Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

Mixed Media, can you find the Art Kit?

// December 13th, 2012 // Comments Off // Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Monthly Challenge

‘Tis the Christmas season.  Combine that with the Winter Wonderland Kit available on Crafty Link I had to get to work.  This wintery, romantic kit is perfect for art featuring the solemn reflections brought forth with the season or frolicking in the snow.

One of the images reminded me of a Victorian wallpaper.  That lead to a peaceful evening in a warm living room.  Some of the papers also led to a feel of ‘pine boughs’.  I printed the background on some light weight paper, and the ‘pine’ on heavy green card stock.

Using some light molding paste and a crafter’s workshop stencil I created a wood grain on some cardstock then painted it in a dark brown.  Cutting out the brown papers into strips, I formed them into a window frame then used yet another pattern from the kit as the background in my window.  I added crackle medium to my window panes then layered paint, wiping it off and layering it on again until I was happy with the way the window looked.

While my window was drying I applied the ‘wallpaper’ to a sheet of heavy watercolor paper and layered on dark paints to tone down the colors a little.  (After all, it is a night time scene as you will soon see…).  I then outlined the area my tree would be using a light color of paint, and I added paint to give the idea of a wall and a floor.

Once I was happy with my background I applied my window then began to layer in my tree.  First I used some Distress Crackle for the trunk.  I like using this for the trunk because the crackles can add a tree trunk texture.  Once it was dry I used a dark brown paint to add in the trunk detail and red to add my tree skirt.

I tore the green paper I had printed my downloaded paper on into irregular triangles, making sure I had some rough edges to work with.  Using a combination of gel medium, brown acrylic paint and green Tattered Angles Glimmer Glam I layered piece after piece to create my tree, and when it was done I added dots of paints to my tree for lights.  Finally I used acrylic paint, gel pens, glitter and watercolors to add a star at the top of my tree.

Finally, seeing I had a blank area on my canvas I added a fireplace with a cozy fire and some final trimming to my tree and my window.

Once I was happy there I used a gel pen and a sharpie to add the words “O Holy Night”  to the creation.  I hope you enjoy this piece.  I am looking forward to sharing with you the other pieces I have in the works!

 

~Nikki

Super Fast (STRESS FREE) Ornaments

// December 3rd, 2012 // Comments Off // Art Jewelry, Beads, & Glass, Blog, Kids Crafts, madeitmonday, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Things Crafty Classes

Hey Everybody, it’s Edie,

I can not believe it is already December!!!! This year has flown by and the Holiday Season is now upon us.

With the holiday season comes gift giving, decorating, crafting and blog hops!

With that in mind I have created a BRAND NEW CLASS “Mixed Media For The Holidays” and it is now available!

In the class, I teach you how to make three holiday projects that will help you in all of your decorating, crafting and gift giving endeavors. There is even a bonus lesson for an extra embellishment ;)
All of the projects are made using simple, common household items and inexpensive crafty supplies!

After finishing the projects for my class, I was on a Holiday crafting roll! I was able to create the base for these TEN ornaments in less than 10 minutes using the technique I am sharing with you today. These ornaments are so simple, fast and stress free, you will be able to produce a handful of them before the holiday cookies finish baking in the oven!

DSC07092

These ornaments are perfect for teacher’s gifts, class projects, family crafting, art swaps, unexpected visitors, all of those people you would like to get something for but just don’t have the money, your mail carrier, vet, favorite coffee barista and the list goes on and on!!!!

DSC07106

Simply roll out some Delight, Paperclay or polymer clay of your choice. Brush a stamp with water and tap off the excess. Press the stamp into the clay and cut into desired shapes! Simple, simple, simple :) You could even use cookie cutters instead of a straight blade to give your ornaments even more personality.

DSC07093

Paint, embellish and glitterfy to your hearts content and then share them with everyone you know.
A great idea would be to have these hanging on a wreath designated for visitors. As they leave, they can choose an ornament to take home and display.

DSC07095

I hope you enjoy this project and I hope it helps to make your holiday season just a little less stressful.
BIG, BIG Hugs!!!!!!

DSC07094

Made It Monday I Made a Cool Holiday Ornament

// October 29th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // madeitmonday, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft

We have started so fun swaps over in the community and one of them is to create a holiday ornament. So I decided to work on my handmade ornament over the weekend. I had alot of fun making it and I love how it came out. Its really lightweight even though it doesn’t look it. I hope whoever gets it really enjoys it. Want to be a part of this fun swap, its free to join us and the community.

http://craftylink.com/group/art-exchanges-and-swaps

I made this using a paper mache star base. I added the embellishment, used some paint mists and a polymer clay flower I made with a metal center. Total mixed media!

When To Start Christmas Gift Knitting? NOW!!

// September 1st, 2012 // Comments Off // Knitting, Uncategorized

I know it seems far too early in the year to think about Christmas, but I am planning ahead to make the lastest trends for family and friends! I will let you all in on a little secret….sssssshhhhhh…..want to knit something absolutley stunning and functional so that everyone on your Christmas list will be begging for this  item again  next year in a different color? Well, since you have all been nice and not naughty, I will share my latest and greatest find! AND, even better, it is very easy to make!

               The Bella Lana Reversible Cable Scarf

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve made them in neutrals and whites. They look rich and warm! If you would like to put a big smile on someone’s face this Christmas….make a few of these!

Free knitting pattern found here:  http://beautifulyarn.com/2010/03/the-bella-lana-reversible-cable-scarf-2/

Happy Knitting!  Check out my pattern store!     http://www.ravelry.com/stores/mary-ann-hoth-designs

Mary Ann    

Holiday Cards

// December 18th, 2011 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I joined my first holiday card swap sponsered by the  blog Brooklyn Bride.  Why was I on a bridal blog? No idea..I’ve been married 17 years!  I must have clicked over from another site-Pinterest? Craft? a blog?  Who knows but I did enjoy the ideas she has on the blog, even if I am not planning a wedding.

. I love the way the cards turned out.  I used Martha Stewart Punch All Over the Page in “Starry Night” and “Star”.  I punched black cardstock and layered a silver glitter paper behind to keep it all blingy -just as I like it- and star-like.  The houses were made with a Tim Holtz Alternations die “Artful Dwellings” and MME Lost and Found paper- an all time favorite of mine.  I embellished the houses with Martha Stewart glitter, Tim Holtz paper tape, velvet ribbon, vintage book pages, 7 Gypsies tissue paper, rosettes made with Tim’s Rosette die, and rubber stamps.

Now I need to make the 60 cards I send out…I need a much easier design!

Tim Holtz and The Magic Holiday Book

// November 30th, 2011 // Comments Off // Blog, Book Reviews, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft

If you are any sort of paper crafter, you know the name Tim Holtz. You may even be as big a Tim-o-holic as I am. I know that I am far from the only one suffering this disease, so chances are you LIKE Tim too. If you have never heard of the man, let me tell you….he is extraordinary. He designs the most amazing products. Making his work and design even more amazing? He doesn’t have a background in art, crafts, design… in fact, he stumbled into the industry by accident. He stumbled in and then HE became THE industry. Tim Holtz simply has no boundaries; his ideas have no limits. His products are game changers.

Tim dabbles in many areas of the industry. While some designers lend their names to a product and little else, it is clear that Tim is VERY active in the designing of products that bear his name. That hands on approach is what makes the products so special. I love that a Tim Holtz product is very well thought out. Tim likes his products to work together and he works hard to ensure that 2 different products from two different lines work together; often making a completely different, third, design. He makes Rubber Stamps that coordinate with his Sizzix dies by fitting exactly. All of his Sizzix dies fit each other and sometimes by adding keyholes we can change a plaque into a door.

For Tim, designing products is a serious and well thought out process and the sky is the limit. His products have pushed technology and changed the crafting industry as much as Martha Stewart has. Imagine if Martha and Tim got together….. Oh, I’m sorry, I got caught up in that fantasy. Tim not only designs products but he also teaches. He is a terrific teacher and spends a lot of time producing videos and samples on his blog to highlight his products. He teachers often and is rarely home, spending time at industry teaching events, store-owner teaching weekends, scrapbook cruises, independent store classes, the twice-a-year Craft and Hobby Association convention and several international classes. His booth is always hard to get close to and his classes fill quickly. The man is literally traveling all the time and frankly I get exhausted just reading about it. It is also amazing because his classes always come with complete supplies. His staff must spend hours and hours and hours putting these supplies together. I was lucky enough to take a class from Tim 2 years ago. His class was large and well planned with a PowerPoint presentation and helpers walking around the room with Tim. We walked out with extra supplies because Tim Holtz doesn’t give you 1 piece of an item. Oh no, he gives you a package- use 1 and keep the rest.

The Ephemera I missed out on.

The Ephemera kit I missed out on :(
Because Tim is so busy, he hardly has time to think let along create products for an Etsy story, so his Etsy shop sits empty. I had not heard of it being open in the last few years that I have followed his blog closely. That is, until 2 weeks ago. It was open for 10 minutes. In 10 minutes, he sold the cutest little album kit, 2 different very charming collections of vintage Christmas ephemera, and tiny little green lanterns-vintage of course. I whipped into the shop exactly at 12:00- the time he was going to OPEN- and grabbed, in order, one of the Christmas collections, a book kit, and a lantern. By the time I clicked on the Book kit, the Christmas Collection was gone from my cart. What? Seriously! People must have grabbed the ephemera and paid without getting anything else. Within 10 minutes it was sold out. I did manage to get the book kit and the lantern. He managed to put together some more book kits and they were gone in 1 minute.

The book was a almost a complete kit. It contained everything needed except the inks and paints. It was so complete that all the paper was cute to size. I love to put together kits like this because it gives me a peak into how other artists put together projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It really is the cutest thing. I only took pictures of a few empty pages because, frankly they all look similar. I shall fill it up with something-tiny- and take more pictures.

What are you working on for the holidays?

Decorate and Tag Your Holiday Gifts in Style!

// October 13th, 2011 // Comments Off // Knitting

Hello fellow knitters and crafters! New free goodies are added frequently, so please take the time to keep checking my posts so you don’t miss a thing!

It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas and what beautiful hand-knit gifts we can give. Knitting can always provide a personal gift.  These gifts are about time and love, not monetary value. And yet, you’ll find that people value them more than if you spent a lot of cash!

The trend this year is to knit fingerless gloves, so the recipient can text and make calls on their cell phones while
keeping their hands warm. I will have photo’s up soon for you!

To help you with ideas, last year, I made Spa Cloths, rolled them up with ribbon and added bath oils and scented soaps.
These were a hit! Simple, elegant and easy to make! You can find incredible patterns all over the internet for these!

My dilemma this year: I wanted gift tags that said, “Hand Knit By”___________.

So, fellow readers, off to google-land once again to find the perfect gift tags for you!

How cute is this?
AND…..there are more where this came from! Go to this website for not just 1 gift tag but 5 to print off!

 http://www.knittingonthenet.com/holgifttags.htm

Happy Knitting!

Mary Ann