Inspiration Donna + Video!

My Inspiration Donna Video is up!  Woo hoo!  lol

I had so much fun making this spread, and video.  Donna Downey’s Inspiration Wednesday video (upon which my spread and video is based) is here.  Her spread is gorgeous!  Mine is much different, even though we used similar products and techniques.

Scrapbook (Mixed Media Art) Quilt!

So, I completed my Scrapbook/Mixed Media Art Quilt.  This project was so much fun to create!  I used a ton of different products and techniques to add texture, and dimension.  So, here’s my quilt:

I’m quite happy with the way it turned out.  I wanted it to be textural, with a mixed-media art feel to it, and I think I accomplished that!

Well, now that I finished that project…….on to the next! 

Thank you SO much for stopping by!  Please leave me a comment!  It makes me smile!  :):)

Fun with Glimmer Mist – Tutorial!

So, if you’ve been following my blog for the last couple of days, you will know that I have been playing with Glimmer Mist, in an effort to learn some techniques that I may be able to use in a class at Scrappin’ Great Deals.   I have gotten some results that I am VERY happy with, and others…not so much.  It is definitely versatile!  Depending on how you use it, what you spray it on, and what other products you combine it with, you can get completely different, and (some) BEAUTIFUL results!  But, it is extremely difficult to photograph the results!  And, I tried really, really hard to get good photos.  So, you’ll just have to trust me!  LOL  First, what I was able to learn about Glimmer Mist:

 Manufacturer:  Tattered Angels

 Website:  www.mytatteredangels.com

 What is Glimmer Mist? 

•   Water-based, archival safe, acid-free, and non-toxic. 
•  Will wash out of fabric/clothing.  
•   Cleans up easily with soap & water, from most non-porous surfaces.
•   The liquid itself is also tinted/dyed so it’s not just colored glitter and water.
•    You only need a fine mist to get the glimmer on your projects.
•   #1 tip!  Shake REALLY WELL before using – make sure the glitter, which settles on the bottom of the bottle, is distributed really well!  Not only will this give you a better result, it prevents the nozzle from becoming clogged.
•    There are TONS colors to choose from.
•    If you don’t like the drips and drops of glimmer mist that will inevitably end up on your project, just blot gently, with a paper towel, while still wet.
•   Protect your work surface.  I use a non-stick craft pad, which cleans easily with water.  Wax paper will work, too.
•   You can never have too much Glimmer Mist!  Add multiple layers for a dramatic look!  Hold the nozzle closer to your project for a more intense shine.
•    Use like hairspray for a subtle shimmer
•   Dries quickly – it’s water based.  Use your heat gun to speed up drying time.

Spray it on: 

•     Cardstock – the thicker, the better!
•     Try BLACK cardstock!  STUNNING!
•      Patterned paper
•     Ribbon
•     Lace
•     Fabric
•     Glass
•     Plastic
•     Metal
•    Paper or silk flowers
•     Chipboard
•      Grungeboard
•     Corrugated cardboard
•    Paper mache
•     Wood
•      “scrunch” or krinkle your paper , either before spraying, or after
•     Spray on non-stick surface, and drag paper edges through glimmer mist for a cool, subtle shimmer around the edge of your card, or stamped image
•     Buttons
•      Will pool on acrylic for a unique look
•     Polymer or paper clay embellishments
•    Foam embellishments
•    felt embellishments

 Use it with:

• Tattered Angels’ Glimmer screens
• Stencils
•  Masks (Tim Holtz and Heidi Swapp both make masks)
• Glitter glue (Stickles or the like)
• A paintbrush – spray into a small container, or directly on to a non-stick surface, and dip your paint brush into it!  Paint your stamped image!
• A foam brush – spray directly on to foam brush, or project, and drag or paint
• your Nesties (Nestabilities)!  Spray paper before or after removing die.
• Distressing methods – sanded or distressed edges will soak up more glimmer mist
•  Distress crackle paint – glimmer mist will settle in the cracks
• Brayer it!
• Use with resist techniques – eg, stamp and heat emboss an image, then spray with glimmer mist and wipe excess off of embossed image
• Stamp with it!

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

 

 Ideal for:

   

• Scrapbooking and cardmaking
• Spray plain cardstock to make background paper – try multiple colours!
• Punch shapes out of pre-glimmered cardstock or patterned paper
• Use glimmer mist for painting stamped images (use a paint brush, or not!)
• Altered items – picture frames, mini albums, boxes, etc.
• Paper crafting
• Multi-media art projects
• Artist Trading Cards
• Handmade Jewelry

And now, some photos…again, I have to re-iterate – this product is gorgeous on almost everything I tried it on, but the pictures don’t really do it justice.

 

This is a “before & after” photo, but the before version didn’t photograph so well!  lol  I sprayed the centre with lime green, then dipped the edges of the petals in periwinkle that I had sprayed on my non-stick craft pad.

 

 

Next, I tried it with my Cuttlebug.  I sprayed the white cardstock first, let it dry, and embossed it to get this subtle effect:

 

I got a much more dramatic effect, (which is not really evident in the photo) – I sprayed the cuttlebug folder with Glimmer Mist, sandwiched the white cardstock in the folder, and then ran it through my Cuttlebug.

 

Next – I used one of  the Tattered Angels’ Glitter Screens – first I used it as a mask, then I flipped it over, and used it to stamp the second image.  VERY COOL! 

 

 

So, that’s all for today.  I have some more photos to share – tomorrow.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

Chipboard Tutorial – My Personal 2008 Favourite!

Hello my friends!  Sorry I’ve been MIA for a couple of days, but I’ve been extremely busy – re-organizing my craft room!  I have accomplished a ton, and figured out a number of ways to store and organize all my products!  I’ve also purged a ton!  LOL!  Now I can buy more stuff!  My plan is to share pics of my space, once I complete it, which should be very soon!  I can’t wait to start scrapping in my clean and organized room!  In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my 2008 favourites.  I’ve seen other bloggers do this, and I’ve enjoyed blurfing about and oo-ing and aw-ing over the beautiful creations out there!  I feel so grateful to be a part of the papercrafting community!  I have met so many super talented, and super cool ladies!

First, my favourite tutorial.  This wasn’t only my personal favourite, but it also got THE MOST HITS EVER on my little blog!  Thank you all for your support, and kind comments, and for clicking on over to my little korner! 

Chipboard Tutorial – Make your Chipboard Titles *POP*

Supplies required:

• Chipboard letters – thick, quality chipboard works best – I used Basic Grey 
• Textured, or Non-textured cardstock – good quality works best – I used Stampin’ up non-textured in black
• Contrasting rub-ons – I used Making Memories in white
• Quick-drying liquid glue – I used Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive
• Ranger Glossy Accents Clear dimensional embellishment (some equivalents are Diamond Glaze Dimensional Adhesive by Judikins or 3-D Crystal Lacquer by Sakura)

Tools:

• Ranger non-stick craft sheet (or wax paper, or parchment paper would probably work as well)
• Cutting tools (craft knife and detail scissors)
• Sandpaper, emery board, or Sanding tools (I like Basic Grey’s sanding tool kit)
• Glass or other smooth cutting surface (I bought a $ store 8×10 picture frame, and removed the glass – just be careful of the sharp edges)
• Rub-on tool (I used BG’s roller tool), but a bone folder, or even a popsicle stick works, too
• Paper towels; and/or Q-tips

Okay…let’s get started! 

1.  Adhere chipboard letter FRONT to cardstock BACK, using quick-dry liquid adhesive.  You need a good amount of glue - (applied to the FRONT of the chipboard letter) -to achieve a satisfactory adhesion.  Wipe off any glue that squishes out the edges with a q-tip, or a piece of paper towel.  Allow to dry completely before continuing on to the next step.

2.  Starting with the INSIDE of the letters (eg – the inside of the “O” used here), and a kraft knife, and/or detail scissors – trim the cardstock as close as you can get to the chipboard.  Don’t worry about being “perfect” – you will be sanding it later.

3.  Sand the edges.  I love BG’s sanding tool kit for this kind of work.  Makes it a breeze to sand those little tiny inside corners and edges.  Alternatively, an emery board works well, too.  Or, little bits of sandpaper can be folded to get at those difficult spots.

4.  Apply rub-ons.  I love Basic Grey’s roller tool for this, but you can use a popsicle stick, or bone folder with good results, too.  You can try to get an entire image if you wish, or just apply random bits of rub-ons – both techniques work, depending on the look you want.  Bits of the rub-on will come off the backing, and hang over the edge of the cardstock – just sand it down, using a gentle sanding motion, being careful not to lift the rubon off the surface of the cardstock letter.

 

5.  Working on a non-stick surface (wax paper or Ranger craft sheet) – apply a fairly thick coat of Glossy Accents, or equivalent – take your time and ensure you cover the entire letter.  If any bubbles appear, gently “pop” them with a pin.  It will have a cloudy appearance while wet.  Allow to dry completely – takes about 10+ hours.  (Hint – don’t try and speed up the drying with an embossing gun – doesn’t work so well).  It will dry to a hard, clear, shiny & resistant finish.

This is after 10 hours of drying time – you can see it still isn’t quite dry.

So….there you have it!  Shiny letters that *POP*! 

The possibilities are endless!  Have fun!

Here is my favourite layout, using the above technique.  This is actually the layout that inspired me to do the above tutorial!

Products used for this 12×12 layout (above):  Prima pp, and flowers (from the kit).  Also used:   Kaiser Pearls; Stickles; Unknown buttons; Scenic Route Chipboard butterfly; Heart cut using Cuttlebug die; Ranger Glossy Accents on the butterfly and the BG chipboard letters; BG rubons on the chipboard letters; Bazzill cs.  I used my Fiskars border punch to make the scalloped edge on the pp.

 

 

So, that’s it for today.  Tomorrow, I will share some of my favourite cards and altered items.  Thank you so much for stopping by! 

Trash to Treasure!

I’ve had many comments about the fact that I had leftovers after making so many projects from that beautiful Prima scrapbooking kit.  It’s difficult for even ME to believe, but here’s the proof!  I started to clean up my *HUGE* mess in my studio, (so that I can work on my chipboard tutorial) – and put all my leftovers aside…and then took a look, and ***WHOA***!  I had more left over than I thought I did.  Here’s what I mean:

There are FIVE FULL 12×12 DOUBLE SIDED sheets of patterned paper left over, along with a huge length of ribbon, and even a few flowers…along with some bits and pieces of dry-embossed pp, chipboard, and cardstock!  Holy moly macaroni!  lol  So, because I just love to share, I’ve decided to offer up my leftovers as blog candy!  They say (who are “they” anyway???) – that one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure…so, is this trash or treasure?  You decide!  Just leave me a comment today, and tell me how you would turn THIS trash into TREASURE, and I’ll ship it off to one of you in a pizza box!  (Sorry – Canada or U.S. only).  Alternatively, you can purchase the entire kit at www.scrappingreatadeals.com – and receive a 15% discount for the entire month of July!

I really do plan to get that tutorial up TODAY!