mihi Tessa

In todays layout I've used a gorgeous photo of my niece celebrating the most important day of her life - her graduation.  Tessa had a rough time getting through her school days, so now finally she is on top of the world after years of catch up and hard grind.  Well done Tessa.

 

In keeping with the kiwiana theme introduced by the gorgeous feather cloak being worn I've used only green's & brown's throughout.  Believe it or not this stunning HOTP paper actually has pretty pink flowers in the bottom corner, but gesso and a strategically placed flower hid them nicely.  The papers have been distressed & inked, the stitching is on top of printed stitching (which actually looked cheap & tacky).  Burlap & the HOTP trim border the layers perfectly.  The awesome koru from Imagine if . .  have been flocked along with 'TESSA', then glimmer misted  just to tone the colours down a bit.  Felt kiwi add more kiwiana to the page.

 

I found a tutorial for these stunning burlap flowers on You Tube, take a look here.  Skeleton leaves, pheasant feathers & beads finish the embellishments.

 

Good ole Google is very handy, here I've used Google translations to add yet more kiwiana.  "mihi Tessa i runga i to koutou puta" translates to "Congratulations Tessa on your graduation".  I've used cuttlebug dies for the lettering.

 

I'm really please with how the page has turned out with all the embellishments from Imagine if . ..  Most of these can be found in felt and chipboard and are all proudly NZ made.  Go and check out their range (which is being added to daily) for that little something different.  Its the only place I am aware of to find such a great range of kiwiana. 

 

For a closer look of this layout and many others, come and visit the Imagine if . . stall at SENZ, where Jo and her helpers will also be running some classes and have some make & takes for you all.

 



Sunshine Superman

Here we are with my completed pages in the 10th of the Creative Dreams art journals.  Ooooh, its now very close to the return of my journal, with all the awesome artwork completed by the other ladies, I can't wait.  But at hand today is my latest pages where the theme was "Journey".  I wanted to do something a bit abstract, so came up with this idea.

 I wanted to show the effect of superman 'bursting' through the sky, which I think I have achieved.  The background has been coloured with gelato's, and as this was my first use of them I must admit that I'm rather impressed.  Over top of the yellow (butterscotch) stripes I've used a TCW template and TH Scattered Straw distress ink, whereas the blue (blueberry) stripes I used TH Pumice Stone through the TCW template.  Serviettes were used for the superman components of the pages.  TH Alpha tiles, Dylusions edging stamp & dots and rings of gesso finish the pages.

Being part of a group like this has been one big journey for us all.  It is a great opportunity to tryout techniques and ideas that wouldn't otherwise be touched on, and seeing what the other ladies come up with is also such a great way to learn.

Thanks for visiting, keep an eye out for the last two instalments over the next two months.  They will be easy to search for as they are all labelled CD.

May IARDC

May in the Northern Hemisphere is spring, whereas here in New Zealand we are in the full flight of autumn.  So here is my entry for the I am Roses monthly challenge which is themed "Hello Spring".  They require a spring tag featuring two of their gorgeous products.

 

I adore using the burlap with the softness of flowers, lace & ribbons.  Firstly I stitched around the card (sadly the pink cotton is really too faint, but it is there), then glued on the inked branches and punched leaves.  On top I've used cherry blossoms in 2 colours & the adorable little S10 blooms.  The felt butterfly comes from Imagine if . . .  Random scraps make up the tassle.

 

Thank you for visiting, please leave a comment.

Better than Most

Well here we are, time for a new challenge at Southern Girls Challenge, where the theme this time is 'Shimmer'.  Check out what the other talented DT's have come up with as inspiration for you also.  There are some great prizes are up for grabs from our awesome sponsors.  So here is my offering:

 

I started with a paper from the Prima Ledger pad (which just arrived yesterday), which I inked with TH Walnut Stain, then used a TCW template with coloured homemade texture paste to add a bit more interest.  The shimmer on my page comes from the Bella Glitz glittered cardstock that I've used to matt the photo on. In my mind beforehand I'd imagined a large square of this after going thru my Round the Page punches, but alas the card was too thick for the punch to handle, so back to good ole trusty scissors.  A bit of lace, zig zag trim, IAR flowers, TH Alpha tiles add extra interest to the page.  

 

I've used a couple of the dies from our sponsor Marriane Design here which I use quite regularly, the flourish & the mini roses (which I absolutely adore, they are so easy to make).

 

The bird & birdcage are chipboard pieces from Imagine If. . ..  The birdcage was painted then embossed with TH Distress Embossing Powder, whereas the bird was flocked with several different colours to give this mottled look.  Again more Marrianne Design diecuts finish this top corner.

 

I love how this page has turned out, as it is so different to how I first planned it.  I hope you'll find it a bit different to all the other gorgeous DT examples, and will come along and take part in our challenge.

 

Thank you for visiting, I can't wait to see your entries.

Kids on a Fence Post

Wow I've really outdone myself here on this collection of awesome photos, but I can't take all the credit, I got the idea from one of my favourite crafters of all time.  Gabbi recently shared with us her Wall Hanging, so this is my take on her creation.

 

 I have added lots more to her basic idea by adding photos, flowers and all these gorgeous creatures by Imagine If.  You'll just fall in love with these adorable owls & butterflies, which I kept very plain so not to detract from the detail of the whole project.  All the panels have been created on corrugated card, with the name panel measuring 4" x 7", and the remainder being 7" x 7".

 

Firstly I created this name panel. I have used 2 papers from Heartfelt Creations throughout, tying together the pinks & blues with the basic brown of TH Walnut Stain.  Lots of distressing, gesso, texture paste, templates, stamping & inking created the backgrounds.  I have used burlap throughout as another anchor.   

 

On Panel 1, I've started with a softer pinkish paper and kept the whole panel relatively 'light' and feminine, the butterfly & felt flowers are finished with pink stickles.

 

Panel 2 has some layering of the different papers on the corner, the bottom layer being burlap. More texture paste used through templates here again.

 

Panel 3 is my favourite panel I think.  I love this photo the best, and think all the colours really blend well here with the blue paper and felt flowers.

 

All panels were then attached to a rustic fence post that hubby had ripped down for me.  It can now be easily hung on the wall.

 

I think this has been a real fun way to introduce you to these fun little owls and hope you are following all my 'teamies' at Imagine If to see what fantastic ideas they come up with.

Memory Box

Welcome back again, today I'm sharing another gorgeous altered box, this time its an awesome new release from Imagine If .   As you all know I LOVE making these boxes, and this one is all the more special I think because of its size and the fact it has a hinged lid.

 

The dimensions of this MDF box are 10" x 6 3/4" x 2".  Once all assembled (and hubby had attached the hinges with rivets) the entire box got a coat of dark brown paint.  After much deliberation I decided on using this gorgeous Kaisercraft 'Timeless Collection' paper to cover the exterior.  All edges were inked with TH Walnut Stain.  I covered the top & bottom edges with this pretty little cotton lace, then finished the top edge off with some cream pearl trim from Retail Girl.

 

Next came the flowers, and don't we all love flowers.  I wanted to bring out the red flowers from the paper so I had to make these to match, you can find my tutorial here.  The green & white rosette flowers are also from Retail Girl, with the remainder being I am Roses blooms.   

 

The little cones were found under a tree on the side of the road, and some random leaves and pearls finish this part of the embellishments. 

 

This is a quote that can be found on the 'Dreams' sheet, I thought it fitted the idea of a keepsafe box, topped off with a dainty little chipboard butterfly which was sprayed with Dylusion Ink after I had embossed it.

 

This lovely little chipboard corner flourish was painted, then I flocked the leaves to give a bit more dimension.

 

And what better way to open your box than with another string of pearls, topped off with yet another lovely little blue butterfly.

 

The interior has been kept very plain, all I did here was a coat of brown paint then adhered the burlap, to keep with the rustic, vintage theme.

 

I've had fun making this box, but not as much fun as Jo and her team are having producing all these fabulous new products for all of us to 'play' with.  Keep visiting to see what all the other lovely ladies do with their boxes, and to see what else Jo has given us to 'introduce' to you all.

Art Journal 9

Here is my pages for April's Creative Dreams art journal.  We are now very close to the end, only a few to go before I get my finished journal back . . . can't wait.  Anyhow here it is

 

Because of time restrictions I wanted to keep this as simple as I could, but believe it or not this actually took longer than most of the previous pages I've done, with all the gluing, painting & drying time.

 

I started by sticking on this stunning serviette, then created this huge heart.  The outside 'ring' is modelling paste, which I 'punched' the brush thru to create lots of peaks, next 'ring' is glossy & smooth, then the inside has been covered with muslim.  All was given a generous coat of this gorgeously rich red paint.

 

The quote reads 'the most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart' - Helen Keller.

 

I'm very pleased with how this has turned out, the colours are so crisp & rich.  Its quite different to all the other contributions from the other ladies.  I'm sure it will be enjoyed when it finally gets home.  Bring on next months journal.

Mothers Day card

For a change I've decided to try my hand at cardmaking, something I very rarely do.  Our latest theme at Creative Craft Cottage is 'flowers and hearts', which immediately struck me as being a great theme for a Mothers Day card.

 

Mum loves her bright colours and wears a lot of these strong pinks and blues, so why not go with those colours on her card??

 

I love the combination of burlap with the softer ribbons & flowers, so started by fraying & stitching the edges.  The blue heart is actually a paper doily which got a coat of Dylusion Ink as it was too fragile to paint or ink.  The 'I am Roses' flowers compliment the colours of the hearts nicely,  then the card is finished off with a seam binding bow.

 

Come and see all the lovely examples the other DT ladies have on site for your inspiration.  I hope to see your entries there soon, until then happy crafting.