Amour Tag

This tag was for a Swap-bot swap with one of my favourite partners. She came up with the theme of Love Story. I took that quite literally!

Since I took this photo, I added some glue to restrain that bow and keep the little lady at the top from being swallowed up by it! :) The papers, tag and leaves are by Maggie Holmes for her new Open Book collection. I just ADORE it. I added the strip of glitter to the bottom of the tag, coated the people and heart in gold paint/Copic ink and added glitter to the little bird too. I love altering embellies to make them more my own.

The ribbon was hand-dyed (by me!) and when I first made it, it looked almost fluorescent! But it seemed to go well with this bright rose paper. I used some vintage lace to go with it.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: Open Book-America Crafts, ivory cs (to make tag)-SU!
Accessories: Potty people, heart veneer-Studio Calico, lace-stash, ribbon-Hug Snug seam binding, tag, leaves-American Crafts, letters-Dollarama, Krylon gold paint pen, Copic marker, Art Institute ‘sand’ glitter, Sulyn Ind. gold sequins

Mixed Media Quote Canvas

I am recently getting into mixed media. This canvas features one of my favourite quotes and was for a swap I hosted on Swap-Bot. It is only my second canvas ever (here is my first canvas- Friendship Canvas) so be kind but I was pretty happy.

It was lacking a bit of depth I had hoped for as the second layer went on darker than I meant for it to and I had a technical problem with the glitter but other than that I am very pleased. The first layer on my 6x9” hard canvas covered board was a partial layer of gesso added mainly to the center, scraped on lightly over most areas but then added thickly in a few swirly shapes using a palette knife. They are hard to see in the photo but you can see the largest one under the U and R of Your.

Then I added a mix of three colours of acrylic paint, turquoise, mint and navy which I applied with my fingers getting a marbleized look. When that was dry, I adhered torn sections of French book paper (bottom right-seen below in close up, middle left, top towards the left.) To colour that, I created an acrylic paint and water wash with the turq and navy only. I applied it and realized I had WAY too much so I added it to the whole canvas so as not to waste it. I had deliberately not mixed it well so it had cool blobs in it and I loved how it puddled and pooled especially against my gesso swirls. You can see the pooling especially in the top left corner.

The next step was to check how large I should write my text on scrap leaving enough borders for embellishing. When I was happy, I drew similar wavy lines on my canvas and used an India ink pen to draw in my letters between the lines making them look uneven and whimsical. I added some accents using a chevron stencil and white pigment ink sprinkling on some vintage glitter while the ink was wet. Problem is, I had remembered this technique using paint, not ink and the glitter started falling off! Plus, I should have waited until after I had done my stamping to both stencil and glitter! So I brushed off as much glitter as I could (some did stick!) and used glossy accents to add the glitter back on. Fortunately, the stamping worked well right over the stencil/glitter combo.

I used only two colours for the stamping as they were the only colours other than black which I didn’t want to use which were dark enough. That’s why I was disappointed by how dark the base turned out. But I stamped off on some stampings to get a lighter tone for some variation. I’ve lightened the photos slightly to show the detail. I might have tried more lighter inks using pigment inks but most of mine are so old they are probably dried out and I don’t have reinkers. To be honest, it didn’t occur to me until now! I used a gilder’s paste to highlight the edges of the canvas (LOVE that stuff!) and added a key using a brad and Glossy accents. Finally, I stamped a patinated metal blank then covered it in acrylic paint to highlight the lettering, wiping off the excess so only the recessed areas keep any paint. I added beading wire and beads curling the ends to add interest and keep the beads on. It was added with foam tape.

I’d love hearing if this is off any interest to you. I will still post it anyways but perhaps with less detail of my process. Please feel free to comment either way, I won’t be offended if you only visit for the cards!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Tim Holtz
Ink: not quite and night of navy-SU!, cloud white-colourbox
Paper: vintage french book paper
Accessories: brad, key, metal punch-Tim Holtz, beads, wire, vintage glitter, acrylic paint-stash, metal plate-Vintaj, Faber Castell pen, Glue n Seal-Ranger, Gesso-Golden

Miniature Doll Bedroom with Matchbox Bed

As I’ve mentioned before, I swap quite a bit with Swap-Bot. I love getting fun mail, it makes an ordinary day much happier. I run a smaller subgroup which allows like-minded people to have even stricter rules and swap specific themed items which is fun but lots of work. One of my groups is Matchbox and More and I hosted a swap to make a doll bedroom.

The requirements were to use a matchbox as a bed, make a floor and two walls, one with a window and decorate the window and the room in general. And make or buy ‘someone’ to ‘live’ in the room. The matchbox used is approximately 2x1.5x0.5” so it’s pretty small. I used swatches from an online fabric store to make the sheet and blanket. The bottom of the blanket is loose so the drawer can come out then tuck back in. The headboard is actually part of the matchbox sleeve that folds up.

The room was sent flat so it is hinged on two sides but only temporarily adhered on the third side. The table is designed to fold flat too. The doll is made from felt and her features are sewn on using  thread as even one strand of embroidery floss was too thick! The curtain rod is part of a BBQ skewer and the curtains are more sample fabric with brad tie backs. The outer part of the window was cut with a square die but I didn’t have a die that perfectly cut the inner squares as the muntin bars would have been too thick so I used a die to cut the outer part of the square then trimmed the rest with an x-acto knife.

If you ever decide to join Swap-Bot, look me up. My username is thebragal.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: Spring Moss, ivory CS-PTI, floral DP-Cosmo Cricket, wood DP-MME, chocolate CS-scrap, wall art-Little Darlings-Graphic 45
Accessories: all stash unless otherwise listed, brads-CTMH, square Nestabilities

Blue and White Snowflake Pillow Box

I signed up for emails from a new challenge, the Friday Mashup. They have a two part challenge. You can play one part or the other or combine them! I decided to go for both and combine that with making another project for my Swap-Bot challenge to use the stamp stamp multiple ways.

Sorry for not folding the box ends together. Funny, I didn’t even think about it until I had taken the photo, mailed it and realized it looks weird in the photo! Since we all know what they look like, I know you can use your imagination! Silly me! It did help it sit up there to photograph it since it was flat.

The little bottle is the same as the Vintage Parfum card, looks very different right? That was the point of that challenge, to use a stamp in lots of very different ways to get out of a rut of always using it in the same or similar ways. I thought it made a great tag. The box is great for gifts or gift cards.

It’s hard to see but the silver bow has a tiny rhinestone in the center and so does the snowflake on the bottle. Can you see the loops on the ribbon edges? It is formed from a looped cord attached to a tiny satin edge, so much classier than the old picoted ribbon I used to use in the late 80’s on country wreaths!

I

Click on the photo to visit the challenge post. I’m also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp ‘Anything Goes’ Challenge.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe
Ink: Versamark
Paper: white CS-SU!
Accessories: ribbon-stash, pillow box die-PTI, rhinstones-TE, cord-SU!, hole punch-Fiskars, snowflake ribbon-May Arts

Ocean Themed 250 ct Diorama MB

I love the ocean so it was a natural choice for my diorama matchbox!

I used a scallop die to make the waves. The sand is stamped with kraft ink then stamped again with a glue pad and gold glitter was added. The fish ‘bubbles’ are Dew Drops and the water is glittered along the edge and blinged with rhinestones. The sea bird dangles from a piece of rickrack.

The cover features pieces I cut from a Graphic 45 paper pad. Along with a die cut doily and some cool bling! In case you are familiar with a normal 250 ct MB, yes, this is much thinner. I specified that the box be thinner so it would cost less to mail. So it is only 1/2” high. Since I was sending it all the way to Australia, I’m glad I made it thinner! $4.85 vs closer to $10!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: crab, post-Shore Treasures CDS, bird-Seashore Crafty Secrets, sand-SU!
Ink: Memento black, kraft, chocolate-PTI, Versamark
Paper: Aqua Mist, Kraft, Hawaiian Shores-PTI, white CS (clouds)-Taylored Expressions, x-Press It white CS, vintage typing paper (doily)
Accessories: cloud, scallop, doily die-PTI, fish button, gold swirl-Jesse James, Dew Drops, rhinestones-stash, coloured glitter-Art Institute, white glitter-SU!, foam dots-Jody Morrow, bling strip-Recollections, vintage lace, May Arts ribbon, rickrack-stash

Altered Mousetrap–Vintage Beach

Apparently, one of the newest cool things to alter is a mousetrap! They make a great note holder when magnets are attached to the back. I guess if you work in a cubicle, you could also add Velcro to the back.

I decided to take apart the trap mechanism to make it easier to add the background paper and ink it. Wow, it is very stiff and very spring loaded. Poor little mousies… Anyway, it took a bit of yanking to get the clips out from the wood but I kept prying until I got them out. I was glad I did; I decorated it and let everything dry when I realized that I didn’t remember how to put it back together. Yikes! Fortunately, I had another  still intact and figured it out. Whew! All sides were inked with Vintage Photo ink.

I used liquid glue to adhere the background papers and then made some embellishments. The lady under the orange umbrella was adhered to coaster chipboard, sanded and inked front and back; at least the portion that will show so it looks finished from the back. The flower was painted with acrylic paint then sanded when dry to distress it. The watch hand was inserted then the brad distressed with the claw end of my hammer.

The sand dollar was punched out twice from ivory and kraft cardstock. Then I layered them and added Glossy Accents to the surface. Before it dried, I added the sand and shell inclusions. I couldn’t get all the bubbles out, they kept moving away from my pin tip (GRRR!) so I finally left them since they added to the rustic nature of the embellishment, or at least, that’s what I told myself! {{{Grin}}} Add magnets and all done!

Have you ever embellished a mousetrap? This was my first. If you decide to try it, send me a picture! It was really quite fun!

No Mouse was Harmed in the Making of this Project! New Unused Traps. A better use for sure!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: DP-Graphic 45 Boardwalk, Vanilla, kraft CS-SU!
Ink: Vintage photo, antique linen Distress
Accessories: acrylic paint, flower, watch hand, brad- Tim Holtz, mousetrap-Dollarama, sand dollar punch-MS, sand and shell-Mudd Puddles, coaster board-Ellen Hutson,

Tim Holtz Inspired Metal ATCs

I’ve been wanting to enter a project inspired by one of Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of 2012 and I finally got to it. Funny that this was the month because his tag this month is so not my usual girlie style! But I joined a metal madness ATC swap on Swap-Bot and his tag was perfect!

Aren’t these cool? They look so industrial and it was fun and easy to make. I had some old Karen Foster metal sheets for so long they were dusty and I’m amazed I remembered where they were!

Tim used various techniques to distress and mark the metal. A pen makes rivet-like marks, a piercer makes the holes and I used a bone folder for the lines. Alcohol inks give the rusted look, I actually used red, green and grey together and it turned out amazingly I think. Those are all the colours I had so I was glad it worked out. Check out September 12 Tags of 2012 for more details and to see Tim’s tag.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: Grungeboard arrows, vintage stickers-Stash, vintage music paper, black CS-SU!
Ink: SU! black craft, alcohol inks-Ranger, vintage photo Distress
Accessories: TH filmstrip ribbon, copper eyelets-SU!, metal sheets-Karen Foster, tiny stapler-TH

Miscellaneous ATCs for Swap-Bot

I have a blast making ATCs to trade on Swap-Bot.com. Here are a few I haven’t blogged yet.

Oh my word, I just got tot he bottom of this post and came back up to add this note. I can’t believe how many projects I found I’ve never shown you! And how many ATCs ended up in this post! WOW!

I think this one was for a book page swap. The requirement was to use a real book page as part of the ATC.

I didn’t execute it very well but this one was showcasing kissing technique. The letters were kissed with a dotted background stamp.

I made a card like this then miniaturized it into an ATC. The lighting was bad so the colours are way off but I still love the design.

This one shows grid technique where you stamp after embossing lines in the paper. It looks kinda like tiles and I think it suited this stamp well.

I’m sure this one was for a beach themed swap. I absolutely LOVE this paper. The whole thing is rows upon rows of pretty flip flops. Here I trimmed the paper into a cool border and I added gold glitter to look like sand. The paper flower was cut apart and placed to resemble palm tree branches leaning over the scene.

This one was for an interactive ATC. The wheel inside rotates to show different craft supplies and one image has the sentiment ‘...crafting.’

This one was probably summer fun or sweet treats or similar. I added glossy accents to the chocolate sauce.

Another beach themed one. I love this real fishing net I got when I was in Ocean City, NJ. I have scads of it and so I don’t have to hoard it! I’d decorate my whole house in a beach theme if it wouldn’t seem so silly in the middle of our too long winter!

This one was to use a new technique. i may have tried faux marble a million years ago but if so, I know I didn’t make anything with it. I also tried metallic rub-on paste using the die as a stencil for the first time.

This one was ‘add a number’. The number could be in any form you liked.

This was one of the biggest challenges I’ve done. No adhesive allowed on this one! Can you see the techniques I used?

You can definitely see them from the back! A brad holds on the label. Slits hold the background paper in place and the brad reinforces that. I sewed on the doily and the button which holds on the ribbon and the flower. I had lots of other ideas too but these just ended up being the ones I used.

I know the photo is atrocious, so sorry. This was another tricky challenge to make an ATC without paper! Yikes! I used plastic from packaging as the base and the rest you can see.

Vintage Bathing Beauty ATC.

I have no idea what I made this one for. Hmmm…

Copic coloured kitten ATC. According to the website, which has a story for each character they draw, these two are friends. No munching in imminent.

 

I guess this one was for flowers. I am always working on making metal look shiny and realistic. Not sure if I got there or not…

I love using this embossing folder on the cone. Doesn’t it look so much like a real sugar cone? Summer treat or drink theme.

Pink Cupcake, part of a cupcake series.

I think this one was for my Nature Series: Plants.

Nature Series: Flowers

Pretty Bird ATC.

No idea, I made this one two years ago!

If you got this far, you deserve a gold star! Especially since I am always running behind with my swapbot swaps and I take most of these with my iPhone and they aren’t great photos. Thanks!

Major Copic Colouring-Travel Postcard

I’ve had this stamp for ages but finally got to colouring it last summer. Yes, it’s true, this sat un posted THAT long. I kinda  forgot about it but then I was reviewing some old photos and stumbled upon it. I am very glad because it took me about 4 hours to colour it and I HATED to part with it once it was done but I made it for a swap so off it flew! I added a backing and turned it into a postcard.

Please, PLEASE click on it for a better look! I relied heavily on the water coloured stamp block image but since some of the shading wasn’t totally accurate, I added my own touch. I think I’ll colour this again soon and maybe try some other colours. Such fun!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Butterfly Dreams ATC

I don’t remember when I made this or for what but I am finally getting around to posting it. It was probably for a butterfly or
shabby chic themed swap on Swap-Bot.

Pretty simple so not too much to say. I hope you like it!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: SU!
Ink: Memento cocoa
Paper: vanilla, chocolate CS-SU!, vintage music paper
Accessories: foam dots-Jody Morrow, Making Memories fabric tape, Copic Markers, Pearls-Dollarama

Floral Cupcake Matchbox

I apologize if I’ve posted this before. I have a folder labeled ‘not posted’ but I am bad about removing photos from it after I do post! I searched for keywords and didn’t find it so I think it’s new here.

I used Liquid Pearls here in a couple places. Once for the icing dots around the edge of the cupcake…

And again on the edge of the box. I traced a scallop on the edge and went over it with Liquid Pearls then added the dots. Looks like a cake decoration design. The cupcake is paper pieced with cardstock and DP.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps
Ink: chocolate, cocoa-SU!,
Paper: Pink CS-PTI, DP-Basic Grey
Accessories: Scalloped punch (as template), Liquid Pearls, button-PTI, foam dots- Jody Morrow, silk flowers-Michaels

Snowman Gift Card Holder

Scroll down to see a photo of my NEW BABY!!

Even though I haven’t been posting here, I have been crafting still. Just too tired and/or busy to blog-sorry! This was for a swap I hosted on Swap-Bot to make a winter themed Gift Card Holder (GCH). I thought that by making it winter themed, it would work for any holiday or celebration.

It is a trifold holder that' I’ve used before and it has a curved part (under the snowman) that can tuck into a slit cut in the lower half but I chose to omit the slit this time and use a Velcro coin to hold it closed. I can’t tell you how often I’ve made a gate fold card or a holder like this and I inevitably forget and add adhesive to the area that shouldn’t have any! Yeesh!

The snowman is stamped in three parts, one for each ball but the lower one also has the snowflakes included. I really think they should have included a large ball without the snowflakes so they could be stamped in different colours. So I stamped it in baja then traced the large ball with a black marker to match the other balls. They were stamped separately rather than masking where they overlap and adhered together. The hat was done separately too. I used Stickles in white and blue to accent the snowflakes both on the base of the snowman and on the blue base and the hat band.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Close to My Heart
Ink: baja breeze-SU!, Memento black, silver pigment ink
Paper: NQN, white CS-SU!,
Accessories: Stickles, Velcro-Walmart, Copics B11, 100 (black), C3,5,7, E39, YR16

Paris ‘Challenge Me’ ATC

As any of my regular readers knows, I trade quite a few craft items on Swap-Bot. This one was for a swap I designed called ‘Challenge Me’ ATC which was quite new and different. In order to make the ATC, the sender had to list  their favourite 10 crafting supplies or tools in the comments section.

The recipient would choose 5 of those that the sender HAD to use to make the ATC. The recipient would also look over the sender’s profile and choose a theme from things that the sender listed as likes. Then the sender created the ATC with the 5 items chosen (basic supplies like scissors, cardstock etc were givens for everyone) plus one additional item from the list of 10 and 2 other items of choice.

I made this a couple weeks ago so I’m not sure I'm 100% but I think the 5 were DP, ephemera, punches, dies and ribbon. The scalloped border is a punch, the doily a die. The ephemera is the music paper, background is DP. I used a stamp as an additional item from my list of 10. And I added pearls. The theme my partner chose was Paris but could I find my Eiffel Tower stamp? UGH! Took me ages! And I know I have 2 but I never did find the 2nd one.

I dyed the silk ribbon with Copic ink and distressed it with Vintage Photo ink. I used a Bow Easy to make a nice tidy bow. TIP: Did you know that if you wrap the ribbon in a figure 8 around the ‘legs’ rather than wrapping around the outside of the ‘legs’ of the Bow Easy and  you put a twist in the ribbon in the center, the bow loops will fluff much more easily? Especially with lots of loops. I forgot to do so here and you can see that my loops will stay out to the sides and not fan all the way into a nice circular shape. I don’t have enough loops to make a full circular shape anyway but if I did, they would always try to stick out to the sides unless you figure 8 wrap the ribbon.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: unknown
Ink: Vintage Photo, Antique Linen Distress, Memento black
Paper: Graphic 45 Romantique, white typing paper (doily), vanilla, black CS-SU!, vintage music paper
Accessories: doily die-PTI, punch-EK Success, May Arts Ribbon, Bow Easy, Copic, Kaisercraft Pearls

Recycled Gift Card Holder

So, what do you think I recycled to make this project? Yep, a flattened toilet paper tube! Cool right? This was for another swap on Swap-Bot. I joined a group called Somerset swappers that uses Somerset brand magazines as inspiration for all swaps. In case you aren’t familiar, these magazines feature different hand made items from recycled projects to doll art to shabby chic deliciousness to vintage items to aprons to whimsical artsy altered projects.

The design is pretty basic. The outside is wrapped with patterned paper held on with adhesive and the bottom is stapled closed. I also held the lace on with staples and covered them with the scrunched seam binding. I tried something new with this ribbon. Sharon (I can’t remember if it was Harnist or Johnson, oops, sorry) had on her blog that she ties the ribbon, then spritzes and scrunches it. I tried that because I wanted flat ribbon around the tube to better hide the top of the lace and the staples but a scrunched bow. Worked out very well! I used gold Perfect Pearls Mist that I made and spritzed the whole project.

TIP: I don’t use hat pins much anymore for beading because it is too expensive. Instead I use corsage pins or head pins made for jewelry. The head pins are best in some ways because almost any bead fits on the smaller ones, even those with small holes but they bend too easily and you have to work them into the bow rather than stab them right through the middle of the knot because they are blunt tipped. The corsage pins have thicker metal so fine-holed beads don’t work but they are sharp tipped.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamp: Button Boutique-PTI
Ink: Vintage Photo Distress
Paper: My Mind’s Eye, vanilla CS-SU!
Accessories: lace-stash, mini pearls-Melissa Frances, pearl beads and crystals-stash and Swarovski, seam binding-Hug Snug, ribbon-Offray, corsage pin, Spellbinders tag die

Quirky Alligator Pop-Up Matchbox

I can’t believe my time as a Doodle Pantry Designer is almost over! 1 more month, August to go (and a bit of July still of course)! I’ve had so much fun and had the privilege to use so many wonderful images. One category of images I don’t use as often are the cutesy images Laurie draws so well. As I tend towards vintage and shabby, these are harder to use. However, I just had to print out and use Quirky Alligator from the July release.

This is a pop-up matchbox. I designed a swap on Swap-Bot for this type of matchbox and had fun making it. Most matchboxes have a sleeve that slides off of the drawer rather than this type of lid. I used JustRite stamps for the outside but the cute part is inside…

When you open the lid, there is the cutest little alligator ever! I love the patches on his eye, leg and arm (front leg??) I coloured him with Copic markers and I wasn’t thrilled with how the lighter yellow green turned out as I was surprised to see it was quite dull compared to the similarly numbered greens. The 00 series of all the colours should be quite bright with no grey or brownish undertones (with the obvious exceptions of the greys and browns). So I figured G00-09 and YG00-09 should be similar in tone. But to me, the YG’s were a bit dull but maybe it’s just my eyes… Shows more IRL than in the photo. I left those areas pretty much unshaded as the coordinating darker shade seemed even more brown/greyish and didn’t want to blend very smoothly. I guess I should check colour combos ahead of time even if I am pretty sure they will/should work.

The lid is two layers of embossed CS using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. It looked unfinished with the reverse/debossed side of the embossing showing on the inside and it made the lid stronger as we all know that embossing reduces the strength of CS by at least half and this box went through the mail in an unpadded envelope. (I have a cool way of protecting it from squashing though, ask if you are interested…)

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: JustRite
Images: Doodle Pantry
Ink: Memento black
Paper: yellow CS-SU!, white CS-Taylored Expressions
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, ticket corner punch-SU!. Copic markers, foam dots-Jody Morrow

(Contests mostly by Basic Grey. Typically matchboxes are filled with small goodies that complement the box…)