Altering Embellishments - Layout by Sue Smith

Here is a layout I created using some gorgeous vintage-style papers from Graphic 45's Botanicabella range.



There are so many gorgeous embellishments available these days, but no matter how large my 'stash' might be, I still find myself wanting the perfect accompaniment for my creation, so today I wanted to show you a couple of techniques that I have used for altering some to match the style and colour scheme of this layout. With a bit of imagination and some great products, you can easily change any embellishment to suit your layout perfectly.

The red Romantic Roses were the perfect colour for the papers, but I wanted to 'antique' and change them a little.

1. This is what they look like straight out of the pack

2. I wanted to make them more 3D, so I carefully teased and pinched them a couple of layers at a time and worked them until I got the desired effect.

3. I then sprayed them with Glimmer Mist in the colour Antique Brass. I also removed the larger 'petals' at the back of one of them to make it a different size.



The next embellies I altered were two of the 2Crafty ATC size Flourishes. I painted them with KaiserColour Acrylic Paint in Metallic Gold and once the paint was dry, I lightly touched some of the edges with a VersaColour Inkpad in the colour 'Bark' to give them a burnished finish.
In the picture, you can see the raw chipboard at the bottom as they come in the pack.



The last embellishment I altered is a cream feather that I got in multi-coloured pack from the cheap shop. The cream wasn't quite right for the feel of this layout, so I set about changing it's colour to suit....

1. Using a Misting Mat, I stamped some Ranger - Tim Holtz - Distress Ink in the colour 'Tea Dye' straight onto the surface of the mat.

2. Then I spray misted my 'stamping' with some water.

3. Next I dragged the feather through the watered-down ink until I was happy with the coverage and then set the feather aside to dry. The mat is then easily wiped clean.

4. The dry finished feather ready to use on my layout.



Here is the product list that I have used for the rest of the layout...

* Cardstock - Bazzill & Coredinations
* Graphic 45 - Botanicabella - Love Letters and Summer Sonata
* Lace
* Bella Petites Journalling card
* Printable transparency sheet
* Caolee's Creations Adornit Alphas in Sleek Brown
* Pergamano White Gel Pen
* Birch Pearl Trimming in black

I won't go through all the steps of creating this layout, as many of the processes are self-explanatory, but here are a few key points about how the rest of the layout was put together.

* I distressed the edge of the photo with sandpaper.

* I used a corner rounder on the edges of the large square of background patterned paper, then distressed with an edge distresser, inked it for an aged feel and then sewed it to the cardstock with a burgundy heavy-weight cotton.

* The title was created with my Pazzles Inspiration electronic die-cutter using patterned paper over a cardstock background. Note: If you are interested in purchasing one of these amazing cutters, Tanyah would be more than happy to pre-order one for you.

* For the sub-title, I really wanted to use the brown Carolee's Creation letters, but to place them where I wanted to, the 'roaring' word got lost on the photo, so I used a white gel pen to highlight the lettering.

* To adhere the beading to the top and bottom of the page, I used a small thin line of Pritt Power Gel (my favourite adhesive of all time).

* I printed my journalling onto a transparency and then 'sandwiched' it between patterned paper and the outside edge of Bella journalling spot.



Thanks for looking at my first post here as a member of Tan's Design Team. I hope you like it and have perhaps been inspired to used some of the techniques I've shown you.

Until next Monday...happy scrapping!

Sue xx