Tin Can Lid Ornaments

Wondering what to do with those tin can lids after you take them off of the cans?  I wondered the same thing as well and came up with these Christmas ornaments.  I would suggest running out and buying a smooth edge can opener, so you or someone handling the ornaments doesn't get cut.

First, I primed each lid with Gesso, which you can find in any Craft or Art store.  I let this dry and then broke out my acrylic paints.  I chose a paint that would compliment the colors in the die-cuts that I used for the main piece of each ornament.  I gave each lid a good coating and then let that dry over night.

Next, I broke out my Cricut machine and cut some circles out of scrapbook paper that fit just inside each lid.  Since my Cricut only cuts out certain sizes I went ahead and cut out larger circles and then trimmed them until they fit.  I then glued each circle onto the colored side of the lid that it went with and let the dry for about an hour.

Finally, I took the Christmas die-cuts and put clear glue dots around the centers and then centered them on each lid.  Some of the die-cuts were bigger than the circle, but I like that.  I didn't want to cut the edges, but that is your preference.

Here are the finished ornaments:

  Have fun making your own and Happy Holidays!

Etsy Treasuries I'm In

Yay, I've been back selling on Etsy for over a week now and have been included in two Etsy Treasuries.  The first one is The Frosty Blues of December, which showcased my Blue Millefiori Chip Bead Bangle Bracelet. The second one happened today and it is Orange Dreams., which showcased my Orange Millefiori Chip Bead Bangle Bracelet. They are both brilliant and beautiful treasuries and you definitely should go check them out.

While you're there, please stop by and check out my Etsy shop Ivonnardona's Creations.  I am offering FREE SHIPPING through the end of the year and a 10% discount on all items.  Just use coupon code XMASKISS10 to get 10% off your entire order.

Memorable Christmas Ornaments

It took me two days, but I figured out what to do with those can tops that I saved up and asked my sister-in-law to save up for me.  I found a tutorial that used the frozen juice metal lids and kind of followed that.  Instead of using some "template" that someone else was selling; I broke out my Cricket and made circles out of my pretty Christmas paper and I used Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 to manipulate some of my favorite artwork and pictures of the girls.

I spray painted the metal lids with black spray paint.  When those were dry I looped some velvet and glued that on the back and then covered the entire back with a felt cirlce.

Finally when they were all dried I brushed on some Glossy Mod Podge and beaded them with Diamond Glitter Fabric Paint.

I'm really proud of how these turned out and can't wait to see them on the Christmas tree.

These paper ball ornaments were based on another tutorial I found and was easy enough that my youngest helped me make all ten of them.  The tutorial can be found here.

Reindeer - Open Media ATC swap

These were hand drawn and then watercolored for the Reindeer - Open Media ATC swap over at AFA.  I then used gel pens and 3D Glaze pens for the black outlines and details.  My scanner was set at 200 dpi, so the colors didn't come through like I wanted, but they turned out super cool.

I love these reindeer and am sad to depart with them.  I hope I get some fun ones in return.  The one with the lights turned out to be my second favorite and the candy cane reindeer is my first favorite.

Smiley Face

Color Palette I Purple/Blue/Green

 I never really join the "color palette" swaps, because you can use very little black or white and the main portion of the artist trading card (ATC) has to be the colors listed.  However, I really like the colors purple, blue, and green.  This was going to be a challenge for me and I had to think outside the box.  What could I do that would allow me to use all three colors while incorporating little to no black and white. 

I decided to break out the watercolors and start there.  I took three ATC sized watercolor cards and started to paint the three colors on the cards without really thinking about form.  When I was done I walked away, so when I came back it would be with new perspective.

When I returned to the cards; I was excited to see some type of form or shape and immediately broke out the glitter and metallic markers to start adding the needed flare for each card.

Needless to say, I was both pleased and impressed that I could actually handle doing a color palette ATC without alot of strain on the brain.

Mount Sunflower, Kansas

Mount Sunflower is 26 miles northwest of Weskan, Kansas and we drove by on our way to Colorado. 

Our family traveled from Oklahoma to Colorado for Christmas and on the way, in Kansas, we saw a sign for a place called Mount Sunflower. I couldn't stop thinking about drawing or painting it, so when I got home I did this watercolor.

Mount Sunflower

I'm not sure if I should take this place seriously or laugh.  It really isn't a mountain, but as it is the highest point in Kansas, it deserves some recognition, I guess.

Art Dolls Holiday Characters Swap!

Here are the other three characters I finished for the Art Dolls Holiday Characters Swap.  Oh yeah,  I ordered some more "brads" in different colors to help add some flair to my future Paper Dolls.  They are time consuming to make, but I love how they turn out and sometimes I just don't want to see them go.  That is why I keep them in my gallery at ATC's For All! and on my computer.

First up we have The True Mrs. Jingle.  She is an elf that use to be a giant!  You see, the swap only allowed for dolls under nine inches and when I first made her, well, she was 10.5 inches tall.  I had to crop her legs and arms to decrease her height.  I still think she turned out super cool though.

Next, we have Jacquilene-in-the-box.  People always do "Jack" and I thought I would put my little twist and make this fun box toy a girl.  She was alot of fun to make and she slides from left to right, which is kind of different for a "doll", but definitely worth the outcome.

Finally, we have the Spirit of Christmas Present.  We were watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and I forgot how amazing the human puppet for this character was.  I fell in love with him all over again and decided that he would be my fourth and final paper doll for this swap.

Day 30 - In Sync ATC

I spent a ton of time yesterday cutting up magazines for collaging.  Not only is that time consuming, but after awhile everything starts looking the same.  By this I mean I sat there cutting up everything in exactly an artist trading card (ATC) size and then I would snap out of it and maybe cut some odd things.  Toward the end I was looking at stuff that I probably could have kept but just kept saying "nope", "no", "nope".  That is when it is time to stop cutting up anything!!  This card is another mixed media collage and I actually broke out the borders I had from when I used to scrapbook.

This is Day 30's ATC that I submitted in the 2010 Project ATC 365.