Customizing an American Crafts Details to Enjoy Patriotic Pocket Frame Insert

If you enjoy fun DIY desk top holiday decorations for the holidays, then the "Details to Enjoy" pocket frames and inserts from American Crafts make it super easy to customize them using your favorite craft supplies. The "Details to Enjoy" pocket frame kits from American Crafts are the perfect desk top decorations that come in two sizes. They are available in the 8"x10" frames and 6"x 5.5" frame size. The pocket frame has two tracks inside of the frame that you use to slide in the inserts. The American Crafts Details to Enjoy collection frames are sold stained or unfinished.  The inserts are sold separately and vary by season.  The top of each frame have two magnets on it that make it easy to remove and switch out the inserts.

Before I go any further, I have to make the following notation: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases” from links listed in this blog post.  If you do not want to use my links, just do a search using your favorite search engine.

I found both the frame and insert and insert at my local Tuesday Morning store at a great discount.  

I love the truck insert but the white is limiting. I wanted it to be more versatile so I can decorate it with a Patriotic theme for the Fourth of July.  Then I want to be able to use it to decorate for the holidays.  I decided to use my favorite Plaid Folk Art paints to repaint the components so they would be more versatile for both holidays.

Supplies:

• American Crafts Details to Enjoy Collection Pocket Frame
• American Crafts Details to Enjoy Pocket Frame - Do It Yourself Truck Kit
• Folk Art Matte Acrylic Paint  - Lipstick Red
• Folk Art Matte Acrylic Paint  - Titanium White
• Folk Art Metallic Acrylic Paint  - Silver Anniversary
• Folk Art Paint in a Dark Brown
• Sponge Brush
• Folkart Golden Talklon Base coating 1/2 Brush
• Adhesive or Glue Gun
• Elmer's Tac 'N Stik
• Jolee's Boutique Dimensional Stickers - God Bless America
• 2 Small Flags
• 2 paper straws
• 2 small plastic patriotic pinwheels

Step 1:

I did not like the grey background so I decided to paint the back side of the solid insert white. Using the Folk Art Matte Acrylic Paint in Titanium White and the Base coating brush, paint the solid insert. Allow an hour to dry between coats. I did three coats on my board.

Step 2:

Using the Folk Art Metallic Paint in Silver Anniversary and the brush, paint the fender silver.  I did three coats to get the right amount of sheen to the fender.

Step 3:

Take the truck components and paint them using the Folk Art Matte Paint in Lipstick Red. I found using the brush worked better than using the sponge to avoid creating too much texture in the paint.

Step 4:

Once the red paint has dried, use a dark brown paint and dry brush the details on the truck to age it. Allow to dry.

Step 5:
Allow all the components to dry.  Then begin by gluing down the larger truck piece and the black wheel piece to the back board. I used E6000 because it allows me time to move the pieces around to get them in the right spot before it dries.

Then glue the silver bumper on top of the black wheel base.

Then glue the tailgate above the bumper.

Step 6:

Leave the Jolee stickers on their plastic background. Cut around them so that they can be reused. Use the Elmer's Tack to adhere the stickers to the truck and solid white background.

Step 7:

Insert into frame.

Step 8:
Insert the flag sticks into the paper straws (if you don't have straws you can always paint them) and attach the patriotic pinwheels to the straws.

Step 9:
To finish, use the Elmer's Tack to attach the straws to the frame.

By using the Elmer's Tack, I can easily remove the stickers and flags to be able to redecorate it with a Christmas theme during the holidays.  This saves me from having to purchase and store two different inserts.


FYI:  You can find more Patriotic themed projects on the Plaid Website.  Also, you can go the Details to Enjoy site to see what other types of kits they carry.

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post, I purchased my Folk Art paints at my local craft store. I was not paid for this project. I just really love the Folk Art Paint product line and the American Crafts Details to Enjoy Collection Pocket Frames and inserts.  I have included Amazon Associate links to Amazon but you do not need to use them.  You can just do a search on google to find the closest retailer to you that carries these products. As for the pocket frames and inserts, you can find those each season at some of the local craft stores, online or through the Details to Enjoy website.

Tombow VIP Club January 2019 Box Review

If you love Tomboy products then you will love the new Twin Tone markers colors that are included in the Tombow VIP Club monthly box for January 2019.  One of the things that I like about the Tombow VIP Club box is that it does not come automatically.  Each time that Tombow offers a VIP club box they have a preview on the website so that their customers can decide if they want to order it or not.  They do tend to sell out pretty quickly, so you may want to make sure you get your name on their mailing list to know when the next one is available. 

Before I go any further, I have to make the following notation: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases” from links listed in this blog post.  If you do not want to use my links, just do a search using your favorite search engine.

The January Tombow VIP Club box features their newest addition to their marker collection, the TwinTone Rainbow marker collection.  These TwinTone Rainbow Markers are double-sided markers with a broad bullet tip and an extra fine tip for more precise lines.

The Tombow VIP Club boxes always include a great insert that describes the included products and sometimes they have additional ideas and tips on how to use them.

Tombow Washi Tape

This box also included an exclusive set of Tombow Washi tape that are in fun patterns. One of the washi rolls matched the print of the new Tombow TwinTone Rainbow marker set.

Tombow Washi Tape

These rolls of washi are 15mm wide and 5m long.  I really love the colors and patterns on these washi tapes.  I love bright happy colors so I will use these up fairly quickly.

The box also included a Faux Calligraphy & Planner Doodle Insert.  One side has some easy step by step doodles and the other side features an exemplar alphabet.  The insert also has some quick tips at the top of the faux calligraphy side.  I think these will be helpful to help me with lettering and decorating in my journal.

The last item in the Tombow VIP Club box is 3 pack of Mini Size Glue tape (1/3 in x 276 in per applicator).  This mini size glue tape adhesive set is acid free and permanent.  I found them to be perfect for use in my art journals because the adhesive is so strong.

I paid a total of $25 for this kit which I feel was a great deal.  I would have paid that much for the marker set so I consider all the other cool items to be a bonus.  If you want to find out when the next Tombow VIP Club box is released, make sure you sign up on the Tombow website.  They also have some fun project ideas using their various products and for journaling tips on the Tombow blog.

You can often find good deals on Amazon for the Tombow products:


 

Disclaimer:  I do not work for Tombow. This post is not sponsored.  These are just my opinions and any links to Amazon that I may include could possibly give me a very small percentage towards my next purchase. You do not have to use my links. You can go to google and do a search for the product to reach it directly.

Stickii Club Monthly Sticker Club - Review

If you love collecting Kawaii stickers or just some fun stickers with cool themes then you might enjoy some of the fun sticker collections offered by the Stickii Club.  The Stickii Club offers both monthly subscriptions, as well as  the opportunity to make a single purchase of past collections.  Their website updates often with new offerings so you may want to visit it often to view new collections before they sell out.

The Stickii Club offers three different style sticker subscription packs.  They sell for about $10 plus shipping (which is really reasonable) and depending on the state you are in, you may be charged tax.  The sticker collections come in a really nice plastic sleeve and is prepunched and can be added to most A5 size ringed planners.  According to the Stickii Club website each pack may contain:

5 sheets of Stickers - the Manor Collection

• 5-6 sticker sheets
• 1 sticker flake packet
• 1-2 Stationary Items (at least 1 is usually a cool paper clip)
• A plastic sleeve that has been specially made to hold their stickers.

Stickii Club Stationary Items for the Manor Set

The quality of the plastic sleeves is really nice.  The sleeves have a couple of pockets to hold the stationary items and the flake packs. There is also a larger pocket to hold the sheets of stickers.

Another bonus, is that they include a set of triangle shaped stickers that can be adhered to the plastic sleeves so you can easily identify which set is in the sleeve.  I put my sleeves in an A5 Ringed Planner Binder so this makes finding the right sticker so easy and efficient.

Corner Sticker to Label Collection Sleeve

There are three choices of sticker packs to choose from:

• Cute,
• Retro 
• and Pop

You can subscribe to just one or to all three.  I subscribe to just two but I like that they do sell past sets on their site so I can purchase any that really appeal to me. My favorite are the Retro Collections. Below are two of my favorite past sets from the Stickii Club Making Memories Collection

and the Stickii Club Gothic Literature Collection (they are sold out of this one).  Below are some of the stickers that were included in the Stickii Club Making Memories Collection (they still have a few available on the website).

I also really love the tiny framed artwork stickers below.  I can not remember which collection they were in but they are my favorites.  They fit perfectly in the monthly boxes of my Hobonichi Weeks planner.  They are small without losing any of details. The quality of this sheet of stickers is great.

I have included some links to the Stickii Club site which are just for your convenience. I do not make any money at all from them.  Check out there site and see some of the cute and retro stickers that they have available.  Also, if you are curious as to what they are going to release next month, just check out their instagram.  They post peeks and previews of the new collections and some of their new sticker sheets there.


Disclaimer:  I do not work for Stickii Club nor is this post sponsored. I paid for my stickii sets and subscriptions with my own money.  This is just my opinion of their collections which you may or may not agree with.  The best way to figure if it is a good match for you is to experience their sticker sets for yourself.  

My review of the Wind Chime Studio Stencils and Tutorial

The "Wind Chime Studio" stencils are made of 7 mil thick plastic that is perfect for a variety of crafts which include card making, painting, decorating planners, and airbrushing.  The plastic is see-through which makes it easy to work with.  The plastic stencils are also very flexible which makes it perfect for using them to  airbrush makeup.  Nancy Ibsen, the owner of Wind Chime Studio,  sent me a couple to test out and see if they would work for my particular projects.

Test 1 - Koi Fish Painting:

The first stencil I tested was the Two Part Koi Fish Stencil.  The outline stencil offers the outline and the actual Koi fish cut out which can be used as a mask for various painting techniques. Part 2 of the stencil set is the Koi fish detail stencil.  Nancy Ibsen, the owner of Wind Chime Studio has included two square registrations on the plastic stencils that can be used to properly line up the detail stencil over the Koi Fish outline stencil.  If you look that the photo below, you can see the two registration squares.

The two alignment squares before lining up.

You just have to line them both up, so that one is perfectly matched up to the other (see photo below).  Then tape them down so that they do not move.

The squares should be perfectly aligned before using the detail stencil.

Koi Fish Painting Tutorial

Supplies:

• Canvas
• Bright colored paints
• Paint brushes
• Stencil Tape
• Koi Fish Stencil and the "Botanical Stencil"
• Black Pigma Ink Brush Pen
• Glitter glue or glitter gel pens

Step 1:
Take the cut-out part of the two part Koi Fish stencil (you will find the fish inside the outline stencil or it might be lose in your package).  Tape down the Koi fish cut-out and paint around it.  I used removable tape on one side of the fish to hold it in place.  If you don't have removable adhesive, you can always just hold it in place while painting around it.  This step allowed me to have a clean white base to make sure the Koi Fish colors were not mixed with the outer colors.  One you finish painting around the stencil, remove the cut out before the paint dries to avoid streaking the paint.

Step 2:
Tape down the outline stencil. Paint the Koi fish with some peach and orange paint to create the Koi Fish base color (or use any color you like).  Allow the paint to dry before you do step 3.

Step 3:
Take the detail stencil and place it on top of the outline stencil.  Once you line up the registrations, tape the stencil down to keep it from moving.  Use a darker color paint to add the detail to the Koi Fish.  Remove the stencils and allow the paint to dry. Don't forget to clean the stencils.

Step 4:
Add more details to the picture by using the "Botanical Art Nouveau Stencil".  This is a single stencil so you don't need to worry about lining up any of the registrations.  Just decided where you want the plants to be and tape it down before painting.  Once you finish painting the plants, remove the stencils and allow the paint to dry.

Step 5:
Add any additional detail you may want to the painting.  I decided to out line the flowers with colored markers.  I also added some glitter glue to parts of the fish to make it look more dimensional.

Hobonichi Weeks decorated with the Cherry Blossom Stencil

Test 2 - Planner Decorating:

I use a Hobonichi planner which is made of Tomoe River paper.  The Tomoe River paper is 52 gsm which is great for Fountain Pens but can be tricky when using stickers.  The planner I used last year got pretty thick from all the stickers and washi tape I added to it. Since then,  I have been searching for a way to decorate the pages without adding so much bulk.  I was interested to see if I could add designs and color into my Hobonichi planners without the added bulk by using the Wind Chime Studio stencils in my Hobonichi Weeks planner.  I decided to test the "Cherry Blossoms" stencil from the Wind Chime Studio collection".

I taped the Cherry Blossom stencil down using stencil tape.  Since the paper on my Hobonichi is so thin, I removed some of the adhesive from the tape by putting it on my hands then removing it.  The oil from my skin made the tape less sticky and less likely to tear the Tomoe River paper.

I used the Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Inks and the blending tool to blend the color onto the paper. I wanted to be able to write over the design, so I decided to stick to light colors.  I began to add the Tim Holtz Ranger Distress inks one at a time.   Since the stencil is so thin, the application went smoothly.  I love how I was able to achieve these results.

After I had stenciled on the inks, I added some details using the Sakura Pigma Micron Ink Pens.  I love how they came out.  I could have left the flowers as they were without the black ink outlines and it would have been great too.  By not adding dark colored inks, I did not lose any writing space on my pages.  I use the Hobonichi Weeks, the Hobonichi Techo, and the Jibun Techo which all have the same wonderful thin paper.  I love that I will be able to use this stencil line in all of them and be able to decorate them without losing writing space nor making the pages too thick.

My daughter demonstrating make-up airbrushing techniques to other students.

Test 3 - Air Brushing Make Up:
My daughter has done school events where she needed to air brush a lot of kids in a short period of time. She always needs an assortment easy to use stencils that allow her to cover a large area of the forehead or face.  We decided to test out the "Milky Way Stars" stencil and see how well it would work for these type of events.  Since the plastic that these stencils are made from are fairly thin, this makes them very flexible.  She was able to bend them to use for airbrushing makeup onto skin.

Since she usually has so many kids to do, she tends to stick to one color per person.  Then after airbrushing the makeup on, she usually accents the design with some glitter (specially made for using in make up applications).  She used the "Milky Way Stars" stencil for a onstage demonstration at school and she found that this stencil worked great for her.

Nancy Ibsen sent me a note to let me know that she will be creating some smaller stencils that will be easier to use for airbrushing makeup.  We enjoy applying fantasy makeup (fairies, witches, etc) for Halloween and Comic Con and stencils make it so easy to do various effects with the airbrush. I can't wait to see what new airbrushed makeup stencils she releases.  Makeup stencils can be expensive and I found the prices at the Wind Chime Studio Etsy store to be really reasonable.   If you are interested in seeing more of her designs, you can find her at www.etsy.com/shop/WindChimeStudio.

Note:   I was not paid to do this review.  Nancy Ibsen sent me some of her stencils for me to test out and review.

DIY Refurbished Patio Furniture Make Over with Rust-oleum Gloss Protective Enamel

Summer is in full bloom out here in California and I tend to spend as much time as possible outside to enjoy the beautiful weather, however, my old set of patio furniture really needed a makeover.  I love spending time sitting down reading a book while the kids play in the pool, so having a nice table and chairs to do this is important to me.  So I partnered with Rust-oleum® to see if I could give my old patio set a new life by using their spray paint to make my patio furniture look new again.

Rust-oleum® was kind enough to send me some cans of their Rust-oleum® Gloss Protectant Enamel in the color Rich Jade (#312816).  This particular spray paint helps stop metals from Rusting and adds a bit of protection from the elements.  Plus you get amazing coverage with just one coat.  Here is what the patio set looked like before I started refurbishing it, it was a mixture of faded greens and gray.  Additionally, I think one of my kids used it to hold something while spray painting a school project because there were some odd streaks of spray paint all over the table top.

The chairs were also mismatched and weren't even the same color.

The process to prepare these pieces to be spray painted was pretty simple.  I started by sanding off any peeling paint or odd bits.  The I cleaned each chair and the table to remove excess dirt and dust.  Then I  let it dry.  Once the pieces were dry, I set out some cardboard and some plastic mats to spray paint each piece.  Then I gave each piece a light coat of the Rust-oleum® Gloss Protectant Enamel.  You can see just how good the coverage is with just one coat in the photo below.

The color is really bright and fun.  I also noticed that it seem to bring out some of the cute details on the furniture that were lost with the old color.

I let the pieces dry for about 24 hours between coats because I really wanted to see what the coverage was like.  I found that two coats were fine for the table and chairs.   I know they are going to be used a lot so I wanted to make sure I had really good coverage.

It only took 2 1/2 cans to paint the entire set and that includes the bottoms of the table, undersides of the chairs, etc.  These pieces are really well covered and the finish should last for quite a while.
I love how they came out. This particular green really makes the pieces stand out against the brick.

I am so happy with the Rust-oleum® Gloss Protectant Enamel product in the Rich Jade color and how great it made my furniture look.  

I liked it so well that I purchased two cans of their white and repainted my metal screen door which now looks fabulous.  Metal screen doors tend to rust easily in my area so using this enamel should help protect it during the winter weather.  I had some rust in the corners that would get worse over time if I did not fix them right away.  So I cleaned up the doors and spray painted them with the Rust-oleum® Gloss Protectant Enamel in white.  The trick is to not spray them on a windy day.  I noticed right after I had cleaned them (before painting them) that they were dusty again.  I realized that the strong breeze we were having was leaving dust and other particles with them.  I also took the precaution to cover the brick and some plants in case of over spray (even though I was using a large box that I made to spray them in).  I waited until the next morning to spray the metal screen doors and they came out great.  I did buy one can of paint per door and used both cans up, but that is because I wanted to make sure they were well coated.  


Disclaimer:  Rust-oleum provided me with several cans of the rich jade paint to use for my makeover project.  However, I was not paid to use their product nor for my review of how well it worked for me.  Also, remember to carefully read the manufacturers directions and suggestions.  They can be very helpful in learning to use the product safely.

Prima Nomad’s Traveler’s Journal Review

The new Prima Nomad's travelers journal is a beautiful brown bonded leather cover that features a side zipper pouch to securely hold small items.  The mixing of the leather and other materials to make the bonded leather gives this cover make a visually appealing texture and feel. It is the cover I like for everyday use, since it has a more classic appearance. This is just one of the new Prima Marketing Travelers Journals that I purchased.  If you want to read my review on the Prima Jet Setter Travelers Journal then just click on the name.    The prima travelers journals all come in a plastic box that helps protect them during shipping. 

Here is a view of the back side of the clear shipping box.

Bonded Leather Protector Piece

The Prima Nomad's Travel Journal starter set that I purchased includes:

• 1 Bonded Leather Cover is 16.256cm x 21.844 cm folded (click here for conversion to inches) 
• Bonded Leather Protective Piece (6.36 cm x 3.85cm) attached to the outer elastic band 
• 4 Interior elastic bands, 
• 1 Journal Charm, and
• 2 blank smooth white colored paper inserts (notebooks)
• 1 Zippered Pouch

One of the best features of the Prima Nomad's Traveler's Journal is the zippered pouch which securely holds coins and other small items.  

Side view of zipper pocket

The zippered pouch features a zipper pull and has the Prima Travelers Journal charm attached to it.

The Nomad's travelers journal includes two non lined paper journal inserts. These journals are stapled so I recommend putting some washi tape over the staples to protect the elastic.

The Prima travelers journal itself measures 10"x6.5" (16.256cm x 21.844 cm) when folded.   The Prima Jet-Setter travelers journal starter kits sell for around $34.99 to $ 39.99 on Amazon and other online sources. This journal is beautiful. I love how the pockets on this one are layed out.

I was able to stuff this travelers journal with four inserts, a ruler, credit cards and some sticky notes and it stretched to approximately 2" inches(4.5 cm) and it held up very well. 

You can add more than the four books to the Prima Nomad's Bonded Leather Traveler's Journal by using the "Travelers Notebook" connecting Bands in the standard size.  I tried them out and they fit these journals well.  

Additionally, the pockets on the front cover of the Nomad's journal are quite unique.  

Jet Setter Front pockets vs Nomad's Front Pockets

You can see the difference in pockets between the Prima Nomad's Travelers Journal and the front inside cover of the Prima Jet Setter Travelers Journal in the photo above.  I really like the unique pockets on this one.

As you can see in the first picture (above)  I have laid out a Hobonichi stencil so you can get an idea of the length of the two top pockets.

I can actually fit the entire stencil in either of those two pockets. So it would hold a ruler or other similarly length item without any problems.

In case you wondering about the quality of the paper, I did an ink test on one of the inserts which is in the Jet-Setter Review.  I found that my pens worked great on the paper.  The ink just went on so smoothly.  Some of the inks did bleed through a little on the back side of the paper but over all it is pretty good. I don't mind the shadowing from the inks onto the back side of the page, since I tend to add ephemera to my pages anyway.  The Prima Marketing site states that these papers are great for mixed media.  I decided to run my own test to see how well these papers would do. In the first photo I used the Prima Watercolors on the paper.

Here is a look at the back of the page.  As you can see there is a very slight shadowing of the watercolor on that side.

I also tested the paper using my Tim Holtz Distress Stain. I choose a pretty bright color to see how much of it would bleed or shadow through to the back side of the paper.

I think it did really well.  I can hardly see the shadowing of the stain on the other side.  

The Prima Marketing Company offers 11 different paper inserts that suit a variety of needs which include mixed media paper, monthly, daily, and even weekly inserts. The paper insert notebooks are pretty reasonably priced and can be purchased on Amazon and other online stores.  They also have a line of stickers and stamps that were created to use with the travelers notebooks.  

Disclaimer: I do not work for Prima Marketing. I purchased these Travelers Style journals with my own money.  Also, these are my own opinions which can vary from others.  My best advice to do a bit of research on the travelers journals that you like and make sure they meet your own personal needs.

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