Wow! Time has flown

I cannot believe how many months I have been away from my blog.  It's amazing how many activities I can find to fill the hours when I'm feeling well.  Fortunately, crafting is still one of those things.  However, being an active member in the crafty blogiverse has had to take a backseat to a bunch of projects from work.  Sigh. Just know that I have missed you all so very much.  Well, I am back right now while I have some time over the summer.  I am looking forward to catching up on all of your amazing creations and posting a little of my work as well.  Let's get started ...

As usual, I was very inspired by our Independence Day celebration.  This week I wanted to try to create something with paper that evoked the feeling of a vintage quilt while also adding some embellishments with different textures.  I started cutting some patterned paper with Tim Holtz's Petal Drop die.  I used some red, white and blue paper from DCWV's Nantucket Stack.  I arranged the petals in a pinwheel around a central point.  The red petal drops were mounted on cardboard to give a little dimensional difference between the red and blue layers.  I used Matte Distress Collage Medium to adhere the petals to one of Tim Holtz's Destinations Ideaology papers.  

I added a sale price and merchandise embellishment Tim's Ephemera Snippets.  I then gave the entire project a topcoat of Matte Distress Collage Medium and grunged around the petals and ephemera with a Walnut Stain Distress Crayon and water brush.

To add a little texture to the piece.  I grabbed Tim's Regal Crest die and die cut the pieces out of a Diet Coke box that I was going to recycle.  Below you can see the "laurel" die cut.  I covered the bare cardboard with Deco Art One Step Crackle.   When it dried, I used a Walnut Stain Distress Marker to go over the top of the crackles and rubbed in the marker with my finger.  Wow!  The effect turned out pretty great!  I used some tiny foam dots to adhere the laurel to a couple of the petal drops.  I used Ranger's Matte Multi Medium to adhere one of Tim's large Ideaology Adornment Stars right in the middle of the "laurel" die cut.  

I took the "shield" part of the Regal Crest pieces and backed it with a thin piece of cork board for added heft.  I  brushed on some Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint.  When it dried, I covered the whole shield (painted and unpainted sections) with a watered down version of Walnut Stain Distress Stain.  It soaked into the cracks.  I wiped the excess stain mixture off of the paint.  Loved it.  I added some Walnut Stain Distress Crayon around the edges of the shield to give it a little more grunginess (of course).  For the piece-de-resistance, I colored one of Tim's Ideaology Mirrored Stars with Indigo (great color!) Alcohol Ink and used Glossy Accents to adhere it to center of my shield.  I used foam squares to mount the shield on the petal drops.

Finally, I took the "banner" piece from the Regal Crest die cuts and covered it in Range Perfect Medium.  I then coated it in Iced Enamels Relique in German Silver.  When you apply the heat tool, you get an oxidized metal look.  I used a Black Soot Distress Marker to go around the edges and add a little more "oxidization".  One of Tim's Ideology "FEARLESS" Quotations Metallic Paperie Stickers was adhered to the banner and it was ready for prime time on the project.  The project was finished off with a couple of Tim's medium Star Adornments and I called it a day!

I absolutely fell in love with the finished project!  The background paper started to curl on me a little at the end.  (I don't blame with it.  I would too if I had that much glue  on me.) I'm going to mount the whole thing on plywood and hang it in my den.  

Well that was fun!  I am going to enter my red, white and blue vintage decor piece in

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: Red,White and/or Blue

Lets Craft and Create's Challenge #139 - ANYTHING GOES + option RED, WHITE & BLUE

Scrapy Land {Challenge #93}Anything Goes

DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge #231 "Red, White & Blue"

LTCCB #24 - July Anything Goes

I hope you are enjoying your summer.  I certainly am now that I have had a moment to stop and breathe.  Hope to visit you all soon.  Hugs -- Mary Elizabeth