"The Alamo Archways" Mixed Media Layout for Donna Salazar Designs

Hi my dear crafty friends! I have a new Creative Team project for Donna Salazar Designs with a girlie grunge layout featuring some of her Spellbinder and Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L products.

Gary and I recently took a trip to the lovely city of San Antonio, Texas. While there we visited the site of the Alamo filled with rich history. This long archway struck me with it's beauty. I've been working my way through using all 20 of Donna's fabulous new Spellbinder products released last month. I've tucked a die cut created with her Cascading Stars etched die under and next to the photo. So perfect to give a patriotic touch. Of course you know how much I enjoy creating hand crafted flowers, so have also paired Donna's new Big Blossom and Jumbo Rose dies with her classic Bitty Blossoms and Rose creations for these girlie grunge flowers. I've added grungy color by mixing Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L Pigment Powders into her Girlie Grunge Art Medium. Please hop on over to Donna's blog for more details and close-ups HERE.

Here's a sneak peek:

Donna Salazar Designs Products

Spellbinders®

Jumbo Rose Steel Rule Die

Cascading Stars Die

Big Blossom Die

Rose Creations

Bitty Blossoms

Sprightly Sprockets

Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®

Girlie Grunge Art Medium

Dodz™ XL

Pigment Powder - Silver

Pigment Powder - Brown

Pigment Powder - Gold

Pigment Powder - Blue

Clearsnap®/Colorbox®

Mix'd Media Inx® ~ Truffle

Partner Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® ~ DODZ™ - 3D

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® ~ Crafty Power Tape - 81'

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® ~ Crafty Foam Tape - White

Spellbinders® ~ Tool ’n One

Other Products

Blue Fern Studios ~ Serendipity - Imagination **Scraps of Elegance

Prima ~ Timeless Memories - 6x6 Paper Pad #847340

Prima ~ Epiphany - 6x6 Paper Pad #846961

Kraft Cardstock - Stash

Prima ~ Memory Hardware - Pearls #990398

Prima ~ Metal Embellishments #9 #583552 **Scraps of Elegance

Blue Fern Studios ~ Whimsy Flourishes  **Scraps of Elegance

Craft Cornsortium ~ Always & Forever - Resin Roses, Duck Egg **Scraps of Elegance

Stamin ~ Black - Stash

Recollections ~ Mixed Media - Paper Icons, skeleton leaves

Recollections ~ Mixed Media - Paper Words, Inspire

Liquitex ~ Gesso - Clear

DecoArt ~ Dazzling Metallics - Metallic Paint: Renaissance Brown, Venetian Gold

Darice ~ Heat Tool

~ Blessings ~

Tracey

Girlie Grunge Mixed Media Recipe Holder for Donna Salazar Designs

Hi everyone! I'm up on the Donna Salazar Designs blog today with this girlie grunge mixed media recipe holder. I've featured a few of Donna's NEW products including her new Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Pigment Powder colors and Spellbinders Cascading Butterflies die which is scheduled for release this spring.

I enjoy spending time in our kitchen, and it'll be nice to have a bit of mixed media goodness in my cooking space.

Here's a sneak peek:

Please stop by Donna's blog for all the details HERE.

~ Blessings ~

Donna Salazar Designs Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®

NEW ~ Pigment Powder - Silver

NEW ~ Pigment Powder - wine

Dodz™ XL

3D Foam Swirls

Pigment Powder - Blue

Pennant Set

Spellbinders®

NEW ~ Cascading Butterflies

Rose Creations

Bitty Blossoms

Clearsnap®/Colorbox®

Mix'd Media Inx® ~ Denim, Indigo, Truffle

Mix'd Media Inx® CHOX ~ Butternut

Smooch Spritz® ~ Caramel Latte, Sea Breeze

Twinkle Dust Glitter ~ Pralines and Cream

Partner Products

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® ~ DODZ™ - Small

Clearsnap/ColorBox® Embossing Powder - Clear

Other Products
Cardstock ~ white
Manilla Folder
Vintage Book Page
Crafty and You Design ~ Spring Garden 01
Darice ~ Easter Egg Clothespin Table Decor Decoration
Prima ~ Ladybird - Decorative Frames #563424
Stamin ~ Stash
Liquitex ~ Gesso - white, clear
Faber-Castell - Whipped Spackle
Higgins ~ Drawing Ink - white
Tim Holtz ~ Stampers Anonymous - Layering Stencil, Doily

Birthday Card for Bo Bunny Sketch Challenge/Donna Salazar Sept. Challenge

This is a busy month at the Sabella household with Elizabeth and Andrew's wedding just a month away now. I'm busy arranging bouquets for Elizabeth and the bridesmaids with some advice from the floral designers at my favorite craft store. Her wedding shower is coming up Monday, and I just finished creating their wedding card, but that is for an upcoming assignment and won't be posted for a while yet. 

The card challenge at Bo Bunny this month is a gorgeous sketch by my talented friend, Juliana Michaels. I couldn't wait to create a card with it. Elizabeth will be having a birthday later next month, and I knew right away that this sketch would be great for a feminine shabby chic card to celebrate her special day.

I used Donna Salazar's Rose Creation Dies to create these lovely roses and leaves. Her challenge this month is to create a gift for a special person.

I was so excited to find that my "Peaceful Day at the Sea" layout was named as a winner at Catered Crop. As a result, I was invited to be a guest designer in Sunday's Quickfire by creating a project for the current In the Pink Recipe Swap to use pink on your paper craft project. Be sure to drop on over to Catered Crop to check out their great challenges!! 

Here's my card:

Bo Bunny Sketch by Juliana:

Techniques:

Handcrafted Flowers ~ I wanted to showcase this fabulous Bo Bunny paper, so rather than using pre-made flowers I cut these using my Donna Salazar Rose Creation Dies. I love how Bo Bunny papers can be mixed and matched from different lines. I used two older papers for my flowers that coordinated perfectly with the Abrosia card base. For a little shimmer, I brushed on some Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and sprinkled on Crystal Glitter Ritz Micro Fine Glitter. 

Bo Bunny Products Used:

Ambrosia Card Kit ~ Die Cut Card

Ambrosia Card Kit ~ Chipboard

Ambrosia Card Kit ~ Rub-on

Love Shack Shimmy

Eire Tartan

Other Products:

Zva Creative ~ Royalty Flourish - Rosy Pink #CR02CA102

Crystal Glitter Ritz Micro Fine Glitter - Cool Highlight

Donna Salazar Spellbinders Rose Creation Die Set

Net Ribbon ~ Stash

Ranger Distress Ink ~ Pine Needles, Forest Moss

Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive

Hercules Tape

Ranger Glossy Accents

Sizzix Big Shot

Basic Grey Rub-On Roller Tool

Thanks for all the kind comments you have left about Maria's drawing. She has been so excited to read your encouraging words!! 

This card has also been entered at

Word Art Wednesday - Use an encouraging sentiment **
My Crafting Channel - Fabric Friday Challenge - Used mesh ribbon (Sept 28)
Digi Doodle Shop Challenge #124 - Hand Made Flowers **
Darling Cardmakers September Colour Challenge **

Thanks for dropping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Turning 50 ~ Donna Salazar Sketch Challenge

I had a lovely outing with my husband this afternoon. Last winter he bought a convertible that he calls his "mid-life crisis" car. :-) It was a wonderful day for a drive. I even got to do a little shopping at the new Michaels that just opened up. How nice to have one a mere 30 minutes away. I hope you are having a lovely weekend as well. 

Back in June we had a birthday for my sister, celebrating 50 years. This shot of her with our nieces is so sweet. My sister is such a blessing to me. She is such a strong woman whom I admire so much. 

I used the Donna Salazar August challenge sketch by the talented Mistra with lots of Donna's amazing products. These Donna Salazar papers were so perfect to pick up the colors in the photo.

Mistra's gorgeous sketch:

I included a butterfly on this layout to participate in the "Wings" Challenge over at Berry71Bleu. Such a lovely site!! This is my first time entering one of their challenges. 

Techniques:

Handcrafted Flowers ~ For the larger focal flower, I used the DSD Grand Peony Die and for the medium roses, small roses, and leaves I used her Rose Creation Dies. I used one of Donna's favorite adhesives, Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Glue on each of the petals and while wet dipped the flowers into diamond dust for lots of sparkle. 

Crystal Flourishes ~ all of the flourishes on my page were cut from a single Zva flourish. One flourish can go a long way if you are willing to cut it apart. I still have the butterfly portion with a trail left for yet another project. 

Painted, Misted paper ~ I dry brushed nearly everything on this page with some antique white acrylic paint. The circle behind my flower cluster had a lovely light grey flower design on it. I proceded to write my journaling there. To make a long story short, it didn't work. I painted over the journaling and it took about 8 or 10 layers before it stopped showing through. I then inked over the paint, and that wasn't working for me either. So not one to give up, I started misting. The paint acts kind of like a resist, so the mist settled into the paint brush marks. I just kept spritzing different colors until I got a color combo that worked. I had a pitiful sopping piece of paper on my hands. I kind of liked the look, but was sure the paper was ruined by this point. I let it dry over night, and it was dry by morning, but oh so wrinkly. I spritzed it lightly on the back put it between some paper towels with several heavy books on top. The result was a perfectly flat circle with color and texture that was perfect for my page. Yay!! I just adore happy accidents. 

Corrugated Board Liner Butterfly ~ I mentioned in a previous post that when I use Donna's corrugated board to die cut my corrugated butterflies, it comes off in one neat piece. Oh yes, I've been saving these gems, and here is one all dressed up. I inked the rough side of the paper with several shades of distress ink, until I achieved a color that coordinated with my page, then coated it with a thick layer of Ranger Clear Rock Candy Distress Paint and set it aside to dry. To add a bit more dimension, I rubbed more ink into the fabulous cracks that appeared when the paint dried. I curled it over a paint brush and added some extra flourish gems to the body along with flower stamen antennae. My good friend, Juliana Michaels, tried out my corrugated butterflies and added the crackle paint. Her creative approach  gave me the idea to try the crackle out here. 

Stamping ~ I wanted just a little more visual texture and weight next to my butterfly, so used Donna's Lace Corner Stamp here. 

Distrezzing ~ I distressed all the straight edges with my Distrezz-It-All. It's even is even a breeze to Distrezz corrugated board in seconds. 

Hand Stitching ~ I penciled in swirled lines, then punched holes for my hand stitching. This time with 2 strands of DMC floss for the swirled lines and 4 strands for the straight lines. 

Ripped Edge ~ I've seen and admired these ripped edges tucked with embellies for years, but had never tried it myself until now. I tucked one of my handcrafted roses into the opening. The back of the paper clashed with my layout, so I dry brushed it with some antique white paint. 

Stickle Accents ~ It's hard to see in the photos but the two vertical mats have sweet flourishes that I painted with Crystal Stickles for a lovely shimmer that's oh so girlie in person.

Rhinestone Accents ~ I had a couple little segments of my flourish left over and pulled the tiny rhinestones off to add them to the center of my lace scallops on the left. I used larger rhinestones from my stash to embellish the other lace piece. 

Donna Salazar Products:

Spring in Bloom:

     Spring Blooms

     Pretty in Purple

     Spring Sky

Botanique:

     Magical

     Cards

     Bliss

Corrugated Board 

Smooch Spritz:

     Sea Breeze

     Mixed Berries

Spellbinders Dies:

     Rose Creations

     Grand Peony

Lace Corner Stamp

Distrezz-It-All

DSD Compatible Products:

Smooch Spritz:

     Cherry Ice

     Frosted Grape

     Silver Foil

Want 2 Scrap Say It With Bling

Other Products:

Embellishments:

Zva Creative Crystal Flourish Fancy Butterfly - Lavender and Grape

Paper Doilies - Stash

Crochet Doily - Stash

Lace - two pieces - Stash

Creative Charms - Vintage Brads

Prima Alphabet Stickers - Craftsman #559113

Technique Products:

DMC Floss #316 and #931

Floral Stamens - Stash

Making Memories Acrylic Paint - manila

DecoArt Crafter's Acrylic - Antique White; Light Antique White

Ranger Distress Crackle Paint - Clear Rock Candy

Ranger Stickles - Crystal

Distress Ink - Vintage Photo; Stormy Sky; Dusty Concord

Twinklets Diamond Dust

Rhinestones - Stash

Adhesives:

Scotch ATG

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents

Darice Foam Strips

Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Glue

Tools: 

Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers - Mini Butterflies and Base Tray

Martha Stewart Doily Lace Punch

Martha Stewart Circle Cutter - large

Fiskars Craft Knife and Self-healing Mat

Prima Distress Tool

Bazzil In Stitch'z Mat and Piercing Tool

Punch Bunch Tool Set

Tim Holtz Craft Mat

I have also entered this at Word Art Wednesday Challenge #42 Joy or an encouraging sentiment. 

Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Reflections ~ DT reveal ScrapFIT Workout #63 Sketch

For Workout #63 at ScrapFIT, we had the privilege to work with a fabulous sketch by the oh so talented Diana Fisher. 

Workout #62 ~ Sketch Workout with our Creative Trainer

As our in house Creative Trainer, Diana, has drawn out this workout with your best fitness results in mind! She knows the importance of inspiration when it comes to working out, and that was her goal when she created this sketch for you! Join in the fun with us by creating a layout based on this sketch!

I scrapped this wonderful older photo of our daughter, Elizabeth, back when we lived in North Carolina. I enjoyed using these wonderful papers by g.c.d. studios from the Antiquities line.

Diana's Fab Sketch:

As you can see, I rotated the sketch.

I hope you're inspired to join us in this Workout at ScrapFIT by creating and linking a paper project based on Diana's lovely sketch for a chance to win this fabulous prize sponsored by Paper Quirks! Be sure to stop by her Etsy shop to see her stunning flowers and die cuts!! 

I'm looking forward to seeing the projects you create with this sketch. Be sure to link your project at ScrapFIT. 

Techniques:

Background Gesso/Stamping/Misting ~ I dry brush painted spots of gesso on my focal paper then stamped and misted in two colors. I was so thrilled to find that my stash held this perfect sentiment for my title.

Vintage Handkerchief Mat ~ As I was working on this page, I discovered a basket of vintage handkerchiefs at a thrift store. I quickly bought up several lace edged hankies and cut the corner out of this one to mat my photo. I added adhesive backed pearls to each flower center in the lace edge. 

Hand Crafted Flowers ~ created with the Donna Salazar Rose Creations die set and more g.c.d. studios Antiquities paper inked with Ranger Distress Ink to add color and dimension. I finished them off with a pearl brad center. 

Blinged Jewelry Finding ~ I found this jewelry focal piece in the clearance bin and added clear crystal beads which I alcohol inked pink to coordinate with my flowers and focal paper. 

Lace ~ I found a gorgeous length of beaded, sequined bridal lace fabric at JoAnn's (of course marked down in the remnant bin) around Christmas. I fussy cut this section which fit perfectly into the corner of my layout. 

Grungy Punched Border ~ I use a variety of small detailed punches randomly around the edge of my focal paper, then tore between the punched images. I used dark ink against the white doilies and lace, then used white ink on the edges against the blue background paper.

Paper Doilies ~ I cut up a small circle and heart doilies to place behind my grungy punched edges and the half heart that was left is tucked under my flower cluster. 

Stitching ~ I stitched a double wave border around the edge of my focal paper inside the punched edge. 

Mat Strips ~ I used a couple different techniques here. I tore/inked some of the strips, while fussy cutting the blue "lace" strip.

Bling ~ I used mini glue dots to adhere the rhinestone bling around the clock image. 

Thanks for dropping by. I treasure your comments!

~ Blessings ~

Journey ~ Bird is the Word using The Stamping Scrapper Sketch

I was so delighted to find this old photo of my husband's father when he was only 15 with his younger sister and a cousin. The guitars and accordion help make this an even more precious photo. This paper by g.c.d. studios couldn't have been more perfect with the vintage design and music borders.

The challenge at Bird is the Word to use "Journey" on a layout was just perfect because in a few short years each of these young men and woman would be taking a journey to live in a different part of the country. Journey is the title, in the quote printed next to the title, and on the Muse Token in my embellishment cluster. 

I was inspired by this creative sketch, by The Scrapping Stamper:

I enjoy doing subtle things on my pages to support the photo(s). It's hard to see here, but the pen nib has the word notes on it. I'm sure it was meant for written notes, but works perfectly to reflect the musical notes that would have been played on the instruments. I created the flowers using my Donna Salazer Spellbinders Rose Creations die set and more of the gorgeous g.c.d. studios paper from the Antiquities line. One of those g.c.d. papers I used for the flowers was sheet music, again to give that subtle music touch.

I cut my gears from a couple different SVG file sets that I converted with Inkscape to files I could cut on my Gazelle. Here are links to the files: Gear set 1; Gear set 2; Gear 3. There are a number of free gear svg files out there, so if you don't like what you see here, you can try doing a Google search.

I cut the gears from a dark brown - nearly black paper, then painted with a brown metalic paint mixed with black. When that was dry I used a nearly dry brush with antique white acrylic to add a little distressing to the gears. Since I didn't have any chipboard gears, I made due with what I had on hand. I also added a couple of the Tim Holtz metal gears ~ treated with black alcohol ink to mix things up a little.

I wanted to embellish with some of the rich yellow color from the gorgeous compass in the border of the background paper. I alcohol inked some clear gem brads for my flower centers and included some yellow trinkets in my bottle cap. 

My friend, Kelly, gave me the mini bottle cap. This is such a fun embellishment to create. Simply take a bottle cap (bought or found), set it with the edges turned up (preferably on some cardboard or a few layers of newspaper so you don't damage your table) and use a rubber mallet to pound the edges down. (Who said scrapbooking is a passive art??) If you want to distress/antique it ~ paint some alcohol ink on the edges. You could also use Copic markers for this as well. I put a pool of E6000 adhesive in the bottom and placed little trinkets into the thick glue. You can adhere it to the page right away, but remember to keep it flat over night so the glue has a chance to dry before you put it in your album. If you want to be on the safe side, just wait until the E6000 is dry before adhering to your page.

Some of my other embellishments include buttons and trinkets from my collection of vintage items, a metal flower that I alcohol inked from Hobby Lobby, and a few Tim Holtz goodies including the "journey" muse token. Most of my metal items were alcohol inked and then sanded to distress and to make certain features more visible like the numbers on the clock.

I cut the letters from some craft aluminum using the Tim Holtz Typeset die strip, then dabbed on a mixture of espresso and black alcohol inks using a felt applicator.

I'm participating in Friendship Friday at Create with Joy - I started using blogger because that seemed to be the platform that most scrapbook artists were using. I has worked well for me so far. 

Be sure to drop by Shannon's sketch blog to see the amazing LO's created by her design team, and if you haven't tried one of the Bird is the Word Challenges, stop over there and give one a try. 

Thanks for dropping by. I treasure your comments!

~ Blessings ~