Sunday, April 20, 2014

The Documeted Life Project- Week Sixteen (& a bonus project)



Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope you are having a lovely day!  This week's challenge from the ladies at the Documented Life Project was to use find a creative way to use a food box on our page.  Since I seriously overhauled my eating habits early last summer, I don't really eat much that comes in cardboard boxes.  I do eat a LOT of salads, though, and the lettuces I like come in nice plastic boxes.  Here is how I added one to my journal:

I found this photo in my collection of scans from my parents' attic.  I used my favorite transfer technique to make a skin, and then attached it to the plastic with matte medium.  To finish the page, I added borders of washi tape and some simple lettering.  All of the elements are somewhat transparent, and in real life, you can see my writing from the page showing through the tip-in, in a really cool way.  I love this photo, of me (in red) and my sister Sue, and am very pleased  to have it in my journal. 

To make a photo transfer, print your photo on plain printer paper with a laser printer.  Paint a generous layer of gloss gel medium onto a sheet of smooth metal, (I use aluminum from All That Jazz Supplies) and adhere your photo face down onto it.  Make sure there is enough gel so that your entire photo is adhered.  Let this dry for several hours or overnight.  Spray the back of the paper generously with water, and let it sit for a few minutes to soak in.  Using your fingers, gently rub the wet paper, removing it as you go.  Add more water as necessary.  When you have removed all the paper, allow the piece to dry well again.  When dry, you can carefully lift the gel "skin" from the metal. 

I found time last night to make some incredibly cute hair accessories to tuck into my daughters' Easter Baskets. 


This idea came from the always inspiring Penny Duncan.  Check out her Blog, Penny Duncan Creations for the cutting files and video instructions to make these adorable flowers.

I used my Silver Bullet Professional cutter to cut plastic template material.  Penny has generously shared six different template files.  These pony tail holders represent just two of the possibilities.  I guessed, and sized my templates at 2 inches for my first two flowers.  The finished flowers came out just the right size.  I was totally amazed by how precisely my Silver Bullet handled the intricate cuts.  Some of the pieces were tiny! 

I loved using fabrics from my stash of quilting fabrics, and buttons from my tobacco can of vintage buttons (more booty from an attic scavenger hunt!)  If you don't have a large stash of fabrics, you can double it by using both the right and wrong sides of the fabric, as I did for the purple flower. 

I can't wait to make more of these flowers.  They are so easy and fun and will be a perfect car project for me as I travel with my family this summer.  Thank you, Penny Duncan!!

Have a wonderful week, all!

Elizabth

2 comments:

  1. Such a great idea on the transfer! It turned out fabulous.

    And I know your girls loved the beautiful hair accessories you made for them. Being handmade by "Mom" will make them a treasure & keepsake for future generations.

    ReplyDelete

Your kind comments are very much appreciated!