good ol' fashion burlap...

Hello my wonderfully fabulous friends!

I am so sorry for the extended blog break! Things have been so crazy in my life! However, I am happy to report that my studio is more organized, I am much more energized, my stamp library has grown quite a bit (thanks to JoAnn's and Michaels super stamp clearance sales that have been going on!!!), and I am SO excited to be back creating! *sigh* Life is just plain good and happy right now. =)

Ok... now on to the Creative Inspirations tutorial....

The other day, my mom and I decided to go on a shopping quest... we decided to join forces to send a care package to someone in our family who could really use a box of smiles right now. So, we headed off to see what we could find. While out, we had to stop at JoAnns. After all... I'm a artist, and she's a quilter. Really, we can't just drive by a store like that when we both live out in the middle of nowhere. LOL!  While there, my mom found a bolt of burlap. Random, yes, but fabulous!  She had some great ideas she wanted to try with it, and ideas started flying through my head, so of course we had to get some!  Come to find out, it is super cheap too!!! I think it come out to be only about $4 a yard! And it was on sale for less than that. You can do a lot with a yard!

Can I just say that I am loving burlap???  It has a fantastic texture, and takes paint in a uniquely wonderful way! For the very bare basics of burlap and Creative Inspirations paint, you can simply brush the paint on to add beautiful color and shimmer to the fabulously textured fabric. Simple and effective. I didn't really think you needed a step by step photo of that one seeing as it would be all of one photo... LOL!

Going just a bit further, while staying sweet and simple, let do some cutting!  Now, you can hand cut if you are good with scissors, but I wanted to play with dies, so here we go....

Step 1: Brush on some gesso.... This step is optional, but it does serve two purposes... first, it helps stabilize the loose weave so it won't unravel when it is cut, second, the white will help the color of the CI paint really pop! 

Step 2: Sandwich your burlap between two pieces of regular paper. This just helps cut the fibers better for some reason. It also helps them to not get stuck in the plastic cutting mat. Very helpful. Place the die on top of the top paper and run through your machine like usual

*NOTE: When choosing a die, keep in mind that the weave of burlap is loose. Detailed dies, or dies with thin areas will not cut well, or will simply fall apart. Choose bold designs for better results*

Step 3: Paint on your favorite Creative Inspirations color... See how even the light Lavender shows up beautifully because of the gesso?  And the texture! *swoon!!!*

Now, you can stop here if you want.... it does look fabulous!  However, if you are going for a more tattered or shabby look...

Step 4: Use your finger nail to gently fray the edges until you have the desired shabby look. Because of the gesso, you have control over how tattered and frayed you let it get. If you don't gesso it, it will just fray to it's heart's content without any help from you.

Don't you just want to touch it???

And it's so shimmery and shiny!

Well... That is a super simple way to begin incorporating burlap and Creative Inspiration paint into your crafting! I've got more ideas to play with, and the burlap beside my computer is calling to me... 

Enjoy!

~Kassi

Supplies Used:
Paper:  K&Co, kraft, white cardstock
Stamps: Inspired by Stamping "Fancy Labels 18", TPC Studio "Woodland Whimsy"
Ink: Colorbox Pigment, Distress Ink
Creative Inspirations Paint: Lavender
Dies: Spellbinders "Labels 18"
Other: gesso, burlap, ribbon