A Fond Farewell - My Last Sakura Design Team Project

Wow! How fast 6 months can pass. I have been very honored to be a part of the Sakura Design Team. Sakura Craft is creating quality products that can really help every type of crafter.

I really loved working with the 3D Crystal Lacquer and know it will remain a staple in my crafting kit along with all of the jewelry findings and glass tiles.

My favorite projects were:

Clowning Around, Part Duex

Film Noir Magnet Box

For this week I have created two pendants.

The first, is a piece I'd started almost at the beginning. I had stamped a round silver finding with a butterfly. This week I covered it with Glitter Pink Crystal Lacquer - adding an extra dimension and shine.

Below, I used an "deep dish" Zinc Oval Pendant. I cut out the background from a sheet of Steampunk images and covered it with a thick layer of 3D Crystal Lacquer. Once it had dried, I placed a metal cog centered around the clock face in the image. Another thin layer of crystal lacquer was applied. You can still feel the texture of the cog.

Thank you for all the fabulous feedback you all have provided in this creative journey.

Keep on feeding your Creative Soul!

~Heather Morrow

P.S. Check out our fun-filled Creative Souls Retreat happening this September in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains.

How to Create Quick and Easy Wall Art

Supplies needed:

4x4 piece of glass or plexi-glass

Gold Flower Stickers from Sparkraft Enterprises

3D Color Crystal Lacquer

2 Tim Holtz Clips

Matching Chain

This piece of glass was out of a picture frame that was used for another project. The glass had been floating around my desk for several weeks and I didn't want to just toss it, so I decided to use it to create a quick piece of wall art.

Clean your glass or plexi-glass before placing the flower stickers. I used Gold Metallic 3D Crystal Lacquer for the center of each flowers. The large flower petals are Lilac Pearl 3D Crystal Lacquer and the smaller flowers are Glitter Red (which looks pink to me).

I let the Crystal Lacquer dry overnight, attached the chain to the clips and then the clips to the glass. Hang it on the wall or in a window.

Have fun creating!

Heather Morrow

Creative Souls

Thanks for the Bottle Caps

I love when inspiration arrives via USPS. My sister, Noel, follows my posts on the Crystal Lacquer Blog and thought I might be able to use 7 Fitz's Premium Root Beer bottle caps.

Yummy, this project was bit like eating good candy. I couldn't stop at just one bottle cap.

What is nice about the Fitz's bottle caps is that they are a twist off, so the shape is not distorted.

Several pieces of inspiration were found at Zinnia in South Pasadena, including this old broach. I used an Exact-O knife to remove the remaining faux diamonds. Be VERY careful doing this as I nicked my finger and don't recommend the experience.

You begin to see where I am going, when the bottle cap fits perfectly within the broach setting.

The picture below is not in focus; however, I wanted to show what the Pearl Color 3D Crystal Lacquer looked like dropped into each individual slot.

In the bottle cap itself, I used an image left over from my last "Film Noir" project. I covered the image with Yellow 3D Crystal Color Lacquer - Glitter Primary to give it a little sparkle. Once everything was dry (give it time to dry!), I glued the pieces together and applied a pin back.

As I mentioned above, I could not stop at 1 bottle cap. I had all sorts of "found" objects and 3D Color Crystal Lacquer to play with.

A cool looking bead set into Glitter Violet 3D Crystal Color Lacquer.

Blue 3D Crystal Lacquer with Metallic Blue swirled in. Dolphin pieces were applied after the blue swirl layer dried.

The small fancy glass piece was left over from a prior project and had been stamped with the butterfly image. Not that you can tell from the image, but a layer of Pearl 3D Crystal Lacquer was applied underneath. Then the glass piece, followed by the small square frame on top.

Glitter Yellow 3D Crystal Color Lacquer and small plastic flower placed after first layer dried.

Ready for Halloween? Orange Glitter Primary & black spider. Creepy!

Below is my absolute favorite piece . . . of all the bottle caps.

The image inside the cap is from Bottle Cap Images - Vintage Edition. Covered with a layer of 3D Crystal Lacquer. I attached the crown using glue and used a bail at the bottom to add the pearl drop. All of the bails used for this project were from Sakura Craft.

Keep on feeding your Creative Soul!

~Heather Morrow

P.S. Check out our fun-filled Creative Souls Retreat happening this September in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains.

Keeping It Simple

This week, I kept things very simple; however, I have included a bonus project.

I had very few pieces of the Sakura Glass Tiles left; however, I wanted to try stamping on the back of one. I used this small butterfly stamp and StazOn Ink. It was a bit of a challenge to photograph.
I liked how the piece looked against this light pink background (almost translucent), so I glued it down using the 3D Crystal Lacquer. I glued it first and then cut around the edges after it had dried.

To turn it into a pendant, I used the Crystal Lacquer to attach this darling Heart Bail. I also covered the back with a thick layer of the Crystal Lacquer - to protect the paper from future damage. The ball chain is also from Sakura Craft.

And that's it! Pretty simple. And here is your bonus item.

Several weeks ago when we were playing with the round jewelry findings, I filled one with the Red Crystal Lacquer. Once it dried, I stamped on top of it and then filled the finding with a thick layer of 3D Crystal Lacquer.

I was trying to fit this round piece in something else and it wouldn't fit. When I was sorting through stuff for my garage sale, I found this key and knew it would be the perfect match.

I have strung it on a waxed cord and added a small decorative bead at the top.

Keep on exploring your own Creative Soul.

Heather Morrow

Transformations

I found this 16" x 20" print for free at the farewell party of Gallery at the End of the World in Altadena. I was not really attracted to the print other than I through the blues and greens would match the Metallic & Pearl Color 3D Crystal Lacquer I had waiting at home -- ready for a project to manifest.

Below are some close up details of the print - before I applied the Crystal Lacquer.

Here is the 3D Crystal Lacquer package with the print. The green is a dead on match and I had a dark pearl blue 3D Crystal Lacquer from another set.

I failed to take a picture of the print with the lacquer applied; however, I quickly realized it could not stay on the flat background. It was just blah, so I cut out the pieces and looked for a small canvas. I found an 8" x 10" canvas in my garage which I then spray painted black and coated with a glitter glaze.

I decided that the blue flourish would represent the sky and the green, the earth. I placed the sunflower between. The composition still needed something, so I added a ScrapFX Chipboard Flutterby which I coated with Bronze Crystal Lacquer.

After applying the lacquer and letting it dry, I glued the butterfly to the canvas.

After the glue was set, I filled in the butterfly wings with the 3D Crystal Lacquer. I did have to use a toothpick to move the lacquer into the smaller wing areas.

The green glitter button in the center of the flower was a last minute addition. I was cleaning out something and found the button. I started to toss it into the scrappy pile (yes, I have one) and then realized it was the same size as the center of the flower.

A final tip - on the petals of the flower, I squeezed the lacquer from the base and pulled it towards the edge releasing the pressure on the tube. This is what created the nice even look on the petals.

Have fun creating!

Coloring Within the Lines

At the Borders in Pasadena, which is closing, I found a book called "The Great Big Book of Designs -- an Inspirational Source Book" It is filled with pages upon pages of line art - perfect for coloring. I looked for the image that most inspired me to color and photocopied it on my HP Photosmart Printer.

I truly love coloring in images -- I think it reconnects me to my inner child that would be perfectly content to color all day, every day. And, I've recently discovered Copic markers. So, I colored in my image and then because this was a Sakura Design Team project, I went back over the Copic colors with complimentary 3D Crystal Lacquer from the Country Color Set.

I quickly realized I needed a color chart, so I put one in the corner of the page. Copic color, copic color with color crystal lacquer and then the color crystal lacquer by itself. It's hard to see in these pictures, but the color crystal lacquer really makes the Copic colors pop.

Here are the colors I used . . . from the top right

Blue Berry (BV04) Copic/Country Blue 3D Crystal Lacquer

Amethyst (V17) Copic/Berry 3D Crystal Lacquer

Buttercup Yellow (Y21) Copic/Ivory 3D Crystal Lacquer

Mignonette (YG11) Copic/Jade Green 3D Crystal Lacquer

top left

Pea Green (YG63) Copic/Moss Green 3D Crystal Lacquer

Cardinal (R59) Copic/Country Red 3D Crystal Lacquer

I didn't run a test on the Black Copic, but I used regular 3D Crystal Lacquer on the centers of the yellow flowers.

My favorite combined color was the Cardinal Red Copic and Country Red Crystal Lacquer. The photo doesn't do it justice. It really pops off the page.

I did okay coloring within the lines with the Copics and the Crystal Lacquers do sit where you place them; however, my hand was a little less steady, as I was not able to rest my wrist on the page because it was wet.

So, what to do when the Crystal Lacquer goes outside the lines? Use your fingernail to scrape it off the page, right after the mistake happens. It will not even leave a color residue.

Get out your color pens, pencils, etc and start coloring within the lines and accenting your piece with 3D Crystal Lacquer.

Seeing Green

This is my first Design Team project with the Sakura Crafts. I have a certain fondness for St. Patrick's Day, so I pulled together a bunch of green materials to start playing.

I was inspired by the small 2" green frame and metal flower insert that seemed to fit together perfect. I'd found both in the findings bar at Zinnia in South Pasadena.

I had to find a backing that would compliment both and look good with the different Crystal Color Lacquer. The pastel orange piece was the beginning of an ATC which I had painted several years ago using left over oil paints from my pallet. I liked how nicely it contrasted with with the greens and brought out the color from the Country Color set of Crystal Lacquer.

I found the Celtic flower with the lacquer appealing, so I cut out a bunch to try all the different colors in the set.

As those pieces dried overnight, I assembled my little frame and charm. I used the red and yellow color lacquer to fill the in between spaces which gives it a bit of a stained glass window effect.

For the Celtic flowers, I decided I liked the green, best. In the 3/4" round jewelry finding, I put a dark green piece of paper and covered it with the green lacquer. After it dried, I placed the green Celtic image and then covered it with 3D Crystal Lacquer.

For more great ideas, please visit the Crystal Lacquer blog. Have fun creating!