Shellye McDaniel's Blog Posts

06.23.20

Who doesn't love Summer and Farmhouse!  Today I'm sharing a sweet summertime gift that features the Summer Farmhouse Collection and the Robin's Egg Flip Album.

I prepared the cover of the album by first using the gingham stencil and a drybrush of red acrylic paint.  After the paint dried I added a layer of die-cuts and a chipboard accent. I also highlighted a few of the squares of the gingham with small pieces of leftover yellow gingham paper. 

As a part of the gift set, I crafted embellished paperclips and also stamped and colored a collection of kraft tags!

Moving to the inside of the album, I incorporated the SNAP Cards as well as a couple of freestanding pages created from pieces of scrapbook paper. 

Below I'm sharing each of the pages throughout the album!  Take note of the flip-up cards that were attached to the outside of the plastic sleeves.  I also made tabs for several of the pages with scrap paper.

I had an extra sleeve from the album that I wanted to transform into a larger pocket page.  To do so, I crafted two pockets by folding scrapbook paper along the bottom and turning up to make the pocket.  I attached each page to the page protector with high tack adhesive as shown below:

To prepare the ensemble as a gift, I tucked the album and tags into a cellophane bag.  The paperclip embellishments were attached to a piece of scrapbook paper with repositionable glue dots and slipped into a clear bag.  A band of kraft paper was wrapped around the packages and completed with a tie of ribbon!  Add a to and from tag and it's ready for gifting!

Thanks for joining us today! Be sure to check out my YouTube Channel for a walk-through and a few how-to's!

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06.05.20

The things that you can stuff into a pocket file folder are many!  Today I'm sharing a "Simple Vintage: Coastal" Stuffed File Folder; it makes fun happy mail or take along with you and gift to a beach-lovin' friend!

I started with crafting the folder.  I used a standard manila file folder and sewed the edges closed (use adhesive or staples if you don't have a sewing machine).  Next, I used a walnut ink to lightly distress the edges.  

The front was decorated with an assemblage of embossed tags, a chipboard frame, stickers, die-cuts, and chipboard stickers.  To the top, I added sisal roping and also fashioned a knot of sorts (see video). Inside the folder, I added a smaller pocket from a folded piece of scrapbook paper; this keeps smaller items from sinking to the bottom of the pocket. One of the first items I crafted were these simple paper covered clothespins:

I used Mod Podge to attach the strips of paper and to also seal the paper.  Chipboard anchors were attached with a drop of hot glue. They were clipped onto a piece of paper, dropped into a cellophane bag, and then topped with a bag topper. 

Tags are always a favorite to make and give!  Here I've taken basic shipping tags and used a mix of media to complete them.  First I created a light background with an assortment of clear stamps.  Be sure to check out the video to see all of the cool techniques that were incorporated!

I'm so in love with Simple Stories' large chipboard frames!  If they're included in a collection: grab them!  Here I've used the "port-hole" style frame as the cover for a simple mini album.  Again, visit the video to see it in real-time.

Yep, there's still more :)  Next up is a decoupaged plaque. I traced the shape onto one of the 6X8 prints and trimmed out.  Again, I used Mod Podge to apply the paper and to seal.  I finished the plaque with a few die-cuts and chipboard pieces.    

Cardmakers, scrapbookers, and planners love little journal cards and I have the cutest way to gift them!  I created a mini pocket folder for the 3X4 cards from a strip of 6X12 patterned paper.  

And finally, one of my newest favorite things: mini file folders!  For this pocket I crafted two of these by simply cutting a file folder in half and then covering with patterned paper; it's easy, peasy :)

Now isn't that just a load of beachy goodness!  Be sure to check-out the tutorial and walk-through video of this project on my YouTube Channel 

Thank you for joining me today!

Shellye

Supplies
05.01.20

Pinwheels and summer just go together, don't you think?  Today I'm sharing not one, but TWO adorable summertime projects featuring the "Color Vibe Collection" First, let's start with a patriotic set that I'll be displaying from Memorial Day all the way through July 4th!

I ran across this pattern for making pinwheels and thought I'd give it a try.  The pinwheels that I created are approximately 7" in diameter, so adjust the triangle sizes accordingly for larger or smaller versions.

Each pinwheel requires four squares of various colors/patterns.  I cut my squares to 4" and then cut across diagonally to form the triangles. Next, I punched a 1.5" circle to use as an anchor point for building the pinwheel.

Working counter-clockwise, add the triangles as shown above. Alternate the colors as you go! The very last triangle will tuck up under the first one, so be sure that you don't glue it down completely.  

Next, take the left tip of any triangle and glue to the center; repeat with the remaining tips until the pinwheel is complete. You can add these to dowels, straws, or a large clothespin for clipping!

And how about a couple of fireworks to go along with the pinwheels? I made two of the fireworks from a paper towel roll that I cut in half. I covered each of the rolls in patterned paper and then constructed the top:

To make the top, I die cut a 3.5" circle from lightweight chipboard, as well as a circle of patterned paper to match.  I cut a notch as shown above and then gently rolled into a cone shape and glued in place on the tube.

For the streamers at the bottom of the fireworks, I used the leftover 6X12 .  paper (from making the pinwheel) and cut 1/2" strips along the length.  I cut a small piece from each color strip and began winding the colored strips together to form a tassel.  I curled the ends slightly and then hot glued inside the open end of the paper towel roll.  

Again, I attached a large clothespin for clipping! Here is a look at all of the finished pieces after they were clipped on the little tree that I use for seasonal decorations!

As you can see, I used the Foam Alphas and stickers from the sticker books to embellish.  I also used die-cuts of matching papers to create flowers at the centers of the pinwheels. 

While making the patriotic pinwheels, I decided to make a few in the hues of summer!  I mixed and matched colors from the Brights, Lights, Bolds and Basics...they all coordinate beautifully!  

For this set of pinwheels, I decided to make a 'faux' letterboard from strips of dark gray paper.  Here's how it looked:

I simply created paper strips the width of a frame and added a fold to each side.  The sides were glued together and then attached inside the frame.  I wanted the strips to be the same width as the height of the Foam Alphas, so I made them approximately 1.25".  The stickers were attached to create the letterboard look!

So whether you're needing pinwheels for summer parties or holiday decor, I hope that you'll give them a try.  Stay tuned to my YouTube channel, as I will be sharing a tutorial on putting these together. 

Thanks for joining!

Shellye

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