Altered Chest of Drawers

The Technique Kit that was offered with our March Swirlydoos kit was this lovely chest of drawers made by Kaiser Craft.  I really had a great time making this. 

While I was working on this it took on a life of its own. I had plans to make this lavish and lush little chest of drawers, but once I saw the text paper that came in the kit everything went out the window. My personal (home) style is very laid back and casual. I live in a house that was built in the late 1790's by farmers, so it is very simple. This chest of drawers more matches my style; vintage, warm and little worn by time.

I went with crackle paint that I inked with vintage photo and peeled paint. Misted it with water so that the ink could get into the cracks.   I also added alcohol ink to two of those cute little bottles so that they stood out a little bit more; more like depression glass.

I used sterling silver embossing powder and yellow perfect pearls on the candelabra.




















Then I took an old lapel pin and made a mold for UTEE. I poured bronze UTEE into the molds and when they came out I used Emerald and Pearl Perfect Pearls powder to age them so that they matched the really cute little pocket watch.

I am using mine for odds and ends from my scrap table. Things like small transparencies that I have stamped, extra flowers from cutting dies, and small DA pieces. Here's to hoping that my cats don't destroy it!

I hope that I have inspired you to give this a try.  The Technique Kit comes with the chest, patterned paper (not just what you see on mine), coordinating colored paper, velvet paper, pearls, the pocket watch, little glass vials, the candelabra, the dangling jewels and more!!!! Hop on over to Swirlydoos and snag one.


Thanks so much for stopping by!!!  

XO, Lisa

Emerging Color Resist Technique Tutorial

Ok, I'll admit it...I really love stamping and the more I stamp the more I want to stamp. It's a wonderfully vicious circle.  Emerging Color is one of those techniques that have some very basic and constant elements to it, but the creative license is all yours in how you present it. I'm sure if you Google or YouTube you will find a ton of tutorials and a lot of them will be very similar.  Emerging Color boils down to this one word: resist. This is at its very core a resist technique. The whole trick to doing this is to remember that you will work in layers. You all have seen the page I did for this month's kit. The border across the top uses my version of Emerging Color.

These are the samples I did for this tutorial.

 They look a little grungy, but I did them for the purpose of illustrating how the resist works.

Supplies:
*Heat Gun
*Clear Embossing Powder
*Stamps
*Ink
*Versamark or other embossing ink
*Ink Blending Tool

Step One:

The only thing you really need to remember is this; anything that you clear emboss ON will stay just as you originally placed it on your page. With that in mind I begin to create my first layer knowing that the majority of these colors will stay in tact.

I took the butterflies stamp and added 2 colors of distress ink and then stamped it on my page. I then added some Broken China Distress Ink to a few places around my butterflies. I want sections of the blue to show through when I'm done.

Step Two:

This is the stamp that I want to emboss. This will be the image that will resist all ink going forward. Depending on the image you already created, your final embossed image could show up as being colored or white, or a combination. A big tip: In order for the resist to have an impact your stamp should lay down a fair amount of ink. If your design is anything other than a simple one, a fine or dainty stamp may not work really well.

I used Versamark Ink on my stamp and then stamped my project. Make sure to get your clear embossing powder onto all areas of your stamped image. Now use your heat gun to emboss it. Check your image by looking at an angle to make sure that all of the embossing powder has melted.


Here is what my project looks like with my image embossed. Hopefully you can see it.

Step Three:

I begin adding ink to my project using the lightest color ink first. You can see that my embossed image is beginning to pop.

If you have Googled this technique you will note that it is at this point most people take a brayer and ink over their entire project in really dark ink so that only those images or colors under the embossing show and nothing else. I've taken mine one step further.
 

Step Four:

I begin by adding black ink in different areas. The darker you make your ink, the more your embossing shows up.

For this project I decided to spray it with just a light misting of water. This reacts with the distress ink and some of the lines between the colors being to blend on their own. I lightly wipe the water off; concentrating on removing the ink from the embossed image.

As you can see in the picture above, the blue and some of the purple and marigold of my butterflies still shows through as if it hasn't been touched. Yet, those colors are either gone or greatly reduced where the embossing was more "distressed" or not there at all.

This is one of many really cool resist techniques that you can do with embossing. I hope you give it a try! If you have any questions please let me know!!!


XO,
Lisa

Round Robin Challenge - Week 2

Week 2 for the Round Robin Challenge over at Swirlydoos.  This is a photo of my DD and our puppy Zeke.  He was just about a year and a half old in this pic.  Zeke is a mix of German Shepard, Black Lab and Rottie.  He is a big boy and such a sweetheart.  He has to be with his peeps!!!  He also loves water and took this chance to follow his girl out into the river where we were camping to swim with her.  

I had the difficult job of lifting a page created by Christy.  She sewed on her page and I thought oh no....I have yet to sew on a page!  Can you believe it?  Well, it's true; I haven't!  I used to make quilts so I can't for the life of me figure out why I have waited so long to give this a try.   I dusted off my big machine, got some scrap paper and went for it.  Can I just tell you that my machine went through the paper like it was melted buttah (said using my best Godfather imitation).  Yay!!!!

I layered my paper and cut the little fleur de lis all around the edges because I wanted to use them like the brackets in a picture frame and slide my second paper underneath them.  After having done this I couldn't just sew around the edges so I made a template and drew a pattern to follow while sewing that would take me around to each point.

She also used leaves that had text on them.  I found some paper from the latest Technique Kit I got from Swirlydoos and and used a Spellbinders die from Heartfelt Creations to cut my leaves.  I also used a Martha Stewart Leaf punch for the smaller leaves.  I used a stylus to emboss veins on to them, crinkled them up and then inked them.  I added this really lovely carnation vine from Prima.  I so love the color of those flowers.  I took out my Sizzix Tattered Flowers die and cut some flowers out of yellow card stock.  Next I used some Tiger Lilly and Espresso Glimmer mist to make them more match the vine and added a pearl to the centers.

I ended up using 5 types of ribbon, trim and lace on page. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you get a chance hop on over to Swirlydoos and check out the rest of the pages in the Round Robin Challenge!!!  They are all "lift worthy".  

XO,

Lisa

P.S.  I will be posting a new tutorial and my latest altered object in the coming days.  Stay tuned!

Swirlydoos Reveal Day - Cabaret

This month's kit from Swirlydoos is beyond gorgeous!  It is full of Prima's latest line of paper and flowers.  I had so much fun with this kit.  


I made this page by fussy cutting one piece of paper and laying it on top of another.  The embellishment add-on had this gorgeous foil paper that I just had to use.  I was inspired by the paper dresses I saw in all of the pictures from CHA and decided to make a paper doll.  She is pretty simple when you compare her to the CHA mannequins, but hey, I'm just getting started! LOL

I Googled drawings of can-can dancers and after what seemed to be 100 pages, I came across a drawing that I really like.  I printed it out and then used a piece of vellum, because I didn't have any tracing paper, and I traced the entire drawing.  Then I cut the pieces out and used them as a pattern.  Then, using the coordinating card stock and patterned paper from the kit, I cut out all of the pieces.  I used a verse stamp on her head, chest and arms.

Sketch Inspiration is a sketch blog and they are working with the DT at Swirlydoos this month.  They gave us a sketch and asked us to work with it.  This is my take on the sketch. I turned it over on its side.   The photo was taken a few years back while we were on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I painted a butterfly on my DD's face.  I used a Florabella action in Photoshop  on my photo.   Everything is from this month's kit.  I used a version of an Emerging Color technique on the strip going across the top.  I used a Spellbinder's die and the Smooch spray from out kit to make the butterflies and to mist my page in a few places.  The sketch called for a rectangular object.  I decided to make an envelope instead.

This is my take on the Swirlydoos Sketch that came with our kit.  I flipped it and kind of dismantled it.  It is a beautiful sketch, but it took on a life of its own. Everything except the UTEE is from this month's kit.  I made a heart shape using UTEE and a butterfly that Lisa G. made available for the kit.  I also made a mold of a frame corner I have and then poured bronze UTEE into it.  That is how I made the photo corner. The edge of the page has been slightly cut off, but you can see a close up of the photo corner below.

 

This page came into being because of a canvas I saw that inspired me.  The canvas had a piece of fabric on it that had been made to look like a big curtain that had been pulled back.  I decided to give it a try.  I'm still working on perfecting this, but the way I look at it; nothing ventured is nothing gained!  All of this was made using the kit as well.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!!  

Hugs,
Lisa

Valentine Spotlight Kit at Swirlydoos

Well,  Mr. Swirlydoos put together a Valentine Spotlight Kit and I just couldn't resist.  This paper from Echo Park is really quite lovely.  One thing is for certain, there is wayyyyyy more pink paper in this kit than I have ever used in my life!  LOL

This first picture is from our wedding day.  We have a Harley Davidson and we rode that to the reception. Can I just tell you how many yards of fabric I am sitting on?! I am actually sitting way higher than I normally do and my dress was actually pushing up! I could have hidden my head behind the neckline!! My hairdresser used a hairspray that she actually had labeled "Hurricane Spray". My hair didn't move. We had our pictures taken where we had our reception. Not a hair was out of place. LOL It was a blast! A friend of ours was wearing his kilt on his Harley. There were 8 bikes all together. We were a site.

The kit came with some chip board hearts from Kaiserkraft.  I used Tattered Angels Glimmer mist in pink and pearl on the chippie.  I love the little berries and flowers from Petaloo!!

This next page is of my DD when she was 2.  The picture was taken at a local department store.  I wanted this page to look like candy.  I used the chipboard hearts as templates for my paper hearts and used some of my beloved rubber stamps to dress them up a bit.

I used water to get the pleats in my "awing curtain".  The kit came with some really great stickers too!

 

I used some of the coordinating paper and a paper punch to make my flowers.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!!

XO,

Lisa

Forever

This is an arch I did for Scrapbook News and Review's Week of Valentines Newsletter. I know it's a day late, but I still wanted to post for you!  I hope you enjoy the tutorial and that is sparks some creative thoughts for you!!

Supplies

• Cardboard
• Cardstock: Red and White
• Stamps: Heartfelt Creations, Stampers Anonymous
• Ink: Distress, Archival, Memento, Colorbox
• Paint: Lumiere by Jaquard
• Mist: Tattered Angels
• Fantastix
• Chipboard Frame: Kaiserkraft
• Rub On
• Lace and pearls
• Ephemera
• Melting Pot
• UTEE
• Spellbinders Dies

Step 1

Cut your card stock and cardboard in the shape of an arch. After you have cut the red card stock fold it in half vertically and then cut it. Next, take the white card stock and crumple it up in your hands. I then took my background script stamp and using my black archival ink, I stamped it onto the white card stock somewhat off the paper.

Using my ink blending tool and Vintage Photo Distress Ink, I lightly went over the top of the paper just so that the ink hit the high point of the creases. I went back in with my blending tool and blotted more color in a few places and made sure to ink up my edges. Then I used my Mini Mister to spray water onto my card stock. I crinkled up the paper again and then hit it with my heat gun to dry it.

Take one half of the red card stock and using white Color Box ink and my Stampers Anonymous Flourish stamp, I stamped off the page around the outside edge.

Step 4

(sorry for the blurry pic) Glue your white card stock to the cardboard arch. The cardboard provides stability to your project. Then glue the red card stock you just stamped over the top of your white card stock. You may want to add your rub on at this point as well.

**Steps five and six are a project all by themselves, so I will try to combine them the best I can.

 Step 5
Using black archival ink, I stamped my leaf onto a sheet of white card stock. Cut the leaves out from the card stock. I then used my Spellbinders Flowers Dies and cut out two flowers from white card stock.

 Step 6
Using Fantastix and two shades of Green Memento ink I added veins to my leaves and colored in the very ends where it looks like the leaf is curled. I then used Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and inked up the edges of my flowers. I used my stylus I curled the petals on the flowers.

Melt UTEE in the melting pot. When everything is melted begin to dip each flower into the UTEE making sure to cover the entire piece. Let it drip off and place it on something non-stick like your craft mat. You have to work quickly with this next step and be careful not to burn yourself. As the UTEE begins to harden you have a small period of time that you can still manipulate your petals to give them shape. After you have dipped your flowers, you will now dip your leaves and repeat the process.

When the flowers dry and harden you may need to go back and trim off any little dried blobs of UTEE. Start assembling your flowers. You will need to use pop dots to glue them together. Add a pearl for your flower center.

Step 7
Using my finger, I applied White Pearl Lumiere paint to my chipboard frame. When that dried, I lightly misted it with Graphite Mist by Tattered Angels. The mist will make little pools on the white paint. You want this to happen. You want a mottled look. This will give it the appearance of tarnished silver. When this dried I added my photo and adorned it with pearls and a mini cameo.

All that is left is to assemble your arch! Glue your pearls around the outside edge, add your frame, glue down your flowers and your lace.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!!  Thanks a ton for stopping by!

XO,
Lisa

Swirlydoos Reveal Day!!!!!

Today is reveal day for Swirlydoos February kit, Things Remembered.  This month we are treated to Grandmother's Attic from TPC Studios, mixed with a little Core'dinations and Making Memories, stunning flowers, rub ons, jewels and embellishments. Top that off with the stunning Add On packages that all coordinate with the main kit and you have a GIANT kit that will blow you away!!! Some of the subscribers talk about laying everything out on their bed and then rolling in it!  LOL  Guess what, I believe them.

The picture was taken a few years ago while we were camping.  The camp had a lot of lake frontage.  Some of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen were on Lake Ontario, and this is one of them.

Swirlydoos is now partnered up with Dusty Attic!  We are always treated with such yummy DA pieces.  I love the way this gorgeous piece of Dusty Attic turned out.  I painted it with Claudine Hellmuth's Blank Canvas acrylic paint; then I used one of the rub ons that came with our kit.  I fit nearly perfectly.  Then I went over the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress ink.  I added a few butterflies that were also a part of the pack of rub ons we received.  I have a thing for butterflies.  I've tried not to add them to a page, but I always end up putting one on there.

I added some lace and I fussy cut a section from one of the coordinating papers in our kit.  I finished it off with some Liquid Pearls and a butterfly that Lisa Gregory color coordinates for every kit.

This page is for this month's sketch by Beggahuna.  I kept it simple.  I used some Core'dinations cardstock that came with the kit as part of my background.  I misted some white Petaloo flowers , that came in the kit, with Perfect Pearls Mist and then distressed the edges and crinkled up the petals.  I took another piece of Core'dinations card stock and fussy cut the clock faces to be used as the flower center.

I stamped on my photo and behind my flower with a rubber stamp.  I took a piece of Dusty Attic, a scroll, and I cut it in half so that I could use it around my photo.  I painted it and added some blue jewels.  The leaves were made using a stamp from Heartfelt Creations and a piece of coordinating card stock from the kit.  I cut them out and then inked them using a combination of Memento and Distress Inks.

I used a flower die cut over one of the pages in the kit.  The page was already die cut, but I wanted more of the background paper to show.  It has a really nice contrast.  I took my die cut and embossed it with UTEE.  In a few places I cracked the UTEE, giving a cracked glass effect, and then inked up the cracks to highlight them.  Since I didn't emboss the entire page, I ink over some of the places where the UTEE was uneven and my ink was picked up by the paper and is much darker.  This give the paper much more of an antique and time worn look.  

I used a piece of the patterned paper and T!m's Tattered Flowers die to make my blue flowers.  I misted them and then balled them up in my hand while they were still wet to give them a more natural look.  I took a strand of the crystal beads that came in our kit and cut the crystals out individually; I used these for my flower centers.  I took some of the coordinating pearls that were also in our kit and placed one in the center of each flower.  I took a piece of the coordinating cardstock and using a verse stamp, I stamped the card stock.  I then used my favorite leaf stamp from Heartfelt Creations over the top.  I fussy cut them out and colored them using Fantastix and Memento Cottage Ivy ink to give them a hint of green.

I cut out another one of Lisa G.'s coordinating butterflies and added a pebble in the center.  We received a package of pebbles in the kit too!

We are also treated with a Technique Kit every month.  These kits are always a lot of fun and offers everyone a chance to try something new.  This month the kit included this gorgeous frame and a lovely spray of flowers, some DA chippies, and jewels just to name a few.  

I decided to cover my frame in molding paste to give it some texture.  Once that dried, I used some Pool Adirondack paint and painted the entire frame.  Then I added a few torn pieces of sheet music and adhered them with matte multi medium.  I went over everything with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink and then misted it with water so that the ink would pool up in the cracks and spread across my sheet music a little more.  When that dried,  I went over the entire frame in Broken China Distress Ink.  I misted it with water again and let the ink go where it wanted.  Then, I covered some of the peaks and a few other random places with gesso. The gesso will act as a resist to the next layer of ink.  When all of that dried, I went over it again in Broken China and misted one last time.  The photo is a scan of an original photo taken of my DH's Grandmother in 1914.

I hope something here has inspired you.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I appreciate your visit more than you know.


XO, 
Lisa