Your Creative Wings - Vintage Inspiration

I've been feeling in a bit of a vintage vibe lately, and after seeing the new Antique Bazaar collection from Kaisercraft I knew it would be perfect to highlight one of my family heritage photos.

I tried to work out what year this photo was taken, but at the end of the day it's an educated guess, so I didn't want to claim it to be a particular year, hence the title Circa 1917.  What I do know about the photo is who the people in it are, and that it was taken in a studio in Gympie, also my own hometown.  The girl on the top left is my Great Grandma Enid. Her Dad Thomas (on the right) was a carpenter at the time, and it would have only been a couple of years after this photo was taken that he helped Enid to carve and assemble the most beautiful timber serving tray that I still have today, nearly 100 years later.

The new Polaroid Frame set has been cleverly put together so that you get lots and lots of polaroid frames from the one chippy piece (and that's great value for money!).  I really liked how they all interlocked together and decided to use that theme to create a background. 

To achieve the vintage brassy finish to these pieces I first dabbed some gold paint randomly on them. Then spritzed with two shades of mist (I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Mustard Seed & Coffee Shop).  I then ran them through my Cuttlebug using a large damask embossing folder.  I applied some charcoal Kindyglitz along the impressions made by the embossing folder, before giving a good coat of Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy.  When this dried it was a bit too gold and not quite brassy enough for my liking, so I added a coat of Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Tarnished Brass, and removed the excess with a baby wipe.

The Alpha #2 set is great for when you need some smaller alphas, and includes both letters and numbers.  These have been treated with Distress Paint in Black Soot, and then a coat of Glossy Accents for that beautiful glossy finish.

The flourish from the Sprig Flourish Set has been painted with Gesso and then with Crackle Paint.  Once dry I've inked with some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and again removed the excess with a baby wipe.  This really accentuates the crackle lines.  Finally I've painted with Mod Podge and sprinkled with Twinklets Diamond Dust.

I just love how the Diamond Dust, Crackle Paint and the Glossy Accents on the alphas sparkle and throw the light!

Your Creative Wings Product Used:  Polaroid Frame Set YCW6023, Sprig Flourish Set YCW7013, Alpha #2 YCW5001U

Other Product Used:  Bazzill cardstock, Kaisercraft Antique Bazaar Collection patterned paper, Die-namics & Spellbinders dies; Tim Holtz film strip ribbon, metal findings, Prima Junkyard Findings, My Minds Eye brad, Petaloo, Kaisercraft & Green Tara flowers, Carl punch, The Crafters Workshop stencil, Kaisercraft & Prima stamps, Versa Color, Versamark & Tim Holtz Distress Inks, thread, clear gesso, gesso, Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Black Soot, Glossy Accents, gold acrylic paint, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Mustard Seed & Coffee Shop, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy.  Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Tarnished Brass, Kindyglitz, Mod Podge, Twinklets Diamond Dust, Tinby Designs Metallic Melts in Patina.

My second layout today is more feminine, and uses another of Kaisercraft's latest collections, Oh So Lovely.

So far there are 14 different frames to choose from in the Your Creative Wings frame collection.  I do love the Ornate Frame 2, because it's square based it's perfect for Instagram photos, and another smaller square frame can be layered inside it, like this one from Crate Paper.

I played around a bit with finishes for two of the chippy pieces on this layout, and initially painted them with acrylic paint but then misted over that with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Coffee Shop. Because of the acrylic paint layer the finish of the mist is a little different than if i had misted raw chipboard, but I love the finished effect!

The Chain Set comes with two sizes of chain, and they work really easily together.  Perfect for hanging my fussy cut bird cages from!

The shop now has a huge collection of Words & Quotes.  It's too hard to pick a favourite, but I love all the scripty words.  My title has just been primed with gesso and then painted with acrylic paint.

The Flutterby Charm 2 comes with additional butterflies for layering.  This piece has been treated the same as the frame, and I've layered an extra butterfly that has been painted in Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Antique Linen.

Your Creative Wings Product Used:  Ornate Frame 2 YCW6004, Flutterby Charm 2 YCW3044, Ball Chain Lengths YCW11009, Words - So Happy YCW1056.

Other Product Used:  Kaisercraft, Bo Bunny, Basic Grey & My Minds Eye patterned paper, Cheery Lin Designs die, doily, Prima Say It In Crystals, sequins, Prima stamp, Ranger Archival Ink, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Prima & Kaisercraft flowers, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Tim Holtz Distress Paint, acrylic paint, The Crafters Workshop stencil, Crate Paper frame.

Thanks so much for dropping by today!

Your Creative Wings Inspiration

Hi everyone, today I have some Your Creative Wings inspiration for you!

I'm really fortunate to have a bunch of really old photos of my family, and mostly because of my Grandparents I also have the background story that goes along with them.  I love that family members who have gone before me, each in their own way help to shape my own life story.  A photo of my Grandma in her youth (in quite a revealing swimsuit for the era gasp!) inspired this vintage layout.

I'm totally loving the Doilyz Nest chipboard set which comes with 6 individual pieces.  In this layout I've used three of them and layered each with ephemera pieces.

I've recently purchased a set of Tinby Metallic Melts and thought I'd give them a try on this layout.  Tinby Metallic Melts are a chunky heat embossing powder with a metallic sheen.  I was aiming for a rustic finish, and as you can see on my title it gives a lovely aged look.  To achieve this look simply heat the powder until almost melted, but not completely.  I used three different colours throughout the layout, on the Doilyz Nest pieces, the large flourish and on my title.

The tiny pendant has so much detail to it, and when embossed with white embossing powder it shows  that detail through beautifully.

It's great to keep some smaller pieces of chippy on hand to tuck in here and there to add extra details, like the Birds - Cute set and Hearts & Arrows set.  I've applied Whipped Spackle roughly with a palette knife, allowed it to dry and then dripped mist onto each.  When the mist dried I dabbed on a little more gesso for a mottled effect.

Your Creative Wings Products Used:  Curly Scroll YCW7004, Doilyz Nest YCW13005, My Words YCW1026, Small Hearts & Arrows YCW4019, Damask Charm Set - Large YCW16011, Birds - Cute YCW3002

Other Products Used:  Patterned Paper - Kaisercraft Blue Bay collection, Kaisercraft Blue Bay ephemera pack, Martha Stewart edge punch, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Cracked Pistachio and Pumice Stone, Gesso, Whipped Spackle, twine, lace, burlap trim, Tinby Metallic Melts, Flowers - Prima, Kaisercraft & Manor House Creations, Ribtex bling, white embossing powder, thread, Gelatos in Snow Cone and Aqua Dolce, Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabios in Merci Beaucoup Mint & Ceste la vie Cerise, Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Navy

I've also created some cards this month.

Do you have anyone in your life that you wished lived closer so that you could see them more often? Why not send them a card to remind them how much you think of them?  The Love Candy buttons have some sweet sentiments on them and this little 'Miss You' sentiment is so darn cute.

I've used another of the Doilyz Nest pieces, heat embossed in white and layered it over a die cut doily to create an additional layer (the Doilyz Nest pieces are so versatile!).  After arranging my flower cluster around the bottom left I've dabbed Liquid Pearls around the remaining inside border of the chippy.

I've again tucked a little Birds - Cute piece in with the flowers (heat embossed in white), and the Love Candy piece has been left raw to give it some contrast to the rest of the card, and draw your eye to it as the sentiment.

Your Creative Wings Products Used:  Love Candy YCW12018, Birds - Cute YCW3002, Doilyz Nest YCW13005.

Other Products Used:  Patterned Paper - Kaisercraft XO collection, Bazzill cardstock, Martha Stewart corner punch, Cheery Lynn Designs doily die, Carl punch, Flowers - Green Tara, Petaloo & Manor House Creations, Prima Say it in Crystals, My Minds Eye enamel dots, Doodlebug Designs sequins, Liquid Pearls in Platinum Pearl, white embossing powder, thread, satin seam binding, medical gauze.

And lastly a card just to say "Love You".  Valentines Day has been and gone, but it doesn't hurt to remind our loved ones every now and then how much we appreciate them.

I was inspired by the Art Deco feel to this 3x4 card from Kaisercraft's XO collection.  With this theme in mind, flicking through my chippy pieces I was drawn to the styling of the Ornate Gate Medium chippy piece.  I painted it with Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Black Soot for maximum contrast to the 3x4 card. To continue with the Art Deco theme I've edge-punched some white cardstock and used it as a border.

The Love Candy pieces were the perfect size to replace the letter "O" in the word Love.  I've separated the very outside piece of the Love Candy and painted it as I did the gate, and the inside two pieces were then heat embossed in white.  Once reassembled they fit perfectly into a 25 (or 2.5cm) Epiphany Crafts Charm Setting.  This then nestled into a Heart Chain chippy piece that I painted with pink acrylic paint.

Your Creative Wings Products Used:  Ornate Gates Medium YCW19003, Heart Chain Small YCW12020, Love Candy YCW12018

Other Products Used:  Patterned Paper - Kaisercraft XO collection, Bazzill cardstock, Martha Stewart edge punch, Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Black Soot, white embossing powder, My Minds Eye enamel dots, acrylic paint, Ephipany Crafts Charm Settings 25, satin seam binding, machine stitching.

Thanks for dropping by today, and don't forget about our special offer at the moment - spend $25 or more in the YCW Shop and go in the draw to win $100 worth of Your Creative Wings chipboard!!

I Am.. Right Where I want to Be

Like so many of us I'm completely smitten with the I Am collection from Simple Stories.  Although I don't make many layouts about myself, there are so many positive phrases and adorable girly elements to the collection I thought it would be a great opportunity to document where I'm at right now.  With a few milestones like being 40 and having our youngest leave home for uni, it's kinda been a big year!  But really the title of the layout pretty much sums it up - I am right where I want to be.

I knew I wanted to go with a clean look to incorporate some of the beautiful frames in my layout. I placed four of the frames across my page, and then picked out chipboard elements and small phrases that reflected how I'm feeling about life right now to fill in the remainder of the layout.

I backed this frame with one of the 3x4 cards from the Journalling Card Elements paper.  To add an extra gold touch I hand stitched around the heart with some gold embroidery thread.  The tiny bow I cut on my Cameo (design id #44795).

To finish off the layout I created a flip up interactive element under the largest frame to house some hidden journalling.  I used a 3x4 journalling card and stitched it in place on my layout and also backed the frame with a chalkboard 3x4 card to keep it looking pretty when it's raised.  I love that the journalling card is a miniature clipboard!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Your Creative Wings - Love You Beautiful

I'm up on the Your Creative Wings blog today, and I'm super excited to have had the chance to play with the gorgeous new release designs, they're simply stunning!

I snapped this lovely photo of my Grandma and cousin on the way home from my Uncle's wedding a couple of years back.    With various shades of purple currently making a return to favour in scrapbooking products, it was the perfect opportunity to dedicate a layout to this favourite photo.

I've used the two March papers from Graphic 45's A Time to Flourish collection, and a soft Pion Designs paper as a neutral background.

The new YCW Damask Background chippy is just gorgeous!  It's so detailed and so very pretty.  I've also used the largest of the new Doilyz Nest and the Love You scripted title.

I've drawn inspiration from both Sue's and Rikki's techniques from their recent blog posts for my title.  I've dripped Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist straight onto the chipboard for a beautiful shimmery effect (Sue's technique), and layered the title directly over my flower cluster (Rikki's technique).

I wanted the Damask Background to really pop off the page, and used Versa Colour Ink in the bright and rich Boysenberry to ink directly onto the chipboard.

I always seem to get glue everywhere, but found an easy way to adhere the Damask Background to my layout was to use a sponge to apply PVA glue to the back of the chippy before adhering it to the page.  I found this gave good coverage without any excess glue seeping out from the edges of the intricate design.

I've used the largest of the Doilyz Nest pieces.  This is a great value chippy, with 6 individual Doilyz in one piece of chipboard.  I applied two coats of a Jo Sonja's background paint in cream.  Jo Sonja's background paints are specially designed for base coating and give great coverage, so I didn't need to prime this piece with Gesso.  I then heat embossed with clear embossing powder for a nice gloss finish.

Your Creative Wings Products Used:  Damask Background YCW16016, Doilyz Nesting YCW13005, Word - Love You YCW1062.

Other Products Used:  Graphic 45 A Time to Flourish patterned paper, Pion Design A Day in May patterned paper, Bazzill cardstock, vellum, Prima Marketing Inc flowers, Green Tara flowers, lace, ribbon, gauze, twine, Prima Marketing Inc stamp, Versa Colour Ink in Boysenberry and Bamboo, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap & Antique Linen, Jo Sonja's background paint, Kaisercraft pearls, clear embossing powder, Fiskars edge punch, thread, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Pop Rocks & Silver Sugar.

My second layout features my beautiful niece Milly on her third birthday.  She was dressed as a fairy and even had a special fairy braid in her hair.  I wanted to create the soft and gentle feeling of a fairy garden around her.

I've used the ornate clock as a base and added several layers.  I've heat embossed it in white and then added a butterfly punched from turquoise vellum, another butterfly stamped with black Stazon Ink over acetate and then fussy cut, a heart charm, a teeny tiny banner and a flower.  I've then added some bling and tied some satin seam binding to finish it off.

The Beautiful script title I've treated in one of my favourite ways with two layers of gesso and some Kindyglitz in Crystalina.

As with so many YCW chippy pieces, the heart charm can be separated so that different mediums can be applied easily to different parts of the chippy design.  I've separated out the inner piece of the heart and base coated in gesso before applying Mod Podge and white glitter.  Once pieced back together I've added one of the Mini Butterflies to the top of the charm and added some bling.

To create the marbled effect on the Ornate Frame and Charm I base coated in gesso before applying pink acrylic paint.  I wasn't happy with the colour at that stage so added a few dabs of gesso with my fingertips and this created the two toned or marbled effect.  Once dry I added Glossy Accents for a beautiful gloss finish.  I love how these pieces turned out.  

Your Creative Wings Products Used:  Wrought Iron Clock YCW16017, Ornate Frame 17 Medium YCW6020, Key to My Heart Charm Set YCW12013, Word - Beautiful YCW1012, Corner Scroll YCW7011, Butterflies Mini YCW 2042.

Other Products Used:  Webster's Pages Nest Collection patterned paper, Coredinations Cardstock, Maggie Holmes Open Book gold foil vellum, Doodlebug Design vellum, EK Success edge punch, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Prima Marketing Inc & Kaisercraft stamps, Stazon ink, acetate, acrylic paint, gesso, white embossing powder, Glossy Accents, Kindy Glitz in Crystalina, Prima Marketing Inc Say It In Crystals, My Two Angels crystal circle and heart, satin seam binding, Prima Marketing Inc flowers, Green Tara flowers, Manor House Creations leaves, gold thread, Whipped Spackle, Caran d'Ache Neocolour in Golden Yellow, Gelato in Watermelon, LuminArte Twinkling H2O in Peppermint Taffy, Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio in Chateau Rose & Bonjour Butter, lace, ZVA Creative pearl flourishes, white glitter, Tim Holtz Distress Ink.

Thanks for stopping by today!  If you haven't visited the YCW shop recently be sure to check out the new release designs here.

A Piece of Cake Designs - Friday Favourites

My third and final project as Guest Designer for A Piece of Cake Designs is all about Friday Favourites!

Does anyone else have trouble getting their man in front of a camera?  Mine really does not like his photo taken, and so rarely makes it into any of my scrapbook pages.  I snapped this pic while we were at lunch on a recent holiday and I think it's kinda cool.  So he finally gets to have a layout (probably the first ever) featuring just him, hence the title Hello Handsome.

Some of my very favourite pieces from the Cupcake Kit this month are the woodgrain and navy striped papers, the navy embellishments ('best ever' and 'that was so fun' tags), the gorgeous flair buttons, the cloud die cut, and the die cut shields. I've also saved the scraps of my favourite yellow polka dot paper from my last project, and seriously, who doesn't love a turquoise doily!  

Hello 2015 is one of my favourite digi files from the Digital Shop January Releases and I've used it both as part of my title and as a background layer for my layout.

I duplicated the word 'hello' from the digital file into a grid pattern on a Silhouette Studio page, and cut it on my Cameo from white cardstock.  After trimming it to size I adhered it to another piece of white cardstock and machine stitched the edge in white thread.  By using all white products it adds visual texture to the background without becoming too busy for the other bright colours used in the layout.

There are quite a few black & white doodling elements to the My Minds Eye Jubilee Tangerine  collection, including this smaller shield.  To cut back on some of the busyness of the geometric lines, I've used my Mango Gelato from the kit with a watercolour brush to colour parts of it in.

The antler flair is just delicious and  I've used it to reinforce the masculine feel to this page.

To build the title I've used one of the 'hello' scripted words that was left over from creating the background, and simply recoloured it.

One of my favourite things to do on a layout is to fussy cut.. I'm always looking through patterned papers to see what I can cut out.  Once I had tucked in the cute cloud die cut, of course I needed to cut some hot air balloons from one of the 6x6 papers.

Even after three separate projects there's still so much product in my Cupcake Kit.  The only things in this layout not included in the kit are white and blue cardstock, a few enamel dots, some twine and a tag that was a piece of memorabilia from our weekend away.

And that brings to an end the sharing of my Guest Designer projects at A Piece of Cake Designs.  I'm so thrilled to have been creating with the Cupcake Kit this month, and can't thank Raquel enough for having me along.

The kits are always perfectly coordinated and have such a great mix of papers, embellishments and exclusive flair.  The February kit sneaks are looking amazing!

A Piece of Cake Designs - Guest Designer

Every now and then you'll come across someone who makes your day with their thoughtfulness.  While we were setting our DS up in his unit recently, we came across a lounge suite on Gumtree that was free.  The owners wouldn't accept any payment for it, they just wanted to help someone out that needed some furniture. And you know what?  It's really a great lounge suite!

I knew straight away that I would send the these lovely people a card and some Instant Scratch-its as a small measure of our thanks.

I've been playing with the gorgeous January Cupcake Kit from A Piece of Cake Designs again,  and I've pulled more of the bright and happy colours from the My Mind's Eye Jubilee Tangerine collection for this card.

The background came together with some basic paper piecing.  I cut multiple 4 x 4cm squares in two different patterned papers and then cut each square in half on the diagonal.  I arranged them so that each triangle became part of a larger diagonal line.  I then stitched each straight and diagonal line on my sewing machine to give a quilted look.

I've used the Hello 2015 design by Polka Dot Creative from the Digital Store, love Jodie's scripting!  I've cut the heart in white cardstock on my Cameo, then coloured it using the Mango Gelato from the kit.  I've adhered it to the card base and then stitched around it a couple of times in orange thread.  Because there are some fine areas on the heart, it stitches more easily when it's adhered to a solid base.

To pretty up my little parcel I used patterned papers from the kit to add a liner to the envelope, and a gift card holder to house the Instant Scratch-Its.

You'll find a bunch of envelope liner tutorials on Pinterest, and they are really quite simple to do but add that extra personal touch.  I used a corner rounder at the top to get a clean, straight curve without any stray scissor cuts.

You'll also find plenty of gift card holder templates on Pinterest.  I found one that I liked and resized it so that it fit my Instant Scratch-Its perfectly.  

A couple of embellishments and a sentiment using the Webster's Pages woodgrain Little Letter Stickers from the kit and it looks as cute as a button!

Now I just need to write a message of thanks in my card, pop in a photo I snapped of the three boys on their new lounge suite, and send this little parcel off in the post!

Thanks for dropping by today,