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Thursday, February 25, 2016

2016 Unboxing Jan. Heartfelt Creations Sugar Hollow

Let's Celebrate Spring with a Fun Banner by Djana Venolia

Hello Everyone!

I created a video for this project, but here is a written explanation of those of you who want to read the instructions.



Here are the materials:
Magazine Pages

Heavy cardboard

Santoro Mini Gorjuss

Trim

Hot Glue Gun
Wet Glue
Prills
Doily
Mini Staples and Stapler
Coffee Filter
Tattered Angels Shimmery Mist
Aluminum seal (repurposed)
Chameleon Alcohol Markers
Blazing Poppy Paper Collection HCDP1-255
Spellbinders Flower Play Stamps (and Die-cuts) SBS-001 (S6-032)
Heartfelt Creation's Botanical Wings Die-Cut HCD1-758
Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit  HCST1-401


The base of my banner consists of magazine pages supported by heavy chipboard. I wanted to use this particular trim that has burgundy and beige shades, I also selected the Blazing Poppy collection that matched the trim. I used wet glue to attach the trim to my banner base, and to make sure it is not going anywhere I used my tiny stapler on the ends.


I wanted this banner to have a Spring feel so I selected a few mini Gorjuss that had pets and nature themes on them.


Next I stamped and die-cutted the flowers using Aryanna Blooms.



The papers I selected were in shades of ivory, green, black and red. I have a couple of clean coffee filter that I want to use in this project. I love the texture of the filter. Next I cut open the coffee filters and lay them open on my table. I laid down a few of the ivory flowers and sprayed them to give it a shimmery look and a small set I sprayed with red mist.

The coffee filter served as a catcher to pick up whatever color I was spraying. After I was done with the flowers, I finished spraying the coffee filters with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in three colors; Charcoal, Gold and Red. I wanted each of the girls to be different, so I stamped two of them on the coffee filter twice so I can piece piece the dress in a different shade from the rest of the image. To create dimension between the main image and the dress I applied a blob of silicone glue.



I wanted each banner to have a specific color used a different color family on each banner.
On the first banner I used daubers and chalk ink pad in yellow and pink.



To save time I try to stamp all of my pieces at the same time. I found an aluminum seal from a cereal container that I love to eat and I decided to use that in my project. I grabbed my black StazOn to stamps the flowers and die-cut them. I also decided to cut (without stamping) the leftover pieces of coffee filter.

I have all my pieces cut out and now it is time to shape them. I like to have my flowers in different sizes but I use the small ones the most. I prefer to use hot glue to created the flower buds using the smallest flower. I place a good size blob of glue and close the petals to create the bud, then I start to add the other sizes beneath it. On the large flowers I decided to use Dew Drops in the center instead of fully closing the flower. I adhered them using Glossy Accents to have a clear center. On the medium size flowers I am using either Prills or mini Dew drops. I love having swirls on my projects so for this one I selected the die-cut called Ornamental Add On (such a cool set!) and because I absolutely must use butterflies whenever I can, I grab one part of the coffee filter mostly with black spray and cut using the Botanical Wings dies.



The other two girls I stamped using light color papers from the Blazing Poppy paper pad. I found this tag from within the pad that had a small butterfly on and I stamped the dress part of the Gorjuss with the cat, so perfect! The girl seating with two birds next to her does not have a pieced together outfit, so I colored with alcohol marker only. I love using my Chameleon markers to paint. For adding highlights on the three girls, I selected green, lavender, brown, peach and orange on the cat to give him a whimsical look. I added wings to one of the girls, so an orange cat isn’t too strange, right?



Now it is time to select which girl will go with which flowers and background. I knew for sure I wanted the girl with the umbrella to have the flowers on a oval paper. And the girl with the butterfly dress and wings was an easy match with the butterfly paper. So I had one paper to host the girl with birds. She is in a seating position and because she is so small she would have been lost on a busy background. To solve my problem I cut half of the circle doily I had initially selected to place under her. It looked perfect. 

I knew I wanted to use the coffee filter flowers on my base but I didn’t know where exactly they would land. To give myself flexibility for placement, I cut small pieces of cardboard and folded them into a triangle. I used hot glue to adhere it to the back of the flowers and the background. That allows me to have dimension and I can add my flowers wherever I want. I am gluing the background flowers using Mod Podge which serves as glue and sealer. 



The banner on the far left I decided to use the brown and red flowers over the magazine paper because it looked great with the chalk colors. The banner on the center had the red and green flowers and a title to draw attention to the piece. The banner on the right I have the girl with wings, charcoal black, ivory and the aluminum flowers I used a mixture of flat and 3D flowers to give the piece dimension.



I am so happy with how my banner turned out. The colors were definitely challenging ones but I think I pulled everything together :-)

Sunday, February 21, 2016

2016 Unboxing mais Encomendas e a nova colecao Sunrise Lily da Heartfelt Creations

Applying for Heartfelt Creations 2016-17 Design Team by Djana Venolia

Greetings everyone.
I am happy to share with you all that I have applied to the Heartfelt Creations 2016-17 Design Team and one of the requirements on the application was to send a short, did you hear me? SHORT PARAGRAPH about myself and why I want to join their team. Well, that part was the hardest one :-)
The letter I am about to share with you is what I ORIGINALLY wrote. I realized that many of my customers don't know much about me and since it was already written, why not share it with you? 


Besides the letter/application I needed to send 3 projects. I really wanted to convey my idea of using HC products as a mixed-media artist so I created all new items and on them you will find characteristics of my style: repurposed materials, use of paint, 100% hands-on (yes, I make everything from scratch and that is why I love using HC products to make my own flowers). To mix this long text with my art Here it goes...




Hello Heartfelt Creations family.
First of all it is an honor to be participating in the design team competition for the 2016-17 term. 
The hardest part of this application is writing a short paragraph about myself, but I will try my best. 
I am originally from Brazil, but I've been living in the US for nearly 10 years. My professional background is in architecture and urban design. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to designed houses all around the world and have helped many clients to fulfill their dreams of owning a custom designed home. 
Around four years ago, a major health issue forced me to reduce about 90% my architecture practice and because of that, I saw an opportunity of using my hobby transforming in a part-time business. 
I try to have a balanced live: I teach Zumba for seniors twice a week, I work 20 hours/week as an administrative assistant at my church and the rest of my time I take care my daughter, husband, cat and dog. Yes, I am quite the busy bee but I am happy with everything I do and everything is done with love. 

Now, the reason why I decided to apply to be part of the design team is quite simple. I love being challenged and following company's guidelines in an artistic environment is a big one. Also, I've been looking to get endorsements from a business partner for some time now. My standards are quite high so it can't be just any company. It needs to have the same level of care and professionalism I carry in my business. 
I've been doing paper craft for about seven years now and I have my own craft store for almost the same amount of time, along with the store I owned when I lived in Brazil for a couple of years.
I would like to highlight here that I have no strings attached with any of the companies I do business with. That said if I need to adjust to be part of the Heartfelt Creations Design Team I will with no problem. Please, do not disqualify my application because I am a retailer, as I feel that I have so much to add to the HC family. My multicultural background, my professional experience and my passion for the job tells me that I found my place to be. 
I am ready for the next level. As a mixed-media artist I can clearly see that this field has not been explored in depth by the company. I love to see all the scrapbook pages, cards and albums but there is so much more out there to reach and I want to do that. I can help HC to open new opportunities for growth. In less than one year selling your products, I have already opened a new market in Brazil selling your collections overseas. Can you imagine having a designer in your team that is bilingual, has a multitude of skills, charisma, knows about social media and it is somehow tech savvy? All that in one package? Well, I'm right around the corner.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

Djana Venolia

Friday, February 19, 2016

From this to that: Repurposing to Create a Beautiful Box by DjanaVenolia

Oi pessoal/Greetings,
Today I am bringing to you an Enchanted Mum Cylinder Box.



From This to That:

We will be using the following Heartfelt Creations: 
Enchanted Mum (and stamp) HCD1-768 (HCPC-3691)
Layered Scalloped Posy HCD1-717
Decorative Lace Border HCD1-713
Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit  HCST1-401
Coffee Talk Paper Collection HCDP1-261

Also used: 
A cardboard Cylinder ( I use the inside of a packing tape), Spellbinders Celebrations Totally Tangerine, Berry Black, Golden Glow , ColorBox pigment grass, Fiskers Stamp Block, Firefly mini bottles, Faber Castell Black Chalkboard, Mod Podge, Scissors, Brush, Sponge, Spatula, Double-sided tape, Wet glue, Prima Marketing Loopie Kits, Prills ANC824 Stop Wining!, Ranger Glossy Accents clear, Dauber, Vellum paper, Navy and Ivory cardstock, Chipboard and heavy cardboard, Spellbinders Majestic Circles, Stampin' Up! Circles Collection



First I measure the Cylinder to make sure it was the same size as my Decorative Lace

You will need four pieces of high contrast paper for this project.

Two lighter pieces for the lace and two dark blue pieces for the background.

I cut my background paper slightly larger then my cylinder and am going to use the Decorative Lace Border.

By taping down my Die-cut to the paper, I am assured that it will not move.

I only need to run the Die-cut though my machine once for it to cut.

I cut TWO pieces of paper at once. 

The Spellbinders' Tool 'n One is great for getting in intricate designed Die-cuts.

Tada

I used a sponge and Fabre Castell Back Chalkboard to cover my cylinder. 

It is easier to start on the two edges (inside and out!) and work inwards a bit.

You don't need to paint the entire cylinder.

The two cut out papers from earlier were used here to cover the inside and outside.

I used Scotch Advanced Tape Glider to glue my paper down.

It is quite useful to smooth the sides down using a bone folder and clothespins.

Next used The Best Glue Ever to glue the lace.

Less is more when it comes to delicate designs like this one.

The lace is not long enough to fit around the cylinder, but that's ok because I will cover this with flowers later.

I am now going to use the Layered Scalloped Posy that best fits my cylinder for the base. 

The design is only half a circle, so I run it though once then once again of the other side. 

With a white card stock I am going to create a doily for the inside of my cylinder. 

Once again I run the die once though then the same with the other side. 

The Heartfelt Creations Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit has a point that is great for getting small pieces of paper out of designs.

I glue the doily to the base. 

Because I want my cylinder to be strong, I am using a piece of chipboard to secure the box.

I love hot glue because it dries so fast, so I am using that to glue the bottom of the cylinder to the base.


The chipboard is at the bottom, and will create a slightly elevated surface.

I also apply glue to the outside.

Next comes the Spellbinders Majestic Circles.

I am going to cut a piece of cardboard the slightly smaller then the size of my cylinder to create the lid.

I am using one of the die cuts to create a lid in a similar theme.

Now using an outline die cut and a decorative die cut I will cut the lid with the same blue.

I cut two pieces of cardboard so that the lid did not shift around.

To create a smooth lid I glued a piece of blue paper to the bottom of one of the cardboard circles.

Then I glued a second cardboard on top of that.

On top of the two cardboard piece I top the sandwich off with another blue circle.

The Prima Marketing Loopie Kits provide a variety of pieces that work great for this project.

I need somewhere to put my ribbon so I cut a slit in the doily with the Tool 'n One. 

I am using one of the larger metal pieces to hold my ribbon in place.

I glue the blue cardboard on top of the ribbon to seal it off.

Clothes pins are SUPER useful in mixed media crafts.

I bought a pack of Firefly mini bottles (which are super cute) and am using one of the small bottles.

I use a Scopper to add Prills ANC824 Stop Wining! beads in the little bottle.

I used the Ranger Glossy Accents clear gel to hold the beads in place, but you don't need to if you want the beads loose.


I used a brush to apply Mod Podge to the ribbon to leave it looking wrinkly.

A spray bottle with water is useful to have to use of flowers and ribbon to give a worn look. 

I cut out a tag to put on the lid. 

Most of my pieces have distressing on the sides, otherwise it looks to neat and new.

I used Spellbinders Celebrations in Berry Black.

It was glued under the metal piece facing sideways. 

I started to glue the ribbon around the base of my cylinder. 




Next I used Spellbinders Celebrations in totally tangerine and golden glow to stamp the Enchanted Mums on Vellum Paper. I used the coordinating die-cut through the BigShot to cut them out. Using the Shaping kit I sprayed the flowers once with water to loosen the fibers and allow paint in.

I used a dauber to add color to the tips of the flowers.

The middle two tips were used to curve the petals outwards then the center inwards creating a opened petal look.



In the smallest flowers I added glue and Prills to create a center.

With my flowers layered and glued to one another I started to place them on the project.

I started with the largest to cover the space in between the edges of lace


then I added the small container with Prills. Some of the metal accent pieces came next. 



Lastly came the smaller flowers on top and VOILA! 



Its complete! How cute was that?
I hope you got inspired to try a new project using repurposed materials and Heartfelt Creations.
XOXO,
Djana