Vacation Memory Box

Hello fellow mixed media artists, I am super excited to share my first ever post on the Fabulous Frog Dog Blog!  I don't know about you, but I get so excited when I see the "brown truck" coming my way...hoping it's my new FD Kit ...AND, I LOVE seeing everyone's creative projects on our blog...so inspiring:)

I received my July kit the day before I left on a family vacation to Glacier National Park in Montana. It was hard to wait to play with so many fun products, but my trip gave me great purpose for my project...a vacation memory box:)

So, here goes...

As we were literally walking out of the last hotel we stayed in, a toilet paper roll wrapper caught my eye.  I liked the color and the word River printed on it and swiftly stuffed it in my bag.  My husband just shook his head.  

I tore it into small pieces and used the Studio multi matte medium to adhere it to the box found in the kit.  I used to use a lot of Mod Podge, but I like this product so much better!  It's not as sticky on your fingers, has no odor, and works great!  It dries fast too.

Both inside and outside covered with just one toilet paper wrapper...Yay! And to think, someone was just going to throw it away:)

Next I utilized the Distress Paint in "peeled paint" & "Antique Linen"

by adding some color to both the box and the Tim Holtz hinges. 

To put the hinges on, I pulled out my paper piercer to make holes 

through the box in order to push the brads through the hinges and box. 

I used some of the cool red letters from the ARTChix studio Ephemera sheet

to spell out Montana for the front of the box.

I couldn't resist coating them with the Crackle Accents.  I  just LOVE the effect this product brings to a flat piece of paper! Be patient though...it's best to let it dry 1-4 hours, depending on the surface area and thickness of the coating.

I inked up a pine tree stamp (the forests of Montana were breathtaking) with one of my favorite inks (moonlight white) to add some texture and color.

The metal embellishment on the front was something I grabbed out of my "stash."

I altered it's color with the "peeled paint" distress paint.  (I sealed the whole project with a clear acrylic sealer, which will prevent the paint from chipping off the metal piece & hinges)

Next came my treasures for the inside:)  

One of the Maps from Glacier National Park had "little squares" of places to see and stay on the back.  They were the perfect size to add to the "coasters" in the kit.

I first painted gesso on each of the coasters.  Next, I added the map squares, and both distress paints.

I printed off some of my favorite snap shots (in miniature size : 1.65 -almost a 2 inch square) using my home printer on card stock and then added them to the "coasters"

 using the Studio multi matte medium.

I added some sentiments using both the Washi tape (found in the kit of course) and 2 of my favorite pens...Faber Castell's Pitt Multi liner (xs) & Scarlett Lime in black.

Below is a picture of the inside lid.  I tore off the title of one of our trail maps (after I altered the color using my Gelli Plate: more on that below), burned the edges, and added the Crackle accents.

Oh, and all the butterflies were "punched" out of the same map that I had altered using both distress paints on my Gelli Plate. I know you'll be learning more about the Gelli Plate in months to come! Hope you're intrigued:)

I added to the box a few maps and a rock I found by the River in the park.  I drew on the rock with another one of my favorite pens...Uni-ball Signo pen in white.  *If you use this pen on a rock you must seal it in some way or it may smear,  I sprayed the rock with a clear acrylic spray.

The WG on the top stands for West Glacier...

this was the location of the beautiful house we stayed in.

I dipped the ends of the twine in craft glue to keep it from fraying. 

I think I'll make memory boxes for all of our trips and display them on a shelf.  It's so much fun for friends and family to pull out the tiny treasures and reminisce.  

I drive my husband crazy, cause I collect rocks when we travel to remember each special trip.  They are all over the house:)  I think he's happy this one has it's own little box.

I Would love to hear from you about your creative memory keeping!  Hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I did making it!  Happy Crafting!  

Love, Sue

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A little birdie told me....

Hello and Happy Friday!

Today, I would like to share my main project created with the July Frog Dog Studio kit!  I don't know about you, but I love 3-D art and boxed in particular.  There is something about creating a little treasure box from nothing but a chipboard box, Distress Paint, Crackle Paint, a sheet of Ephemera, and flowers!  :)
(special note:  the flowers are not included in the July kit.  These were taken from my personal stash)

I had SO MUCH FUN creating this little treasure box.  It is completely full of texture, color, and dimension.

I had started recording a video tutorial to show you how I created this fun little box, but my camera battery died and I lost the finish of how I made this box.  So I start with the video portion, then finish with some pictures of the balance of my how-to.

How-To continued below:

After adding the modeling paste and distress Paint to the chipboard squares, I added a thick layer of Crackle Accents to each piece.  Let the Crackle accents dry completely before moving to the next step.

Once the Crackle Accents is dry and the appearance of cracks are visible, add several colors of Distress Ink to each square, using an ink applicator.  This will add more depth and texture to each square and will really make the cracks POP!  (I used Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, and Peeled Paint)

Here are some close-ups of each side and how the Distress Ink seeps into the cracks!  Looks awesome, doesn't it?

Next, I daubed Distress Paint (in 3 colors - I used the 2 colors from the July kit and ) to my craft sheet and spritzed with water.  I placed several sheets of vintage dictionary ephemera on top of the Distress Paint, adding color to the paper.  Once the paint was dry, I added Distress Ink to each dictionary page, aging the look of the paper. 

Next, I began building my box, using the Crackle Accents chipboard squares and the distressed dictionary paper.  Add the paper to each side of the memory box with Gel Medium.  I ripped various sizes of the paper when adding them to the box.  I really like how the overlapped paper looks and it adds one more layer of dimension.

Once the sides are covered with the distressed paper, I adhered the Crackle Accent chipboard squares to each side with wet adhesive.  Next, attach the Tim Holtz hinge (included in the kit) to the front of the box, adhering it with the included brads.

After the sides are complete, begin building the top of the memory box.  I began by covering an old match box (from my stash) with the washi tape included in the kit.  I wanted to use the box to build height to my box and to add another layer of beauty!  :)

I adhered flowers of various sizes to the top of the box, then finished my memory box by adding 2 birds from the July Kit Ephemera sheet in several spots amoung the flowers.

This memory box now sits on my desk in my office!  What an uplifting and happy project!

Have you ordered your July Kit?  If not, you better act quick!  These are going fast!  We would love to see your memory box projects!  Please share them on our Facebook page.

As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by!  Have a fantastic weekend!

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Welcome July Guest Designer - Shanna Shands

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

Today, I would like to welcome Shanna Shands!  She has graciously agreed to share her talents and creativity with us this month!  You will LOVE her July Kit projects and find all sorts of hints, tips, and how-to's.  Before we share her first project, let's get to know Shanna a little more.

Hi everyone. My name is Shanna and I am a SAHM of two mini me's and one fur baby (my first mini me). I am a crafter who enjoys everything. My passion is coloring with my copics but I also love mixed media and getting my fingers dirty whenever I can. I am originally a California girl so the beach is my most favorite thing in the whole world. Right behind the beach I believe ice cream can turn any frown upside down. Besides those two things and my children crafting is my me time and a favorite thing to do for myself. So I cannot wait to share my little passions with you all!

Shanna inspires us with an amazing 'Dream Box' with the July kit!  You will love the detail, shabbiness, and texture she creates, using the July Kit product.

Here's a peek at her Dream Box.

And here's a video tutorial, showing you her amazing how-to steps!

Isn't that amazing??  

Thank you Shanna!  We have enjoyed your time with us today.  Be sure and stop by Shanna's blog and say Hi!  Tell Frog Dog Studio sent you.

Thank you for visiting with us today.  Have a great day!

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Create A Mixed Media WISH Box

Hello creative souls...Martha here with my 1st project from the incredible July kit! I had so much fun working with everything that is included. For this project I used 5 products from the kit.

The July Mixed Media Kit includes:

Maya Road 3" Vintage Memory Box with Coaster Album

 .5 oz Bottle of Crackle Accents

 Bottle of 'Peeled Paint' Distress Paint

Bottle of 'Antique Linen'  Distress Paint

4 oz Jar of Claudine Hellmuth Studio Multi-Medium

Roll of Prima Washi Tape (colors/design may vary)

Package Tim Holtz Hinges

'Pretty Bird Notes' Ephemera sheet from ARTChixStudio

Let's take a look at what I created:

Mixed Media WISH Box

{a place to store all my wishes and dreams}

FYI: I'm thrilled with the Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paints because of all the applications it can be used for, used on multiple surfaces and a color range that coordinates with the Distress palette. It has been developed to be reactive with water. Although it comes with the convenient dabber top I like applying it with a paint brush. It can also be treated as a color wash, almost watercolor like, when water is added to it. 

An artist can change her mind...right? I originally was going for the ivory distress paint but was not pleased with the finished look so I went for the Peeled Paint green. 

Thanks for stopping by and spending a few minutes with me. I hope I have inspired you to try some of these products & techniques. I'll be back with another project on Mon. July 15th. 

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