Friendship Swap Doilies

Here's the doily I made for the Swap.

I first sprayed the doily with Tattered Angels' Honey Dew Mist glimmer mist. I wanted a very light mist so that the embellishments can stand out against the background. And I used TA's Tattered Traveler mask, as the round shape of the compass is just nice for the doily! :)

I then used some Olive Vine mist for the chipboard words, and applied Tim Holtz's Distress Crackle Paint in Tattered Rose to alter the chipboard frame.

I put these together and placed it on top of a journaling label which I had adhered to the left of the doily.

I then layered a couple of flowers onto Prima's new Rose Trim lace. I had sprayed the white Innoscence flower with Pink Bubblegum mist to suit the colour scheme of the other embellishments.

I placed this floral stack on one corner of the frame, and adhered a strip of lace just above the chipboard word.

I then proceeded to decorate the doily with more flowers and leaves. The white Athena flower and the leaves have also been sprayed, with TA's Irridescent Gold mist, for a bit of shimmer.

Add the little Hambly birdcage and a die-cut butterfly (also sprayed with Iridescent Gold mist), and your doily is done! I used leftover scraps to punch out the butterflies, so no wastage there. :)

Here are more views of the doily ....

....and a collage of the 12 doilies I made for the swap. Thanks for dropping by! :)

Materials used for the Altered Doilies:
Paper Doily
Flowers and Leaves - Prima Marketing - Innoscence Collection, Athena Flowers (Powder Puff, Aurora Pink), Floret Collection (Camille, Thyme, Rosie), Sugar Blooms (Botanical), Rose Leaves (Light Green); Martha Stewart Holidays - Dimensional Paper Rose Embellishments
Lace and Trim - Prima Marketing - Rose Trim (Mauve), Cabachon Collection
Chipboard Frame - Tattered Angels - Framed Fonts (Postage Stamps)
Chipboard Words - Maya Road - Love Words Mini Chipboards
Journaling Label - GCD Studios - Melody Ross Artsy Urban Journal Cards
Patterned Paper (for die-cut butterfly) - Pink Paislee - Butterfly Garden Collection (Botanical Gardens), BoBunny Press - Gabrielle Collection (Dot)Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts - Large Monarch Butterfly Punch
Birdcage Overlay - Hambly Screenprints - The Birdcages (Brown)
Mists - Tattered Angels - Honey Dew Mist, Olive Vine, Pink Bubblegum, Iridescent Gold
Mask - Tattered Angels Glimmer Screens - Tattered Traveler
Crackle Paint - Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint - Tattered Rose
Adhesives - Beacon's 3-In-1 Advanced Craft Glue, Kokuyo Dotliner

Tutorial - Embellishing Chipboards

Here's another tutorial I did for 52 Sketches 52 Weeks, on 26 August. I've been wanting to do a tutorial on my layout "Butterfly Sonata", simply because I've had a few queries on how I did the embellishments for the butterflies, so I took this opportunity to do it here......

This “tutorial” looks at some of the different ways in which you can embellish chipboards. I will actually be working on only one layout, and giving you some ideas on how you can use the differently embellished chipboards on the same layout!

To begin, you will need:

• Glossy Accent
• Liquid Craft Glue
• Tape Adhesive
• Gesso (if desired)
• Acrylic Paint (your choice of color)
• Distress Ink (your choice of color)
• VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad or any Glue Pad for stamping
• Utee (if available)
• Heat Gun (if available)

Also:

• Raw chipboards of your choice (I’m using some Maya Road butterflies)
• Any stamp(s) of your choice
• Stickles (your choice of colors)
• Any embellishments you desire (I’ve chosen to use, among others, pearls, sequins, and different forms of glitter)

I always start by applying Gesso as a base for my chipboards, as I find it easier to apply paints and embellishments on a white background, to get the full effects of their colors. But you can skip this step if you so wish, as the effects of certain colors on raw chipboards can be just as interesting.

After applying Gesso, I proceeded to paint only the chipboards that need painting, in my chosen color(s).

Now we’re ready to start embellishing the chipboards.

For the first butterfly, after painting the chipboard wings and body of the butterfly, I used VersaMark to stamp on the body and then applied Utee to the stamped portion and embossed it using a heat gun. I then applied stickles on the embossed bits for some added sparkle and texture. If you do not have a heat gun and/or Utee, you can just stamp on the chipboard with ink without embossing, then apply stickles. Or you can just apply patterns directly onto the chipboard with stickles.

After attaching the body to the wings, I used liquid craft glue to glue on a string of pearls on each wing, starting from the outline of the wing and working my way inwards. This is a bit tricky as you will need to hold the pearls in place while the glue dries!

I finished the butterfly with Prima’s Say It In Crystals as the butterfly’s feelers. I attached the swirls to a piece of firm transparency, and then cut it out and attached the lower part of the transparency to the back of the butterfly.

For the next butterfly, after painting, I covered the wings with tape glue and sprinkled fine glitter on it generously.

I then used liquid craft glue to attach a pattern of sequins to the body and wings. I used strings of sequins so as not to have to glue the sequins down one by one – lol! I then used Prima’s crystals again for the feelers.

For the third butterfly, I covered the body of the butterfly with distress ink, dabbed the entire piece onto my VersaMark pad, and then poured Utee on it and embossed the entire body using a heat gun. If you do not have Utee and/or a heat gun, you can use Glossy Accent instead. It takes longer to dry, but the effect is almost the same.

After glueing the body to the wings, I then applied Glossy Accent to the wings and sprinkled Beadazzles micro beads all over, to cover the entire surface of each wing. You can possibly use liquid craft glue as an alternative to Glossy Accent, but tape glue will not suffice as the micro beads are coarser in texture and heavier than the fine glitter I used for the second butterfly.

For the feelers, I used the same string of pearls that I used for the first butterfly, attaching it to the back of the body with craft glue.

For the next butterfly, I painted the wings and sprinkled some glitter on it while the paint was still wet, and then added gems to decorate. Instead of sprinkling glitter, you can actually use a brush to spread stickles over the dried paint if you like. I then painted the body and glued on beads using liquid glue, and then used a string of butterfly-shaped crystal beads for the feelers.

For yet another butterfly, I glued fabric onto the wings, stickled the patterns on the fabric and then added crystal flourishes. I then painted and stickled the body, added crystals, and used pearls for the feelers.

For the last butterfly, I applied distress ink to just the edges of the wings, stamped on it, and then again dabbed the entire surface with my VersaMark, poured Utee on it and embossed it. Again, you can use Glossy Accent as an alternative. I then silver-embossed the entire body (same method as with the Utee only using silver embossing powder), and added some design to it with stickles. I used a piece of ribbon folded in half for the feelers.

Now, how many chipboards can you use in a single layout, you might ask? In addition to the six butterflies above, I also embellished a piece of Maya Road flourish chipboard for this layout. For this, I lightly applied distress ink on the painted chipboard for depth of color, and then added flowers and crystals for embellishment.

And finally, I also painted the alphas which I used for the title of the layout, with dark brown acrylic paint, and stamp embossed some music notes in silver on alternate letters. I then added crystals for the rest.

And here’s a look at the finished layout – 7 chipboards in all plus the alpha letters for the title!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this “tutorial”, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with your chipboards! Enjoy! :)

Tutorial - Hidden Journaling

This is the tutorial I did for 52 Sketches ... 52 Weeks, on 3 June .....


We often use journaling to make a note of the special events reflected in our layouts. However, sometimes, you may want to use hidden journaling instead. For instance, when you have a personal message which is not meant for everyone’s eyes, or you can use it to save space on a layout, especially if, like me, you like to use lots of embellishments on a layout but at the same time want to note down all the details of the layout or of the photos contained in the layout. Hidden journaling can also make the layout more interesting, with all the little hidden messages. This tutorial will show you some of the ways in which you can incorporate hidden journaling into your layout.

One method is to take a piece of cardstock or sturdy patterned paper and fold it in half, to form a mini card. I’ve used a cardstock for my layout.

You can then decorate the cover of the card with any embellishment you wish, to complement the layout.

On the inside of my card, I did some stamping and used journal rub-ons.



The card can then be pasted onto the layout and the cover held down using photo turns, or paper clips. Here’s a look at the finished layout using this method of hidden journaling. The four squares without the photos are the journaling cards, held down by photo turns.



Apart from these mini cards, you can also make little envelopes or pockets instead, and slide your journal card or even little mementoes into them.

Another almost similar method is to cut a large shape out of cardstock or patterned paper, and attach one side of it to your background paper. In this layout, I punched matching holes down one side of the “flap” and cardstock, and tied them together with ribbons.

I then attached my photos to the top piece (the “flap”) and embellished accordingly. I flipped open this top piece to include my journaling and more embellishments, and then held the open side down to the layout using two pieces of ribbons, one threaded through a punched hole at the open side of the “flap”, and another threaded through the backing cardstock next to this. Just make sure the punched holes are at the same levels. These two ribbons can then be tied together into a little bow.

Finally, there is the more popular method of just inserting a journal card (either bought or handmade) behind the photo. I would usually mat the photo to give it a firmer backing. When using this form of hidden journaling, you must remember to tape down only three sides of the photo or photo mat, leaving the centre portion unglued and leaving one side open to insert the journal card into.



Make sure the journal card is smaller than the photo or photo mat, giving allowance also to the three glued down sides, so it can slide in and out easily. Instead of taping down the photo or photo mat, you can also prop up the photo or photo mat with 3D glue dots for dimension if you like (again, remember to place the 3D dots only along three sides of the back of the photo or photo mat).

For the journal card, I would usually attach a “handle” by which you can easily pull the card out from behind the picture, although this need not be a must. When attaching a “handle” to the journaling card, make sure it is securely fastened to the card. I usually use strong glue dots, or for ribbons, you can also staple it to the edge of the card. Be mindful if you intend to use liquid craft glue to attach ribbons as it can sometimes be seen through the front of the card.

If using chipboards or flowers, make sure that you attach only the centre portion of the embellishment to the edge of the card, so that it can overlap over the photo when the card is slid in behind it.



Try sliding the card behind the photo first, and then place the embellishment over it to gauge where you should place your glue dots.

Below, I’ve actually extended my homemade card behind the chipboard piece, cutting it according to the shape of the chipboard, for a more secure hold.

There are many items of embellishments you can use for your “handle”, and you can even use a combination of embellishments. The following are some examples.

Using a ribbon or lace as the “handle”:





Using a piece of embellished chipboard:




Using flowers:

Using a paper clip:




Using a piece of patterned paper cut-out:




Or, you can just slide the journaling tag behind another piece of card:

Notice there are no “handles” attached to the journaling tag in this last one, and I’ve also taped down only two sides of the front card, as both cards are almost similar in size.

Whichever method you use for your hidden journaling, or whichever embellishment you choose to use as your “handle”, the trick is for it to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the layout. As you can see from my layouts, I often create my own journaling cards, using the same patterned papers and embellishments as the layout.

So there you go! I hope this has given you some ideas on incorporating hidden journaling into your layouts. I’d love to see what you come up with!