Category Archives: Up-cycled Projects

Stamperia Vintage Christmas Kitchen Easel Card

Stamperia Vintage Christmas Kitchen Easel Card for Frilly and Funkie

Hello, Friends! With Christmas right around the corner, you’re going to love the new challenge up on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog. I’ve made this Stamperia Vintage Christmas Kitchen Easel Card for the “In the Kitchen” challenge, which is hosted by Suzz. We’ll take a look at it in a minute, but first let’s find out what Suzz has to say:

Challenge Theme: In The Kitchen
This time of the year we find ourselves in the kitchen either preparing food for family and friends or just gathering around with family who is visiting at the kitchen table. Your challenge is to incorporate the kitchen somehow in your project. You can use an object from the kitchen in creating your project or you can use a sentiment or image that reflects the kitchen. You decide how to represent being in your kitchen in your art.

Christmas Kitchen Easel Card: The Inspiration

Baking cookies is a Christmas tradition I’ve loved for decades! My mom used to bake enormous batches of her Traditional Scotch Shortbread every holiday season. I can still see her sitting in a chair, my grandmother’s old soup pot clenched firmly between her knees as she worked the butter and sugar together with an old wooden spoon. These simple and delicious cookies are part of our Christmas tradition every year, but I use my KitchenAid Mixer to cream the butter and sugar. The whole house smells like Christmas when these buttery cookies are baking! And it makes me feel connected to my mom, which is a wonderful thing indeed!

Christmas Kitchen Easel Card: The Design

I decided to go big for this challenge, so this easel card base measures a whopping 7″ square. The large size and easel card design are great for display in the kitchen during the holidays. It also gave me loads of “real estate” to play around with. The front cover is actually a pocket that’s been stuffed with loads of kitchen themed goodies.

Christmas Kitchen Easel Card: How to make a miniature cookbook

Stamperia Vintage Christmas is a wonderful collage page filled with delightful cut apart images. This recipe book page was fun to turn into a miniature book. Here’s how I did it:

First, cut out the 3 1/2″ ” x 2 1/2″ recipe book page, then ink and distress the edges.
Next, spritz it very lightly with water and crumple it up into a ball.
Cut 3 more 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ book pages from scraps or copy paper. Give them the same treatment.
Now, carefully open the crumpled book pages and smudge them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. You can always find the tried and true recipes in any cookbook by looking for the smudged and soiled pages!
Fold each page in half down the center just like a real book. Then use a bone folder or the side of a ruler to curl the pages to give them a used, dogeared appearance.
Run a thin bead of glue along the fold of each page and stack the pages together.
Next, adhere just the “spine” of the book “cover” to the card base.
Then, when the glue has set, sort of push the outer edges of the pages toward the spine while adhering the corners of the book “cover” to the card base. I added a small dab of adhesive here and there to keep the pages from flying open.

Christmas Kitchen Easel Card: The Wooden Spoon

Dressing this wooden spoon up for the holidays was a blast! It was a yard sale find that cost me a whole quarter! For some reason, the spoon has a normal sized bowl, but is only 6″ long. I can’t imagine what it would have been used for, but now it decorates my card. Here’s how I did it:

First cover the spoon with a layer of Aged Mahogany Distress Stain. I still have the dabber top stains, but you could use the spray stain as well.
Now, dry the stain with a heat tool.
Next, open the top of a Ranger Emboss It Dabber and pour a dime sized puddle in the bowl of the spoon. Then use a paint brush (or your fingers, which is what I did) to spread the embossing ink all over the front and sides of the spoon.
Then place the spoon in a funnel tray or on a clean sheet of paper and cover with Seth Apter Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture. Tap off the excess, and put it back in the container. Then heat emboss. This transformation is so much fun to watch!
When the spoon is fully embossed and cooled, randomly paint the edges, handle and bowl with more embossing ink. Don’t go for full coverage! Just light coverage and random strokes.
Then cover the spoon with Seth Apter Ancient Amber Baked Texture, tip off the excess and heat emboss. The end result is so lovely!

I decorated my spoon with ribbon, die cut Tim Holtz Holiday Greens, Little Birdie Crafts Elsie Florals, Rusty Jingle Bells, Gold Twine and Sherry Shimmer Satin Ribbon. When I had everything arranged to my taste, I tapped greenery and bells with Distress Grit Paste to resemble snow. So fun!

Christmas Kitchen Easel Card: Pocket Inserts

I used images from the Vintage Christmas Scrapbooking cards to create a couple of 4″ x 6″ recipe folios to tuck in the front pocket.

The recipes for Mom’s Shortbread and our favorite Gingersnaps are written inside.

Christmas Kitchen Easel Card: A Peek Inside

In this photo, you can see that the “stopper” for the easel is also a pocket. Isn’t that fun?

I created a little tea bag wallet to tuck inside, along with a pretty ephemera card.

There’s room on the back of the ephemera card to add another recipe. And you just have to have a cup of tea with a Christmas cookie!

Here’s a peek at what the card looks like when it is not standing up for display. That’s something I love about an easel card. You can fold them down for storage or mailing, then stand them upright for display.

Now it’s YOUR Turn!

I hope you’ll play along in this sweet “In the Kitchen” challenge. To do so, simply link up your vintage or shabby chic kitchen themed project on the Frilly and Funkie Blog before 11:59PM EST on Tuesday December 18th.

The winner of this challenge will earn the chance of a Guest Designer spot at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. In addition, the Design Team will select three further outstanding entries and those creators will receive a Top Pick badge to display on their blogs!

I can’t wait to see what you make!

I hope I shared some tips, techniques and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links to The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Stamperia – Christmas Vintage 12×12 Paper Pack	Stamperia Cards Pad 4.5″X6.5″ 24/Pkg	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain Spray – Aged Mahogany TSS42129	Ranger Tim Holtz Mini Distress Ink Pad – Vintage Photo TDP40262	Seth Apter Baked Texture – Vintage Beeswax
Seth Apter Baked Texture – Ancient Amber	Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 11PK – Holiday Greens, Mini by Tim Holtz	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Grit Paste – TDA53422	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer TDA47414	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink Reinker TIM21827
Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Paper Distresser 370E	Tim Holtz Tonic Studios 8.5″ / 22cm Trimmer – 160e	Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Mini Scissors	Tonic 5″ titanium snips	Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool – With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Design Ruler Clear 12 Inch TH92481

Kathy by Design Studio Tour and Storage Tips with Graphic 45

Welcome to my Happy Place: Kathy by Design Studio Tour

Hello, G45’ers! Welcome to my happy place! I’m so excited to share today’s post with you. Today I’m inviting you to a Kathy by Design Studio Tour with lots of storage tips and hints for organizing your crafty stash. I’ll also share how I’ve created my crafty space on a limited budget by re purposing common items, upcycling trash into treasure, and shopping beyond the scrapbooking aisle. We’ll take a video tour of my room and I’ll also share still photos with you. So let’s get started!

This photo is of my inspiration wall. I just gave it a little face lift especially for this post. Pretty things inspire me, so I surround myself with photos of the people I love, recent projects, favorite layouts and little items that make me smile.

Almost everything you see in this photo (with the exception of my computer, printer and die cutting machine) was salvaged from a thrift store, bought on clearance, picked up at a yard sale, or built by my dear husband.

I don’t sit at this desk unless I am blogging or editing photos. But I love the large surface when I am creating a project. I lay out my papers, embellishments, and dies here so that I have lots of room on my actual work space. The desk is from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. It was in near perfect condition, and to my delight it was just tall enough that I could slip a couple of storage carts beneath it. If you are looking for desks, cabinets, shelving or other furniture for your room, check out Habitat for Humanity. You’ll get a great deal on a great piece and help out a wonderful cause at the same time.

Kathy by Design Studio Tour: The Latest Addition

I love to go junkin’! We live in an area with lots of thrift stores, bargain barns, antique malls and charity shops. I found this nifty message center in a dusty corner of a local bargain barn. And it was a real ugly duckling! But, it had great potential to become a beautiful swan. Because it was so ugly, it was also super cheap. Naturally, it had to come home with me. A little dusting, a little white chalk paint, a little update with Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe papers and BAM! Country chic message center!

TIP: White Chalk Paint is Your Friend!

Don’t walk away from a great office fixture, frame or furniture piece because it is ugly. White chalk paint is the next best thing to a magic wand. You don’t have to sand or prime the surface. Just make sure it is dust free and then paint.

The wire baskets on either side of this piece were given to me by my sister. They are supposed to hold wine corks and they had a sentiment about wine written on them. To re-purpose these baskets for the studio was a quick and easy job. Start by measuring out a piece of adhesive backed cork. Once that is in place, cover with Graphic 45 Staples Typography and Numbers DIY papers. Then, to add a finished look, add ribbon trim. I used Scor-Tape to adhere the black ribbon that Graphic 45 adds to their Staples Alpha Tags. Now I have a great resting spot for my Staples Policy Envelopes and Metal Hardware.

Kathy by Design Studio Tour: The Work Table

This 4 foot square peninsula is the perfect stand up work space. And guess what? It started life as our kitchen table! When we downsized our home, the table was too large for our tiny eat-in kitchen. But I loved the butcher block table top so much that I could not bear to toss it.

The solution? Add PVC pipes, a toilet flange (new, of course…on the plumbing aisle from Home Depot) and now you’ve got a fabulous work table. First, my husband and anchored a 2×4 piece of lumber into the studs on the back wall. Then they added the PVC legs and anchored the whole thing to the 2×4. Super sturdy, it is custom built to be the perfect height for me to stand while working, which is my preference.

As a bonus, I had enough room to place my Iris Carts (Filled with G45 papers) storage carts and a dresser below the table. I store all of my ETSY shop merchandise in plastic bins under the table so not a square inch of space is wasted. (Watch the video to see how I keep my paper, ribbons and dies neat and tidy!)

Create Designated Work Stations

I find that work stations create a good flow in my studio. You saw my stand up work station on one side of the table. On the opposite side, I’ve created a cutting/die cutting station. I leave my Spellbinder Platinum machine out all the time. Why? Because if it is out, I will use it. If it is tucked away, I will not get it out. Beside the die cutting machine I have my big old fashioned guillotine. This is great for cutting heavy chipboard. My dies are stored in the dresser below with all my cutting pads neatly tucked between.

This is my mixed media area. The cube storage and cloth bins went on super clearance at Target one year, and I scooped them up.

My wooden stamps are stored on this CD rack. I found it at a yard sale for $2. Best $2 I ever spent!

I also keep my Bow-it-All Tool and my jars of buttons here. This way, everything is just a step away from my work table.

Buttons, Buttons, Who’s Got the Buttons? I do!

Buttons. I have a thing for buttons. And for cute glass jars. Rather than toss jars into the recycle bin, I wash them out and use them for storage. My hoard of buttons is all sorted by color. Because I can see them, I use them. And, to tell the truth…they just make me happy. I love buttons so much that my kids have started scouting them at yard sales and estate sales. You can never have too many buttons!

TIP: Look beyond the scrapbooking aisle for fun, affordable and functional storage solutions

I bought this lovely wood file cabinet at a yard sale for $10. I use the top as a landing pad for my mixed media goodies.

See that little aqua colander? How cute is that? Wrap vintage style clothespins with baker’s twine and fill it up.

See that big black tiered gizmo? That’s from Harbor Freight. My BFF Ginny Nemchak sent that to me as a surprise gift after I told her about it. For under $20 you get a super sturdy 4 tiered, divided metal turntable that will hold gobs of embossing powders, texture pastes, sprays, Prills, gadgets and goodies. Why? Because it is not pink and it does not come from the scrapbooking aisle.

Now, see the white container with all the paint in it? That’s a Tupperware spice packet storage unit that no one wants anymore. So you can buy these at yard sales for anywhere from 25 cents to a dollar. I have 2 of them because they are so awesome.

Kathy by Design Studio Tour Video with MORE Tips and clever storage ideas

Thanks for joining me in my happy place today. I hope you picked up some hints and storage solutions that you can use in your own crafty space! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Cheerio,

kathy

Supply List

Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Deluxe Collector’s Edition

Staples Policy Envelopes

Staples Decorative Hardware

Ribbon from Staples Alpha Banner Tags

DIY Craft Papers: Typography and Numbers

White Chalk Paint

Vintage Hollywood Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box

#UpcycleG45: Vintage Hollywood Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box

Hello, G45’ers! Have you joined the fun #UpcycleG45 challenge yet this month? Since I love to turn trash into treasure, I could not resist playing along. I dug out some G45 packaging, a salvaged ribbon spool and gorgeous papers from Vintage Hollywood and went to work on this Vintage Hollywood Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box. I have loads and loads of photos and tips to share with you today, so go grab a cuppa and a snack and we’ll get started!

My mom loved the old black and white movies. I can remember spending many a Saturday afternoon snuggled up on the couch watching Tarzan and Jane, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn or Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall movies with her. The Vintage Hollywood collection captures all the glitz and glam of that wonderful era of classic movie making, and I tried to create that same feel in this Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box.

Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box: #UpcycleG45 Supply List

This was such a fun project to pull together. Here’s what you’ll need to make it.

12×12 Vintage Hollywood Papers
- Star Studded
- Spotlight
- Vintage Hollywood
8×8 Vintage Hollywood Papers
- Glitz and Glamor
- Tinseltown
- 12×12 Patterns and Solids (Vintage Hollywood)
Vintage Hollywood Tags and Pockets Cardstock Die Cuts
Decorative and Journaling Chipboard
Vintage Hollywood Sticker Sheet
G45 Staples Red ATC Policy Envelopes
5×5 G45 Staples Kraft Mixed Media Box with Cardstock Photo Mats
Staples Washi Tape
Shabby Chic Door Plate & Knob
Staples Metal Packaging Tags from the Shabby Chic Door Plate & Knob
Empty Ribbon Spool with a 1.5″ core
Black Chalk Paint
Petaloo Red Anemones, Black Botanica Blooms
Gold Delicate Stitched Satin Ribbon, Black Satin Ribbon
1” diameter Bingo Chips for Bun feet (you will need 8)
Metal stars
Red Pepper, Terra Cotta Alcohol Ink to alter door plate
Tarnished Brass Distress Paint
Black card stock, Glue, Double Sided Tape, Glue Gun, Foam Dimensionals

Ready on the Set!

Before you start cutting paper for your Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box, you’ll want to do the following:

Paint the Kraft Mixed Media Box with Black Chalk paint. If you have a Black Mixed Media box, you can skip this step. My box was kraft, so I needed to paint. I like to use chalk paint because it is less “wet” than acrylic or Distress paints. Not only does it dry quicker, it is less likely to warp .
Paint the edges of the packaging tags and the mixed media box inserts as well as the ribbon spool.

Roll ’em!

One of my favorite features on this Vintage Hollywood Born to Be a Star Photo Display Box is the fun paper movie reels. To create this effect, cut 1.5” widths of the film strip ribbon on the reverse side of the signature page. Mist the paper lightly with water and gently wrap around a pencil. The paper will curl, and while damp, can be easily twisted and glued onto your project.

Star Power!

To create a dynamic background for this dimensional piece, I fussy cut these gorgeous vintage style stars from the 12×12 paper collection and edged them with Gathered Twigs Distress ink. I love the way these stars emphasize the Patterns and Solids paper that I used to cover my box, as well as the stars in the chipboard frame.

Makeup!

Every starlet needs a little scarlet lipstick, right? To add that punch of color to the shabby chic Ornate Door Plate and Knob, I tapped them with Terra Cotta and Red Pepper Alcohol Inks. Apply black chalk paint along the edges to really make them pop. Just tap it on with your fingertip.

Gorgeous Petaloo Red Anemones and Black Botanica Blooms add just the right touch of drama to this vignette.

#UpcycleG45 with Staples Packaging Tags

Here are the upcycled Staples packaging tags. Talk about a makeover! These tags are ready for the runway!

You’ll find a little folio on the back side of each tag.

The tags rest in a little open box that I built from waste chipboard. This is such a great way to add height and dimension to a project.

A Peek Inside

Dressed for Success

You can store photos on both the front and back side of the inserts that come with the box. Dress them up with ATC Policy Envelopes, paper scraps and fussy cut elements.

Layer images and fussy cuts over these ATC Policy Envelopes. You can add more photos inside the envelope, or use them as a hidden journaling spot.

Create a hinge from a 1″ wide piece of black cardstock and fold it in half. Glue one half to the back of the policy envelope and the other half to the photo mount. Now you can mount a full sized photo on each card. How cool is that?

Dress up the back side with Patterns and Solids. Glue just the edges so that you can slip photos behind. You’ll have plenty of room to store more photos in the box, too.

That’s a Wrap!

I hope I’ve shared some tips and techniques that you can use in your own paper crafting adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Oh, and don’t forget to play along in the #UpcycleG45 challenge this month! There’s a $100 prize package up for grabs! You can find all the details for this great challenge HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Thankful Fall Wall Hanging with Petaloo DIY Flowers

Thankful Fall Wall Hanging with Petaloo DIY Flowers (an upcycling project)

Hello, Petaloo fans! Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. The crisp clear air, the crunch of falling leaves underfoot, gorgeous fall asters, crystal clear blue skies and cooler temps are such a welcome relief after the long, hot summer. I’m always inspired to decorate for fall, how about you? Autumn decor and vintage style seem to go hand in hand, Especially when you toss in some upcycled product packaging and hand dyed flowers. This Thankful Fall Wall Hanging portrays all the things I love about fall.

Authentique’s Harvest collection is so completely gorgeous when combined with Petaloo DIY Flowers, burlap ribbon, a Canvas Corp Brands banner base, crocheted lace, a Graphic 45 Antique Metal Door Pull, ribbon and twine.

These small burlap sunflowers were painted and sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer mist. (Jack-o-Lantern, Peach Delight, Olive Vine, Bronze). The natural ivory color gives you a good vintage base to being with. Just add inks or mists and you can customize your flowers to match your papers.

Thankful Fall Wall Hanging, Harvest, by Kathy Clement for Petaloo, Product by Authentique and Petaloo, Photo 5

My G45 antique metal door pull becomes an urn when filled with sweet little Petaloo Natural Canvas Rosettes.

Graphic 45 product packaging has such a lovely shape that I can never bear to throw one away. This one was sanded, spritzed, embossed and inked to create a lovely metallic looking layer for my images. I also aged the drawer pull with Ranger Vintaj inks in Patina, Moss, and Jade.

Have you started decorating for fall yet? Mother Nature always dresses up in her autumn finery, and I like to bring some of that beauty into my home. I hope this Thankful Fall Wall Hanging inspired you to welcome this gracious season to your home.

Thanks for stopping by! Keep calm, and craft on!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links

DIY-Burlap Butterflies & Blossoms x 5 Ivory ITEM: 1650-018

DIY-Burlap Small Sunflowers x 4 Ivory ITEM: 1650-008

Mini Garden Rosettes x 10 CANVAS natural SKU: 1213-000

Fall leaves pack x 36 SKU: 1161-300

Authentique Harvest Collection

Graphic 45 Antique Metal Door Pull

Debra Natural Crochet Lace

Copper Glitz Ribbon

Wired Faux Burlap ribbon (discontinued)

Brown Burlap String

Tattered Angels Mist: Jack-O-Lantern, Peach Delight, Olive Vine, Bronze

CCB Banner Kit

Stick pins from Maya Road, in my stash

Back to School with Petaloo! Desk Organizer Set

Back to School with Petaloo: World’s Fair Desk Organizer Set

Hello, Friends! Is it really August already? Seems like we just got our flip flops out of the closet and now it’s time to buy new backpacks! Sometimes it’s hard to get the kids revved up and ready to head back to class. It’s nice to ease them back into classroom mode with a little creative endeavor. This Back to School Desk Set is a project that is kid friendly and earth friendly because it uses upcycled tin cans. You can let the kids get in on the creating, and who knows…they might even get excited about going back to school!

The cheerful bold colors of Graphic 45’s World’s Fair collection is filled with inspirational sentiments that work perfectly for a back to school theme. I repurposed two black bean cans and a small tea tin by covering them with patterned papers from the collection.

I added ribbon or sticker borders along with loads of cheery Petaloo blossoms. Isn’t it fun?

I used Matte Multi Medium to decoupage this ephemera card to the front of my pencil tin. The sentiment reads “Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun.” It’s just the inspiration needed to get started on a report or term paper.

Each side of the image is framed by gorgeous Petaloo blooms. The Black Burlap Blossoms, Yellow Dahlias, and Antique Gold Mixed Blossoms are a match made in heaven for the World’s Fair papers.

Tiny black buttons make everything POP!

This tiny tea tin holds paperclips. It’ had a black base to begin with, so I just wrapped it with designer papers, and topped it with a blue bow and a Black Mixed Textured Blossom. Quick and easy!

I’ve loaded this cute tin up with all my shaped scissors, but you could put pens or markers or assorted desk tools in here as well. This sentiment reads, “Logic will get you from A to Z, but Imagination will get you everywhere.”

Here’s a neat way to alter your Petaloo Dahlias. I gently heated the bottom two layers on each flower, then separated them from the top. Then I mixed and matched top and bottom layers to create these pretty custom blooms. The edges were lightly inked with Vintage Photo Distress to give them an antique look.

This burlap butterfly is part of the Burlap Blossoms pack. It offers a great contrast to the soft yellow flowers. These little ribbon pennants are topped with the smallest burlap blossoms in the pack. So cute!

So break out some tins from the recycle bin, let the kids choose some colorful, fun papers along with their favorite Petaloo blossoms. Give them a budget to purchase supplies and spend some time creating a little back to school project. Throw in some cookies and milk, and you’re the hero of the day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links

Teastained Yellow Dahlias x 10
SKU: 1467-109

Antique Gold Mixed Blossoms x 8
SKU: 1836-052

Black Mixed Textured Blossoms x 4
SKU: 1256-209

Black Burlap Blossoms x 10
SKU: 1201-209

Graphic 45 World’s Fair Collection

Really Reasonable Ribbon Canvas Color Band Ribbon

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