All Geared Up Baseball Cap Project!

Good Evening Everyone!

On Tuesday night I was in the studio trying to come up with a Steampunkish looking ball cap to wear. I found a cloth ball cap at the craft store, purchased a few sheets of fun foam and some Beacon Fabri-tac Permanent Adhesive and I was off!

Here's what I came up with...

 

All Geared Up Ball Cap

 

 

Supplies:
Cloth Ball Cap
4 sheets of Black Fun Foam
Beacon Fabr-itac Adhesive
Assorted Metallic Rubs
Tim Holtz Gadgets and Gears Die

Here's how I did it....

Cut multiple shapes from the foam and apply Fabri-tac to the gear shapes and adhere them to the cap.

Completely cover the hat first with a layer of gears. overlap the gears with smaller pieces filling in any blank spots.

Once the gears have had a chance to set...go over the gears with assorted metal rubs. I used Guilders Paste in Antique Gold, African Bronze, German Silver and Viva Decor Inka Gold's Silver.

Last, I used an old paint brush to fill in the hard to reach smaller areas.

Done... This project was inexpensive to make. The cap was purchased from Hobby Lobby for $2.99, the Fun Foam was $1.49 a sheet and the Fabri-tac was $10.99...I had the metallic pastes.

 

 

Fun Project...Think of other cool die cuts you could use on your cap...

 

Thanks Everyone for coming by!

 

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Waxing Your Dies

Hello Everyone!

As promised, on Facebook this afternoon, I  made a little video on how I wax my Sizzix Bigz dies.  When I cut chipboard sometimes the little pieces get stuck in the die. I then need to use a pick to remove the smaller pieces from the die.  However, if you have an old candle you can cut a lot of this pickin' problem out....

The video below shows what works for me...Simple candle wax.....


Oh my gosh!  I just watched the video (which I never do!) I can tell from my eyelids I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and then FINALLY fell asleep at 5:30ish and then the blasted alarm went off at 6:30!  Good Grief Gertrude! LOL!

Hope this helps someone!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

It's A Crazy Life...

Good Evening Everyone!

Gosh it's been too long since I've blogged!  So sorry for that.  I received a couple of very sweet emails asking if I was ok....Well, I think so!  LOL!  Yes, all is well. 

It seems that life has been so much busier than usual.  I'm doing the same stuff...actually I had been doing more and slowed the pace down this year.  Lately, the pace seems to have no breaks in it at all.  Just running from thing to thing trying to play catch up and again wondering why I can't...catch up...I do know that my body does NOT like cyclimycin antibiotics that I was prescribed over a month ago and still having problems from it.  The side effects have lingering...well, side effects and have totally sucked my energy.  But, things are coming back around now... thank goodness!  I love to be up and moving!

Last night was a late night of finishing samples.  I had five days to turn chipboard and awesome paper into projects for Graphic 45's Summer samples.  I designed and built the projects this last weekend but needed to finish them with the papers.  Of course I did this while I cut out a zillion crowns on my digi cutter for the Steampunk Soiree...As you may know, I like to keep several projects going at once to not only feel more productive and keep moving, but for some strange reason it makes me feel like I'm getting more done.  If this isn't the case, never tell me as it's a combo that works for me.  Where was I going with this....Oh yeah...There is nothing like working with gears, grunge, metallic colors and then turning around and working with the new reds and greens of the G45 Christmas paper...It's a trip...a mind trip...You know something is up when you affix cogs and gears to Christmas trees.  Ooops...

But it's time to celebrate as the projects are done and mailed off today.  (I guess I can show them to you when the Summer show in Atlanta starts in a couple of weeks.  That's usually the rules.) So, in celebration I took time off from work today.  Now please know, I like to get up when the sun rises...not at the crack of 5 a.m. but as I said when the sun starts streaming through the windows around 6:30.  (yes, I know for a lot of you, you are laughing at 6:30 as your day is half over by then.  LOL!)  I have never been a late sleeper.  I have tried it and tried it...The most I can manage is 8:30! This morning I crawled out of bed at 11:30!  When I looked at the clock, the first thing I thought was half the day was gone!  I hopped up and got the box to the post office and then started in on the BIG clean! Cleaned the house from top to bottom, washed clothes and last, attacked the studio!  That was a task!  I always find it amazing how many things end up on the floor.  You know what I mean...It's nuts!

Everything is in order, cleaned and ready for more...and I feel this amazing sense of ease as I sit on the front porch enjoying the breeze and a decaf coffee (yes, I think the caffeine is finally getting to me if I drink it after 3:00!)...Then thoughts of die cutting 164 more gears and taping 642 structure strips comes into view...You know...It's OK...that's not too bad...I can do it!  Must be the extra sleep this morning.

Y'all make it a good one.  Thank you so much for all your kind comments and emails.  They always bring me inspiration and keep me moving!

Have an awesome week!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

The Victorian Bathing Box Tutorial Done!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

I hope you've had an amazing Independence Day!! Are you ready for the fireworks tonight!  Yahooo!  I've got some sparklers and I'm going to run around the yard like a school boy!  I love sparklers and fireworks! 

Today, instead of doing the laundry and just hanging out, I decided to get the Victorian Bathing Box Tutorial done!  I promised myself when I got it done, I would go swimming and then light up the sparklers...So It's done and now I can go play!

If you are interested, the tutorial is now up in my Etsy Shop.  I hope you give it a try.  It's such a beautiful project sitting on the coffee table ready for someone to open the door and pop out the mini to peruse the pictures and memories within.

You can find it by clicking HERE or by copying and pasting the link below into your browsers address bar:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195320455/the-victorian-bathing-box-tutorial?ref=shop_home_active_1

For your convenience, you can purchase the laser cut chipboard wheels as well.  You can find them HERE

or-
Here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195308384/chipboard-wheels-for-victorian-bathing?ref=shop_home_feat_2

Here are a few pictures of the Victorian Bathing Box...

 

 

 

 

Once again, I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July Weekend!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Fun With Superheroes!

Good Evening!

For the last couple of days, I have been attending a Leadership Development Institute (LDI) for my job with Seton Family of Hospitals.  It's been two full days of information... a lot to learn.   Now we are challenged with taking this information and putting it to work.  What's so cool is that the Manager's will be able to report front line issues to Director's and up to Senior Leadership through "rounding" and "scout" reports that the Studer Group developed.  A posted plan or a goal will be formulated on how to successfully find resolutions.  By following this monthly reporting we can all be better aligned as a group.  I think that's right...Anyway...

OK, enough of the work stuff...Why am I mentioning this?...Well, this time, crafts were involved!  BAHAHAHA!  This quarter's meeting was themed on Superheroes.  We are all superheroes....

On each table we were to decorate our superhero and enter it for a prize for your table.  Well...This was right up my alley!  I grabbed the goodies they gave us to decorate it and headed home after the meeting last night to fun bliss... I came home and pushed up my sleeves and went to work!  Thought I would share my three hours of fun last night I had in embellishing my Superman!  By the way, we didn't win!  Shucks!  But, I understand that we came in one ticket shy...Or at least that's what they are telling me...Probably to make me feel better!  Bahaha!

Here's the way it played out...

 

Well, I hope you all have an excellent day!  Thanks for coming by!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter