Mosaic Mittens

I’m back!

My poor blog has been so neglected this month … between the holidays, being sick and working on classes and other projects, I am just so behind. That, however, is the story of my life … I feel like I am always a day late and a dollar short!

I have several posts that I’m behind on, so I’ll try to get those caught up in the next few days.

The first is one I am so excited to share!

Did you know you can cut felt with most of your thin, metal dies? You can!! In this video, I show you how to turn a border die into fabulous felt mittens! Thanks for watching (and reading)!

Here’s the link … 

 

Mosaic Monday in the Pumpkin Patch

This is my adorable cousin Layla. Her mom always dresses her in the most adorable outfits and takes the cutest pictures of her. I make it a regular habit to steal them off of Facebook and scrapbook them!

Although you cannot tell it, the photo is actually printed on a transparency and attached to glitter paper. It has a really cool effect in person and a lot of reflection as I photographed it. It really looks quite magical in person and I cannot wait to give it to her mother.

As for the pumpkins … those are brand new from Mosaic Moments. I made a video to show you how fun they are to use … click here to watch it.

The letters are also new dies from Mosaic Moments … stay tuned to discover more on those!

A Little Wood Here and There

One of the hot trends in scrapbooking is wood … I recently wrote an article for Michigan Scrapbooker Magazine and wanted to share some of the pages and additional techniques that I did.

To read about the wood techniques, and get the supply lists, click here and then visit page 7 of the magazine.

To read about a few other ideas for scrapbooking, read on!

I LOVE how this page turned out … I photographed the menu and used it as the title. I created a table setting for my journaling block.

This was just an iPhone snap shot of my cousin, but I loved the emotion in her face, so I had to scrap it. I used a few strips of coordinating paper and a strip of ribbon to accent the photo and title.

This one is completed on Mosaic Moments Grid Paper. I love how the grid keeps everything straight and organized, even though I did not cut any photos into 1″ pieces.

Be sure to visit Michigan Scrapbooker Magazine’s fall issue for more inspiration!

 

Mega-Flakes for Mega-Fun

I’ve been playing … I recently discovered IndigoBlu, a stamping company from Great Britain. One of the products they offer is Mega-Flakes, a jar of multi-colored leafing. I realize leafing is nothing new, but I have never tried it before. However, when I saw these colors from IndigoBlu, I HAD to try it.

 

There are two ways to use this product … either with glue or with double-sided adhesive. Not wanting to buy another adhesive, I initially tried the two I already had … Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and Best Glue Ever. The Art Glitter glue dried before I covered the entire surface with the flakes. The Best Glue Ever left everything sticky. So, I ordered the FlitterGlu made by IndigoBlu and designed to use with the flakes. It is an amazing glue.

Simply squeeze a bit onto a sponge (I used one of the Distress Ink Blending foams) and use a plastic knife to work the glue into the sponge. Then wipe it on a die cut or rubber stamp (stamp the image onto paper and then wash your stamp if using a stamp) and then cover with flakes. The glue remains tacky forever — even a few days, so you do not have to hurry to cover it with the flakes. Push the flakes into the adhesive and then use a Scoochy Sponge or stencil brush to brush away the excess, which you pour right back into your jar. This is the technique I used to cover the chipboard hot-air balloon at the top.

You can also use double-sided adhesive. Cut your cardstock slightly bigger than the die you are cutting (I used a die from Tim Holtz). Cut a piece of double-sided adhesive the same size (I used the new transparent sheets from Elizabeth Craft Designs. They are as strong as Scor-Tape, but the backing is much thinner so it cuts nicely with dies) Peel off one side of the protective backing from adhesive and attach it to the cardstock. Run it through the die-cutting machine. Peel off the other piece of backing and cover with flakes. Use the Scoochy Sponge or a stencil brush to take off the excess and that’s it. Super easy! And I love how you don’t see the lines between the flakes … just an amazing mix of smooth color.

Here’s the page I created using these new products and techniques …

What do you think?

I have all of these products for sale in my store … click on the tab at the top to check them out.

 

New Mosaic Momenters

I spent Saturday in Owosso, vending at a crop to raise money for the St. Joseph Youth Group.

It was a fun day. There were a handful of “old” friends at the crop and I made quite a few new friends, as well.

I did things a little differently this time … I didn’t teach Mosaic Moments, but gave a demo and then offered assistance. Quite a few people decided to try the technique. And a couple let me photograph them with their pages. (I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos; it is tough to get a clear photo in a gym.

This is Marty. She created an amazing page of some beautiful floral photos. She added butterflies that have the same colors and textures as the flowers. She added a bit of Stickles to the Memory Box die at the bottom to make the perfect embellishment.

I wish I took a better photo because this page is worthy of an award — seriously! It really is magnificent!

Maria also created a page for the first time … she used the most adorable photos of her baby daughter on a Snap On toolbox. (Her husband is a mechanic). I dubbed her the Snap-On Baby and I think Snap-On should use her photos in their next calendar.

Anyway, Maria struggled for a bit — she likes to see what the page will look like before it is complete and she had a hard time envisioning how this one would work. But, she persevered and eventually put this amazing spread together. I love how she cut screws and words from patterned paper and added them in.

I think it is perfect, but she insists it is not finished. She is on the hunt for some metal pieces to add a bit more “manliness” to the layout.

If you want to learn how to create pages like these using the Mosaic Moments system, let me know. I am happy to show you how easy and fun it is!

Pretty in Pink

The May challenge at Scrap It Girl is to “Mother or Mother Nature”. I opted to show the beautiful relationship between my cousin and her baby.

My cousin is constantly taking photos of Layla in all sorts of adorable outfits and posting them on Facebook for me to enjoy. I keep threatening to steal the photos so I can do a scrapbook page. When she posted photos taken by Danielle Franklin, I could not hold back any longer.

Of course, this time I got permission, from both the photographer and my cousin, to reprint the photos and to share them with you …

I knew I wanted the photos to really shine and I wanted to play up the fabrics and textures in Layla’s outfit. So, I opted for a sheet of pink cardstock and added some elegant trims to the top and bottom.

Some of the items I wanted to use, like this lace from Prima, were too white. To tone down the color a bit, I used a bit of Antique Linen Distress Ink.

On the Maya Road flower (lace with the pearl in the middle), I used Ranger Perfect Pearls Mists to alter the color a bit.

Then I just layered a variety of trims, flowers, gems and even some of my chicken’s feathers to the page.

The title is made with gold Thickers.

So that is my project for Scrap It Girl for May … Now it is your turn. Create a project based on the mother theme and post it at Scrap It Girl before the end of May. You could win some fabulous prizes!!

What do you do with random photos?

I tend to take a lot of random photos — especially of my daughter.

I cannot help myself. I think she is adorable and whenever I see her in a new outfit or with a new hairstyle, I grab the camera and start snapping.

This habit has led to a rather large collection of photos of her grinning at the camera.

I finally decided to do something with these photos and created this random page …

(click on the photo for a larger view)

I used papers, photo frames and clothespins from Crate Paper. I added a bit of cardstock and the word Random using letters from Tim Holtz. As a little extra touch, I added a few dew drops from Robin’s Nest. I love how it turned out with random-sized photos and frames used as both decorative elements and photo frames. What do you think?

If you would like to see this page in person, the page (and all of the supplies used to make it), the original is hanging at Scrapbooker’s Hideaway in Millington (just east of Birch Run).

 

Summer Break Predictions

For my latest challenge from Mosaic Moments, I decided to create a page predicting how my niece and nephew would spend their summer vacation. Here’s what I came up with …
For detailed shots and the story behind the page, visit Journella. While you are there, cheer me on!

Thanks,

 

Breaking News!!

I have great news to share!

You may have heard that I will soon be teaching in Millington, MI (east of Birch Run).

I will also begin teaching out of my home! These classes will be small, but I will try to help you with new techniques, make projects and more.

My first class will be Copic 101. In this class you will learn what these special markers are, how to use them, how to keep them cost-effective and much, much more. This class is just $20 and is set for Saturday, June 22 at 10 a.m. You must register for this class by e-mailing me at candyspiegel@yahoo.com.

I am also offering to teach at your house, church, business, etc. Wherever you can gather a few of your friends, I can come and teach. I can even work up unique projects just for you.

Until we meet again, here is one of my recent layouts.

Last year, my nephew was obsessed with fireworks. He kept smelling them and telling us how much he love the smell. He was so excited to send them off, I had to showcase the emotions of the day.

This layout features the new line by Authentique and corrugated cardstock by Fancy Pants.

I used cutouts from one of the sheets of paper as embellishments. I distressed them with the Tonic/Tim Holtz Distress Tool and Distress Ink and added staples with the Tiny Attacher.

 

Michigan’s Castle

Have you ever visited Michigan’s castle in Owosso?

Matt and I took the kids when they were still kids … way back in 2006 … and I finally got around to creating a layout using the pictures from that day! (click on the photo for a larger pic)

This page was created using a page pattern and grid paper from Mosaic Moments. Head over to Journella to see how I created this page and cheer me on!