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.

Stunning Satin Rose

Recently I've been asked by a few fellow crafters to do some tutorials on the flowers I've been making, so to get the ball rolling here's the most recent flower I've made that has impressed.

 

All that's needed is your trusty hot glue gun, 3-4 stamens, a flower die in 2 sizes & a tool for twisting the petals - I use a toothpick.

 

I've started by cutting 6 large & 6 small flowers with my TH Tattered Florals die, you can easily use any other die, I've used Spellbinders dies that work well also. It is even ok to cut freehand, flowers with 5 or 6 petals.  Here I have 1 burlap, 1 tulle, and 4 satin.  I like to use the burlap (which has been stiffened with Modge Podge) as my base, I find it gives good strength & stability.  It really doesn't matter if the colour doesn't match perfectly as its not really seen.

 

Prepare the burlap flowers by cutting between 2 petals down to the centre only, cut the top half off one petal, then pull the neighbouring petal over and glue down - this creates a slightly cupped flower.  Using the toothpick curl the petals outwards.

 

Next take your satin flowers, put a tiny dab of glue off centre then fold in half off setting the petals, then dot of glue again before folding again into quarters.  Continue this way with all 8 satin flowers.

 

Again by just using a small dab of hot glue attach all 4 satin quarters into your burlap flower.  Make sure when doing your small flower to leave a small whole in the centre if you are using stamens.



 

 

Glue on the tulle, then thread thru and attach the stamens.

 

With the small flower glued inside the large, give everything a good wriggle around to arrange the petals as you wish.  Play with the burlap to help give dimension to the flower. 

 

Use your imagination & try different combinations of colours, fabric, laces, doilies or centres to create your own individual masterpieces, which can be custom made to match any project.

 

I hope you will find this useful.  Please leave a comment so I know my efforts have been appreciated.



mm . . . fish

Here's a masculine layout without a flower in sight (very hard for me to do).  Hubby recently took part in a local fishing competition and after an overnighter out at sea they returned with a large chilly bin full of mixed fish.  What a great excuse to use this gorgeous felt cut out 'fishing boat' from Imagine if.

 

I started the page with a paper from Heartfelt Creations which I cut to shape using a template. Once the edges were all distressed I added a bit of interest with some modelling paste thru the TCW template, which I heat embossed with silver while the paste was still wet, then added some random script stamping.  Once the photo was matted & distressed the page came together very quickly.  All the embellishments are from Imagine if - felt fishing boat, sea shells & corner flourish (both of which I flocked to give that 'felted' look).  I chose to leave the chipboard lettering raw as the colours fitted so well.

 

These embellishments are proudly 'NZ made' and most are available in chipboard as well as felt, although its not too hard to change their appearance to suit as I have done here.  Jo and her team are still extremely busy turning out lots of new items to excite us all.  Keep visiting to see what they come up with next.

Family Portrait

Things are moving a bit slower this month as to sharing my creations with you.  I've had to get on with next months DT projects while I've had the time, so sadly you'll have to wait till then to have a peep . . . but they ARE worth the wait, even if I say so myself.

This layout has been created for the monthly LO sketch challenge at Artfull Crafts, where this month their theme is either 'furry friends' OR the sketch.  I enjoy using the sketches for inspiration.  Here I've made a quick and easy layout featuring some of my lovely English friends after a family photo shoot.  The whole extended family were involved, but had to wait until little Mia (shown here) was born.  Watch out for more of these gorgeous photos to come.

 

I started the page with a G45 'Playtimes passed' paper which I've had in my stash forever, then kept things extremely simple because of the busy paper.  Although its hard to see on the photo I love the effect of the punched corners.  All papers were inked with TH Walnut Stain to give a bit of definition.  Don't you just love the little felt car & caravan, which has come from Imagine if . . . ,  the colours and theme fit the page perfectly.  I've popped a tag with my journaling on behind the photo matt.

 

I hope you will join me in this competition, its one I take part in every month, I love to support the locals.  Keep an eye open for how I'm going to showcase more of these gorgeous photos, but until then thank you for visiting, and enjoy your long weekend.

 



Evolution

Today I'm sharing my 2nd DT post for Imagine if with you.  I am really outside my comfort zone with this one, but when I saw all the goodies Jo had sent me this idea immediately sprung to mind.  Jo had asked us to use the 2nd of her gorgeous shoes in this 2nd project, so it was a no-brainer to include lots more of her awesome goodies.

I started with the awesome 'puzzle' shoe, which I painted firstly, then attached lace fabric, pearls & trim. 

 

But then what to do with it??  I found all these goodies and got to work.

 

 

Included in my DT parcel were this 'Tree of Life', monkeys, mini boots & letters and because I already had the little foot & jandal dies the ideas flowed quickly. 

Firstly I gesso'd the 24" x 12" canvas, then created a landscape with tissue, fabric, muslim & cardboard, before it got yet another coat of gesso.

 

After all the 'hills' had been painted it was time to have fun and attach everything.  The trunk of the tree was given a coat of model paste to give it a bit more texture, then painted. The monkey's were then hung in the tree after they had been painted then flocked.  Next the feet & jandals were painted & attached.  The mini boots were painted black, then finished with a coat of black crackle paint (they look awesome up close).

 

                          

 

I love how the red really pops on the page against the green.  I love the idea of this canvas but  I'm just sorry that I'm no artist as this could have been done a lot better than it has been done.  It definitely shows off just a few of the awesome laser cut products that can be purchased from Imagine if.

 

I hope you are all going over to the Imagine if  blog to see all the gorgeous projects the other DT's are conjuring up, they are all extremely talented. 

 

Until next time, have a happy scrappy day. 



Kayden

Time for a new challenge at Southern Girls Challenge and this time Lou has chosen 'Stripes'.  Easy peasy I thought until I received my new toys - 3x Martha Stewart 'Around the page' punches, so I just HAD to use one of these on my layout.  Actually incorporating stripes with pretty edges really made me think a bit, and then when I decided to use this gorgeous boy photo I had to be very careful.

 

Here I've used a random paper from my stash, which I punched with the 'Large Spiral Arches' punch, then kept everything very simple and let the photo & trucks speak for themselves.  Don't you just love these gorgeous felt trucks?  They come from Jo at Imagineif and come in a set of 3 (digger included as well), you can buy these in felt or chipboard, gotta love them for anything boy related. 

 

I am really happy with how the edge has punched, I can see I'm going to have fun with these.  I've managed to keep the whole page clean & simple, but it was hard as this is not really a style I do much.  Overall I'm please with the end result. 

 

Thanks for visiting, I'm glad to share this with you all and hope to see your awesome projects on our challenge site also.

Apr. IAR Challenge

Here's another gift box I've whipped up full of Easter goodies, (and a few naughty bits as well) which I'm entering in the monthly challenge at I am Roses.  Surprise, surprise this month their theme is 'Easter', so we have to include eggs as well as their luscious flowers.

 

This paper mache box was first painted on the insides & edges, then covered with a DSD 'Truck in the Attic' paper.  Lace, doily, pearls and lots of gorgeous flowers decorate the exterior.  I am Roses flowers used include, Daisy's (in 3 different colours) little S-10 flowers and white buds.  I love these little S-10 flowers, they are so versatile.  The inside is packed with Easter eggs, grapes & a wee tipple, all under the care of this cute little bird.

 

Enjoy these extra photos from different angles and some close ups.

 

 

Do I need to tell you again how much I love making and gifting these little goodie boxes?  Such an easy way to give a gorgeous little gift without very much effort.  The recipient of this one is actually my postie, she is always sad when delivering me yet another parcel, so I'll surprise her with a small parcel of her own.  I'm sure she'll love it.

 

Thanks for visiting, wish me luck with this challenge.  Until next time have a happy, scrappy day.

 

 

Sleeping Beauty

I am so excited to be writing this, as it is my 1st official post on the Imagineif/FixDesigns design team.  For our big grand entrance owner Jo has cleverly created some awesome chipboard footwear for us all to show off for her.  As you will see by visiting everyone's blogs, we have all created something entirely different to the next person . . . WOW!!

I have stayed somewhat within my comfort zone to start with and have created this layout using the 1st of my 2 boots.

 

I've started with a gorgeous Kaisercraft 'Precious Moments' paper, which I distressed, then inked & stamped randomly.  I've also attached strips of script paper.  The chipboard boot has been painted, then covered with lace fabric, then topped off with fluff & a seam binding bow.  I've also added some chipboard butterflies which I inked & finished with rhinestones.  The Imagineif quote sheets are great for any occasion, here I've found a quote to fit my picture perfectly.  The chipboard lettering has been inked, then finished with glossy accents.  The few flowers & pearls just continue the soft girly theme beautifully.

 

Jo is busy creating some more fantastic pieces for us all to create with, she will have us all thinking 'outside the square' with a lot of the upcoming projects.  Keep an eye out for our next creations. 

 

Until then, thank you for visiting and have a happy, scrappy day.