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June 25, 2014

Beach Babe

I went a little bright and vintage this week for the Sketch challenge at La-La Land Crafts

Here is the sketch we used:


I tried to stick pretty close to the sketch...what do you think? Does it work?  I did lots of layers and stitching and used lots of gesso, modeling paste and stamping to really grunge up this layout!


I used lots of flowers and die cuts for my main flower cluster element, including the Butterfly Set 1 Die, the Cherry Blossom Branch DieDiamond Wire Die, and lots of Small, Medium and Large Rolled Roses. I added some tissue tape, lace and some fun shells! I added lots of stamping and some yellow wire thread.


Here you can see where I have used the gorgeous Butterfly again. I added a fun Scalloped Banner Die across my vintage image and the hinge from the Book Tab and Labels Die Set

I'd love to enter this into the Scrap Around the World challenge for June. I saw this vintage image staring at me in my pile of images and just knew it would be perfect for this challenge!


June 23, 2014

Book Worm: Just for Fun!


Tomorrow is our last day in Ireland for six weeks! We head off to my parent's house Wednesday in Oregon and we are getting very excited. I got as much work done ahead of time for my DT commitments and actually had time to play today!!!


I am entering this layout in a few challenges, the first of which is the Inkido June Challenge! I have used two Inkido papers for this layout: Inkido Spring Time Vintage Lace and Inkido Spring Time Vintage Postcard. I chose a photo of my gorgeous daughter Aisling reading a book and used the Vintage Postcard papers rolled up and tied together to emulate a set of books which I tied together with a bit of twine.  The theme for this month's challenge is:
Aisling is a voracious reader and is constantly either drawing or reading, she just loves it!!


I used tons of my Prima stash for this layout, many many Lindy's mists, and some gorgeous Dusty Attic chipboard. I took some French book pages and added these to the layout as well as some lace from my stash.


Lots of molding paste, masking misting and stamping and a touch of gesso, lots of mixed media touches. I finished off the layout by stitching in green around the border.

I would love to add this to the Dusty Attic June Challenge. I used their gorgeous sketch to make this layout, and used their lantern and fishnet panel chippies as part of the layout.


Time for me to start packing up some of the supplies I plan to bring on my trip to the States, can't go six weeks without crafting (my DTs wouldn't be too happy about that either!!) So happy I got a chance to just play today, that doesn't happen so often these days and I love it when I can!!

June 21, 2014

Flowers Challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow


This week our challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is Flowers. We have been generously sponsored by Doodle Pantry with our gorgeous images this week!

I am still extremely new to coloring images, so I love that they also provide some colored images that you can print and incorporate into your cards. This is what I have done. I printed on good thick cardstock and cut down to 4 inch square and edged it with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I added some striped paper as a base which I also inked, then added some lace and beautiful ribbon from my stash. I added some bling and a huge key to my card to finish it off. To me, I thought the it fit the sentiment...the key to life is to Live in Happiness Today and Always!!

I hope you will come join us this week!!

More Vintage Love for Frosted Designs June Kit: Capture the Moment

.Capture the Moment

Cathi back with some more projects made with the gorgeous


I decided I wanted to use a travel themed Time Traveler ATC as the title for my layout, so I chose a photo of my two girls I took last year in Tuscany, just loved visiting the old villages and this gorgeous tree lined road!! I love the title: The World Is Yours To Explore!!! I hope they take the chance to travel the world. I have done my fair share of traveling, having backpacked from London to Egypt in my young days, worked in Africa, honeymooned in Fiji and New Zealand, not to mention having moved continents after marrying an Irishman (I am a Maryland native and my parents now live in Oregon!). My kids love to travel and I hope that they continue to!! This layout is full of layers and again everything from my projects today is from the kit, bar the stitching thread and the ink!! You really can get so much done with a kit without even having to raid your stash!!! The base of this layout is a sheet from Authentique Abroad, and then some gorgeous Prima Cartographer cut out layer mixed in with Prima Time Traveler.


Lots of layers happening in this layout. You can see Prima Time Traveler tags, flairs, flowers and brads here in this close up as well as the Prima Wooden ATC Card  pieces (I cut one in half to add under my photo and paper layers!). I've also added a Maya Road Kraft Library Card and Kraft Typography Numbers into my layers, and some beautiful Petaloo Burlap Blossom flowers. You can also see where I added the Prima Family Unit Lace Stickers  on the photo and one of the layers.


In this closeup you can see where I inked through the The Crafters Workshop Mini Love Post Stencil in black ink around the edges of my layout...It is so full of layers and details in the middle, I didn't want to add too much to take away from it. I also used the Ranger Onyx Pearl Liquid Pearls around the edges of my title ATC. I tied a bow with the Prima Trim around my photo. My finishing touch was a double row of stitching around the layout border.


I love raiding charity shops for fun things to alter sometimes and I bought this antiqued golden photo frame for fifty cents a few weeks back. When my kit arrived and my layouts and cards were completed I wanted to do one more project and this frame was right there near my craft table and perfectly suited for the gorgeous papers and colors in this kit! I had this fun image already printed out a while back. A fairly wild lady of days gone by preening herself for something to come!!! As you can tell I had used so many flowers in my layouts that I decided to stretch my kit even further and make flowers and other embellies using my dies as you can see here on the frame! I also used Prima Time Traveler Clear Stamps to ink up Now is the Time...for whatever this lady is getting ready for!!. I used Prima Time Traveler Paper for the base behind my photo, as well as the Time Traveler Flairs and Brads.

STRETCH YOUR KIT
EVEN FURTHER WITH DIES!!!!!


I love to use flowers and layers in my projects and I really loaded up my layouts with all the flowers and so many of the kit embellies!! For my cards and frame I still wanted to add some flowers, so I used some rolled rose dies from my stash to make my own flowers from pieces of scrap paper left over from the kit!!

Don't forget how much little details such as leaves tucked into a flower cluster can add! By adding some flourishes and leaves to my layouts, cards and frame, I really added some lovely details while using up smaller scraps of paper from the kit! The best way to get even more out of your kit!!!

I hope you try using any dies you might have in your stash to help your kit go even further!


June 18, 2014

Life's A Beach


This week at La-La Land Crafts, our challenge was Summertime Fun!! I decided to keep my vintage image theme going this week with a fun image of some ladies in swimming gear from days gone by, they must have been good as they are holding trophies!! I have been having a lot of fun using my mixed media to add texture and color to my layouts and have used tons of gorgeous La-La Land Crafts dies as well!!


You can see several flowers here that I have made with beachy colors using the gorgeous Lotus Die. I have added the beautiful Large Flourish Die as strong accents to my layout. A butterfly from the Butterfly Set 1 Dies has landed on the large flower I added from my stash.


I added some netting from my stash and on top of that built up gorgeous flowers tucked in behind the Picket Fence Die. I tucked a little birdhouse using the Birdhouse Die into this little vignette. To finish off the layout I tucked several Steampunk Heart Cogs Die cogs in behind my flower clusters.

I love the texture and layers on this layout and how perfect the La-La Land Crafts dies work with it.  Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

June 15, 2014

Man oh Man challenge for Visible Image


Last week was my final week at Visible Image, they are focusing on image stamps for coloring right now and it was time for me to go.  I will continue to support them and cheer them on and they continue to grow and grow. It has been nothing but a positive experience to work with such an amazing creative couple like Helen and Mark, and also the wonderful and talented (and slightly crazy!) teammates I had on the design team! They are so creative and talented, I can't wait to see the new projects they dream up for all the new stamps to be released.

But I had made this card earlier last month for their challenge so I thought I'd share it here. I just love the distinguished gentleman image I found and I made a stamped background for him using the Grunge Harlequin stamp. I stamped in Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, also using that to make a light background color with my blending tool. I used the gear and clock stamps from the Time After Time set in Jet Black Archival Ink and stamped them randomly around the page.

To finish off the card I edged everything in Black Soot Distress Ink and added some fun paper cord as a frame. I love how my grungy masculine card turned out...perfect for Father's Day.

Check out the challenge HERE for your chance to win a £20 voucher to their amazing store!


AWM Timeaftertime ws2012  Grunge Harlequin Stamp

June 11, 2014

Always Wear Your Invisible Crown


This week our challenge at La-La Land Crafts is Stripes! I decided to use one of the new Hinged Trinket Box Small  boxes for my project this week. I used some gorgeous green striped paper for this as well as the pink striped paper for the flowers!  The box was painted in a bright green paint I had in my stash but I toned it down with brown mist and inks!

I started the box decor with a small vintage image with a little girl with her flower crown. I kept the die cuts minimal on this box so that they were shown off to their best. I started with the Cherry Blossom Branch Die, adding some Rolled Rose Small and Medium Dies flowers with pearl centers.  For a finishing touch I added the Birdhouse Die with a twine bow to accent it. I then added the Beautiful Day Sentiments stamp: Always Wear Your Invisible Crown! I love how this turned out and I am KEEPING this one!!

Thank you so much for visiting!!

June 10, 2014

Capture the Moment Vintage Love!

.Capture the Moment

I am absolutely in love with the new June Kit from Frosted Designs: Capture the Moment! I am a huge fan of vintage, and this kit is FULL of vintage beauty!! I just love the lush Victorian feel of these papers and colors!!


This vintage beauty in my layout is my Great Aunt Marge! I just love this photo and the story that went with it. She took the photo for her fiancé (my Great Uncle Les) before he went off to war. He had it pinned up by his bunk during training and kept it with him all during the war! I used the gorgeous Prima Time Traveler  and Stationer's Desk papers for this layout, adding the Time Traveler Flairs, Flowers, Brads, Tags and ATCs to my layers!!


In this close up you can see the gorgeous Petaloo Burlap Blossoms, Time Traveler Flowers, Tags, Tickets, ATC and Brads, Wooden ATC, Maya Road Kraft Typography Numbers and the fun bow I made from the Prima Trim.  I added some stiching around my layer and used the The Crafters Workshop Mini Love Post Stencil and the Ranger Forever Red Perfect Pearls Mists to create a heart on my design. I outlined the heart with the Ranger Liquid Pearls - Onyx Pearl.


In this photo you can more gorgeousness from the kit: More Time Traveler flowers, tags, flairs and brads and the gorgeous Petaloo Burlap Butterflies!!  I also used the Prima Family Unit Lace Stickers here and included a Maya Road Kraft Library Card. This photo was a keepsake for my great uncle so I recorded the story on the library card insert! You can see in this closeup where I used the stencil to add some words in black ink and sprayed Ranger Forever Red Perfect Pearls Mist in my background. I also used it to color my Prima Trim.  I had a great time making this vintage layout and really piled on the embellishments...but I still have four cards, another embellie filled layout and an altered frame to show you from this kit, you really get a lot from each kit! I will show the cards here, but there will be more to come later this month!

I love to make vintage cards, so again this kit was right up my alley, and I made four cards this time!!


The base paper of my four cards I made is a sheet of Authentique Abroad papers. I also used Time Traveler ATCs and papers as further layers, as well as the wooden Prima Classic Card pieces. I used the Prima Trim for every card and added in some Prima Time Traveler Brads.  For the top left card I used my gorgeous Prima Resin Frame and Time Traveler Clear Stamps to frame an image of a stamped key.  I love how my four vintage cards turned out and I hope you do too!!

The Messy version of this kit is already sold out and there are not many left of the Clean or Combination Clean and Messy kits. Get yours today by clicking HERE!!!


June 9, 2014

Out of Africa for Berry71Bleu



The theme this month is: Favorite Movie or TV Show & the challenge is: Multiple Photos
Your project must be centered around your favorite movie or TV show and must consist of more than one photo. You can use the same photo twice or use different photos--the choice is yours. If you just can't pick one movie or TV show--then feel free to center your project on your favorite actor or actress, this counts as well.


Here is the layout I created for the June Favorite Movie/TV Show Challenge at Berry71Bleu! I chose my favorite film Out of Africa, I have loved this movie for ages, the beautiful cinematography, great acting, great story...music...costumes...just a really well done and classic film for me.  This month we each received a kit to work with from Gauche Alchemy. I had chosen a brown colored kit and it could not have been more perfect for this layout, from the dictionary page with the word continent (as in Africa lol) and the Risk game card with African country Madagascar...perfect coincidences!!


I used almost the entire kit from the great old envelope, to the chess piece, a puzzle piece, a Scrabble tile, a little butterfly, the metal pieces, the trims, even the old slide... The punchinella is also from Gauche Alchemy and I have used it three ways here, as a layer as a stamp and as a mask! You can see the Compass stamp from sponsor Viva Las Vegas Stamps I stamped randomly as well.



We were also generously sponsored by Scrapiniec chipboard! Here you can see the gorgeous honeycomb, hot air balloon and Good Times Speech Bubbles pieces I used.  I had a great time layering up all my elements and creating a background that tied in with the movie poster photo colors, lots of misting and splattering was done! To finish off my layout I used lots of stitching around the edges in brown.

I really loved doing this layout and hope you will join us!! Have a look at the amazing prizes up for grabs:

First Prize:
Gauche Alchemy Themed Kit + Punchinella Variety Pack
(Actual Prize May Differ From Photo)


Second Prize:
7 Dots Studio - Love is in the Air Collection

Random Prize:
Kay's Kreative Korner Gift Voucher
(A small sample of the butterflies available from Kay)


Sponsors:


Gauche Alchemy
Gauche Alchemy is on hiatus but will be back soon.
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And don’t forget to visit us regularly on our blog

Gauche Alchemy is for those that create outside of the box, those that create inside of the box and those that tear the box a new one…

Discover the secret that every great altered artist, scrapbooker, cardmaker, memory-keeper and mixed media artist knows. Whether you are new to the process or have already discovered the joy and flexibility inherent in a varied stash of inspiring supplies, Gauche Alchemy is here to feed your art and soul – a friendly push from your personal muse!

Gauche Alchemy specializes in kits filled to the brim with fabulous finds and artistic goodness. If your addiction is vintage ephemera, found objects, beautiful fabric, trendy paper or unique embellishments, we’re here to enable you – oh yeah! Our kits are designed to make you laugh, question social convention and remind us of our past (the good, the bad, the whimsical – even the downright kitschy).

Each kit is designed to jostle your creativity with unique tidbits, coordinated colors and delicious textures. If you are unaccustomed to working with our unique offerings, GOOD! Our goal is to encourage different ways of thinking about the art that is all around us. We are big fans of "upcycling" and hope to encourage others to join us on our path to "recycle, reuse, repurpose!"


We are a team of creative women who cannot image their world without paper, glue and the creative process. Scrapbooking is our passion and we love to share our passion with other scrapbookers. For this reason, 7 Dots Studio exists. The quality of our products is our top priority. Our collections are made from thick (250gsm), acid-free, lignin-free, archival scrapbooking paper. We also offer high quality cardstock stickers.





Kay's Kreative Korner was opened in 2009. It began simply as a way of sharing a few of my handmade items. I opened my shop with a couple of hand stamped cards, butterflies & a few pre-made scrapbook pages. Within a year, I stopped making cards and decided to concentrate on specific embellishments--I went with the butterfly. I've always admired the butterfly & what it symbolizes. Change, transformation, a new start, beginnings...with this concept I started making scrapbook embellishments based on existing butterflies from all around the world as well as butterflies that I have designed myself. Each butterfly is hand cut & carefully assembled by me.

Within a few months I started to add transparent 'Glass' butterflies which are clear in nature but add a very bold & unique touch to any crafty project. My latest creations are the 'Rose' butterfly collection which are butterflies with roses on their wings & the 'Message on Wings' butterfly collection with sentiments printed on their wings that can be personalized.

In addition to the butterflies I specialize in vines & beaded flowers. Each item is handmade with much TLC and careful precision. My greatest reward is seeing how others use my embellishments on their own projects & pages or to decorate a special occasion. 


A special thanks to Gauche Alchemy, Scrapiniec Die-Cut Chipboard and Viva Las VegaStamps! for sponsoring the Berry71Bleu Design Team this month!



Scrapiniec is the first Polish manufacturer of laser die-cut chipboard products for use in scrapbooking. They satisfy even the most unusual individual orders and are characterized by reliability, high quality and friendly customer service.
Viva Las VegaStamps!

Viva Las VegaStamps! has the world's largest collection of rubber stamps under any roof in our Las Vegas Retail Store. We manufacture and sell over 19,000 different images throughout the world to retail customers as well as retail stores. We also sell our unique Miracle Tape in six sizes as well as sheets. Check out our Steampunk Images and our new releases each month. We have stamps from other companies, a Bargain Basement with reductions up to 75 percent off and Dollar Deals!

Please note that if the winner(s) of this challenge are international they will be responsible for shipping costs. Make sure you follow our CHALLENGE RULES.

Thank you and we hope to see your beautiful creations this month!
We appreciate each and every challenge entry and share the designs that catch our eye on our facebook page and Pinterest Boards. Look for your work there!