Sunday, June 30, 2013

Really Reasonable Ribbon Feature and Journey of a Lifetime details for ScrapThat!

If you are here for the ScrapThat! July Reveal and Blog Hop thanks for going here to my previous post. 

It's so hard to believe that it's the last day of June already!! I hope you are staying cool. Our air conditioning went out, but fortunately we've had a cool front move in just in time!! 

Joseph met the girl of his dreams in Rachel. It is amazing how well suited they are for each other. Rachel is a wonderful pastor's wife and helps him in his ministry. They also run an eBay business together. This fun photo was taken during a photo shoot when they became engaged. We went to a park and Joseph coaxed Rachel into this wooden train. It's just the beginning of a journey that I pray lasts a long and beautiful lifetime together. 

This page was created using the ScrapThat! July "Hope Chest" Kit and is my feature project for today's post over at Really Reasonable Ribbon

"Journey of a Lifetime"

I used the ScrapThat! June Sketch for inspiration: 

To join the June "Hope Chest" Sketch Challenge, stop by the forum.


Tips and Techniques:
Banner and Ribbon ~ I love to combine distressed paper banners with gorgeous ribbons like I did here to mix up the textures and add dimension. First I cut the paper banners, distressed the edges, wet, and crinkled up the paper. After allowing them to dry, I opened and kind of flattened out the flags. 

Next I selected these gorgeous ribbons from Really Reasonable Ribbon to pair up with this banner. First, I selected the Cream Mesh Ribbon. This is one of my favorites in Bonnie's store. I love the shabby, stringy texture. I cut a length of ribbon just a little shorter than the paper flags. This ribbon is held together by clear thread, so I pulled out the thread from one end to fray. Then I cut down the center of the ribbon, carefully cutting between two threads. I also cut off the edges that have the clear plastic strand running through them. This left me with two gorgeous frayed ribbons which I adhered atop the flags. Next I selected the Ivory Sheer Box Pleats Ribbon. I just adore the shimmer this sheer ribbon adds to a project!! I just snipped off two pieces and adhered them among the other ribbons and paper banner flags. Scor-Tape is my go to adhesive of choice for adhering ribbon. 

Altered Flowers ~ The smaller kit flowers were altered with paint and mist to change up the color. 

Handcrafted Flowers ~ I used Heartfelt Creations stamps and dies to created the larger focal flowers. 

Ribbon ~ Another close-up of the gorgeous ribbon

Chipboard ~ I added this Dusty Attic Chipboard from my stash. I colored it and applied crackle medium. Once dry I inked again to highlight the cracks. 

Tile ~ I altered this Scrabble tile and will be posting the tutorial in July. 

Mixed Media Background ~ I used a TCW stencil to apply sparkle texture effects. Although it's not as noticeable in my main project photo, you can see the sparkle and design here. 

The July kits will be available in the ScrapThat! Store on July 1. Be sure grab yours before they are all gone. 

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If you are looking to purchase ribbon, be sure to stop by Really Reasonable Ribbon to see Bonnie's amazing selection of ribbon, lace, natural fibers, and more . . .

Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Friday, June 28, 2013

ScrapThat! July "Hope Chest" Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

Welcome to ScrapThat! 
It's our July Kit Reveal and Blog Hop!! 



If  you came here from:
the Tracey Gregory 
you are on the right track

Now that we are in the full swing of warmer weather,
 we are so excited to show you our soothing and refreshing July Collection.
Should you lose your way, here is the Blog Hop order:

ScrapThat! 

We are so happy to welcome the amazing 
Natasha Naranjo Aguirre
as our July Guest Designer!!!


Hi!  My name is Natasha & I’m the mother of two wonderful children & the wife of an amazing, supportive man. I am a floral designer by day and a scrapbook designer by night. I love to incorporate different techniques in my work and use a variety of elements. Every day I am inspired by the work and talent of others, and I hope to be able to inspire others with my work as well. 

Be sure to stop by her blog to see more of her gorgeous creations: http://www.moments-of-tranquility.com/

Now, without further ado....  

Introducing our July Kit,
 "Hope Chest"

Featuring the Hope Chest collection by Pink Paislee, we are sure you will love this kit packed with gentle neutrals and sages combined with pops of Prima color! Whatever your scrapping style is, you can capture the beauty of nature and the photos and memories you hold dear.

Take a look:

Main Kit*

*The Circles are not part of this kit-sorry for the mix-up

Paper Add-On

Flower Add-On

 Embellishment Add-On


More details on this collection can be found here:
We are currently accepting new

Kit Club Members. 
For more information,
complete the form on the link below:
New Subscriber  

Summer Promotion 
ScrapThat! is having a fabulous summer promotion. If you start a subscription during the months of July or August, after 6 paid months, you can pick a retired kit from the ScrapThat! store for free. It will be shipped along with your 6th month kit. If you are already subscriber and want to get in on the action, refer a friend. For each friend you refer, you will both receive a free kit after you each complete 6 months from the time the referral starts. The person you refer must give your name when they subscribe. Stop by the ScrapThat! Store to start your subscription today.

Look at the beautiful sketch Amarilys has created for July:


See details about the challenge here: Sketch Challenges
The DT Challenge this month is hosted by Tracey G:"Create A Canvas"
Due to popular request, Sandi will also be hosting a Round Robin challenge!

Everyone is welcome to participate in all challenges.
Entries for all challenges are due by Wednesday, July 24.
 All winners of our challenges, including Layout of the Week, are eligible to receive 10% off any 2012 Kits ~ including Add-ons!

My first project is based on Amy's gorgeous sketch and uses the Main Kit without any of the add-on kits. This is an engagement photo of our son Joseph and Rachel. They've been married now for nearly 2 years. I pray they will have an amazing and long journey through life together. 

"Journey of a Lifetime"
MK

These Pink Paislee papers are gorgeous with so many grungy and vintage images. I fussy cut flowers to tuck around the photo and next to the title. I colored the kit roses and cherry blossoms and the larger flowers are handcrafted from kit paper using Heartfelt creations stamps and dies. I just love the cork print alpha and used the adhesive cork to die cut the second part of my title. The pliable mesh included in the main kit was put to use stamping the bottom and side edges with gesso. I also gessoed the green felt lace. I added a DA chippie and some Really Reasonable Ribbon from my stash. I'll be sharing a tutorial in July showing you how to convert the Scrabble tiles into the elegant sparkly tile tucked into my top cluster. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Next up is a page featuring Elizabeth and Andrew's wedding rings, appropriately
placed on this Scripture passage about enduring love. 

"A Symbol of Our Love"
MK, EAO, FAO

The border paper with documents reminds me of old marriage documents - just perfect for these photos. I used several techniques like water distressing, stenciling, gesso wash, and misting. I smudged more gesso onto the FAO and MK flowers to lighten and soften them. The journal cards included in the MK have some great doily images I fussy cut to tuck into the outer layers. I also distressed one of them to tuck behind a photo. I added a DA Chippie and the gold leaves and heart key are from the Craftpon Etsy Shop. I colored the MK pearls with glimmer mist before placing them on the punched border around the title. An easy way to color the kit alpha is with embossing powder.

This final layout features a gorgeous photo of our daughter Elizabeth on her
wedding day. This is one of her favorite photos taken that day. 

"Beautiful Bride"
MK, EAO, FAO

I coated the outer petals of the larger flowers with molding paste, then colored with gesso, mist, and inks. To lighted the background paper, I whitewashed the paper with watered down gesso, then splattered, and stamped as well. I just adore the combination of grunge and bling, so these Pink Paislee glitter embedded burlap butterflies were so fun to use!! The pretty glittered title uses an alpha set from a previous ScrapThat! kit. I've added another of the leaves, heart keys and DA chippies. I removed the flower centers from a few of the Prima flowers and replaced them with the sweet Maya Road resin roses from the EAO Kit. The MK tulle was absolutely perfect to tuck into my clusters to reflect the tulle of Elizabeth's veil. 

Now for details about our blog hop:

Our Blog Hop features 9 fabulous hop sites including our Design Team blogs. 
We have been scrapping away and are so excited to show you our  creations! 

The July Blog Hop Prize is our retired "Summer In My Garden" Main Kit featuring Fabscrap's Organic collection

To qualify for this month's FABULOUS Prize, you must complete the following:
  • Visit each blog listed on the hop to see what each designer has created using this month's kit and sketch (comments are very much appreciated).
  • Each designer's blog hop post will feature a word or two that will make up a secret sentence, collect these words along the way.
  • You must become a FOLLOWER of each blog along the way and LIKE us on our Facebook Page!
  • Subscribe to Kelly's YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/kellycreates
  • Post the ScrapThat! Blinkie on your blog.
  • For your last stop on our Blog Hop return here to the ScrapThat! Chat Blog. Leave a comment letting us know you have completed the hop.(Please do NOT include the secret sentence in your comments.)
  • Email the secret sentence to Tracey Sabella: tracey@scrapthat.ca
The Blog Hop ends Sunday, June 30 at Midnight EST.
The prize MUST be claimed within 3 days of the forum announcement which will also be made on the ScrapThat! Blog.
~ If left unclaimed a NEW winner will be chosen ~
**Winner will pay actual shipping costs for sending the kit from Canada.**
Shipping costs will be invoiced via PayPal unless you are a kit member,
 then your prize will be shipped with your monthly kit.
Prizes won during the month will be mailed out the first week of the following month.
Due to Customs clearance, International mailings sometimes take 30-75 days to receive.

My secret words are:
a hope

Next hop over to

For your final stop, return here to the ScrapThat! Blog 
to let us know you have completed the hop.
Remember ~ only send the secret sentence to tracey@scrapthat.ca

Happy Hopping!

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

ScrapThat! July Sneak Peeks

Our ScrapThat! Design Team has been creating some inspiration for you with the fabulous July Kit. Just look at these gorgeous Sneak Peeks!! I hope you'll join us on Friday for our full Reveal and Blog Hop.


Just to tantalize you a little more, here are a some peeks from my projects:




As you can see, there is so much shabby chic goodness in this gorgeous kit.
See you on Friday!!

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Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Saturday, June 22, 2013

"Cousins" Details for ScrapThat!

Weddings are always such wonderful days, and the presence of a photo booth at the reception can add a little extra fun. Here I've scrapped a photo of our Daughter, Maria, with her younger cousin in whimsical attire at Elizabeth's wedding reception photo booth. 

The ScrapThat! June kit is just perfect to capture the
fun feel and colors in this photo. 

"Cousins"
MK, EAO, FAO

I used the May Prima BAP Sketch for inspiration:

This page is my sample for the ScrapThat! June DT Summer Stenciling Challenge.
I'd love for you to stop by the ScrapThat! Forum and add your project with stenciling. 

Tips and Techniques:

Prima Goodies ~ The ScrapThat! Kit included some fabulous Prima goodies including this amazing zipper flower and alpha set. My title is set on a chippie from my stash that I painted and inked. The spool was fussy cut from the Sunrise Sunset paper. The white Prima rose, was left from a previous kit. 

Distressed Mesh ~ The black mesh in the kit was so fun to work with and I used it on all three of my kit pages. I simply painted it with white gesso and when dry scraped off bits of the paint to distress. 


Vellum Flower ~ I was a little stumped at first as to how to used this vellum included in the main kit with the wonderful and vibrant chevrons. I wasn't sure how the linear design would work for a flower, but love the way this turned out. I cut the layers with my Sizzix Tattered Florals die, then crinkled the vellum offsetting the petals as I adhered. I tucked in a length of eyelash yard from my stash along with a large rhinestone. 

Doilies ~ I cut doilies from kit paper to layer behind the photo using my Cricut, Bigshot, and fussy cutting.

Distressing ~ is done with my favorite tool, my Donna Salazar Distrezz-It-All. 


Mixed Media ~ I used my Sunrise Sunset stencil first, then spritzed several shades of glimmery mist across the page. I wiped the mist off the stenciled molding paste to help it pop. 

Chipboard ~  I used several shades of mist on this DA chipboard piece from my stash.

Butterfly ~ Just a touch of rust ink on the edges of the wings makes this little beauty pop.

Gems ~ I pulled some of the gems off of the sheet in the main kit and scattered them across the bottom of the page. I used tweezers to dip them in glossy accents to adhere. 

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Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Friday, June 21, 2013

Wonderful Father and Twine Flower Tutorial Update for Really Reasonable Ribbon

Update March 2016: I now have a video tutorial for Girlie Grunge Twine Flowers showing how to create the loom and twine flower using Donna Salazar's new bakers twine for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. The process is exactly the same for jute twine or hemp cording. Only the size of the loom you use would change. A chart for suggested loom sizes and twine lengths can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this post. My VIDEO TUTORIAL can be viewed HERE.

Father's Day is such a special day to celebrate!! Especially when I have a faithful, loving father who has always been there when I need him.

I'd like to share this Father's Day card featuring twine flowers along with an update to my tutorial to create these versatile flowers. Bonnie carries a huge variety of twine and cording perfect for these flowers!! 

"Wonderful Father"

Really Reasonable Ribbon Products:
Scor-Tape 6" x 6"

Tips and Techniques:
Twine Flowers ~ These are created with 20lb Hemp Cord and Baker's Twine. The smaller flowers are centered with Newsprint Candi Minis. My updated Twine Flower tutorial can be found by scrolling down this post. 


Title ~ These ribbon slide letters for "father" were so perfect to use with the 1/2" Black Wrinkled Ribbon. I used a Tim Holtz Muse Token for the first part of the sentiment and sanded the raised portion to help the letters pop. 

Chevrons ~ Included in my stash of craft supplies is this wonderful little role of rusty wire mesh. I cut a piece into these grungy, masculine chevrons. 

The gorgeous masculine paper is from the Donna Salazar Antiquities collection 8" x 8" pad. 

Twine Flower Tutorial

*** A video tutorial for my twine flowers can be viewed HERE.***

Last year I noticed some gorgeous twine flowers on Pinterest, however, was unable to locate detailed instructions to create them. After quite a bit of experimenting and honing, I came up with this step by step tutorial for you to recreate some as well. I posted this tutorial previously, but have added some updated information as well as a Twine Length Guideline Chart which can be found at the bottom of this post. 

Please don't be intimidated by the number of steps. I wanted to make sure the directions are clear, so I would rather err on the side of giving you more information than you might need. The tutorial I learned from had fewer steps, and I found myself doing some trial and error, that hopefully will be avoided for you. 

Once you have made your loom and have a couple flowers under your belt, these little beauties only take about 10 to 15 minutes each to create. I like to make them when traveling in the car with my husband or catching a television show in the evening. 

Here are some project examples of twine flowers created with Really Reasonable Ribbon products.






*** A video tutorial for my twine flowers can be viewed HERE.***

SUPPLIES:

a) Really Reasonable Ribbon Twine or Cording - any kind of thin hemp, jute, or baker's twine will work nicely. (not pictured)
b) Two same size chipboard circles ~ I used 2 inch circles. 
c) Glue ~ any kind of glue that will hold the two chipboard circles together will work. I used Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive. *** Update*** ~ White glue like the Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive works better than clear glues which stay somewhat tacky and make pushing the pins in and out more difficult. 
d) 12 Straight pins ~ Mine have plastic balls on the ends, but any pins you have will work or even small finishing nails if you don't have straight pins. ***Update*** While flat head pins will work, The round ball ends are much easier to work with, and there is less hand fatigue when using this kind of pin. 
e) Large eye tapestry or yarn needle The needle doesn't have to be flat on the end with a curve like mine, as long as the eye is large enough to thread the twine and a rounded rather than sharp pointed end, it will work. The blue plastic yarn needles also work. 
f) A pencil or pen and ruler (not pictured) is needed to draw lines on the top circle. 

MAKING THE LOOM:

Step 1. Cut two identical chipboard circles ~ I used 2 inch circles cut on the AccuCut machine at my LSS. They could also be traced and cut with scissors. Don't worry if your circles aren't exactly perfect. The petals aren't going to be exactly the same even with perfect circles. ***Update***I have created 3 different size looms for my personal use: small ~ 1 1/2 inch diameter, medium ~ 2 inch diameter, and large ~ 3 inch diameter.

Step 2. Draw 6 lines evenly spaced on the front of one circle ~ This will give spacing like the numbers on a clock. 


Step 3. Spread glue on the back of the circle you drew lines on and adhere to the other chipboard circle. 

Step 4. Once the glue is dry, push your pins between the cardboard pieces in line with your pencil lines. If you don't let your glue dry first, a pair of pliers will be needed to pull your pins out the first time. (Go ahead, ask me how I know!!)


If you turn the chipboard on its side, it will look like this:


***Note*** My loom has held up well. I've made over 20 flowers, and the pins are still nice and tight. 
***Update*** ~ I have now made many dozens of flowers on my looms. After this heavy use, they started coming apart. I simply removed the pins, squeezed glue between the layers where needed, wiped off the excess glue, layered between wax paper, stacked some books on top and let dry over night. I could have easily made another, but saved the time of marking my lines for the pin placement. 

MAKING THE TWINE FLOWERS:

*** A video tutorial for my twine flowers can be viewed HERE.***

***Note*** I have created a Twine Length Guideline Chart which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Step 1. At first you will be working from your spool of twine. Don't cut anything yet. Think of your loom like a clock. Leaving about a 4 inch tail, hold the twine at 7:00. Wrap the twine up to the left side of the pin at 12:00 and wrap over and behind the 12:00 pin, moving from left to right, then wrap straight down to the right side of the pin at 6:00. Wrap the twine behind the 6:00 pin from right to left. 

***Update*** You can precut twine and cording using my new Twine Length Guideline Chart at the bottom of this post. Be sure to read my suggestions below the chart. 


Step 2. Now wrap your twine back up to the left side of the 11:00 pin, wrapping over/behind the pin from left to right and straight down to the right side of the 5:00 pin, wrapping behind the 5:00 pin from right to left.


Step 3. Continue this pattern until you have one loop around each pin. 


Step 4. Continue wrapping around the pins in the same pattern until you have two loops around each pin. 


Step 5. This was the confusing part for me, so I changed out the twine to a contrasting color to help illustrate the remaining steps. Your final wrap will be back around the 7:00 pin where you started. My loom is rotated in the photo, so it is no longer in the 7:00 position, but this last wrap goes around the pin that was in the 7:00 position when you started wrapping.

You will leave the starting tail at the 7:00 pin. On the working end of your twine, cut about a 20 inch length of twine. That's 20 inches from the last wrap on the loom. The amount of twine needed will depend on the thickness of the twine you are using. A thicker twine will require more and a thinner twine would require less. The twine I used is about the thickness of bakers twine. I also made a flower with a thicker jute which you can see in the photo at the end of this tutorial. That twine required about 24 inches to do the center weaving in the flower. When it doubt, cut a longer piece that you think you might need and then you will know how much to cut for your next flower. I keep my scraps to use on other projects like the ties for tags.

Thread the twine onto your large needle. 


Step 6. Now you are going to start weaving around the center of the flower. This will secure the flower petals in place and give the decorative stitching around the flower center. You are working from the back of the flower, so you won't see the pretty decorative stitching until the end when you remove your flower from the loom and turn it over. 

Move your 7:00 pin so it is now at 12:00. You will start weaving behing the "petal" to the right of your final wrap. So, take your needle and go underneath the 4 strands of twine wrapped around the 1:00 pin and push the needle all the way behind the 5 strands at the 12:00 pin, (the 4 petal strands and your starting strand of twine - this is the only place there will be 5 strands of twine.)  As you can see on the photo, your needle will be under a total of 9 strands of twine. 


Step 7. Pull your needle through. For this weaving stitch only leave a little slack in the end of your twine. Notice what the yellow twine is doing. 

The last wrap around the pin is now at the 12:00 position only goes to the center of the flower, so when you take your next weaving stitch with your needle you will secure that half thread in place. Moving to your left, push the needle under all 4 strands of the 12:00 petal plus starting tail and keep pushing it under the 4 strands of the 11:00 petal.



Step 8. Pull your woven stitches tight, pushing them towards the center of the flower with the tip of your needle. This is the only place where you may need to work with your stitches a little bit to get them nice and tight. Sometimes after I pull the stitches tight, the first stitch is too loose, if that is the case, I use my fingers to pull on the second stitch to take the slack out of the first stitch. Your stitching  should look like the stitches in the photo below. 


Step 9. Continue weaving by stitching under the petals, moving to the left in a counter clockwise direction. Please note, now that you are past the starting tail at the 12:00 petal, you will continue going behind two petals each time, but now for a total of 8 strands of twine. 


Step 10. Continue this pattern until you have 2 stitches around each petal, coming back around to where you started. Your last weaving stitch will still go behind 2 petals ~ 8 strands of twine. Pull the working twine on your needle down between the petals and between the stitches to the center of the flower. 

Notice how the yellow twine in the photo is pulled to the center of the flower between the 12:00 and
1:00 pins.


Step 11. Use your needle to weave the end of the thread under the top layer on the center stitches until it seems secure. I take two to three stitches to secure, usually going under about 10 or so threads all together. I start the needle under a thread that is right where I am pulling the thread between the petals and stitching so I don't distort the woven design on the back side of the stitching, which will actually be the front of the flower. After weaving the end of the twine to secure, cut it close to where it is exiting the flower center. 



Step 12. Pull the starting twine to the center and secure it in the same way.



Step 13. To release the flower from the loom, pull the pins out one at a time to release each petal, then put the pin back in place to be ready to create your next flower.

Turn your flower over to admire the beautifully stitched border around your center. 

***Update*** After removing the flower from the loom, your petals will be kind of pointy and the petals will be in pairs of two. I gently round and shape the petals and gently tug on each pair, pulling one petal to the left and the other to the right, to separate them a little. Please note, if you pull on the petals too hard, you will make those ones larger and the petals on the opposite side will get smaller. You have to tug rather firmly for this to occur, but it can happen. 

You can change the size of your flowers by using different size circles, but keep in mind that the center of your flower will be determined by the thickness of your twine, and will stay the same regardless of what size circle you use. You can see that my jute flower has a much larger center than the twine flowers.

You can also dress your flowers up with a variety of different centers from gems or large pearls, to Bonnie's Candi Mini's or buttons

Just look at this variety of Twine Flowers I created with Really Reasonable Ribbon cording and twine:


Be sure to check out the following sections of the Really Reasonable Ribbon Store to view Bonnie's amazing selection of Hemp Cord, Jute, Baker's Twine, and Metallic Strings which all make fabulous twine flowers:


I have created a twine length chart for you to used to determine approximately how many flowers you can create with a length or spool of twine. I highly recommend purchasing spools. These flowers are addicting and it's hard to stop making them once you start!! 

If using this chart to precut your twine, please read my suggestion below the chart. 

Twine Length Guideline Chart:
Jute 3" Loom ~ 3 yards
Jute 2" Loom ~ 7 feet 2 inches
Jute 1 1/2" Loom ~ not recommended
20lb Hemp 3" Loom ~ 8 feet 10 inches
20lb Hemp 2" Loom~ 6 feet 9 inches
20lb Hemp 1 1/2" Loom ~ not recommended
Baker's Twine 3" Loom ~ 8 feet 3 inches (flowers will be somewhat floppy)
Baker's Twine 2" Loom ~ 6 feet 3 inches
Baker's Twine 1 1/2" Loom ~ 5 feet 3 inches

***Suggestion*** This chart can also be used to precut your twine; however, I suggest adding several inches the first time you try a new size. I wrap fairly tightly, so if you wrap and weave more loosely, you may require more twine than I do. You can measure your excess twine after weaving in your ends and adjust your personal chart accordingly. 

*** A video tutorial for my twine flowers can be viewed HERE.***

I hope you give these flowers a try.

If you post a project with twine flowers using this tutorial, please stop by to leave a comment and let me know.

I've entered this at:
Word Art Wednesday Challenge # 85 ~ Anything goes

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Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~