True XOXO December Challenge

It's the 1st of the month again! Check out the True XoXo blog challenge. The design team was challenged to create a project using this photo as inspiration.

Now this isn't an image I would normally scrapbook so I was indeed challenged. I knew I liked the black and white pattern. Okay I have to admit that I knew I had similar paper in my stash. HA! The rest of the vintage type images/colors...well I initially thought of Webster's Pages. But then I looked down at my feet and stared at a class kit I got at Scrapbook Expo in Anaheim from a Prima class. It was perfect since all the papers were under 6" and great for stash busting.

The flowers and doily were sprayed with Glimmer Mist. The letters are wood from Pink Paislee. The small "embrace" block is from Melody Ross' GCD Studio line and came from one of the prize packs I won from the Spring contests they had earlier this year. This layout is a whole lot of layers and nothing complicated. No cutting because I really had cut it all in the class. I still don't know how I feel about the contrast of vintage and black and white....

Spring Bird Cage

It's been warming up around here and I'm seeing so many things pop up that are signs Spring is in full bloom. I can say my eyes have been itchy for over a month so I know they are. But one of the truest signs is that we have had a hummingbird nesting right by our porch for at least a month now. We had another bird how seems to love the porch but it's not so exciting. What you are seeing in the photo are the two hatched babies. So this leads me to my project today.

In February, my step sister gave me three fabulous bird cages. Now I wouldn't say they necessarily are my "style" but I make things my style (if I even have one). 

Inside where all those colorful eggs are is a candle votive holder. One day Riley and I were picking up her friend for a playdate and we found a warehouse sale. I bought a punch of these for $0.50 each in different colors. So I first laid down leaves from flowers I got at Dollar Tree. Next I put the votive holder in the cage. It would have helped a lot if I knew the top opened too! I put another layer of leaves together while stacking them with 3D glue dots. You can actually see under the branch that the bird is standing on a dot.

Again, some of the newest flowers at Dollar Tree with Prima flower centers and Melissa Frances pearls.

Finally the most time consuming part of this. I diecut two chipboard pieces. Then I used two font sets and one corner stamp from Melody Ross' Chip Art Tools. Actually I painted the chipboard red first. Then I stamped my metal stamp into archival ink. I hammered in the design to deboss and stamp. I added an additional 7 Gypsies color wash. I have no clue where it came from. Probably from my step sister Susan! I glued the two pieces of chipboard together while sandwiching a layer of gathered lace in between. To hand the piece I also added clear nylon fishing wire. The bead caps were colored with Chili Pepper alcohol ink by Ranger and pearls added to the top.

All this was inspired by a cute mama hummingbird who almost poked my eyes out while I was shooting photos of it's babies. Boy do those hummingbirds fly in fast. It's a good thing they are loud and I could hear her coming! 

Altered Silver Luggage Tag

Today I have an altered luggage tag. My friend, Bonnie (and I know she'll read this!), got a few of these babies as a wedding favor. As they are, they are just kind of blah (no offense to the bride for picking these out). When I saw the raised hearts, I knew I had to add alcohol inks to them. I contemplated sanding the silver to get a brushed metal look as I had here. I decided to go against my tendency to always want to scuff up metal and leave it alone.


I actually applied the alcohol ink direct from the nozzle, which I touched it to the heart for only a second or two. The ink came out in a small circle and  looked like it would spill over but then self leveled into the beveled heart shape.

The handle I used Melody Ross's Chip Art Tool. I picked these tiny letters up cheap at Scrapbook Territory on clearance. I contemplated even trying the tools on the band because I've made attempts in the past to imprint the metal stamps into imitation leather with no results whatsoever. But this band, I actually could press the stamps with my thumb to get a nice indentation.

After stamping, I used my index finger to white wash the band and accent the quote. I took a metallic (red) paint pen and colored in my hearts (one on each side of my quote). The quote by the way is from last year's version of Alice in Wonderland. Yes... the hearts reminded me of the Red Queen. And I was going to put a photo of Riley with the Queen  or as Alice. I used distress ink to give the band a red edge, however it didn't look right and I was able to take it right off with water hours later.

I found myself in Japantown yesterday at the Daiso store and found a roll of Alice in Wonderland tape. Travel. . . luggage tag. .. .match made in heaven. Since this was packing tape, it is shiny and did not photograph well as it looks unfinished around the edges in the photo. So again, because of the tape, I had to keep this piece as a luggage tag.

Chipboard floral wreath

We finally got a little peek of sun around here. Actually they say that there is going to be sun for the entire week. So to celebrate, today I have a floral wreath I made with scraps of chipboard. I used Sizzix's tattered flowers die along with their butterfly die. To give the chipboard texture, I used Melody Ross's Chip Art tools. After I created the impressions, I painted the pieces with acrylic paint, Brilliance ink, paint pens and "watercolored" them with shimmer chalks.

I picked up the wreath at Dollar Tree. The pieces were created using flowers I had also purchased at Dollar Tree (the red and purple ones). So I disassembled the fabric flowers and placed one layer on the bottom, then I placed a tattered flower on top and a 3-D flower in the center. To create fullness, I added extra Prima flowers.

Shadow box makeover

Today I gave a Making Memories wood shadow box a makeover. Here is the before.

And now my AFTER!

Initially I combined a red and pink acrylic paint to match the red in the Urban Lily paper. Then I added Delta's Crackle Medium. I can't say that it is a crackle. . . it's more of a true wood finish. But I thinned some black fluid acrylic paint with water and brushed it on while the crackle was a bit tacky and wiped it off almost immediately.

For the chipboard pieces, I wanted to use Melody Ross' Chip Art tools to create an embossed, colored leather feel that is worn. So I embossed the chipboard and then while still wet, I bent the pieces to create the leather texture. The edges are worn and separated. . . again like leather. Spring is here and so are the cherry blossoms so I made my little flowers pink. After I curled the chipboard, I dried them with a heat gun (of course, right?) and painted them with my finger. Next I rubbed my finger in Distress ink and rubbed it onto the chipboard. I got the look of a torn leather jacket and that was exactly what I was hoping for. To highlight the pieces, I added a bit of Liquitex acrylic ink and Twinkling H20s.

Bead caps, bling and glitter later. . . it was done! Lately I have been in a "kitchen sink" mode where I use just about anything in my stash. . .and really I am loving it! Hope you give it a try too.

Winnie the Pooh flies with a real fairy

Riley found a photo of herself with Pooh and wanted me to scrapbook it. I know that I've done a page with her and Pooh in this costume but I figured I would appease her and do it again. It really was cute, I have a series of shots that the two of them are "flapping their wings." Even Tigger did it. Oh maybe it should have been a Tigger page. Oh well . . . it's done.

I used products from the June The Sampler kit as well as the tag from May's kit. I used the printed side of the transparency and trimmed it out because I am not a fan of the glare it creates. I also debossed the book board which comes with the kit with the Melody Ross chipboard stamps. I haven't yet perfected my leather look but the chipboard matches the background of the photo. I really like the embossed, fabric like paper that comes in the kit. It adds enough blue to tie in the colors but not too much that it takes away from the Pooh colored background.  Riley gave the page two thumbs up so I think I'll be saved from doing another.

I decided to do something different with the scraps of paper I had left from the other pages I had made from The Sampler. Here I utilized the "Journey" title in the upper left corner to read, "Taylor's Journey into Adulthood." Yes, little Taylor just turned 18 and graduated from high school a week ago. I say little but that was when she was 3 years old. She is taller than I am.