It's another CraZy Day!

Yes!  Today is another CraZy TACKz day!  I have another fun and easy project to share with you.  This project is a little bit girly, but imagine this with masculine or sports themed memory papers.  I chose these papers because I thought they were very cute and they reminded me of the cute perfume bottles you can find in the finer department stores with the little doll heads on them.  Have you seen them?  They look fun to collect.  To get back to my subject, I found these papers in my favorite Ben Franklin Crafts Store in Springfield, Oregon at the Gateway Mall.  I was almost overwhelmed with the choices of beautiful memory papers.  These that I chose were 12 x 12" cardstock, with print on both sides of the paper.  There was a matching sheet of stickers (image in the middle of the frame is one) that I picked up to use with the papers.  The frame that I chose is a very inexpensive unfinished wood frame.  You can pick these up for about $1.00 each!  The other supplies I had on hand were the following:  Acrylic paint, paintbrushes, clear RoyalCoat Decoupage Finish or ModgePodge, scissors, dimensional dot adhesive, CraZy TACKz (the tack with a hook), water bucket and paper towels.  Oh, and a pencil!

Here is a reference picture of the completed project.  I like visuals....

You will lay the frame face down on the wrong side of the paper.  Trace around the frame with the pencil, then cut out.  Repeat with the opposite side of the paper being your "right" side and trace around the inside of the frame and cut the piece to fit where the picture would go.  Lay these aside for now.

Apply a coat of acrylic paint to all surfaces of the wood frame.  Let dry.  Apply a coat of decoupage medium to the wrong side of the paper and to the right side of the frame.  Arrange the paper, matching edges to the frame and then smooth the paper over the surface of the frame.  Let dry completely before applying a coat to the top surface.  This will prevent air bubbles from forming.

Choose a sticker that will be featured in the center of the frame.  Adhere to a solid colored contrasting piece of cardstock and cut out, leaving a 1/8" border.  Then, apply decoupage medium to the paper that will appear in the middle of the frame.  This is to seal the paper to protect it.  Allow this to dry thoroughly.

Now....Place the paper in the frame and secure the back.  Center and adhere the doll to the middle of the paper using the dimensional dot adhesive.  Finish by applying a coat of decoupage medium to the entire project.  For a little more glitz, I added a couple of rhinestones to my doll.

For the Grand Finale, the CraZy TACKz part of the design.  This will take your cute wall hanging to a higher level of "usefulness"!  We like things to be useful and you can make one of these to use in any room of the house, with any theme you choose!

On this frame I used 4 of the CraZy TACKz.  They come with 12 in a package. I cut out some small fans from the memory paper that I had left over.  I used a 1/16" paper hole punch and poked a little hole in the center of each paper fan.  Then, I placed the paper fan over the hook and glued it to the plastic stopper of the tack.  Let the glue dry completely.  Now, the next part can be a little tricky, depending on how dense the wood is.  I suggest a frame like this one shown, because it is craft quality unfinished wood and is a little more porous than some.  Choose and mark your spots at the bottom of the frame.  Using both thumbs, carefully push the Tackz into the spot you have marked.  Repeat for each Tackz.  They will hold up to 3 lbs., so if it doesn't go into the wood up to the stopper, it is probably still ok.

Here is another close-up view.....

Here is a view of another use for CraZy TACKz that were on my Blog the other day.

Just a reminder that you can use the TACKz by themselves and poke them right into the wall! 

They are very handy little TACKz!

Well,  that will be about it for today.  Hope you have enjoyed this project!

CraZy TACKz are brand-brand new and are just starting to appear in stores.  This is a Wholesale company...but for a time will be offering online retail sales to consumers. 

Happy Crafting!

Marilyn

www.marilyngossett.com

www.crazytackz.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/CraZyTACKz?feature=mhee

Above is a crazy link to a youtube video I was put on the spot for at the

World Premiere of CTZ!

I have thought of LOTS more uses for them since then!! :-)

HELLO!



Trio of Vintage Greeting Cards

Another lovely summer day and I have lots of fun to share today.  Again, I have been searching through my archives of projects....and I thought you might enjoy some cards that I created with Cardstock Memory Papers, some patterns I drew up, paper punches and a few other embellishments.  I am going to give you a good photo of each one and maybe it will spark some creative ideas for you and you will have fun creating some of your own.  Pictured are a Heart, Flower Pot and fancy Shoe card.  The shoe was cut on the fold of the paper, as was the flower pot.  If you look closely, the heart has paper hinge at the top and opens up from the point.  I didn't have to do much here because I started with some beautiful papers and I shaded each with some chalks and cotton swabs.  Archival inks would work for shading as well.

Here is a close-up of the heart card.  As you can see, I layered with borders to add dimension.

I love this card!  I totally enjoy making dimensional flowers using the different sized paper punches.  You can add an embellishment of a pearl, sequin or rhinestone to the flower.  How pretty!  If you would like more instruction, feel free to contact me in a note and I will be happy to share.

Here is the shoe!  Fun, huh?  I did have a little trick up my sleeve when I added the dimension to the top of the shoe.  Do you know how I did it?

Again, I will share if you ask!

That is all I have to show you in the way of card designs today.  However, as I was going through my pictures, I found a few that I thought were worth sharing. Little wonders of Nature that gave me a little thrill when I took the pictures.  One day, I heard some swooshy sounds outside my Studio window...so I looked out and this is what I saw!  I took a picture through my window!

Right over the top of my neighbor's roof!  Cool!  And see the pretty summer sky?  I wait all year for these days.  I love the clear, blue, sunny sky and so did the people in that little balloon basket up there!

This mama duck wandered into our back yard with her babies.  Just out for an afternoon stroll.....They got tired of hanging out on the golf course across the street I guess.  They provided a couple of hours of entertainment.  Aren't they cute?

This last picture is of an Emu.  He walked up to my car window at

the Wild Animal Safari in Winston, Oregon.  I love this picture!

He had such a hawk-eye!  Glad to know that this emu won't end up on a menu anywhere!  This was a fun day trip we went on last summer.

I hope you are getting to do some fun stuff this summer.  We wait ALL year for the rain to stop and the sun to shine here in Oregon.  It is worth the wait to see the lush green grass, trees, and beautiful flowers.  Gotta take the bad with the good.  Thanks for checking out the Blog today.  I will be bringing some Christmas ideas in July in the very near future.  Stay tuned for more fun projects.  I will leave you today with a little CraZy TACKz idea.  This is the little "tack with a hook" that just got a US PATENT and will soon be coming to your local stores.  It can presently be purchased for Retail on their website, but they are a Wholesale company.

Cork Board with TACKz hangers....

Close-up 

I painted the clear plastic stopper on the TACKz.  Check out the ladybug.

They will be adding shapes and new colors to the CraZy TACKz line in the very near future.  I will keep you posted.

Happy Crafting!

Marilyn

www.marilyngossett.com

www.crazytackz.com

TODAY WAS A SPECIAL DAY!

Marilyn Gossett & Susan Stacy

I had a reunion with a friend that I haven't seen since the early 1970's! Ok, I know that some of you probably weren't even alive back then, but we are still holding our own, considering that we were in our prime back then!  What I really want to share about my friend is that she had amazing talent all that time and I didn't even know about it!  She designed eyeglasses for me when we lived in Phoenix, Az., and she truly has a claim to fame for some of the other clients that she designed eyewear for!  I am posting a scan of a magazine that features someone you might recognize wearing some of her designer glasses!

Pretty cool, huh?  Here is a picture of Susie back in the Day...she was wearing some of her own creations....Big hair ruled back then!

A Stunna, huh?  We used to lay out by the pool for hours to get a tan like that!  I never could get a deep tan like hers, but got a lot of sunburns trying!We figure we have a lot to offer the world besides our wisdom.  Lol.  Susie is a commissioned Artist that sells a lot of her absolutely GORGEOUS artwork!  After years of raising children and giving up her time, she has returned to her love of painting and art and it blows my mind to see how talented she is.  Following are a couple of her prints.  These paintings actually became two components of a large mural.

Here kitty, kitty!  Don't you just want to reach out and pet it?  The following is the other print that I scanned so I could show you.

I don't care much for mice...but this one is just about too cute to resist!  I wish I could show you more, but this is all that I had time to borrow from her before she had to drive back home.  It turns out that we live within about an hour or so of each other.  We have decided to become "art" pals and we are going to work on a couple of projects together.  Just for fun!  We will see what happens!  Susan Stacy can be found on Facebook and I am sure you will be seeing a lot more of her and her art.

That would be about it for today.  Maybe today's Blog will inspire you to reach out to someone you haven't seen in a long time.  Thanks to Facebook and the Internet, I have been able to reconnect with some very dear friends that I had not seen for a very long time!  I will be sharing some more craft projects tomorrow.  Hope you had a great day!

Happy Day,

Marilyn

www.marilyngossett.com

www.crazytackz.com

TIME FOR A FIESTA!

Happy Day!

Are you enjoying your summer?  I am!  Yesterday I brought you a colorful grouping of Island party designs.  Today I am going to continue with another colorful party theme, Fiesta!

Again, I have created these designs with simple wood shapes that can be found at most if not all craft stores. Remember the tongue depressors we now call "craft sticks" and the little wood ice cream spoons?  These have been a crafting staple for many years now and Forster (the company that makes them..) has widened the scope of possibilities by adding wood shapes called "Woodsies".  If you observe objects, you will find that they are made of up circles, ovals, teardrop shapes, etc.  I love to put these wood pieces together as you would a puzzle, creating different forms and objects.  There are just a few tools you will need to get started.  *a Utility Scissors to cut the wood, Wood Glue or Craft Glue, Spring Action Clothes Pins (for holding the pieces together while the glue dries), Acrylic Paint, Paintbrushes, Water Bucket, Paper Plates and Paper Towels.  I am always happy to share more in depth instruction if you will write me a note and ask!  For today, I am going to share mostly pictures to spark your creativity and inspiration.

A wood slat with painted wood letters.  Add some 18 ga. wire to hang.

A picture frame...inexpensive wood frame.  Cactus and Peppers made with Craft Sticks and Woodsies.

Napkin Holder..(1" wooden blocks used to secure cactus and flowers)

Wooden Bag painted...with Woodsie peppers attached....

Glue a spring action clothes pin to the back of the flower....

Some more little decorations....

Clip-on embellishments for your Margaritas and Chips!

How is that for a colorful Fiesta?  Now I will tell you a secret about the Hibiscus flowers.  I glued four hearts...points in the middle, to a 1-1/2" wood circle.  Then glued a wood oval to each side of the flower as shown.  When the glue dried...I painted each flower, then glued the clip to the back.  Fun!

I couldn't leave this Blog today without talking a little bit about a BRAND NEW U.S. PATENTED PRODUCT called CraZy TACKz!

They are SO new, they are mostly available for online purchases right now.

I have been enjoying coming up with new uses for this handy little tack with a hook.  I am leaving you with a fun and simple idea for using the TACKz.  Check out previous Blogs for lots more fun ideas.

I applied glue and glitter to the plastic stopper of the TACKz.  Then, arranged some pretty Die Cuts (By K & Company) that I found at the craft

store and poked the TACKz into the wall, securing the die cut as shown.

 Next, I hung some jewelry on the hooks.  These will hold up to 3 pounds in dry wall, and up to 5 pounds in wood! There are many themes of die cuts to choose from when you visit the craft store.  Find some to fit the theme you like and decorate your wall! 

That is it for today.  I hope you have enjoyed the projects I have featured today.  Again, I am pulling from my archives of past designs....and if you would like any additional instruction or advise be sure to send me a note!

Happy Crafting!

Marilyn

www.marilyngossett.com

www.crazytackz.com

ALOHA! PARTY TIME!

Happy Sunday,

Hope you are enjoying your summer days.  Lots of us are going on vacations and Hawaii happens to be a favorite vacation spot!  Many of my friends will be going there and for those of us that stay at home, decorating for a special event or party with festive, colorful decorations can be lots of fun and set the theme or mood.  For those of us who are crafty....making the decorations are half of the fun, enjoying and anticipating the fun that is to come.  I am showing a grouping of decorations and useful items that I made with an islands theme.  Years ago I designed and authored several books using simple little Woodsie shapes that are easily found in your local craft store.  Forster makes these little wood shapes....lots of us have referred to the craft sticks as tongue depressors or ice cream spoons.  Yes, those are the items that I am talking about!  They also make shapes in different sizes and I have found them to bring hours of entertainment, putting them together like puzzle pieces to make different designs.  I am featuring the island theme today, and like always, I am happy to share more information with you if you ask, but in the interest of space and possibly boring people to tears I am going to share mostly pictures today for inspiration and interest.  I will always share more instruction if you ask!

Decorative Straw Holder

Supplies:  *wooden bag (purchased at Michaels Crafts for about $l.00), *Woodsies by Forster, in various shapes and sizes, also craft sticks by Forster....  *Acrylic Paint, *wood glue or *craft glue, *spring action clothes pins (for holding the pieces together while the glue dries), *paintbrushes, *water bucket, *paper towels, *paper plates, *scissors (utility) for cutting wood pieces.  The supplies I have listed will work on all of the project I will be posting.  I will give a just a little instruction before I sign off today.

Hibiscus flowers, Flip Flops and various Crustaceans......
glue a small spring clothespin on the back and they become
"Clip-on" Decorations!

This "Favor Bag" contains Candied Pineapple and
the Recipe is attached to the front of the gift bag.
I found this recipe online.....
A Hibiscus clip is added for decoration and another cool Favor.

Decorate a little party container....or add "Clips to these cute Crustaceans!

Here are some little Palm Tree Place card Holders....
Glue another piece of wood to the backside to make a slot
for the place card........

Here is a cute little sign you can make for the door!
The base is a star made by Lara's Crafts that can be found
in the craft wood section of the craft store.  The Hibiscus Flower Clips
can be used to close the chips bag, put on a gift, clip to someones collar..
decorate the chip bowl...you decide!  Hope you got some inspiration today
or at least enjoyed looking at these colorful creations! 

Hula Girls and a jazzy Flamingo - Decorations

As most of you know, I am the Creative Consultant for a brand spankin' new product called CraZy TACKz!  These are a tack with a hook!  Can you think of some handy uses? Let me tell you, there are MANY uses for this handy little tack!  They work great in dry wall and leave a teeny-tiny hole.  They can hold up to 3 lbs in dry wall, more in wood!  I will include a close-up before I sign off.  Check out some of the past Blog posts for some creative ideas!

HAPPY CRAFTING!
Marilyn
www.marilyngossett.com
www.crazytackz.com

Check out these "Girly" Greeting Cards

Hello, and Happy Saturday!

I have been reviewing photos of past designs that I have created and find that I still enjoy the "girly" ones that are made from card stock memory papers and just a few other embellishments.  I thought I would share some of these projects with you today....maybe you will get inspired and want to make some of your own.  For this first project, I created a pattern for my greeting cards.  Then, I traced around the pattern onto the wrong side of the memory paper and cut out the shape.  I added a little border paper to the flap by gluing a contrasting paper to the wrong side of the flap, and cut out, leaving a 1/8" or slightly larger border.  This adds some dimension to the card.  I have attached a photo for you to review.

The wooden purse is going to be the decorative box for my cards to go into.  I would suggest purchasing some pre-made envelopes that will fit your cards, or you can actually make them yourself by using an envelope template.  The card is self explanatory if you review the photo I have given.  The next picture shows the project completed....ready to give as a fun gift or keep for yourself!

I enlarged the photo so you can get a good look at the details.  I have included another card design for a grouping that I am showing in the next photo.  These are also "girly" and lots of fun!  They open up into an area to write your message.  I used patterns that I made and paper punches to get some of the precise shapes.  Here is a peek.....

As you can see in this second view, the compact opens up to reveal some eye shadows and blush!  Fun, isn't it?

The perfume bottle and lipstick open for a writing surface as well.

As always, I am happy to share more information if there is a project here that you would like to try and could use some assistance with.  Just drop me a line and let me know how I can help!  I would love to hear from you.

I am going to sign off today with a little tip.  So often we will get a cute card

and don't know what to do with it after we display it for a while.  I would suggest using the card as a wall decoration....holding it in the wall with a CraZy TACKz and then hanging your jewelry or keepsake from the hook!

I am including a photo of how the CraZy TACKz work.  Anything you would use a push-pin for works much better with a CraZy TACKz.

The next generation of TACKz will be in various fun colors and shapes.  I will keep you posted on how to get them.  THEY ARE BRAND NEW, have a US Patent and will be going into stores nationwide. You can check them out on the website listed below. 

That is it for today, many more ideas coming your way!  Stay tuned!

Happy Crafting!

Marilyn

www.marilyngossett.com

www.crazytackz.com

Put some "Passion" in your life!

Yes, it is the first little Passion bloom in my garden......again!  I have a lot more blooms on this plant than I did the day I took this picture.  They are so beautiful and the bloom will only be out for 3 days before it dries up and turns into a pod.

As I shared the other day, these are my favorite flowers because there is a little bit of a mystery about them....at least there is to me!  So...being inspired by Nature here, I created some rubber stamp designs that I will share with you today. I observed that after the bloom dies and turns into a dry pod, when you open the pod, it reveals a "fairy like" interior.  I loved it so much, that I wanted to create a rubber stamp that I could use over and over.  Here are the other two designs:

I colored in the rubber stamp image with watercolor pencils.  If you have never used them, they are easy to control and it is fun to see how the color spreads when you apply water to the pencil mark.  Since I have been going through my archives of past designs, I also came across a few more designs using memory papers that might inspire you a little.

The "base" supplies I used for these projects are very inexpensive and easy to find in your local craft store.  For about One Dollar each, I purchased a wooden bag, a 5x7" wooden frame, wooden cut-out butterfly, dragonfly and flower.

As you see, the wooden bag was given a coat of Yellow Acrylic paint with a little shading around the edges.  The butterfly was given a base coat of Black paint.  The next step was to trace the butterfly and cut the wings from the memory paper.  I like to use Modge Podge or a similar medium to adhere the paper to the wood.  I embellished with a little bit of 22 gauge wire for some more depth and interest.  The following is the frame:

Again, apply a base coat of acrylic paint to the frame and let dry.  Repeat with the flower and the dragonfly.  Then, trace around the frame onto the wrong side of the memory paper.  Cut it out, then adhere to the front of the frame as shown.  Embellish the flower and dragonfly, adhere to the frame as shown.

Presto!  You have some very inexpensive home decor or gift items that were lots of fun to make!

Check out my past Blog Posts to see the projects that I have shared.  I will be bringing lots more from my archives that I hope will spark your creativity. 

Let me know if I can help you with your success.  Just leave me a note!

Have you heard of "Christmas in July?"  We in the Wide World of Crafting start planning 6 months in advance.  I will be bringing some fun Christmas ideas this month.  Stay tuned, and please share this Blog with any friends that like to craft!

Happy Crafting!

Marilyn

www.marilyngossett.com

www.crazytackz.com