Designer Showcase: The Bucket List

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Cathy here to bring you another fabulous Designer Showcase. This week our theme is Bucket List.  We're talking about scrapping things that are on your list of "hope to do someday", or maybe you've already done them.  Just like you see in the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Perhaps it's a special wish you'd like to see come true, or maybe a once in a life time vacation.

For Pam, one of her bucket list items was to make it to Central Park in NY. Her page starts with the pretty photos. Pam brought out the bright colors by selecting coordinating papers. I love the way she made her page seem like a scene with the sky, clouds and the various shapes. The interconnecting circles are like the pathways through the park, and the patterned papers that fill the circles resemble the sculptures. The strips of paper are like the park benches. Super creative way to record this precious memory.

Marlene has 2 projects to share with us.  In this first one, she shares about a very special trip to the Rain Forest.  This was such a special trip that Marlene made a 2-page layout and included lots of photos.  She also built her page similar to the photos. She has a dark brown background like the rich soil. She used blue and green to mat her photos, just like the lush foliage and beautiful sky.  I really like how she used the circles to highlight special things in her photos.  Marlene also left plenty of room for journaling. She even labeled her photos - which is a great way to remember the special names of plants, flowers, animals, etc.

This page shows another of Marlene's special places to visit, the Statue of Liberty.  The cloud, statue die cut, and title area also create a perfect design triangle. Things I love on this page - the majestic star background, the strips of paper with the chevrons and star border, and the really cute title! It is so moving to experience Lady Liberty in person, there is not much that needs to be said about it!

Now this is a list!  Gael has created a page with some of her bucket list items! What a great way to record your dreams and wishes at a point in time. I love that she included a photo too.  The page is so beautiful. I especially love the circle with the butterflies going about it. Makes me think of the circle of life and how all that we do and learn helps us to grow as a person and becomes a part of us.

Whatever is on your bucket list, take the time to record it in your scrap albums.  Whether you have accomplished the item, or hold hopes of doing so. It is a part of who you are and your dreams. So take the time to record it.

A New Template of Banners!

Hi all, Dolores here today to share a new template!  I had a great Thanksgiving and hope you did too.  I had such a good time eating and visiting with friends I didn't take any pictures at Thanksgiving (which is hard to believe) so I didn't have a single picture to scrap.  I am sure to do better this next month.   I have been seeing so many pretty Christmas supplies and kits that it gets me thinking about all those opportunities to take pictures over the holidays.  Today I have a template to share composed of banner shapes and I created my sample page with a pretty Christmas kit I got over the big weekend sales.  Here is my sketch of the banner template.

 

The are lots of possibilities here, so stretch your creativity and don't just think Christmas.  This would be a good design for any event or holiday.  However, I did find a Christmas picture from last year to do my layout.  Here is my page.

 

 

My page was created using a kit by Kristen Cronin-Barrow called Once Upon a Christmas: Celebrating.  If you would like the Photoshop template it can be downloaded from either of the two file sharing sites below.  Hope you enjoy it! 

 

4Shared:  ds-banner-template.psd

MediaFire:  ds-banner-template.psd

 

 

 

Designer Showcase: Heavy Distressing

It's Wednesday so that means it's time for a Designer Showcase!  This weeks theme is Heavy Distressing. There are many ways to distress a layout or project.  You can use inks, you can age the papers by tearing, sanding and ripping them. All will give some texture, dimension and detail to your project.  These techniques can be used on varying styles as well.  Let's take a look at the samples that some of our contributing artists created for today's theme.

This gorgeous envelope was created by Anupama. This image shows the front and back of the string tie envelope.  There is an image transfer of her husband dressed as a king for a school play.  To create a vintage look, Anupama used tea staining, paper tearing and distress inks.  These blend so well with the designer paper that resembles an antique map.

Gael shares this lovely layout in which she has done some distressing to add character.  She did some paper tearing and inking on the papers as well as the photo. The effect on the photo makes it look like a very old treasured photo.  The background is distressed using the resist technique that Lesley shared with us in this post. The heart doilies have a blue distressing shade added to them.  Gael also distressed the material behind the photo. She pulled the threads to fray the edges.  The results all total up to a beautiful page!

Give some heavy distressing a try on your next project. Just start ripping, sanding, inking and tearing up your pages!  

Get inspired by Patterned Papers!

Hello. This is Anupama Choudary and I want to show you how to draw inspiration from the motifs on your patterned papers to build a layout.

I used a 12x12 paper called Emperor from Prima Marketing's Printery Collection as the background for my page. 

I used the clock motif on the pp as a recurring element. I matted the photograph with Dusty Attic's Skeleton Clock face.

To emphasize the clock shape, I placed the negative chipboard from the clock face on my background. This also helps to draw the eye to the photograph.

In the next layout, I was inspired by the brocade pattern on an old 12x12 Kaisercraft paper.

To tone down the busy background, I matted the paper with a neutral pp but carried the theme forward by using a Crafter's Workshop Brocade stencil with texture paint.

Hope this post helps you to use the motifs on a patterned-paper as a recurring element.

Happy Scrapping!

Creating an Antique Looking Embellishment

Hi, Marlene here back from a short blog break, welcome back readers.  Today I am talking about creating a patterned paper for an embellishment to use on a two page layout about visiting an old Spanish fort in southern Nicaragua.  I admit to being kind of a nut about continuity so doing a page about an antiquated fort, for me, demands an antiquated look.  I had in mind to replicate the partial stone walls seen in the pictures.  To start that, I distressed a piece of not quite white, canvas textured card stock using Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads in Pumice and Old Linen in a random pattern.  Since the distress ink is water soluble,  lightly  spraying the paper with water will cause the colors to run,  blending them in the process.  If the paper is curled after drying, iron it. 

Next, I turned to one of my trusty 12 x 12 Crafter's Workshop templates (love those things).  For this project I used a brick one.  I taped the sides of the template on the mat  beneath the paper (not on the paper) to keep it steady without risking the tape pulling up a layer of the card stock.  A deep and realistic looking brick will take several layers of whatever material is being used for color so it needs to stay in place.  I used I Kandee Earth Tone chalks with the clips and cotton balls that came with the set.   Starting with the lightest color,  a rose red,  I unevenly applied a layer, then continued to chalk using progressively darker colors ending with grey.  The final chalk coat was the first rose color.  Once the template was removed, loose chalk had gathered along the edges, I used a regular cotton ball to smooth that excess and shade the "mortar" area.  To smoosh all of the colors together, I added Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Old Linen.  I also stained the torn edges for a consistent look.  

 

For the final embellishment, the Spanish Conquistador helmet, I altered a  Cricut Cut.  The character started as an English knight's helmet from Everyday Paper Dolls Dress Up.  Part of the character was cut away and another piece twisted with one of the four layers run through a Cuttlebug to dry emboss. *  This piece was also heat embossed with Tim Holtz Distress Powder (Tea), then embossed again with gold . 

*I often adhere 3 or 4 layers of Cricut cut backgrounds together with the regular cut on top to create a chipboard element.

Thanks for looking. 

 

Break Time

Hi all, IFS is taking a short break! We will be back in a couple of weeks!! Please browse the archives for TONS of ideas!!

-Pam

Heat Embossing

Hi it's Lesley here! Love using the resist method of heat embossing with distress inks, I have done a sample of this here.
You need to have the following:  a couple of pieces of scrap paper for ease of using the embossing powder, stamps, embossing powder ( if your choice of stamp is detailed, you will need to use 'fine' embossing powder for best results), a anti static cushion, and a glue ink pad such as 'Versamark'.

 The anti static cushion should be rubbed over the entire area that you will be applying your embossing powder and is used to stop any powder staying on the page in any area other than where the ink has been applied.
There is nothing worse than applying heat to your embossing to see little flecks of stray powder outside the design area which cannot be removed.  I also tap the page with my finger over the piece of scrap paper to ensure any excess is removed.  Gently shake the embossing powder over the stamped area as soon as you have stamped, the glue dries quite quickly.  Shake any excess powder that doesn't stick to the stamped area, on to the scrap paper (this can be held in a funnel shape and poured back into the embossing powder container).  Apply the heat gun not holding it too close as it will scorch easily.

You can see in the above photo the embossing is showing up nice and clearly.

And I have now added distress ink blending from the outside in.  It does not take to the embossed area as the embossing ink resists the ink, if you think the embossing isn't showing up clearly you can carefully give it a quick wipe of with a diaper cleaning wipe.

I have complete the page by keeping the embossed background as my feature.  I have used a Chevron mask and added some further embellishment whilst keeping the embossed area clear.
Give it a try it can really make plain paper look very nice, adding black embossing works really well especially with pastel inks blended over and around it.