Handmade Kitchen Note Holder

Handmade Note Holder

Hi friends... in this era of high tech gadgets, I wonder how many of you are old school  like me and still use a pen and paper to make shopping lists and to do lists!
I was heavily inspired by some of my favorite Challenges to make all the elements in this project.

I altered the backside of a desktop calendar into a pretty note-holder for my kitchen!

Altered Desktop Calendar

A crafter recently asked [on facebook] about what can be done with paper scraps. I used to hoard scraps earlier but over time it grew ,took too much space and became rather overwhelming. 

So now I dont let it grow too much. I keep a tray with scraps right on my craft table near my die cutting machine and whenever I am in the mood, I  die cut  favorite shapes from the scraps of leftover paper.

Tackling Paper Scraps

 I try to arrange my most used tiny die cuts in clear storage boxes or transparent plastic covers so that I can save time in a future project.

Die-cut storage

I die cut or punch borders from the longer scraps and store them in plastic covers [bought from a local stationary shop]

Die cut Storage

I carefully store even tiny scraps of specialty card stocks like silver card stock as not only are they expensive but are not easily available in my area. Tiny bits of silver and kraft card came in so handy to make my kitchen utensils!

Note Holder

Not only does my kitchen actually have a red color scheme but I think I am being influenced by cupid and the valentine month  to use a red color theme with roses and hearts galore!

Handmade Rose

 The red rose is handmade using Heartfelt creations  stamps and dies. The white flowers and buds you can see peeking from behind the rose were made with air drying "Thai clay"

Handmade Clay Flowers

The lovely shimmer you see on the thai clay plumeria and the paper flowers was achieved using "sparkling dust" glitter. In the closeup below you can see the super cute kitchen glove made with the fine stitch lines and check pattern!

Kitchen Note Holder

 This corner has a handmade angel [made using air-drying clay and a silicon mold]on a butterfly [ an X cut die I had won at the Double D Challenge !]

Handmade Clay Embellishments

 Also couldnt resist adding a wooden cup with an engraved heart! And can you spot the cute shiny red hearts scattered all over my project....! The cute heart buttons are from my friend Mia!

Handmade Kitchen Note Holder

 This corner has handmade paper roses , Thai clay flower buds and lots of cute berries and a cherry!

Handmade Flowers

 The note holder has a "Happy" with a beautiful shiny surface made by heat embossing  Winnie and Walter Happy die cut with clear UTEE. The little angel is again a handmade embellishment.

Handmade Note Holder

 And here is the notebook with matching papers and a cute heart!

Handmade Notebook

I even found a matching pencil with " Happy Day" printed on it and dressed it up with red lace and a shiny red heart!

Kitchen Note Holder

Handmade Kitchen Note Holder

 Hope you liked my kitchen note holder!

Supplies : Dies :  Winnie and Walter Happy Cutaway , Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways ,Creative Expressions Necessities Apron Die ,Joy Crafts 6002-0251[Butterfly Border],Cheery Lynn  Flourish 13,Heartfelt Creations Botanical Wings Die,Spellbinders Delicate Doilies,X cut 3 D Butterfly,Magnolia Doohickeys Vintage Box Lacing Coffee
Edited : This project was featured in the Top honors at Double D Kitchen is the Heart of the Home Challenge
and also chosen as Top 3 at Scrappyland Challenge 
It was also given the Gold Star at Di's Pixie's Snippets Playground 

Zig Brush Pens Water Coloring Tips

Mini Album

       Hi friends, recently my family and I vacationed in Phuket , Thailand and we spent so much time in the oceans that for my DT post for Crafters Corner, I made a Mini Album in an Ocean theme with a cute water-colored mermaid, shells and various ocean motifs !

Handmade Flowers

I love making flowers and this project has quite a few handmade flowers. The big blue sparkling rose was made using Spellbinders Rose Creations  die using this Tutorial : Easy Rose Tutorial . The Magenta Fluffy flower was made from craft foam and the Cheery Lynn  Sun flower die using this Tutorial : Easy Daisy Tutorial and the Pink rose was made using craft foam and the Spellbinders Bauble Blossoms 1 die.

Handmade Flowers

I also added some handmade clay flowers [ the plumeria and the little white buds you see scattered around] made freehand using Thai Clay [ an air drying clay] and Oil paints. I love picking up shells from the beach and the shells on this mini album cover are shells I had picked up from our family holidays in Goa, Thailand and Malaysia over the years !

The Heat embossed " Treasures of the Ocean" is a stamp from Crafty Individuals [Cl 272] and such an apt one for this project!

Mixed Media background 

I made a mixed media style background using Ranger texture paste and a Carabelle Studio Geometry Stencil. Sprayed some Lindy's sprays and added tiny little pearls, turquoise blue glitter balls and golden star sequins! The anchor was cut using a Joy Crafts die.

Water-coloring and Diamond Dust 

The little mermaid who is the star of the project has a magical sparkling background with diamond dust, golden stars, a pearl star and dew drops!

The Whismy Stamps Mermaid was watercolored with Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens 

In case you missed it here is my introductory post on Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens with lots of tips

And sharing more tips here.

1.If you are not heat embossing your image,stamp it with an ink such as Versa fine which will not react and bleed with water!
2.Allow enough time for the stamped image to dry before you water color or if you are in a hurry heat set it with a heat gun!

Use images which are perfectly dry

3.Download a color swatch chart like this one from Kuretake website or better still make a color swatch so that you wont have to keep trying pens to choose colors! This is especially useful when you are coloring an animal or human image!

• When making a color swatch make one grouping the colors together rather than in a chronological order!

Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens  Color Swatch

4.While coloring an image such as an animal or human using different shades of the same color, apply dark colors first and blend out with the water brush. If you put dark colors later it is more difficult to blend without using more water!

Watercoloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

 For the tail of this mermaid I used turquoise green[ No 42] first and  pulled it inside with the water-brush.Later applied light blue [No 36] and blended it in nicely using the waterbrush again.

Watercoloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

5.Creating gradient effect!
Why I love the Zig brush pens compared to normal watercolors is that they are quite easy to use to create gradients and blends even for a beginner!
To easily create a gradient blending of colors the trick is to know where to lay on the first brushstrokes  first! 

Brush on the ink on the edges and shadow areas



Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

Pull in the colors using the water brush!



Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

This is one of the easiest ways to get a fading away of a color! Here I have used just a singe color- May Green [No 47] and got a beautiful gradient effect by pulling in the colors using a water brush!



Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

6.Always apply the brush pen directly to only small areas at a time as if it dries it wont blend well. If you find this method difficult then mix the ink and water on an acrylic block or other surface and then apply it to your paper

7.Coloring Skin Tones - I think you will all agree coloring skin is always challenging to a beginner. The Zig brush pens are available in a beautiful range of shades of browns and grays and pinks .

Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

 The Flesh Color [No 71] is one of the most useful colors in the Zigs set and using it alone you can get a beautiful skin tone. In this step by step however I first applied Blush [No 69]on the edges and shadow areas and pulled it in with a water-brush

Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

 Later went over the larger area with the Flesh Brush pen [ No 71]

Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

• Adding Cheek blush!

Water-coloring with Zig  Brush Pens 

You can add life to your animal and human images by adding a bit of color to the cheeks using Tea Rose [No 220] or any shade of pink..... Just add a tiny bit of pinkish color and blend with the water brush!

8.While water-coloring tiny areas such as the flowers in this mermaid image use the brush pens directly and use very little or no water as it can bleed easily!

Water-coloring small areas!

9.Coloring Hair!

Water-coloring Hair

Coloring hair is always tricky no matter what coloring medium you use...the only thing I can say is before I got my Zigs the  hair of my colored images was a big blob...now its much much better!!

10.Last Tip is that if you don't get good results  with your attempts try changing the type of water brush you are using and/ or the type of watercolor paper you are using! There is no right or wrong product...just that one type of brush or paper might work better for you!

Zigs on different water color papers

When I worked on floral or freehand water coloring I didnt notice much difference in water coloring on different water color papers but for this intricate mermaid stamp I found that I had poorer control on the Brustro paper.On Brustro the pigment had a tendency to spread more on adding water , bled outside the lines quite a bit and had a splotchier look on layering the colors.

Water-colored Images on Canson and Brustro respectively

The colors were however more vibrant and rich on the Brustro Paper and lovely for freehand water-coloring.

So the main point is to experiment with different brands of watercolor paper if you are not happy with your attempts!

Ocean Themed Mini Album

I am not an expert at water-coloring but my coloring skills have improved tremendously after I got the Zig brush pens and I do hope some of these tips will be helpful if you have or are planning to buy these amazing watercolor pens! 

Here is a list of all the Supplies from Crafters Corner:Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens  .Wink of Stella.Cheery Lynn Dies :  sun flower,Cheery Lynn  Rose Leaf

Spellbinders : Spellbinders  Rose Creations  ,Dress my Craft: Dress my Craft  papers, Dress my Craft sparkling dust, Dress my Craft Sequins, Dress my Craft Golf tools,

Metal charms,Diamond Dust,Ranger Texture Paste,Stencil : Carabelle Studio Stencil Geometrie

Clay meets Paper !!!

Clay Bird House

Hi friends sharing an altered Tea light holder in the shape of a bird house.This is the terracotta "diya holder" I picked up from a fancy store

Terracotta Diya Holder

The little house was given a generous coat of gesso and white paint and made into a bird house with a little bird perched atop!

Thai Clay flowers

All the white flowers and the pink roses were made with thai clay, a type of air drying clay.The bright magenta roses are store-bought roses altered with gesso.

Tea light Holder

Thai clay is a wonderful medium to make clay flowers and though I dont have a photo tutorial [ one has to work pretty fast as otherwise the clay will dry out and lose its suppleness], the steps of making the rose are nearly the same as in this Playdough rose Tutorial 

Thai Clay rose

If you are interested in Thai Clay crafts
Here are some of the tools I used :
Pasta Machine- not a necessity per se but if you have one you can quickly roll out nice uniform thin sheets of clay.
Cutters - you can use metal or plastic cutters to punch out uniform petalsand there are special cutters available to make different flowers but for this project I made most of the roses freehand!
Embossing tools- though my first clay tools were made of cheap plastic ...they broke after some time and later I got some metal tools which are rather heavy but perfect for clay crafting.
The 5 multicolored tools you see were gifted to me some time back by my friend Sudha . These are a cross between a plastic and a metal embossing tool...these are lighter as the body is not made of metal but strong and less likely to break as the tips are made of metal. The set  also has 3 very fine tips which are fabulous for making fine lines .
Thank you so much Sudha they are awesome not just for clay but also for embossing on paper
Thai Clay: I have tried thai clay by a couple of different brands and not found much of a difference. The only catch with thai clay is once you open a packet you have to finish it off fast otherwise you risk the whole thing hardening!

Clay Tools

On the side of the bird house you can see a fusion of clay and paper.

Heat Embossed Leaves

I used Winnie and Walter In Bloom Elsa's Flora Stamp Set to make all the paper leaves.

Altered Tea Light Holder

Added a golden pearl chain to loop all around the bird house and added butterflies all along. The gorgeous golden paper butterfly was sent to me by Mrs A all the way from England!

Clay Craft

Thai clay comes in a white color and is colored with oil colors before its moulded. Sometimes its difficult to predict the color...this little rose is a much darker shade than all the other clay roses but turned out cute all the same!

Thai Clay rose

On the back side of the bird house is a huge metal butterfly!

Thai Clay Roses

I also added some of my favorite pollen and berries

Heat Embossed Leaves

And here is my altered tea light holder on our terrace garden.

Tea Light Holder

I know I have not visited my blogger friends for some time now...life gets busy every once in a while...so please pardon me...will be catching up soon!And please do take a moment to tell me how you like this Thai Clay Project
Supplies : Dies :  Cheery Lynn  Grass, Cheery Lynn  Butterfly ,Marianne Anja Leaf 3
Stamps : Winnie and Walter In Bloom Elsa's Flora Stamp Set 
Pollen : From Crafters Corner and Raja Market
Linking to  :
Edited : This Project was featured as Top 5 at All sorts Anything But a Card Challenge  and was showcased by Di at the Pixie's Playground