Hedgerow Across the field

Hello, it's Heather with you today with a simple project which can either be just a picture or made slightly smaller and used as a card. 

I recently bought a pad with various patterns of paper

When I saw the one in the background of this project I remembered that I had got quite a lot of Gypsy Soul Laser cuts items that I could use to make a hedgerow,

which I am sure anyone can see all over the world. I began by painting all the relevant parts with white Gesso, but I only did one side as they were all going to be stuck down in some way. When the Gesso had dried I used various greens and browns in distress ink to colour the fronds, and finished them off with Cosmic Shimmer gilding polish to give them a bit of a shine, I coloured the grass in green and the foliage in Powder blue gilding polish. Then I began to layer the fern fronds across the bottom of the paper in different directions, I stuck them down with everyday crafting glue and layered some on top to give some texture and density. We get lots of different birds, butterflies and dragonflies around where I live, so I thought I would add some of these to my project. 

I just coloured the birds with various distress inks and gilding polish then I discovered that I had some birds on branches in my stash so coloured those and added them into the hedgerow.

Because the background paper on the project is 12" x 12" it began to look a bit bare across the top and corner so I coloured some more of the little birds and a leafy corner (which I did with green gilding polish) and added these together with a butterfly from the butterfly and dragonfly set to the background.

If you decide to do this smaller, to give as a card, the sentiment can go in the upper half of the picture and I am sure that anyone would be only too pleased to receive it.

Gslcuts items used:

Grass & foliage

Fern fronds

Mini birds & nests shape set

Birds on branches assortment

Butterflies & dragonflies

Leafy corners

Other Items used:

Cosmic shimmer gilding polish

Distress inks

Cosmic shimmer Acrylic Glue

Chip Clips for the planner folks.

Hi folks, Angela here with a quick project for you.

I have a MAMBI Create 365 Happy Planner that I use on a daily basis and the Chip Clips Assortment in the store are just the perfect accessory for marking those important pages.

I wanted to show you just how alterable the chipboard is, by using various different methods of decoration.

The first thing I did was to coat the ones I wanted to use in a couple of layers of gesso on both sides.

Next I took some washi tape (you know, the stuff you purchased because you thought it looked great and its been sat around for a year and a half) and covered one side of a clip. I then took a sharp knife and cut around using the chipboard as my guide. I then repeated the process on the other side.

Three of my clips got the washi tape treatment the one below was some fabric tape and then I popped on some stick on pearls. Here is a tip - if you use anything that will stick above the surface, then only use them on 1 side of your clip or you will have difficulty actually getting the clip to stay on.

The next clip I decorated was done with embossing powder. I used a sticky ink pad (in my case Perfect Medium by Ranger) and pressed the clip into it, then I put it onto a folded piece of scrap paper and coated it with embossing powder.

I heat set this side and then did the same to the other side. You need to make sure you do this on a non stick surface because as you heat the second side, your embossing on the first side will melt too, and may stick to whatever you have it on.

I then added some stick on gems to this one as you will see in the final picture.

Next up I used tarnished brass distress paint to coat both sides of another clip, once that was dry I applied a coat of Crackle Accents. I set it to one side to dry (whilst I made one of the other clips) and then coated the other side.

This next clip happened more by accident than planning but I love it. I coloured it with a copper metallic Sharpie pen, then I added a coat of Glossy Accents into which I sprinkled some Rock Candy Distress Glitter. When it was dry it still looked a bit "flat" so I applied another coat of Glossy accents and set it to one side to dry, whilst I made another clip. The other clip involved some rub-ons (another of those impulse buys that have sat around for ages) and as I was applying them I managed to place the other end of the rub-on sheet against this clip. As you can imagine, it wasn't quite dry and the rub-ons stuck! Well I was so pleased with how it looked I decided to apply more. This is how it looks on the page of my planner, unfortunately my picture doesn't show the sparkle from the glitter but believe me it IS there.

The next clip is the one that was MEANT to have the rub-ons. I coloured this one with 2 layers of Permapaque Pen (by Sakura) - I used 2 coats as I prefer the deeper purple. I then used the white Permapaque pen to write on once the purple was dry. I did have to do this several times to get a good white title. I then applied the rub-ons.

Here it is on the planner page.

The other Star clip was done with Washi tape and then Enamel Accents on the points. The Make it Happen clip was coloured with a Pentel Gold pen and then the saying was from a Tim Holtz' book of stickers called "Small Talk".

I hope this shows you that the chipboard can be coated in quite a few different mediums depending on the look you require.

Supplies Used

Chip Clips Assortment

Fancy Pants Rub-Ons
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Stickers - Small talk
Sakura Permapaque Pens
Distress Paint
Pentel Pen
Crackle Accents, Glossy Accents and Enamel Accents by InkEssentials
Nuvo Embossing Powder by Tonic

Paper Zeppelin Tutorial

I'm not going to sugar coat it, there are things about this project that are a pain in the rump... but the end result is super duper cool. I mean, who doesn't need flying zeppelin boat sky vessel?

I came up with this project a fair long while ago after watching Stardust a million times. Sky pirates? Heck yeah! How could I resist the inspiration?

I've updated the project by adding some chipboard elements from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. They add amazing detailing without adding bulk or weight. 

I've used pieces from the Gears Shape Set along with Propellers, painting these elements a sort of coppery gold for a metallic effect.

But it's the addition of the chipboard Hinges that I think really add something to my sky vessel. They help to give the impression that this zeppelin is way more ornate with their addition.

Finally, I've added some bits from the Keys & Plates Shape Set.

I'm sure my sky pirates feel rather posh with all those additional bits and bobs!

If you'd like to try making your own paper zeppelin, I've created a video walk through HERE. I highly recommend doing a dry run of the balloon and boat elements before cutting into your 'good paper'. There IS a learning curve to fitting the bits together and this is NOT a beginner project.

But! If you're feeling adventurous and looking to make something really nifty, here are all the supplies you'll need:

Gears Shape Set

Propellers

Hinges

Keys & Plates Shape Set

Balloon and Boat Template (see below)

12" scrapbook paper

(I've used papers from Graphic 45's Master Detective Colletion for the sample)
Brass Brads
Thin doweling or wooden skewars
Acrylic Paint
Ribbon
White glue

Hot glue

Make your laundry room more fun with these retro signs by Betsy Skagen

Two of my favorite things in the world are mid-century graphics and snarky humor. I recently combined them to make one of my least favorite things in this world--doing laundry--a little more fun.

These retro laundry signs are sure to brighten both my laundry room and my spirits when I tackle my family's Mount Maytag of laundry.

Tutorial on how to make retro laundry signs

Begin by creating gel prints on white cardstock to use as your background.

Next cover the Retro Frame Set with gesso. Dry with heat gun and then paint each of the frames. I chose to make my frames metallic silver and teal.

Dry with heat gun and then cover the frames with embossing ink and clear embossing powder. Activate the embossing powder with a heat gun.

. Cut your background paper to fit each of the frames.

 Cut out images from Vintage Laundry #1 and personalize with messages.

 Adhere the images to your pre-cut background paper.

Glue the frames onto your images. Then adhere the images to white corrugated cardstock. Complete the signs by gluing the corrugated paper onto black cardstock. 

Great Stuff

Retro Frame Set

Vintage Laundry #1

White corrugated cardstock

White cardstock

Black cardstock

Acrylic paint

Embossing ink

Clear embossing powder

Black pen

Lovebirds and wishes

I decided to do something a little different today, using the Lovebirds on Branch piece from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, along with the Flourished Frame- Connie piece.  I started with a patternd paper background. Next I coated the frame in gesso, and then added a layer of glitter mix over the top. I adhered this to the card base using foam dots.

For the birds, I wanted to create some contrast, so I kept them matt, and used ink and sponges to colour them. This really makes them stand out against the frame which is super glittery by comparison. I think that the contrast of the muted colours against the really bold background really allows the birds to draw the eye, even though they are the simplest part of the card.

To finish off, I added a pre-made sentiment tag, and some small flowers on the bottom corner to offset the large birds on the opposite corner.

Supplies:

Flourished Frame- Connie

Lovebirds on Branch- Coming Soon

Key to Your Soul Art Journal Page by Barbara Rankin

Hi everyone!  Today I'll be working in my art journal, and using Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts chipboard to add dimension without lots of bulk.  If you've ever wondered how to get some added dimension in your art journal, consider chipboard.  It is perfect for items like art journals and greeting cards, mini albums with thin spines, and of course, your mixed media canvas pieces.

I want to warn you that this post has lots of photos, but I believe a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope it will be more helpful than a hinderance.

I started out with my 6"x9" Dylusions art journal and gave the pages a coat of Old Paper Distress Crackle Paint I had in my stash.  You can, of course, use regular crackle paste and color it with paint or just leave it natural.

Spread Modeling Paste through Pixels stencil with a spatula.  Let dry or use heat tool to speed drying time.

While the paste is drying, use gesso to prime chipboard pieces chosen from the Mixed Media Fragments 2 chipboard collection.  I cut some  pieces apart to piece together in the background.

Use small stamps or portions of larger stamps to make some texture on the Fragments with black archival ink.  This will not only add interest but also a bit of texture to the pieces.

Spray background with Color Bloom Glistening Waves, leaving some areas white.

Spray background with Color Bloom Lime Wedge.  Let dry.

Spray background with Color Bloom Tea Stain.  Let dry.

Spray background with Tattered Angels Frosty Nights.  Let dry.

Spray background with Color Bloom Iris.  Let dry.

Stamp damask background stamp with black archival ink.  Stamp off once before stamping onto page for a lighter image.

Prime two keys and two plates with black gesso and let dry.

Computer generate your phrase onto inexpensive printer paper and and spray it with a fixative to keep the inkjet ink from bleeding when we add more color.

Cut the phrase apart, then glue them to a piece of chipboard.  You can use cereal box chipboard from your kitchen, or you could glue several layers of cardstock together to get the added height.

Glue Fragments, Keys & Plates, and phrase pieces to journal pages, as shown.  I weighted them down while they dried.

Use a spatula or brush to spread some regular gel matte medium randomly over the background, concentrating around the fragments pieces, and then sprinkle on texture pebbles, filling in any open areas with the smaller texture sand.  Let dry,

Spray both pages the same as before.  It is really neat to see how the different pieces will take on the colors differently.  I started with the TA Frosty Nights, then CB Glistening Waves, CB Iris, CB Lime Wedge, and finally CB Tea Stain.  I dried each color layer before spraying the next color.

Next, I dry brushed Vintage Gold Metallique wax over some of the high spots on the page.

Then I added a small amount of Brushed Iron Metallique wax over the black gessoed chipboard pieces.  Next, I added the Bronze Age over them, and applied  it to the edge of the pages with my finger.

One last blast randomly with the CB Glistening Waves, and let dry.

The addition of all the sprays lightened the printed words, so I used a black Sharpie pen to go over the letters in the phrase.  It was easy and best of all, it made it look like it was hand-written rather than computer-generated.

I used a Pitt Black big brush pen to add some shading beneath some of the pieces to add dimension.

Next, I made splatters over the background by making a wash of white gesso + water and a fan brush.

I made dots with a bronze pearl paint pen to resemble brads or nail heads in the key plate holes.

Next, I added more Vintage Gold wax over the high spots.  They had gotten covered up some by the sprays, but that is why mixed media is so fun.  You can just keep adding layers and layers of the same stuff until you like the end result.  I also edged the pages with Black Soot distress ink and a blending tool.

And now, I have some close-ups of portions of the pages for you. 

Supplies Used:

GSL Mixed Media Fragments 2
GSL Keys & Plates Shape Set
White Gesso (Liquitex)
Black Gesso (Liquitex)
DecoArt Media Modeling Paste
Stencil Girl S509 Pixels Stencil (6x6)
Distress Crackle Paint (Old Paper) (or substitute any crackle paint)
Black Soot Distress Ink
Blending Tool
Dylusion 6"x9" art journal
Prima Color Bloom Spray Mists
  Glistening Waves
  Lime Wedge
  Tea Stain
  Iris
Prima Metallique Wax
  Vintage Gold
  Brushed Iron
  Bronze Age
  Mystic Turqouise
Tattered Angels Mists
  Frosty Nights
Viva Decor Bronze Pearl Paint Pen
Art-C 26885 San Serif Alphabets stamps & stencil set
Archival Black ink pad
Fast Grab Tacky Glue (Aleene's)
Golden Regular Gel (Matte)
Krylon Workable Fixatif
Black Sharpie pen
Pitt Black Big Brush Pen (Faber-Castell)

I hope you enjoyed today's project tutorial and maybe I've inspired you to get working on your art journal or other projects.  Art journaling is fun!  

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a fun and crafty day!

Hugs,
Barbara