Altered Travel Case with Sakura Hobby Crafts Crystal Lacquer

Happy Monday Morning everyone! Leslie-Rahye here. A year ago next week I began my 1st term with Sakura Hobby Crafts--sharing the allure of this amazing product. For my first project with you, I concentrated on the high viscosity lacquer in the pink and white bottle with Luggage Tags for my son and for his girl friend for their band instruments. It is merely a coincidence that today's project is an upcycled travel case; but that I'm focusing on the lacquer in the pink and white bottle again is not! I've altered this case to hold my felting tools and wool roving! I hope you enjoy my project! 

The Method

I began with a travel case that my friend Marie found at a garage sale for me! I new immediately that I wanted to make it into something for my fiber crafts. I sanded the surface of the case to remove some of the smoothness giving the paper and lacquer something to hold onto. 

I layered tissue paper and white paper to the entire surface of the travel case--adhering it with brushed on Crystal Lacquer--until I was satisfied with the look of it. I sanded the metal hinges so that they looked like brushed metal. I added back more paper as necessary to cover any blue that showed through from the case.

Finally I used these fantastic pink glittered letters that my friend Molly gave me to spell out Felting on top of the case. I adhered them to the top with Crystal Lacquer. I love the clean feeling the white lacquered paper gives the case. It's the perfect home for my felting tools.

...and goodbye

It is with this final project that I bid you farewell. I have enjoyed my time creating crafty projects using amazing Sakura Hobby Crafts Crystal Lacquer and Sakura products.  I will continue using them in my paper crafting and altering projects for years to come. You can continue to connect with me as I travel my crafty adventures here. Thank you for looking! Have a wonderful day! ~leslierahye

Tube Bead bracelet

Today I bring to you a fun and easy jewelry project that you can make with remnant pieces of scrapbook paper, your Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer, some matching ink, some large-holed accent beads, and some hemp twine.  I hope you enjoy my project.
I love paper! Love it! I will buy at least 2 sheets of a particular pattern when I'm scrapbook paper shopping [or even when I'm not shopping for paper and it just reaches out and grabs me]. If it's particularly choice I will often buy 6 or more sheets so I can have it around me for several projects. As I work on the projects I will hoard the scraps--something I would not normally do to "plain old" paper.
This new Mechanic paper from the new Craftsman Collection from Prima I just can't get enough of. I love the deep blues and red-rusts in it and find myself holding on to the scraps. This paper would be perfect for a simple bracelet that could work for both a guy or a girl!

The method

for this project you will need

Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer

Hemp Twine

large holed beads

13-15 paper strips cut 1"×5"

1 paper strip cut ¾"×5"

matching ink

bamboo skewer for rolling paper

brush and Emory  board

I roll the strips on the bamboo skewer--creating a large hole for stringing. I glue the flap closed with the lacquer and then brush on a thin coat of lacquer to create a shiny finish to the bead.
Once all the beads are dried, I sand the ends to even up the paper and ink them to remove the harsh white edge.

I start with 2 yards of hemp. I fold it in half, knot a small loop on the fold and thread a large hold bead with both strings. When I get near to the loop I take both ends of the hemp and run the thread back through the hole the same direction--it creates the thread pattern on the outside to the bead AND keeps the bead from slipping through the knot. Stiffening the ends of the string with Crystal Lacquer also helps in the threading process. 

After 3 large holed beads, I added on the paper beads threading on string through the bead left to right and the other string right to left--so that the strings cross in the bead and the ends come out either end of the hole. The rest of the paper beads are attached in the same manner.

After all the paper beads are added to get the desired length, the large holed beads are added again to match the beginning of the bracelet. Finally the ¾" bead is added as before and then knots are created at each opening and the ends are then coated with lacquer and tucked back into the holes.

Thank you for looking! ~leslierahye

It's snowing in July!

Happy Monday everyone! I am enjoying crafting for for the holidays to get my mind off these 100°+ weather. I choose July to begin my projects for the holidays so that I can take my time and do crafting with my kids along the way. 

Today we made ornaments and light reflectors for our holiday tree. The best part about this project...it's upcycled water bottles!!! The bottoms of water and soda  bottles, Sakura Hobby Crafts 3D Crystal Lacquer,  Terri Sproul's Mixers, Glitter and Want2Scrap Bling make beautiful ornaments and lights! I can't wait to put up my tree completely this year to show off my new sparklies!

The Process

for this project you will need:

empty bottles
Sakura Hobby Crafts 3D Crystal Lacquer
Terri Sproul Mixers
Ultra Fine Glitter

With sharp scissors, cut the bottoms off of the bottles.

trim them close to the turn of the bottle to get the scallop edge.

Mix the lacquer and the mixers for your snowflake ornaments and reflectors.

For my tree I used aquamarine, rose and purple. I applied 2 to 3 coats of lacquer

Mix glitter and lacquer to paint several coats onto the backs of 

several blank bottoms and onto some of the already painted bottoms too.

Those painted with JUST GLITTER next had a coat of silver mixer applied
to make the reflectors.

The bottle bottoms looks fabulous and sparkly...

They are ready to be made into reflectors and ornaments

For those made into reflectors, drill a hole into the center
big enough to fit the light.

For those being transformed into ornaments, glitter the
tops of the bottles and add BLING! To add string to the
ornaments, cut a hole in one spot and thread it through.

Earlier this month on leslierahye's crafty gig I recorded how to cut, paint and glitter the bottoms. Check out the replay for additional ideas!

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Thank you for looking! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial!~leslierahye

Tic-Tac-Turtle Game!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It's hard to believe that it's already July! This is the time of the year I start thinking about handmade presents for my friends and family for the holiday gift giving season.
We have "unplugged" nights in our family where we spend it away from our electronic devices and instead read books--the old-fashioned paper kind--and play games or art. Sometimes we find that the simple games are the most timeless. When I found this shadow box at the Dollar Store I knew I wanted to make it into a tic-tac-toe game...and these bottle caps from The Bottle Cap Company are the perfect game pieces for this whimsical turtle game.

The process

begin with bottle caps from The Bottle Cap Company

paint them with Sakura Hobby Crafts 3D Crystal Lacquer
& Terri Sproul's Bronze Mixers.

Add a layer of Smokey Quartz Shimmers and lacquer to the top.
Set aside to dry.

create a simple turtle shape template and transfer to felt with chalk.

for the tic-tac-toe game I needed 5 brown turtles and 5 green
turtles to represent the "x's" and "o's". The bottle cap "shells"
were adhered to the felt bodies with lacquer as well.

 The game was completed by altering a Dollar Store shadow box. The box was base-coated with shades of green acrylic paint and then the edges of the box were layered first with Bronze mixers with lacquer and then Smokey Quartz stippled on to give the illusion of turtle shell. The tic-tac-toe marks were left bronze.

The game

I hope you enjoyed my project! I think it will be perfect for the kids in the car! I can't wait for them to try it! Thanks to The Bottle Cap Company for sending a selection of their product for the team to try. If you like to create with Crystal Lacquer and work with some amazing partnering companies, try out for the design team! ~leslierahye

Cycles, Sprockets, and Lacquer

The laser-cut cover and nest-a-bling

Happy Monday! Today I am sharing with you another awesome product from Want2Scrap--Sakura Hobby Crafts is teaming up with their products this month for their projects. I saw this laser-cut chipboard album in their inventory and immediately knew I wanted to use it for Will's Firecracker 100 photos. For the last 3 years Will has participated in an annual cycling race/ride that occurs in our area. His first ride was 10 miles, he was 9 and he rode with his Dad. His last ride, last year he rode 26 miles solo. I am always amazed at his determination for this sport and proud of his accomplishments. This album was perfect for sharing that story and creating for him a book of memories.
The Spritely Sprocket album comes with a laser-cut cover and matching nest-a-bling, 4 additional 8×8" pages, and rings. I hope you enjoy my project!

The Firecracker 100 Album--method

inside cover with title

First year spread. The pages were covered with tissue and paper adhered with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. The edges were highlighted with mixers--as was the laser-cut cover of the album.

Second year spread. Photos were matted with white card stock. Year cards were hand written and doodled and a bicycle brad was added to each.

Third Year Spread. Stamps were added to continue the store of determination and success. 

Thank you for looking!

detail of cover and nest-a-bling

I hope you enjoy my project! My son has already given his seal of approval and loves looking at his progress. Want2Scrap has HUNDREDS of chipboard albums and accessories to chose from!! 
~leslierahye

Flag Inspired ATCs with Want2Scrap and Sakura

With Flag Day and Independence Day quickly approaching, I knew I wanted to create some red-white-blue Altered Trading Cards using the Want-2-Scrap items that we were working with this month. My favorite line in the Want2Scrap products--besides the Dollar Bling--is all of the wonderful Mixed Media surfaces from Donna Salazar. For this project I focused on the Embellies products --canvas and chipboard ATC blanks.

 

For this project you need:

     

AlteredPages.com Collage Sheets

Sakura Hobby Crafts 3D Crystal Lacquer

Buttons, fancy fiber

Bazzill Basics Card Stock

Ranger Distressed Stain

Independence Day Crepe Paper

I began by cutting the canvas into ½" wide strips and then in half again so that they were 3½" long. I inked them with Ranger Stain in Brick Red. I dried them with the heat gun. 

I rolled the strips around a bamboo skewer and glued them closed with Sakura Hobby Crafts 3D Crystal Lacquer. Some beads were finished off by tying a piece of fancy fiber around them.

I also rolled some 3/8" strips of blue card stock into little cylinders.I used Crystal Lacquer to hold the coil closed.

Sakura Crystal Lacquer was used as the only adhesive for the entire project.

I glued the blue card stock onto the chipboard bases with Crystal Lacquer and used the stain to edge the chipboard base.

The beads were then threaded onto a piece of fancy fiber and used as embellishments for my ATCs.

For this ATC, the striped crepe paper was gathered on the red side to form a bunting shape. Images were cut out of the alteredpages.com collage sheet and layered on the background with crystal lacquer. The bunting was gathered in the corner and adhered with crystal lacquer. The beads were wrapped around the card and tied. The buttons were glued on with crystal lacquer and bling was added as a final touch.

For this ATC, the striped crepe paper was gathered on a line of crystal lacquer on the side of the card. The beads were wrapped around the ruffle and tied on. The buttons and collage sheet cutout were adhered using crystal lacquer. Bling was added for a final touch. 

Thank you for looking! I hope you enjoyed my ATCs!
~leslierahye