Upcycled Library Cards/Holiday Art Blessing

 My post this week features the most inspiring artist I follow,  Lani at Healing Expressions and her Holiday Art Blessing Giveaway and 20% off Healing Expression's Etsy Store Sale!!

Her inspirational art flows beautifully through every piece she creates.

 Lani's Blessing for the Christmas season: "May the joy and peace of the season bring hope to your hearts"!

I also want to share my Upcycled Library Cards

This piece was one of the crafts I made for the Library's Artisan Guild show last weekend.

I used Tim Holtz Tattered Floral dies, matte board and black cardstock then lined the back with more cards.

The soda can pull is attached to the back with E6000 for hanging.

This project is linked to:

Recycled Frame and Wallpaper

I had two wooden frames personalized for previous owners. This picture shows the dark colored frame I used the light colored one and edged it with alcohol ink. Sanding just wasn't working very well and the alcohol ink sticks to anything.
I also had a bucket of wallpaper samples. These are great because they had alot of different textures and colors.

Using decoupage, I resurfaced the front of the frame with several different pieces. For blending of colors, I edged the inside of the frame with green and the outside with copper as well as the edges of each piece of cut or torn wallpaper. The textures really made this a fun project and I actually finished it the same day I started!!!!

Altered Picture Matte

I bought a lovely frame with a 14X30 matte. The problem, the matte. You can't find this size matte with 8X8 openings. This matte had 8X10 openings. I thought, no problem, I'll alter it or just purchase another matte. Well, I decided to just purchase a matte, but a double matte is around $70. "Well then, I'll just dive into this challenge". I almost gave up a couple times. I was afraid of it looking cheesy. Well, about 3 weeks later, (2 children at home and a vacation)this is the finished design. And I really like it. Now the next step will be if it looks OK in the frame with the 3 pictures of my 2 lovely girls.

I took one inch scrap pieces of matte board for the top and bottom of each opening. To hide the "piecing together" I started using gesso but it just wasn't thick enough. But my husband's sheetrock plaster was. I finished off with the gesso and kept some texture. I also used the gesso to lessen the depth of the 1/4 side of each opening from the original double matte inside edge. I mixed up some colors of paint until I got the green I wanted. Then I sponged a very pale color on top of that then finished with gold ink pad to blend. To hide the depth inconsistencies of the sides I used 1/4 ribbon and finished with these great metal corners I found. I used colors that would compliment the frame and the room it will be in. Sure, buying a matte would have been easier but the challenge is what it's all about.