More Mirabelle Projects

Hi all 

i am back with some more Mirabelle inspiration.

I have another mixed media card which i started of by flicking DecoArt misters over the base layer. I used Purple shimmer and black acrylic mister. I then added more textures by cutting 3 doilies in half and sticking them together. I scrumped up the edges to add dimension.

I used the decoupage pad to make the topper and then stamped a sentiment onto a card stock sticker. If you accidentally smudge the ink you can wipe it if with a baby wipe and start again.

Here is a wall hanging i made by covering a wooden plaque with Deco Mache paper and painting with DecoArt crackle paint. I then rubbed metallic lustre over it.

Thanks  for visiting

Introducing Santoro Mirabelle

I have a card to share today. 

I used the new Mirabelle range and it is a beautiful paper range.

I started off by flicking purple DecoArt misting spray over the card. And the added a few layers.

I used the decopage pad to create the topper and the cut out a frame from the Mirabelle die set. I cut it in half and slotted it behind the topper.

This is a wooden.shape from the Me to you Christmas range. I painted it with DecoArt crackle paste and the used the petunia antiquating cream over it.

To add a shimmer to flowers i used the metalic lustre and rubbed a bit of silver paste over it

Thank you for visiting and you can see the whole range at www.trimcraft.co.uk

Tando Creative April Challenge.

Hi everyone

I am having a go at the anything goes challenge over on the Tando Creative blog. You can join in here http://www.tando-creative.blogspot.co.uk/p/april-link-up.html

I am going to share my canvas i made using Tando creative masks and DecoArt products. This started life as a canvas wall hanging i bought from Cancer Research for 50p.

 This is an old project that i have spruced up a bit starting with changing the letters so that the sentiment shows up better.

The butterfly was a bare wooden shape that i covered in modeling paste and spritzed inks over. I let the ink drip down onto the canvas for added effect.

I've painted the edges of the canvas with the Americana Decor chalky finish paint so that it blends in better.

Here i have played around with the DecoArt crackle past which i have painted over with Antiquing cream and left to dry.

Thank you for visiting

Trimcraft Scrapbook Feature April

My latest Scrapbook tutorial is up on the Trimcraft website, this month we take a look at the basics of using mixed media on your projects. The link to the article is below.

http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/articles/how-to-scrapbook-advanced-tutorial-with-mixed-media-and-inks

This photo was taken at the Stratford Butterfly farm which is located near the River Avon, Its a beautiful walk and i never get tired of photographing the butterflies.

Stratford is such a scenic town and there plenty of places to photograph.

Here are a few of my favourite photos and i often use them on my layouts. I took these in natural light using the Macro setting, which looks like a flower.

Here are a few detailed photographs of my layout. I mostly layered different types of flowers together. I love to combine different materials to build up texture.

 

i spritzed yellow-green DecoArt misters on to white flowers to get a variety of colours.

Now i will share a technique with you.

1) apply the texture paste at random to the page. There are a lot of different ones so experiment or make your own.

2) unscrew the cap on the misting spray and drop ink onto the page. The texture paste helps it run down as its smooth.

3) lift the page slightly to allow ink to run down the page.

Thank you for visiting and please comment and let me know is this tutorial helped you.

How to print off square photos using a home prnter

Hi i am back with part 2 of my tutorial on how to make your photos square shaped. Today i will show you how to print them off using your home printer.

Step 1) open the folder where you have saved your cropped square photos and hold down the Ctrl while selecting the ones you wish to print. This way you can print multiple photos in one go.

Step 2) Once you have selected your photos, continue to hold the Ctrl button and right click and click on the print option from the pop up menu.

Step 3) next you will see a box pop up with your print options. Un-tick the fit to page box so that the program does not automatically stretch the image to fit the whole page. from here you can choose how many photos to print per page. I choose the 4 photo option so that the come out about 4x4 on A4 printer paper but to get smaller 2x2 photos choose the 9 photo option. Most of the common printers will have a similar set up.

hope this helps and thanks for visiting.

Free The Chevron Collection digital download and a project to share

I am busy on the blog today and catching up with all the projects i want to share. Here is an older project i made with the Chevron collection that is available for free on the Docrafts website

i added splashes of spritzing inks over the card before adding the layers. i used Cardinal Red, Midnight and Mint green.

i have cut out the large chevrons and mounted them onto acetate so that they float above the layers. The stamps are free with creativity mag and they are one of my favourite sets.

The sentiment is from the Graffiti collection which is also free to download and print.

I coloured the hearts in with the Artiste Water colour pens which are really easy to use even for a complete novice like me.

Thank you for visiting

Docrafts Blogger Outreach Program: Mr Mister Scrapbook Layout and New Papercraft Range Coming Soon

As a member of the Docrafts Blogger Outreach Program i am lucky enough to have been give some product samples by the lovely Emma Collins. Below is a layout i made using the new Mr Mister range by Papermania. It will be here in May and is fab for all those masculine projects.

I started off with a splash of Artiste Gold stone misting spray and white acrylic paint on the background. i then grabbed some jute twine and made a rough circle and glued it down.

Here are some shots from that day

I visited the Historic Navy Dockyard in Portsmouth in 2010. there was a lot to see there and i have always wanted to go back and explore the museums. They even have old ships you can go on and look around.

        The HMS Victory is a huge and grand ship that i would like to go on next time i visit

The dock was still active and there are different ships docking in everyday. we were lucky enough to see the HMS Ark Royal

This statue used to be on the front of a ship

The layers are made by cutting the 12x12 sheets into different lengths and widths. i just inked them and layered them together and added a few stamped boarders along side them.

This is one of the Bare Basic pocket tags and is great for adding journaling to your page. i used the Denim trims to blend it into the layout.

i finished my page off by adding lots of little wooden shapes and bits  i have lying around in my stash.

Thanks for looking and i will be back with more projects and new product launches soon

I'm All Heart With Clearly Besotted Stamps

                                           A couple of projects up on the blog today.

I have been playing with my new Clearly Besotted stamps and dies again and this time i have an 8x8 layout for you and a card.

I used the min love hearts stamps and matching dies for these projects and you don't have to use them just for Valentines Day as you can see here.

I love ink drips and i love to add lots of colours so i grabbed my DecoArt Acrylic misters and went for it. I used my Clear Snap cats eye ink sets to match all the colours together using these lovely textured stamps.

 I chose these photos as they are of my Nan's last birthday so they are very special, its still a tough topic to document and i tend to use photos of her when she was still well and vibrant. This is why i have a scrapbook so that we can remember those who are no longer here. 

 Its really hard to deal with a family member who has cancer. 

The drugs affected her mind and in the end i'm not sure she knew who we were. Most people have the worry of whether or not the treatment will work but we had to deal with all the mishaps that happen when the mind decides to go missing in action, as well as all the visits to the hospital. It got to a point when she had enough and refused further treatment its a really tough decision but it was last one she consciously made.

I know everyone wants to scrap happy memories but we have to face the difficult ones too so that we can begin to heal. I shared this because i want others to know that they are not alone and that grief doesn't magically disappear.

And here is a little thank you card for listening

                                          Its really simple to make as i flicked ink over the card base and wrapped red jute around it, I cut out the mini hearts in craft foam and stamped over them before slotting them in between the jute.

Thanks again xx

An 8x8 layout with Happy Scatter

I have an 8x8 layout for you today, been very crafty today and got my Happy Scatter We Are Golden embellishment pack and triangle stencil out. Check out the blog for more project ideas http://jennifergracecreates.com/tag/happy-scatter/

 This is Muggsie our newest member of the family. He is very fussy and bossy as well.

The embellishment packs come with lots of little bits which are great for scattering around your pages and cards. Here i used the DecoArt misters to add the paint splats and added the bits and bods around it.

 To get the background i draw around the stencil with a fine black pen and then used the Artiste Water color pens to color them in. by adding the ink to an acrylic block first you can use a water pen to lift the ink and use it as a paint.

here is a close up of the layers, all i did was cut-out two rough squares and layer them over each other at an angle before sticking the photo and frame down.

Thanks for looking and you can buy Happy Scatter products from here www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HappyScatter#

Introducing Clearly Besotted and Up And Away Stamps and Die sets

                                                          Hi All
I have some uplifting (pun intended) cards to share with you today. These are the Up and Away stamps and matching dies by Clearly Besotted which is a new favourite craft manufacture i have discovered. Clearly Besotted is a family run UK based business with wonderful customer service which makes you feel super important and really appreciated. I love shopping at www.clearlybesottedstamps.com but shh dont tell the other half :).

The stamps are made of high quality photo-polymer which i love because of how clean and crisp the images come out. no more botched projects because half the image is missing.

This card is really simple to make (honest) i gathered together two mist sprays and unscrewed the cap. instead of spraying the ink on the usual way i just depressed the nozzle and splattered the ink over the card instead. in the used the Up and Away die cuts with Oak House Studio's stamping card and used the matching Up and Away stamps to add colour and texture. I just love the sentiment that comes with this set.

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Here is another card i made using the same stamp set and a little bit of the new Mirabelle paper pad.

                                            Thanks for looking

How to color hair with Artiste Watercolor pens

Hi i am back with a mini tutorial on how to colour hair, I'm still learning but here is where i have got to so far

Take the lightest tone of yellow or whichever colour you are using and colour in the areas where you think the light would fall.

                  next take a darker tone and colour in the areas that would be in the shadows.

Finally go over the roots and darker tones with a darker colour to create texture.