Moroccan Spice Memory Box

Welcome to the Club Scrap Moroccan Spice Collection Blog Hop.  To return to the start of the hop click here.  I just love the rich colors, motifs, and gold accents, so I want to make something special. Then I had a flash of inspiration and came up with my own design for a photo display box.

Memory Book Closed

Heat Embossed Die-cuts and Embellishments

The cover is made with an assortment of Club Scrap embellishments, die-cuts, heat embossing, and stenciling. When you open the book using the ribbon it has two large flaps for pictures and journaling.

First Flap Open

Both Flaps Open

Ribbon Wrapped Corner

Inside it has a set of four pockets set on the diagonal for more pictures and journaling. Each pocketed flap holds a standard mat for a 4 inch x 6 inch photo. The pockets nest such that the top two are raised above the bottom two. Then when open the pockets lay out flat. 

Upper Flap Pockets Open

All Flap Pockets Open

The Gold Print is Hinge For Pictures

I look forward to fill this with pictures and using it as a coffee table display.  Thanks for stopping. If you'd be interested in a tutorial leave a comment and I can write it up. Your next stop is with the talented Donna and Crafty Colonel. To return to the beginning link here. 


Happy Crafting and Happy Thanksgiving,

Debby H.

Big Top Hybrid Door Sign

Welcome to the Club Scrap Big Top Collection Blog Hop.  To return to the start of the hop click here.  My first thoughts when I saw the kit was bright, cheerful, fun, and playful. Scary just didn’t come to mind, but I total took it there.

Upon hearing your eleven year old son to be a zombie clown for Halloween most parents would be appalled, disgusted, or maybe just resigned.  I was ecstatic because now I could use my Big Top kit to scrap the pages. 

For today I have a door hanger featuring the Big Top digital kit. My favorite saying in the kit is the “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself… and Clowns.” My son was scared by a clown as a toddler. Ever since then he has had a fascination with clowns. At four he was one for Halloween, so I guess this is the culmination. Now he is the scary clown. 

I used the Club Scrap Big Top digital collection to print my son’s pictures and ‘Ethan’s Room’ on photo paper. Of course I had to fussy cut and pop out the zombie walking. Then I printed the ‘clowns’ saying on cardstock. To bring a spooky atmosphere to the papers I use a colored wash. I brushed diluted Lindy's Stamp Gang blazing black magicals on the Big Top ticket stubs & orange print paper. I used Lindy's Stamp Gang drop dead gorgeous green magical on the stripped paper and printed saying. 

On the edges and garden railing I used a combination of Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powered in drop dead gorgeous green, sassy sapphire, and twilight jade slate. He pronounced the results awesome and it's proudly displayed on his door.

I hope you have …well not really enjoy, but were interested in how I changed up such a cheerful collection to suit my creepy Halloween pictures. I'll be adding my door sign to the Club Scrap October Link Challenge.  Go by and vote for your favorite Halloween creations. 

Your next stop is with the talented Donna, one of the Club Scrap Artist Team members. To return to the start of the hop click here.

Happy Crafting, 

Debby

Transformations Meets Mixed Media

Welcome to the Club Scrap Tranformations Collection Blog Hop! You can return to the start of the blog hop Here.  This month is was my pleasure to be the guest artist for this months' Greeting to Go cards on the Club Scrap Blog. You can see all my card interpretations Here.  For today's Hop I'm going into give a tutorial for two the techniques from the GTG cards. 

Greeting to Go Card

The first technique is fake water coloring as used on the card above.  For this card I stamped the Bamboo background Stamp from the CS Transformations Collection stamped in Club Scrap Hybrid ink Sandstone onto watercolor paper 140# hot press finish. Then I heat set the ink to make it waterproof in preparation for water coloring. Next I outlined the image in Inktense Watercolor Pencils as shown below.

Stamped Image Outlined in Pencil

Next, I lightly colored in the green areas with the pencil. When I wet the area with my brush the Inktense pencil becomes much more vibrant. If you are using regular watercolor pencil note that the color will lighten when wet.  After the green I followed the brown outline with a wet fine tipped brush. Finally I colored in each background block lightly and used a wet bush to smooth the color over each rectangle.

Image Colored with Pencils and Water

For my final card I coating the image in a wash of Lindy's Stamp Gang (LSG) Starburst Rusty Lantern Lime and acrylic glaze to tone down the brightness as was fitting for the Transformation Collection colors.

Super Simple Version

If you really want to keep things simple try the technique above. I stamped the image in CS hybrid ink moss then heat set.  Next I colored in the background squares with the pencils and spray with water. Below is the card I made with this watercolor.

A Simple Watercolor Card

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Greeting to Go Card Detail

My Demo Card

The second technique is a salt watercolor adapted using colored sprays as shown in the cards above. I did not take pictures as I went so I made a couple of new items using the same technique.  I start by heat embossing the Nautilus Stamp from the CS Transformations Borders and Backgrounds in LSG Dessert Moon Copper Teal embossing powered using Versamark Ink on watercolor paper.

Heat Embossed Stamp Image

To start I wet the image and then brushed blobs of color all over the image using a lighter and darker colored LSG Starburst Sprays Cape Cod Coral and Wild Honeysuckle Coral.

Wet Paint Brush Drops of Colored Sprays

Next I added rock salt anywhere I wanted color to collect.  I add the salt and then dribbled on more color over the salt. The salt causes the color t collect and pool, so use a lot of color and water at this stage.  Then leave the paper to dry overnight! I know that is a long time but the technique just doesn't work if you use a heat tool to dry it.

Rock Salt added to Images

In the morning brush off the rock salt and buff off any spray on the embossing powered.  You'll have an image very much like this one, but each salt wash is unique.

Nautilus 1

Nautilus 2

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Here is a second panel using the salt watercolor technique.  This time I wanted to create the image of leaves floating on a pond.  I started with a raindrops stamp from the CS Serenity collection and CS hybrid ink in ash.  Again, I heat set the image before continuing. 

Heat Set Stamped Image background

 I used the two Ginkgo leaf images from the CS Transformations collection and CS Tranformations Borders and Backgrounds with Versamark ink and CS verdigris embossing powder from the 2012 Holiday WOW collection.  After heat setting this embossing powder has a wonder multicolored shine to it.

Embossed Leave Image Detail

Next I began layering water and sprays. I used three different LSG Starburst sprays from lightest to darkest: Ocean Breeze Blue, Blue Hawaiian Blue, and Azure Sea Asters.  I put steps, but really I just wanted to create puddles of color by alternating spray applied with a brush and water until the paper was the color I desired. Because the paper gets soaked a heavy paper specifically for mixed media or water coloring is needed. In addition, I taped down the paper to keep it from curling too much due to water addition.

Image Ready to Paint

Step 1 - Wash with Lightest Color

Step 2 - Add Darker Colors

Step 3 - Add Rock Salt Clustered at Edge of Leaves

Step 4 - Dribble Sprays Around Salt

Again wait until morning to brush off the rock salt and buff off any spray on the embossing. Then cross your fingers that this looks like the pond image that I wanted.

Leaf on Pond - Final Panel

Final Leaf Card

This one turned out as I hoped, but I made another that I did turn out so well. On that one I was not as careful about salt placement and used too dark of blues for my sprays. Not wanting to waste an art panel I made a card that did not focus on the pond effect. This card uses Retro Sketch #183 and I will link to the challenge site.  All supplies are from the Club Scrap Transformations Collection. 

Another Card RS#183, Made from my Rejected Leaf Panel

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you try one of these two techniques.  Your set stop is with the artistic Cathy Grey at The Artful Gamut. To get back to the start of the Blog Hop click here. 

Happy Creating,

Debby

Laura's Refold Paper Bag Album in 2 sizes

I was looking for a quick and easy album to introduce a friend to album making. So I looked through Laura Denison's mini-albums and came across this one, Re-folded Paper Bag Album Pattern using paper lunch bags as a base for each page. One of the things I appreciate is that Laura has videos of how to make her projects available on her website such as these for the Re-folded Paper Bag Album.

I ended up making two versions of the album. The first album was made just as written using Graphic 45's Artisan Style collection. The second album was re-sized to enlarge the tag size to 5 x 7 using Prima Marketing's Garden Fable collection.

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My objective in making this first album was to show a basic album. I used fussy cutting to add dimension to the cover. Since I fussy cut the same image as the background I did not need to cut fine details like the vines on the roof or peacock frills. Still I keep things simple and did not ink any edges.

Graphic 45 Artisan Style Refold Paper Bag Album

Supplies:

• 8x8 Graphic 45 Artisan Style pad 
• 6x6 Graphic 45 Artisan Style pad 
• Graphic 45 Artisan Style journaling cards
• Twill Ribbon
• Martha Stewart Edge Punch Geometric Frames
• EK Success Large Edge Punch Palm
• We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper Angle/Photo Corner and Rounded
• Teal and Black Paper Bags
• Cardstock in black, blue, and white
• Chipboard
• Scor-Tape adhesive and glue 
• Colored brads
• Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters Die

Front Cover and Front Page 1

 Back Page 1 and Front Page 2

 Back Page 2 and Front Page 3

 Back Page 3 and Front Page 4

 Back Page 4 and Front Page 5

 Back Page 5 and Front Page 6

 Back Page 5 and Inside Back Cover

Mats and Tags from One Paper Bag Page

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My second album was made by re-sizing the basic album. I deviated from the instructions for cardstock bags to allow for 5x7 tags and to used the patterned cardstock for pages.

Re-sized Paper Bag Album

I added a lot of detail on the cover.  The blue birds in the upper left and several chipboard shapes were colored with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals. I inked the edges of the Prima chipboard shapes, Prima embellishments (flowers and butterfly) as well as the punch leaves. The small flowers and branch from Heartfelt Creations were stamped, colored with Pan Pastels, and die cut before shaping. 

Front Cover Detail

Supplies:

• A4 Prima Marketing Garden Fable pad 
• 4x6 Prima Marketing Garden Fable journaling cards
• Prima Marketing Garden Fable chipboard stickers and more
• Prima Marketing Garden Fable Flowers Embellishments
• Prima Marketing Garden Fable Cling Mount Stamps
• Martha Stewart Edge Punch Lace Flowers
• Martha Stewart Edge Punch Crochet Loop
• We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper Angle/Photo Corner and Rounded
• We R Memory Keepers Power Punch Euro Hook
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Paper Punch Medium Leaf
• Cardstock in white, cream, kraft, parchment, and pastel in yellow, blue, green, and pink
• Chipboard
• Distress ink vintage photo
• Scor-Tape adhesive and glue 
• Adhesive Pearls
• Twine and teal tulle
• Lindy Stamp Gang Magicals
• Club Scrap Random Doorways Stamp
• Pan Pastels
• Heartfelt Creations Leafy Branch Die, and Birds and Blooms Die
• Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms Cling Stamp

Inside Front Cover and Front Page 1

 Back Page 1 and Front Page 2

 Back Page 2 and Front Page 3

 Back Page 3 and Front Page 4

 Back Page 4 and Front Page 5

 Back Page 5 and Front Page 6

 Back Page 6 and Inside Back Cover

Mat and Tags from One Re-sized Paper Bag Page

This shows just how many spots for pictures and journaling are contained in one 'page'.  I hope you will check out Laura Denison's many beautiful and detail packed creations at her website Laura Denison Designs.

Thanks for stopping by and if you enjoyed this post please leave a comment,

Happy Crafting,
 Debby H