Frame - Let Freedom Ring!

I Love Independence Day, The 4th of July, or whatever you call it! I love America, the Red, White, and Blue, God Bless the USA, Let Freedom Ring, and all of the other phrases we use to celebrate out great land.  With the holiday right around the bend, the end of this week, I decided to create a Home Decor item that would blend in with any decor you may have. Celebrate our country year-round with this wonderful frame.

I started with an unfinished 5 X 7 frame with glass, and a 5 X 7 frame die cut from Daisy D's designs.   I also had a roll of 4" wide patriotic sheer ribbon with stars and stripes on it. I took a 12" long strip of the wired edged ribbon and accordion folded it along the length of the ribbon.  I then took a small piece of wire, and tied the ribbon about 1" from the bottom of the folds. After tying it tightly, I cut off the bottom inch and set it aside.  I then fanned out the top folds to form the banner.  I glued it to the top of the frame with hot melt glue and then adhered the frame die cut over the face of the frame, thus overlapping the ribbon edge I glued down. To decorate the outside, I glued a satin ribbon bow on top of the banner and added a velvet flower to the ribbon.

For the inside of the frame, I took the middle section of the die cut that had the phrase "Let Freedom Ring" printed on it, and die cut around it with the Worn Edge Die from Die-namics (My Favorite Things).  I took another strip of the sheer patriotic ribbon and glued it to the back panel of the frame unit.  I then used temporary tape to adhere the sentiment to the center of the opening, leaving it available for a photo if needed later on.

This could also be a great housewarming gift to present a friend when attending their July 4th barbecue. Then you could take a photo at the get-together, have it printed, and present it to the owner to put in their frame. What a wonderful remembrance gift!

I am entering this in the DL Art Thankful Thursday June Challenge 112 - Patriotic. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, whenever you get to celebrate it.

Alcohol Ink Layering on Glass

This is an ink layering technique I taught several years ago at Stamp Antonio, my  local rubber stamp store.

To start this project, get an inexpensive photo frame with a piece of glass in it. I like to shop the dollar stores for this type of frame, especially while I am practicing this inking technique.

The first step is to take a rubber stamp, and stamp it onto a piece of card stock the same size as your glass and frame.

Take the glass from your frame, and clean it with soap and water, or window cleaner to remove fingerprints and any foreign residue. Then take the glass, and drop multiple drops of alcohol ink reinkers on the glass. Then add several drops of the alcohol extender to your alcohol applicator and pounce it up and down on top of the color droplets to mix the colors up.(in other words, fill the glass with color.)  This alcohol ink dries almost immediately, so work quickly.  If you don't like what you have done, you can always put some of the extender on the glass and rub it off with a cloth or paper towel.  Keep the image you have stamped close-by so you can remember where  to leave the color a little lighter. For example, in the picture above  I left the colors light in the middle of the glass where the facial features of the stamp would show. I cannot tell you how much ink to use, that is something you will just have to play with and use your own judgement as to how you want your finished picture to look. The extender thins out the alcohol ink, so if you want your colors lighter, use the "light" line of alcohol inks or just a small amount of the regular alcohol inks. 

When you get your glass like you want it, you can then place your stamped piece on top (next to the ink) and enclose it in the frame, for a beautiful framed piece.  If you place the inked side of the glass on the outside, it might get scratched off, if your picture falls off the wall.

Once you master this technique, you can use it to make all kinds of jewelry, charms, wind chimes, sun catchers, and wall art.  If you want the sun or light to shine through the picture, be sure to stamp your image on a transparent medium, like plastic, vellum, or even another layer of glass.  Then when you hang it the light will shine through just like stained glass. Have fun creating, and I will be back with you soon.