Seek Bird Watching Journal For Therm O Web

Hello everyone, I have a post over on Therm O Web's blog today for my little 'Seek' bird watching journal that I made with Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media line of products from Therm O Web, Eileen Hull's Passport Book die and Ephemera's Vintage Garden Home Sweet Home Journal kit.

The covers were created with Mixed Media Art Paper that was painted and stenciled with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics and many of Tim Holtz's layering stencils.

Sizzix's Birds die was used for the foiled die cut images on the front along with Mixed Media Adhesive Sheets and Mixed Media Transfer Foil.

And the spine is more Mixed Media Art Paper that I stenciled with paint on the adhesive side and then covered with Mixed Media Transfer Foil.

Tim Holtz's Bird Branch die was used on the back cover, die cutting it from Mixed Media Adhesive and then covering it with Mixed Media Transfer Foil as on the front cover.

Ephemera's Vintage Garden digital Home Sweet Home Journal kit was resized for the inside pages, I also made the pages slightly transparent with my photo editing program to make it easier to write on them.

Journaling cards from the same kit and tuck spots were added here and there.

I'd like to add my Seek Bird Watching Journal to Mini Album Makers Challenge blogs current challenge, click here to take a peek at all of the wonderful entries and inspiration from the DT!

Hope you can pop by Therm O Web's blog for my how to, see you there!

Deb xo

P.S. Apologies to those of you who want to leave a comment, dear Blogger will not let me turn comments back on for some reason (I had turned them off while we were away on holidays).  Thank you so much for your lovely thoughts and I hope to be able to get the comment box turned on sometime soon! Deb xo

Welcome Bohemian Banner For Therm O Web With Rebekah Meier Designs And Jillibean Soup

Hello and thanks for stopping by, popping in to let you know that I have tutorial over on Therm O Web's blog today for my Bohemian Welcome banner made with Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media line from Therm O Web and some wonderful scrapbook paper and that great banner courtesy of Jillibean Soup.

Okay, going to state the obvious, this is definitely not my usual style but I was so inspired by the Bohemian Brew scrapbook paper from Jillibean Soup that I received.  Some of the mandala designs in the collection immediately reminded me of a couple of Rebekah Meier's stencils I had in my stash from The Crafters Workshop and the rest was history!

I used Rebekah's Mini Rosetta and Mini Infinite Lace stencils on some of the Bohemian Brew scrapbook paper with Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium and then applied Mixed Media Transfer Foils overtop.

I trimmed the foiled mandala designs randomly and then die cut more 'petals' for each foiled mandala flower with Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Circles dies.  More Spellbinders dies (Leaves So Very Gorgeous and Wandering Butterflies) were also die cut from the Bohemian Brew paper and Mixed Media Art Paper covered with more Transfer Foils.

The Mix The Media Hanging Banner (this one is 12 x 14) was painted with Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paint in Buff and then the canvas randomly stamped with the Tim Holtz Papillon stamp and Vintage Photo Distress Archival ink.

The 'welcome' greeting was die cut with Tim's Broadway Alphabet die from all of the Bohemian Brew scrapbook papers used on the banner after they were mounted onto some Mixed Media Foam Sheets for dimension.

And finally, some of the Pea Pods die cuts from the Bohemian Brew Collection Pack were added here and there to the top and bottom supports.

Hope you can pop on by Therm O Web's blog to see my how to, I had a lot of fun making this one!

Thanks as always for stopping by today and happy creating!

Deb xo

Butterfly Birthday Easel Card For Therm O Web With Rebekah Meier Designs and Brutus Monroe

Hello everyone, popping in to let you know that I have a tutorial over on Therm O Web's blog today for my Butterfly Birthday easel card created with products from Rebekah Meier Designs and Brutus Monroe.  The Therm O Web DT was lucky enough to get some Brutus Monroe products for a swap we are doing with them, thank you so much Brutus Monroe!

I used Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Art Paper, Art Tape and Mixed Media Transfer Foil along with her Mixed Media Medium.  Brutus Monroe supplied me with their Heart Lace Background stamp, Butterfly Sentiments 2.0 stamps, Alabaster Pigment ink, Suede Surface ink, Sticky Glue Pad and Premium Surface Board.

Simon Says Stamp's Birthday Balloons clear stamps were used for the 'happy birthday' sentiment.

Love the Butterfly Sentiments 2.0 stamps and the Sticky Glue Pad works great for not only embossing powders but for glitter too.

The Heart Lace Background stamp is beautiful, I used it with the Alabaster Pigment Ink and also did a little experimentation with Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium and her Transfer Foil on Mixed Media Paper for the background panel, will definitely be doing that again!

An EK Success Butterfly Layering punch was used to make the 'stops' for my easel card and they were topped with more of Rebekah's Mixed Media Transfer Foil, this time in Old Gold.

Some of Tim Holtz's Wallflower Paper Stash was used to mat the interior of the easel card along with some digital paper from Ephemera's Vintage Garden.

Been quite a while since I made an easel card (there's a great tutorial over on Craftsy if you want the how to) but will be doing it more often now that I've 'remembered' how to do it!  This card is winging it's way towards my niece for her birthday, hope that she will like it.

Pop on over to Therm O Web's blog if you have a minute for my step by step and make sure to take a peek at the other projects made by the DT for our collaboration with Brutus Monroe, lots of great inspiration there for you!  Thanks as always for stopping by and happy creating,

Deb xo

Things With Wings Journal Holder

Hi everyone, Eileen Hull is having a fun little challenge over on Facebook on her Eileen Hull Fan Club page, she has challenged us to make something with wings using at least one of her Sizzix dies.  I decided to make a journal holder using Eileen's Scoreboards XL Planner Storage & Organizer die along with a couple of her Scoreboards L Stamp & Photo Storage dies.

I used Ephemera's Vintage Garden's 'Wings For Jonathon' digital journal kit for all of the components, a quick and easy way to add lots of beautiful wings!

I wanted to add two of Eileen's Stamp & Photo Storage boxes inside the Planner Storage & Organizer so I slightly widened the spine of the Planner Storage box.

I cut out a finger pull on each of the Stamp & Photo Storage boxes and added two little journals inside each one.

The journals were created with images from the 'Wings For Jonathon' journal kit printed onto copy paper (on both sides) and then sewed them together with some baker's twine and a pamphlet stitch.

I added some journaling tags and a couple of little envelopes with more journaling spots from the same digital kit as well.

And that was it, quick and easy with the digital papers!

If you have one of Eileen's dies in your stash, head on over to Facebook and join in the fun, the only rules for the challenge are to make something with wings on it and use at least one of Eileen's dies and you have until April 26th to get your project completed.  There will be a random drawing for a prize so that everyone has a chance to win, hope you will join us!  Thanks as always for stopping by today and happy creating!

Deb xo

Rusted Techniques Mini Journal For A Vintage Journey

Hello and happy April!  With the start of the new month it is time for a new challenge at A Vintage Journey and this month our host Autumn has proposed the theme of 'Rusty and Crusty'.  Here is Autumn's brief:

Many of us love rust and enjoy looking for new ways to get that authentic look of crusty peeling metal. For this challenge include some rust in your vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk project, whether it be the real thing, a faux technique or just a rust colour on your project.

Needless to say I was very happy to join in the fun this month, who doesn't like rust!  I decided to make a little mini techniques journal as a quick reference for the plethora of rusting techniques we all love to use, here's what I ended up with.

Eileen Hull's Needle Book die was the perfect size for my mini and I've already filled it with 4 different faux rusting techniques, read on for the how to.

To be honest, I started this project by simply cutting out multiple diecuts from cardstock and playing with different rusting techniques.  It wasn't until I had a bunch of them completed that the idea for the mini journal came to me.  I first started out by die cutting the hinges from Tim Holtz's Hardware Findings die and treating them with a rusting technique that Andy Skinner had demonstrated for DecoArt Media (click here for the link to Andy's video).  I first added some of Tim Holtz's Distress Paper Mosaic Grout for texture here and there on the hinges;

and then followed the steps as set out in Andy's video.  I didn't have any of the transparent yellow paint that he had used so instead diluted down some Cadmium Yellow Americana paint and it worked just fine.  I ended up coating them with some Distress Matte Collage medium at the end to dull down the shine.

Next I decided to play with Tim Holtz's rusted enamel technique from his Compendium Of Curiosities I book.  Instead of adding the Distress Ink direct to paper as he had done, I first coloured a piece of cardstock with the wrinkle free distress method using Rusty Hinge DI.  Once happy with the background, I tapped the cardstock into the puddles of Rusty Hinge one more time and then sprinkled clear embossing powder over the whole piece.

The embossing powder stuck to the droplets of Distress Ink and after heating it to activate the powder I added a coat of Ground Espresso DI and rubbed it off of the embossed areas.  Wowser, I love it!

I cut out the Crosshatch die from the prepared card, what a cool rusty look!

The Weathered Clock die cut was next, I tried to do Tim's rusted enamel technique on it but apparently didn't flick off enough of the clear embossing powder so ended up with a Rusty Hinge embossed clock, not what I was looking for!  Acrylic paints to the rescue, I stippled on some brown, black and a touch of green and manged to get a reasonable facsimile of rust.

It was lacking texture though, so I added a coat of Distress Matte Collage medium and then heated the medium with my heat tool while it was wet so that it bubbled up and gave some great textures.

And finally, I went back to a tried and true rusting technique, acrylic paint and cinnamon.  I painted a Hardware Findings key with black acrylic paint and, while it was wet, sprinkled on some ground cinnamon, patting it down into the paint so it would stick.

I repeated the process a couple of times to get some good texture and then coated the key with more Distress Matte Collage medium and heated it with the heat gun so it bubbled.

Now it was time to make the mini journal, I die cut Eileen's Needle Book die from Distress Mixed Media Heavystock and coloured it inside and out with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide inks.

The outside of the Needle Book was stamped with Tim's Mesh background stamp and Rusty Hinge DI and I painted some fragments of cheesecloth with rust coloured acrylic paint and adhered them to the front and back of the cover.  The edges were inked with Rusty Hinge and Ground Espresso DI.

I then sprinkled on bits of Oil Rubbed Bronze embossing powder here and there, heating it from below to melt the powder so it didn't blow away.

The rusted hinges were wrapped around the Needle Book and I sewed a 'rust' coloured button to the front for a closure.  The word 'rusted' was spelled out with Tim's Label Letters onto a fragment of rusted enamel cardstock I had left over and a label was cut out for the front of the journal (I ended up having to edit the word down to 'rust' as I didn't have quite enough room!).

And finally, some pages for the inside were cut from a little artist's sketchbook I had in my stash and the pages painted front and back with Antique Linen Distress stain.

The pages were sewn into the cover with some button thread painted with rust coloured paint and the rust technique die cuts adhered to the pages.  I wrote out a brief description of each technique for quick reference.  I rusted up a Hinge Clip with more rust coloured acrylic paint.

To keep the mini journal closed, I threaded a piece of rusty wire through the back cover, twisted it together and then wrapped it around the button I'd sewn onto the front.  I added dots of black Enamel Accents into the holes on the rusted Hardward Findings hinges.

Here's a peek at the back cover, I used one of the crosshatch offcuts to cover up where the rusted wire had been threaded through.

Hope that you've enjoyed seeing how my rusted techniques mini journal came together, I had a lot of fun playing while making it and can't wait to fill it up with even more ways to make rust as I discover them.

I'd like to add my Rusted Techniques mini journal to the April challenge over at Mini Album Makers Challenge blog.

Make sure to pop by A Vintage Journey to see what the other Creative Guides have made to inspire you and that you will consider entering our Rusty and Crusty challenge, you can never have enough rust!  Thanks as always for stopping by today and happy creating,

Deb xo

Happy Spring Mixed Media Card For Therm O Web

Hello everyone, I've got a tutorial over on Therm O Web's blog today for my Happy Spring mixed media card that I made with their Deco Foil Transfer Sheets, Designer Stencils and the brand new Clear Designer Toner Sheets (which I am totally in love with!).

I made this layered card with two  blank card bases, cutting out the nested die cut openings in the first card and layering it over top the second card.  Tim Holtz's Vintage Cabinet Card Mover & Shaper die and Mini Cabinet Card Mover & Shaper die were used to die cut the layered openings.

Dina Wakley's Scribbly Birds came out to play, I love those wee birds and the sentiments!

I created a pocket when I adhered the two card bases together so that I could insert a tag, you could write a special secret message to the recipient on the back if you'd like.

I lined up the Deco Foil Designer Stencil pattern on all of the card surfaces so that they would form a continuous pattern when the card was closed.  Took a bit of head scratching to figure out how to do it but it worked pretty well!

Oh how I love those sweet Scribbly Birds!

Dina's Scribbly Flowers and Insects were stamped on the inside of the card with Leaf Green Archival ink.

Love how that little bird is peeking out through the foiled Clear Designer Toner Sheet, like she was peeking out from behind the leaves of a tree xo.  These new Clear Designer Toner Sheets are the bomb, I just got them and can't wait to play with them more, my heads spinning with ideas!

Hope you can pop by Therm O Web's blog for my how to, I love how this card came together and hope you will too.

See you there and as always, happy creating!

Deb xo