepers’ twine, as you can see in the photo below.

I think they turned out rather cute, don’t you?

Ornament Favors by Cassandra Midkiff

Every year around this time I try to think of little tokens of appreciation for my family that show them I care but are not too expensive. This year I’ve come up with tag/ornaments.  On one side they have the too/from and on the other a beautifully decorated little piece ready to hang on their tree.

I found these inexpensive papermache ornaments at my local craft store for $.99. I covered the ornament with my Designer Dries Clear adhesive and put a vintage sheet of poetry paper on top. After cutting off the excess paper I dry brushed some white acrylic paint on top so the words show through lightly. Next I tore some green scrapbook paper to act as my ground and glued it into place; I took the same paper and glued it to the back of my ornament as well adding my to and from in pen. Taking my brown ink pad I gently went around the edges of the ornament to give it an aged look. I then took some pom-pom trim and glued it around the edge of my ornament, you can also paint this area if it is easier for you.

With my background in place I put down more Designer Adhesive along the top of my green “ground” and using my small spoon shook some Faux Snow on top. When that was dry I went back and put another line of glue and sprinkled Confection Dazzlers on top.

While it was drying I cut out my deer and poinsettia pictures. I glued some illustration board to the back of both to give my piece some dimension. I tied a little red and white thread around my deer’s neck and then using the designer adhesive outlined the deer’s bell and sprinkled Ultrafine Opaque Hologram Glitter #136 Chromosphere on top. I also outlined his ears and the top of his back and put some more Confection Dazzlers to make it look as though he had been snowed on.

I always like to use vintage items on my pieces when I can and recently found some vintage millinery stamen and some plastic holly berry leaves. I combined the two and glued it to my ornament. Once it was dry I put down more adhesive and sprinkled it with Gala Glitz in Silver my personal favorite.

I added glue to my poinsettia and sprinkled it with Chunky Opaque Hologram Glitter #332 Red Rocket. I added some sequins and a few drops and sprinkles of Confection Dazzlers to act as my snow. Then I glued everything into place. Once that was finished I added some vintage mercury bulbs to the top of the ornament.

Now it is ready to attach to your gift! A truly sweet little keepsake for someone you care about.  I’ve included the deer image for your crafting projects.

Introducing Art Glitter Guest Designers

Oh boy, it's time for New Art Glitter Designers again! And again we are pulling from our family of past designers. Please click on their names below and take a trip down memory lane.

Candy Spiegel

Cassandra Midkiff

Laura Fraedrich




Speaking of memory lane. Let me take this opportunity to thank our last set of Designers. Their works of art will sparkle for all time!



Lori Mendenhall







Diana Gonzalez







Clare Dempsey




We also want to thank our family of customers! We are offering FREE SHIPPING the month of December for orders of $30 or more shipped via Priority Mail in the Continental U.S. with coupon code: DECFS2011

Enjoy!

Clear Glass Ornaments with Art Glitter!

Clear Glass Balls are so fun to decorate! There are so many ways to do it! We filled some of these bulbs above with Fantasy Fiber and Film - No Glue Required!  These are so fast to do you can't believe it. A couple of them have ribbon that has a touch of glitter on it pushed inside. Beautiful!

Or you can completely cover them with glitter. But the question is to glitter inside (like above) or outside (like below). Let your whims lead you!

Glittering the outside of a bulb is simple, paint on your Designer Dries Clear adhesive with your favorite type of brush (I usually use a foam brush) and spoon the glitter on while the adhesive is wet, white and shiny. Then either hang your ornament to dry or place it in your glitter tray, being sure the sides do not touch anything other than glitter while drying. Should only take half an hour to an hour to dry.

To glitter inside a bulb you need watered down Designer Dries Clear adhesive. You can go pretty thin when using Art Glitter Ultrafine colors or Dazzlers. However the heaver the glitter, like our Vintage Glass Glitter, Gala Glitz or Glass Beads, the thicker you will want your glue. If your glitter/beads are too heavy, they will slide to top or bottom of bulb, however you are holding it.

I put some watered down DDC in an old 2oz bottle with the black spout on and squeezed the glue inside the ball. Rolled the ball around until the inside was covered with glue. Next I held the open end of the ball over a tray and let the excess drip out. This can take a while depending on how much glue you used. So I set my bulb in an egg carton for about 5-10 minutes. This works great if you are doing several at a time, by the time you have 5 or more setting upside down, dripping, your first one is ready to glitter.

Now all you have to do is spoon or funnel in the glitter and roll around inside of ball until it is covered. Pour out excess. If you didn't let enough excess glue drip out, you will have some glitter/glue balls slide out into your clean glitter. If this happens, just let glitter/glue ball dry and take out of your glitter.

Let your ornament dry without top on. It will take anywhere from 1.5 to 5 days to dry completely inside. The thicker the glue, the longer it takes to dry.

Fantastic and fun! Go to our Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/ArtGlitter and post a picture of your glittered ornament, enjoy!

A Scrap Bookers Book Purse by Clare Dempsey

One of the members of my scrap booking guild has been asking me to teach a class on how to make a purse from a book.  With Christmas approaching, I thought now would be the perfect time to try this project out.  And if you know me, I love purses, Art Glitter and making gifts!  I visited my thrift store and purchased some books for future book purses and figure I can make this project for $5.00 or less with careful shopping!  I have also been admiring the rose purses on the market, but they are always so big and expensive.  So, here is my take on the book purse.

I started by choosing a book, and I chose a scrap book. Now, this might seem to miss the whole book point, but I love a handbag with photos on the outside!  And this scrap book from Target had an outside photo (around $15.00).  I then Googled Book Purse tutorials and found at least five.  My favorite was this one from Hungry Panda Clothing:  http://www.hungrypanda.net/blog/2010/02/book-purse-tutorial.

I used her instructions for cutting out the insides, adding handles, and added a flap with my Art Glitter embellishment.  The purse handles I purchased at Joann Fabrics with a coupon.  I like a handbag that is pretty on both the front and the back.  To make the flower, I cut a strip of fabric an inch wide and ran a basting stitch down the center.  Using the Art Glitter Fabric Dries Clear Adhesive, I ran a bead on both raw edges of the strip.  I added Art Glitter #79 Black Ultrafine Opaque Glitter and allowed it to dry.  I  then gathered the strip to form a ruffle.  Starting in the center of a piece of felt, I hot glued the ruffle in a circle along the stitch line working in small portions at a time (about 1“).  I then hot glued this to my purse flap.

For the book lining piece, I needed access to swap out that photo.  I like to change the photo my season.  So, I got out my trusty Vogue sewing book and made myself a bound button hole.  Yes, that tailoring class I took in my fashion design program helped, but a standard buttonhole stitch would work too!  Because I wanted access to change that photo I varied from the instructions on the Hungry Panda by making my purse liner removable with hook and loop tape.  And I chose not to make a hook and loop tape closure as I added the flap.  Another fun idea, is to make different purse linings for this purse for each season.  Because it is held in place with hook and loop tape you can swap it out.  And if you need a gift idea for the next holiday, you’re all set!  Mother’s and grandmothers are so hard to shop for, but mine love a hand made gift!  I am also including a side view of the purse and a view of the purse with it wide open. 

Supplies Used

Scrap book (Target)
Art Glitter Fabric Dries Clear Adhesive
Art Glitter #79 Black Ultrafine Opaque Glitter
Purse handles (JoAnn Fabrics)
Fabric
Hook and Loop Tape
Felt
Sewing machine
Thread
Exacto Knife
Scissors