Paper Cut Lettering Collage with Lynn Giunta

Howdy everyone! I'm going to introduce you to an artist that I deeply admire. 

Her name is Lynn Giunta. She describes herself as a "Maker of things that usually involve letters." Look at her work...aren't they darling? They are cute, colorful, and reverberate with positivity. She has an Etsy shop and she designs for Hallmark!

Here are some of her collages up close:

Lynn Giunta Etsy Shop 

Lynn Giunta Etsy Shop

Lynn Giunta Etsy Shop 

 

Sigh. Collage never looked so good! Lynn Giunta can really turn paper from blah to TADA!

I got to attend her session at Workshop Week and she demonstrated how she made her collages: 

She used colorful paper that she decorated with marks like dots and stripes (right side of photo). Then she cut the paper into rectangles and trimmed them down into letters. If you'll look at the left side of the photo, she uses the Cut Paper Alphabet Guide on how to cut the letters even without the aid of a pencil, just scissors. And it doesn't have to be perfect...some legs are skinny and not all letters are exactly the same height.  

Based on these guidelines, let me try my hand at making Lynn Giunta-style collages. 

I unearthed my stash of paper scraps and a pair of scissors.

To make the collage my own, these alphabet stamps are helping me out. I use them with an acrylic stamping block and a black ink pad.  

Choose the letters for the word that we'd like to spell and line them up on the acrylic stamp block. Tap this on the ink pad, making sure the letters are evenly coated with ink.

Stamp the words on paper and form the phrases like these ones. 

Make the collage by gluing on the letters/phrases on a sheet of paper (this is painted with watercolor). 

This one is glued on a magazine page that was mounted on cardboard.

This one is decorated with magazine cut-outs and washi tape. 

Here, I tried out Lynn's letter-cutting technique. First cut the paper into a rectangle, then trim it into the letters I needed. I was able to spell out "I am worthy"...TADA!

As we end another year, I want to remember all the highs and lows of 2024...I am so grateful for all of these experiences that contribute to my story. I will carry all these words with me into the New Year: Be Grateful, Stay Curious, Find Beauty, I Am Worthy. 

Thank you for always being here, reading my words and crafting with me. 

Let's keep on turning all things from blah to TADA!

An Angel for Your Angels

Do you believe in angels? I do! And I know each one of us has been assigned a guardian angel at birth to protect us while we complete our calling here on earth. When I was little, the first prayer I learned was "A Prayer to My Guardian Angel."

Angel figurines have a special place in my heart. They are reminders of all the angels that surround us, whether spiritual beings or people in the form of family, friends, caregivers or service people who lighten our daily load. 

Here is one of the cutest angel figurines I've seen. It was sold in a little shop by the Jersey Shore. I love its simplicity and compact packaging, it makes for a nice token of appreciation for the angels in our lives.

Inspired by this Little Guardian Angel, I'm going to craft my own.

I'm using Air Dry Clay but you can experiment with salt dough clay (note though that you will have to bake your salt dough figurines after shaping them).

With a small amount of air dry clay, I formed a cylinder for the body (flatten both ends) and a sphere for the head, then I attached them together while the air dry clay was still malleable and tacky.

There are many ways to form the angel wings. Here, I am using a small butterfly-shaped cookie cutter. I rolled out the air dry clay into a flat disk and pressed the cookie cutter into the clay. I peeled off the excess clay until I was left with this.   

I attached the wings to the body of the angel. If it doesn't stick, a small amount of all purpose glue will help keep the wings in place. 

Allow this to dry where kids and pets can't reach it. It mustn't feel soft when you carefully press on it. It may take 5 days or longer so be patient and plan accordingly. 

Here is the little angel...TADA!

Make sure to store any left over air dry clay in an airtight container (I kept it in its original packaging, put it in a reusable zipper pouch, and tucked it in a plastic box with a tight-fitting lid). 

Now, let's make the box to house the angel.

The technique is similar to this project where I painted an empty coffee capsule box and added some lettering detail.

I'm adding some angel-related phrases, first with a pencil.

Then I traced over the pencil lines with black marker. 

A new phrase on another side. 

And still another phrase on another side of the box. 

A final phrase for the top of the box. 

Once fully dry, tuck the angel inside the box. 

Make as many to give away to all the angels in your life and tell them that you appreciate them.

And that is how I turned air dry clay and an empty box from blah to TADA!

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DIY Winterberries

Hey, hey, it's nice to see you today! Care to join me for some holiday crafting?

During the winter months, when all the trees are bare, I am always drawn to this tree with red berries. I think it's called a Washington Hawthorne, but for any of my dear readers who are skilled gardeners or tree enthusiasts, please correct me if I got it wrong.  

I think of it as a fantasy tree where woodland creatures come to gather for some winter feasting. But that's just me. It's also inspiration for a lot of holiday decorations like holly wreaths, garlands, and holly centerpieces. 

It's easy to find bunches of these holly berries or winterberries at the supermarket. Just add them to a clear vase and your home will turn from blah to TADA!

This door decor looks so extra with all the berries and pinecones!

I'm now inspired to make my own winterberries.

I found these dried twigs with pea-shaped buds in the park. I don't know what they're called. They are lovely as is or if included in a dried floral arrangement.  

But if we painted the buds using some acrylic paint and a small paintbrush...

Don't they look like winterberries?

Paint a few stems, let them dry, and add them to a vase -- instant holiday vibes! 

Or why not add them to your holiday gift wrapping?

And that is how I turned some dried twigs from blah to TADA!

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Ornaments Made of Seashells and Salt Dough

Whenever I am at the beach, I can't help but collect some seashells. They serve as souvenirs of my day. When I touch their smooth surfaces or symmetrical ridges, I feel the energy of the sand, sunshine, water, and wind even if I'm at home, faraway from the shore.   

Here are some of the seashells I've collected:

I remember my Grandma had a similar collection but she had bigger ones like conch and nautilus shells. She kept them inside decorative glass jars on the coffee table. As kids, my cousins and I weren't allowed to touch them, "Look only," was the stern warning. I never asked my Grandma about that collection -- where they came from and what stories were behind each shell. But I always remember her whenever I see seashells.  

I don't particularly display my seashells but I often use them for crafting. I've used them to make jewelry like earrings, pendants for necklaces, and a bracelet...TADA!

I've also incorporated seashells in my embroidery...TADA! 

Today, let's make these seashell ornaments that we can add to our Christmas Tree.

Start off by making salt dough disks. You can find the detailed tutorial here.  

I painted the salt dough disks with acrylic paint and a small paintbrush. I chose this shade of pool blue. I used about five coats of paint (with some drying time in between each coat) and let them fully dry.  

This is not only a Christmas Tree ornament but a memento to remind us of which beaches we've visited. At the back of each salt dough disk, I wrote the names of the beaches from where the shells came from using a permanent marker. 

Then I added hanging strings (I used skinny yarn). 

These are the shells I'm using (I made sure to make a salt dough disk big enough to fit each one).

Attach the shells to the corresponding salt dough disk using a glue gun.

And that is how I turned seashells and salt dough from blah to TADA!

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Five Things for December

Hooray, we made it to the last month of the year! 

When the holidays come around, I hang a wreath on our front door. Every year, I give it a new look using ornaments that I already have on hand such as capiz parols from the Philippines, winterberries, foraged pinecones, a silver ribbon, and a butterfly. In the past, I've decorated it with a candy-theme and an all-red theme. I encourage you to tweak the look of your plain wreath and turn it from blah to TADA! 

If you have some vacation days that you need to use, visit a new town to check out their holiday decorations. The National Christmas Tree is located in Washington, DC., right across The White House and the Washington Monument. You can't see it in this photo but it's surrounded by smaller Christmas trees representing each of the United States. Some places I would love to visit are Bethlehem, Pennsylvania known as "Christmas City" or any of the cities on this list that are filled with Christmas charm.

The holidays are also an opportunity to learn about celebrations that we didn't grow up with. For me, it's Hannukah (Jewish Festival of Lights). Books like this one can be read to the young ones in the family and it would be fun to try out the recipes, too...TADA!

NVC Artisans of Hope

These Christmas tree ornaments are made of 126 discarded coffee capsules...TADA! They are crafted by a non-profit organization in the Philippines and the proceeds of their shop are used to fight hunger and poverty. May these inspire us to make our own ornaments using recycled materials or to consider charitable giving this season.   

My very thoughtful cousin gave me this vintage cookbook that she found at Argosy Books. Cookbooks like this give me a glimpse of the past. I am now considering making retro dishes and cocktails for Christmas and New Year's Eve!

I know December is hectic for many of us -- here's wishing you lots of energy and a little "me" time to relish the holidays!