Monday, June 30, 2014

White Acetate Card

Hello everyone! It is Monday and a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is up. This week we are using white.
 
I made a card using a bunch of Simon Says Stamp Exclusive dies and stamps. I like the look of white and/or cream together with just a little bit of a colour - and here I used light green. The Full Card Bubble background is such a fun die, and I thought it was fun to die cut a white background and place it on an acetate cardbase, so that you can see through all the circles. It is a little hard to photograph.

The background was splattered with just a tiny bit of Bundled Sage Distress Ink and stamped with small sentiment stamps. I also die cut a sentiment from cream cardstock and placed it so that it is floating over one of the circles.

I am very fond of this All Seasons Tree die and wanted it to be my focal point, also die cut from cream cardstock. I die cut some extra leaves from white cardstock and placed behind some of the cream leaves.

There is also border consisting of a stamped border, lace, and the wonderful Heart Parade die. One of the hearts were inked with Sap Green Archival Ink and placed back into the outlines.

I finished the card with a little die cut tag and a sentiment stamped with Sap Green.

Join us this week in our challenge and you could be the lucky one who wins a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp, drawn randomly. Also, don't miss the wonderful project by my fellow DT members.


http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/
 
Thank you for looking!!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Wendy Vecchi Clearly For Art Modeling Film; Neenah: Smooth Solar White, Smooth Cream
Dies: Simon Says Stamp: All Seasons Tree, Heart Parade, Full Card Bubbles, Life Family Love; Sizzix: Tag Collection
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp: Music 2 My Ears
Ink: Archival Ink: Sap Green; Distress Ink: Bundled Sage
Embellishments: Lace trim; twine

Sunday, June 29, 2014

12 tags of 2014 June

Hello again! A second post for today, because I am in the last minute with my version of Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2014 June.
 
The background technique with stencils and Distress Ink that Tim shared is so much fun. I love watercolour backgrounds and this is a great way in which stencils can be used. For my circus themed tag, I used the Harlequin stencil together with Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Peacock Feathers and Faded Jeans.
 
I love this elephant stamp from the Big Top set and hadn't inked it up yet. It was stamped on watercolour paper and coloured with the same inks as used in the background, just different proportions, with more of the Faded Jeans ink.
 
There wasn't enough space on the harlequin background for the sentiment stamp I wanted to use. Instead, I stamped it on acetate and attached with staples. I love Paula Cheney's pretty bow technique, will be using it a lot.
 
Thank you so much for stopping by!
 
Happy stamping!
 
Anna-Karin
 
Supplies:
Surfaces: Ranger: Watercolor cardstock, Manila tag; acetate
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz: Big Top, Way With Words
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black; Distress Ink: Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Peacock Feathers, Faded Jeans, Gathered Twigs
Stencils: Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous: Harlequin
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Crinkle Ribbon, Elements Tissue Tape, Mirror Stars, Game Spinners, Long Fasteners

Laugh Today - Life Made Simple

Hello again! End of the month is busy here on the blog. Today I have another layout to share, made with the new Sizzix Life Made Simple dies by Rachel Bright.
 
These dies are perfect for pocket scrapbooking, although they are great for a lot of other things too, such as cardmaking. You can find another layout I made with them here. Today I thought I should use some patterned paper, since I don't do that as often anymore as I used to. The papers I used are Graphic 45 Mother Goose 6 x 6, which fit well together with my photos. I also decided to play around with some vellum overlays, something these dies with words worked great for. I took the panels out of the page protector, because it is too hard to photograph with the plastic on top.
 
The hot-air balloon and clouds were die cut from different patterned papers with one of the dies in the Laugh Today set. I cut off the frame around the balloon to make it into a freestanding embellishment.
 
The photo with the Dandelion was a bit blurry, but I still wanted to use it, because this is what he does every time I ask him to show a flower he picked for the camera. I didn't attach the vellum to the photo, so if you still want to see the photo in its original form, you can. The star panels come from the Stars set and I used the Basics set to die cut the photo and all the background papers. If you struggle with die cutting any detailed dies, place a sheet of wax paper between the paper and the die. It usually cuts perfectly then, like magic.
 
The train dies are great for any boy page and I pieced together die cuts from different papers. It is a great way to use tiny scrap of patterned papers.
 
Here's another vellum overlay, which will also be great for cardmaking. He is not laughing on these photos, concentrating on something else, but throwing water balloons is a favourite activity, so I thought it worked anyway.
 
The final block, with a die cut journaling panel. I also really like those small arrows. The journaling is about my son's love of playing outdoors, about water balloons and snakes.
 
Thank you for stopping by today!
 
Happy crafting!
 
Anna-Karin
 
Supplies:
Surfaces: Graphic 45: Mother Goose 6 x 6 paper pad; vellum
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Life Quotes Remnant Rubs, Words Remnant Rubs

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Together Quilling Layout

Hello Saturday! A new CSI:Color, Stories, Inspiration challenge is up, here's the case file: 
 
 
My layout:
 
The July theme is weddings and this photo of my parents worked real well with the colours. From the evidence items I used: chevrons, numbers, flowers, stems, silver metal, fabric and stitching. From the testimony, I was inspired by the six-word memoir, using Chit Chat stickers. 
 
There was a time when I did a lot of quilling, and I had fun making fringed flowers and some greenery for this layout. I posted a tutorial for fringed flowers long ago, you can find it here.
 
I mixed some Iced Spruce paint into embossing paste and smeared through a Tim Holtz Chevron stencil. When it was dry, I stamped it with a love definition stamp and Watering Can ink. 
The background is watercolour paper coated with gesso. I did a wash with Mustard Seed Distress Paint. Before it was completely dry, a heart stencil was placed on top and I used a moist cloth to wipe off the paint. The Distress Damask stamps were stamped with Sap Green Archival ink and the text with Watering Can.
 

I also stamped a few flowers on the background, using the same green ink. Under the photo, there is an embossed piece of white cardstock, dry embossed vellum and some tulle. 

I covered some grungeboard with Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fabric and die cut two hearts from it. The edges were frayed slightly. I also added a strip of the same fabric in the layers under the photo.

The Mini Old Jalopy was die cut from cardstock covered with foil tape. I painted it with Black Soot and wiped most of the paint off. The windows are a sheet of mica.

I don't know if you can see it, but there is a little bit of white paint on the tips of the fringed flower. I use a needle tool for my quilling.

Thank you so much for looking! I hope you'll join us in this week's challenge.

Happy scrapping!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Daler & Rowney Watercolour paper; Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper, Foil Tape; vellum
Dies: Sizzix: Mini Hearts, Mini Old Jalopy & Arrow, Vintage Market XL
Embossing folders: Sizzix: Chevron & Lattice, Burlap & Swirls
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz: Nature's Moments, Love Struck, Distress Damask, Random Quote; Stampers Anonymous: Classics #16
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Watering Can, Sap Green
Paint: Distress Paint: Mustard Seed, Black Soot, Picket Fence, Iced Spruce
Stencils: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz: Hearts, Chevrons
Medium: Ranger Dina Wakley: White Gesso; Stampers Anonymous Wendy Vecchi: White Embossing Paste
Quilling paper: Your Quilled Creations
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Fabric; Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Chit Chat Stickers, Game Spinners, Long Fasteners, Heart Charms, Mini Fasteners, Laboratorie Tissue Tape; US ArtQuest Mica; lace trim; tulle

Friday, June 27, 2014

Treasure Chest Tutorial

Hello and welcome to another Sizzix tutorial! The fourth tutorial on the blog in this week, that must be a record. Today, I am going to share another home décor project with you, made mainly with Tim Holtz Sizzix dies, and Idea-ology metal pieces. This project is another example of how versatile dies are.
 
After I built my Medieval Castle, I asked my son what he wanted next, and he wanted a rocket, which you might remember from a tutorial last month. After the rocket, he wanted me to make him a treasure chest, and here it is. This was fun! You can easily make this into a more girly project by maybe adding some jewels and strings of pearls to the treasure. Don't make this to a small child since there are small parts, or keep it as an ornament out of reach. The chest and its contents were made from basically just mat board, grungeboard, dies, pain, stamps and metallic pieces.
 
I had a look at my dies and thought the piece to the right, from Susan's Garden Rounded Birdhouse, would work well for the lid of the chest. But I couldn't find anything that fitted it to use as a box. Instead, I built a simple box from mat board, carefully measuring to make sure the lid would fit. You can make it any height you want - just add the height evenly around the centre rectangle on all the edges. My measurements were 9 x 7.1 cm for the central rectangle, adding 5 centimetres all around for the edges. That should be about 3.54 x 2.8 inches, and 2 in for the height all around.

Cut off the pieces you don't need with a craft knife, but leave a flap on each of the long sides. Carefully score the back of the mat board with a craft knife - don't cut all the way through.

I cut a off a tiny bit at the base of each flap, which makes assembly easier.

Paint both sides of the chest with Gathered Twigs. When dry, add a little Walnut Stain in a streaky fashion. Leave to dry.
 
Stamp with a wood grain stamp and Potting Soil ink. This is an easy way to imitate wood.
 
Assemble the box with strong adhesive, I used Wonder Tape. I also stapled at the top of each flap.
 
The lid needs two side pieces to hold it together. Make them the same width at the base as the side of the box (7.1 cm or 2.8 in). Hold the lid in place and draw an outline with a pencil. You can always trim them a little more after they are stuck. Paint and stamp as above. Attach to the lid with hot glue, and be careful since it is very hot.
 
Die cut Vintage Lace from foil tape and paint gold. You need quite a bit more than what you see here. Distress with a little bit of Black Soot paint to give them a tarnished look.

The chest of course needed a treasure, and I made coins, clocks and a compass. Die cut circles with the smallest Sized Circle, Bottle Caps, Prize Ribbons and a Pocket Watch, from grungeboard.  

Dry emboss the pieces in the Bottle Caps, Retro Circles, and Pocket Watches folders (I forgot to take a photo of that step). Paint them gold and silver, on both sides.
 
With Hardware Findings, die cut two closures/hinges and a key. I was happy when I realised the closures would be perfect for the chest. Paint with gold and silver paint.
 
I painted over the gold pieces with a little bit of Tarnished Brass Distress Paint, giving them a nice colour variation. Sand the pieces slightly and ink with Black Soot. 
 
Cut out a clock from the Collage 8 x 8 paper pad and glue to the pocket watch. Add game spinners and a chain. The clock was Anton's favourite part of the treasure. Use the larger Prize Ribbon circle (which is not only for prize ribbons) and place an Idea-ology compass coin and a game spinner on top. Attach with a brad. 

A map was of course necessary so that the hidden pirate treasure could be located. I used manila cardstock, smeared brown Distress Inks on my craft sheet, misted with water and pressed the paper into the ink. I misted it with more water and crumbled it up. Dry with a heat tool and draw a rough map. Distress and ink the edges and add some more inks to emphasise the folds. Stamp with the Specks stamp and splatter some Walnut Stain ink.

On the back, I stamped a cross bones with Jet Black ink. Roll up and tie with twine. 

Here are all the different pieces together. We are going to make some more coins this weekend.
 
Place the painted foil lace around all the edges, partly to hide the joints. Attach the key hole with brads and paint the opening black. If I had thought of it, I would have cut the opening before hand - there was some disappointment when the key could not actually go into the key hole. But I had already assembled the box when I thought of that, and it was too tricky to get it right.
 
Glue the grungeboard closures and a Word Band to the lid, and add brads to keep the closures in place.
 
To attach the lid to the base, I used Tim Holtz hinges, with a little black paint added to them. Carefully measure before you make the holes.
 
These hinges are so pretty and ornate, perfect for a treasure chest.
 
Here's a view of the hinges when the lid is open. I used a foil tape lace to hide some of the brad arms.
 
The handles were made by simply cutting a strip of grungeboard, painting it with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot and attaching with brads. It looks and feels almost like old leather.
 
The trickiest part is maybe to get the half circle on the lid right. Rather make it a little large at the top and trim with scissors. The foil tape covers any unevenness. 
 
The finished chest. I really enjoy figuring out how to build these types of projects.
 
It looks pretty cool with the treasure inside the chest. It could be left open like this and used as an ornament.
 
From the top it looks like this. The Rounded Bird house was perfect for the lid - I used the same die to make the thin towers in my Medieval Castle.
 
You'll need the compass, key and map to find the carefully hidden chest.
 
After hiding the chest, I left this at the door for Anton to find.
 
Of course the pirate quickly found his treasure, and has not left it out of his sight since then. I couldn't get him to smile on this photo, since pirates 'aren't supposed to smile, even though I am a very kind pirate'.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it has helped you to look at your dies in a different way. 
 
Thank you so much for looking!!
 
Anna-Karin
 
Supplies:
Surfaces: Sizzix Little Sizzles Cream Mat Board; Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Grungeboard, Collage Mini 8 x 8 paper stash; Ranger: Manila cardstock, Foil Tape
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz: Wallpaper & Wood Grain, Cracks & Specks
Paint: Distress Paint: Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain, Black Soot, Tarnished Brass; Adirondack: Silver, Gold
Ink: Archival Ink: Jet Black, Potting Soil: Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap, Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Hinges, Long Fasteners, Game Spinners, Ring Fasteners, Locket Keys, Observations Word Bands, Compass Coins, Ball Chain