Helmar Design Team

Helmar Happening with Erika Taylor-May 7th

 

Time for another weekly Helmar Happenings Video. Enjoy!!!

 

Button Galore and Helmar 450 Quick Dry

 

Button...button...who's got the button? Well I do and I will never lose another one! Why...one might ask...because I use HELMAR 450 Quick Dry Glue. I can't imagine not having this glue in my HELMAR ARSENAL. Let me tell you why:

Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive

high performance premium glue

sets quickly

 dries crystal clear

machine washable

Bonds to almost all types of Fabrics, ribbons, plastic, leather balsa and other soft woods, paper, cane, most hand craft materials and more!

Does not bleed through ribbon, ric-rac, fabric etc.

The perfect adhesive for scrapbooking.

Excellent for bridal wear, costume making, lampshade making, paper crafting, acetate albums, millinery work and general household use.

 

 Need I say more?

My project is the tail end of Button Galore week here on the HELMAR blog. I saved this little wooden box from Walnut Hollow and finally found the perfect thing to put together with my buttons. The box received several coats of Tattered Angels Glimmer Chalkboard in Calypso & Fairway {love these colors}. Finding buttons in the same range of colors and different sizes was not difficult and of course my "450" ! A quick easy-peasey project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After allowing the box to dry I randomly placed my 1st layer of buttons, knowing that I would go back and add a few more layers as I went along. Love this color combo!

 

 

 

 Here's a look at the finished project. I love when I can get a project done, in a short amount of time and it just makes me happy. Sometimes we need these little breaks from the hours we can spend putting something together. Of course using HELMAR 450 Quick Dry Adhesive makes this all the more possible! 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

HELMAR Design Team Member

 

 

 

 

 

"SNOW LOVED"

Hello Everyone!  This is Sherri Caramico, back again with my second post as January's Guest Designer for Helmar and I want to share a very special project with you. 

I decided to create another reverse canvas project - believe me, once you try one - you will get hooked on this fun, dimensional decorative piece of art!

First, please allow me to give you a little background on the photo that I used in this project.

We were blessed to have an AMAZING and LOVING Portuguese Water Dog, named Lily ( aka Turnabout's Princess Water Lily) share our lives for the last 11 1/2 years.  She was diagnosed with TCC / Bladder Cancer in July 2011, and spent the last 4 months of her life putting up a tough battle, endured chemo, and was spoiled as much as she could be, by all members of our family.  On November 12th, at 3:00am, my husband and I had to take her to the vet and do what was best for our girl, and the hardest thing we have every had to do.  I am thankful we were able have the strength to finally give her peace, and we know that she is waiting for us over the Rainbow Bridge.

I found a photo Lily from the winter of 2009, and it made me smile - I just knew I had to do something special with it.  PWD's have hair, not fur, and pretty much become a giant mitten with clumps of snow sticking to them when they go out to play.  Lily also liked to sniff snow, and playtime in the snow usually ended with me sitting on the floor, melting clumps of snow with a hairdryer! LOL!

I used lots of great products on this project - here are just a few ( I'll list them all at the bottom of the post for you!)

 

I started with a 12" x 12" Canvas, and gave the edges, sides and some of the center a good coat of Gesso, I also added some randomly to the chipboard snowflake.

 

Before spraying with various shades of Blue Glimmer Mist, I applied some True Snow to the corners of the frame to give them some texture.



After the Glimmer Mist, I used Viva Decor's Silver Metallic Modeling Creme for the first time!  OH MY!! This was LOTS OF FUN!! - I used a plastic glove and applied it with my finger tip - kind of like finger paint!!

 

Look at all those layers!  I achieved them with various thicknesses of Helmar ZAP DOTS - my new FAVORITE 3D Double Sided Adhesive Foam!  Notice the shimmery Silver Modeling Cream both on the "frame" and I even used it to "distress" the the edges of the photo and paper too!



Here is the finished project - I just LOVE the layers and the way the whole project turned out.  Our Lily was "SNOW LOVED" and I think this is the perfect way to honor this picture of her, and a great memory of the the LAUGHTER and JOY she brought to us.     Here is a close up to show you all the beautiful elements, colors patterns and textures and a close up of our much loved loyal friend. The Helmar ZAP DOTS really helped me to achieve that layered look, which worked great within the "shadow box" feel of the reverse frame. ALSO Helmar's Gemstone Glue worked PERFECTLY to adhere the white beaded trim, and the AMAZING Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive was used to attach all other elements - OH -and the large Snow Flake in the top left, and the blue star at the bottom right were given added dimension withHelmar's LIQUID SCRAP DOTS !    Here are the Items/Tools used: Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots Helmar 1/2" and 1/4" foam ZAP DOTS Helmar Gemstone Glue 12x12" Canvas by Canvas Concepts Gesso Little Yellow Bicycle's Winter Twig Collection Tattered Angel's Glimmer Mists ~ Teal High Heel, Patina, Autumn Nights, Bubbles Aleene's True Snow Viva Decor Silver Metallic Modeling Creme, White cardstock letters cut out with Tim Holtz "Vintage Market" Alphabet Die colored with Tumbled Glass and Chipped Sapphire Ranger Distress Inks Donna Salazar Fairydust Glitter Fiskars Boarder Punch Chipboard Snowflake Kaiser Sparklets Bazzill Clear Button Pearl and Silver Snowflake ribbon Clear Acrylic Embellishments  99% of these items were purchased at my favorite Local Scrapbook Store Scrap-a-Doodle Doo  - they also have an on line store too - just click on their name!

I hope I've inspired you to give a REVERSE Canvas a try!

 Please follow my BLOG www.shercara.blogspot.com for new projects and adventures!

  If you are in the Northern NJ area - I am teaching a class to make this project on

Saturday, Feb 4th at 12:00 Noon at Scrap-a-Doodle Doo - seating is limited to contact the store ASAP to reserve a seat 201 818 7060  ~ I'd love to meet you!

 THANKS HELMAR!

 ~ Sherri Caramico ;o)

January Guest Designer, Lori Williams - Live in 2012

Hi Everyone. My name is Lori Williams and I'm so excited to be Helmar's Guest Designer for January. First I'd love to share a little bit about myself and then share one of my projects I created using Helmar Adhesives.

I've been crafting my whole life in one form or another. It started with clay during my teen years and then switch to metal during college. Actually I earned a degree in Jewelry Design and Metal Smithing...go figure! 11 years ago when my first son was born I merged over into scrapbooking. Since then I've come a long way from the aisles of Walmart's craft department and really would consider my work mixed media. I still love to draw metal and found elements in my work every chance I get.

I am the happy Mommy to two beautiful little boys who end up being the subject of many of my pages. My family is really my strength and core of who I am. My sister Gini who is an amazing artist herself, lives right next door to me. So we are constantly crafting, playing, enabling and inspiring one another. I truly am blessed and love getting sticky and inky in my work.

 I'm not a big New Years resolution girl but this year I did sort of set one...to LIVE!!! To live large and cherish everyday and to be the best I can be. That is the essence of this 12 x 12 layout. I love Helmars 450 glue as it enables me to have a little work time with my pieces before it dries but still dries fairly quickly...its my favorite for placing my base papers.

Most of my layouts have quite a bit of dimension to them. I've found Scrap Dots to be a wonderful dimensional glue that allows me to add dimension to intricate designs like this Dusty Attic Chipboard. I never would have been able to adhere foam tape to the back of such a delicate piece, but Scrap Dot's allowed me to get that lift I love.

 

I look forward to sharing more Helmars creations with you later this month and in the meantime remember to LIVE LIFE TO IT"S FULLEST EACH DAY !!

Hugs Lori

Helmar January 2012 Guest Designer "HOME" Reverse Canvas

Hi everyone! 

I'm Sherri Caramico and I am SOO EXCITED to be here - as this is my first post as a GUEST DESIGNER for my most favorite adhesive company HELMAR !!  I am very grateful for the opportunity, and I LOVE  working with Helmar products! 

 Before I get to the "sticky, crafty Helmar Goodness" let me first tell you a little about myself.  I am a mother of 2 wonderful sons, who are 22 and 17, and the wife to my amazing husband of 29 years-my high school sweetheart!   Both my husband and my sons support my scrap habit and endure my endless requests to take their picture! I know someday they will thank me when they can look back on all the wonderful memories I have preserved!

I work full-time in the corporate world, but enjoy a creative escape whenever I can fit it in. I've been scrapping since @ 2004, and I guess you would say that my style is full of dimension, texture and color. I am a scrapbooker who has become more and more interested in altered art and mixed media projects. I am not afraid to stretch and reach outside of the "standard box" - although I will tell you a little secret, I still remember that fear and the funny feeling that came over me the first time I ever cut and tore a 4 x 6 photograph!! ( I know you know what I am talking about! LOL!)

I am a member of the Scrap-a-Doodle Doo Design Team in Ramsey, NJ, and one of the lead educators at the store.(one of the few LSS left in our area.)  I was selected to be part of Cheerio's Eat Healthy campaign, and made a video about my "Passion for Scrapbooking" which was filmed at the store in 2009. You can view the video here: Cheerios ~ Youtube    I LOVE meeting people and teaching them new techniques. I always try to gently push them to reach outside their comfort/creative zone, to try something new! Usually the messier the better! I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can help someone who once said "I could never do that" change their thinking to "Wow, I did that!" after trying something new in a class that I was teaching. I also have a Blog "For the Love of Paper" and I'd LOVE to have you follow me there too!

Since I won Helmar's facebook contest to secure this coveted spot back in November with my "HOME" reverse canvas project ( for which received the most votes - and lots of wonderful compliments too! THANKS!)- I've decided to share some info on how it was made -with hopes to inspire you to give it a try!

First off, I started with an  8" x 12" blank canvas  - and turned it over to work on the back.  It becomes a frame/shadow box this way.  I painted a nice thick coat of Gesso on the frame and sides - and just kind of brushed the center canvas portion "here and there."

Next I took the scrap or punched out piece of chipboard from The Dusty Attic "Wrought Iron Trim Set" # DA0547  ( yes, I do save everything!)  and literally filled it with an nice thick layer of Gesso that I applied very liberally - okay - kind of in gobs!

 

Above is the beginning of that step

Below is one completed side - see the texture! It is going to LOVE being sprayed with Glimmer Mist!

 

I also brushed some gesso on the Grungeboard letters that I cut out with my cricut, and on the chipboard embellishments, and allowed everything to dry well overnight.  The letters were later sprayed with Olive Vine Glimmer Mist ( one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE COLORS!)

 

Next it was time to add some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist  to the frame - I love blending and adding LOTS of color - I always start with the lightest color ( in this case Wheat Beer in the bottom left corner) and added Candy Apple Red and Chocolate Covered Cherries for the brown tone.  I also distressed the whole frame with Ranger's Black Soot Distress Ink pad.

Here is a close up of all that Glimmery Goodness!

 

I made paper flowers out of white cardstock that I colored using the same Glimmer Mists that were used on the canvas - I used a paint brush to add the color to the edges of the flowers. If you've never dipped your paintbrush into a bottle of Glimmer Mist - you don't know what fun you are missing!! LOL! The flower was glued together with Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, which was also used to adhere the Grungeboard "HOME" to the canvas too!

LOVE THIS STUFF!

 

All of the elements on the frame were attached with Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, and Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots worked PERFECTLY for the metal button centers on the flowers - I think this is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE products!

 

A definite MUST HAVE to add dimension with ease!

 

Here is my finished piece.  I really hope you like it and it inspires you to try a reverse canvas too!  So much fun! Thanks, Sherri www.shercara.blogspot.com

 

Projects Created in December

WOW! I can't believe that 2011 has already come to a close! I first discovered Helmar during all the Winter CHA posts on facebook last year and now I can't imagine crafting without my Helmar! Some of my MUST-HAVE faves are the Quick Fix adhesive runner, 450 Quick Dry, Liquid Scrap Dots, Premium Craft Glue, and Acid Free Glue (though if you're like me, you'll want the V2, 2 step crackle, acrylic sealer, zap dots and everything else made by Helmar on hand too! lol).

I'd like to share some projects with you that I created using a few of my favorite Helmar products. First is a layout I put together earlier in December (based on a Creative Scrappers sketch and using my Tres Chic Unique Colorful Kit) that uses several Maya Road snowflake transparencies.

Now with most other adhesives, you'd have to be extremely careful about where you placed the adhesive so that it wouldn't show through, but as you can see (or not see) on my project, the 450 Quick Dry not only holds strong, but dries completely clear! I had absolute freedom deciding how much adhesive to use and where to apply it. :-D See the small, layered, plastic snowflakes? The tiniest drop of 450 is all that's needed to bond the layers together. The mittens on the upper right corner were originally grey, so I painted them with white acrylic paint and wrapped the twine around each. A little dab of 450 not only holds the twine in place, but also keeps the twine from unraveling! I then used a dab of Liquid Scrap Dots on the back of each mitten to give them some lift on my page.

When I think of New Years, I think of resolutions, goals, etc. Now, I do not tend to do the whole New Years resolution thing, but I do set goals for myself. So the next project I'd like to share today is a no-photo layout I created based on the current Sketchy Thursdays sketch. I made it to help inspire me to be creative every day. :-D For some fab inspirational embellies, I used the Melody Ross Soul Food pp and chipboard pieces. The focal image is bordered by a the phrase, "She seeks out what she wants out of life" and the chipboard circles say, "fly," "make something better," "keep growing & learning," and "love life." Then the circle on the very left of my page says, "choose happy."

To adhere the gold foil doily, I just used a little Premium Craft Glue. The Quick Fix Adhesive Runner works so well, they can even hold these highly textured papers with no fear of them coming loose! I then used more of the Premium Craft Glue to adhere the chipboard pieces and just on the center of the butterfly since I curled the wings to give them dimension.

When I look back on 2011 and think about some of the highlights and what/who inspired me the most, Tracy immediately comes to mind. Nearly every Monday night, a bunch of us have a blast sitting in on her Ustream classes featuring Helmar and some fun crafty techniques. When I think "Tracy," I can't help but think "multi-media," so for my last project, I'd like to share the altered canvas I created using Lydell Quinn's fab Dec Helmar sketch for inspiration. It's an adaptation of the no-photo layout above. It's my first actual canvas piece, so please be kind! LOL

I used several techniques that can be found in the Helmar Ustream recordings from Tracy's live classes. First I used watercolor crayons to "paint" my background, then misted over it with a few different colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist. I then diluted a bit of Glimmer Glam and layered that on top for some added shimmer. Next I had drew some clouds on the back of the text paper and cut them out. Then "whitewashed" them with off-white acrylic paint to lighten the color of the paper. The clouds, text and central image were adhered using Helmar's fab Decoupage paste and then I finished it off by adding the chipboard circles and bird using 450 Quick Dry. The circles read, "love is good stuff," "free your soul," "do it today," and "You are so much stonger than you think you are." I made this canvas to hang in my daughter's room. I hope it inspires her to always persue her dreams. :-D

Thank you, Tracy, for continually inspiring me to step out of my comfort zone, go with the flow, not overthink things, and try new things! And thank you so much for having me as a guest for the Helmar blog! I had a wonderful time sharing my projects with everyone! :-D

Doris Widder

http://www.distressedscrapper.com

Let It Snow--On Your Projects!

Hi all! Rebecca Keppel Guest Designing here again with another Helmar Holiday project! This time I made a Christmas layout. Truth be told, we NEVER get snow here in Arizona, but having grown up in snowier climates I still associate it with the holidays. Add to that lots of Scrapbook holiday collections include snowy scenes and I was on a mission to make my own snow! So I grabbed a bottle of Helmar's Acid Free glue and made little blobs on top of white snowflakes on my patterned paper:

As you can see, I only covered the larger circlurlar dots. When I let it dry, the glue stayed slightly raised like quick and easy, heat-free embossing!

The little snowman and the tree stickers were popped up with Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots.

I love how you can cover a non circular or non square shape with dimensional adhesive so the entire shape is popped up rather than just the center!

And here is the completed layout!

Happy Holidays!

:) Rebecca

Quickest Christmas Gift/Decor in the West

Hi all! Rebecca Keppel here with some Helmar projects to share with you! I am so excited to be here as a Helmar Guest Designer this month! A bit about me before I share my first project with you... 

In the beginning of 2005 I was a corporate attorney in San Francisco, but then my daughter was born and I became a stay at home mom. I started scrapbooking around that time and found the creative outlet a santity saver to say the least! We moved to Arizona and my son was born in 2007. They are the main stars of my scrapbooking show. I love practicing new photography skills on them and then creating layouts with those pictures. I also enjoy card making and creating mini albums and gifts for friends and family. I generally think of my style as clean with a focus on the photos, but with a definite fun twist. I loved experimenting with Helmar products this month and for starters I have a super quick Christmas gift idea.

I used some tiny wood blocks and adhered My Little Shoebox papers to each side using Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive:

True to its name, the Quick Dry adhesive stayed put FAST and I was able to move on to decorating my blocks.

I used some American Crafts Thickers to spell out MERRY and then adhered some My Little Shoebox stickers used Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots to pop them up:

I love 3 dimensional elements and the Helmar Scrap Dots are so fun because you get to choose the level of dimension!

Wouldn't this make a cute little neighbor or teacher gift? Using Helmar's Quick Dry adhesive really sped up my crafting time since I did not have to wait hours after covering the blocks to start decorating them! Quick and easy! 

:) Rebecca

Christmas Train - Choo Choo Choose Helmar!

Brightest Blessings! I'm so excited to be a guest on the Helmar Blog for December! So many wonderful things happening this month and so many fabulous projects being shared by the DT! Thank you, Tracy, for this incredible opportunity! I still can't believe it!!!

For my first guest project, I knew I wanted to share something special to me, so I got this wood train I wanted to alter for my son, Matthew. He's 5 and adores trains almost as much as my older son, Alex, did at this age. I started by painting the train with acrylic paint. I then papered the 2 cars with Webster's Pages Waiting for Santa Papers using Helmar's Acid Free Glue (LOVE this stuff! Works great on paper to paper applications too). Armed with my fave...Helmar's 450 Quick Dry...I applied all the trims. The white fluffy trim is from Waiting for Santa, but the lace and super sheer trim is from Botanical Christmas. I took the WP sheer trim and cut in half lengthwise and put only the part w/gold detailing on the engine and reserved the rest for the bow on the Christmas Tree. Here's what I came up with:

Here's a closer look at the engine:

The Santa image is cut from one of the Botanical Christmas journaling cards. To make the Christmas tree, I stacked 3 styrofoam balls (held together by stringing them onto a craft stick (popcicle stick) and lightly coated them with Acid Free Glue. If I had a styrofoam cone, I probably would have used that instead, but I like to use what I have on hand. :-) I used a rock fern EK Success punch for the branches and layered them to the top. At the peak, I applied a glob of Liquid Scrap Dots to hold 4 of the branches forming a cap or peak. Here's a closer look at the car holding the tree:

and a closer look at the last car:

To create the wreaths, I used a circle punch to create a hole, then a larger circle punch over that hole to create a ring. I then coated the paper rings with Premium Craft Glue and applied the branches alternating having them point slightly towards the center then slightly outward...applied another layer of Craft Glue and then filled in the gaps with more branches. I then adhered the wreaths to the cars using 450 Quick Dry. I also used the 450 to attach the WP silhouette on the back of the train. The little "presents" are actually little boxes of candy and tattoos...the kind that are given out for Halloween. lol Dots, nerds, etc work the best since it gives you a stable base. I wrapped them in WP's Botanical Christmas 6x6 petite papers and decorated them with their trims, sparklers, whimsy flower and added a tiny tag to each one. 450 Quick Dry made these itty bitty trim flowers a breeze:

I hope you enjoyed my project!

 Doris Widder

http://www.distressedscrapper.com

VOTE FOR OUR NEXT GUEST DESIGNER!

Hey, Helmar fans!  THANK YOUR ALL YOUR GREAT SUBMISSIONS!  Our Helmar GUEST DESIGNER contest is UP and RUNNING! So much talent- this is gonna be a tough call! Please VOTE only once following the simple voting instructions on each photo...GOOD LUCK to all and HAVE FUN! ♥ (voting closes at 9am CST tomorrow morning!)

The voting is on Helmar's Facebook Page HERE.  You must "LIKE" Helmar for your vote to count.  To VOTE for this project, please write "VOTE" in the comments section.  "Likes" or other comments do not count and we will have to delete misc. comments so we can keep track of the votes. Please vote for only ONE project, thank you! Some serious talent here!

The voting will be open for 24 hours and the new DECEMBER GUEST DESIGNER will be announced on December 2nd, 2011!

One lucky Guest Designer PLUS another lucky FACEBOOK fan will win these Helmar goodies to work with:

Let the voting begin!

NOTE:  We SO would LOVE to open this up worldwide however due to shipping constraints of adhesives we cannot ship to the whole world :(  (ALways looking for new distributors)  This is open to USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand. Working on those worldwide locations!