Starshine Salon is now the East Valley’s only retailer of Dixie Belle Paint! I was looking for a great paint with a chalky finish and beautiful colors, and I chose Dixie Belle.
Dixie Belle Paint is made in the USA and has no VOCs. You don’t need to sand or prime your surface. And you don’t need to seal it if you let it cure for 30 days. You can seal any piece that will get lots of wear. An eight ounce jar will cover a coffee table and two end tables, or a dresser. A 16 ounce jar will cover a large dresser and two night stands. It dries super quickly, and it’s easy to distress for a shabby or antiqued look.
Dixie Belle is not just for furniture. It’s great for art projects, too.
I painted one of Sandra Evertson’s Relics and Artifacts hearts with Dixie Belle Amethyst. When it was dry, I dry brushed on some Dixie Belle Fluff and then rubbed that off before it could dry. I love the way it looks!
You can find Dixie Belle Paint in my space at Merchant Square in Chandler, 1509 N. Arizona Ave. My space is C-13, in the center, past the glass cases and then to the right.
I started by choosing some pretty blue lace wide enough for a scarf and cutting a length that would yield 64” after hemming. I hemmed the ends.
I stamped the images onto the muslin with the Chalk Ink. When it dried, I heat set the ink with my iron. For more information about stamping on fabric, read this post.
I used a rotary cutter to trim around the images.
I chose some trims. I didn't end up using everything in the picture.
Then I pinned the trim and the image to the scarf, stitched them in place, and trimmed them.
You can wear it as a scarf. Here it is on a dressform.
Or you can wrap the scarf around your Mad Hatter’s Hat.
I tried stamping on silk sari ribbon for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I liked the results so much that I decided to try it again. I love the quality of Sin City Stamps; the fine details of the images really come through, even on fabric.
My necklace was inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and features a magical bottle filled with a mysterious substance and labeled, “Drink me.” In this case, the “tag” was a spoon charm.
I used the stamps to add dimension to the sari ribbon and to tie the colors together. I chose the ribbon I wanted to use, then cut and pressed it. These are the pieces of silk left over after the saris are made. The strips vary in width and arrive crinkled. I wanted them flat so I could stamp on them.
When Alice drinks from the magical bottle, she wants to use the golden key to get into the beautiful garden. But when she shrinks, she finds she has left the key on the table and can’t get to it. Now she has all the keys she needs, right on her necklace! I used the keys image from the Sin City Stamps Dressforms. I stamped the image with Colorbox Chalk Ink in Warm Violet, and heat set it with my iron after the ink dried.
The bottle had some writing printed on it, so I sanded it to remove the printing. Then I added a loop with some wire. I put a little coarse glitter inside and added a cork.
I stamped “Drink Me” onto the spoon, added some black Gilder’s paste to make the letters stand out, and applied violet Gilder’s paste to the handle. When the Gilder’s paste had set, I added some wax, which I buffed after it dried.
I stacked the sari ribbon, trimmed it, then looped the ends through large jumprings, turned the edges under, and sewed it closed.
Then I put a few stitches through the ribbon to cinch it up. This gives a nice place in the center for the focal to hang, and keeps the piece from looking like a big scarf. I added jumprings around the cinched areas.
Finally, I added chain. Now I have the perfect thing to wear for my Wonderland Tea!
Today’s challenge is “Show Us Some Metal or Glass.” The idea is to create a project using some of the supplies you’ve been hoarding. I made my project with some beautiful stamps from Sin City Stamps, silk sari ribbon and metal components.
This challenge motivated me to use some metal components I've been hoarding!
I used the stamps to add dimension to the sari ribbon and to tie the colors together. First, I chose the ribbon I wanted to use:
Then I cut some of each and pressed it. These are the pieces of silk left over after the saris are made. The strips vary in width and arrive crinkled. I wanted them flat so I could stamp on them.
I used the keys from the Sin City Stamps Dressforms set, a decorative strip from the Rosette Hearts set, and a pretty scroll motif from the Metal Madness set. I used ColorBox Chalk Ink in French Blue and heatset the ink with a medium-hot iron. It was my first time stamping on silk. The fabric wicks the ink more than cotton does, but I expected that, so I did not expect images as crisp as usual.
Once the sari ribbon was prepared, I constructed the necklace. I added jump rings and a few Austrian crystals.
You can participate in the Craft Hoarders Challenge, too, and there are prizes!
Here's an excerpt from the Craft Hoarders Challenge blog:
"Challenge #8 Show us Some Metal or Glass Do you hoard gears, pins, brads, eyelets, frames, and other metal do-dads? Do you have a thing for tiny light bulbs and glass vials? Do junk drawers make you giddy? Do you hang out in office supply stores so you can score funky paperclips? Do bottle caps make you swoon? Dig through your hoard to find something metal or glass (or both) and make a project to share!
One talented participant will receive these prizes, donated by Sin City Stamps and Really Reasonable Ribbon! Challenge Rules are HERE. Make sure you LINK your project up using the Link Tool on the Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge Blog."
Click on these links to visit all the projects made by the Craft Hoarders Challenge Design Team and the Sin City Stamps Design Team:
Sin City Stamps has two new plates of Alice in Wonderland stamps! You can see them here and here.
I decided to create a Wonderland Tea with mine. The first piece I made was a centerpiece for the table.
I started with a vintage linen centerpiece. I love the lace border! A little dip in tea hid some stains, and I decided to place my panels so that one of them would hide the hole.
I stamped the images onto tea dyed muslin. Stamping on fabric usually works best with tightly woven fabrics. For this project, I chose a piece of muslin that was smooth but not stiff, so that it didn’t interfere with the soft hand of the linen. I used Colorbox Chalk Ink in Dark Brown and heat set the images with an iron. For more information on stamping on fabric, check out this post.
I like to stamp onto a piece of fabric that I can discard if the image doesn’t come out well. I also like to stamp on a piece of fabric that is larger than I think I will need, and then trim the fabric later. That way if I stamp crooked or off-center, I can make up for that when I trim the piece.
I trimmed all the pieces to the same size using a rotary cutter. Then I pinned them in place on the centerpiece.
I stitched each piece down with a zigzag stitch. Then I added vintage lace around each panel.
I’m still contemplating what other pieces I will make for my Wonderland Tea. I hope you’ll check back and see what I come up with!
Sin City Stamps is sponsoring the Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge this month, and the Sin City Stamps Design Team is participating in this month’s challenges.
Today’s challenge is Ribbon, Lace and Twine! The idea is to create a project using some of the supplies you’ve been hoarding. I made my project with a beautiful stamp from Sin City Stamps and some of the seam binding ribbon that I dye by hand.
I wanted to use this vintage handkerchief as the base for a fabric cuff. The hankie is worn and stained but the trim is still gorgeous.
I folded the hankie in half. I chose the locked hearts image from Sin City Stamps’ Rosette Hearts stamp set and stamped it onto tea dyed muslin with ColorBox Chalk Ink in Warm Violet, then heat set the ink with my iron.
The stamped panel was long enough to fit around my wrist and to catch the lace edge of the folded hankie when I sewed it on. In this case, the lace edge is much stronger than the center of the hankie. I cut a piece of muslin the same size as my stamped panel, put the right sides together, sewed all the way around, cut a slit in the back of the unstamped piece, turned the panel right side out and pressed it. Then I pinned the panel onto the hankie.
I chose the ribbon I wanted to use and then sewed it onto the panel and hankie. The seam binding is crinkled, and I left it partly crinkled up as I sewed.
The last step was to add a snap.
Here’s the finished cuff!
To see the other Sin City Stamps Design team projects, just return to the Sin City Stamps blog.
You can participate in the Craft Hoarders Challenge, too. And you can win a prize from this month's sponsors!
Sin City Stamps’ Rosette Hearts stamp set set has three different images perfect for making fabric or paper flowers. I used one to make the embellishment for this peat pot Easter basket. I started with a plain peat pot. These are for starting seeds; you can get them where you find gardening supplies.
I coated the outside of the pot with matte Mod Podge and then sprinkled it with mica flakes. When the Mod Podge was dry, I punched holes near the top and inserted a sparkly chenille stem for a handle. I filled the pot with shredded paper.
To make the flower, I started with a ribbon rosette. You cut a length of ribbon, sew a wide running stitch along the ends and one side, then gather it up and knot the thread. A good rule of thumb is to start with a length that is about eight times the width of your ribbon. You can also make a rosette with lace, strips of fabric, or paper. I make lots of fabric flowers with rosettes and yoyos, and I am always looking for large buttons to fill the center. I use mostly vintage buttons, and the large ones are harder to come by and much more expensive than the small ones. The rosette from Rosette Hearts works perfectly as a replacement for a large button!
I stamped the image twice.
I cut out the rosettes and made two small holes in each. You can sew through cardstock, but if you pull the thread tight or put pressure on the stitches, the cardstock will rip. So I added two small buttons to keep the cardstock from ripping. I threaded a needle with hand dyed embroidery floss. Then I put a little square of adhesive foam on the back of the ribbon rosette to hold it in place on the chenille stem while I was sewing through all the layers. I sewed through one hole of a small button, one hole of the front cardstock rosette, the ribbon rosette, then one hole of the second cardstock rosette and one hole of the second small button, with the thread on top of the chenille stem. Then I brought the thread back, through a different hole of the second small button and the second cardstock rosette, under the chenille stem, through the ribbon rosette, the first cardstock rosette and the first small button. Then I tied the two ends of the thread together to secure the flower.
I added some candy eggs and a fabric bird to the basket.
I made the bird with the Birds & Clocks stamp set from Sin City Stamps. For details on how I made the fabric bird, check out this post.
Supplies needed for the peat pot basket:
Cardstock
Ink (I used Colorbox Chalk Ink in Rouge)
Peat pot
Mod Podge Matte
Mica Flakes
Chenille stem
Paper shred
Ribbon
Thread
Buttons
Embroidery floss
Wishing you all a Happy Spring and a Happy Easter!
Tassels made with my new hand dyed seam binding colors are perfect for Spring or Easter decorating!
When I saw Jen Cushman's article on mixed media tassels in the March/April 2014 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, I knew I had to make some of my own. Jen shows how to turn a bundle of fibers into a tassel using wire and a large-hole bead. I don’t normally buy large-hole beads. I have lots of vintage wooden thread spools, though, and I thought they would go well with my hand dyed seam binding. They worked perfectly, and the finished tassel is a perfect decoration for a sewing room, or a cottage or shabby decorating scheme!
I am making them in other color combinations, too. You can get these in my Etsy shop and there are a few in my space in Merchant Square in Chandler (Small Wonders section, Bookcases C, D, E and F).
About the seam binding: This is rayon seam binding that I hand dye with cold water dyes. For each color, I mix three strengths of my own custom dye combinations. I cut the seam binding into five yard lengths and dip each length into each container of dye, so that each piece gets a mixture of lighter and darker versions of the color. You can buy them at Merchant Square, in my Etsy shop, and at local shows throughout the year. You can also find them at Vintage Bliss at the Warehouse occasional sales. They are perfect for jewelry, mixed media art, sewing, gift wrapping and decorating.
The rubber stamp sets from Sin City Stamps are a really great deal, even if you don’t plan to use every stamp on the sheet. And here's a way to use some of those phrases that aren’t quite right for your current projects. I made these pendants using only single words from phrases in Sin City stamp sets.
If you want to use part of a phrase, you have several options. You can stamp the image and cut away the part you don’t want. You can mask the part you don’t want. Or, if you are using unmounted stamps, you can cut out the part you want to use and stamp only that part! And you can still use the whole phrase later.
I wanted to embed words in resin in the bowls of some brass spoons. Some were part of longer phrases, so I just cut out the part I wanted from each. Then I adhered them to an acrylic block with double-sided tape and stamped them with ColorBox Chalk Ink onto scrapbook paper.
I cut the words out and dabbed the edges of the rectangles with Chalk Ink. Then I coated the front, back and edges with Mod Podge. This seals the paper so the resin doesn’t soak through, leaving the paper opaque.
I prepared the spoons, adding patina, waxing and burnishing them, and punching holes for jump rings. I cut the large ones in half and turned part of the stem into a bail for hanging.
Then I mixed ICE Resin according to the package directions. This is a wonderful product! You mix the two liquid components and they cure into a clear, permanent solid. If you have been wanting to try resin but have been hesitating, I recommend you take the plunge!
I floated the slips of paper in the resin. I added some sead beads to one spoon.
To make sure the resin was level, I rolled up some aluminum foil and set the spoons on it.
Then I just let the resin cure!
These spoons are now pendants, and some of them have already gone to new homes! And I was able to use stamps I thought might never be used!
You can make the perfect fabric panel for your sewing projects by stamping on fabric! For this Steampunk Chic Fabric Cuff, I used the largest image from Sin City Stamps' Time set.
I stamped the image with ColorBox Chalk Ink in Warm Violet onto tea dyed muslin. Tightly woven fabric gives the clearest image. I like Chalk Ink, but India ink works well, too. I heat set the ink with a hot iron. For more tips on stamping on fabric, read this post.
You can see that the image didn't come out clearly all the way around. Sometimes you can get a clearer image by putting a piece of craft foam under the fabric, but this result was perfect for this project because I wanted a soft look.
I gathered a few tea dyed doilies to consider as possibilities for the base of my cuff. I wanted to make an extravagant cuff, so I chose the large lacey one.
I folded the doily in half, then pulled the top layer back a little bit to reveal both layers.
I planned the length of my focal section to make sure I could stitch it to the fuller portion of the doily. If you stitch your panel to a weak part of the doily, the whole piece will be weak.
I wanted the panel to have finished edges, so I added a seam allowance when I cut it out. I cut out a piece of plain muslin the same size. I decided to add a little ruffle with a piece of silk sari ribbon. I pinned the ribbon to the right side of the printed panel. I didn't measure the pleats for the ruffle. I just marked the halfway point and then folded the ribbon over to make the pleats.
Then I pinned the plain piece of muslin to the top of that and stitched all the way around it with my sewing machine. You can leave an opening for turning, but I like this method when it’s okay for the back to have a slit. After stitching all around, make a small slit in the piece that will be the back, and turn the piece through that. You can stitch it closed, or leave it as is if the back won’t show.
I added the gears to the panel.
These were raw brass gears that I treated to add a little patina. I learned this method from Brenda Sue Lansdowne of B'Sue Boutiques. I adapted it a little to use the items I had on hand. I washed the pieces with warm water and soap to remove residual machine oil from the manufacturing process. Then I soaked the pieces in a combination of water, white vinegar and table salt for an hour. Then I removed them from the mixture and put them in the oven at 450 degrees for an hour. When they were cool, I rinsed them off. You can add colorants at this point, and seal the pieces, but I left these the way they were.
Each gear has a hole in the center, so I sewed them to the panel the same way you would sew on a sequin. Bring your thread up from the bottom, go through the hole of the gear, go through an anchor bead (mine are brass), sew down through the hole of the gear. I did that twice for each one and then knotted the thread on the back.
Next, I pinned the panel to the doily and stitched them together.
There are many different closures you can use for a fabric cuff. For this one, I chose a large snap because it was simple and I did not want to overlap the ends of the cuff. I put one side of the snap on each side of the doily, and when you snap it together, the edges of the doily drape down.
I hope you will make your own fabric cuff. Please let me know if you have any questions.
All text and photos copyright Karen Lackey, 2011-2016, unless otherwise noted. You may link to text but please do not copy it. If you use my photos, please give credit and link back to the original post. Thanks!
Sin City Stamps provides free and discounted rubber stamps to its Design Team members.