Saturday, June 30, 2018

Sea Turtle Mini-Album Passbook

Hello Friends.  I'm here with a mini album about the sea.  
I'm obsessed with all things of the sea.  I am thankful that Creative Embellishments lets me indulge my obsession with the coolest chipboard pieces.  

These are the pieces I am featuring on this mini album. 

My paper choice for this passbook is Graphic 45's - Sun Kissed 8x8 paper collection.  It's bright, cheery, beachy and has great colors.  
The passbook was actually created with a die from Sizzix  created by Eileen Hull DesignsSizzix Vintage Scoreboard Passbook die (mini-album) .  

I really enjoyed this die.  In the past, I have not enjoyed making mini-albums but now, I'm a crazy lady cutting and gluing mini-albums.  Thanks to my fellow Creative Embellishments Teammate, Maggi Harding.  She's the one who introduced me to the passbook when I visited her home recently. 



The sea turtle  chipboard happens to be my favorite piece from Creative Embellishments.   
What's really cool is that the package contains a variety of sized turtles.  All perfect for any project. 
This is what I used to color the sea turtle.  I used a selection of Liquid Pearls and topped with sequins.  This way, I don't lose the beautiful details on the chipboard piece.  
These are the colors I used:


Moving on to the inside of the passbook, I created these mini tags using
Creative Embellishments Tag Set2 (mini tags).
These mini tags are the perfect size  to use as embellishments for a mini album.

Ahhhhhhhhh tags....covering decorative tags used to be a perplexing issue for me - a paper perfectionist.    Gosh edges never were perfect so I never bothered with tags.
But they really are fun and adorable.  So I gave it a whirl once again and overcame my issues.

I traced the tag onto the paper and cut "close enough".
No need to trim the paper exactly.  After trimming the paper  "close enough "  and gluing to the tag,  I used a nail-file to trim the edges of the paper to the exact size.
Simple and pretty darn near perfect - even for me.

The tags have little journal cards that slide into place.  The photo below shows the tags without the journal cards. 



Happy Crafting and thanks for visiting.  

Where to shop? 
You can shop for Creative Embellishments chipboard, veneers, flairs and more right here.  

Creative Embellishments - Sea Turtles
Creative Embellishments - Seashells
Ranger Liquid Pearls - Mermaid
Ranger Liquid Pearls - Key Lime
Ranger Liquid Pearls - Baby Blue
Sizzix Vintage Scoreboard Passbook die (mini-album) by Eileen Hull Designs sz-660331
Graphic 45 - Sun Kissed 8x8 paper collection

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

June Maja Design Mood Board

Hello friends.  I'd like to share my heart card created using the Enjoying Outdoors collection from Maja Design.  

I absolutely love the warm purples in this collection.  These are the papers I used from the Enjoying Outdoors collection:
Singing in the Rain 
Beautiful Trees
and Butterflies from Garden creatures sheet

This was created for  the monthly Mood Board at Maja Design.  Have you considered playing along with the Mood Board?  

The rules are super easy.  It's all about interpretation and inspiration - from the colors in the images, to the words, font, quote, or the images themselves.  The June Mood Board has lovely greens for summer...I missed those warm gorgeous greens over the long cold winter.  

My florals were created using Spellbinders Victorian Garden Romantic Vines die along with a die from Cheery Lynn's Grapevine Frame die


Where to shop? 
You can shop for all your Spellbinders dies right here .
You can shop for Maja Design Papers here. . 

Products:





Sunday, June 24, 2018

Light House Sea Canvas




I love the sea.  It's peaceful and calming for me so I  tend to create what soothes my soul.  If you love the sea, then Creative Embellishments has chipboard pieces you will adore.  

I'm combined my love of sea and chipboard.    
This started out as an 8"x 10" canvas but after finishing it, I wanted to add a weathered frame for hanging.  The canvas rests on top of the frame - meaning the glass has been removed.  




These are the Creative Embellishment chipboard pieces I used on this framed canvas wall hanging.   


Here's How I created the Lighthouse

Below is a quick glimpse of how I created the lighthouse.  The package of chipboard lighthouses comes with a set of four unique lighthouse shapes.  Select two of them and do not agonize that they are different.   Don't let that stress you out....you are an artist - let nothing  with a peaceful purpose  throw you off. 
Besides you'll never know they are different after you glue them together.  

Step 1.  Dab two  lighthouse chippies  lightly with whitewash ( white acrylic or gesso mixed with water to thin it out).    I used a sponge because it dabs so much better than a paint brush - but use whatever is easy and handy.  

Step 2.  Select which lighthouse you want as the bottom  and set aside.  
Pick up the second lighthouse - the top lighthouse - and mark off 1/2 inch sections  with a ruler and pencil.  

Step 3.  Lightly fill in  sections of the lighthouse with some blue ink .  I left the pencil lines because they added cool structure when colored ink was added.  Plus I liked the look.  

Step 4.  Lightly ink one edge of each lighthouse with brown.  This will add dimension.  

Step 5.  Time to glue the lighthouses together.  I glued the bottom one a bit off center to create dimension and shadows in the windows, at the top, and at the bottom.  I think the effect is very cool.  I'm happy.  

Here are some images of the finished lighthouse piece.  
The paper and sweet sea gulls are from Stamperia paper .   I simply cut them out and added some hemp cord for salty seascape effect. 

As I mentioned above, after I completed the canvas, I wanted a bigger piece for my wall.  The actual canvas is 8x10.  I shopped around for a frame that was worthy of a salty seascape.  This wooden frame looks as if it were made from  weathered wood.  Perfect.  

All I did was set the canvas on top of the frame and glue in place.  I removed the glass to make the frame lighter for hanging.  




 Thanks for stopping here today.  


Where to shop? 
You can shop for Creative Embellishment chipboard and products right here .
You can shop for Stamperia papers right here



Creative Embellishments
Creative Embellishments
Creative Embellishments

Friday, June 22, 2018

3D Rainbows and Unicorn Card - Folds Flat Too!

I'm here to share a magical unicorn moment complete with rainbows and happiness.  And made with fun...Maja Design Papers  and amazing Spellbinders dies.

My sentiment reads : "It's going to be a rainbows and unicorns kind of day."
Some days are meant to be extra special.
HG=Have you ever sat at your craft table and felt like that?  I have. 


This die set from Spellbinders is absolutely amazing.  It's
Spellbinders  -Grand Arch Elegant 3D Vignette Dies by Becca Feeken.

The coolest thing about this die set is that it folds flat to slip inside an envelope. 

Watch this super quick 20 second video to see how cool this 3D die opens and closes to be flat.

My paper choice is also magical.  
The Enjoying Outdoors collection by Maja Design has rich purples and greens that make me think of unicorns.  I am not sure why I connect purple with unicorns, but I do. 
That's the very reason I selected this paper. These are the 12x12 pieces I used from the collection: 
Flourishing
Woodlands
The Great Nature
Here is a close up of the card. 
The dimensional die from Spellbinders and Becca Feeken.  The die set is part of Becca Feeken's Amazing Paper Grace Collection

The Unicorn die is also from Spellbinders - Die-D-Lites collection- Unicorn Fantasy  .
Who doesn't LOVE unicorns and rainbows!





Here are a few images to show how this goes from dimensional to flat - flat enough to slip nicely into an envelope.  What a cool and beautiful thing. 


Thanks for stopping here today.  I value your time.

Where to shop? 

You can shop for all your Spellbinders dies right here .
Here is a link to help you shop for dies from Becca Feeken's Amazing Paper Grace Collection.
You can shop for Maja Design Papers here
You can click here for the Amazing Paper Grace Collection (which includes the Elegant 3D Vignettes collection).

Friday, June 8, 2018

DIY Snowman Snow Globe Shaker Card - Tips and Video

Summer is finally here and I'm still making snowmen?  Am I crazy?  
Yes - I certainly am - crazy for this die from Spellbinders.  

I have been playing around and experimenting with Spellbinders Elegant 3D Vignettes (dimensional dies) by Becca Feeken.  This particular die is called Grand Dome.  

I created my version of an adorable snowman snow globe card. 
I've been waiting for summer to make an appearance - but I really do love snowmen and snow globes.   Extra fun bonus when I'm making a shaker card. 

Here are the two Spellbinders dies I used for this DIY Snowman Snow Globe Shaker Card:

Here are the papers I used from the Vintage Winter collection by Maja Design:
Hej-mitt-vinterland 
Fun in the Snow
Winter Joy



The snow globe was created using the cool die from Spellbinders and Becca Feeken - Grand Dome .
The snowman is also a Spellbinders die -  Snowman Builder -  Small Die of the Month Club.

The Spellbinders Elegant 3D Dies by Becca Feeken were designed to help create unique dimensional cards and projects.  This means there are many layers - like a "sandwich".

Quick Video

Here is a quick 30 second video showing the snow globe shaker card in motion. 
I just love making shaker cards. 


Below is a photo of the shaker card "sandwich" needed to make this card.
The die has many pieces - meaning many layers to assemble in order to create the dimensional look.  
My snowballs are actually little foam balls.   They work perfectly here. 

I wanted the snow to shake and fall around the snowman and be a bit more dimensional. 
In order to do that, I have provided my "sandwich" - describing the way I created the layers.  
You can see a close up of the layers in the image below.  

I cut the sweet snowman from the Maja Design Vintage Winter collection and glued him to the side of the shaker snow globe.  


On the second side of the shaker card, I cut the image of the little boy throwing snowballs from the Maja Design paper.   Perfect for my card. 



Thanks for stopping here to see my winter creation.  Now back to Summer....

Here is a link to another dmensional card I made using the Grand Dome -Elegant 3D Dies by Becca Feeken Grand Dome die.   You can see the details of this project here. 
Click here for the link. 


Thanks to Spellbinders also, for selecting me to be a Spellblogger.


Where to shop? 
You can shop for all your Spellbinders dies right here .
You can click here for the Amazing Paper Grace Collection (which includes the Elegant 3D Vignettes collection).
You can find Becca Feeken's dies here .
You can shop for Maja Design papers here.  

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Halloween Spooky Haunted House Shadow Box - Tips and DIY Video



Are you one of the millions of folks who love decorating for Halloween?  
Your in good company.  

I also love Halloween decorations and adore creating projects for the season. 

   Creative Embellishments has an amazing assortment of chipboard pieces for Halloween.  I've created a spooky Haunted House shadow box "vignette" to help feature these products.   
I have a quick 2 min video showing my technique tips.  
Keep scrolling down to see the video.  


In order to create this shadowbox haunted house vignette, I used the following chipboard pieces seen in the image below:
                                      Technique Video
I've created a short 2 min video showing how I created the pieces for this haunted house vignette.



Additional Details

The mummy.  The mummy chipboard piece comes with exquisite details. If you use too much paint, you risk covering up the details of the mummy.  
I used a white wash made from mixing white acrylic paint with a few drops of water.  I also decided to wipe the mummy with a paper towel/cloth instead of using a paint or foam brush.  Why?  I felt both the paint and foam brushes would get paint in the details.  

After he was dry, I glued a few pieces of cheesecloth - the extra creepiness. Cheesecloth is available in craft stores, hardware stores  and even grocery stores.

I thought it would be cute to have the mummy crash through the screen door.  My attempt at scaring away trick-or-treaters - though seriously, who is trick-or-treating at a haunted spooky house locating in a cemetery ?  (cue the spooky music)
I am most certainly not because I am way too busy running away.

The Creative Embellishments -Screen Door 3 has been inked with Vintage Distress Ink. 

The Distressed Wood Signs  The wood signs are the perfect size for this vignette shadow box.  I painted the sign brown,   then dabbed tan and cream colored acrylic paint to lighten it up and provide the appearance of wood grain.  The lighter paints also enabled me to use a black marker for the wording.  

The Tombstones - The tombstones were painted gray and marbled by adding ity-bity dabs of white wash paint to a foam brush and gently touching to the stone.  And I do mean ity-bity.  Less is more.  far easier to add more marbling than to start over.  

Tips for Securing Chipboard Pieces to the Shadowbox
 As you can see from the photos of the haunted house vignette, some of the pieces hang off the house.  My trick for securing the chipboard to the shadow box vignette - is to cut strips of paper and attach as a hinge on both the inside of the house and the outside edge of the house.  

I used this technique to attach the tombstones, the owl on a branch, and the sign. 
Here are some additional close ups of the project.  
A quick word about the paper I used for the background of the house.  The bright purple paper is from Graphic45 - Fairie Dust Collection 12x12.  





Where to Shop? 
You can shop for all your Creative Embellishment chipboard, veneer , flair buttons and more here
You can find the  Creative Embellishments chipboard pieces for Halloween here .  


Creative Embellishments -Distressed Wood Signs
Creative Embellishments -Screen Door 3
Creative Embellishments -Owl on a Branch
Creative Embellishments -Mummies
Creative Embellishments -House Vignette
Creative Embellishments -Tombstones
Creative Embellishments -Fence Border 
Graphic45 - Fairie Dust Collection 12x12
Cheesecloth - white and black
Acrylic Paints: