Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

Now that the winter holidays are over, I'm ready for spring!! And my crafting thoughts are turning to spring, as well. Arnold Grummer's Papermaking is getting ready to usher in spring as well. To celebrate National Crafting Month they are offering a 20% discount off your total order!! The special discount code is March20 . Offer ends March 31, 2013, so take advantage of this deal while it lasts. I selected a variety of patterned papers, vellum, and a treasure envelope for the pages of my booklet. The papers were cut 6" x 6" to match my handmade paper cover. Pages of the booklet I used a Sizzix die to cut the flower petals from paper that I made using Arnold Grummer's papermaking kit . I added a couple organza flowers between the paper petals, and secure all the layers with a black velvet brad. Close up of handmade paper flower embellishment I punched the cover, pages, and treasure envelope as shown in the following photo. This particular punch arr...

Thanksgiving is just past, and I'm moving on to Christmas. I made these two booklets using Arnold Grummer's  mini zigzag books  to give as greeting cards. For cover of the booklet on the right, I paired USArtQuest's Duo Adhesive and Arnold Grummer's Gold Dust particles. I daubed a foam wedge in the Duo and pounced it randomly on the surface of the brown handmade paper. The Duo goes on as a white liquid and is effective when it dries clear and tacky. When the Duo was dry, I liberally sprinkled the surface with the Gold Dust particles. Next, I used a textured sponge to remove the excess Gold Dust, leaving a beautiful, randomly gilded cover. Close up of Gold Gilded ZigZig Booklet I embellished each cover with snowflakes punched from handmade paper. A rhinestone in the center of each snowflake adds just the right touch of bling. The inside of the blue snowflake booklet was also done with Duo and Gold Dust, but this time I used the Duo with rubber stamps, using...

I know, I know—Halloween isn't even here and I'm posting about Christmas. But, it's not too early to start making decorations. For this piece I used the Christmas Tree mold from Arnold Grummer's. These molds are great for paper pulp, but this time I used Creative PaperClay . I kneaded the clay and then pressed it into the mold, taking care to press the clay into all the intricate design areas.  Christmas Tree mold I removed the casting from the mold before it was completely dry, and set in right side up on a flat surface to finish drying. Then, I trimmed the casting with a craft knife and filed any rough edges. Trimmed casting Next, I sealed the piece with PPA from USArtQuest . After the PPA dried I covered the piece with USArtQuest's Duo Adhesive . This unique adhesive goes on white, but its real magic happens when it dries clear. It becomes tacky  enough for gilding, powdered mica pigments, foiling or even glitter. I chose to cover the tree with sil...