Round Robin Cards - February

Hi!  Today I am sharing a card that I made for the Swirlydoos Round Robin February Card Challenge!  You sign up at the beginning of the month, and then are assigned to a specific week.  The first person in week one creates a card based on the requirements for the particular month challenge.  The second person for week 2 takes the first person's card and lifts it.  Same w/ week 3 person.  I am week 3 for my particular group.

The original challenge was to use blues, browns and whites; bling, glitter or pearls; and the card can't be in the shape of a square.

For my card, I lifted from the previous two cards the colors, obviously, the shape of my card is a rectangle, I used a doily, and I have bling and glitter.

The Round Robin challenges are perfect for me, because I NEVER copy anyone's work! I like to be original!  I might take an idea from a couple different cards or layouts and put my own spin on it, but that's as close to "lifting" as I get!  LOL!  So, this was fun!  I signed up for the March Scrapbook Round Robin, so I can't wait to see what I get to copy!  Hahaha!

Here are the ingredients for making this card:

Paper: Bo Bunny Snowfall, Very Vanilla

Ink/Sprays: Tattered Leather Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist; Tinsel Iridescent Spritz by Heidi Swapp, 

                   Blue Smooch Spray; Antique Linen Distress Ink by Ranger

Embellishments:  Maya Road mesh ribbon; brass brads; brass "S" clips; French Roast twill by a-muse;

                          brass ribbon fastener; Ideology Film Strip Ribbon; doily; Large Leafy Flourish die by MFT

Have a wonderful day!

Folds in Style

 Hi! Yesterday was the eclectic Paperie's e-Team Picks: Folded Paper!  FUN FUN Challenge!  Seriously!
As soon as I found out what the challenge was, I knew what I was going to do!  However, I have to warn you, I have NO IDEA WHAT MY FOLD IS CALLED!  So, if someone knows, PLEASE leave a comment on my blog and let me know!  LOL!  I LOVE this fold, but can't remember where I saw it first!  I saved my sample that I had started for something over a year ago, and went back to it when I was creating today's project!  Donna-Marie Cecere is our host for this particular challenge this month!  You HAVE to see the GORGEOUS file box she made.....out of a Kuerig box!  Brilliant!

 This is my completed project.  I took a small canvas and first sponged over the entire top w/ Antique Linen Distress Ink.  Then, I took a polka dot stencil, and w/ some modeling paste, created polka dots.   I did this to mirror the black and cream polka dot paper that I used as a layer.
Once the paste dried, I applied Black Crackle Distress Paint to each dot and let it dry overnight.
Today I applied Rock Candy Crackle Paint to the entire canvas.  I sprayed Tattered Leather Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, along w/ Smooch Frost White and let dry.  I blotted it w/ a paper towel to stop any pooling that was occurring.

Once the crackle paint dried, I sponged the entire canvas w/ Walnut Stain Distress Ink to bring out the crackles.  You can see that in the pictures below.

I adhered all of the layers and flowers and butterfly and that's it!

Below I have pictures of how I created the special fold that I'm showcasing today.  Just in case this intrigues you!

 This is my sample from last year, or maybe even 2 years ago!  Can't remember!

 1.  Take a piece of cardstock and you'll want to use a Scor-Pal or other scoring device.  I am using my Simply Scored from Stampin' Up!

 2.  Angle your paper for diagonal scoring.  You should have 1" spaces between each score line.

3.  Now, slide your paper over 2/16" and score so that you have two lines close together occurring every 1"
4.  Flip the paper the other way and score the same way going in the opposite direction. 

 Here I have drawn lines where all of the score lines and subsequent folds will be.

 5.  Start in one corner and fold the corner over on the far line, and then fold back on the line closest to you.  Do this for each double line.

 Here are 3 folds done to show you what I mean....

 Once you complete each fold, use a bone folder to really get those folds crisp!

 This is what your paper will look like after one set of folds is done.

 Now, turn your paper the other way and start folding in the opposite direction!  I used the paper that I used in the project featured today, because I already had this part folded!  The paper sample that I used above is cardstock, and it wasn't folding nicely!

I hope that you enjoyed your visit here today and perhaps I have inspired you to create a project with this fold!  Whatever it's called!  LOL!

Have a wonderful day!

Don't judge a book by its cover!

 Hi there!  Today we have a Get Altered Challenge on the eclectic Paperie blog!  Run over there and check it out!
This challenge is held on the first Thursday of each month and each challenge is an opportunity for you to be inspired by one of the e-Team's creations, and to be entered into a challenge prize drawing!  What fun!!!  We would LOVE to see what you create!
This month, our lovely hostess is Tracy Easson!  She has a beautiful project on the eP blog, so definitely make sure you check it out!  Step by step directions on how she created her altered project too!

So, the challenge that Tracy came up w/ is to alter a book.  I personally only have books that I read over and over again.  I don't have any old books, or any that would withstand being re-covered!  I decided to BUY a book instead!  However, my book isn't any old book.  It's actually a keepsake box!  I bought it at Hobby Lobby.  I should have waited though, because Michael's had their books in the front of their store and they were all on sale the other day!  Darn it!
Anyway, so, I took this large-ish box and figured out how to alter it while still staying true to the book aspect.

Here's what I started with:

 Front and spine

 Inside

 Here's the front!  The closeups are better.  But, this is what the entire front looks like!  All of the paper that was used is from A Ladies' Diary.  The title "A Ladies' Diary" was cut out using an exacto knife.  I have Prima flowers all over it.  The clock you see is from Wendy Vecchi's Blossom Bucket.  I added a few layers of Rock Candy Crackle Paint to distress it!  All of the paper was distressed or torn, and sponged w/ Walnut Stain.     I took a Pink Paislee template and sprayed all over the base layer overtop the template w/ Tattered Leather Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  All of the hardware is from Ranger/Tim Holtz.

 Here's a closeup of the top cover!

 And a closeup of the bottom cover!

 And a different view of the bottom cover!

 Here you'll see a bit of the spine.  I wanted it to look exactly like the front cover.  I love that the "A Ladies' Diary" bit is in several pages in different sizes, so I was able to add a smaller version of what's on the front cover to the spine!  Essentially keeping the "book" a "book"!

 This is a closeup of the bottom spine.

And the entire spine!

There are so many great elements within this stack!  You definitely should check it out!  Graphic 45 never disappoints!

I hope that I have inspired you today to create an altered book!  I can't wait to see what you create!
Link your creation on the eP blog, and we will come and visit!!!

Have a wonderful day!

Some other products that were used:
Guava Gelato (on some of the flowers!)
Weathered background stamp (SU) (on the spine)
Gold Lame` spray by Heidi Swapp
assorted pearls
burlap strip
Tim Holtz Distress Tool

Art Journal Entry

Hi!  Today I am posting about paints in an art journal!  Head over to the eclectic Paperie blog and check it out!!!

See you there!

A page done by mistake!

Hi there!  Today I would like to share w/ you a page that I made by mistake!  I thought that I had signed up for a Swirlydoos Round Robin Scrapbook Layout challenge, but I only signed up for the card challenge!  HELLO!  Clearly, I have too much on my mind if I can't remember what the heck I signed up for!  OMG!

So, anyway, now Elizabeth has 2 pages done for her scrapbook!  Whoo hoo!

So, how did I make this page?  Well, the actual challenge called for pairs, or even numbered elements.  I've been doing 1 picture pages, so this was a challenge all in itself having to use 2 pictures! 
So, I took the main paper layer and laid a swirly template over it and painted modeling paste all over it w/ my finger.  I let it dry, and then took a green gelato and water and a paint brush and painted the swirls that looked like stems.  Then I took the Guava gelato and colored right on the flowers.  I took a wet paintbrush and made sure to cover all of each flower.  All of the little dots that were a part of the template, I have covered w/ pearls.

I added two borders, and two pieces per border.  Burlap and lace, and then lace and some pink stuff that I received in a kit a while ago.  The Summer Sun yellow flowers are carnations from svg.cuts.  It's from 3D Flowers Kit Part II.  I sprayed the petals w/ Yellow Smooch Spray and Gold Lame` Heidi Swapp spray.  Then I just assembled them.  The leaves are from My Favorite Things.  I sprayed them w/ green Distress spray from Tattered Angels and the Gold Lame`.  All of the other flowers are from my Swirly stash.

Have a wonderful day!

Floral Metal Tag and a new challenge!

Hi!  I would like to share a tag w/ you today! Splitcoaststampers has created a new challenge and I am all over it like white on rice!  It's a Mixed Media challenge!  Oh, my crafty heart is singing!!!!  I have taken to mixed media with ease and bliss!  I'm not happy unless my fingers are covered in paint, gesso, glue and/or ink!  Haha!

Today was the first challenge for Mixed Media.  The challenge is Yin/Yang.  Something shiny and something matte.

 So, my shiny element is the metal tape that I dyed purple!  The matte element is the Gesso that I stamped a pretty font all over the tag, along the edges, and in the crevices of the resin medallion on top.

Here's a closeup.  You can kind of see the embossed metal tape.
This is how I created it:

I took a manilla tag and covered it in metal tape.  I embossed the entire thing in Kassie's Brocade embossing folder.  I sprinkled Purple Twilight alcohol ink all over the tag and swirled it around.  Then I added drops of Pearl Mixative and sponged it all over the tag to mute the purple a bit.  Still shiny though!  I sealed it w/ Gloss Gel Medium to give it a high gloss again and to prevent the alcohol ink from rubbing off on my fingers every time I touch it!

I sponged black Gesso along the edges of the tag, and gooped it all over the resin medallion.  After it dried a bit, I wiped off the excess on the tops and let it dry more.  I sanded the tops, and then added Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint, but I was too impatient to let it crackle!  I sanded it more and that was it!
I took my sponge that I used with the black Gesso and applied it to the back of a pretty font stamp from WPlus9 Designs: Defining Words. 

Once all the Gesso was dry, I attached a lace flower and then a railroad ticket that I sponged w/ Tea Dye and Walnut Stain and distressed the edges towards the bottom of the tag.  Then, I started piling on the flowers to make a pretty arrangement!  That's it!

Have a lovely day!

What can YOU do w/ metal tape?!

Today I would like to share w/ you a tag that I made for a challenge that I am no longer a part of!  Haha!  I am still playing along because it broadens my horizons and I'm trying new things!  Like....metal tape!  Have you ever heard of it?  Well, I hadn't!  Until Monday!  I watched a YouTube video on the fun things that you can do w/ metal tape and paper!  So, since I wasn't chosen to continue in the Ultimate Design Challenge for Swirlydoos, I really don't need to continue w/ the challenges.  But, I want to!  I want to show that I can be a team player even though I'm not eligible any longer.  I refuse to be a sore loser!

I sent a text message to my friend, whose husband is a contractor, and asked if I could borrow some metal tape if he had any.  He did!  Yay!  I didn't have to buy a roll!  My husband is so happy!  I'm happy too!  It's expensive!!!!  I received the roll last night when we met up for dinner w/ some of our other friends, and I couldn't wait to get started!  After I took the kids to school this morning, I got my littlest one situated on the couch (still a fever after 3 days.  Ugh!), and I went off to my craft cave, I mean, room!

Here's what I created!

 Here's what I started out with!

 A plain manilla tag, metal tape, rub ons, titanium white accrylic paint, pink crackle paint, black gesso, chipboard, red and vanilla smooch spray, tinsel Heidi Swapp spray.I also added a chain, some accoutrements to the bottom, fancy rose button, flowers, and some leaves that I've had since I started crafting!

 In these pictures, I'm trying to show you the texture that I started with.  I first layered the tag w/ the tape.  Then, I glued the letters of my name, and then covered them w/ the tape.  I took different pieces and embossed them underneath the "Create" w/ an embossing folder.  I taped it every which way on that side.  I took my embosser and outlined each letter over the tape.

 Then, I started distressing it and changing it up.  First I painted it w/ white paint.  I wanted to get the paint into all the nooks and crannies.  Then, I sanded the tops of the embossed areas.  Then, I painted it w/ the pink crackle paint.  That looked ok, but it wasn't vibrant enough.  So, I grabbed my red spray and white spray and made it look pink.  Then the tinsel spray to add the metallic look.  I took white paint and w/ the wooden skewer, went over all of the highlights on each letter to accentuate the letters.

 The above pic is a good shot of what the tape looks like on there, even underneath all of the layers of paint and sprays!  The fact that it had the crisscrosses on it made my job easier because I didn't have to texturize it if I didn't want to.

If you look really close, underneath the word create, you can see the embossed swirls on a couple tape panels.

So, that's my latest development in the world of metal tape!  Unfortunately, I have to give the roll of tape back, or I would have more cool metallic projects!

Craft on!

Scrapbooking like CRAZY!

I can't believe it, but I have created more pages within the past 2 weeks than I made within the past 2 years! Amazing! I have created 2 pages for the Swirlydoos contest going on right now; 1 page for eclectic Paperie; and I completed 3 pages while at a scrapbooking fundraiser for 2 days! Wahoo!

 If you're a regular, then you probably have seen my 3 pages for Swirlydoos and eP.  Now I will show you the 3 pages I completed last weekend!

 This first page is of Elizabeth on the day she was born! I don't normally work w/ a sketch, and didn't for this one.  It's hard when you're getting used to creating w/ one picture, to try to incorporate two!  I think I achieved a level of elegance without it being too much.  My mom loved it, so that's always a plus, as she's a co-star on this page!

 This is when we went fishing at my dad's friend's pond the spring before Elizabeth was born.  I, of course, just sat and read my book and took a few token pictures to acknowledge that we did go fishing as a family!  So, I paid homage to that little fishing trip!  And looking back, it was fun!

 This picture of Jack just takes my breath away!  I really enjoy scrapping pictures of Jack because he's a boy and I love to do frilly, frou frou pages, so he forces me to think outside the box and get masculine!  Haha!
I think I achieved that look here! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!

Jack's First Day of First Grade!

Hi there!  Today I am sharing a scrapbook page that I made for the Swirlydoos' Ultimate Design Challenge Week 2!  I made it through Week 1!  Whew!  Cross your fingers I can make it through another week!!!

This past weekend, I scrapbooked at a scrapbooking fundraiser.  As I was perusing through my photos for what I would work on, I found pictures of Jack's first day of First Grade!  I thought that if I made it through, I would do something w/ these pics this week!  So, here you have it!

The challenge called for paper layering.  I think I have 11 layers here...
Ok, let's dissect the page:

 I chose the best picture out of the bunch and worked around that.  I chose Kraft 12"x12" cardstock to be the bottommost layer and sponged w/ Walnut Stain Distress Ink and distressed it w/ my Tim Holtz Distresser.  Then, a boy type sheet that I trimmed the edges and distressed.  I took a piece of black Core'dinations 12"x12" c/s that I cut into a shape.  I trimmed out about an inch and sewed on the zipper.  Yes, I actually sewed!  It's straight too!  Wahoo!

Ok, here's a closeup of the bottom half.  The numbers are from Mini Numbers Collage from The Crafter's Workshop (found at eclecticPaperie.com) I laid the template down at an angle and painted the modeling paste over it in several layers.  I lifted the template and let the paste dry.  Once it was dry, I rubbed different colors of Gelatos over it to add some interest and detail.  All white is just blah!
The library card and Learn cards are from my stash.  The ruler is from Swirlydoos (a past kit), and I sanded off the black writing that was on there.  I had Jack write his name, and right now he has a number attached to him for school purposes!  I covered it w/ Clear Glaze so that the ink won't ever come off!  His handwriting now is the same as it was last year!  Still messy!  Hahaha!

I added a paper ruler the length across the page from a past kit.  And then the panel w/ the kids in school is from Graphic 45's An ABC Primer.  The little school house on the right is a file that I put together from svgcuts.com called Miss Baker's Classroom.  As you can see in the pic below, it's a card!

I think that's it!  Thanks for stopping by!

Ingredients:
Paper: Kraft 12"x12" c/s (Stampin' Up!);
           World paper: 12" Weekend Market Around the World by Bo Bunny
           Black Core'dinations c/s 12"x12"
           Cherry Cobbler, Baja Blue, Garden Green, Basic Black (all SU!)
           Graphic 45's An ABC Primer
           12" Weekend Market Rulers by Bo Bunny
           Learn Bingo Card & Library Card (assorted stash)
Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger)
Embellishments: Cranberry Spray (Swirlydoos) (Prima?)
                         Black Pearl Swirl (Swirlydoos)
                         Scrabble letters (assorted)
                         Kaisercraft Black Pearls
                         Modeling Paste (Swirlydoos)
                         Numbers Template (The Crafter's Workshop) (eclecticPaperie)
                         zippers (Swirlydoos)
                         ruler (Swirlydoos)
                         chalk
                         Clear Glaze (Swirlydoos)
                         Miss Baker's Classroom (svgcuts.com)
                         Notebook punch (SU!)
                         Gelatos (lots of colors!) (Swirlydoos & eclecticPaperie)

Have a lovely day!

Secret Garden

Hi!  Today I would like to share my latest scrapbook page!  I created this based on a challenge that I am participating in at Swirlydoos! 

I had such fun creating this page!  I really should scrapbook more, but this page took a week to do!  And there's one picture on it!  Hahahaha! 

The original challenge was to create a 3-D embellishment that was to be added to a layout, card, altered piece.  I decided to create a garden gate w/ ivy and roses.  I cut the garden gate from the Moonlight Garden Party SVG file from svgcuts.com.  I cut two identical gates and glued them together.  This creates a more sturdy gate when you start piling on the embellishments!

I painted the whole gate w/ Picket Fence Ranger Distress Crackle Paint and let it dry.  There weren't enough cracks in it, so I double coated it w/ Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  This is more like it!  I then sponged Walnut Stain Distress Ink to age it.

I stamped Kitchen Sink Stamps Ivy several times and fussy cut them out.  I adhered them to the gate, and then added the roses that I have in my stash from Swirlydoos!

Here's a closeup of the distressing!  I just LOVE crackle paint!!!!

 Here's the finished layout!  Isn't Olivia just beautiful?!  This picture was taken right after she was born!

  Here's a closeup of the picture and some of the embellishments!

Ok, so what did I use?  Here we go!
Paper: Prima Firefly Collection (cut w/ Simon Simple Shapes: svgcuts.com);
           Pink Core'dinations c/s 12"x12" which I sanded down, distressed the edges, and then added a few 
                 layers of Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  I sponged Walnut Stain around the edges to age it.

           K & Co. Baby Girl stack, which I cut into a circle for the background layer of the picture.
           Perfect Plum for frame layer around photo, and swirls

Stamps: Kitchen Sink Stamps Ivy:  Ink: 1. Certainly Celery, 2. Mellow Moss, 3. Always Artichoke,
                                                            4. Olympia Green (Versafine)

Embellishments: Swirlydoo flowers, Prima flowers, Petaloo flowers
                         Prima Shabby Chic Treasures Birdhouse and birds: birdhouse covered in Rock Candy Paint
                         MFT Framed Greetings Die-namics colored in w/ Guava & Bubble Gum Gelatos and
                               sponged w/ Walnut Stain
                         MFT Fancy Flourish Die-namics

Have a wonderful day!!!