Thank You Card

I created this card for Linnie Blooms using the brand-new picket fence! Learn how I made it, here.

 

Got Wood?

September is a special month at Scrap It Girl.

In addition to the back-to-school challenge, we are also having a wood challenge. And, to get your mojo going, each of the girls on the design team created a project using a wood book from Genuinely Jane Studios.

Prior to this challenge, I had not even heard of Genuinely Jane Studios, nor seen any little birch books, so I was eager to try it out.

This is the little mini book I received. It’s made in Missouri, a definite plus!

Anyhow, there were a few tiny chips around the edges, so I took my Tim Holtz sander and went around each edge, then wiped it with a microfiber towel to remove any dust. It was easy and only took me about 30 seconds per page.

I pulled out my Distress Stains to color the book. I wanted to give it the look of water, so I added a variety of blues and greens.

Then misted them with water and let them blend on their own.

I then dabbed off the excess water/stain and dried with a heat tool because I am always impatient.

Once I got the background how I wanted it, I added a bit of metallic stain to it and dabbed it around with a paper towel. It created a beautiful effect — much like frost on a window. Click on the photos for a larger picture to see the details.

I wanted the cover to resemble a port hole, so I coated it in Tarnished Brass Distress Crackle Paint and let it dry. (heat tools and crackle paint do not mix)

Once I had that part done, I got to decorating the cover and filling in the book.

I filled the book with inspirational quotes I found with a nautical theme. I added buttons, twine and stamps as well. (click on the pictures for a better view)

This is my favorite page … a ship on one side and a Michigan lighthouse on the other!

On the back page, I added a bit of fiber to soften it up a bit.

I added lots of little things on the cover … Dew Drops, metal and a tiny compass.

Here’s a look at the front again …

Now it’s your turn. You do not have to create an entire mini album. Just use a bit of wood on your scrapbook page, card or layout and post it here. One person will win an amazing prize package filled with woody goodies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gobble, gobble

This is the second year my husband and I have raised turkeys.

Turkeys, I think, are the cutest poultry babies there are and I love watching them grow.

Of course, I also love to eat them.

People wonder how I can possibly eat my babies, but it is not as hard as you might think.

First of all, I just take the turkeys for a ride and drop them off at the processor. I go back later that day and pick up turkeys sealed and labeled just like you buy at the store. So, I have no idea which cooking turkey was once part of my farm and I do not see any of the butchering process.

Secondly, turkeys get rather unattractive as they mature. They are not loving like a dog or hen. They have horrendous table manners and if you do not keep their coop clean, the smell is awful. So, by the time they are ready to butcher, the novelty of raising them has totally warn off.

Finally, these turkeys are bread to become food. They grow quickly, cannot reproduce and will die of a heart attack if not butchered in the fall.

So, you see, it isn’t really hard at all. I get to enjoy the experience and then taste the fruits of my labor!

To see how I put this page together and for close up views, visit http://www.journella.com/storyboard/fullview/id/10925

Be sure to cheer me on … if I get more cheers than any other members of the design team, I’ll send one lucky supporter a wonderful gift basket of goodies!

 

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).

 

Garden in a Can

Walking through a chain craft store  one day, I saw a cute little collection of cans that were perfect to sit on the desk or work bench. I figured I could make something cuter and more personalized.

I started with empty Progresso Soup cans. I took off the labels and ran them through the dishwasher — the cans can be sharp and I didn’t want to take the chance of slicing open my hand while washing them.

Then I covered the outside and inside with paper from Graphic 45″s Secret Garden line. I measured the height and then cut strips of paper that high. Then I attached it with Designer Dries Clear Adhesive by Art Glitter. For the inside, I placed the adhesive on the can itself, rolled up the paper and then let it expand into the can. Then I held it in place until the glue set.

 

I added ribbon and twine to each one.

I also used a Lifestyle Crafts die to cut out a circle out of velvet paper for the bottoms. It gives them a finished look and won’t scratch furniture.

Then I added some additional cut outs from the paper ….

Some Piccolo pieces coated with Real Rust and Shamrock Green Embossing Powders …

 

And some Dew Drops from Robin’s Nest. I even made a little tag for this one (I wrote on it with a Sharpie).

Aren’t they adorable?!

 

 

Bottle of Angels

The challenge this month on Scrap It Girl is Angels or Arrows. For me, angels was much more challenging, so of course I had to choose angels.

I selected paper from KaiserCraft’s new baby boy line and cut out the banner, title and cherubs.

 

After I cut them out, I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink to color the edges. This helps to soften the edges, covers up the harsh white line around the paper and helps to cover up any cutting errors. Notice the difference in this photo with the cherubs on the left, uninked, and the one on the right, inked.

Then I coated the cherubs and the banner with a thick coat of Glastique. This will make the paper cut outs look like epoxy. It will also make them durable, so the piece can be dusted without tearing the paper. And, it will allow me to mold the images to add a bit of dimension. (If your store doesn’t carry it, you can get it online by clicking the Globecraft & Piccolo Shop Here link on the side of my page).

While that was drying, I grabbed an old bottle I had.

 

Prima sold these little milk jug bottles, several years ago, filled with tiny paper flowers. While I have used most of the flowers, I kept all of the jars for a future project — like this one.

I used Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive to attach everything to the bottle. It dries quickly and holds well. I wrapped the jar in papers, ribbon (May Arts) and lace (Webster’s Pages). Then I added feathers, the cut outs, flowers (KaiserCraft) and Dew Drops (Robin’s Nest).

For the lid, I wrapped some twine and added a bit of paper to the top.

You can click on the pictures for a larger view.

so that is my angel project. It is now your turn … you can create anything: altered art, a card, a mini album, a scrapbook layout or anything else you want and submit it to Scrap It Girl this month. There is a HUGE prize package for the winner and I hope it goes to you!

Click here for details.

 

 

 

 

April Fool’s Day Calendar

The calendar says it is April 1. The beautiful page I made using an 8×8 easel album and papers from Graphic 45 celebrates spring. And yet, it is snowing. So NOT funny, Mother Nature!

At least the calendar says it is spring! (click on the image for a larger view). I added a few Dew Drops from Robin’s Nest. The papers are all from Graphic 45.

 

Fairy Altered Book

Sometimes the greatest ideas come in those wee hours just before falling asleep.

This is one of those …

I have been wanting to make an altered book for many years — decades, actually — but I never had the courage to try. But, when I moved, I “found” an old copy of Alice in Wonderland. The book had purple on the edges of the pages and was such a nice copy that I couldn’t get rid of it — even though my daughter had written on many of the pages. And, with the perfect book in hand, I knew it was time to attempt to make an altered book.

It took me awhile because I wanted to allow plenty of dry time and I had to carefully think everything through, but it wasn’t difficult.

To start, I covered the inside of the cover in paper. Then, I cut out a few pages at the beginning (to get to pages filled with text). Next, I rolled a few pages and glued them down in the middle of the open book. Once that was dry (I was afraid of messing things up, so I did a little bit each day, allowing for plenty of dry time) I used Ranger’s Glue ‘n Seal to paint the edges of the pages on the right side so they would become one solid block.

Next, I traced the interior piece of one of the Globecraft Memories frames and began cutting an oval out of the book. I used my Fisker’s craft knife and continued to cut in sections until I made it all the way to the bottom of the book. I then coated the inside of the oval with Glue ‘n Seal and added some paper and ribbon.

Then, I covered the exterior of the book in the same paper and added a tassel and metal plate that I’ve been carrying around for years …

Back on the inside, I decided I wanted to soften the white pages a bit, so I added some Distress Ink and discovered an awesome technique …

The Distress Ink doesn’t show where the Glue ‘n Seal was. Doesn’t it make for a great look?!?

Next, I wanted to make a place for my fairy to sit, so I used some paper, Glue ‘n Seal, Clearly For Art (by Wendy Vecchi, Studio 490) and a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die to make some flowers. I also pulled out some leftover Prima flowers in a variety of colors and sprayed them all with Adirondack Color Wash in Butterscotch and then a thin coating of Perfect Pearls Mists in Heirloom Gold. The flowers were a variety of green, pink and purple and I love how different they all became with the same treatment. Here’s the inside with the fairy (I used Glue Dots to attach her.

Next came the Globecraft Memories frame … I covered them with paper and paint and attached them together. I still needed a bit of space between the plastic globe and the fairy, so I added a couple layers of dimensional foam.

Then it was just a matter of embellishing … I added some ribbon, some more handmade flowers (some made out of the pages of the book I took out), some more Prima flowers that I dyed and a couple of metal embellishments. I also made a butterfly the same way I made the flowers (paper, Glue ‘n Seal, Tim Holtz/Sizzix die & Clearly For Art) and added some wire antennae. Finally, for some added girly charm, I glued on several Dew Drops from Robin’s Nest.

I love the depth inside the globe. Isn’t this the perfect addition to any girly room?!

Happy Father’s Day

For Father’s Day, I wanted to do something a little different. So, like I do with many of my projects, I combined products from several different companies to come up with a unique Father’s Day “Card.”

I started with the Lifestyle Crafts Folder with Insert die. I used Real Wood Paper by Creative Imaginations to keep it masculine. I folded on the scored lines and added a bit of Distress Ink to the edges. Then, I used Memory Book Glue Dots to adhere the pieces together, making a little folder with pockets. Memory Book Glue Dots are perfect for this project because they are so thin, you don’t even notice they are there.

Next, I stamped the image (Crafty Secrets) on Cryogen paper, using Memento Ink and colored it with Copic Markers. I used Memory Book Glue Dots to adhere it to a piece of cardstock and then to adhere that to the cover.

I added Robin’s Nest Dew Drops with Micro Glue Dots. They fit perfectly and hold great.

Inside, I handcut a cardstock liner to serve as the background and added a cardstock label (part of the die set). Then, I tied some May Arts string to the charm (My Mind’s Eye) and adhered it to the label with Craft Glue Dots.

Then, I added a few pages (again, part of the die set) where messages and photos can be added. They can be tucked into the folders.

Finally, I adhered a photo to the folder with Memory Glue Dots.

I love the way it turned out!

Shrinking Stampavie

I have quite a collection of Stampavie stamps. I just can’t resist them … they are so adorable!

And I have a new obsession with Shrink Plastic.

Naturally, I wondered what would happen if I combined the two …

Isn’t it cute? I love the juxtaposition between the black and white stamps and the full-colored version.

I colored the main stamp with Copic markers. The others are stamped on Shrink Plastic using Staz-On ink and then heated until they shrunk. I added ribbon from May Arts (it reminded me of watermelon seeds), a pin from Maya Road, a bird charm from My Mind’s Eye, Dew Drops by Robin’s Nest and leftover cardstock.

Click on the photo for a larger version.