Crazy for Coffee by Barb

Henry Ward Beecher said, "A cup of coffee -- real coffee -- home-browned, home-ground, home-made, that comes to you dark as a hazel-eye, but changes to a golden bronze as you temper it with cream that never cheated, but was real cream from its birth, thick, tenderly yellow, perfectly sweet, neither lumpy nor frothing on the Java: such a cup of coffee is a match for twenty blue devils, and will exorcise them all."

Anyone who has known me for more than, oh, 25 seconds, knows that I'm a certifiable coffee addict. It took absolutely no stretch of my imagination when it came to this design. I began by painting a canvas board with white, blue and brown acrylic paints. Then I added the splatters, rings and coffee beans - all of which are done with rubber stamps.

I coated the gears with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate ink and dabbed a bit of Pearlescent Sky blue over that once it had dried.

I painted the spoon with Imagine Crafts Creative Medium in silver. While it was still wet, I used a rubber stamp to make the impression on the handle. When it had dried completely, I used my finger to rub blue ink into it to make it stand out more.

I began the mug by painting it with a layer of gesso. After the gesso was dry, I colored it in with Colour Arts's Twinkling H2Os. I didn't want an empty mug (mercy, no!), so I colored in some liquid using a Sharpie. I also added Distress Stickles to the "liquid" to give it extra sparkle. I used a rubber stamp with StazOn ink for the words on the mug. For the steam I painted the piece with gesso and then glopped on a thick layer of Distress Stickles.

I wanted the word "coffee" to look like an old enamel sign. I began by giving it a thick layer of irRESISTibles spray in wedding white. Once it was completely dry, I stamped "coffee" all over it, again using StazOn ink. I used the same shade of ink and, using my finger (which only stayed stained for about a day and a half), I lightly rubbed it here and there on the piece. To give it a little extra depth, I dabbed on Distress Stickles. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to get a cup of coffee!

Gina's Designs Products Used

Coffee & Tea Shape Set

Gears Boarders & Corners Miniatures 

Other Products Used

Gesso

Acrylic Paint

Brilliance Ink

StazOn Ink

Distress Stickles

irRESISTibles

Colour Arte Twinkling H2Os

Imagine Crafts Creative Medium

Rubber stamps by Blockheads

Tea Box Tutorial by Kim C.

This week I decided to just do something simple, but really cute!

I made a Tea Box.

This will also be a short tutorial on how I made this little box.

First you will need to have some cardstock measuring 4 3/4" x 7 3/4".  You need to score on the
4 3/4" side at 3/4" and 4".  Rotate cardstock to the 7 3/4 side and score at 3/4", 3 1/2", 4 1/4" and 7".

Then you will need to cut the tabs on each end and in the middle.   Then add adhesive to all the tabs.

See photo below for reference.

Fold on all score lines and assemble your box.  Your box should look like the photo below.

The chipboard pieces are form a new set called Coffee & Tea Set.  I used the teacup with teabag, the word tea and a steam piece.  I painted all the pieces with several coats of gesso.  I then inked them with vintage photo distress ink.  The tea bag I used the distress ink to make it look like it had been used.  I then added glossy accents to the tea bag and the word, tea.

I then used a flower background stamp to stamp the tea cup.  I used Victorian Velvet distress ink.

Before adhering the chipboard pieces I cut some pattern paper and adhered that to the box.  My measurements for the pattern paper are as follows:  top of box 3 1/8x 2 5/8, front and back sides of box 5/8 x 3 1/8(cut 2)  sides of box 5/8 x 2 5/8(cut 2).  I inked all the edges of the paper with vintage photo distress ink.

I hope you like what I have done and I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.  Sorry for not having photos of the chipboard process but I was very into making this box.

This little box will hold 4 tea bags.

Thanks for stopping and happy crafting!!

Gina's Designs Items Used:

Coffee & Tea Set

Other items used:

Black Cardstock

Scor Tape

Graphic 45 Pattern Paper

Gesso

Glossy Accents

Distress Inks: Victorian Velvet/Vintage Photo

Stampendous Stamp Set

Tea Bags