Helmar Creative Team

Teacher Gift that will be remembered

End of the year teacher gifts - ack! What do you give the teacher who'll be getting just about EVERYTHING? Gift card? Not personal enough. Parfume? Too intimate. How about a homemade frame? Yep, I think we're onto something...

If you have more then one child in school, then making frames is a great project because you can pretty much "assembly line" them. By the time the first one is dry, you're ready for the next one. I chose a Maple Lane Press Canvas Frame - my favorite. For my paper, I picked that awesome Cosmo Cricket "Jack's World" paper that I used for the teacher cards I showed you last week. How fabulous to give a matching set?!

I covered the frame using Helmar 450 Stainless Adhesive. I spread it out using a Helmar Glue Spreader for an even coat then applied my paper. Once it was in place and set, I gave it a nice coating of Helmar Acrylic Sealer. Just one coat is all that's needed.

Now for the embellishments - I covered a chipboard apple in red cardstock, then I mixed a little red shimmerz paint into some Helmar Textured Effects. I painted it on and let it dry. The result is a very pretty, shiny and shimmery texturized coating.

Once the sealer was dry (about 40 minutes) I attached my apple embellishment and the year to the frame using Helmar Premium Craft Glue. For a finishing touch, I traced the running stitch pattern from the Crafter's Workshop "Lotus" template around the window of the frame.

In an hour, I had the PERFECT gift my daughters teacher...and I know that it will be enjoyed and remembered for many years to come.

Until next time,

Marci :)

Thank you once again to preferred partners Cosmo Cricket and The Crafters Workshop for providing such fabulous products!

The hidden gem.............

I have officially decided that adhesive needs to be referred to as the "hidden gem!"
I may say this in jest, but in practicality purposes,
it is the essence of what we do when we work with adhesives.
I mean, who wants to see a "glob of glue" in the middle of their beautiful project?

This was so apparent when I was creating this layout and card.
In the layout, I needed to adhere ribbon, acrylic, and pleated patterned papers.
I knew instantly that the adhesive would be somwhat of an issue,
as I didn't want it to show through any of the textures.
I used my Helmar Liquid 450 Stainless Adhesive and sure enough, ghost like!
No shadows or glue clumps.

I took my adhesive and layered a clear top coat on the acrylic
and added it to the layout. I drew a thin adhesive line behind the paper
and the ribbon and it quickly dried for a completed project.

Imagine Layout: Fun Dimensional layout, using a non-traditional boy theme, with lots of chipboard, bling and ribbon ruffles.

Products Used:
Cosmo Cricket Patterned paper and chipboard
Scenic Route Chipboard.
Hedi Swapp Acrylic Clocks.
Bazzill cardstock
Helmar Liquid 450 Stainless Steel Adhesive

Bloom Card:
I used the same type of adhesive with this fun button card.
I quickly added the Helmar Liquid 450 behind the buttons, as in a prior tutorial that I had shared, and after drying, had some really cute coordinated embellishments.
easy techniques that require dependable adhesive!

Products Used:
Jenni Bowlin Ptterned Paper, Sticker, and Chipboard buttons.
QuicKutz floral die cut
Bazzill Embossed paper
Prima Flower
Maya Road Ribbon
Fancy Pants pin
Making Memories Bling
Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots
Helmar Liquid 450 Stainless Steel Adhesive

 

Enjoy!

May Winner!

Thank you to Design Team Member, Becky Teichmiller who featured our May Giveaway!  Our lucky winner of this fine prize pack.......
               
is (drum roll please)..........

That is friggin' adorable! Awesome job!
Posted by: Jill Oriente | May 19, 2009 at 08:10 AM

Congrats Jill.  Please email me with your address and I will ship out your prize!

Tracy Weinzapfel Burgos, Helmar USA Desgin Team Coordinator

A few of "My Favorite Things"....

Helmar Adhesives, MFT Clear Stamps, Cosmo Cricket and the last day of school....just to name a few.

Can you believe its that time of year again? Seems like the first day of school just happened, and now we're ready for the last one. You know what that means don't you? Teacher cards!

I used these super cute "Back to School" stamps from "My Favorite Things" to create these cards for my girls teachers. I LOVE that chalkboard stamp! I used black stazon to stamp the blackboard image, then I used white ink from Stampin' Up to make the "World Best Teacher" chalked image over top. I cut the image out and attached it to the card using Helmar Liquid Scrapdots. How much do you love that Cosmo Cricket "Jack's World" paper? It's perfect for school related projects.

 

For my second card I used the "World Best Teacher" stamp again and I used the same Cosmo Cricket "Jack's World" paper, in a different way...it's so versatile. The acrylic flower makes a fun, dimensional accent piece. To make the polka dots on the acrylic, I used "Masque Pen" fluid and alcohol inks. I attached it to the card using Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

 

With the right products, you can create great looking cards in just a matter of minutes.....another one of my favorite things ;)

Until next time,

Marci :)

Supplies used on projects:

Helmar Adhesives Liquid Scrapdots, QuickDry 450, Quick Fix Adhesive Runner

My Favorite Things Clear Stamps "Back to School"

Cosmo Cricket "Jack's World" paper collection

Maya Road Trinkets

Acrylic Flower Button

Adirondack Alcohol Ink

Stazon Ink

Stampin' Up Ink

Embroidery Floss

Masquepen Masking Fluid

White Cardstock

Bazzill Basics Flower

For Those Precious Little Ones In Your Life

If you live in a chaotic home like I do it's hard to get your little ones to have quiet time.  Having a quiet time is especially when the little ones are napping.  Why not help those in your household with a friendly and cute reminder to stay quiet around the baby's room by making this darling door reminder.  When the baby is asleep simply place it on the doorknob alerting the household that it's nap time and when the baby is done napping you can easily take the reminder down!

To make this project start with the XL Bird Shapes from Clear Scraps and grab your Premium Craft Glue and  Crackle Medium.  Grab other embellishments and ribbon to finish off the project.

Use your Premium Craft Glue to attach the patterned paper to the bird and trim excess. 
Cover patterned paper with crackle medium and allow to dry.
Ink edges with ink if desired.
Attach embellishments and letter stickers.

Cuppie Cake with Frosting & Sprinkles! Plus A Giveaway!

Helmar Products used: 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, V2 Vellum Adhesive, Liquid Scrap Dots and Acid Free Glue

Preferred Products: Clear Scraps, Pink Paislee, Stampendous

Other: Kaiser Craft, Sakura

Journaling: You're my cuppie cake, gumdrop, gumdrop, schnukem schnukem schnoy, the apple of my eye.

You can't tell by this picture, but I have added "frosting"! The "frosting" (glitter) has been applied to the back side of the Clear Scraps Cupcake and you can see how I did this in this video:

Fun stuff, hey? I just love the versatility of the V2 Vellum Adhesive combined with the using acrylic!

Moving onto the 3 circle embellishments I made:

First, I flocked and glittered the circles(I'll show you how in just a sec). Then I used Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots to pop them up along with the picture, all in varying heights.

And here is how I added the flock and glitter the circle embellishments:

I hope you get to use one or all of the fun techniques here :) And to make it a little easier for you to try out one of the techniques with Helmar Adhesive..... You could be the lucky winner of this:

• Craft Glue  4.23 oz
• Acid Free Glue 4.23 oz
• V2 Vellum Adhesive

All you need to do is leave me a comment to this post by May 25th! Really, it's that easy! Tracy will be randomly choosing the winner :) One comment per person please.

Becky Teichmiller, Helmar USA Design Team Member

Just 4 Dad!

With Father's Day coming up, thought I'd share a gift idea with you now, so you have plenty of time to get one done, if you choose to.

When I was younger I would always buy my dad a tie for Father's Day.  Some of them were pretty ugly, but he'd always smile and give me a big hug, like it was the best gift in the world!!! :)

So, keeping with that tradition, I thought I'd alter a XL paper clip from Clear Scraps and convert it into a simple tie shape, by adding a piece of chipboard to the top. I used Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere the patterned paper to the acrylic paper clip, it dries crystal clear and since the patterned paper is double sided, it gives the back of the clip a nice finished look. To make the gift set complete I also altered a desk organizer, pen and small binder clip using the Wrangler collection by Paper Trunk.

Above you can see how I used Helmar's Crackle Medium on the edges and base of the desk organizer. To achieve this look I painted the edges and base of the organizer with some brown paint, then applied step 1 and 2 of the Crackle Medium as directed on the bottle. When dry, I used some light yellow paint to rub into the cracks. Tip: Make sure when using paint to do a small area at a time. After you apply the paint wipe it off with a damp rag quickly, so the paint just stays in the cracks and not the surface of your project. After the  Crackle Medium has dried use Helmar's Craft and Hobby PVA Glue to adhere the patterned paper to the sides and inside of the organizer.

Supplies Used:

Helmar - Crackle Medium, Craft & Hobby PVA Glue and 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.
Clear Scraps - XL Paper Clip
Paper Trunk - Patterned paper (Wrangler collection)
Pink Paislee - Alphabet letter stickers and brad
Making Memories - paint and mini letter stickers
Hobby Lobby - Desk organizer
Other: pen, binder clip and twine.

Jennifer, Helmar Design Team Member

Happy Mother's Day!

I love celebrating special occasions with gifts, cards and presents.  I try to make the most of my scrapbooking tools and supplies by creating these gifts myself.  In doing so, I gain a sense of accomplishment and create unique, one-of-a-kind personalized gifts.  Here I turned a flower pot that I found in my basement into a gift set.  The flower pot was cleaned, embellished, and filled with handmade bath soaps.  Can you believe this entire project was created with only one adhesive?  Helmar Premium Craft Glue is versatile enough to use for cards and for altered art crafts.     

 

Supplies:

Helmar Premium Craft Glue

Scribble Scrabble Carmen’s Collection Die cut & Papers

Prima Chipboard Alpha & Inkpad

The Beadery Craft Beads & Buttons

Lara’s Crafts Jute

Making Memories Rub-ons

Card Instructions:

1.      To create the card, I used a piece of Scribble Scrabble's Carmen Collection Paper cut to 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches and then folded in half.  

2.      The card is simple to embellish with Scribble Scrabble’s Die Cut punch out designs. 

3.      Distress the diecut and paper with sandpaper.  I brushed the edges with a Prima ink pad as well.

4.      Tie jute on buttons and glue to the centers of the flowers with Helmar’s Premium Craft Glue.

5.      Assemble the entire card using Helmar Premium Craft Glue.

 

Flower Pot Instructions:

1.       I cleaned the flower pot with soap and water.  Then allowed it to dry completely.    

2.      Cut Scribble Scrabble Paper into strips.  Wrinkle, tear and sand the paper strips to create a weathered look.  Adhere to the pot using Helmar’s Premium Craft Glue.

3.      Tie the Scribble Scrabble Die Cut tag onto the flower pot with jute and beads.  Secure the tag on to the pot with Helmar’s Premium Craft Glue. 

4.      Fill the flower pot with soaps, towels and bath sponges.

Tish Treadaway, Helmar USA Design Team Member 

"Textured" effects.....or not

In today's economy, we're all looking for ways to make our scrapping products go farther. One way to do that, is to make your products "multipurpose". One thing I love about Helmar products is that you can use them for things that they weren't primarily designed for.

Take for example, our "Textured Effects". Last week, I showed us how to use Textured Effects to add dimension and texture to your photos - but what if you don't want or need "texture"? That's a pretty big jar of product to have sitting around! Here's where the "multipurposing" comes in...

If you have a need to glue down, seal or protect your projects and you don't have our fabulous "Acrylic Sealer" on hand, you can use Textured Effects. Put a little in a small bowl, and mix with just a little bit of water. This will thin the Textured Effects and give it the consistency of white glue.

While working on my layout using this fabulous "Scribble Scrabble" Carmen's Collection, I decided that I wanted to add some glitter to the die cut flowers. Normally, I would spray them with V2 spray, but I looked over and saw the Textured Effects sitting there and decided to give it a try.

 

I covered some of the die cut images with Textured Effects using a foam brush, then sprinkled Stampendous glitter all over them. Because I used a foam brush I was able to get a smooth application. On the "Life is Good" die cut I used the Textured Effects and just let it dry which added a little bit of sheen to it.

Let's face it, we all want our products to do "double duty" and Helmar Products rise the to challenge!

Until next time,

Marci : )

Mid Month - Dimension Sensation "Button Flowers"

Dimension Sensation via Button Flowers!
Now that is what I am talking about...the kind that pops off the page. You know the type!
The type your Helmar products can help you with.

Here is one of most favorite dimensional layouts. This is my mom and my uncle, are they not the cutest?

Products Used:

450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Liquid Scrapdots
Pink Paislee: Patterned Paper, Brads, Stickers & Stamps
Staz On Ink
Autumn Leaves Buttons
Fiskars Scallop Punch Large & Small
Stickles Glitter
Prima Flowers
Scrapbook Kit from The Scrapbook Nook, where I was their Guest Designer for April.  Wat a fun place!

Enjoy the flower technique!
Beth

 

I have had quite a few questions about how I make my dimensional flowers on my layouts. I thought I would provide a tutorial, so you could easily make these cute 3D floral embellishments that will coordinate with your layouts perfectly. Enjoy!

Beth's Stitched Button Flowers
1) Products used:
Pink Paislee Patterned Papers, stamps, and stickers.
Helmar Adhesive: Liquid 450 Adhesive and Liquid Scrapdots

2) Stamp images onto Clear buttons with Versamark Ink.

3) Punch 2 different sized flowers from a punch. I used Fiskars' Scallop punches.

 

 

4) Choose buttons and flowers that will be paired up.

 

5) Clear button with colored backing: Adhere Helmar 450 and let dry. Cut out.

 

 

 

6) While clear buttons with adhesive are drying, sew/stitch the die cut flowers.

 

7) Crumple flower.

 

8) Adhere Helmar's Liquid Scrap dots and then layer until you reach the desired height. This is what gives me the dimension I have in my layouts.

 

 

9) Lightly place layer's on top of Scrapdots. Let Dry.

 
10) Add Stickles Glitter and Let Dry. Adhere to Layout and you are done!

Hope this will be a fun technique that you can use over and over!

Thanks for looking!
Beth Root