Vintage Home Decor Tags 25, 26, 27

Hi, Everyone,

I have been very busy creating 12 two page layouts & 12 double-sided inserts for my latest year long project A Year in the Life.  This is a cross between creating beautiful layouts & my version of Becky Higgins' Project Life. . . stay tuned for the big reveal!

Today I will show you 3 more tags from my Vintage Home Decor series.

Tag 25 showcases Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine paper cut in a banner shape, with 2 metal vintage buttons anchoring the corners.  The banner is layered with a paper doily, vintage sheet music that is as soft as flannel, & a Tattered Floral flower cut from Kraft Glassine, interfacing, canvas topped with a jewelled metal flower brad!

Tag 26 is all about layering & dress forms.  The paper's design was that of peeled paint so I layered the same 2 papers on top of one another & ripped the top layer to create a 3D effect, tucking in a piece of Tim Holtz's on the edge doily die.  Dress forms were pop-dotted on top of one another & embellished with a metal Tim Holtz heart keyhole.  I created my own washi tape by applying score tape to ordinary gift wrap tissue then stamping a dress form image onto the tissue. I ripped around the image, peeled off the score tape backing, then attached it to the tag. Part of a vintage crocheted doily & my mother-in-law's 60 year old lace wedding coat is draped from a metal hanger, then finished off with a dangling pair of scissors!

Tag 27 is all about embellishments.  We start by layering script gloss photo paper with  a doily image stamped & heat set with black archival ink.  We then layer paper flowers, a Paris door image, a jute wrapped wooden ruler, crocheted lace trim & pearl brads!

Tomorrow we will see the last 4 remaining Vintage Home Decor tags.

Happy creating!

Marbled Metallic Technique - Dragonfly Tag

Hi, Everyone,

I've been working on 7 more Vintage Home Decor Tags for 2 great ladies, Jeri-Jo & Ivy.  The techniques will be featured on Treasured Memories Inspiration Blog - Technique Tuesdays starting January 29.

Today I am showcasing a tag created with a Marbled Metallic Distress Stain background.  This is a fantastic technique & there are several cards & tags on the Internet using this marbled technique as well as Tim Holtz's blueprint stamps because they are soooo beautiful.  Have a look!

- First, apply 6 daubs of "Antiqued Bronze" & 6 daubs of "Tarnished Brass"  Distress Stain in 2 areas side by side on a craft mat; sprinkle water droplets on stains; swirl tag through water stain mixture until you are happy with the colours; add more stains & water droplets to the craft mat if needed & repeat --- this is a MARBLED METALLIC Technique; (sorry, next time I will photograph the actual technique for you to see, prior to adding things to it)

- to prevent tag from curling, I swirl tag in marbled mixture on both sides

- DRY tag with a heat tool

- Stamp alphabet background stamp with black archival ink over entire tag

- Stamp ink spots with black archival ink randomly over tag

- ink edges of tag with Walnut Distress Ink; coat edges with Embossing Ink & UTEE then heat set (twice)

- Apply 2 rows of tissue tape along top & bottom of tag

- Stamp the word "Artist" onto ivory cardstock with black archival ink; tear around the word & ink edges with Walnut Distress Ink; coat with Embossing Ink & UTEE then heat set (twice); attach to bottom of tag with pop-dots

- Stamp Dragonfly blueprint stamp with black archival ink on watercolour paper; tear around the image; Rub "Tarnished Brass" Distress Stain dauber along 1 torn edge then IMMEDIATELY dip your finger into water & smear along edge to blend (repeat to all 4 edges separately); ink torn edges with Walnut Distress Ink; coat torn edges with Embossing Ink & UTEE then heat set

- Attach pop-dots to back of Dragonfly image & centre between tissue tape on tag

- Stamp 2 Dragonfly blueprint images with black archival ink on ivory cardstock; Rub "Antiqued Bronze" Distress Stain on 1 set of wings & "Tarnished Brass" Distress Stain on the 2nd set of wings & body; fussy cut around Bronze wings only; fussy cut around entire Brass Dragonfly wings & body; coat Bronze wings & Brass Dragonfly with Embossing Ink & UTEE then heat set (twice); apply pop-dots to Bronze wings & attach to Dragonfly on tag; apply pop-dots to Brass Dragonfly & attach to Bronze wings on tag

- glue pen nib to body of Dragonfly with Fabri-tac; glue white flower to centre of "Libellule Dragonfly" circle on tag with Fabri-tac (see both photos above for flower)

I absolutely love the Marbled Metallic background & applying UTEE to the edges greatly highlights the tag!

Try this Marbled Metallic Technique & let me know what you think.

Have fun creating!

She Art - Week 3

Hi, Everyone,

I've been creating in my She Art Journal & am now finished with the She Art I Class on-line by Christy Tomlinson.  The class taught me how to develop my own She Art style, which I call my Paper Dolls. 

I've learned that I like to use . . . scrapbook papers & vintage ephemera glued on with Scotch Quick-Dry glue for my backgrounds rather than painting backgrounds on.  I like to use . . . vintage book paper for my Paper Doll bodies rather than painting the bodies on (thank you for the old book Jeri-Jo).  I like to use . . . paint Daubers (rather than paint brushes), Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens, Distress Markers, & Precision pens.

Have a look at my 2 Paper Dolls!

Girl 1 . . . I love how easy Paint Daubers are to use, how there is no clean-up & how they create backgrounds with punchinello.  I discovered that on my 4 oz. paint bottles I can replace the pour top with a Dauber top which makes my crafting so much easier.  Treasured Memories sells Dauber tops for $1.25 which are also interchangeable with Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays.  I bought 10 dauber tops!  Too bad the daubers don't fit my 1 oz. bottles.

I love Faber-Castell Pitt Artist pens. They are a high quality pigmented India Ink that is permanent, acid-free, archival & odorless.  I outline my dolls & other elements to create shade.  If you work quickly, you can also blend them with a waterbrush.

I love Distress Markers.  The brush tip is perfect for creating flowing hair & the colours Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick & Spiced Marmalade blend together so beautifully for my signature hair colour.

I love Precision Pens.  The tips are perfect for outlining absolutely everything on my project, highlighting all the elements, & bringing my Art to life.  Check out the denim I used for her pants, the flower in her hair, & the banner.

I've also punched out tabs with matching paper & glued them to each page for ease of turning.

Now I'm off to create a Class Series which I will be teaching at Treasured Memories starting soon

. . . A Year in the Life - two 12x12" Monthly Layouts with plastic inserts for added embellished photos!

My version is a cross between scrapbooking & Project Life that Becky Higgins & Ali Edwards do. 

Becky Higgins . . . daily photos in assorted plastic sleeves.

Ali Edwards . . . weekly photos in assorted plastic sleeves.

My version . . . monthly photos on two 12x12" layouts & in assorted plastic sleeves between the layouts.

That will be my next post. 

Have fun creating!

She Art - Week 2

Hi, Everyone,

I've been creating in my She Art Journal, continuing with the She Art I Class on-line by Christy Tomlinson.  The more you work with different mediums the more you develop your own style & realize what products you do & do not like to create with.  My style seems to be a self-portrait & my products of choice seem to be paper, stamps, paint daubers, Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens, Distress Markers, & Precision pens.

When working in  this She Art Journal, I wanted to create a 2 page layout.  The 1st page being only the background layers & the 2nd page being the finished project on the background.

Girl 1 . . . I love paper.  I love how it looks, how it tears, how it creates backgrounds, paper figures, elements & sentiments in my Art Journals.

Girl 2 . . . I love stamps.  I love how they add interest to the background, how many choices in design they offer, & how they create backgrounds in my Art Journals.

Tomorrow I will show you my girls from week 3.

Have fun creating!

Vintage BELLOWS Camera

Hi, Everyone,

There are a few Vintage Cameras on the internet which are made from paper & I really wanted to try making one for myself.  I've been searching the internet to figure out how on earth I was going to make the bellows for my camera.  After much trial & error I came up with my own solution using hockey tape.  The camera is not modelled after any one particular brand, but rather a combination of a few different models.
Have a look!

This project took me about 1 week to create with lots of internet surfing & many proto-types being thrown in the garbage.  It's a combination of 2 handmade square boxes & 2 handmade round boxes put together using black cardstock & black matboard.  I've used Tim Holtz Grunge Paper, Mirror & Box Corners to finish it off.  This is a beautiful Paper piece of Art which I will enjoy looking at in my Scrap Room every day.

I will be offering these completed Vintage Bellows Cameras for sale at Treasured Memories very soon.

CC2 - January Card

Hi, Everyone,

A New Year brings a new Class Series . . . a Card - Compendium of Curiosities Style!

I will still be creating Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2013 & displaying it at Treasured Memories & on my blog for you to see however, for the Monthly Tim Holtz inspired Sunday Class we will be working on a Kraft Corrugated Card rather than a Tag.  If Tim's monthly tag uses a technique that we have already discovered (like this month's water droplet distress inking), I will choose some techniques from Tim Holtz's book, A Compendium of Curiosities, Volume II for our inspiration.  Below is what we will be creating!

Everyone is welcome to join in as we explore the products & techniques

 set out in Tim Holtz's book, A Compendium of Curiosities, Volume II.

A Compendium of Curiosities . . . is a collection of useful hints.

In the 1^st class will explore the innovative surface of Kraft Glassine,

 how to create Faux Suede & how to successfully stamp on it,

& how to create a Faux Patina to change the colour of metal.

Join me

Sunday, January 13

1-3:00 p.m. $10

Supplies:Craft sheet, Fabri-tac, double-sided tape, Stapler, Paper Piercer,
Paper Distresser, Scissors, Tweezers, Distress Ink Blending Tool,
Alcohol Ink Blending Tool
Distress Inks: Walnut, Pine Needles, Mowed Lawn, Faded Jeans
Alcohol Inks: Pool, Lettuce, Pitch Black & Silver Mixative

Graphic45 Corsetted Mini-Album

Hi, Everyone,
As promised, today we will be viewing the Corsetted Mini-Album that tucks away in my Gypsy Wagon.
Each page is corsetted in a different way creating variety & uniqueness to each page.  I absolutely love the Graphic45 Olde Curiiosity Shoppe papers.  Check it out!

The hinged gusset system allows for plenty of room for embellishments . . .

& how we love our embellishments!