Design Team: Denise O'Connor Week 4

Denise O'Connor: Grateful Frame

We are feeling like time is going by so fast, yet we are so grateful for all the amazing things happening here at Craftwell. And today, Denise O'Connor has a very fitting project. We are loving this cute little frame, that is perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving season! Not only is it easy to make but it would add a touch of class to any fall decor!

This is her how-to:

Where does the time go? It seems like I just posted here! Weren’t the projects last week amazing? What are you thinking of doing with Square 1? Please leave some comments here and share with us!

This week, we are again using the awesome Square 1 printable, removable, fabric to create projects incorporating leaves and/or pine cones. When I think of leaves and pine cones, my mind tends to go to Thanksgiving when the beautiful fall colors are still out there and the Christmas season is right around the corner. I decided to do a super easy project for you with Thanksgiving in mind that packs a punch.

My inspiration for this project came from this picture on Pinterest

I love the saying and the fact that it is like the “Keep Calm and Carry On” style but with a Thanksgiving twist was just the ticket for my project. To start, I used a digital paper from Scrap Girls that is a text background, and I just knew I had to use it because the text on this paper is all about blessings. Perfect right? I then printed that out and then went back and added my saying on top of it using Century Gothic font. After I did this, I realized that I could have done this all in one step if I used my Photoshop Elements, but it certainly isn’t necessary.

I then turned to my trusty Square 1 and using the leaves found on the eCraft Fundamentals 1 SD card, I cut out a few of each. I did a “kiss cut” on the Square 1 like you would do for vinyl.

Since Square 1 is a printable material, I took a gamble here that I could color the leaves myself. I had GREAT success using alcohol inks. I added a bunch of autumn colors onto a felt pad using my ink blending tool and then dabbed them on the Square 1. I then went back and added some Gold Mixative and a little Alcohol Blending Solution to come up with the gorgeous colored leaves. The picture shows them when the inks were still wet. It only took a few minutes for them to dry.

I wanted to make sure that the leaf that was on my digital paper did not get lost on the page, so I took my leaf and placed it down on my non-stick craft mat and gently inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

One of the wonderful things about Square 1 is that the adhesive is removable so I was able to very easily remove it from my craft mat and place it on my digital paper.

Here is a close up for you!

I then grabbed a black picture frame that I had purchased last year during a crazy ridiculous sale and decided that a touch of embellishment on the frame would just add a little something special to this clean and simple project. I used some of the other leaves that I cut out of Square 1 and colored with alcohol inks and placed them right on the frame.

Again, since they are removable I was able to position them just right so that they peeked out from under the little pumpkin and pine cones that I added on top with some Glossy Accents.

Every week, I am loving Square 1 more and more. It is so versatile! Hope you enjoyed my project today! I promise next week, I will have another Halloween project for you! If you are looking for more inspiration, be sure to visit me on my blog Purple Paper Paradise. Have a great week and be sure to come back every day for more great eCraft projects!

Supplies & Other Directions:

Black Picture Frame

Matte Photo Paper printed with Digital Paper and saying (Digital Paper from Scrap Girls and font used was Century Gothic)

Square 1

eCraft (used a pressure of 2 1/2, blade cap on, tabs off to get the kiss cut on the Square 1)

Alcohol Inks – I used Adirondack Alcohol Inks in colors Butterscotch, Sunset Orange, Latte, Cranberry and Caramel, Gold Mixative and Alcohol Blending Solution on a felt pad with the Ink Blending Tool.

Denise O'Connor

www.PurplePaperParadise.com

Beautiful isin't it? We love these types of projects because they are great remainders of all the amazing things to be thankful for in our lives. Thank you, Denise for this tutorial!

Now it's your turn: Do you have some easy fall decor you have made lately? Link us up! and we may feature your project as a guest artist!

October 10, 2011