Layout with Mixed-media touches

Hello, this is Anupama Choudary with a tutorial on building a page with a touch of mixed-media. The completed page looks like this -

 This is Eila Sandberg from Sweden, a dear scrapper friend of mine :)

First, on a patterned paper of your choice, stamp and mist randomly. There is no right or wrong way to do this. We are only trying to build some texture here. I used gesso, distress inks & chalks on my acrylic stamps for a variety of looks.  

Then, I tore up the treated paper into strips of different sizes and started layering them on a background pp. (I eventually did not use the felt flower).

I embellished the page with a doily, journaling chipboard, wood tile and Prima packaging. I also smeared gesso here and there to add interest.

On the bottom right hand corner, I added a fussy-cut pixie from the earlier pp. A bit of misting, inking and scrunching up to add depth. I affixed the title and a glass pebble.

Some Prima blooms to finish the page and voila...my page, Sweet Eila, is ready!

Hope you found this post informative enough to add touches of mixed-media to your own pages.

Happy scrapping and have a great week!

Altered Photo Frame with Graphic 45

Another great use for your scrapbooking supplies is to make custom picture frames.  Think of it as creating a 3D scrapbook layout.

I created this frame as a birthday present for my husband.  I started out with a picture frame that I picked up at a craft store.  The frame can hold an 8x10 photo. I placed a mat in it that would surround a 5x7 photo.

This photo of us was snapped while we were on vacation in Hawaii, and I just love it.  I printed it out at 5"x7".  The papers that I chose are Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue. I wanted a tropical feel, and the vintage look to these papers really gave the project a lasting, classic look.

I traced the mat onto two of the papers, then cut them. I adhere them to the mat.  I set the photo and mat in the frame under the glass.

I then created all the details for the frame design.  The roses and rosette were made using this tutorial.  I also made the small flowers (I'll need to do a tutorial for those soon!).  The leaves, parrot and small yellow flowers were fussy cut from some of the Graphic 45 papers.

The palm trees were created using coordinating cardstock. I cut the trees using my Silhouette Cameo and then paper pieced them together.

All of these details were adhered on top of the glass. This gave the frame some really great dimension.  Some items are adhered using double sided foam adhesive. Some I even doubled up the foam adhesive to give it extra depth.

You can get a feel for some of the layering looking down into the base of the palm trees in the image above.

Next time you're looking for a way to preserve a special photo, think 3D. Create a one-of-a-kind, personal photo frame.

Designer Showcase: Stamping

To our readers that are observing Yom Kippur, we wish you an easy fast. Welcome to another Wednesday and edition of Designer Showcase. This week I get to show off some really wonderful stamping examples by the Contributing Artists.

Marlene is sharing this creative page.  I love the use of color on this page.  She kept most of the page black and white, and brought attention to the photo by surrounded it with color.  Marlene used some Amy Tangerine stamps and Staz On Cactus Green inks. I like the way she accentuated the page by running the ink around the edges too.  Another neat thing on this page, Marlene included ephemera from the festival, the ticket stub and check out the tokens in the upper right corner!  By the way, this layout is based on a sketch by a past Contributing Artist here at Ideas For Scrapbookers, Heather Landry.

In this layout by Anupama, she has displayed some neat techniques with stamps.  She used the brick stamp on the what card stock to create a background pattern.  The brick is a great choice. It extends the background of the photo onto her page.  Now check out the birdcage on the left side of the page. Great shadow, isn't it? It's a stamp!  What a clever use of a stamp!

Here some cool stuff to try with your stamps.  Anupama stamped the black frame and the corrugated paper (opposing corners) with a floral stamp. Instead of using inks, she used paints.  This not only added great design and color, but also added texture to her page!

Cindy has another really cool idea for using stamps. She stamped the word "carrot" onto the page for her layout. She then stamped all the other letters onto scraps of paper and laid them out on her page to create the combo title/journaling.  Really adds fun and whimsy to the page.

On this card, Cindy used 3 different stamps in the same brown colored ink to create a cohesive detailed design.  See stamped the background paper to create a pattern. She then stamped the sentiment and added the shape above and below it.

In this first of 2 samples from Lesley, she shows off some subtle stamping to add fine details to your page.  On the right side she stamped in a light shade of green to create some vegetation in addition to that in her photo.  On the opposite side, she used a brighter shade of green to accent the foliage in the photo.  She also stamped the brown ornate designs in the upper corners and the designs along the top to blend with the paper. It really looks like it was part of the paper design.  Lesley has also stamped the tile for her page.  This subtle style of stamping blends well with the papers, colors and photo on this layout.

In her second example, Lesley shows a contrasting style of stamping. On this page her stamping is more dominant and bold.  I love how she has used stamps and pearls to create a border for her page. She also stamped lots of sentiments and words to express her emotions on the page. Lesley kept with black ink on a white background, also accentuating the boldness of this style.  This all comes together with the black and white photo. A lovely page with timeless elegance.

Speaking of timeless, Gael created this amazing layout titled "Timeless".  She has stamped several images on her background. She also stamped and cut out some tags, including the Timeless title and clock behind it.  The ornate frame behind the clock was stamped and embossed with black embossing powder.  Adds such a gorgeous detail to the page.  I like how she has the ribbon threaded through it.  Some other really neat details on this page, the tiny rhinestones work so well with this. They remind me of nail heads or bolts you would find int he iron work of the tower.  I love how Gael repeated photos of the tower, with slightly different zoom levels, really adds a lot of interest. Now on the left side of her page, Gael included some pleated tissue paper that was pre-printed. You could use plain tissue paper and some of your stamps to accomplish the same look.

These are some great ideas for using stamps to add details, texture and design elements to your pages. Hope we've inspired you to go ahead and break out the inks and get stamping!

A Template for your Fall Photos!

Hi, Dolores here today.  The trees are starting to turn their bright colors and the air is picking up that crisp feel.  I love fall, it is my favorite season.  I created a template today that really could be used for any type of page, but I put lots of leaves in this design so I could maximize those pretty fall kits. Here is my sketch.

 

Here is my layout using the template.  I created this page with two different kits.  The primary kit I used is Golden Days by Sherwood Studio.  I picked a couple of pretty flowers out of a second kit by Jennifer Labre called Harvest.

If you would like the template you can download it from either of the two file sharing sites below.  Enjoy!

4Shared:  ds-template-29.psd

MediaFire:  ds-template-29.psd

Halloween Sign using Silhouette Cameo

I'm having some fun with vinyl!  I've just gotten some vinyl for cutting with my Silhouette Cameo and I've found a new crafty must have!! Let me take you through the making of this sign.

I painted the wood, orange on the surface and black on the edges.

I designed the sign layout in the Silhouette Software.  I then cut it out of vinyl. I weeded the pieces of vinyl where I wanted to paint the sign.

I laid the vinyl carefully on the painted sign being certain to have all edges firmly tacked down.

Using a sponge brush, I applied the black paint. After it dried, I applied Top Emboss to the word "bewitchy" and sprinkled it with some WOW black glitter embossing powder, which I heat embossed.

I used WOW silver glitter embossing powder on the cauldron accent and to create the steam.  I also applied some black glitter to the edges of the sign. I lightly sanded the edges and some of the surface of the sign for a slight distressed look.

Here are some additional views

Now I can't wait to break out the vinyl and do some more designing!!

Special Guest Artist - Cathy Lane

Hello everyone, I have another special guest artist to share with you all! Today I am sharing a post by Cathy Lane who creates some of the most beautiful pages that are generally  in the style of  shabby chic. I love the feeling I get when I see her pages, it reminds me of my childhood and my warm blankets and lace!  I literally sit and scratch my head wondering, "how did she do that?". You can pop on over to her blog to see so much more. Get ready for another wonderful guest artist post by Cathy Lane!

I am a scrap-booking addict of epic proportions. I live in a little sea-side village off the east coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa . I share my life with my hubby and seven dogs and I count myself very lucky to have them. I have a beautiful daughter who is now 24 and whom I am very proud of and love dearly. I am also godmother to little Isabella, my niece whom I also love to bits. Whilst scrapping is my number one hobby, I am also an avid reader and I am happiest when I am at home surrounded by the familiar routine of every-day life.  I am inspired by so many things and I see opportunities everywhere and I don’t think my thirst for knowledge will ever be quenched. I am also very fortunate in that I have made so many friends through the common love of crafting and sharing ideas. 
blog: http://a-stroll-down-memory-lane.blogspot.com/

___________________

String Art Tutorial

To start with, decide where you would like to position the string art. Draw two light pencil lines as per the illustration directly on to your paper. 

Make tiny little holes 1cm apart on each line

If you’re doing this for the first time, it helps to number the holes as per the illustration to eliminate confusion.

Thread your needle with the required colour thread (I usually use embroidery thread) and insert your needle into the  back of hole number 12 on the vertical line.

Bring the needle to the front and thread a few beads (3 or 4 will do fine) and then insert needle into hole number 1 on the horizontal line.

Then insert needle from the back into hole number 2 on the horizontal line, bring it to the front, thread another few beads and insert needle into hole number 11 on the vertical line.

Insert needle from the back into hole number 10 on the vertical line, thread beads and insert needle into hole number 3 on the horizontal line.

Insert needle from the back into hole number 4 on the horizontal line, thread beads and insert needle into hole number 9 on the vertical line.

And then you continue in the same pattern: No.8 vertical to number 5 horizontal, number 6 horizontal to 7 vertical,  6 vertical to 7 horizontal, 8 horizontal to 5 vertical, 4 vertical to 9 horizontal, 10 horizontal to 3 vertical, 2 vertical to 11 horizontal, 12 horizontal to 1 vertical. Fasten your thread with tape to the back of the work.

Don’t forget to thread a few beads as you go along.  Once you have completed the string work, you can then adjust the positioning of the beads as and how you would like them to be as they are loose on the thread and can be moved.

 

Have fun and enjoy!!

 

Regards

Cathy Lane

 ___________________

Thanks so much Cathy for your great tutorial!!

Working with Patterned Paper + Sketch

Hey all, it's Pam here with a sketch and two examples of using patterned papers in interesting ways. I love to use strong design in my layouts as you will see below. In this first example, I created an interesting number page along with lots of color. My dog is the center of the page. She is an adored pet and I wanted to create a celebration page with her at the age of five. I chose patterned paper that was mostly from the Country Charm collection. All of the circle cutting and fussy cutting was done with a kraft knife. I don't own a big die cut machine, so I must do everything by hand, which I actually like. As you can see each patterned paper is cut to fit into different circles and it actually does a good job of drawing your eyes to the main two photos.

Supplies: GCD Studios Country Charm, Flower Child Collections, American Crafts Thickers, Making Memories flower, October Afternoon sticker.

My second example is my son's first day of school for fourth grade. Here I spread out the patterned papers into squares and added them to my page. I purposely planned my photos like that so they would stand out the most. With bright colors surrounding them, they stood out quite well. I alternated with papers and patterns to add lots of interest to the page. For instance notice how the blue patterned paper on the bottom ties into drawing your eyes down the page. Below my page is the sketch. I hope you enjoy and use this sketch for your upcoming projects!

Supplies: GCD Studios Country Charm, Flower Girl, Sweet Tooth, Bonjour Collections, American Crafts Thickers, Jenni Bowlin Stickers, October Afternoon embellishments, Chic Tags Circle Tag, My Minds Eye Paper, Bazzill Basics Kraft Cardstock.

Have a great day!!

Designer Showcase: Flower Clustering

Hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday! Cathy here with this week's Designer Showcase. Our theme this week is Flower Clustering.

Anupama shares this amazing page with us. She likes to combine fussy cut paper flowers along with Prima flowers.  She shares this as a great tip to stretch your scrapping budget. You can really help make a pack of Prima flowers last by mixing it up with some paper ones. You also get a really nice look.  Also note the way Anupama works in the curls of torn paper, lace and leaves.  On the opposite side of the page she places a rosette near the stitched lacing at the paper tear. Such a sweet detail.

Gael has shared this lovely page with us this week. All of the flowers are handmade from cardstock. And they are just drop, dead, gorgeous!  Gael did an amazing job of clustering the flowers in flow with the background printed paper from Prima.It's as if the flowers blossomed right out of the paper. I really love how she worked in the bridge and bird bath too. What a wonderful garden-like setting!

Lesley considers herself a "flower addict", she loves to cluster flowers. To help ensure that her albums do not get too full, she also uses the fussy cutting technique. This is a great way to include a grouping of flowers on your layout without adding too much bulk.  Also a great way to use that beautiful flowery paper that you just had to buy, but then aren't really sure how to use it.  Cut it up and cluster the flowers, you could get several projects out of just one sheet of paper!

Here is a digital page that I created a cluster of flowers as a border., I have to admit that I am not the greatest at clustering flowers. In fact, this is really one of my short-comings. So this clustering took quite a bit of time for me to get the layering and shadow depths just the way I wanted them.  Which leads me to a tip... when you create a digital flower cluster, and you're really happy with the results, save the layered file of the cluster as well as a .PNG file of the cluster. This will allow you to easily use that cluster again on another layout, saving you a whole lot of time!

Flower clustering is not just for layout. You can use this on other projects too.  This is a box that I altered using scrapbook papers and embellies.  I clustered some flowers on the lid. I tried to vary the sizes of flowers to include large, medium and small flowers.

You can also cluster flowers on cards. I wanted this card to have a vintage Victorian garden feel to it. I clustered these small rosettes together to create a topiary as the focal point on the card.

One of the best ways to branch out into flower clustering, is to just play. Set up several flowers for your project. Then move them about. Change the stacking order and angles of the flowers until you find an arrangement that is pleasing to you.  Most of all, just have fun creating!