Clearsnap: CHEAP! {cheep} CHEAP! {cheep} It's Spring!

Hello, hostess Tami here!

I have a very SPRING-Y, very decorative, but very "on the cheap" project for you today.

I purchased a "family" decorative wall frame the dollar store, I liked it because it was a nice size, 9 1/2 X 9 1/2 with a 7 1/2 opening. I was attracted to the frame, plain, black and square. I like square. I knew I could remove the cardboard insert and collage over it.

And that's just what I did to create this Spring decor piece...

I used pages from a vintage dictionary that I bought at an estate sale for $1 to cover the cardboard insert. You can find old dictionaries at garage sales, flea markets and thrift stores and they usually aren't very expensive. And you get a LOT of pages to use for LOTS of projects! You can also find images of vintage dictionary pages online that you can print and use.

The flower was stamped and embossed using the NEW! Pepper ColorBox Limited Edition Pigment Ink and Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder.

The lovely floral design, a stamp from Stampendous, was filled in using ColorBox Archival Dye Inks used as watercolors...

A few drops from the Dye Ink Refill Bottles were mixed with water and applied using paint brushes. Add more water for lighter colors and less for more intense hues. I used several different colors of inks to add shading. If you have the ColorBox Archival Dye Inks, but not the refill bottles, you can still do this watercolor technique. Just dab the inkpad on a disposable clear or foam plate to transfer some ink to the plate, then mix with water.

The cardboard insert was put back in the frame under glass and I began to work on the letters. I covered chipboard letters with more dictionary pages, and used a file to remove the excess paper from around the edges. The letters were then painted using the same colors that were used on the floral design. Once dry, they were outlined using a black pen and adhered on top of the glass. Foam squares were used to raise the letters where they overlap...

Here's a closer look at the letters; I love that the transparency of the Dye Inks lets you still see the dictionary pages...

The colors of this project were inspired by some of the first flowers to bloom in my front yard...

This same idea would work well in different themes: use your child's name and an image they like for a decor piece for their room, a special wedding gift with the last name or couple's monograms in their wedding colors and coordinating theme or even holiday decor - I saw a cute Jumbo Santa on the Stampendous site that would work GREAT for this project! Whatever the theme or design, this is definitely a look that you can recreate "on the cheap"!

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap Products:

ColorBox Archival Dye Ink Refill Bottles: Lemon Drop, Pumpkin Pie, Pinkolicious, Very Berry, Dark Cherry, Pinetree and Tree Frog

ColorBox Limited Edition Pigment Ink: Pepper

Top Boss Embossing Powder: Clear

Other Products: