Easy gift bags

As you might be aware by now, I like things that are quick and easy to make. 

Today I have made some easy little thank you gift bags for a get together I'm having on the weekend.

Materials used:

• cardstock - 40% off
• flowers - 45% off
• ink
• paper string
• Creative Imaginations patterned paper, Ooh La La Dress Forms paper.  50% off patterned papers!

• American Crafts, Snuggle Bear glitter finish patterned paper.  50% off patterned papers!

Here's a step by step:
Step 1.  Cut out some cardstock.  I've used a spellbinder die but you can just cut a rectangle to suit.

Step 2.  I've printed a sentiment on the cardstock using my printer but you can use alpha stickers or a stamp.

Step 3.  I've folded in half...

Step 4.  Inked around the edges.

Step 5.  Fill a small bag with some treats, fold over the top and placed in between the folded card.

Step 6.  Punch a couple of holes in the top (or staple) and tie with string.

Step 7.  Fold a flower in half and attach to the cardstock.

Step 8. I've cut out a circle of patterned paper and placed it over the flower.

All done!

They make great party favours or a lovely little gift for a friend....with Valentines day coming up you could even fill with some chocolates and a sweet little note.

Don't forget Tanyah's GREAT SPECIALS -get in quickly they won't be around for long.

Happy creating...xxxooo

Fun with Mixed Media - a card by Sue Smith

Here is a card I made using a mixed media background, which I had a lot of fun making (and making do when I didn't have the 'right' products).....



I started off with a piece of glossy paper. With not having any glossy cardstock on hand, I decided to experiment with some old glossy photo paper, which was a little yellowed around the edges and no longer works well with my printer. I cut it down to A5 size.
I also don't have a craft sheet so I folded up some cling-wrap and used that as an ink palette, stamping down with the Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Dusty Concord) numerous times to get a good amount of ink on the plastic...



To thin down the ink and make a light colour wash, I sprayed with water from an atomiser....



I have also made my own ink applicator with a small block of wood with velcro attached and I cut up small pieces of felt which stick right onto the velcro and work just like the real thing....




Starting from the edge, I worked the ink-laden applicator in circular motions and left a small portion of the paper uninked....



Then using the wings stamp (from Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Collection - Regal Flourish), I stamped with VersaMark ink onto the paper. My stamp was a little stained with black ink which gave a bit of an outline to the image (remember there are NO mistakes in art...just happy accidents!).
Working quickly before the VersaMark dried, I covered the stamped image with Opals Franklin Embossing Enamel (an ultra thick one) and also Stampin' Emboss Crystal Clear fine embossing enamel, shaking to make sure the image was well covered.....



Then I shook off the excess....



And applied heat....



Then using a new piece of felt on my applicator I applied some Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Latte over the white area (the embossed image acted as a resist) and overlapping the mauve area....



And then some brighter Terracotta alcohol ink over the top of that....



To clean off the embossed image and to smooth out some of the background, I then applied Blending Solution with the applicator. Here is where another happy accident occurred....in the areas where I worked a little exuberantly the emulsion started to come off the photo paper, leaving this wonderful patchy distressed look....



After working some more with the Blending Solution, and allowing the ink to dry, the colour became a lot more subtle. I then repeated the stamped image using VersaMagic Multi-surface Chalk Ink Pad in Night Sky, and stamped some words in the bottom right-hand corner with black StazOn....



Some more layers of stamps with StazOn...this time music notes....



And blurred and blended a little with Blending Solution....



I then added some scraps of paper and some natural fibre....



Some more paper, fibre and some lace to the top right-hand area....



Next, I mounted it on some natural cardstock, and distressed and ripped the edges, and then mounted that onto some dark blue cardstock, folded into a card.
I added some ink to the paper scraps and the fibre to match the background, and lightly sprayed with GlimmerMist in Antique Brass...



Then I stuck on some lettering which were cheap old 'no-name' letters which I roughly inked with dark blue....



And finally, some more GlimmerMist in Antique Brass and a metal butterfly which I coloured with Alcohol Ink in Purple Twilight and Denim....



A close-up of the butterfly....



I really did have a lot of fun with this one, experimenting with lots of different techniques, and I was really happy with how it all turned out....hope you like it too!

Don't forget to visit Tanyah's store where EVERYTHING is heavily discounted!

Joy banner - the Ink by June

I just love Distress inks and the way you can blend them, stamp with them and even emboss with them.

For these tags I began by inking the edges and shading in using Vintage photo. I wanted the rosettes to look like they belonged with the rest of the tag so I chose a colour, pine needle, that matched the mist to ink the edges of the paper as well. I stamped the tags in the brown ink also because I wanted it to look like a design on the tags rather than really stand out. I stamped and embossed the crown, clock, wings and words in black so they would stand out. I went back and did some shading over these in the pine needle and vintage photo as well. Inking the edges and shading in gives a nice finished effect anf vintage feel - not too grungy for this project.

I liked the different kinds of sparkle (glitter and mist) and shine (pearls and gold findings) I finished with and it didn't look too blingy for me. have a play yourself and see what you can easily create.

Wishing you joy June

Cutie In Clover - a layout by Sue Smith

For today's layout, I have used lots of different bits and pieces from lots of different brands, but featuring a gorgeous patterned paper from the Jillibean Soup Old World Cabbage Stew range. This particular paper from the range is called 'Brown Rice'.

Using this paper, I cut a large square (approx 20cm x 20cm) to use as a mat for the photo. Because the paper is quite a busy pattern, I decided to help the photo stand out by painting the area immediately around the photo. For this I used a small square of packaging material and lightly dabbed on some Making Memories Paint in the colour Manila....



I then cut a clover shaped pattern into a strip of the paper, and then inked the shapes with Versa Color Ink Spots in the colours of 'Evergreen' and 'Indigo' and then placed these shapes behind the inked large square of paper.

The butterfly embellishments are A2Z Scraplets Li'l Range - Butterflies which I embossed with Suze Weinberg UTEE Brightz (ultra thick embossing enamel) in the colour Zinnia. While the UTEE was still hot and melted I sprinkled with glitter and applied heat again to set the glitter....



Here is a list of the rest of the items I have used on this layout...

* Chromatics Cardstock - Cream

* Japanese Washi Tape

* Chelleybean Designs Paper Lollipops which I scrunched up and inked with Versa Color Ink Spot in Burgundy

* AC Thickers Rockabye Foam Letters in Leaf

* Crate Paper 'Restoration' Self-adhesive Chipboard

* Ruby Rockit- Upstairs/Downstairs - Felt Frame - Cream decorated with Kaisercraft Rhinestones in 'Lippy Red' and 'Split Pea'

* Sam & Lucy - Weave Extras - Teeny tiny letters - 4mm black

Happy scrapping everyone and see you for something new next Monday! xx

My Special Two - a 'vintage' style layout by Sue Smith

This week my layout has a vintage feel with a very special subject matter...my mum and dad who are no longer with me. I struggled quite a bit with this as I wanted to get it 'just right' to pay homage to the memory of my amazing parents. In the end, I altered the papers and embellishments in subtle ways that made it all come together. I am happy with the final outcome...what do you think?.....



Here is the photo that I started off with....



I then attacked it with a fine-grade sandpaper....more than I usually would with a photo....and kept working it until I was happy with the distressed effect...



Next I made a backing mat with Basic Grey Mellow - Sapid paper and decorated with Kaisercraft Rub-ons. The ones I have used are the Gypsy Sisters Collection, which Tanyah doesn't currently have in stock, but I know she would be more than happy to order them for you if wanted these same ones.



To blend with the other elements I had chosen for this layout, and to give an older, more vintage feel to the photo, I decided to ink the background mat and some of the photo with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. Using a sponge as an applicator, I coloured the background mat and the edges of the photo using layers of Crushed Olive, Victorian Velvet, and Pumice Stone. And here is how it turned out.....




For the rest of the layout, I used the following products....

* Chromatics Black Cardstock

* Basic Grey Aged & Confused - Phresh & Funky patterned paper (pink background square)

* Crate Paper - Restoration Collection 'Doilies' (I inked this with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Victorian Velvet)

* Jenni Bowlin Studios - Bingo Cards - Valentine Bliss (red)

* Crate Paper - Restoration Collection Adhesive Backed Chipboard Stickers

* Pink Paislee Expressions - Whimsies Cardstock Alpha Stickers - Chocolate - these are the large and small alphas on the layout.

Hope you like what I've created...I'm happy with it, and I guess that's all that really matters with scrapbooking.

So on that note I leave you with the words...scrap for yourself and no-one else because that's all that really matters...to tell YOUR story YOUR way...your family down the line for generations to come will love what you have created simply because it is their legacy, not because it was artistically 'perfect' at the time you created it.

Until next Monday...happy scrapping everyone and TFL! xxx

Let's have some fun!.....handmade embellishments by Sue Smith

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to try new products and experiment with them to see what happens....and this is just what I did when Tanyah sent me some fabulous Viva Decor Croco Crackling Colour. I had so much fun playing with this!

NOTE: You can click on any of the following photos to see an enlarged image.

First of all I started off with some plain chipboard shapes....



I spread each shape with about 2mm thickness of the Viva Decor Croco Crackling Colour in Turquoise colour and left it to dry for 24 hours.....



You need to BE PATIENT with this part of the process to get the most out of this fabulous product. I experimented with speeding up the drying process with my heat gun, but this was the disappointing result....



....so don't be impatient, because the day's wait is totally worth it as this is how it turns out with natural drying....



Now these pieces are gorgeous just as they are, but I really wanted to go a step further and try something different, so I got out my Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks and had fun colouring the different pieces. I have a bad habit when I play with my alcohol inks of not knowing when to stop, so the resulting pieces have none of the original colour left showing....



Next, I pressed the chipboard pieces facedown onto a Versamark Pad and then sprinkled liberally with some Clear UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel)......



I shook off the excess UTEE, otherwise it would have blown away when I applied the heat gun. Once the UTEE was melted, I sprinkled small amounts of UTEE and heated again, building up the layers until I was happy with the result. You could also sprinkle with some glitter at this stage if you wish. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of UTEE to play with, otherwise I would have built up the layers even more. The effect you achieve from this is reminiscent of dichroic glass....I love how everything changed so much from the original...





Once the UTEE is totally dry, you can file the edges or punch holes quite readily through all the mediums.....so cool! I had SO much fun playing with this.

Here is a card I made with one of the finished embellishments....





....and a close-up....



I really hope you like what I've created this week, and I would encourage to try some of this fabbo Viva Decor Croco Crackling Colour....it really is lots of fun and I would love to see what you create with it... Tanyah has a gallery where you can display any of your creations.

Until next Monday....happy scrapping everybody!! xx