Cuckoo ... cuckoo ... cuckoo

Hi! It's Candy back with another tutorial for Globecraft & Piccolo.

The Cuckoo Clock is one of the brand new products by Globecraft & Piccolo. Personally, I was excited to see it because I have always wanted a cuckoo clock. Granted, this one does not "cuckoo," but I did convert it into a working clock.

Candy Spiegel
Candy Scraps

Materials:

• Cuckoo Clock
• 3D Enamel Gels: Burnt Umber, Blue Pearl
• Embossing Powders: 24K Gold, Vintage Copper, Vintage Silver and Vintage Gold
• Glastique Matte

I started by punching out all of the bookboard pieces of the clock. Then I used a paintbrush to apply the 3D Enamel Gel in Burnt Umber to the base. By using a paintbrush, I was able to keep the gel light and transparent and the brush strokes help to create an illusion of wood grain.

For the door and bird stand, I applied the same gel directly onto the bookboard. This creates a rich color and provides a bit of contrast.

Then, I started coating each of the pieces with Embossing Powders. I used several different colors of metal-look powders, including 24K Gold, Vintage Copper, Vintage Silver and Vintage Gold.

Some of the pieces, like the pendulum, had large edges of bookboard that ruin the illusion of metal. For those, I used a bit of Glastique and smeared it on the edges with my finger. Once dry, I embossed like I regularly would. This provides a nice surface for the embossing powder to stick to and, when finished, gives the look of solid metal.

I wanted a bit more texture on the roof, so I dry embossed the pieces with a Cuttlebug embossing folder before embossing them with Vintage Silver (I did the same technique with a different folder to the weights).

Because Vintage Silver is a thick embossing powder, some of the dots ended up covered up with the powder, but I like that random, vintage look. If you did not want that to happen, you can use Siam Silver or 24K Gold or any of the micro embossing powders.

Once I had everything ready to put together, I thought the main part of the clock was a bit too plain. So I squirted a bit of 3D Enamel Gel (in Blue Pearl) onto my Non-Stick Craft Sheet. Then, I lightly tapped a stamp into the gel, moving it around until it was completely covered, and then carefully stamped it onto the surface.

I loved the results so much, I did it again ...

Then, it was time to assemble the piece. I glued everything together with Glastique Matte, so if I got a bit messy, no one would know once it was dry! 

I had my husband drill a hole the size of the clock mechanism I bought at Michael's and inserted the clock parts. Had I been paying attention, I would have chosen a different color for the clock face so it contrasted with the clock hands, but I can always take it apart and spray paint the hands!

I also added a small hinge from Graphic 45 to the bird's door. It's hard to see in this photo, but the door actually opens and closes.

Then, I added chains to hang the weights on.

And, here is my finished piece ...

I also made ornaments to commemorate the wonderful hunting achievements of my niece and nephew. You can check them out, here.

Adding a hint of enamel color

Some may think our Globecraft & Piccolo ornaments are best reserved for Christmas, but I beg to differ. I've used them for just about everything except Christmas! I love to use clip art images in them with a cute little quote and give them as gifts, or I hang them from cabinet doors, lamp knobs or drawer pulls as a little decoration. I've even used them to create a banner to hang across an altered window.

They are terrific to use on altered mini book covers and they work great on canvases to protect whatever it is you'd like to tuck inside them.

This time I experimented with our 3D Enamel Gels and only half of a DIY Portrait Ornament.

Here's what I used:

Linda Neff
linda-neff.com

• G&P DIY Portrait Ornament
• G&P Glastique Gloss
• G&P Cobalt Turquoise 3D Enamel Gel
• G&P Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel
• G&P Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gel
• Vintage Dress Forms Accents
• Fairy & Dragon Wings Accents
• embossing folder
• binder clips or clip clothespins

I processed the interior oval (which I usually never use) and the outer rings through an embossing folder to add some fine detail.

 

Then I coated the embossed outer rings and the larger plain inner ring with Glastique Gloss. I had fun here and used the finger application method, which means - squeeze some Glastique onto the bookboard pieces and spread it with your finger! What's great about the Glastique is that it doesn't get tacky on your fingers so you can continue to work without the pieces sticking to your fingers. 

I also spread the Glastique onto the Dressform and Fairy Wings and sprinkled the Fairy Wings with a bit of Sand Ultrafine Art Glitter. Using the same finger-application method, I applied Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel to the embossed inner oval then set all those pieces aside to dry. They dry rather quickly because of the thin coating.

I wanted to bring a bit of color, but keeping with a nice soft look, so settled on using the Cobalt Turquoise and Burnt Umber 3D Enamel Gels. I again used the finger-application method to swirl on the turquoise then the burnt umber. The gels dry quickly with this method so I was able to really play with the colors to get just the right amount of each. Look at that background - fun, fun, fun!

Once all the gels and Glastique pieces were totally dry I added a few words cut from a printed sheet of white cardstock. The words are adhered with the Glastique as well as the general assembly. Rather than sit and hold my rings together till the Glastique sets, I prefer to use binder clips or clip clothespin.

Don't worry if a small amount of the Glastique oozes out from the ring. Just leave it dry. It will dry clear and usually if I try to clean it up when it's wet I just create a mess - it's best just to let it dry. It doesn't show afterward.

When the ornament is completely dry, remove the clips and add a pretty ribbon. Because this is flat on the back, it can be used on a book cover or canvas by snipping the hangar loop off the top. Or leave the loop with a pretty ribbon or beaded hook in it and hang it for ornamentation.

Visit my blog to see another project I'm working on using Globecraft & Piccolo products.

Ring in some pure sparkle!

Arin Flynn
A Piece of Life's Pie

Oh my . . . it is already the day after Christmas! Thankfully, we have a magical evening of bubbles and reflections of both the past year and the holiday sparkle to still enjoy. 

Speaking of sparkle, I must introduce you to some of the most amazing sparkle I have seen and worked with, Piccolo Sparkle Glitter! I am a glitter nut and I have worked with the gamut of different glitters and this product is by far straight from Tinker Bell's stash. Unlike the traditional square glitter, this product is made with multidimensional round individual glitter which makes for the most natural and brilliant sparkle I have ever seen.  

The coverage is amazing and coupled with Glastique, projects will have less waste, secure hold, and an astounding amount of sparkle!

To see more on how this glittery winter snowflakes is made using both Piccolo Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter and Glastique Matte, feel free to head on over to my blog!

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

Hi everyone! Monica here, and I wanted to share with you the ornament I made using the G&P DIY Portrait Ornament, 3D Enamel Gels and the Vintage Flourish Charm set.

Monica Edwards
Scraps2treasure

Supply list:

• G&P DIY Portrait Ornament
• Metallic Gold 3D Enamel Gel
• Vintage Flourish Charm set
• Glastique Finishing Glaze
• Graphic 45 papers
• Shaved Ice (Stampendous)

Step 1: I used Metallic Gold 3D Enamel Gel to the accent piece to give it a nice shiny look.

 Step 2: Added Stampendous Shave Ice.

 Step 3: Pour the shaved ice inside the bubble to give a look of snow.

Step 4: Use G&P Glastique Finishing Glaze to seal the bubble frame and to adhere your decorative papers.

Step 5: I adhered my ornaments to my Christmas lights by using a glue gun. The crystal Christmas ornament inside really shines from the light and outlined the writing on the Graphic 45 paper with the gold embossing powder as well.

I Really tried to capture the look under the lights the first one is with no flash so you could really see the light.

This one is with the flash where you can really see the ornament and snow.

The finished ornament. Visit my blog for even more inspiration!
Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hugs - Monica

Giving a snowman his stripes

I wanted to pass along a little tip I discovered recently when I came across a few boxes of metal garland that I had not used in years. I make coco cones every year instead of cookies and I like to attach a tag to each of them. When I ran across these, I wanted to recycle them into that project and decided to test out some techniques.

What I found is that Piccolo 3D Enamel Gels and Piccolo Enamel Powder works amazingly well on metal! Not only does it add some amazing texture and uniqueness to the material and project, but is very easy and straight forward to do.

Arin Flynn
A Piece of Life's Pie

Embossing Powder Technique:
Apply Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive to a stamp image. Then stamp directly to the metal. The image may appear very faint, but once you dust with Siam Silver Enamel Powder and shake off the excess powder, you will see a clear image. Apply heat using a heat gun, set aside to cool and set. Using a pair of Piccolo Easy Grip Tweezers would be a good idea for handling the metal after the use of the heat gun. The metal gets very hot to to the touch.

3D Enamel Gel Technique:
Using a good quality stamper's ink pad, stamp image directly onto the metal.  Let set for a quick minute.

Then using the 3D Gel Enamel, apply to the stamped image by tracing and filling in the desired stamped area. If you are doing a multiple color project, let the first color set before applying the next color. This will prevent the colors from running.

To see more on this project or how to make the coco cones, head on over to my blog.

Using the Fine Tip Applicator

Christina Colón
The Twisted Muse

Good morning! Chrissy here to show you a nifty little tool that will help when trying to accent those fine lines and tight nooks and crannies of a project. The Fine Line Applicator Tip is a MUST if you do a lot of detail work like I do.

Fine Line Applicator Tip

For example, I love decorating the Piccolo Snowflakes Accent for the winter time. However, it is very hard to do super small ones because of the really teeny tiny segments of the flake.

Just put the tip onto the bottle of enamel gel or even the Glastique and apply according to the directions.

Continue decorating snowflakes to your heart's desire!

Making a nativity story wind chime

Hello and happy Monday! Arin here and I am thrilled to have this be my first tutorial project as a design team member for Globecraft &Piccolo! In the spirit of the season I decided to go with a nativity themed project. I wanted to do a project that carried more tradition and told the story of Christmas. When I spotted the Globecraft & Piccolo Nativity ornaments, I knew exactly what I was going to do!

This project was very enjoyable to make, but does have its fair share of steps that I am going to walk you through. Now let's roll up our sleeves and get ready to play with a lot of sparkle and shimmer and build a project that can dance in the chilly winter breeze greeting your guests with a sweet ring of telling the Christmas story.  

Arin Flynn
A Piece of Life's Pie

Materials List:

• G&P Nativity Single Layer Ornament
• G&P Three Wise Men Single Layer Ornament
• G&P Trumpeting Angle Single Layer Ornament
• G&P Enamel/Embossing Powder Adhesive
• G&P Glastique Matte Finishing Glaze
• G&P Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel
• G&P Napthol Red 3D Enamel Gel
• G&P Cobalt Turquoise 3D Enamel Gel
• G&P Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter
• G&P Siam Silver Embossing Powder
• 6-inch Floral and Craft Ring - Three Ring Circles
• Christmas garland - Cerebrate It
• Christmas bells (25mm) - Art Minds
• Split Key Ring (1 – 1 ¼”) – Silver Creek Leather Company
• Small drill
• Heat gun
• Sand paper
• Fishing line
• Dry small paint brush
• Measuring ruler
• Scissors

Step 1:  Base for wind chime - Calculate the spacing that is needed to drill the holes big enough to support the material being used to hang the ornaments and garland from. In this case, I used fishing line and drilled six holes in the middle of the craft ring at 2 1/4 inches apart. Mark, drill and sand down the rough edges of the around the drill holes. 

Then cover one side of the craft ring and inside edge using Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive. Dust with Siam Silver Embossing Powder, shake off any excess and set with a heat gun. Once it is cool and set, repeat on the opposite side.

Once cool and set on both sides, pour Piccolo Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter on a sheet of paper and apply Glastique Matte Finishing Glaze on the outside edge of the craft ring.  Roll through the glitter and set aside to allow to dry. This really adds some bling-pop to the base of the wind chime!

Step 2: Ornaments - Moving right along to making the three ornaments. First, start by setting up an assembly line in a row and apply Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive to the outer borders and stars. Dust with Siam Silver Embossing Powder and shake off excess to all three. Use a small dry paint brush to clean up any loose or unwanted powder along the edges. Set with a heat gun and once cool and set, repeat on opposite sides.

Now it is time to add the bling to the ornament! Start with applying Glastique Matte to the angel wing and the two stars. Dust with Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter and shake off any excess and set back up in a row of three to get ready to start applying the 3D Enamel Gel. Keep Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter handy, because there will be a tad bit to come shorty!

This is my favorite part of the project!  Working with the 3D Enamel Gels is so much fun and easy! I did each color in stages starting with Cobalt Turquoise 3D Enamel Gel, then to Napthol Red 3D Enamel Gel, and finishing off with Titanium White 3D Enamel Gel. I just love the blue and red color combo! I dusted the mangers and the three kings with Pure Sparkle Silver Glitter to add just a little more sparkle to some key aspects of the ornaments. Set aside to set and dry for a few hours and then repeat all the steps on opposite side of the ornaments.

Step 3: Assembly of wind chime - Once both sides are completed and dry, it is time to start assembling the wind chime using the fishing line, key ring, garland, and bells.

First start by cutting three separate sections of fishing line. Cut it at about 30-plus inches for each section (there is going to be waste, but more length to play with the better). At one end of the line, run through the three bells to form a cluster. Then attach the ornament at the base of the bell cluster and double knot securely and trim excess line. Repeat with additional ornaments.

Once all the bells and ornaments are attached, run the opposite end of the fishing line through the craft ring and from the top of the bells to about 10 inches and tie a double knot. This will keep the ornament in place while hanging. Repeat the same steps for the other two ornaments, evenly spacing the three for balance and aesthetics. Balance out the base and ornaments by grouping all three lines and securely tie a knot about 8-9 inches above the craft ring/wind chime base. Then tie the key ring above the knot, trim excess line and hang. I also added some garland around the top of the wind chime to hide the knots securing the key chain.

Lastly, add the garland to the additional drill holes on the craft ring/wind chime base. Cut down the garland to desired lengths, run through holes and tie a knot to secure garland.

TAH-DAH! It is now finished and you can hang this on your porch to add a festive traditional Christmas story for all to enjoy!

Head over to my blog to check out another fun and festive holiday project I have come up with using some of these amazing Globecraft & Piccolo products that I used in this project!

Happy Holidays!