Pretty Packages

 I  love getting mail, don't you?

So recently I wanted to send some homemade beads to an artist I great admire: Lorelei Eurto.

I wanted the box to be a little special too so I decided to dress up the inside of a Small Flat Rate Priority mail box.

I gave it a patchy coat of Chalky Finish Paint from DecoArt in Escape.

While I was at it, I did another one in Serene.

I gathered some toilet paper tubes and a pair of scissors.

I cut each tube into 3 parts.

Then I gave each tube a patchy coat of chalky finish paint in a few colors.

I used a glue gun to glue each tube into the box and then i filled it with some of my favorite beads.

Hopefully she will find something to use in her designs.

I used little pieces of tulle to add some color and fun to the box.

A feather from the chickens topped all the polymer goodness.

I can't wait to see how they end up in Lorelei's designs.

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.

Craft Lightning! A 15 Minute Teacher Appreciation Gift...

I am pleased to participate in the newest round of Craft Lightning....  

15 Minute Teacher Appreciation Gifts...

Teachers hold a very special place in my heart.

I hope they do in yours too.

They work hard every day (even in the summer when they are off).

They really care about your children or grand children.

So let's show them a little bit of appreciation.

Here is a sweet and quick gift jar you can fill with anything.

Start with a mason jar with a lid.

Give the lid a few coats of Chalky Finish paint in Carbon from DecoArt.

Let it dry thoroughly between coats.

Give a fake apple a couple coats of Chalky Finish Paint from DecoArt in Carbon.

Let it dry between coats.

Using a Chalk marker, write your message or teachers name.

Use your best printing!

Hot glue the apple to the lid.

Tie some red baker's twine around the lid.

Fill it with anything your teacher loves.

Chocolate.

Markers or highlighters.

Tea bags.

Or a gift card to her favorite store.

Your teacher will appreciate anything you put inside.

To make it extra special, write her a note of thanks and have your child do it too.

Cite a specific time she made your child feel special.

She will save the note  forever.

Be sure to swing by our three hosts to find all the other great 15 Minute Teacher Appreciation Gifts.

The Country Chic Cottage

30 Minute Crafts

Mad in Crafts

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs this week.

Jewelry Case Makeovers With DecoArt Chalky Finish Paints....

A couple years ago a friend from work gave me three jewelry cases.

They were well made but very large.

I was not sure what to do with them so they stayed in the upstairs of my shed.

This summer a saw a shadow box done in a tan and coastal blue that I loved.

It was just the colors I had at home from the DecoArt Chalky Finish line of paints.

So this summer, on a hot, hot day I ventured into the upstairs of the shed and carried these down.

I wiped off the dust and grime from the shed.

Let the fun begin...

I do love the silky consistency of these paints.

It took a couple coats to color them the way I wanted.

These originally had display boards covered with black velvet.

I removed the velvet and recovered the boards with burlap from coffee sacks my daughter brought home.

I painted everything with two coats of paint.

It took two afternoons since I had to do the outside of the boxes one day and the insides the next.

Once painted, I used a razor to scrape the window edges.

I also sanded the edges to scuff them up a bit.

I used these at my fall show.

They made a pretty place to display my polymer clay and primitive finished jewelry.

I like the burlap much better than the velvet.

I used vintage folding tape measures to prop the lids open.

I have not used them for every show because they do take up a good bit of space but I do love the transformation...

Thanks for stopping by...

A Review...DecoArt Chalky Finish Paints...

This post was originally slated for this summer but never made it out of the draft folder.

I love these paints though and wanted to share the post with you today.

I am a DecoArt Helping Artist.

I have used DecoArt paints for about 20 years.

I have always thought they were the best quality, consistency, and pigment at a reasonable price.

This summer I ordered some of the Chalky Finish paints to try them out.

My experience prior to that with chalky finish paints were with those I mixed myself.

And while I love my homemade chalk paints, this was different.

These are so creamy.

I ended up painting everything on my workbench that could use a little paint.

These hat boxes have been in every craft room I had for the last 20 years.

This summer when I was cleaning the studio, I almost got rid of them because I was tired of the floral design.

I brushed 2 coats of Chalky Finish paints on them and now I am in love with them again.

Even the first coat has great coverage.

Now my buttons have a happy new place to hang out.

And I like that you can still see the old pattern inside.

I painted  them in different colors.

While I was waiting for each coat to dry, I looked around the workbench and saw the pretzel container of bottle brush trees.

Usually I just turn the label to the back so I can't see it, but there was still paint on the paint brush, so I gave the label a few coats.

Then I did my other one too...

Hmmmm...

How about those little peat pots...

 I showed you how they turned out, but here is where they got started...

This jewelry box was originally headed for the thrift store.

I bought several jewelry boxes full of jewelry this summer at my favorite flea market.

While my brush was still loaded with paint, I decided to give it a chalky makeover.

I love the new pale chalky pink.

I left the inside with the original colors and pattern.

With it's new chlky finish, it is cute enough to be a keeper...

I strongly recommend these paint if you have not tried them yet.

They have a great consistency, super coverage and a great array of colors.

Thanks for stopping by...

Polymer Clay Ornaments

I love polymer clay.

It takes me back to playing with play doh when I was a kid.

I wanted to make some simple Christmas ornaments for our open house.

I took a trip to the craft store and got a few new cookie cutters and a big box of Sculpey Original clay.

I like how soft it is.

I rolled out the clay and cut a few shapes.

I used some letter stampers to add a few words.

Ok.  Here is where I had a glitch.

In the winter, sometimes my toaster oven singes things if it is very cold outside.

That happened here.

They are no longer the snowy white I wanted.

Some got quite singed.

Ouch!

So I thought I would add some crackle and paint.

Always follow the directions on the product.

I did not seal these first as instructed so the crackle could not slide around and crackle.

It did leave some subtle texture.

Next I used some DecoArt Chalky finish paint.

That stuff covers a lot of mishaps.

Once they were dry, I scuffed each one with a sanding block for a primitive look.

I love the way they turned out despite all the issues...

You can tell these have the subtle texture from the crackle glaze.

It left them just a little bumpy.

These would be really easy to do with kids.

And they would last longer than traditional salt dough ornaments.

I love that about Sculpey.

They don't get damp and moldy.

Mice and critters do not nibble on them in your attic.

They are durable and seldom break.

They look great!

I do love the way they turned out but they are not what I planned when I started the project.

That happens to me often....

Sigh...

I just roll with it.

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.