Happy Thanksgiving Canvas Art

Just two more sleeps until the big TURKEY DAY is here.  Today I wanted to share an altered canvas art display I made to showcase a photo from our big Family Reunion Thanksgiving we did last year.

These are easy to make from scrapbook supplies you may already have laying around. 

Here are some quick directions if you want to make one of your own:
1. Using acrylic paint of your choice, lightly brush a canvas of your size choice.  I used a 12X12.
2. Set canvas aside and let air dry. Once dry, using a Distress Ink pad, I lightly inked the edges of my canvas
3. Select a patterned paper to match your theme and cut a piece about 4 1/2"X12" to run vertically and tear the edges on both sides. Ink edges as desired. Adhere to dry canvas about 1 inch from the left edge of the canvas.  You should use a good quality, quick dry scrapbook glue such as Scotch Liquid Quick Dry Glue. It holds great to the canvas and is easily found at craft stores. It goes on white but dries clear.
4. Cut a different piece of patterned paper 3 "X 12" to run horizontally. Use a craft border punch of your choice to punch just the bottom edge.  Crinkle the paper into a ball, unroll and repeat a couple of times until your paper is really crinkely (that's a word, right?).  Lightly rub an ink pad over the top, catching ink on the crinkled pieces.  Adhere to the canvas horizontally using the liquid glue.
5. Cut a 5"X7" piece of cardstock.  Use an embossing folder and emboss an image of your choice.  I used a Cricut Autumn Embossing  folder.  Using a sander (I used Tim Holtz sanding block), gently sand the tops of the embossed design.  Adhere the cardstock piece to the canvas overlapping your vertical piece of patterned paper slightly.
6. Make a photo mat to fit the size of your photo and adhere overlapping the embossed cardstock.  You can place your photo either horizontal as I have or vertical if you prefer.
7.  Embellish as you like with title, sayings, bling, etc.

Here is a close up of the embossed piece.

Now I just need to add my photo and we are all set to display on our buffet serving table this year.

Hope you give this a try sometime.  You can adapt to any theme and keep it simple like this or really go to town with your paper layering and embellishments.  I am working on a Christmas one right now that will be much more elaborate so come back and check that out soon.

Wishing you each a very Happy Thanksgiving !!  Gobble, Gobble

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Well, we are down to the final 3 days before the big Thanksgiving Feast in the USA is upon us.  Time to start pulling out all the Thanksgiving decorations and getting them put up.  Luckily, last year I made quite a few things to help bring the Thanksgiving feeling to our family dinner. Here are some of those projects from 2010:

The mantle banner says Give Thanks. I made it with

various chipboard pieces covered in fall themed patterned paper.

I added a ruffled crepe paper trim around some of the pieces

and them decorated with all kinds of fall ribbons and

embellishments I had collected over the years. 

Loved how it turned out !

I made these special Thanksgiving candles

from glass jar candles I bought at Michaels

and then wrapped a strip of fall paper around the middle.

Then I used the Cricut Lacy Labels and Thanksgiving

cartridge to make these Thanksgiving themed

tags and hung from each with fibers. 

A few pilgrims and indians and some fall foliage scattered

around the table and we had lovely table decor.

For place settings we used gold chargers with our Turkey paper plates.

LOL...how is that for elegance for a crowd? 

My granddaughter and I made the napkin ring holders

our of cardstock and patterned paper rings, a scalloped shaped punchout,

and some felt pilgrims boys and girls in felt we bought at Hobby Lobby.

Tada ! 

So this year, all I need to do is unpack all these handmade gems and set the table !  Come back tomorrow and I will show you what I made for this year's Thanksgiving.

It's Thanksgiving Time ... Are you Ready?

It's almost time to roast that bird, mash those potatoes, make cornbread dressing and gravy plus a pie or two !

We LOVE Thanksgiving in our family.  It is traditionally the time we all get together and just enjoy a great communal meal and each other's company. To catch  up on what we have all been doing.  To share and laugh.  There is a lot of talking and laughing when we all get together that is for sure !!!!

We have 26 people gathering together this year from my hubby's side of the family.  We can hardly wait to see everyone!  It's been a while since we were all together.

Part of Thanksgiving is also about giving Thanks for all that we have been given.  We are reminded of the hardships and sharing by the pilgrims and indians on that first Thanksgiving in America. And of our own hardships and sharings since.

Our holiday table decorations always reflect those pilgrims and indians.

This year I made some candle decorations for 4 of the tables with inspirational words.

I used the Cricut Lacy Labels and Thanksgiving carts. 

My granddaughter and I also made boy and girl pilgrim napkin ring holders for everyone.

She even wrote "Give Thanks" on each one.   So adorable !

And last year I had made a "Give THANKS" Banner which we used on the

 Fireplace Mantle in the family room this year.

I will be doing a lot of cooking and cleaning in preparation for everyone's arrival later this week and may not blog more until next week, so let me take this chance to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and to enjoy those you gather around your table.

As We Gather Together

November has been a loooooooooong month and I just haven't made time to blog. Sorry blog followers.

I spent a lot of time in the Transplant ICU helping take care of my dad who had a tumor removed from his liver including cutting out entire right side of his liver and was in the hospital for two weeks. It was so hard to see my dad so weak and in pain. You just never think that your dad will ever be like that. Wishful thinking on the part of all daddy's girls I think.

Happily, dad is recovering well and we were so Thankful to have our family together this Thanksgiving. Bianca came over the day before Thanksgiving and helped us decorate and set out our special Turkey place cards we made last year.

I did find some time this month for a little bit of "scraptherapy" and created a "GIVE Thanks" Banner. The pictures are not the greatest but you will get the general idea. Loved using a mix of wonderful fall papers from some of my favorite manufacturers.

I took some close ups of the banner and will post latter this week for those that want to see it.

Hope everyone of my friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend.