Be You

Good Morning

 

Today on the blog I am sharing a mixed media canvas that I created using one of the papers from the January Crop Kit.

 

 

From the piece of scrapbooking paper I fussy cut the circles, then using dimension tape I created the three layered circles.

 

To start the canvas I covered it with a layer of gesso creating texture as I went, no that you can actually see it in the finished photo.

 

The next step is to add even more texture, find a stencil and your texture paste then go.

 

To add colour to the background I used dylusion sprays white linen and vibrant turquoise and water.

 

I made sure that I dried the sprays completely and then activate them again with water. While the water was wet I rolled my roll of paper towel over the top to remove some of the colour and create this mottle effect.

 

Once the canvas was completely dry I drew on my stems and leaves and added the words.

 

Don't forget to visit Shop and Crop Scrapbooking for all your kit needs and some fantastic bundle deals.
Happy Creating

 

Paperific Expo Melbourne

Hello,

Deena here with you today.

 

I cannot believe that it was a month ago that I was at Paperific here in Melbourne. I hadn't attend a show in years certainly not since it has been at the Royal Melbourne Show Grounds. This experience was totally different as I was actually working. If you call standing around talking to lots of friendly people and sitting and getting messy work, then yes I was working. When it came to saying goodbye I didn't want to leave, I had an amazing time meeting and working sided by side with Kylie and Darryl who own and run Shop and Crop Scrapbooking and also having a blast with fellow design team member Donna. I love making cards and I will keep doing it but watching Donna create was the next level. You can find the cards Donna made at Paperific HERE.

 

So what did I get to play with? I played with Expo Kit No. 4. which was designed by another design team member, the talented and gorgeous Elisa.

 

 

 

Instead of creating a layout a created a mixed media canvas (canvas not included in kit)

To start the canvas I spread a layer of gesso unevenly over the surface of the canvas. The reason for this was because I wanted to create texture (I love texture and layers) and I wanted to stamp into the wet gesso to create more texture.

 

I dried the gesso with a heat gun then using the same stamp that I stamped into the gesso with I used a waterproof black ink to stamp the image. Because the surface of the gesso was a little shiny I did hit the ink with a heat gun to make it was completely dry.

 

When I first started this canvas I really had no idea what I was going to do once I had completed the background. So at this point I had to stop and think. I had these amazing chipboard pieces that I really had to use. I found a black paint so I could colour the chipboard and set it aside to dry.

 

While the chipboard was drying, I added colour to my background. I used the dylusion spray that was in the kit and added water to make it run. You want to make sure that the colour spreads across you canvas, so that it brings the texture you have created to life. If you add too much water then add more colour and vice versa.

Once happy with the colour added I dry the canvas with a heat gun. Also included in the kit was a gold mousse, that's so versatile. I rubbed it over the background to show more texture, I rubbed it on the chipboard circles. I also added it to the row of triangle but I added it with a palette knife so it was thick and lump.

 

After gluing the chipboard pieces to the canvas, I added black paint splatters. I couldn't find a paint brush at the time so I improvised and used my palette knife. Love the result.

 

I also created a couple of backgrounds.

 

 

These were done on a pieces of mixed media paper, the can be cut up to be used in a layout, another canvas, as an art journal page or even on cards.

Happy Creating

 

BEACH BABE - August Crop Kit & Creating layers.

Hello there,
Here we are in September, which is Spring! A season I love, a season of color!! And speaking of color I have been creating with a fabulous Kit the AUGUST CROP KIT which can be purchased as a one off kit, which is overflowing with colorful papers and embellishments, perfect for summery layouts!

With the layout I would also like to share the steps I took to create it. I used a 10cm by 15cm landscape photo.
Things I have used that are not in the Kit were a black marker, some old cardboard or foam tape for dimension and  Dina Wakley Media Scribble Sticks which you can find in the store HERE!!!

I took the white cardstock from the Kit and this was  my back ground page.  I took the pink crayon from the Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks and I literally scribbled all over the plastic bag that the kit came in and then sprayed this with water. I took my white cardstock and dabbed it on the water color on the plastic until I was happy with the shade of pink on my back ground..  Sometimes repeating this step is necessary to get the depth of color that I am after. I let this dry naturally.
I cut a frame from Item #2839 Summer Fun, 3cms on the sides and 4cms on the top and bottom. I placed this frame on my back ground page using the yellow side. I cut a circle from Item#2840 Boardwalk using a circle template, but a small dinner plate works well too.
I then cut strips of paper to layer under my photo which was going in the middle of the circle in the middle of the page.
From Item#2839 I cut a piece 22cms by 6cms, from Item #2837 Feeling Good I cut a strip 18cms by 6cms, from Item #2837 20cms by 6cms and cut a fish tail banner on one end of each of these, ( an upside down V)
Cut a 10cms by 12cms piece of paper from Item2839. I used a black marker to edge each piece of paper.
I adhered the circle in the middle of my page, then the strips of paper overlapping slightly the longest piece of paper on the right going to the shortest piece to the left. Place the yellow piece of paper on the left of the strips under the photo. Then I used the tags and embellishments from the kit around my photo and the fabulous Thickers for my title..

Some closer views.

Beach Babe!

I remember the first time I took my daughter to the beach, she was so unsure of the waves, but once she got used to it, she loved the beach, and digging in the sand was a favorite thing to do!

I also created a fun card with some leftovers!!

Such a fabulous Kit and with summer just around the corner, pop over to the shop for your kit HERE!!!

Just before I finish this post I would like to share with you a technique I use a lot on my layouts, and that is layers.. I love to add layers, it adds dimension and interest to my pages. And it is a great way to use scraps of paper as these can be tucked under your photo for example to add to the visual effect of your page.
I have used papers from Cocoa Vanilla - Wild at Heart and you can see all the wonderful Cocoa Vanilla products in the Shop and Crop Scrapbooking Store HERE!!!!

This is what my desk looks like when I am putting a design together... (please excuse the dirty craft mat!!0

I use strips of paper that I layer over each other.  With all the Kits from the Shop and Crop Scrapbooking store you dont have to worry about whether things will match, the Kits are put together so all that worry is gone. The papers are going to either contrast or compliment each other..

After I have the design roughly put together then I adhere it to my page, and once my photo is put down I add things like fussy cut elements, flair and tags.

And here are some closer views..

I have layered some frames and stickers and papers.. The Butterflies were fussy cut from the papers.

The layers on the tag with die cuts and a flair tucked in just under the tag..

And my layout... Hello Gorgeous!!

 A good thing to remember when designing your layout is to leave white space, or parts of your layout that have no embellishing, as this gives the eye a rest especially if there are busy or heavily embellished places on the page. I hope you have been inspired to use some layers on your layouts, I am sure you will find it becomes a favorite way to scrap too..

Thanks for coming by and make sure you check out whats new in the SHOP AND CROP SCRAPBOOKING STORE HERE!!!

Until next time... Happy creating!

August Cropaholic kit - 1 cut, 2 cards

Hello crafty friends!

It's Donna here, and I'm hoping the weather is better wherever you are than here in Gippsland. As I made these cards, the temperature clawed its way up to 5 degrees by mid afternoon, and hail was falling!  A perfect day to stay inside in my happy place and make cards, I'd say!

I've used two of the gorgeous papers from this month's Cropaholic kit. This month's kit has a beautiful collection of papers from Jillibean Soup, as well as a whole bunch of stickers, ephemera and other goodies. 

I first used alphabet dies to cut the word 'Thank You' from the pink paper. I mounted this with dimensional tape on the gorgeous floral paper. Once this was done, I carefully stuck the centres of the A and O into their holes using teeny tiny pieces of dimensional tape. 

Next, because the front of the card was fairly plain, I added some of the lovely cutouts from the kit,  placing them to draw the eye diagonally down the card. The flowers are a wonderful complement to the floral paper behind, and of course being from the same kit, the colours match perfectly. I also added two thin strips of the teal spotted paper from the kit for some contrast. 

Here's a close up of the depth that can be achieved with the dimensional adhesive.

Next, I used the pink letters that I had cut out, stuck them onto a piece of the floral paper, thus creating a card that was the reverse of the first. Unlike the other card, which needed some additions, this card started out very busy, and needed to be toned down. First, I had to make sure the words stood out against the busy background, so I used my copic markers (R85 and R81) to deepen the colour on the pink paper I then outlined the letters in black before adding a layer of glitter using Wink of Stella and a layer of Glossy Accents. I also added the black strip and sentiment to ground the card and add a contrasting element. 

I've included some closeups to give you an idea of the shine and dimension that the glitter and glossy accents gives to the letters.

Hopefully this will give you some more ideas of what to do with the beautiful papers in the kit, for those of you who are lucky enough to be subscribers.

The Cropaholic kits are available either as a subscription, which gives you a saving each month, or as a one off, until stocks run out. If you'd like a further saving, just use the code DL5 to give you an extra $5 off. 

Until next time, happy crafting. May your days be sunny and warm!

Feel free to have a peek at my other cards if you are interested.

Donna

Day Dream

Good Morning

 

This morning I have a canvas I created using one of the kits from the Brisbane expo. Expo Kit - No. 8 which was designed by the very talented Elisa. I am going to share with you my process in a photographic tutorial.

 

The first step in my process was to prepare my canvas (not included in kit). I am not sure how many layers of gesso I put on the canvas but I wanted to create a lot of texture.

 

I did help the gesso to dry with my heat gun but then I let it dry naturally overnight because of the thickness of the gesso I didn't know if all the layers were dry. Once the canvas had sat overnight, I attached my stamp to my stamp block with double sided tape and then using my black ink (not included in kit) I stamped over the surface of the canvas. None of the stampings were perfect that's because I was stamping on a canvas but that was okay with me.

 

 

I needed to cover up some of the stamping as it was just too much but I needed the coverage of the stamped images to make sure that I was adding another layer to peak through. Using my palette knife I scraped the gesso across the surface of my canvas.

To add another layer and more texture to my canvas using a stencil from my stash but also available from the shop I added texture paste over a good portion of the surface.

 

A close up of the stamping, gesso and texture paste.

 

Using the chipboard in the kit I selection the largest circle and three of the feathers. Using black paint from my collection I painted all four pieces of the chipboard.

Provided in the kit is some gold leaf which I used to decorate the surface of the black paint. How I made the pattern was using the stencil provided and my sponge I added glue to the surface then the gold leaf.

 

Getting back to my canvas to add some colour I used both of the dylusion sprays included in the kit. I first applied bubblegum pink. I sprayed the top of the canvas three times then spraying water over the top of the dylusions spray I not only diluted the pink but moved the colour down the canvas. Drying between layers I repeated this process with the vibrant turquoise.

 

Close up of the texture with the colour.

 

I painted the words day dreamer which I did cut apart with the gesso, then attached to the bottom left corner. I then attached my dream catcher to the canvas. The final step was to stamp the stamp on the white card stock provided and then cut it up and attach the words in random spots on the canvas.

 

products used that are not provided in the kit but can be found in the Shop

The Crafters Workshop Stencil - Quatrefoil Reversed

 

Happy Creating



Once Upon A Time From Echo Park

Good Morning All.

Deena here with you today.

 

This week I had lots of goodies from the Echo Park Collection - Once Upon A Time. I have stickers, lots of yummy papers, chipboard accents, enamel dots, all sorts of good stuff which can all be found in the SHOP.

 

 

I decided to do something a little different this time, one of the papers had a couple of awesome quotes and I decided to put one of them in a photo frame. I actually used gesso for what it was meant for, a primer. I cover the frame in some paper and added elements from the stickers and chipboard.

 

 

 

I also created three different cards

 

This card I created as a little gift card, so its about half the size of a normal card but can still be written on in the inside.

 

 

If you would like to make any purchases from the shop please use the code DO5 to receive a discount.

 

Happy Creating



Hello Happy Girl & Let the Adventure Begin

 These layouts were created from a past kit and you can find the current kits here in the shop.

 I guarantee you wont be disappointed if you're looking for a kit club because the shop has a variety to suit different types of creativity.

I like this sketch a lot and use it when I have three photos to scrap.  I chose the colour that matched my photos in the papers then found a piece of tissue paper to put behind my white cardstock matted photo.  The flamingos and the sticker underneath the photos along with the 'Happy' part of my title were from the sticker sheet.  The Dear Lizzy Brad also went perfectly with my happy little great granddaughter and I loved the addition of hot pink colour of the alpha and asterisks with the turquoise of the papers and the photos.
 

Now for my final layout using the kit.

The plain cardstock is also part of the kit and I edged it with some of the Patterned Paper.  I balanced the colours by cutting the circles and tags to place diagonally opposite each other.  The wood veneer title and the caravan element were perfect for this layout because we holiday in our caravan quite a bit and often its a big adventure.

I used a background stencil with Colour Blast Paste before adhering my photos and cut aparts.  I loved this kit which also included the cute arrow paperclips I used on this layout but there were many others to choose from.  I also used some of the sticker alphas with the wood veneer to create my title.

If you'd like to try a kit or purchase a subscription you can find them 

here in the Shop and Crop store.

You can also use my code SS5 to receive a discount from the shop.