~ You Captured My Heart The Moment We Met~

This is my youngest DS Matthew when he was only a couple of weeks old. I just love the way newborns hold their little fists sooo tightly when you bath them. I just adore the look on his face in this pic. It reminds me how completely trusting babies are.

I recently started purchasing Dusty Attic pieces from my dear friend Mandy's (Craftysprinkles) etsy shop . These pieces are simply stunning and worth every penny!!! After receiving them I decided to go and check out the Dusty Attic Website to get some inspiration for my newly purchased treasures. WOW, was I completely blown away by the gallery on this site..........these are some crazy talented ladies!!!!!!

While there I saw that they're running a monthly sketch challenge with a really awesome prize up for grabs so I decided to give it a bash. So this is my take on their sketch.

The first DA piece I used was this gorgeous little bird cage (DA0085). The title of the LO is "You captured my heart the moment we met" so I used a stencil and made a heart which I added wings to and placed behind the bird cage. I first inked the cage with some walnut stain distress ink then painted over some pieces with Gold Glimmer Shimmerz paint. I then wound some tiny rose buds which I found at a local craft store around the cage and added the wire ribbon and some liquid pearl drops.

This stunning rose vine came from my very dear friend  Katies Etsy shop. It's been in my stash for quite a while now but I'm glad I held onto it because it was the PERFECT piece for this LO. I added some DA twigs (DA0129) between the branches of the vine so they would look like one. I'm very happy with the result. I also inked and painted these twigs. 

I also scattered a few of the minture butterflies (DA0364) around on the right side of the LO. These are absolutely adorable IRL. I used Robin's water distressing technique, which I was very nervous to try in the beginning but now I just LOVE it. In the tutorial Robin puts her pp directly under running water but I chose to wet my paper using a thick paint brush instead. It's the perfect finish for any distressed LO.

~ Jarrod ~ SEPT DIY CHALLENGE TUTORIAL REVEAL

In honour of my oldest son Jarrod's birthday month I decided to select tutorials that could be used for both masculine and feminine LO's for the Sept DIY Challenge over at sb.com which I proudly host. I have chosen the masculine route for my example LO. These tutorials are optional twists that could earn you extra votes, depending on how many you use on a single LO.

For the first tutorial I selected my dear friend and extremely talented Lisa Valentine's Masking Tape background . This is such a fun and extremely easy technique to use and the finished effect is just gorgeous!!!! For my LO I used pine needle, faded jeans and black soot distress inks but this technique looks absolutely fabulous done using browns. You get a real weathered leather look which would work great on a vintage LO.
I used mine to frame the photograph of my DS.

For the second tutorial I selected a video tutorial for Dried Satin Roses I found while browsing through some flower tuts on YouTube. What's great about this tutorial is that you can make them as feminine or as masculine as you like. For my LO I chose to use plain black but I have done these before layering various colours or even 2-3 shades of the same colour which can look really gorgeous. Just be sure to use satin or a similar fabric because lighter fabrics will burn/melt too quickly with the heat gun.

I recently made the best aquisition ever. I bought Tim Holtz's Compendium Of Curiosities and am just loving trying out his techniques. I started off with the easier ones just to build my confidence because I felt a little overwhelmed when I first studied the book. In this LO I tried out the masking. I used the pine needles distress ink as my bg colour and then applied the masks to the paper and used black soot distress ink to shadow the mask shapes.
This is obviously one of the easiest tecniques but I absolutely love the finished look. I'll definitely be investing in more masks.

And here is my very first attempt at embossing. I used faded jeans for the bg and then embossed some flourishes onto the bg using black soot distress embossing powder.
I just love the unfinished distressed look of this embossing powder. It definitely suites my style and I'm extremely excited about embossing more in future.

I also embossed these wooden letters for my title. I first inked the chips with some pine needle distress ink and then embossed them using the black soot distress powder again. As you can see the distress powder has release crystals which don't melt and rub off showing the bg colour. This gives an aged weather look which is GORGEOUS IRL.
Stay tuned for more projects using Tim's fabulous techniques and if you don't have your own copy of "Compendium of Curiosities" yet, I highly recommend you invest in one.

~ Adorable Dreamer~

August has not been a very good scrapping month so far for me. I've been terribly ill with this awful flu doing the rounds which has completely drained all my energy making it difficult to scrap or even make flowers which has fast become my favourite hobby.

I did however manage to complete 1 LO which I had intended on doing the beginning of the month to use as my "example" LO for the August DIY challenge I host over at sb.com.

The only requirement for the challenge is that you have at least 1 embellishment or piece of bg paper that you have made yourself from scratch. As a bonus I give particpants an oportunity to earn 5 EXTRA votes by providing 3 tutorials each month. You can earn 1 extra vote for each tutorial used on the SAME LO and if you make an embellishment using your OWN tutorial you get 2 extra votes.

WINNER GETS A RAK FROM ME so if you enjoy making your own embellishment then come and join the fun.

I thought I'd try making a LO using ALL 3 tutorials supplied for August just to prove it could be done. I also used most pinks for the monochromatic challenge (week 2 - PINK) The twist option for that challenge was to make your own flower which worked out perfectly.

The first tutorial is by Byondbzr who was July's winner. As the winner you get to have 1 of your own tutorials featured for the following month so Rebecca chose to use her wax paper flowers which are super easy to make and require very little time. Mine don't quite look like Rebeccas but I like them all the same. I painted the wax paper with cerise craft paint then glimmer misted over that and then added some "Angelic" shimmerz paint to add some real sparkle.

To make this adorable pink fabric bloom I followed my very own No Sewing fabric bloom tutorial which I was inspired by the new range of Prima blooms to create. They really are super easy to make and all you need is some fabric and a hot glue gun. I used a prima flower for the center which I inked the very tip of the petals with pink chalk and then I painted over that with some more of the Angelic Shimerz paints to add sparkle.

I used SIMPLY PAPER's (Vicky's) fabulous Elegant Ruffled Flowers
tutorial for these paper flowers which are so gorgeous IRL. Vicky is one of the most talented artist's I know and has some of the most beautiful paper flower tutorials. My flowers didn't come out quite as beautiful as Vicky's but I intend on trying them again until I perfect the technique.

I decided to give the wet distressing technique another try and even though I still have not quite perfected it, I'm certainly doing a lot better than when I first tried it. I must admit that my recent aquisition of a heating gun helped considerably. It's a lot easier to get the creases just right when you have a heating tool to dry the paper immediately. Again, I shall continue to work at perfecting another technique I just LOVE.

I'm PUBLISHED!!!!!

A few months ago I decided to pursue my goal of being published and emailed some of my LO's to a local South African scrapbooking magazine called Scrap Affairs to see if they would be interested in my work. They were kind enough to publish one of my LO's in the very next issue and I thought that would be it. I was then absolutely delighted to find out I had been selected as a Scrapbooking Diva and would get a 2 page spread. The issue has just come out and I just had to show this off...........I'm sooooo excited!!!

I was jumping up and down in the store isle when I opened the mag and saw this. This is far more than I was hoping for when I sent that email.

~ Angelic~

I took this picture of my DD while we were at one of her friends birthday parties. She was standing off to the side and just watching everyone with a really thoughtful look on her face so I grabbed my camera and zoomed in so she wouldn't know I was taking a pic and snapped what is now one of my favourite pics of Erin.

I made this LO for the July Monochromatic colour challenge hosted by one of my dear friends and fellow Deliciously Distressed Diva's over at sb.com. there'sa different colour for each week with a set of twists. Week 2 was to use white with a B&W photograph and use coloured embelies.

This is a fluffy ballerina bloom I made using my very own tutorial which you can find HERE.

For this one I used soft chiffon which works really well for these. The metal center I found in a bead store and added a pink pearl.

I used the brilliant Gabrielle's 6 petal puch rose tutorial for the tiny pink roses. I added a leaf just to add a pop of colour against the stark whiteness of the background.

I cut the butterfly out of some pp I had in my stash and added some shimmerz paint and liquid pearls. the butterfly tail flourish is from Angellica's ETSY SHOP which is full of some of the most AMASING embellishments.

This is another gorgeous vine I boight from my good friens Katie's etsy shop which you can find HERE. These just add the perfect femanine touch to any LO!!

Tutorial ~ No Sewing Fabric Bloom

I was on Prima's blog looking at some of the CHA sneak previews  and was inpired by some of the new blooms under the Jack and Jill range and decided I just had to try making some of my own, which is an idea my dear friend Rebecca (Byondbrz) and I shared at the same time. Mine are slightly different to Rebecca's so we've decided to BOTH do our own tutorials. You can find her verion using only 5 petals vs. my 7 HERE.  In the pic above I've made them using different textured chiffon and some netting. That's the great thing about the tutorial, you can use just about ANY fabric.

For the tutorial I've selected some satin.

What you need
* Some fabric of your choice cut into 7-8 circles. I only have 6 in the pic but actually used 7, a mistake I only realised at the end of the tutorial...LOL! the circles can be any size depending on the size of the bloom you want. I made mine about 3inch in diameter. They don't have to be perfect so scissor cutting them is just fine.
* Hot glue gun or fast drying fabric glue (not sure what brands are in the US)
* small cardstock circle (I used a petal punch I had on hand)
* Flower center (beads, gems, buttons,whatever you like)

STEP 1

Fold your circle in half. Unlike Rebecca, I don't add glue to the centre in this step because I like mine to have extra volume.

STEP 2

In your mind divide the half circle into 3 pie shapes all meeting in the center. Fold 1/3 of the fabric over the 2/3 of the fabric as shown in the picture.

Ok, so I'm craving pie while I'm writing this...LOL! but it hopefully makes sense

STEP 3
Add some hot glue to the fabric at the bottom tip and then folder the 3/3 of the fabric over, glueing it to the 1/3

Your fabric will then be cone shaped and look like this

STEP 4

Now do the same with the other 6-7 fabric circles, creating 7-8 fabric cones.

Step 5

Add some glue to the center of your cardstock circle (I used the petal punch I had on hand). This is just for the backing so no-one sees it so you can use whatever you want.


STEP 6

Glue the tip of your fabric cone to the center of your cardstock circle as shown.

STEP 7

Now add a little more glue to the center and attach your second cone,  over-lapping it slightly over the first cone.

STEP 8

Continue doing this, slightly over-lapping each cone over the one before. Once you've attached 6 cones you will notice a small gap. This is where the 7th cone is required. The 7th cone may stand higher than the others which is ok because the center will be flattened with your Button/brad/beads.

This is a side view of the bloom to show the fullness created by the cones. The more glue you apply when making the cones will control the fullness. For a flatter bloom glue the cones together higher up.




Add your flower center and VIOLA, you're done!!!

~Mommy's BOY~

Let me start by saying that this LO is a lift of Robin's (Robinberdz on sb.com) "Dream" LO she did for Swirlydoos. I just loved the simplicity of the design and had to do one of my own. I changed mine up a bit by adding some layers for a more distressed look but the core design is Robins.

This is a pic of my eldest son Jarrod and myself. He's nearly 12 now and is sooooo close to the age when mom's no longer cool so I try take advantage of every cuddle I can get....LOL! You can already see the "oh no, here she come for anothet hug" look on his face..........

I used the Bo Bunny Mamma Papparazzi pp's for this. I just LOVE those papers!!! The lovely flourish is one I bought a while back from Nicola Lombarda's fabulous etsy shop. She has the most amasing collection of paper flourishes.......a def MUST SEE!

I also made the fabric blooms myself. I was inspired by the new Prima blooms and decided to give them a bash. For these particular ones I used 8 fabric cones to create a fuller bloom. Rebecca (Byondbzr) and I had the same idea but she posted her pics first on sb.com so it's only fair that she take credit for the tutorial. I'll post a link once she  has done one.

~ Grans Darling ~

Ok, if you read my earlier post you may have noticed the pictured changed. I managed to take a quick pic of the LO with the new photo of my mom and the kids. I've left my close-up pics as is because there wasn't enough time to re-do them. I'm giving it to my mom this evening in the shadow box frame I also made myself for the LO. Pics posted at bottom of post.

My mom's colour scheme in her lounge is black and pale pink, hence my colour choice. My mom also LOVES owls so when I saw this pp from My Minds Eye, I knew I had to use it.

I made this pink, grey and black bloom myself with some satin fabric. I just cut the fabric into various size rose petal shapes and then lightly burnt the edges so they would curl in and then just layered them largest to smallest.

I made these using the Distressed Camelot flower tutorial I'm featuring in both my DIY challenge at sb.com as well as my DIY group over at pages in time. I used pages from an old novel I was about to throw out. So I'll also be entering this in Lisa Valentine's Go Green challenge over at PIT

This adorable vine is from my very good friend Katies lovely etsy shop. She really does have a knack for making just the most perfect embellishments and this one worked perfectly for my LO.

I used Robins wet distressing technique around the border of the pp and the half circle pp. I just LOVE the effect of this technique. I also wanted to show off the owl in the pp as best as possible so created a moon shape around the owl.

And finally here's the shadow box frame I also made from scratch. I bought some wood cut to size fom the hardware and spray painted it black and viola, you have a shadow box frame at a fraction of the cost of store bought frames. I would've like to do more to the frame but my mom insisted I only alter it in a subtle way so therefore I only added a few little flowers and made the flourishes with liquid pearls.

Tutorial - Fluffy Ballerina Blooms

The other night while my mom was over visiting we were fooling around with some fabric and she sewed a scrap length of fabric I had together and came up with these. I instantly fell inlove and just had to share this. I know there may already be a tutorial out there for these but I personally haven't found one yet so here goes......

What you need:

1. Very soft fabric like crushed organza or chiffon
2. Needle and strong thread - I used 2 stands of embroidery thread
3. small cardstock circle for back of bloom
4. Flower centers
5. Glue - I used a hot glue gun

Step 1 - It's important to decide what finished look you want BEFORE cutting your fabric
The width of the fabric will depend of how big you want your bloom. The fabric gets folded over so decide how wide you want your bloom before cutting the fabric. The large blue bloom in the pic above is approx 4inch wide finished and my fabric was 3 inch wide. For a smaller bloom obviously decrease the width.
The length will dictate how ruffled your finished bloom will be so again decide before cutting you fabric.
For the large blue bloom my fabric was 3inch wide and 1.5 yards long
For the smaller blue bloom my fabric was 2.5 inch wide and only 1 yard long (less ruffles)
For the yellow bloom my fabric was 2.5inch wide and 1.5 yard long

Step 2 - Fold width of fabric in half and do running stitches along the edges as shown in the pic

Step 3 - Once you reach the end try and untwist all the ruffles so that the sewed edges are all on one side











Step 4 - Take the 2 ends of thread and pull together so that the ruffles form a circle with the sewed edges to the center. AGAIN make sure to untwist the fabric and all the ruffles are facing outwards.

Step 5 - PULL TIGHT but carefully as to not break the thread. Once you have a tight center knot the thread several times and cut off excess thread.

Step 6 - You will notice that the bloom is VERY puffy so that is why the next step is important if you plan on using the bloom on a LO.
Turn the bloom over onto the back side and apply some glue (I used my hot glue gun) and attach the center of the bloom to your piece of circular cardstock. This will pull the front center of the bloom inwards and flat againt the cardstock creating a ballerina effect.

Step 7 - Turn bloom back over and apply your flower center and VIOLA, you have your very own ballerina bloom.

I made this little pink one (about 2 inch wide) using some chiffon. For this size my fabric was 2 inches wide and about 1 yard long.

HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!!!!