Art by Debbie Saenz

Letters, Letters, & more Letters...

I've been swimming in letters lately...yes, quite literally, I have been swimming in Wall letters, Wedding letter Sets, and even Ampersands! My Etsy Shoppe has really taken off with these new items...and is keeping me very busy!

First, however, I should explain what is going on with our house since last time I wrote we had our home for sale. Well, after a contract deal fell through, and we weren't able to really find anything else we loved, we realized we needed to stay put a while longer...I recently read Rev. 3:8, "You are the Lord who opens doors no one can shut" and the opposite is just as true - You also shut doors no one can open. That verse reminds me where my trust needs to be and brings, Oh, so much freedom and peace!...So, here we are, unpacking boxes and getting situated again.  We had de-cluttered (which was much needed anyway :) and staged our home to sell it. I took the pictures for our listing so maybe in an upcoming blog post I'll show you the pics I took. I even have before pictures from seven years ago when we bought our home...quite a contrast. Humm, that would be a fun post! Soon, I promise :)

Back to my letters---It all started with a project I did for Plaid which was actually a featured project in a recent JoAnn Fabrics catalog. Plaid asked me to design the word Love using paper mache letters any way I wanted as long as all the products were sold at JoAnn fabrics, and using Mod Podge, of course! Here is a picture of the the project I designed...

I thought a reclaimed wood look would look with a coastal color palette would look awesome...so this is what I came up with! I took this picture of my letters before I dropped them off at Plaid's headquarter office. I always have a little photo shoot of my projects before I hand them over. Pretty good, I think...but I loved the image I got of the 'V'...

Yup! that's where my letters all began...I created my first Letter Listing in my Etsy Shoppe. I used this photo and now have made so many letters I will soon be creating an album of my letters on my Facebook Page...

I now offer Wedding Letter Sets too! Those have been really popular. I thought it would be really special for the Bride and Groom to have a personalized letter set with thier initials and a little hand stamped tag with their wedding date. I  LOVE the way they turn out!

Oh so cute! Maybe you know someome who is getting married? This would make an adorable and very unique wedding gift.  What I love about these is that they can  be displayed at the wedding reception...and then used as home decor as a reminder of the Big Day.

 Here's one bride-to-be who bought one of my large ampersands as a photo prop for her engagement photos. She was so kind to send me a few images.

Adorable right? Here's another...

I do want to give credit to her photographer, Lindsay Jo Photography here.

This is the common sight next to my front door... stacks of packaged Letters, made with lots and lots of love, ready to be taken to the post office and shipped to my wonderful customers who keep me really really busy! But that's a good thing:)

 

Mod Podge Monday: LOVE Letters

I have some LOVE for ya...since I've let a whole month go by without posting any Mod Podge Monday's... 

I designed these LOVE letters for Plaid earlier this year as part of the group of projects I designed for Plaid's booth at the 2012 CHA, Craft and Hobby association. This project was also featured in Plaid's 2012 Mod Podge Formula Catalog and on Plaid's website. Funny, while in my local Michaels the other day, I saw this again! It was part of the thumbnail photos Plaid has despersed along their FolkArt paint section. Lots of LOVE!

I'm not sure you can appreciate the shine here, but I used one of Plaid's new products: Mod Podge Super Gloss. It looks like glass and shows no brush strokes. What's not to love?

As you may, or may not know, for each project I design for Plaid, I write out detailed instructions. This is not my favorite part, but it allow you and others to recreate a project just like it on your own. You can find my complete instructions for this project here.

For now, It's back to my studio :)

Mod Podge Monday: 4th of July Centerpiece & Invitation

Who doesn't like parties and fireworks for the 4th of July? We'll be in S. FLorida this year for the festivities.  My son Keith always puts on an awesome show for the family. After sharing dinner together we all pull up lawn chairs in the front yard and watch our own personal family fireworks show! It's so much fun and It sure beats the dreaded crowds and traffic jams of those community firework shows! 

I designed this fun 4th of July Top Hat centerpiece and invitation for Plaid.

With a little Mod Podge, some paint, and a few other supplies, you can make one too! 

Click here to get my complete instructions. 

As for our travels: We are back from our Kentucky trip and I can't wait to show you the jewelry I made while on the road...as soon as I photograph my creations. Also, right after we got back (yes, even before I unpacked), I pulled out my sewing machine, dug through my material and whipped up an apron and a few pot holders for a bridal shower gift for the next day. I'll show you that real soon too :) Meanwhile, we are packing again for our Florida trip. I'm starting to feel dizzy with all this summer travel, but I do love it. I keep thinking about my studio easel which is waiting for me at my mother-in-laws house. It will make it's home in my new studio as soon as we return at the end of the month. I'm so excited!

 Have a safe and happy July 4th!

Mod Podge Monday: Beautiful Pearlescent Box

Here's another Mod Podge project I designed for Plaid's booth at the 2012 CHA, Craft and Hobby Association Show. 

After I Mod Podged this box, I used Plaid's Pearlcote Glaze Finish. 

I was so excited when I found this awesome knob! It compliments the pearl glaze perfectly, I think :) 

And then, to top it off...I came across a rhinstone brooch. I removed the pin part to make it lay flat and glued it on. Simple and very elegant!

Aww! Lovely...if I should say so myself.

You can get my complete instructions here.

Mod Podge Monday: Lovebird Tray

Several months ago I designed Mod Podge projects for one of the Mod Podge walls for Plaid's booth at the 2012 CHA, Craft and Hobby Association Show.

My Lovebird tray project was also featured in Plaid's 2012 Mod Podge Formula booklet!

A decorative edge punch adds such a nice touch!

Notice the shine? After Mod Podging, I topped off my project with a few coats of Plaid's Clearcoat Hi-Shine Spray. I love the glassy finish!

You can download the complete instructions here: Download Lovebird Tray Instructions

This is the wall at the show which displayed my projects. Notice the Lovebird tray in the middle of the bottom row? I promise to share more with you in future Mod Podge Monday posts. 

 

Mod Podge Monday: Bright & Fun Easter Egg Ensemble

I know what you must be thinking, "Did Debbie fall off the face of the earth or just abandon her blog altogether?" Nope, neither could be farther from the truth.  I do, however, have happy news to share!  

I had the privilege of being able to travel to Ft Lauderdale just in time for the arrival of my 4th grandchild!  My oldest son and daughter-in-law had their much anticipated baby girl. She is a beautiful baby and I'll share pictures of her in my next post, along with some of the things I made for her. 

Oh oh yes, Mod Podge Monday...I designed this Bright & Fun Easter Egg Ensemble for Plaid's website. It was fun and easy to make with a little Mod Podge and a few other supplies.

I used fabric scraps cut into random sizes.

I cut a paper egg carton in half then painted it. 

I used paper mache eggs, but plastic eggs would work too.  

Bright and fun bursts of colors topped off with Sparkle Mod Podge, my favorite part!

You can get my complete instructions here. And I'll be back soon to brag on my new little granddaughter!

Mod Podge Monday: Recycled Purse

Instead of throwing away those cereal boxes and donating your old bandannas to Goodwill, with a little Mod Podge, ribbon and lace, you can turn them into something spectacular! Like this Recycled purse...This is just one of the recycling projects I designed for Plaid's website. 

You can use any fabric really, or even paper! I happen to have quite a collection of old bandannas because I had this really cool idea of making a Bandanna quilt. But, the probelm is, I always have more project ideas than time to do them! Yes, that's a topic for another time :)

This was so much fun to make. Young girls will love this project! And you can make your purse larger or smaller, depending on the size of the cereal box. Go here for my complete instructions.

Happy Creating!

 

Mod Podge Monday: Potion Bottle "BOO!" Blocks

I designed these Potion Bottle "BOO!" Block for the Plaid's Paint Me Plaid Blog. You can find my complete instructions (With pictures too!) here. The really cool thing with this project is you can get really creative. How about using a red design paper and spell "LOVE"; or you could even spell out a name...anything really - just let your creative mind soar!

Have Fun!

Debbie xo

Graduation Gifts to Make

We are in full graduation mode around here with our daughter Sarah graduating this year. It's hard to believe since it seems like only yesterday when she was learning her ABC's. 

Because graduation has been on my mind lately, I remembered several Graduation projects I did for Plaid a while back. It was last year actually and I just never got around to sharing them with you.... so now I will.

This is a gift card holder I made with an Altoid tin. It works perfectly! You can find the instructions here. It's actually one of the featured projects on Plaid's website this month. Oh yes, when I do a project for Plaid, I have to write the instructions too....Ugh! not my favorite part, but I guess rather important.

Here's the inside. Oh my! I think my pictures have come a long way since I took these. Today, I would have used a white background and better lighting!

Again, excuse the pic! This was actually my favorite graduation project I've done for Plaid...and for whatever reason they no longer have this one on their website. But, no worries, I always keep a copy of ALL the instructions I have ever written. So, with that said, you can get it here: Download Girls “Grad” Purse Memory Box Instructions

You will notice that I often use family names and photos in my Plaid projects. I wish I had this to give to Sarah for her graduation this year! Oh well, I'll just have to make another one :)

It would be a great gift box and then can be used as a graduation card and memorabilia holder after graduation. Adding the year would be a good idea too!

This was a cute project. I used two large wooden star cut-outs, drilled holes, decoupaged them, added small wood stars, pages, and festive ribbons...A little graduation autograph book, card, or photo album! You can find the instructions here.

Here's some festive hanging graduation stars. I made this with foam board, gift wrap, and of course, Mod Podge. I topped it off with ribbons and gold tinsel trim! Fun Fun! You can find the instructions here.

In my next post I'll share some pics of my graduate and an art piece I did for her dorm room.

Many Blessings until then xoxo,

Debbie

 

Easter Blessings Dangler

We had a special Maundy Thursday service at our church this evening as we remembered when the Passover became the Lord's Supper, when the promises of the Old Covenant would soon be fulfilled with the blood of the New Covenant...His blood.  

We sang and broke bread together. One of the songs we sang was "By His Wounds" very powerful! Thank you Jesus!! 

I have an Easter Blessings Dangler craft to share with you! I made this for Plaid's website last year. It's very simple to make. Instructions are below....

You'll notice I tried to doctor up the the backgrounds of the pics with my newly learned photoshop skills. Yes, I know, I have lots more to learn. It's a journey. 

I needed to use an Easter egg, but wanted to incorporate a cross too. 

Here's my cross

and the egg 

These are the pretty napkins I used.

For complete instructions: Download Easter Blessings Dangler

By His wounds we are healed! 

Blessings,

Debbie xo