Little Pink Studio

How about some art journaling tricks for a Tuesday tutorial?

Hello, and happy Tuesday! My husband is away on business, so last night the girls and I turned our entire living room into one big art journaling mess party. It was great fun. So I pushed aside today's tutorial and decided to share a bit from our art journal party. 

A bit of background: My daughter has been taking a cute online class about journaling and music and wanted to me to follow along. So, while that was a bit different for me I decided to give it a go. I didn't really follow along with the class, but did pick up a couple of cute ideas my daughter learned from it. What I did was to pair some of my favorite songs with some of my most inspiring images found on pinterest, and just create pages that kind of spoke to the feeling of the songs, and perhaps some of the lyrics, etc. I did try a few techniques I have wanted to try, but mostly kept it quite simple. It's not as layered as I normally work, or like a lot of the wonderful art journals you see out there in blogland, but it was very relaxing to just work with pretty images and songs. So, here we go...

The photo above was one of the cute techniques my daughter learned in her class, and that was to sprinkle sequins all over the page, and cover them with clear packing tape. They stayed in place nicely, and I loved this. In fact, I loved it so much, I decided to make a good percentage of my pages with sequins or sparkles. :) (shocking, I know...) I also layered this page with vintage sheet music, printed wax paper, and paint. 

Ok, now have you ever tried sparkle Mod Podge? Oh my. I loooove this stuff, but wow, it stinks! I think I was getting a bit light headed using it. If it didn't stink so bad, I would probably use it on every page for the rest of my life. (no, not really...well, maybe). I tried later to replicate it using Stickles, and it of course adds some lovely glitter, but not to the extent that the sparkle mod podge does. 

Here, I just glued in one of my fav images, added some gesso and once that dried wrote in some of the song lyrics. I added random splotches of gold sequins as well, and oh a bit of gold polka dotted washi tape. (which will be headed to a cute little pink store near you very soon-along with all sorts of new tapes!) 

Now, this spread is still unfinished, but I did the whole packing tape transfer thing. Not familiar with transferring images with packing tape? Simply adhere your image to the packing tape, then from behind where the paper is you spritz it and rub, rub, rub, until all the paper is off. (or as much of the paper you want removed) Now, I did this with vintage sheet music, and instead of doing all that rubbing with my finger for an entire page, I used an old dish cloth. Much easier, but be patient it still takes a while to do this. I liked the way it turned out.  Under this (now) transparent sheet music I painted, and collaged an image onto the page. The image then peeks out from under the tape. I purposely left some of the paper on, and did not make my image o100% transparent. I again added gesso on top of that, and added some lyrics. 

The lyrics continue onto the flap that I simply added with washi tape, and will continue even more onto the next page as well. This whole spread is embellished with lots of Stickles. 

Most of the images I used came from either my glamour pinboard, or my ruffles and lace pinboard. 

A few challenges I gave myself with this: 

I am trying my best to only use paper and art materials. No fabric or lace, and it's hard. I have found that I turn to vintage/antique fabric and lace over and over. 

I'm using a standard size composition book. I normally like to work much smaller, so this is a challenge to me as well. 

Just keeping it super simple. I have found this to be very relaxing, as there is less thinking about what to do with each page. 

I'll share more when I get finished, or as I do more. 

So far, my song lists include songs from Natalie Merchant, Aerosmith, Guns n Roses, and Bryan Adams. Ha. What a grouping, right? 

I'll be back next Tuesday with more of a project based tutorial, and I hope you didn't mind me veering off from that a bit today. 

xoxo, Cerri

If you're a doll lover...

Hello, and happy Friday! I should have mentioned in my Currently post that I am also working on my studio again. It had to be pushed aside to get some other household related tasks complete, but now I'm back to working on it. That means I'm also back to downsizing some of my collections. So I just wanted to pop in today and let you fellow doll lovers know that I have listed several of my vintage dolls in the shop. I am hoping some of you gals will want to give them new, loving homes. :) 

Here's a peek at the little gals I have listed so far. 

I have more to list, but they're a little time consuming to photograph, edit, and list..so I will get to more asap.  

And, I've also been busy plumping up the vintage paper goods section in my shop! So many fun things there to use in your art journals, scrapbooks, card making, and other paper crafting what nots. 

I'll be adding more things over the next week as well...need to get this room FINISHED! :)

So there you go, no need to go to the flea markets and estate sales this weekend, you can just hop on over to LPS, and find all the vintage treasures your heart desires. :)

What are your weekend plans? Whatever they are, I hope it's wonderful!

xoxo, Cerri

Currently...

Hello! I just wanted to pop in and share with you some of the things that are currently happening around here. (mostly photos, and just for fun...perhaps a regular feature to the blog?)

So, I'm currently reading the above book, and loving it so far. 

Currently stitching...(this is a fabulous rubber stamp I need to get added to the shop!)

Currently obsessing over a little fabric book I am working on. I challenged myself to create a whole art book with the materials I gathered from my studio in 15 minutes. I'm close to finished and will share it with you soon. 

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Also currently obsessing over finding this cart from Ikea. The website says there is only one left at the Atlanta Ikea. 

Currently planning a weekend trip to Atlanta with my daughter...(see above, and cross your fingers for me) ;)

Currently working on adding many, many new items to the shop. (slowly adding, I should point out)

So, what are you currently working on?

Cerri xo

Tuesday tutorial: Clay embellishments

Hello! I hope your week is off to a lovely start. Recently I purchased this kit from Martha Stewart and after playing around with it produced a few embellishments and thought I would share. 

This is what is included in the kit, and it retails for about $25. When I first got it home and looked it over, I really thought about taking it back as I wasn't sure the value was there. The packets of clay are pretty small, and I wasn't crazy about the colors, but what I have discovered is that it actually takes very little clay to make the embellishments and those little packs of colored clay are so very pigmented that they will last practically forever, and mixing them to create your own colors is half the fun.

So, you want to get started? 

1. I'm not kidding when I say those little colors of clay are pigmented! You see the ratio I used in photo 1? That was still too much of the pink! 2. Blend your colors. You do this simply by adding a tiny bit of the colored clay of your choice to a bit of the white. Blend it by kneading and rolling the clay around in your hands. It will take a couple of moments to get the color mixed through, but while you're doing that they clay becomes less sticky which allows it to work in the molds better.  In this photo I discovered I still had too much pink so I added a bit more white. 3. Then I added a tiny bit of yellow to my pink/white mixture. Once blended this gave me a really nice shade of pale coral pink. (the color of Patrick from spongebob my daughter told me) 4. Pinch off a bit of your clay and roll it into a snake. 5. Begin filling the mold by pushing the clay into the mold with your thumb and smoothing as you go along. If you didn't pinch off enough, that's ok, just grab some more, start back a bit where you left off and smooth the new pieces together. 6. The more you push the clay into the mold, the clearer the image will be. The smoother you make the back the better for adhering to your new surface, however it is not imperative that it is perfectly flat. Make sure you don't make your clay too thin either. 

Once you are satisfied with the imprint you have made and the smoothness of the back, roll the mold away from the sides and your embellishment should pop out very easily. It will be fragile at this point, so carefully put it on a flat surface to dry. They really take overnight to dry. Once dry, if you have any areas that the clay needs to be cleaned up, you can very easily snip those away with your scissors. That's really it!

I only experimented with different shades of pink. I didn't even open the blue or brown package of clay. I am looking forward to playing around with the brown a bit though to see if I can create a pretty ivory or neutral color. 

To adhere your new embellishment to your project you can simply attache with a bit of heavy glue. 

The round mold is a bit tricky with getting the clay out as it is so very thin. I also discovered that when the clay is still "wet" you can reshape a bit. In the photo above you can see that I made a round embellishment more oval shaped. That super pale pink color was achieved with just a teensy tiny bit of pink and almost all white. 

Now with the cameo mold, you can easily layer colors and could do even more than I did if you wanted to create green leaves, etc...I again was just playing around with shades of pink. 

Overall, I am quite happy with the embellishments I created. I still have tons of clay left and can make a lot more, so I do believe the value is good. Now, I do want to mention that my daughter loves to sculpt dolls and such and while I was working on these she attempted to sculpt a doll head with the clay. She did not have any luck with that at all. The clay was too sticky, and too light weight to be able to do this. Also, every little finger print can show up in the clay. So from our experience I would think it's best to use Martha's clay in the molds. 

I believe you can purchase Martha's clay w/out a mold set, and do a search on etsy for silicone molds and you'll be amazed at all of the little molds available out there!

If you have any questions, please let me know, and also I would love to know if you have already tried this clay, what you made, and did you love it? 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, I have been enjoying getting into the habit coming up with a new project to share every week. 

Cerri xoxo 

Pretty, old things.

Hello, and happy Monday! I just wanted to pop in today and share some of the lovely old thing that have found their way into my studio lately in one way or another. A bit of show and tell, I guess. If you've been here very long, you know I'm a long time collector of vintage hankie cases, and this lovely thing is one of my new favorites, it was a gift from my husband. I LOVE the ribbon work on it!

Another gift from hubby. I'm not sure exactly what it is, probably a sachet? (although there is not a hint of a scent to it) It was originally from Saks 5th Ave. 

 A sweet, old quilt. This is how my daughter wrapped it up for me on my birthday last month. 

And this. Ah...This stunning old lace panel is a bit of antique French lace I found on a road trip to NC with my husband last month. 

I don't know, I may have paid a bit too much for it, but I just absolutely love it. 

What about you? What have you found lately? 

Stop back tomorrow for a Tuesday tutorial, and I just wanted to let you know my daughter is working on a much needed blog redesign for me, so if the blog is looking a bit wonky, you'll know why. :)

Cerri xo

More on the birthday box swap...

Hello! I've been meaning to share with you all the boxes I received clear back in June, and things kept getting in my way, but I wanted to be sure to share the lovely boxes I received. I received this box from Kris, we've been partners a few times and it's always nice to swap with her. She made her box to look like a little birthday cake. Isn't it cute? 

And she of course filled the box with lots of fun things to play with as well as a sweet collage and party cone. So cute. Thanks so much, Kris! (these are her photos, that I borrowed from her blog)

Next up was a lovely box from Diane. I was touched at how much Diane worked to make my box in the whites and neutral colors that I love, which I know is not at all her normal color palette of choice. She did a great job, don't you think? 

She too, filled her box with lovely little treats. Thank you, Diane! (these photos were also borrowed from Diane)

You can see the boxes I made for these lovely ladies here.  I think I also mentioned that my Mom joined in on this swap as well, and since she doesn't have a blog, I thought I would share her boxes for her. 

Mom wanted her boxes to look like little wrapped presents, and I think she did a lovely job. 

She filled her boxes with things she thought her partners would enjoy. 

I love all of the vintage items she used on this one! So sweet!

Mom and I worked on our boxes together, and that is something I always cherish. I love being able to sit and create pretty things with her. It's neat that we love all the same things, but really I just love spending that special time with her. Isn't that what crafting is all about? 

Cerri xoxo

Pinspiration and sort of a Tuesday Tutorial

(image source)
Hello!I hope you're all having a lovely week. Sorry my Tuesday tutorial is a little late today, but we had a horrible storm and were w/out power for a good percentage of the day. So, today's tutorial is based on all of the gorgeous lace covered candles I have been seeing out there on the internet. 

(image source)

(image source)

So, of course I had to give it a go and make some myself. 

To make my candles, I simply gathered some clear glass candles. (Heather mentioned she found them at the Family Dollar for like $1.50 a piece, and sure enough that's where I found them as well!) I also gathered some vintage lace, little bits of vintage millinery, a vintage silk scarf, The Ultimate glue, and a foam brush. That's really all you need. 

I poured out some of my Ultimate glue onto a dish and using my foam brush applied glue all over my candle. Then, I just started adding lace. I layered some, and some I just left with the one layer of lace.  

I tore my vintage silk scarf into strips and tied a pretty bow onto my candle once I was happy with the lace layers. Then I finished it off by gluing on a bit of vintage millinery. REALLY easy, and REALLY addictive. 

They're quite lovely when they're burning and you can see the flame through the lace, and I just love them placed around my studio and home. I also think they would make wonderful and inexpensive gifts!

I hope you'll make some lace covered candles too, or perhaps you already have? Leave me a link in the comments if you have, I would love to see yours. What projects have you been inspired to create from pinterest? 

Cerri xoxo (PS, you can see a few more lace covered candles that inspired me in my ruffles and lace pinboard.)

Organizing...

Hello! Just popping in to say happy weekend. Hope you're all having a lovely one. I've been working like crazy all weekend to get my little "shop" room organized. It will be so very nice to have my inventory in one room, separate from my studio and super organized. I took these photos with my cell phone and instagram. Thought I'd share the progress with you. 

It's so much stuff to get into one little room, but I'm bound and determined to get it finished. Then, to finish the studio...ha. 

Don't forget about the clearance sale going on now. There are sooo many good deals in the shop!

I'll be back tomorrow to share the swap boxes and on Tuesday for a short little tutorial, I hope you'll visit me. 

xoxo, Cerri

Super Summer Clearance Sale!

Hello! The past few days I have been working on organizing the new store room in our home and tonight I went a little crazy and started marking down prices all throughout the website. There are some new directions I want to take with the shop, and lots of new items I plan to bring in, but first, I need to get rid of some things to make room. 

You'll find that I have marked items down anywhere from 30-50% off! So, it's a wonderful time to stock up on supplies you may have been wanting. 

Many of the marked down items will not be restocked, so get them while you can. :)

I'll be back later to share the boxes I received from my birthday swap partners. (see the boxes I made in the post below)

xo, Cerri

Birthday edition matchbox swap

Hello! I've planned a few "catch up" posts to show you some of the lovely things that have been happening since I last blogged, starting with the matchbox swap I participated in. Heather paired me with two lovely gals that have completely different tastes/styles/wants, so that was a bit of a challenge. 

First up, I was paired with Diane, and she loves the candy colored pastels and cute kitschy things. 

This was the box I made for her. I painted the box pink, and layered it with some pink, white, and blue vintage trims. I added the sweet image of the little girl, as she looked like she was excitedly awaiting something and this was a celebration box. 

And this is a peek inside her box. I added vintage trims, wallpaper, vintage candles, resin flowers and buttons for her sweet creations, and more. You can see the rest of the content of her box on her blog, if you would like. 

Next up was Kris. We've been paired in swaps a couple of times, and I always enjoy swapping with Kris. She wanted her box to be in all whites/neutrals. That was a bit of a challenge since the theme was vintage birthday and vintage birthday items were not typically white. Ha. 

I layered her box with vintage laces and ruffles and a bit of vintage millinery. I stamped the image of the sweet gal on a sheer fabric. (the stamp I used was the hat club cube stamp) The "Bonne Fete" was an ugly gold cake topper and I painted it and then added platinum Stickles to give it an aged silver look. 

Since there were not a lot of vintage, white birthday embellishment to be found, I decided to create some of my own for Kris's box. 

I stamped these tiny canvas tags with a mixture of my new and vintage stamps, and then accented them with Stickles. 

An "aged" silver star with a bit of vintage tulle and a vintage candle. (cut down to fit the star)

I also made these shabby chipboard embellishments by painting, sanding, spritzing, and embellishing them. 

Inside her box I also tucked some vintage wallpaper, more vintage lace, a lovely tea stained rose, vintage pale pink candles, and more. 

I wrapped up both boxes in these pale pink polka dot bags and a lace ballerina tag I made. The gold one for Kris, and the green for Diane. 

I hope they both really enjoyed their boxes and goodies from me. Mom and I were both in the swap and we had a lovely time working on them together. I'll show you what these gals sent me tomorrow, and I'll also share Mom's boxes as well. And if you would like to know how I made those sweet ballerina tags, check back with me next Tuesday for the restart of my Tuesday Tutorials. 

See you soon, Cerri xo