Mod Podge Madness plus Sketchy Challenge!

Well way back last summer I received an email from Michael's with these absolutely COOL Mod Podge superhero shoes. Dang! I wished I was twenty and could get away with wearing these...but alas, I figured they were a little too brazen for a 40 something woman to wear. However, my DD was just as enamoured with them and begged for a pair. "Great " thought I "...she has a birthday coming up". I immediately went out and bought a pair of shoes like some she already had and found totally comfy...and put them in my craft closet......and totally FORGOT about them.

Well, Christmas was on the horizon and I stumbled across said shoes still hanging out in my craft closet. Perfect! Now she's forgotten all about the shoes so it'll be an even bigger surprise when she opens them on Christmas morning. And it was soooo worth it! Check out her expression when she opened the box!

 

 I had totally planned on doing a blog post on how I made these cool shoes , but....DS {who emphatically denies it} somehow sent the photos I had taken as I was making the shoes into cyber no- man's land...never to be seen again. But, suffice it to say, it involved a lot of fussy cutting from a ton of comic books and layers and layers of Mod Podge. I had a lot of fun making them!

 

Of course I had to turn this into a scrapbook page. February's Sketchy challenge at CANADIAN SCRAPBOOKER by the talented Sue Sykes was perfect for it. Check it out...

 

 And here's my take on it....

 

 

The background piece involved more fussy cut comics from my leftovers which were adhered to a 4x10 piece of cs and then mounted on a 4 1/2 x 10 1/2 piece of black cs. The title was such a fluke! After wasting about an hour trying to free hand draw the title I wanted, I decided to look through all the comics and lo and behold! I stumbled across the perfect words for my title. Serendipity for sure!

 

So while I'm on a sketchy roll again, I'd like to share my take on KELLY KLAPSTEIN'S newest Double the Fun contest going on over at CANADIAN SCRAPBOOKER. I encourage you all to give it a try!

 

 

Here's KELLY"S  gorgeous  take on her double sketch ...

 

 

and here's mine...

 

 

 

I used the lovely January kit from ScrapThat that featured the gorgeous TurtleDove papers from KAISERCRAFT. The poinsettias in the corner were made using a great die from SPELLBINDERS.

{Thanks Susan for letting me borrow it ...and the beads for the centers too!}

 

Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping by. Hope you are all keeping warm with these nippy February days {and hopefully getting some scrapping done!}. Toodles!

Screechin' Kelly In/Jan Sketchy Challenge

Happy {belated} New Year to all my scrappy friends! I can not believe that January is almost at the half way mark {Happy Birthday to my dear dad on the 15th! }. Seems like forever since I had time to scrap,but I guess December is always busy, busy for most of us .

 

So to get my creative mojo flowing again, I headed over to CANADIAN SCRAPBOOKER  to check out their  January Sketchy challenge! And I wasn't disappointed! Check out this cool sketch by Sue Sykes
 

 

 

 

 This sketch was just perfect for a series of photos I've been wanting to scrap of me performing a "Screech In" of my dear friend Kelly Klapstein when she visited me here in Nfld last September. For those of you who are not familiar with a "Screech in", let me educate you!

The "Screech In" ceremony is a fun little adventure offered to CFAs { Come from Aways} to initiate you and make you an honorary Newfoundlander. It is usually performed in front of witnesses{ the more the merrier...more to be embarrassed in front of ..lol}. It involves salt water, some Nfld food, drinking a shot of Nfld Screech {our famous rum!} and most importantly ....kissing the cod! Yup... a real cod fish! Right on the lips! For tee totalers and those under legal age, we will use a shot of Purity syrup in place of the rum.

One part of the ceremony involves being asked if you wish to become an honorary Nflder, to which you must reply ........  "Indeed I do me ole cock, and long may your big jib draw!". This saying is actually a wish for good fortune in the future and means may your sails always catch the wind. Hence the name of my LO!

Kelly was a a real good sport about it! I decided to perform this little screech in at Deidre Edison Clarke's Scrappy retreat in beautiful Springdale where we stayed at the gorgeous RIVERWOOD INN. Such a beautiful peaceful place! Check it out!


So here's my take on Sue's sketch.

LONG MAY YOUR BIG JIB DRAW
 

 The journaling tag under the main photo reads"Well I certainly couldn't let Kelly leave Nfld without being " Screeched In"! Luckily I had a few screech ins under my belt so I was up to the task! Deidre's scrap weekend in Springdale was the perfect opportunity...and of course it also provided more witnesses! Kelly was a great sport about it. She was baptized with saltwater, ate "wild" baloney and Purity Jam Jams, survived a shot of screech and most importantly, kissed the cod! An honorary Newfoundlander for sure! "

 I should also mention that Kelly wasn't my only victim...ummm, I mean CFA! I also had the pleasure of Screeching in a fellow scrapper Julie F! Julie thought she was safe...oh no my friend! Just because you are married to a Nflder and have lived here for several years , you thought you were safe???? Ummmm....NO!
 

 

Julie was a real good sport about it too, and...... she had been let in on the secret of Kelly's screech in before hand and she had the most beautiful gift for Kelly! Julie's hubby makes Nfld Ugly Sticks!!!! and she had him make one specifically for Kelly! Wow , we were soooo impressed. It is the nicest ugly stick I've ever seen. He's quite the craftsman.

  Here's Julie teaching Kelly to play her new Ugly Stick. If you haven't  figured it out yet an Ugly Stick is a handmade musical instrument used here in Nfld! Google it...

 
This was such a fun weekend! A big thanks to Deidre for allowing me to perform this little ceremony during her scrappy retreat.

 Thanks for popping by today. My New year's resolution is to try and be a little more frequent with my blog postings. Hope you'll continue to visit in 2013. Toodles!

CS Nov Sketchy Challenge

I know ...I know ...it's DECEMBER!{gasp} and Dec 's Sketchy Challenge is on line over at Canadian Scrapbooker but I'm a little behind so I thought I'd share November's Sketchy Challenge today ..and hopefully get to play with Dec's challenge tonight.

Sue Sykes designed a 2 page sketch for Nov 's Sketchy challenge!

I actually did not one but TWO versions of this sketch this month! I have really gotten away from doing double pages in the last few years so this was a nice break. I also really enjoy doing Kelly Klapstein's  Double the Fun challenge at Canadian Scrapbooker . Another chance to get published ladies. So go check out both!

My first Lo with Sue's Nov sketch is a hockey LO. I've had these sweet street hockey pics of Scott and Rob in my "To do " box forever and just never seemed to get around to it. Sue's sketch suited them perfectly. I was more true to the sketch in this LO ...right down to the hexagons.

                                                                                                                  BETWEEN THE POSTS

oooo... I find it sooooo hard not to add flowers ...girl LOs are so much easier! I have tried ordering the cool Chicken wire stencil from Crafter's Workshop several times now from my wholesaler and can never manage to strike when it's in stock  :( . However.... I DO have a chicken wire chippie piece from DUSTY ATTIC so I used that as my stencil, thus saving my precious chippie piece for another day. Necessity is the mother of invention after all.

My second Lo using Sue's sketch is a fall Lo using all BO BUNNY 's adorable Apple Cider line. This LO features one of the many funny little adventures that KELLY and I had when she visited me in Nfld back in September. We had gone for a walk around the gorgeous Margaret Bowater Park here in the middle of Corner Brook. As we were nearing the end of our walk we noticed this crab apple tree that was laden with fruit. Kelly was bound and determined to get some of those apples { me , being considerably short than Kelly, opted to stand back and let her do all the hard work! }. As tall as she is , Kelly really had to stretch to get some apples. Such hard work...and all for not, because in the end the apples were pretty darn sour and we only had a bite each.lol...oh well, it made for fun photos!

                                                                                                                       AN APPLE A DAY...

 So there you go...two completely different looking Los all inspired by the same sketch. I know some people are very reluctant to use sketches as they think it stifles them but you know, there are NO  layout police. You can pretty much take what you want from a sketch.A great creativity booster when your mojo is lacking!

Hmmmm...seems like I recall a couple of compromising photos of Kelly with a cod fish, some Nfld Screech and an ugly stick...perhaps I should dig them out to embarrass...err scrap.. of her! Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you are all getting caught up in the Christmas spirit...and staying on Santa's nice list! Toodles!

Recycled Book Christmas Frame with Tutorials

When my friend Rina sent me the link a couple of days ago to Trina McClune showcasing the gorgeous altered book she did for PAPERHAUS Magazine, I was totally smitten and couldn't wait to try my hand at something similar!

I decided to go with a Christmas version of her beautiful creation. What do you think? Wouldn't this look gorgeous sitting on your shelf this Christmas with a favorite family photo in it?

I'd like to share a tutorial with you on how I made this lovely keepsake.

WARNING!!!! This post is photo heavy!!!!

First I started with an old Reader's Digest condensed novel/book but any thick book will do.
I began by drawing my opening size on the front cover {mine is approximately 4"x6"}. I first cut through the cover with an exacto knife and a metal ruler.

After cutting through the cover I traced around the opening with a pencil onto the first layer of pages. Open the cover and with the exacto knife and ruler and start working your way down through the pages to a depth of about 3/4" deep.

 

I then rubbed some sandpaper over the inside edges to smooth away some ragged bits.

Next I adhered all the pages and the cover together with ModgePodge...I didn't do every single layer ..probably every six or seven pages.

 I then sealed all the paper edges with a generous coating of Modgepodge. I laid another book on top of it and went to make supper while it dried {what can I say...the natives were hungry!}.

After everything was dry, I painted the entire thing with a layer of gesso. I did the inside edges with a coat but only lightly washed the front facing page so that some of the text still showed through.{I noticed after I had glued the pages together that my facing page was from a murder story and all the talk was of guns lol..hardly great text for a Christmas project :) }.

I then painted all the outside with brown acrylic paint {I know, I know..the book was brown to start with but I wanted to cover up the titles on the spine}. So while all this was drying, I made my flowers to decorate the front. I used three poinsettias and five roses and a whole bunch of holly leaves . I cut the leaves on my Cricut with the Child's Year cartridge. Unfortunately, the leaves are cut out in  one piece that entails four leaves so I had to individually cut the leaves apart..I used a dotted green cs from Bazzil for the leaves and then inked all the edges with Distress Ink in Forest Moss. Onto the flowers...

I used a Lily Punch Bunch and Cherry Cobbler cs from Stampin ' Up. You will need five of each size petal. I used the two smaller petals for these poinsettias....

I inked the edges of the petals with Distess Ink "Aged Mahogany" and then I spritzed them with a homemade mist {five drops of Scattered Straw re-inker plus a little scoop of bronze Perfect Pearls and then fill the rest of the mini mister with water}. If you don't have any mist then just dampen the pieces with water. While wet, I crumpled them together lenghtwise and left them to dry.

When petals are dry, punch a 1" circle from the red cs and then assemble as follows:

First lay down a blob of hot glue {or liquid glue - it's your preference} in  the center of punched 1" circle. Add the larger five petals in a star shape. 

Add another blob of glue to the center and then layer the smaller five petals on the first layer, staggering the petals compared to the bottom, like so.....

Finish with a blob of Glossy Accents {or liquid glue of choice} in the center and sprinkle on some multi colored beads. I used a brown/gold mixture that I found at Wal Mart.

The white roses are my version of Vicky Alberto's sugarplum flowers. Click on her name and it will take you to her beautiful tutorial on how to make these sweet little rose type flowers.
I finished mine off by touching the flower edges with liquid glue and dipping them in a very fine gold glitter....

You will need to make five of these roses.

The reindeer was cut using this gorgeous Tim Holtz die.

 I actually cut out several with  different color inks {Prima music stamp on white cs} and facing both directions but eventually settled on a reindeer in red Cherry Cobbler from Stampin' Up and facing the left. Ink the edges of the reindeer with Distress ink "Vintage Photo" and finish with a bow tied around his neck. I used a 1/8 wide ribbon in brown from Offray.

OK... Let's start the assembling....

Adhere the reindeer to the right hand side of book and then cut a scrap of brown cs into a right angle and adhere to the left land side of the book. This will be your support base for the flower spray.

The first poinsettia is actually only partially on the brown support with the rest extending over the opening. I stacked a few pop dots underneath to support it. Stay close to the support as you want to be able to slip your photo in here when you are finished.

Add the next pointsetta here:

Using a pop dot, add the third poinsetta in the corner, raising it above the rest. Now fill in with four roses as demonstrated in photo.

 

Now fill in amongst the flowers with a combo of the two sizes of holly leaves.

 

 

Finshing touches.....

I glued a string of pearls around the edge of the opening, tucked in two Maya road heart pins, and added a single rose and two leaves in the upper rt hand corner. I totally forgot to take photos of the banner as I was making it {it was sort of an after thought}. The letters are 3/4" upper case from A Child's Year cartridge and the little banner pieces were cut free hand. I added them with pop dots and then finished with red pearls in the corners of the banner. A 3 1/2" x 5" photo would fit this opening best.

 

 

 

 I will be offering this class here in my home in early December. I can accomodate four crafters. First come, first serve!

 

Thanks for popping by today. Have a great day. Now I'd better get my arse in gear and get started on my Christmas cards! Toodles!

 

A wedding Card and a Quick Idea for Keeping Track of Inks

A couple of weeks ago ,our family celebrated the wedding of the first "Grandchild" with the marriage of my niece, Ali to her sweet hubby, Ian.

 

 

It was a gorgeous September day...perfect for a fall wedding. A great big congrats to the happy couple!!! Ali and Ian's colors were purple and orange and everything was absolutely gorgeous . Her aunt, Janet Tucker, owner of COUNTRY FLOWERS here in Corner Brook, did her decorating and all her floral work and I have to say it was all breathtaking!

 

In keeping with their colors , I made this wedding card...

 

 

Here's a quick tutorial on how I made this card.

 

 

I started with a 51/2 "x 51/2" square card stock base . I then cut a 5"x5" piece of white cs and ran it through my CuttleBug to emboss it using the Brocade folder. Next I used a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page set in "Swirling Lace " to punch a square border. Edges were inked with "Perfect Plum' from Stampin' Up.This was adhered to the base card.

Next I cut a strip of white cs approx 2.25" x 5" and punched the edges of both sides withStampin' Up's scallop edge punch and then cut a notch in one end.

 

 

 I thought it needed a little something else so I used my paper trimmer and a stylus as a quick scoring tool { I was too lazy to go dig out the proper scorer...but hey, it worked really well! }.

 

 

 

I then inked the edges with Perfect Plum SU ink and stamped the word "LOVE"  using a really old set of alpha stamps that I think were Recollections from Michael's. Set aside.

 

 

Now comes the fun part ...making the leaves and flowers. I used two stamp sets from HEARTFELT CREATIONS ...  some leafy swirls and another called Daisy Patch. I stamped two sets of leaves on white cs with the Perfect Plum ink and several sets of the daisy patch as I wanted to layer them for dimension. Unfortunately , these were older sets that didn't have the matching Spellbinders die cuts { which are so awesome BTW!} so I had to fussy cut everything...tedious lol.

 

 

 

 

{Yes I cut off the swirls...I'm not a total masochist!}

 

 

and here's the flowers after they've been fussy cut and adhered in layers...

 

The variations in color were created by just swiping the inked sponge over the stamped images until I was happy with the density of color...word to the wise ...add this color BEFORE you attempt to fussy cut them!

Now add a blob of Glossy Accents { or other suitable liquid glue } and pour on the micro beads!

 

 

and leave them to dry!

 

As a last little touch I used the Martha Stewart three butterfly punch on a scrap of white cs that I just dabbed some Perfect Plum ink on.

 

 

 

Now for the assembling.....

 

Run the "Love" strip through your fingers to give it a little curve. adhere to bottom of card as shown. Proceed to build the flower spray on the rt hand side . Add pearl bling as shown on card.

 

 

 

I'd like to show you one more quick idea for your inks. I like to have these tabs to hold against a paper I'm working with to find the closest match...rather than drag out all my inks. I can't take credit for this idea as such and I apologize to whoever came up with it. I've been using this for several years but can't remember the source...so if it's you, then congrats for coming up with such a brilliant idea.

 

 

I cut 2" tags out of white card stock using my Cricut { Storybook cartridge I think}. I actually did several 12 x12 sheets of cs while I was at it{ lots of spares for when I buy a new color rather than drag it all out again! }. I label each tag as I apply color from my ink pad and then dip the bottom half in clear embossing powder..that way I know what the color looks like embossed too....

 

 

 

I keep each brand { ie Tim Holtz Distress inks, Stampin' Up inks etc} on a separate binder ringer. I'm also a tad OCD and like to follow the ROY G BIV rule of colors so the binder rings make it easy to insert a new color in its rightful place on my ring.

 

 

Can I just add one more quick little thing? Of course I can....it's my blog! I'd like to wish a GREAT BIG HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY to my dear daughter, Chelsea. Here she is sampling her first "legal" alcoholic beverage this evening at Jungle Jim's { drinking age is 19 here in NFLD}.

 

 

 and here's the card I made for her using the gorgeous G45 Ladies Diary pps that came in my Sept SCRAPTHAT kit...

 

 

PHEW!!!! Looooong post ! That's it for me tonight. Thanks for popping by. Toodles!

 

 

G45 Ladies Diary Tray

What a gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon here in Nfld. I should probably be outside putting my garden to bed for the winter ...in the past I've been guilty of putting it off till the last minute and then poor hubby has to go out in the first snow and hack things down so I don't have such a slimy mess to contend with the next spring.... but instead I cleaned house {why is it that when I work three days in a row , my house just falls to pieces????} . Anyhow, work is done and before I pop down to play in the woman cave I thought I'd share my beautiful G45 tray that I made last weekend at Deidre's retreat in Springdale.

This tray is a 7Gypsies tray that my dear friend KELLY bought me when I visited her in Edmonton last year. {To see Kelly's blog posting on our trips back and forth across Canada to visit each other click HERE }. I was ecstatic when I opened this month's ScrapThat's kit featuring the gorgeous Ladies Diary pps from G45 . The soft green blues in this paper line were the perfect match to the color in my scraproom and I immediately got inspired to do this tray! {Kelly will no doubt tell you that the rather large and STRONG mug of Bailey's that she mixed me - to settle me down she claims! - was rather instrumental in inspiring me and this tray lol}!

Irregardless of what was truly my muse, I was so very pleased with how it all turned out! Here's a few close ups.

 

The dress form is a gorgeous chippie piece from FABSCRAPS { an African company}. I first altered it with model paste{ the only part you can see that on is up by the neck...sort of a waste of time as I ended up covering 99% of it up lol}. The leg part of the form was embossed with Martha Stewart emboss powder to give it that metal look. I cut a small scrap of the G45 paper to make the "shirt" and added several layers of lace for the skirt. The "pearl" necklace was colored with alcohol inks{thanks for bringing me those to play with Kelly} and I finished off the dress form waist with some brown ribbon and a flower and feather from the ScrapThat kit.

Lots of Glossy Accents crackle medium on this clock face to age it.

A few flower sprays in opposite corners... and a pretty fabric banner to top it off!

This banner was super duper easy to make. I simply cut the banner pieces from artists canvas { as a painter I have tons of this stuff kicking around} ...you can buy this at any art supply store in any size you need . I cut out my banner pieces and painted the edges with ModPodge to keep them from fraying. I bent over the top edges and using my crop-a-dile, I punched holes and set my WeRMemoryMakers eyelets in each piece. Then I inked the edges and added my word using stickers from the Ladies' Diary G45 sticker sheet. ..and Viola`! a beautiful addition for my scraproom wall. Thanks for popping by today. I hope its as nice in your neck of the woods as it is here today. Toodles!