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March 29, 2014

Make Your Own Background Challenge for Sugar Creek Hollow


Another fun challenge over at Sugar Creek Hollow!!! This week we have to make our own background. Believe it or not, I started with a piece of white cardstock. I used a stone wall stencil from Prima and molding paste and then misted it with Lindy's Stamp Gang Moonshadow Mists. I then added the wonderful Bicycle photo stamp from Darkroom Door. I added a chipboard lock, key and Mini Barb Wire Strip from Molossi.


This challenge we were generously sponsored by Molossi, who make their own gorgeous chipboard, and also sell the amazing Darkroom Door stamp and Manor House flowers that I have used here.

Here is the amazing prize they are offering the winner of this challenge!


Mini Barb Wire StripsPhoto Stamp - BicycleMinuettes - Pink mix

March 28, 2014

Observations: A Layout for Creative Expressions


This week I wanted to do a layout again, this time featuring the Scented Border stamp we were given in our March DT package! I also used lots of yummy Spellbinders dies for this one.

For my base of my layout I used the gorgeous solid brown side of a Tim Holtz Crowded Attic Paper Stash paper. The larger blooms I used on the layout are also made from the patterned sides of several papers from this collection.


I started the layout by embossing the Scented Border stamps in two places with Cosmic Shimmer True White Detail Embossing Powder. This serves as a base to layer my photo for this layout. It is a photo of my daughter exploring the forest and looking at things. The forest was full of ferns, so I thought the gorgeous fern die cut from Spellbinders Foliage die set was perfect.

I added lots of gorgeous flowers from my favorite flower die cut set, the Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms. I clustered these in two places around the photo. I added a butterfly from the Spellbinders Fanciful Flight die set. Many of the small blossoms and the butterfly have been inked and colored with gorgeous muted pink  Victorian Velvet Distress Ink.



As a final touch to add a title and some detail to my layout I added some rub ons from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Words Remnant Rubs: Observations and Life is good!  I love the earthy feel of this layout and really hope that you like it too!

Thanks so much for taking the time and stopping by!!

Scented Border Pre Cut Stamp  Cosmic Shimmer Detail Emboss Powder True White  Tim Holtz Idea-ology Crowded Attic Paper StashSpellbinder Die Foliage  Spellbinder Die Bitty Blossoms  Spellbinder Die Fanciful Flight
Distress Pad Victorian VelvetTim Holtz Idea-ology Remnant Rubs Words

March 27, 2014

Making Costumes for Alice: My Final Project for Couture Creations


I have had a wonderful year working with my fellow DT members and the rest of the Couture Creations family. I will be sad to leave, but I know there is an amazing new team starting along with some of the wonderfully talented current team staying on, so I can't wait to see the new inspiration!

My final layout features the Sew Jo 12x12 Paper, the Harmony: Bricks in the Wall embossing folder and the great sewing themed dies Glamour Days Sewing Room and Sewing Kit.  My daughter is very excited about being Alice in her ballet school's upcoming show Alice in Wonderland next month!! She is as we speak in a 3 hour rehearsal and she is loving the extra dancing!! She wasn't loving so much being the dress form for mommy when I was helping make some costumes for the younger dancers! I managed to make 8 very basic playing card costumes to help out...a job my dress form daughter had volunteered me for lol!


I started by cutting out the Sewing Room and Sewing Kit dies in white.


I took two kraft tags and embossed them with the cool Bricks in the Wall folder. I used the Sponge Daubers to edge the tags in Walnut Stain Distress Ink adding a bit to the raised area to antique them a bit.


Next I cut out some flowers with the Sew Jo papers using the Daisy Nesting Dies. I edged these in Black Soot Distress Ink using the Sponge Daubers.


I layered the flowers and curled the edges then finished them off with a button and some twine. I used several layers of ripped edge paper layers to make this layout, adding some stitching details. I used a gorgeous dressform chipboard from Molossi and then I layered them all up, adding the white sewing room themed die cuts into my clusters. The tags hold some journaling behind the layers and also have a bit of twine adorning them.


I finished off the layout by adding my long winded title: "Making Costumes for Alice...in Wonderland!".

I enjoyed making this layout very much and I promise to share projects using Couture's wonderful products in the future on their Facebook page. Make sure you are following there to get all the talented design teams inspirations!!

Guest Designing for Something Tattered!!

I am so excited to be a guest designer this month for Something Tattered Stamps!! I have had a great time making some fun projects using Tattered Vintage's gorgeous stamps on muslin! I love stamping on fabric, it has such a great vintage look!  If you have any Archival or Stazon Ink in your stash then you already have the perfect inks for these projects!!! For my projects here I used Sepia and Jet Black Archival Inks.


I was a quilter in a former life so I have a bunch of muslin (lightweight cream colored woven cotton fabric) leftover and wanted to make my projects with this. I think it has a great country cottage chic look to the finished projects and it takes the ink perfectly. For this upcycled heart wreath I simply took a length of the cotton and fringed the edges, then using my Sepia Archival Ink, stamped the gorgeous nest stamp from the Nest Amour Stamp Set along with the flourish from the Brooch Bling Stamp Set. I wrapped my muslin "ribbon" around the wreath and tied a fun bow at the top to hang it from.


For the center heart I did a little vignette using some Prima flowers, nest and bird resin. I stamped the word Amour from the Nest Amour Stamp Set on a small scrap of the muslin and added it to the cluster. I love how the wreath turned out!!



Another ribbon project I did was for gift wrapping. I had a pretty kraft paper wrapped gift and used one of the Brooch Bling Stamp Set motifs and repeated it on the muslin ribbon to make a pretty package.


I had a lot of fun tea dying some muslin for my next two projects... I drink a lot of tea, so used several of my tea bags in a bowl of hot water to dye the fabric for these sachets and fun patchwork pillow.  The sachets above feature the Ou La La Chandelier Set, the Nest Amour Set and the Dress and Tiara Set. I stamped the script stamp in Sepia Archival ink and the featured stamps for each sachet in Jet Black Archival Ink. I sewed the edges of the sachet in black thread to match the stamping and fringed the edges.


Here is a photo of the fabric in its lovely tea bath.


My final project is a ragged edge patchwork pillow also using my tea dyed fabric.  Again using Sepia Archival Ink I stamped the central Amour motif from the Nest Amour Set, then tow gorgeous stamps from the Frieze Stamp Set to finish off the pillow. 

I had a great time putting together these projects and was able to upcycle some of my fabric stash and a wreath. Thanks so much Beth and Tracey for having me this month, the stamps are gorgeous and great quality and I had a lot of fun creating!

Free Your Imagination Layout for Visible Image


This week I made a layout featuring a beautiful photo I saw on Facebook! It is our fearless leader at Visible Image Helen's daughter. I made this for Helen and Mark and I hope they like it!!! I predominantly featured the Free Your Imagination set but also had to use my favorite Bronte Script!!!


I used the Free Your Imagination sentiment as my title for the layout and added small feathers as accents around the photo cluster. I added tons of Manor House and Petaloo flowers and based the cluster off of this stunning Molossi Birdcage #4 chipboard piece.


I used my favorite script stamp Bronte Script a lot to build up the background later and also used the birds and paint splatter stamps for my design! The papers are from Blue Fern Studios, just beautiful!!!

I had a lot of fun creating this layout and love how it turned out!!  If you are interested in any of these gorgeous stamps, just click on the links or images to head on over to the store. 

Visible Image Blog Badge, Blinkie

For more inspiration don't forget to check out the Visible Image Facebook Group, and the Visible Image blog where the March Favorite Visible Image Stamp challenge is running so plenty of time to get your entries in. You could win £20 of Visible Image stamps.

  

Treasured


Back again today with another layout using the gorgeous March Kit from Frosted Designs: A Moment in Time. This time I focused on the gorgeous Ruby Rock It Mother Nature papers in the kit, fussy cutting some flowers and butterflies.


I used the gorgeous Kaisercraft "Treasured" rub ons and the Authentique Elegant Type Petit Type Stickers
I added some background stamping with the Prima stamps.


I painted two of the Fabscraps corner embellishment chipboards using the African Jade Silks glaze, adding them to the edge of my paper layer. I added stitching around the border of my layout and on my layers, adding some of the lace included in the kit for my finishing touch.

It is amazing how many different looks you can get with one kit! My first layout was quite intensely color, but I focused on a softer look for this one. There are only a few kits left, so time to get yours before it is gone!!! There is even a special offer this month of a FREE Lindy's Stamp Gang Sidekicks set

March 26, 2014

Timeless Beauty


This week our theme at LaLa Land Crafts is "Fence it In". I used the gorgeous Wrought Iron Fence Die to start off my layout since it the main focus of the theme!

I used my Prima Damask stencil and molding paste to build up a background, then went to work adding details! I fussy cut the fun photo of my daughter dressed up for a cowgirl party. She has her hand nestled in amongst the vines and flowers in her own little garden scene!

I have added the stunning Hot Air Balloon Die into my scene, popping it up on foam squares for more dimension.

I added to my flower garden with gorgeous paper and felt Large Medium and Small Rolled Roses and paper and felt Berry Flourish die cuts.

I finished off my layout by adding two gorgeous butterflies from the Butterfly Set 1 dies and adding a seam binding bow.

I had a lot of fun creating this scene and I really hope you like it!

Beautiful: March Kit Creation for Frosted Designs!!


This is my first layout and tutorial for this month's gorgeous Frosted Designs Kit: A Moment in Time! Barb and Debbie have put together another gorgeous mix of papers, embellies and mediums for this kit and I think I used most of them in this layout!!! I used the beautiful Authentique Classique Elegant papers for this layout: "ten", "eleven" and "enhancements". To start the layout my base paper was the black "eleven" paper. I wanted to use the Tim Holtz layered clockwork stencil . I used molding paste with my mask and then added Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder and finish off with some brushes of the African Jade Silks glaze. I did this in two places on the layout and then started adding layers. Most of my layers here are form the enhancements paper. I popped my photo of Aine up on foam tape for a bit of dimension.


I painted one of the gorgeous Fabscrap flourishes using the Picked Raspberry Distress Paint. To add some age and interest I added some embossing powder. I tucked in the lace from the kit under several of the layers and then ripped the edges and added a flower and some lace into one of the peekaboo areas!


I added the gorgeous Prima Soprano and Interlude flowers to my layout as well the brads included in the kit. I painted the Kaisercraft Wood Flourish Butterflies using the African Jade Silks. I just love the amazing sheen this paint gives!!

Some Different Ways to use
Distress Embossing Powder!!


Use your masks and molding paste to add detail to your background.


While the molding paste is still wet sprinkle some of the Distress Embossing Powder randomly on the area, use your heat gun to dry and emboss the areas for a great aged look. 


I added some of the gorgeous African Jade Silks glaze for more detail.


Another way to use your Distress Embossing Powder is to add it to paint while it is wet. I painted this flourish with the Picked Raspberry Distress Paint.


Just sprinkle it on randomly and heat to emboss for a great aged effect.

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial on different ways to use your Distress Embossing Powder other than the traditional use with stamping! There are only a few kits left, you NEED to get this one before it runs out!!! Thanks for visiting!!!