What's all the hoopla about?

Hello Paper Crafters…What's all the hoopla about?  It's about those wonderful embroidery hoops that are finding a new life in paper crafting. 
When I was a teen, my Aunt Betty loved to cross stitch, and she was gracious enough to teach me.  Including her picture on my embroidery hoop project was a wonderful way to remember her and her kindness to me. 

Let's talk about how I made this project.  I started by looking through the wonderful 49 and Market “Bold and Beautiful” line to determine the papers I would use for the project.  I chose the floral side of the "Lovely" sheet for the background.  On the opposite side of this sheet was a small area with a dictionary print, which included the word "Loveable."  I used this piece as the smallest layer behind the picture frame.

I used an 8" wood embroidery hoop and traced around the outer edge of the hoop on the floral side of the "Lovely" paper.  Then, I covered the hoop in white Gesso, which prepared the surface of the hoop for painting.  

Once the Gesso dried, I painted the embroidery hoop with FolkArt Acrylic Paint.  The color is Seashell Pink.  

Once the acrylic paint was dry, I glued the two hoops together with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

Then, I trimmed the outer edge of the hoop with lace using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.  

I used the Cutter Bee Scissors to cut out the traced hoop from the "Lovely" floral paper and applied it to the back of the hoop using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive.

As part of the 49 and Market “Bold and Beautiful” line, they have the prettiest embellishments called "Laser Cut Shapes."

From the “Laser Cut Shapes” sheet, I used the back (pink color) of the large post card (at the bottom) for the largest layer behind the frame.

The next layer came from the "Garden Letters" sheet.  I used the beige and white polka dots from the center of the sheet. 

The final layer came from the "Loveable" dictionary words cut out from the "Lovely" sheet.   I distressed the edges of each sheet with the Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Distresser leaving a tattered edge.  The layers were applied with lace peeking out of the upper right corner.  

Next up was the special picture.  It was framed with a frame from the Tim Holtz idea-ology Baseboard Frames-Lace set.  Due to the layering on the left side of the frame, the right side is popped up with Scotch Foam Mounting Tape.

You may notice the green board peeking out from under the frame.  It's my favorite paper trimmer - The CutterPillar Pro.  Also available is a handy carrying case.  

Now, it's time for the embellishments.  Two stamps and leaves from the "Laser Cut Shapes" are attached to the frame.  Curving the leaves downward gave them dimension.

The focal point is a combination of 49 and Market and Prima flowers with lace tucked behind.  Some of the flower were a little bright, so I tapped them with a white pen to soften the color.  Also, the white pen was used to make stitch lines around the pink layer of paper.  Pink pearls were attached to the lace and white pearls pop out of the flowers.  For a shabby chic accent, white pearls were individually added around the hoop and a white ribbon graces the top. 

Visit The Doodlebug, Inc., in Jasper, IN, to see more of the beautiful 49 and Market “Bold and Beautiful” line and the other products shown in this blog; or, shop online at The Doodlebug!  

Thanks for checking out my What's all the Hoopla About?" project.  Until next time, happy crafting with The Doodlebug!

Melody