Gingerbread Memories-a mini album for Gina's Designs

Hi! Yeah, yeah- I know it's only October and Halloween isn't even over with, but I am a Christmas girl through and through and as soon as I saw this adorable little chipboard album from Gina's I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!

Ever year when my kids were little I'd bake gingerbread houses for them to decorate, and once they started school I made a bunch and had a "gingerbread party" for them and their friends the second Saturday of every December.

The cute little windows, candy canes and swirly candies were all included in the album package as well as the icicle trim along the roof. I used texture paste on that piece and simply painted all the other. I covered the album itself with patterned paper then sanded and inked the edges. The door I attached in a way that it would open (made holes and tied them with embroidery floss) and then put photos of my son and daughter decorating their houses inside.

Dies, punches ribbon and a whole bunch of fussy cutting completed the project, which will be a special keepsake for my family now that both kids are grown up and out on their own.

Thanks so much for stopping by and remember that it's never too early for Christmas crafting; in fact I think the world would be a much happier place if we could hang onto our Christmas spirits all year long! Have a great day!

BOO! Halloween Wall Art for Gina's Designs

Hi there and Happy October! Lynne here with a Halloween-themed project. I'm not especially big on Halloween but as soon as I saw this piece with the awesomely scary kitty I knew I had to play with it! Gina always manages to come up with something so unique and creative for every occasion, season and crafting style!

I covered the "31" portion of the piece with patterned paper sanded the edges using the wonderful and handy Sand-Its tools; they're like a big Q-tip and are so much easier to use than trying to get into small areas with a hunk of sandpaper! I then used crackle finish over the paper and inked it lightly to make the cracks show up more and inked the edges a little more heavily.

The raven was painted black with acrylic paint  then embossed with clear embossing powder; he looks much shinier in person than he does here.
                                    

I used flocking to add furry texture to the cat and here's a word of advice from me which is tried and true many times over....always ALWAYS (as in every single time!) paint your item in the colour of your flocking before you add it-no matter how careful you are there are sometimes thin spots where the colour of your chipboard might show through a little, but if it's painted no one will be any the wiser-trust me on this one!!

I also painted the pumpkin and the cornstalk with a acrylic paints then drew on a few details for added realism. The letters at the bottom were simply attached to a piece of jute which I tied onto the project.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by-this project has me thinking about pumpkins now so I just may have to pop down to the nearby roadside stand to grab a few-some for decorating and at least one to make yummy pumpkin pies out of! Have a super day!

Gina's Items Used

31 Wall Art-coming soon
Fall Shape Set

Other Items Used

Ranger Crackle paint-Rock Candy
Black ink
acrylic paints
 black flocking
clear embossing powder

Inspirational mini-canvas set for Gina's Designs

hi there! Sending greetings from beautiful,warm, sunny southwestern Ontario along with a sunny, happy set of canvases I created with lots of awesome goodies from Gina's store; the sentiments are from Teresa Collins' Nine & Co papers and are on 8x8 canvases.

                                      

   

  

I ran the border strip through an embossing folder, attached all the elements to the canvas, stencilled with texture paste, then coated the entire project (except for the sentiment) with gesso. I then used Twinkling H20s to add patches of various colours all over, covering the entire gessoed area. When those were dry I then appl;ied another coat of gesso to blend and soften the colours. When that was completely dry I covered the sentiment with a piece of cardboard and misted the entire surface with a variety of colours until I achieved the intensity and blend I wanted. Splotches of black acrylic paint added contrast and tied the black elements of the sentiment pieces in with the rest of the project.

I know it sounds like a lot of steps were involved but they were all simple steps and the most time-consuming part of the project was allowing the layers to dry, although I did use the heat tool  when I wanted to get to the next step a little sooner!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful, happy, sunny week!

Gina's Items Used

Cardstock Doily set 1

Banner Border Strips

Flourish Miniatures\

Other Items Used-

Teresa Collins Nine & Co paper-cards

Colourarte Twinkling H20s

Prima and Crafter's Workshop stencils

CUTE-a "squirrely" layout for Scraps of Elegance

Anyone who know me knows that I love scrapbooking AND I love squirrels, so here is the best of both worlds; I created this layout with the new kit, "Lisa's Sweet September" and some wonderful photos sent to me by a friend who took them at the Grand Canyon.

I added lots of stencilling with texture paste and I distressed or tore the edges of all the papers before inking them.. The chipboard title piece was run through an embossing folder before it was painted with acrylic paint and then inked as well. I fussy cut some flowers and mushrooms  from the papers ten added Prima flowers and diecut foliage A twine frame completed the page

Thanks so much for stopping by and have yourself a squiirrely day!

Maggie-a vintage layout for Gina's Designs

hello and happy Monday! I'm here with a heritage page of my great grandmother; my aunt recently gifted me with several family photos and I'm so looking forward to including them in my heritage scrapbooks.

I used the lovely Frolic paper collection by Blue Fern Studio some Prima flowers and of course some wonderful pieces from Gina's store. The vintage lady was covered with coordinating paper then run through an embossing folder. I inked the edges and the raised pattern for added contrast. I love the way the chipboard holds the embossed designs, whereas they can flatten over time when just embossed onto paper.

The heart border was embossed with the same design then painted with acrylic pint before I inked it lightly. The adhesive pearls were added between the hearts for a little extra interest and dimension.

I absolutely love the intricate cardstock doilies and use them every chance I get-they add the look of vintage doilies without the bulk of the crocheted pieces.

A few fussy-cut butterflies, a little stencilling with texture paste here and there and some delicate die-cut foliage, and my layout was complete-thanks so much for visiting and have yourself a fabulous week!

Gina's Items Used
Vintage Ladies Silhouette Set
Border Sticks-hearts
Cardstock Doily set-Intricates

Other Items Used
Blue Fern Studio papers
Prima roses
Prima and Crafter's Worshop stencils
Memory Box Die

"CREATE"-altered paint palette for Gina's Designs

hello my crafty and creative friends! I'm here today with an altered wooden paint palette that I got from Dollarama; I've seen seen some beautiful projects made using these and decided it would be fun to try one using some of the unique and interesting chipboard pieces from Gina's.

I primed the palette with gesso, then arranged  and attachedthe chipboard, corrugate, flowers, metal, paintbrush and stencilling with texture paste before adding a second coat of gesso.  I then painted the entire surface with metallic silver acrylic paint before using Twinkling H20s to create a rainbow of colour on my project.

Afterwards I added a few clusters of mica flakes for sheen and a bit of different texture. This was such a fun project to create, giving me a chance to mix and match all sorts of goodies, and I love the effect of the paints over the silver background! Thanks so much for stopping by, and hope you have a wonderfully creative week!

Gina's Items Used

Steampunk Lightbulb set
Gear Borders and Corners Miniature
Gears Shape Set
Butterflies and Dragonflies

Other Items Used

ColourArte Twinkling H20s
Metallic silver acrylic paint
Prima and Crafter's Workshop stencils
Metal gears and shapes
misc. flowers and embellishments

Housewarming card and tag for Gina's Designs

Hi and happy September,folks! I have to admit that time has been flying by so quickly that I still haven't quite figured out what happened to May and June yet, and now autumn is on the way.

While I'm experiencing the "empty nest" right now and feeling a little lost, I'm also excited that my very best friend is going to be moving into a new "nest" in a couple weeks, and rather than 45 minutes away from me, she will be only about 3 minutes away! That makes me a happy little birdie, so I made this card and gift tag for her to celebrate the occasion:

I used the beautiful Blue Fern Studios' "Frolic" paper collection which inspired me with the bird theme, and the sweet chipboard frames and flourish from Gina's set them off perfectly. I painted the pieces with light tan acrylic paint, then dry-brushed them lightly with blue and black to coordinate with the papers. Super-simple, but I was happy with the effect!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and may your autumn-and your nest-be blessed!

Gina's Items Used
Scribble Frame-Birds
Delicate Frames & Ornaments Shape Set

Other Items Used
Blue Fern Papers
Prima resin birdhouse

spanish moss

acrylic paint
Martha Stewart punch