Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Windham Family Canvas

I have very few family photos from generations past on my side of the family. They were lost in moves, water damage and once, a looting of my grandmother's house. I'll never be able to replace the lost photos, but my husband's family has a lot of photos. Obviously someone was in love with their Brownie, because there are tons of those little square photos with the squiggly white borders.

I love creating memory art, although most of it is not in a scrapbook (Check out my book, Scrapbooking for Home Decor, available on Amazon, Hobby Lobby and Barnes & Noble.). I want those memories out there they can be seen daily. I actually used this photo in one of my book projects, the inside of a sewing box that held some of my mother-in-law's sewing notions, but this time I wanted to feature it because I love this photo. This was made near Morrilton, Arkansas in the late '30s. The people are my sister-in-law Betty, mother -in-law Ruth, father-in-law Olin and sweet sister-in-law Janel. I never knew Betty or Olin, and this photo was made before my husband was even a thought.

I have this thing about straight lines being straight and perpendicular, which probably stems from my early career years as an engineering draftsman and later as a graphic designer, working on a drawing table rather than a computer.  Crooked pictures hanging on a wall don't bother me so much. They can be straightened. But when you create a project that will be seen often, you want all the elements straight. That's why I am so in love with my KellyCraft Get-it-Straight- Laser Square. It makes lining things up a breeze, and I never have to worry about going to the trouble of framing something, only to see one piece totally out of kilter with the rest of the art.

Here's how I made this piece on canvas:

Supplies
KellyCraft Get-it-Straight- Laser Square
Rectangular canvas (this one is 7" x 12", about 1/2" thick)
Assorted printed cardstock scraps
Adirondack Color Wash
Gesso, white
Distress Inks
Metallic Paint: Precious Metal Gold
Metal Book Plate
Lace Trim, 24"
Folded paper flower: Sizzix
Gold Cord, 40"
Paint brush
Sponge
Dominoes or uniform squares
Heavy Duty Double Side Tape. 1/8"
Large monogram stamp
Glue Dots, large
Assorted embellishments
Foam Alphabet Stamps

Instructions
1. Prepare canvas with two coats of white gesso. Apply spray stains randomly and allow to dry. Sponge gesso onto large monogram stamp and press on canvas.

2. Tear a paper scrap one one long side and place it on the left side of the canvas.
 TIP: When you're working on something that is taller than the beam on your Laser Square, just add height to the square by placing dominoes, checkers or uniform-height wood pieces to the back until you have the height you need.

3. Sponge gesso onto foam stamps. Using the Get-it-Straight Laser Square, line up the bottom of the stamp with the light and stamp the images.
TIP: To get your word centered, locate the center of the canvas edge. Line your stamps up and determine where the center will be and stamp those letters first, working out on either side.


4. Apply lace using the double side tape and lining it up with the laser square. Apply three strips.

5.Sponge the edges of all paper with Distress Inks. Line up the layers of the photo and attach to the canvas.

6. Add embellishments as desired.
TIP: The bookplate metal embellishment is placed on a folded piece of cardstock. You can see the family name and year on the piece, but it swings open to reveal the names of the photo subjects.



7. Using a square brush, go over the gesso letters in family with gold Precious Metal Color to make them pop.

8. Apply cording to edges with good quality white glue.

That's it. You now have a nice family memory  to hang or display on an easel.

I could never have made this so quickly and so easily without my Get-it-Straight Laser Square. I don't know how I ever lived without it!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Centering Banners with the Get-It-Straight Laser Square

Project by: Kristin Kelly

Time With Family scrapbook layout

Placing a banner using the KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square

Supplies:
Get-It-Straight Laser Square
Wood grain paper - DCWV
Florentine paper pack - Close To My Heart
Card stock - CTMH
Desert Sand Re-inker - CTMH
Stamps, ribbon, adhesive pearls - CTMH
Cricut machine
Plantin Schoolbook Cricut Cartridge
Adhesive - Glue Dots, Pop Dots, Scotch

I have a bad habit of leaving my pictures on my camera card for way too long. So when I finally got around to downloading pictures and saw the pictures we took this April at Washington On The Brazos State Park, I had to make a layout! I use my Laser Square with practically every project I do, but when I decided to put a banner on this layout, I knew my Laser Square was the perfect tool to help with the job! After putting together the bulk of my layout, I was ready to put on the banners.

So first, I needed to mark the center point for my banner. For the word 'Family', I was using the full width of my page, so I set my Laser Square at 6" to place the flags for the M and I. The words I used happened to have an even number of letters, so my center was between two letters. If the words had an odd number of letters, you would just place the flag for the middle letter at the center point.



Then, to get the remaining flags even with each other, I turned my Laser Square to shine the line horizontally across the page to align the top corners of the flags for the remaining letters.

 
 
Using the same technique, I placed the banner for the word 'Time' on the first page. Adding the remaining embellishments and pictures, and a family scrapbook layout is complete!

 
 
And while my banners weren't straight across, the Laser Square was crucial to getting them centered and even across the page! Yet another use for the Get-It-Straight Laser Square! Making scrapbooking quicker and easier and straight and even!

Sent from my iPad
Kristin Kelly

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Monday, June 17, 2013

KellyCraft - I'm Bananas About You Card

Created by Lisa Rojas, Stampin' Queen Creations
Give The Queen A Call!

This card again, is unusual in the fact that it's cut different from your "normal" cards. Of course using the Get-it-Straight Laser Square makes creating even the most difficult folded and cut cards a total breeze. If you haven't tried a more advanced card because you are worried about getting it cut straight. etc. the Get-it-Straight Laser Square is the tool for you! Soon you'll be hearing a lot of "How did you create that card, it looks really hard!" from all of your family and friends!!!


 I'm Bananas About You Card
Finished Card Size
7"W x 6"H

 Supplies
Cardstock- Brown, Tan
Pattern Paper- Tropical Theme
Clearsnap Archival Dye Inkpads- Mudslide & Golf Course
Stampendous Rubber Stamp Set- Changit Dos
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Gamsol Mineral Spirits
Foam Tape
Wire- Gold
Round Nosed Pliers 
Ribbon- Brown Leaf & Tan Loop
Instructions:
Stamp monkey and palm tree twice with mudslide
inkpad.
 Color images with colored pencils. Using Gamsol and a
stamping stump to blend colors.
 Cut images out with scissors.
Cut two pieces of wire 3" long. Use pliers to create
the monkey's tails
Cut brown cardstock into 7'W x 12"H. Fold in half
to create card size of 7"W x 6"H. Open card. Use
Get-it-Straight Laser Square to measure 2" down
from top of paper to fold and 1 1/2" in from each side.
 Cut out the area that you measured
The card should now look like this.
Cut tan stock as follows- (1) 6 3/4"W x 1 3/4"H and
(2) 5 1/4"W x 1 1/4"H. Cut pattern paper as follows-
(1) 61/2"W x 1 1/2"H and (2) 5"W x 1"H.
Use the Get-it-Straight Laser Square to
layer pattern papers onto the tan cardstock.
Adhere the pieces together with Zip Dry.

Adhere tails to one of the monkey images. Adhere both
images together.

Cut two pieces of ribbon 3 1/2"L.
Adhere ribbons together and then to
back of monkey images.

For the inside of the card cut tan cardstock
 6 3/4"W x  5 3/4"H and pattern paper
6 1/2"W x 5 1/2"H. Adhere together and to the
inside of the card

Adhere the two side panels. Use the
Get-it-Straight Laser Square for perfect alignment.

Apply foam tape to top piece. Adhere monkeys
in the center. Adhere top panel to front of card.

Adhere leaf ribbon to loop ribbon, then adhere
both ribbon to center of top panel.

Apply foam tape to palm trees and then to side
panels on card front.

Cut tan cardstock (2) 1 1/2"W x 2"H. Stamp word sayings
using mudslide inkpad.

On a scrap piece of tan cardstock, stamp palm leaves
twice with golf course inkpad. Cut out and adhere to
back of word images. Add images to front of card.

Close up view of finished card

Side image of finished card.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Product Review by Lisa Rojas

Lisa Rojas from our Design Team wrote a product review about our Get-It-Straight Laser Square


on the Bella Crafts Quarterly Blog a couple months ago and I thought I would share the link here for you to check out on the Bella Blog.  While you are there check out their Summer issue of Bella Crafts Quarterly, it is a FREE to read online or download to your computer....


The tote bag on the cover was created using the Get-It-Straight Laser Square.....

Friday, June 7, 2013

Friends are the Family... Mixed-Media Frame

“Friends are the FAMILY we choose for ourselves”...

Cindi Bisson, Behind These Eyes™


The KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square made aligning the many mixed-media elements of this project quick and easy.

Materials:

KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square
15” x 15” frame with shadowbox front
Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue papers:  Seaside Holiday, Paradise Postage,  Rainforest
Paper trimmer, scissors
Beacon Adhesives Tacky Glue
Connie Crystal green and black crystal beads
Smoothfoam™ letters
Black Gloss Rust-Oleum spray paint
Craft Attitude™ Decor Attitude film
Inkjet printer

Instructions:  

Spray paint Smoothfoam™ letters to spell FAMILY with black glossy spray paint.  Let dry.




Cut five 2 1/2” x 12” strips, and four 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” squares, of green & black leaf patterned paper.   Mount four of the long strips on outside edge of 15” x 15” frame mat to create border.  Mount squares in open areas on four corners.

Cut two 4 1/2” x 6 1/2” tan patterned paper mats, and two green swirl paper mats.

Use KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square to ensure the photo mats are straight when mounting them, centered left to right and approximately 2” from top on on the frame mat.



Mount fifth 2 1/2” x 12” green and black patterned paper strip in center of frame, then mount two final photo mats beneath, using KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square to ensure they are straight.

Use KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square to align black and green crystal beads as shown in each of the 4 corners of the mat.

Following manufacturer instructions, print verse onto Craft Attitude™ film.   Trim around each word.

Measure down approximately 1” on acrylic  shadow box for frame.  Use KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square to ensure “Friends” is mounted straight, directly onto plexiglass shadowbox portion or frame.

Repeat with "are the".

Measure down approximately 1” from “are the” and mount FAMILY letters directly to acrylic shadow box, using KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square to ensure lettering is mounted straight.

Use KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square to ensure “we choose” and “for ourselves” are mounted straight beneath the FAMILY lettering.

Add photos on each photo mat if desired.  Assemble mat backing, acrylic shadow box and black frame.

Monday, June 3, 2013

The Many Faces of Kendall!

Created by: LaJeania Hicks 

I absolutely love the colors in the Dream Pop paper pack. When I saw these colors I thought of our bright, vibrant, little girl! I was looking through a few pics of her and noticed all of her faces and thought it would be fun to create a colorful layout featuring her many faces. I remembered seeing a layout design on Pinterest that I thought would be perfect, but I knew I would need the KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square to line up all of the pictures and paper perfectly! 




Supplies:
KellyCraft
Get-It-Straight Laser Square
Dream Pop Paper Pack – Close To My Heart
Cotton Candy Ink Pad (CTMH)
Solid cardstock, 3 sheets White Daisy, 1 sheet Slate (CTMH)
Glitter Gems (CTMH)

Cricuit Die Cutting Machine
Alphilicious Cricut cartridge
Adhesive (Glue Dots, Pop Dots, Scotch)

Instructions:
1. Cut a two pieces of White Daisy card stock 10x11. Round both corners on one end of each piece. Cut 7 pieces of patterned paper 2.5x3.5 and one piece at 2.75x9.75. Sponge ink the edges of all pieces of paper with Cotton Candy ink. Cut seven pictures at 2.5x6. Cricut cut the letters for the name. Print ‘The Many Faces of” on the patterned paper. 



2. Use your Get-It-Straight Laser Square to line up all pictures and patterned paper on the White Daisy cardstock leaving 1/8” at top, bottom, and sides of the cardstock.


3. I love that I can turn my layout and make sure everything is perfectly straight vertically and horizontally!   



4. Use your Get-It-Straight Laser Square to adhere the White Daisy cardstock mats to the Pink base pages leaving 1” on the top, bottom, and outside edge. 



5. Use your Get-It-Straight LaserSquare to line up the letters for the name and attach with pop dots.

6. Finally, add some bling to the layout with the pink glitter gems.

This layout was so simple and easy to put together using the
 Get-It-Straight Laser Square.