New Life Layout

Hi everyone! A while ago I hinted that I had some news to share with you, and now is the time.

This is the first layout I made for our new little family member due next year, so the first news is that I am pregnant. Anton is very happy to get a sibling. Inside the pocket of the heart, there is another folder where I plan to place copies of the scans. I also wrote some journaling there. The title of the layout has two meanings, because my second news is that we are relocating to Stockholm, Sweden, with the move taking place in December. Because of that, things are going to be a little quieter on the blog during December. There are so many things to organise and get done.

The heart pocket is made with a new Sizzix die by Brenda Walton called Heart Pocket. I die cut the back of the heart from a piece of gelli printed paper, I like having a whole bunch of printed papers that I can reach for. The pocket was die cut from natural sticky back canvas, which was first adhered to cardstock.

 

The canvas was embossed in the pretty Songbirds folder and inked with brown Distress Inks, so that the embossing stands out better.

 

The small hearts were die cut from leftover gelli papers and patterned papers. They open up.

 

For the background, I embossed brown Core'dinations cardstock (4 x 4 in) in different shades and sanded. They were stitched to the background cardstock 

I die cut the title from mat board with the Block Talk Lowercase die. The accordion flower is also a part of the Notepad Cover die. The background paper watercolour paper coated with gesso, painted with Distress Paints and stamped.

The Notepad Cover inside the heart looks like this and was die cut from Prima patterned paper. I positioned the paper in such a way that the pencil would be at the bottom. It looks a little skewed on the photo, but not in real life.The butterfly is also part of the Notepad Cover die.

Inside the pocket, there is a little mini book meant for journaling and photos of the new little wonder.

 

There has been a couple of previous posts about these changes earlier on the blog, but I wasn't quite ready to tell yet, particularly these two: Changes layout and Vintage Rust art journal page.

 

Thank you so much for looking!!

 

Have a lovely day!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Surfaces: Sizzix: Little Sizzles Cream Mat Board; Tim Holtz Core'dinations color-core cardstock; Prima: Stationer's Desk A4 Paper Pad; Ranger: Natural Sticky Back Canvas

Dies: Sizzix: Heart Pocket, Notepad Cover, Block Talk Lowercase

Embossing folders: Sizzix: English Botanical & Houndstooth, Love & Swirling Vines, Songbirds & Lattice, Family Tree Set, Polka Dots & Starflowers

Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Graph & Croc

Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Tree Branch; Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs

Paint: Distress Paint: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap

Tools: Sizzix: Big Shot, Extended Cutting Pads; Gelli Arts: Gel Printing Plate 8 x 10

 

Angel Tag Tutorial

Hello everyone! I have a Sizzix tutorial to share with you today, using the lovely new Angelic die by Tim Holtz.

 

I wanted to make a light and soft looking tag, using different materials and textures for the angel. It was also fun making the snow at the top, and the double embossed background. When I first saw the Candlelight die, I thought the drips would look great like snow. Let's start.

 

Paint two pieces of grungeboard, or one larger piece (I used leftovers) with gesso. This gives us a white surface to work on.

 

Die cut the Angelic and two sets of drops from the Candlelight die.

 

Die cut another three wings from vellum.

 

Emboss the wings in the Snowfall folder.

Layer the wings together and staple them to the body.

Smear Texture Paste on the part of the angel which will be the dress, covering up the stapled vellum. Sprinkle with Rock Candy Glitter. The glitter sticks to the paste.

Layer three pieces of cheesecloth together and die cut the body of the angel from that. Trim so that you only have the part that will be the dress. I didn't attach it quite yet.

Softly paint the hair and the face with Distress Paints. Later I added an eye with a marker.

Use VersaMarker to apply embossing ink to the trumpet, sprinkle with silver powder and melt with a heat gun, taking care not to burn yourself or the texture paste. I hadn't yet attached the cheesecloth because the embossing powder would easily get stuck in that.
 

Emboss a manila tag in the Greens folder, using this sandwich: Multi Purpose Platform Tab 1, cutting pad, embossing folder with tag inside, second cutting pad.

 

This is a lovely embossing folder, and I thought it fit well with the soft theme of the tag.

White-wash the tag with gesso. 

Ink the tag softly with French Ultramarine and Potting Soil Archival Ink, using a round ink blending tool. We are using Archival Ink instead of Distress Ink, because Archival Ink is permanent and won't bleed in the next step.

Coat the whole tag with embossing ink using Ranger's Emboss It Dabber. Cover with clear UTEE and pour the leftovers back in the jar. Melt with a heat gun. Don't touch the melted powder since it is extremely hot. This create a lovely glossy tag with a soft textured background.

Coat the snow drops with Texture Paste and cover with Rock Candy glitter, same as with the angel's dress. This creates the effect of very real looking glittering snow. 

Glue the snow drops at the top of the tag and smear some more Texture Paste at the very top to cover the joints. Sprinkle with more Rock Candy.

Dye a piece of crinkle ribbon with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and tie it around the base of the tag. Also add a piece of tinsel.

Glue the cheesecloth to the angel, but only at the top, let it fall freely at the bottom so that you can still see the glitter underneath.

I was real happy with how the snow turned out, from die cuts that were meant to look like candle wax.

The mixture of silver embossing, texture paste, glitter, cheesecloth and embossed vellum makes the angle look interesting. 

It is hard to photograph the dry and heat embossed background of the tag, it is a really cool effect.

 

Thank you so much for looking!!

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Surfaces: Ranger Manila Tag; Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Grungeboard; vellum; cheesecloth

Dies: Sizzix: Angelic, Candlelight

Embossing folder: Sizzix: Snowfall & Falling Trees, Greeting & Greens

Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Potting Soil, French Ultramarine; Distress Ink: Gathering Twigs, Tumbled Glass; Emboss It Dabber; Tsukineko VersaMarker

Embossing powder: Ranger: Silver, Clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel

Glitter: Ranger Distress Glitter Rock Candy

Paint: Distress Paint: Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Frayed Burlap

Medium: Ranger: Texture Paste, Dina Wakley Gesso

Embellishments: Tim Holtz idea-ology: Seasonal Chit Chat Stickers, Crinkle Ribbon, Silver Tinsel Twine

Snowflake & Sleigh Card

Hello all! I am sharing a Christmas card on the Sizzix blog today, made with dies and embossing folders by Tim Holtz.

 

I had fun making this card with the sleigh carrying the load of a large metallic snowflake. I love the new Sleigh Ride, Layered Snowflake and Stacked Snowflakes dies and used all of them here. You could easily just make the snowflake for a card, or even an ornament. To see an example of a snowflake ornament made with these dies, check out this post of mine.

 

For more photos and info check out the Sizzix blog.

 

Happy crafting and happy Thanksgiving!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Winter Scene Art Journal Tutorial

Hi everyone! We are having a challenge break week at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week, but three team members will be posting tutorials, and today it is my turn.

As you know, I love to build scenes and in this tutorial I am building a scene using mainly stencils by Simon Says Stamp. I turned this into a peaceful art journal page, but you could just as well make a card or a tag.

 

To see the full tutorial, you'll have to hop over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.

 

Happy crafting and thank you for stopping by!

 

Anna-Karin

Kids & Sled Wallhanging Tutorial

Hi everyone! I am sharing a tutorial on the Sizzix blog today, for a wintery wall-hanging.

 

I was aiming for a cosy and textured feeling on this project, using different techniques. As usually, the techniques can be applied to any type of project. You can easily turn this into a card, tag or make embellishments for a scrapbooking page.

 

To see the full tutorial, head over to the Sizzix blog.

 

Thank you for visiting!

 

Happy crafting!

 

Anna-Karin



Winter Shadow Box Tutorial

Hello friends! Today I am happy to share a tutorial on Tim Holtz blog, made for the Tim Holtz Media Team.

 

I turned a burlap panel around and made it into a shadow box instead. You probably already know that I love shadow boxes and it is particularly fun to build little scenes inside them. I used one of my favourite ways to create snow here; texture paste and a lot of Distress Glitter. You can also use the techniques for other projects.

To see the full tutorial, head over to Tim Holtz blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Anna-Karin

Vintage Canister Tutorial

Hello everyone! During November, the challenge at Eileen Hull's Art With Heart challenge is Favorite Recipes. Eileen's new Vintage Kitchen collection is going to be available for purchase any day now and the team has shared creations using this wonderful and versatile collection.

In August, I shared some of the samples I made with the Vintage Kitchen collection and promised to give the details later one. In this post, I will share three samples, one of them a stepped out tutorial. I have a fourth one too, but I will save that for later this week.

Let's start with the Canister die, which is such a great die. Love this tall shape. I wanted to create a vintage canister, looking like something my grandmother might have had in her kitchen, with texture and a simple design.

 

Die cut the canister from mat board. This is an XL die, so you need the Extended Cutting pads. As you can see, the Scoreboards dies both cut and score the material, making assembly easy. Paint with Antique Linen and Pumice Stone Distress paint. When dry, stamp here and there with a crackle stamp and Watering Can ink. I painted and stamped the inside too.

I painted the lid with Broken China paint. All the edges were sanded to reveal the white mat board.

Cover the edges of the lid with masking tape. Mix a little Pumice Stone paint into Wendy Vecchi's Embossing Paste and apply through a stencil. Remove the tape and leave to dry.

Mix a little Antique Linen and Pumice Stone paint into Embossing Paste and apply through a flower stencil with a palette knife. Leave to dry.

When the flower panels are dry, you can add more stencilling on the remaining two sides. I used a word stencil and some birds. Leave to dry.

When the paste is dry, you can assemble the canister. I used Ranger's Wonder Tape. Die cut a label from white paper and paint with Broken China.

Dry brush Gathered Twigs paint here and there on the canister to give it an aged look.

I stitched a vintage button to the lid, which also makes it easy to open the canister.

It can be displayed with any of the sides facing forwards, to vary the look. Use patterns that fit with the recipient of the canister. 

 

This sugar bowl is another sweet die and it comes together with a creamer. It remained me of a very cute china set I had as a child and I tried to recreate it from memory. Again, I used a stencil by Wendy Vecchi and sponged Distress Inks through it, aiming for a soft look. Mat board takes inks really well.  

 

Stamp with a sentiment using Watering Can ink and add some pearls.

On the other side, I used another favourite sentiment stamp. Assemble the sugar bowl with strong tape.

I also used the Loaf Pan die, to make a little gift box for something sweet, in this case jelly beans. The pan was die cut from mat board and embossed in the pretty Sunburst folder. I coloured it with Eileen's Bay Blends ink. The Loaf Pan can be assembled in two ways, the second one being a little broader than my version, with the sides leaning outwards.

The flower was die cut from patterned paper with the Sweet Treats For You die, inked and layered together. I glued some trim around the edge.

The Loaf Pan was sprayed with Biscotti Perfect Pearls mist, for some sparkle.

 

Thank you so much for looking! I'll be back with another Vintage Kitchen project later this week.

 

Happy crafting!!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Dies: Sizzix: Canister, Loaf Pan, Sugar Bowl & Creamer, Sweet Treats For You, Lovely Labels

Embossing folder: Sizzix: Sunburst & Waffle

Surfaces: Sizzix Little Sizzles White Mat Board; Neenah Smooth Solar White; Prima Vintage Vanity A4

Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Wendy Vecchi: The Purpose of Art, Art Comforts, Forever Art; Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Cracks & Specks

Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Watering Can, Saffron; Distress Ink: Spun Sugar, Shabby Shutters, Gathered Twigs; Colorbox Eileen Hull Blends: Bay

Paint: Distress Paint: Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs, Pumice Stone, Broken China

Mist: Ranger Perfect Pearls: Biscotti

Stencils: Stamper's Anonymous: Wendy Vecchi: Vintage Floral, Sunburst, Classic Words, Fancy Flowers

Medium: Stamper's Anonymous Wendy Vecchi: White Embossing Paste