• About

All Sparkled Up

~ Like dew hanging from the tip of a leaf, a single bead or word adds sparkle where there was none. BE the bright!

All Sparkled Up

Category Archives: mixed media

DIY – decorative Wrought Iron design paper

18 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in art, crafts, handmade books, journals, mixed media, tutorial

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

coffee dyed, crafting, crafts, DIY, handmade paper, make your own, paper arts, paper crafts, tutorial

A couple months ago I made some beautiful coffee-dyed, wrought iron patterned paper completely by accident. I wanted coffee-dyed paper for a project so I boiled coffee grounds (about twice as strong as a usual pot of coffee) in water and let it steep about half an hour. I strained out most of the coffee grounds by pouring the mixture through a coffee filter and then added another couple tablespoons of instant coffee.

Even though it was spring, the sun was high in the sky and it was hot out so our cast aluminum, wrought iron-style table was hot. I figured all the heat would help the paper dry.

The day was bright and dry when I dyed  the wrought iron style paper. The  large pan of coffee dye was wide enough for the paper to fit comfortably.

The day was bright and and the sun was high when I dyed the paper. The large pan of coffee dye was wide enough for the paper to fit comfortably.

I dipped each sheet of drawing tablet paper into the coffee dye and let it drain a little against the edge of the pan. Within seconds of being laid on the table, the table design showed up on the paper! Here you can see the still-wet sheen of coffee on the paper.

The coffee pooled on the top of the paper and the pattern of the table magically showed up on the surface of the paper.

The coffee pooled on the top of the paper and the pattern of the table magically appeared on the surface of the paper.

I covered as much of the table as I could with the dipped paper and loved the variety of design on each sheet of paper.

The table is covered with wet paper. The edges of some sheets are already drying and curling up.

The table is covered with wet paper. The edges of some sheets are already drying and curling up.

I wish I had written down how long it took the paper to dry, perhaps half an hour. Once there were no more puddles on top, I flipped all the papers over to dry more. When I turned each sheet over, the design on the bottom looked amazing! It is beautiful on both sides but especially smooth and beautifully shaded on the bottom.

The wrought iron design on the bottom side of each sheet has a beautiful creamy color and delightful shading.

The wrought iron design on the bottom side of each sheet has a beautiful creamy color and delightful shading.

I will be using this paper to make handmade books and journals.

If you dye paper like this using a wrought iron table, please let me know how it turns out. Cast aluminum doesn’t rust so there was no rust residue on my paper. A wrought iron table might have a different effect on the paper.

The table surface was very hot. I haven’t experimented to see if this works on a cold table.

There may be coffee dripping from the paper so don’t do this over a deck surface that you don’t want brown drips on. There was very little coffee dripping from the paper because the day was hot and dry and the paper absorbed it very quickly and it didn’t matter to me if there were brown specks on my deck.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Thank You – The Graphics Fairy

08 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in art, crafts, mixed media, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

crafts, graphics fairy, old graphics, The Graphics Fairy, vintage clip art, vintage illustrations, vintage pictures

I’m finally getting around to posting Thank You’s to some wonderful people. This one is overdue by six months.

I love vintage graphics and have a collection of old books from the 1800’s and early 1900’s that I use for inspiration. So I was thrilled to stumble upon this awesome website: The Graphics Fairy, run by Karen, a lady of terrific style and creativity.

I’ve collected some of her free graphics over the past couple months with plans to use them in artwork. Karen’s collection is remarkable and vast, with hundreds of graphics of excellent quality to use in your crafts. There are convenient search tools on site so you can search by category or word for specific graphics. I’ve searched for vintage birds, bird cages and Paris drawings.

One graphic that means a lot to me is a gorgeous Eiffel Tower print. It is from an 1890’s advertising card. I included the image in a post last year. Alas, I just discovered that I forgot to credit Graphics Fairy with the image last year. Back when I did the post, I was totally strung out on pain meds and barely made it through typing that post. I edited the post today to include the image credit.

In addition to providing images, Karen also includes creative ways to use them. There are great tutorials and tips for printing and transfering images to make dozens of lovely, vintage-inspired items.

Thank you, Karen of Graphics Fairy fame, for providing such a fantastic resource so generously. You are appreciated so much!

Thank you, Karen.

Thank you, Karen. This image was created using Graphic Fairy’s pink heart – http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/2012/02/vintage-valentines-day-clip-art.html

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Little Wood Houses

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in crafts, jewelry making, miniature, mixed media, projects

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Blue Moon Scrapbooking, craft supplies, crafts, scrapbooking embellishments, wood houses

I got a new craft supply in the mail today –Prima WOOD EMBELLISHMENTS House And Building Icons, from Blue Moon Scrapbooking.
As soon as I saw them, I thought of several uses for them. Tied onto gifts as tags, glued into scrapbooks, perched in indoor planters, glued around a picture frame… I’m sure I’ll figure out more.

Tiny laser-cut wood houses. These are about 1 1/8" in height.

Tiny laser-cut wood houses. These are about 1 1/8″ in height.

…placed in the corner of a window, glued on a mixed media canvas, used as a cover for a tiny accordion fold book, painted and dangled from a chain for a necklace…

Little wood houses, all in a row.

Little wood houses, all in a row.

But before they become a project, I’ll let my granddaughter mix and sort them and play a while. That will probably be my favorite use of them.

Little Wood Houses.

Little Wood Houses.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Word Confetti – U R Going 2 B OK

11 Friday May 2012

Posted by Julia Monroe in art, Inspirational, mixed media, projects, words

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, inpirational, mixed media, word confetti, words

I’m taking an online class, Soul Restoration 2, by Brave Girls. One of the projects is making a vision board using words cut from magazines. I snipped away at the pages until the table was littered with word confetti. As I cut, I got a panicky feeling that I might not find all the words that represented me. My magazine stock was very limited and I worried about finding enough words. The stack grew much bigger than the canvas could possibly hold but I kept snipping away, feeling as though my entire life needed to be fully represented or my perfection-driven soul wouldn’t feel complete.

I paused, scissors in hand, and looked at the pile stretched across the table. There, in a little cleared spot, was U R Going 2 B OK. Nearby were 2 others – Life Matters and Good Enough. A huge wave of relief washed over me. It was OK!
It is OK to be someone that people don’t understand. It is OK to have big ideas and not be able to put them into words. It is OK to try to do your best and still stop right in the middle to smell roses.

I have this photo as my desktop today. Please feel free to save the image for your own use.

U R Going 2 B OK. Word Confetti. Please click photo to see the larger image.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Finished a mixed media piece – Her Heart

01 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by Julia Monroe in art, Inspirational, mixed media, painting, projects

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

canvas, heart, mixed media, painting

Mixed media - No matter how far she roamed, her heart was never far from home. Click photo to see a larger image.

This canvas took weeks because I was discouraged so many times.

It started with a handful of disjointed pieces, cut and torn. Bits from a vintage vinyl wallpaper book, a scan of a page my mom colored when she was a young girl in 1941, my sister's beautiful calligraphy printed on tissue paper.


I was discouraged because I accidentally covered the canvas with too much paint, the colors of the vintage wallpaper butterflies and house seemed too bright, the woman seemed too pale. But I kept going and encouraged myself by saying “It’s not done yet” as I added brush strokes, sponged on painting, glued on butterflies. I set the project aside and looked at it as days went by and I tried to figure out what it needed. I finally rubbed in the brown oil paint stick around the border, and teared up, realizing that it was finished and I actually loved it. It says everything I want it to say.





The last thing I added was painting light in the dark door.



Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

If you are a non-WordPress follower, enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Tags

allsparkledup All Sparkled Up altered book art baking beach beads bird bread breakfast cake candy carving cat cats chocolate Christmas Christmas tree cookies craft crafts dessert DIY Easter Easter eggs eggs egg tree encouragement fabric family figs flowers food funny gardening Gilded Girls God granddaughter grandkids heart home decor hope inspiration inspirational jewelry jewelry making joconde light Little Plastic Bears miniature miniatures mixed media mousse nature painting PB & J pets photo photography projects recipe roses salad Scoliosis scripture sewing snow sparkling Spoonflower sunlight sunset Sunset Beach surgery tablescape tea tree tutorial Valentine's Day vintage book words

Archived Posts

Top Posts & Pages

Sourdough Breadstick Cobras
Marble window sills
Sfogliatelle
The Day the Baby Hawks Learned to Fly
Woven Tortillas
We made up a new recipe - PB & Jam Joconde Cake - Part 3
Sugar Bonnets
A Welded Valentine!
Angel Curtain Treatment

Recent Posts

  • Sfogliatelle
  • Blue Willow Toile
  • The Kitchen tea towel
  • The little cake she decorated
  • Icing flowers
  • Matthew 11:28
  • Christmas at Sea Tablescape
  • Gratitude
  • The Hot Air Balloon mobile has lights
  • Journaling in Coloring Books
  • The Light is still here.
  • A Hot Air Balloon decoration for my granddaughter’s room
  • Coco’s new favorite hangout
  • My kitten is growing
  • English roses fabric

Post Categories

All Sparkled Up allsparkledup altered books American Girl Dolls art baking Baking for Neighbors ballet beach beading BFN birthday books cake decorating calligraphy candy cats Christmas color community cooking Craft Fail crafts DIY dolls drawing Easter encouragement Etsy fabric family fashion design Favorite Childhood Books flowers food Free Idea funny gardening Gilded Girls Gilded Life God granddaughter grandkids handmade books holiday home home decor Inspirational jewelry making journals lighting Little Plastic Bears Mexican miniature mixed media music nature New Years On my Worktable painting party pets photography Princess doll projects recipe Scoliosis Scripture sewing sketchbook sparkling Spoonflower sunlight sunset tea time Thanksgiving The cats time tools travel tutorial Uncategorized Valentine's Day water wedding woodwork words wreath
Follow All Sparkled Up on WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • All Sparkled Up
    • Join 289 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • All Sparkled Up
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: