09 September 2013

Money Matters Monday {9.9.13}



Welcome to another Money Matters Monday! The goal of this blog is to show all of you crafters out there – digital and paper – how to make the most of your hard earned money. I like to show you how to creatively use your digital graphics for projects other than digital scrapbooking and card making. There are tons and tons of hybrid ideas floating around out there... and I've been inspired by a lot of them and can't wait to share them all!

Today's project can easily be changed for different holidays and seasons... you can use scrapbook paper that's already in your stash or easily print digital paper... you can glue some cute little brads or elements to it... it would make a super cute gift... or it can sit on your fireplace mantle because you don't want to give it away! {that's what I'll be doing with it!} So... without further ado... here it is!


 Here's what you need {well, some of it... I added some materials in the process!} I bought a wooden candle stick and small wooden plaque at a craft store... and I had everything else. So, the total price of this project was around $5.00. {Side note: I used Close To My Heart Liquid Glass as my adhesive. I find it works really well. I've seen awesome recommendations for Gorilla Glue and Epoxy if you are in the market for some really sticky stuff for your hybrid projects}
I don't know if you'd have to fill the candle hole with wood putty, but I wanted a solid base to glue the plaque to. So, I filled it up, let it dry, and sanded it smooth. {Does anyone else have a kitty who gets really interested in what you're doing when you don't want her too?}
 I painted the candle stick and the plaque with a dark brown... I ended up painting 2 coats for a deeper color. {I really hate this part because of the drying time – I'm pretty impatient!}
When they were completely dry, I sanded them lightly because I wanted a distressed, imperfect look. 

I printed my patterned paper and word art. I used products from The{Perfect} Season Graphics Pack. I simply opened up a 4inx4in blank page in PSE and pulled in the blue patterned paper and re-sized it to fit. I did the same for the brown, but in a 3.75inx3.75in, and for the word art I used a 3.5inx3.5in. I simply put them on an 8.5inx11in blank page and printed all 3 at once and cut them out. After they were cut out, I distressed them with some chocolate colored ink (this is optional).
I glued them together with Glue Dots.
Then, I painted some Mod Podge on the plaque and on the back of the paper. Stick that baby on. I went over the edges of the paper with a little more Mod Podge to make sure they wouldn't curl up.
Using the Liquid Glass or epoxy, I glued the plaque onto the candle stick.
Finally, I searched my ribbon stash and found some perfect fibers for the finishing touch. I tied a bow and glued it on!
I really love how it turned out!
{I'm eventually going to get a wooden circle plaque to glue to the base... I feel it's a tiny bit out of proportion... so when I do that, I'll update this post.}

How cute would this be with a Christmas Word Art and Christmas Ribbon or a Halloween Word Art and some cute critters glued to it? Another idea is to put a photo on it instead of word art... it's an inexpensive way to decorate or give a gift!

Remember to post all your projects, no matter what they may be, at theCreativePixelGallery!

Many blessings on this beautiful Monday!

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