Scrapbooking - Lifes Moments

Hi everyone, here is my new layout using Twiddleybitz chipboard.  This was quite a hard layout, as I wanted to show the process of the ride, that the kids were on, when they were in Surfers Paradise. 

Because I had a lot of photos, and they weren't that close, I decided that I needed the photos to be mounted, I also wanted to show the slide in action, so I decided on a double page spread.

 

Here is the first side of the layout, and I have used a spellbinders dies to cut these yellow scalloped circles out of card stock, which I inked with Peacock distress ink.  Then I added a photo to each one, which I also cut using a smaller spellbinders die, then I added a chipboard circle over the top, which I had painted in blue first, then added yellow stripes, to make a sort of buoy. 

 I used Tim Holtz printed tickets to add all the words to the page, then I added Twiddleybitz card flourishes (which I love).Underneath I decided I needed something to make the water, so it looked as though the photos were sliding down the page on a sea of water.  I used muslin cloth, and I sprayed with a few different glimmer mists, and then dried it, and then tore at the edges to fray it all.  Then I added the top flags, which I sprayed with glimmer mists as well.  I added a few flowers in amongst it all.  

I finally added Life's moments, which I sprayed and then inked a bit.  I love this mesh tape that is under the words, I wanted them to stand out on this dark background.



Now we put it all together, to get out double page spread.

 I added a few sprays on to the page, at the end, just to break down the large expanse of blue at the bottom left hand side.  I hope you have enjoyed. 

Distress Storage Cabinet - Kaisercraft

Hi Jo here, I decided to set myself a real challenge for this project for Artfull Crafts.  I didn't want to use any paper.  No paper? Yes I can do that.  Then what did I find out? Kaisercraft released Base coat this would have been superb for it.  Liz said she would send me some.  But no. I set a goal, so stick to it. Though I do have the paper for another project.    

I started with this stunning little storage cabinet from Kaisercraft.  The more I looked at it, the more I began to think how useful it would be.  I thought of everything in my really organised studio, and picked the one thing that drives me crazy.  My distress inks.  They are never easy to sort through, find the right foam square for the right ink, so you end up with three blacks squares, and no linen coloured ones.  Time to sort that out.

This is a lesson in what NOT to do.
Distress inks, distress cabinet.  You can see where I am going with this can't you.  This is where once again I tell you what not to do.  I am impatient, if you do not know this by now, well, now you do. I wanted it white, like an old girly dresser from days gone by, with all the filigree and handles and well, pretty but distressed.
I thought that it would be a great idea to stencil a wood pattern on to the sides and the front, using modelling paste. I did one side and put it aside to dry.  Hmmm this will take a while. Next day, I realised that it was just going to stick out to far and not look that good, it was a far to high design.  Sand it off, start again.  No!  I am over that idea, three sides to stencil, that will be another week before I can carry on.  Next option paint the project with white paint,  I hunted through my pile of paints and not one white to be found.  We are renovating a house at present, so I grabbed some white paint from there, once again a bad decision.  I allowed that to dry (with a heat gun) of course.  Then I added some crackle medium all over it. No, I know what you are thinking, don't force dry crackle medium, I was a good girl, off to bed, and I let it dry naturally.  Next morning up and on goes the next layer of paint, white again.  Waited for it to start to crack, so I could carry on playing.  Nothing happened.  Hmm that is strange, try again.  I coated it with crackle again, this time  more generously.  Waited, dried, re painted nothing happened.  You can not use house paint with crackle medium, especially good quality house paint. Always order from Artfull crafts paint section, and be patient while it arrives.

That's okay, I will just try something else.  I painted another light coat over the project again, and this time I got my heat gun really close and I made the paint bubble and blister. I know that this is wrong, but it worked.  I distressed my paint this way., but I could have used a Tim Holtz distress paint at this stage.  But I was worried about the house paint I had already used.

Then I used weathered wood distress ink,  I rubbed it all over the project.  Where I had added the crackle medium, it was a little higher, than the rest of the paintwork and so the ink attached to these parts more, and went into the blistered areas.  I wiped it down with a paper towel, and did it again, I dried it off with a heat gun for a few seconds.

Next I tried to find matching door handles, I found two crystal ones for the bottom drawers  Tim Holtz Ideology Accoutrement's. ,  but I just kept coming up with ones of everything for the top cupboards. Next problems was my embellishments, I had silver filigree pieces, gold keys, gold lock and copper door handle.  Alcohol ink solves that problem.  First I added a gold, and then some black.

This was a copper and black handle, as you can see I have toned it right back to match the lock.
Then I had to put it on to the cupboards, off down to the workshop, mum and I worked out how to use dads drill, and three holes later, three yes I drilled one wrong, but you cannot see it.

Next I tied some old gold keys and some ribbon and lace around the handle. Corners inked and on.
Now I am looking at it, really excited because I am going to do something very cool.  I am going to fill my cupboard with inks.  Who forgot to check that the cupboards would actually hold the ink, and you could close the doors.  Well not me, but I am not that worried, that is why I didn't decorate the front, because it isn't actually going to be closed.  Sneak peak. 

  

On the inside of the cupboard I put Velcro strips across, and attached my foam squares for my blending tool.  Then I layered the inks up according to where there foam square was.

And here is is, all set up on my desk and ready to use.  One Kaisercraft storage unit, and soooooooo very useful.  I have added little daubers in one drawer, and teardrop chalk inks in the other.  The blending tools are on top.  Now once again I have a very organised and useful project for in my studio.

So get yourself one of these cupboards and have a play, use the right paint, and or paper.  This would make a great spice jar holder for cooks, or for jewellery people for bead jars, for artists small paints or mediums, for make up for your teens, or get your distress inks sorted (just don't try to close the doors).  Distress stains fit better.  Enjoy.    

Scrapbooking - My vintage girl

Hello everyone, today I have a layout for Stuck?! Sketches on behalf of Twiddleybitz who are sponsoring them for the month. 

This is the sketch that I received from them, I decided to carry on with my steam punk theme, as I had a lovely photo of my daughter Aly.  I have been playing around  with different products and layering, so I decided to use some tags that I had made.  

I headed for this amazing light bulb from Twiddleybitz, that I knew would be perfect for this. 

I coloured it with distress stain, and then added some stickles to add a bit of a shine in  places.  I loved this little heart with wings, and of course a clock. 

 

The tags were distress stained, stamped then and distress ink added, the paper is from Kaisercraft, as are the roses, and the cardstock rose and leaves from their collection ranges.  The keyhole is from Graphic 45, and the little nib by the camera is an old vintage one that Aly had purchased for her art.  The flourishes along the middle of the tag are from a Twiddleybitz flourish that I cut up and made into a long vine.  

 

Scrapbooking - Today is extraordinary

Hi Jo here, with my latest project for Artfull Crafts.  I am lucky to have two beautiful daughters Alysha and Samantha, (and Aly's boyfriend Jason), who are only to happy to stand in front of the camera (years of being made to), so when they had the chance to do a steam punk shoot, they both knew that they would be popular with their mum.

I am using Forget me not, Queen bee page from Kaisercraft for this layout.  I decided to use an embossed card stock for the mat of the photo.  This meant embossing two pieces of card stock, as I used an A2 embossing folder from Sizzix.

Once I embossed the card stock using Sizzix Bingo and Patchwork folder, I then cut and joined the embossed parts, to make a mat for my 4x6 photo.  I have lifted the mat pieces top and bottom, so you can see where the joins are on my layout.  Sticking these down properly (which I will now do) will ensure you cannot see them.  I then played with white ribbon, metal pieces from Graphic 45, and cogs from Tim Holtz, then I added some Kaisercraft Forget Me Not collectibles flowers and leaves, and the word moment from below. 

I added extra layers, including a acetate flower that was from a pre-printed Kaisercraft forget me not beehive sheet.  I cut out the acetate flower using tattered flowers die. I also cut the little bee from the same page, and the crown in the picture below. 

A few little additions gave more depth to the layout. I hope you enjoyed.  Now how about getting some of those embossing folders, and acetate sheets, and having a play.  Enjoy your week.   

Scrapbooking page - Steampunk memories

Today I am showing you another page that I have done for Twiddleybitz.  This page was a learning curve for me, I had a lot of fun, and some frustration, mostly because I didn't do things in the right order.  But that is what is so much fun, solving issues you have caused yourself.  I think one of the biggest things is that I don't really plan my pages or projects, I just dive head first into them, and see what happens.

My darling family did a photo shoot in a steam punk booth, so I got to play with graphic 45 Steam punk Debutante, some cogs and watch parts, buttons, chain and lots of bits and pieces I had lying around, which was a lot of fun.  So here is my take on a steam punk page, using a Twiddleybitz cogs frame, some extra cogs and there is a little crown from the Tweenybitz vintage collection.  I hope you enjoy. 

  Enjoy your week. 

Gypsy Wagon - Chipboard

 

Hi to all, today I wanted to show something that I have been working on for awhile for Twiddleybitz in Australia.  I had the little gingerbread house, and really wanted to change the whole concept from the Christmas theme.  I decided on a Gypsy wagon, I thought this would be interesting and I also wanted it to be practical, and I could store some special little things in it.

So this is what I came up with.  I firstly cut down the house base, and glued it together.  I didn't add the roof on, as I needed to hinge it, so that it would open. This was a little tricky, but we got there in the end.  (Yes had to get the husbands help for this).   I then tiled the roof, I used the grab bag of squares, and carefully covered each piece.  However I didn't like the look, and after spending all that time tiling the roof, I ended up adding a metallic top to it all, and pretty much covered up everything I did.  But you can still see the layering effect the roof has.  I addded the knob to the roof, so that I could open it up. 
 

I used Tim Holtz pullys for the wheels, and Tim Holtz lights, yes they really go with batteries.  I was going to make a little ladder out of balsa wood, till I remembered the twiddletbitz swirls card pack, and carefull glued them together to form this ladder.

 One friend gave me the birdcage, and another the little cat.  The whole project is covered in Graphic 45 papers. 

I used the graphic 45 drawer openers to make window boxes and prima resin window frames, and added flowers.   The purple round piece at the top is from my mother n law, an old pair of earrings she picked up for me, that I pulled the backs off.    I used filagree hinges to add some more interest on all the sides. 

 Finally I added the little cups and teapots, using chain and jump rings to hang them all on.

I added the ribbon down the bottom and the beaded stri[p along the top to soften the project up. 

So this is my Gypsy wagon, from a Twiddletbitz Gingerbread house kit. I hope you have enjoyed this. 

Scrapbooking - Capture Lifes Moments

Hi everyone, February is here already, and it is rather warm here at the moment. 



This week my first project is a page using a sketch from stucksketches.  Twiddleybitz are one of this months sponsors, so I got to see the sketch early, which is why even though it was released yesterday I have the page done already.  

 I used  a photography theme, as I had been teaching my niece Sidney to use her new Christmas present, a camera. 

We had a lot of fun, and I decided to show her really getting into the groove and snapping away. 

I used Twiddleybitz hearts, Life's Moments (which I cut up) and a couple of small flourishes.

The paper is from Kaisercraft collection, which I love, and I have been busy planing other projects with.
I have also used some filmstrip tape, flowers and a acetate clock.   

The hearts were a lot of fun to create.  Firstly I painted them black, then I used ultra thick embossing powder, and melted the powder, I did this three times.  Then I stamped into them while they were warm, using Darkroom door photography stamps.  I them rubbed pearlex rubbed powder over the top to give the gold look.

I added Twiddleybitz "Life's moments", which I cut up, as I needed the text to go along the page, I used the left over flourish from the life's moments on the top left of the page.  Nothing gets wasted with me.  Finally I stamped the photography saying, another from Darkroom door.

It is a bit hard to see the Capture word in the top right hand corner, with Twiddleybitz card flourishes used there to give it a bit more of statement.

Final result, I found it hard to copy the sketch, but it was quite fun in the end and I love the layout.  What do you think? Don't forget to go and check out the two websites, stuck sketches and Twiddleybitz.