Sunny Sunflower

It's been killer hot in Vancouver this past couple of weeks and whenever it's hot like this I think of sunflowers. This card was made for a Splitcoaststampers challenge this month at Dirty Dozen. The card that inspired me was a huge sun that was so big that it had to be cropped on two sides. I immediately thought how great Crafty Secrets "Sunflower" would look done like this. I enlarged it so that it needed cropping on 2 sides like my card inspiration.

I hauled out some of my mixed media products for this. The sunflower was printed off twice The main image was coloured with copics and the second copy was used as a mask. I used a damask background stamp to create the turquoise background. The edges were distressed. The copper layer was created by using a eb folder on a piece of plain white cardstock. Next I painted it copper. When that was dry I painted it with turquoise acrylic paint wiping off the top surface. When that was dry I daubed the surface with a darker copper paint. Lastly I added the little copper heart, leaf ribbon trim, and the other little decorations you see here.

Thanks so much for dropping by,

Cheers, 

Elizabeth 

Just Wing It

I thought I'd try a new challenge over at Splitcoaststampers. This week I made time to participate in the Technique Lovers Challenge. All my life I have been guilty of not reading instructions through to the end and this one was no exception. What we were supposed to do is stamp a scene, then die cut parts of the scene, and finally put them on the card in the same placement they would have had. I read the stamp and die cut part but left out the separate and place part!!!! Anyway I ended up with a card I really like.

 First I stamped the cupcake wrapper from Crafty Secrets "Cupcake Party" in silver and then embossed in silver. Next I used an Impression Obsession butterfly die to cut the butterflies from the embossed panels. I watercolured them with turquoise H2O's. The white lacy background is a Spellbinders die mounted on silver cardstock. The banner and all the sentiments are from Crafty Secrets "Born to Fly" again stamped and embossed in silver. I used a discontinued stamp set but the same set is now available in digital form. To finish it off I added some tiny silk bows dyed with the same pink H2O's as I used on the banner, and finally some rhinestones.

Thanks so much for dropping by,

Cheers,

Elizabeth

Poppies

My brain took an unwanted creative holiday this week. I don't know if it was the heat  but I just couldn't think past the mundane. I knew exactly what to do with the main image. It was all coloured and the cut out images lined up on dimensionals but then the big, now what do I do with it. I played with background papers, ribbon placement, and embellishments for a couple of days then decided the card would be a big larger than normal and suddenly everything fell together.

I printed 5 copies of Crafty Secrets digital "Poppies" and cut the images with a Spellbinders die set in decreasing sizes. To line the poppies up perfectly I placed the images on a light box 2 at a time and lightly taped the die to the top image. It's coloured with copics and the aqua background is H2O's. The rust coloured bg paper is also cut with a Spellbinders die. All papers are Graphics 45.

Thanks so much for visiting me,

Cheers, 

Elizabeth 

By The Sea

The inspiration for my July Linky Party project came from my incredibly talented sisters on Crafty Secrets Design Team. Every month one or two of them create the most amazing altered items and mini albums and every month I make a card. For my one year anniversary on the design team I stepped way out of my comfort zone and made a mini album. The theme this month decided the stamp set I wanted to use, Crafty Secrets "Seaside" has always been one of my favourites. I have a new great niece and I left enough empty places in this little album for my niece to place a few of babies first summer pictures. Another thing that brings me satisfaction is recycling things that would otherwise have gone to the dump! Instead of my usual...present the card and follow with a tutorial, this month I will describe each step I took. One thing I found out with this project was the hours it took to dry between steps.

Front Cover

Materials used

- 4 (or more) pieces of corrugated cardboard cut to the same size

- some kind of book binding strips, I used a roll of 1 1/2" fabric bandaging but gummed strips work

- glue stick (Prang is the best)

- Acrylic paint (I used Martha Stewart white and cloud)

- white tulle with little glitter dots

- Dreamweavers white paste

- Dreamweavers scallop shell stencil

- Memory Box dies, "Big Splash Border" and "Under the Sea Frame"

- glitter

- stylus

- stickles

- "Yes" glue,  a molding glue used for decoupage which holds its shape, doesn't shrink, and dries clear

- rhinestones

- ribbon

- small foam brush

Let's get started

Preparation of pages fig 1,2, &3

fig. 1

fig 2

fig. 3

Fig 1 shows the deconstruction of the cardboard. You can reveal as much of the corrugation as you want. Make sure you leave the paper on where the binding will be so there is more surface to adhere to

Fig 2 shows the "carving of the design". I specified "Memory Box" as these dies are not very deep and so when run through a Big Shot they only cut the top paper not all the way through. I then took a craft knife and lifted the die cut pieces out.

Fig 3 shows two pages with their bandage binding and the third page waiting to be added. The two pages will be folded onto themselves and a third page added the same way. The front cover was out of sight drying somewhere at this point.

Paint and Fabric

Fig 1

 Fig 2

Fig 3

In Fig 1 acrylic paint was applied to the pages and bandage spine combining the white and cloud paints. In Fig 2 after the paint was well dried I covered all the pages with a light coat of glue stick and then placed a piece of tulle over every page. Now let it dry over night  as in Fig 3 

Shell preparation

I knew I would need 2 or 3 shells per page so I printed 6 starfish, 6 scallops, and 6 sand dollars from Crafty Secrets "Seaside"in a medium grey colour. For the starfish I flipped it over and used a large ball stylus on the centre to create a deep indentation and then a light stroke down each arm, for the scallops I flipped it over and rounded it then turned it right side and traced a scallop design on it, for the sand dollars I flipped it over and cupped it the same as the scallop and then turned it right side and took a small stylus to the star like design in it. All shells were coloured with copics and stickled. These were left to dry.

Decorating the pages

First I used Dreamweavers stencil and paste to letter "By the Sea" while the paste was still wet I sprinkled with aqua glitter. (The aqua scallop shell was made the same way) Next I dyed some ribbon with distress ink and attached around the front and back covers. I coloured this sweet image from Crafty Secrets  "Seaside" with copics. The seagulls came from the same stamp set and again they were coloured with copics. Now for some serious glueing! The reason I specified "Yes" glue is that it holds its shape. I take a wad of it and put it under each shell and this prevents it from flattening. To finish it off a couple of rhinestones were added

For this double spread I die cut white paper, lightly glued, and added glitter. the facing page I added a velum envelope to add  extra photos and traced the verse from the same stamp set "Seaside"onto the velum. The frame was die cut from velum and both pages were decorated with the prepared shells. 

Another verse and the lighthouse image from the same set Crafty Secrets "Seaside". This time the die cut wave edge and bubble from were cut from craft paper. Shells for decoration.

Last double page. Yet another verse from this wonderful set, more shells and this time some seagulls from again the same set.

If you read to the end you deserve a medal!

Please come and join our July Linky Party where you can add a sample(s) you've created using any of our products and receive a $6.00 coupon and one random.org winner will get a $50.00 gift card

Make sure you visit the rest of the design team!

This month we are fortunate to have the talented well known Gloria Getgen Stengal as a guest member of our design team.

Kathy Clement Team Leader

Michele Kovack - 300+ Gallery!

Darlene Pavlick

Sheila Rumney

Thanks for dropping by,

Cheers, Elizabeth