Three Entries

Remember Julie’s “Love Grows” beaded frame from a few weeks ago? 

http://pennywisearts.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-grows.html

I now have three entries to share from the two brave gals who were willing to show what they have made using PWA products!

Genene Butler took a plain acrylic frame and added beads to jazz it up. Genene said that she wanted to practice applying the beads in layers and different layouts.  This was her first attempt:

The second project Genene shared is her testing a theory on mixing beads and glitter to create unique globes:

Here’s an up close peek:

Theresa  Dalzell-Wells sent in a photo of a wooden box she decorated using stamped images and PWA micro beads:

Thanks for taking the time to enter our fun little contest you two!  Hopefully your bravery will inspire others to see just how easy it can be to enter and win with PWA!

And now to enter each of these talented ladies into “The Hat” program to select the recipient of Julie’s “lovely” frame….

And the winner is………….

Theresa!!!

And as an additional little surprise, Julie has taken the frame home with her to do an additional “little something” to it, lucky you Theresa!

And THANK you both for playing along with us!!

Hugs, Suzanne

 

Erin Go Braugh

Michelle McCarthy used the same texturing technique with this great shamrock card as she did with the hearts one posted here.  So get out your Cuttlebug and texture folders and see what kind of magic YOU can create!

Happy Green Day!

Hugs, Suzanne

A Frosted Spring

When I look at this elegantly beaded card by PWA Designer Christine Grabb it takes my breath away. 

Done all in white using a Nestabilities die and hand held punches Christine created each of the elements for this stunning card.

O’so Sticky Tape and Ultra Fine Micro Beads frame the scene of grass, butterflies and flowers.  Our Iridescent Bubble Beads are the perfect accent for the finishing touch.

Beadalicious Grungeboard Embellishments

I was just messing around one day……

and decided to paint a piece of Grungeboard with blue Lumier paint.  When it was dry I covered it with Diamond Glaze.  Then I sprinkled it with my sea inspired bead soup.  (A mixture of seed beads, bugle beads and micro beads mostly in blue and purple hues with a splash of green and gold.  I was so pleased with myself that I went on to do the ENTIRE package of Grungeboard in this manner!  So if you see these elements on everything I do for awhile, that’s why!  Ü

Here is a neat accordion book that Miss Yvonne taught me how to make using 6” square canvases as the covers. 

I think my beadalicious Grungeboard was the perfect cover accent, don’t you?

I haven’t finished the inside yet but have big plans for the fun niches hidden inside! 

 

I definitely need to bead more Grungeboard!  Hmmmm,… what color combo to do next?  Why don’t you try it and share yours with me!?

Hugs, Suzanne

Believing

While going through some things in my craft room I came across this card by Evelyn Spikes. A version of it was featured in a long ago black and white issue of Vamp Stamp News. 

I really appreciate Evelyn’s ability to make elegant art without a lot of “hoo-ha”.  I tend to get caught up in all my stuff, Evelyn just gets in there and uses hers.

This card’s micro beaded element of the woman’s eye and fingers has been covered with O’So Sticky Tape and coated with ultra fine micro beads.  The gems on the fingers are what really make this design HOT!

I’ve been following Evelyn’s photography blog and learning a lot about photography just by watching what she does.  I think she will be pleased with this photo of her art, I know I was!

Hugs, Suzanne

PWA Annual Retreat

Howdy Lassies!

It's time to get on your horses and pony express those registration forms and payments in for the PWA Roundup Retreat!!  We still have room for about 10 more gals in the guest house – actually a really cool humungous lodge!  Every bedroom has a bathroom!!  Ü

Registration forms and all the info can be found on our website here http://www.pennywisearts.com/annualretreat.html

If you're registered and not a member of our retreat yahoo group, please let me know!  Everyone that is coming to the retreat needs to be there so that important information can get to you quickly!

Cost is $240 per person A deposit of $50 will hold your place.

Multiple payments can be made as long as the balance is paid in FULL by April 1, 2011.

Craft all weekend, stay up as late as you want, eat when you want, sleep when you want and NO CHORES to talk to you!!  Serious HEAVEN!!

Please spread the word and help us fill the house!!  It’s not cheap, so the more people we have the less likely I’ll go bankrupt.  Ü  30 gals is my goal!

Hugs, Suzanne

Beaded Love Shadow Box

  Once in awhile I host little “Migraine Parties” at my home.  They were dubbed that about 7 years ago, and the name just stuck.  All it means is that you call in sick to work (possibly with a migraine) and then come over and play for the day.  I love having friends over to craft with me because their energy fills my craft room and the laughter and creativity lingers in the space for days after they’ve gone home.  It’s fabulous!

 

Last time I had one of these parties, Julie Imsland was over working on her shadowbox – the one that NO ONE wants to win, even though they don’t have to DO anything other than take a picture and send an email …….for shame…but I digress….. 

So, another PWA designer happened to be there that day, I call her Miss Yvonne, but her real name is Yvonne Grimes.  Miss Yvonne was so inspired by Julie’s box that she actually drove HOME to look in her own craft stash and then came back with a box to work on!

Here’s what Miss Yvonne had to say:

“I was inspired by Michele A-Z’s shadowbox and Julie’s $1 spot find to look through my $1 store frame stash and came up with this shadowbox that was perfect for collage images.”

Beaded Love Shadow Box   By Yvonne Grimes

Materials:

Wood shadowbox frame

Acrylic paint in desired color

Lumiere paint in desired colors

Tim Holtz Grungeboard letters, heart, and flower

PWA Opaque Micro beads in desired colors (I used red and pink from my stash)

PWA Bubble Beads

Assorted seed beads in desired colors

PWA Collage Sheet “Be Mine”

Cardstock (to back collage image)

Handmade or textured paper, contrasting color to paint & beads

Thick foam tape or dots (or layer thin foam tape to desired thickness)

Gold ‘german scrap’ borders

Small dried or other flowers

SureTac Glue

Krylon gold pen

 

How To:

Paint the entire frame with a base color in acrylic paint. After it dries apply one or two colors of Lumiere paints over the base coat. Apply with an almost dry brush so that you don’t entirely cover the base color. Set aside to dry.

Paint the grungeboard letters, heart, and flower with the same colors.

Apply “bead soup” (Suzanne’s word for it!) to the grungeboard letters and heart after the paint is dry. Apply a thick layer of SureTac glue to each piece of grungeboard. Then drop seed beads, bubble beads, and lastly micro beads onto the glue to entirely cover each piece and then set them aside to dry. (I put mine on a non-stick craft sheet or piece of foil so I can pick the whole thing up and move it.) Once the glue is dry, gently tap off the unstuck beads.

Use your finger or a dauber to apply a very thin layer of Lumiere paint directly to the grungeboard flower. I used contrasting colors so it would stand out against the frame.

Attach german scrap borders using SureTac glue around the outside of the frame and around the two sections where the collage images will be mounted.

Attach small piece of german scrap border using SureTac glue to bottom of each section where the collage images will be mounted.

Choose your collage images and trim to fit in the desired section of your frame. Mount each collage image onto a piece of cardstock cut slightly smaller than the image to add stability, and use foam tape or dots to mount each collage image into its niche.

Cut pieces of homemade or textured paper to go behind each grungeboard letter and the heart. Outline with gold Krylon pen if desired.

Mount the beaded grungeboard onto the background paper, and use foam tape or dots to mount each letter and the heart into its niche.

Use SureTac glue to attach the grungeboard flower and other flower embellishment onto the frame where desired.

Attach ribbon to the frame hangars.

I love to watch how we all inspire one another!  I think I’ll be saving this one to award as blog candy for the blog hop that is coming soon!