Scattered Scarlet

Knit a scarf in a night

2012-02-07T17:36:00.007Z

I did, yes that's all it took a couple of hours whilst watching TV , I'm doing them now ready for christmas as they make great presents. This is a picture of how the BALLERINA knits up.

This shows you how the SALSA knits up . I think this is my favourite.

And this is the SAMBA, which comes plain or with a bit of glitz in it.

Dont forget it's only £6 a ball , so what's stopping you getting those needles out whilst the winter nights are here and having a good old knit.

Julie: Mini Printer's Tray

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000Z

Hello and, as this is my first post here of 2012, Happy New Year!

Today's project is one of the Tando Creative Mini Printer's Trays which I've filled with bright, cheerful sunny-day embelishments:

It was one of those projects where I used things that could be considered as 'Best', those special things which you're never entirely sure you should glue down anywhere ... just in case you need them for something else!

After assembling the tray - a simple task involving glueing the layers together - I painted it white and used some of my favourite patterned papers to cover the back of the compartments:

I then went about selecting small embellishmnets which could fit inside the individual compartments and others such as various paper flowers and cabochons:

This particular chipboard tray comes with a cover which you can attach and close over the front, which can give it a secret book feel, but as I want mine to hang on the wall I left that off and added a hanging loop made from a tiny tape measure:

Along with this 15x15cm tray there are various other designs in stock here.

They're a great way to way to present all your favourite embellishments and papers in one small space!

Julie :-)

---------------------------------------
p.s: If you'd like to see more sunny-themed posts you're welcome to join me in the month of bright posts I'm blogging here:

Hot Air?

2012-02-01T16:13:00.005Z

Balloon......I love this stamp. from Lost Coast. This one is simply stamped and then coloured with Distress Inks, just swipe your ink pad onto a glass, tile or plastic surface and use a damp paintbrush to pick up the colour.... easy! Cut out and mount.

this one is stamped and rubbed over with an Antique Linen pad...and cut out

and finally stamped and then the edges of the card coloured with Broken China and Peeled Paint

I used a Jet Black Archival ink pad... no smudges!

New papers to scrapbook with

2012-01-30T09:11:00.007Z

The new papers have arrived from France and they are just perfect for some of my Japan photo's. Both sheets are from the Edition Speciale range . I also added some of the new rose cabochons to this layout again just perfect colours to match.
The paper is double sided and very hard to choose which side to use.
There are lots in stock to pop over to the shop and have a look .

And the WINNER is ..............................

2012-01-22T20:06:00.001Z

No 19

Yes No 19 is the winner of this lot of blog candy , please can you email me your address and details to ordersat3djean@btinternet.com

Jan:Pretty Paper 2

2012-01-19T17:53:00.001Z

Why 2? well it seems Blogger was playing games with my last post.
So if you're a paper addict like me you need to pop over to the shop to ~~drooole~~ buy the pretty paper Jean has for us. They are from a French company and the colours are positively dreamy. I made a cute Z fold card for a friend's birthday using this paper and I only needed to add a few pearls to the background to make it look really special.

So if you're in need of a paper fix pop over to the shop as I can see that Jean has just uploaded some new arrivals. Yummy....

Buttoned Up...

2012-01-15T15:55:00.003Z

Buttons and cabuchons....very pretty on their own but even prettier when you add

some simple felt shapes

and stitch them onto something......

I think they look fab stitched on to this pear.....

Happy New Year

2012-01-08T10:07:00.007Z

A bit late but Happy New Year everyone. The Shop is a little empty at the moment but dont panic , I have lots new products on their way.
In the mean time I thought we would do a little Blog Candy Giveaway , So here you are. There are some products and some of the things we on the design team have made last year for you.

The winner will be drawn on the 22nd JAN.
Just sign up below

Julie: Dahlia Flower Cabochon card

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000Z

Hello again.

Here's a quick and easy cardmade special by the addition of three dahlia flower cabochon:

I used Nesties to build up a few layers before adding a vintage image, a greeting, and finally the resin flowers:

I don't think I'm alone in sometimes thinking "I'll only use one of these on here." when I like an embellishment so much I want to make them stretch a bit further! Yet sometimes it's worth being bold and using more than one at a time, because they can look so nice clustered together in a group, especially when they coordinate with the colours in the rest of the card:

And here are the cabochon I put to use today [click image to visit the shop].

Thanks for visiting here today and if you haven't visited the shop today then just follow this lin k to see the latest products which have landed on the 3DJean doorstep.

See you again.

Julie

Julie :: Cosmo Cricket Christmas cards

2011-12-06T09:08:00.001Z

Hello again.

Today's project is something a little bit festive: a set of cards featuring papers from the Cosmo Cricket 'Dear Mr. Claus' 6x6 pad along with a pack of the Mixed Christmas Colour Carnation Flowers, both of which are available in the shop now:

The cards I used were only 3x3 inches, and I had an idea to select out a central image from the paper designs and give them the feel of a festive - retro - postage stamp:

I covered the front of the cards with one of the less patterned designs, stitched around the square, wrapped seam binding / raffia / lace around them and then layered a perforated stamp die-cut on top:

Finally a stamped greeting and a single paper carantion took up the last bit of decorative space on these tiny cards:

That's my last post here before Christmas - so Season's Greetings to you!

Julie :-)

Products used:

Cosmo Cricket 'Dear Mr. Claus' 6x6 pad

Mixed Christmas Colour Carnation Flowers

Jan:Who's that looking through the window

2011-11-24T09:01:00.000Z

why it's Rudolf (Octopode Factory Stamp).

This cute stamp is perfect for a window card. His red nose just shines through.

His antlers have been highlighted with those sparkly Stickles

I've used Crate paper from the Peppermint range to decorate the outside of the card.
Pop over to the shop to gather your supplies ready for the festive season, only 31 days to go!

Julie: Mini stage-set complete with actors!

2011-11-17T07:30:00.000Z

Hi there.

Today's project was a way for me to add a little bit of drama into a birthday gift:

Like me, the birthday-girl in question loves Shakespeare so hopefully she's enjoying this little scene [It's her birthday today and she should already have opened it - so this shouldn't be spoiling the surprise!]

If you managed to grab one of the recycled chipboard Artchix Scalloped Stand Up Stages then here's how you can create a stage set with it. [They're out of stock at the moment but you could make something very similar from one of the shrines which are still available].

Cut two narrow slots near the bottom of the stage then cover the front with decorative paper.

NOTE: If you want your stage to be able to fold flat at some point [for posting or storage] DO NOT paper-over both the front of the stage AND the tabs. Cover the tabs separately so you can still bend them flat.

Add a length of German Scrap copper Renaissance border beneath the slots.

Trim-off the excess with sharp scissors / craft knife and cut away the paper which will now be covering the two slots.
Create stage-curtains from old book pages - mine were from a book about Shakespeare.
Embellish with Dewdrops then decorate and define edges with black and white poster paint pens.
Assemble an Artchix paper doll [I used the Garden Fairy set] and fix her arms to the body using brads so she can move. And, as she's mingling with the stars I gave her a German Scrap copper Renaissance border as a belt.

You could create both your characters from the Artchix doll sets or you could print out a special guest star like I did!

Fix your 'actress' to a lolly-stick using a strip of card, bent at a right angle, slide the lolly stick into the slot in the stage:

... and hey presto! You're now the proprietor of your very own theatre and cast!

Now, what you choose to act out with them is entirely up to you!

See you next time.

Julie

Last Post by our Guest Designer SUE RODDIS

2011-11-08T10:33:00.006Z

A BIG thank you to Sue for her lovely creations as our Guest Designer.

Using the Octopode Factory image sheet Woodland Creatures Sue has made some lovely bookmarks.

These could be made using any of the Octopode Factory Image sheets and there are lots to choose from.

The background papers used are the Studio2Mers.

A Night with the Angels

2011-11-01T14:38:00.006Z

A night with this Angel actually lol

Gail and I got together the other evening and had a play around with these lovely NEW 3D Angels.

The white one is covered with plain white paper , the A4 type you use for printing on , which has just been embossed with a christmas themed embossing folder. A few punched snowflakes , a christmas word and a sprinkling of stickles.

The other was covered in some old Basic Grey christmas paper and then all the edges sprinkles with silver vintage glass glitter.

Julie: ArtChix paper doll layout

2011-10-25T08:32:00.000+01:00

Hello again.

My project today features a few of the newest additions to the 3DJean shop:

Art chix paper dolls and
Art Chix German Scrap borders and wings.

And here it is:

The paper dolls come on a sheet of cardstock and I had great fun deciding which outfit to dress mine in. In the end I went for tartan arms, flowery dress and harlequin style tights:

What do you think? I also gave her a set of dragonfly wings plus copper German scrap set ... because a girtl can never have too many pairs of wings in her wardrobe can she?

Same goes for green wellies, of course!

Although Jean no longer stocks the Shimmerz paints, if you do have any from when she did you might want to try sponging it through sequin waste to give a similar effect to spray inks - but with more control over where your colour goes.

Here's some of the German Scrap Renaissance Borders:

While they may not immediately spring to mind as a scrapbooking supply I think they work really well and combine perfectly with my mix of modern and vintage elements on this particular page.

Here's the products I've used today:

ArtChix Paper Dolls - Garden Fairy

ArtChix German Scrap - Copper Renaissance Borders

ArtChix German Scrap - Copper Wings

Collections Elements - Tiny Alphabet

InLinkz.com

Thanks for stopping by to see my project, I hope there was something in it which you might take-away and put your own spin on.

I'll be back here in 3 weeks time, but until then you can visit me on my blog: notes on paper.

See you soon,

Jullie :-)

Boo!

2011-10-21T13:08:00.003+01:00

I love things in boxes and I love shrines..... these little shrines are fab. I inked and added some Disress Embossing powder and now it looks like rusted metal.
I punched small holes in the edge and glued some fab German scrap around the top.
More German scrap along the bottom. The tiny letters and patterned paper are from
Collection Elements.

Effie

XXX

I've Been...........

2011-10-15T12:54:00.001+01:00

..hit with the cute stick again. I do like to get out of my box every now and again and makingcute cards do just that. I find this kind of thing so difficult so I set myself a challenge with this stamp.

She does have a mouth and I have to say they do stamp beautifully.

I'm not a great colourer inner but I did find it quite theraputic.

I think they turned out OK... but there'[s still room for improvement.

But for now I'm getting back in my box!

Effie

xxx

Bird houses

2011-10-11T05:00:00.000+01:00

It's time for my third piece as guest designer......a little later than it should be but hopefully better late than never!
I took one of the Collections Elements small boxes and covered it with Collections Elements Antiquing Tissue

Next I took a some of the Collections Elements tiny houses and covered the fronts with scraps of the Studio2Mers papers and the backs with more antiquing tissue trapping thin flat sticks (coffee stirrers from places like Starbucks!) underneath it.
Colour the tissue and the sticks with black ink.

The next step is to stamp The Octopode Factory birds onto card and colour them and then cut them out. Next attach them to more coffee stirrer sticks.
Cut slits into the lid of the box and push the sticks through them arranging the houses and birds at differing heights.

Finally run a line of glue around the edge of the box lid and tip over some vintage glass glitter, leave to dry and then tip off the excess. Add some glitter to the card circles that come with the box kit and then glue these to the top of some of the houses.

An Octopode Factory Christmas

2011-10-09T17:55:00.005+01:00

So ive started on the masive task of Chrismas card making. And of course what else would I use except some of the Octopde Factory Chrismas stamps.

I also used papers from this years Basic Grey offering of Nordic Holiday. A great 6x6pad of papers and ive decided not use anymore pads until all this has gone as I am always left with half a pad of this and half a pad of that. Im sure you all know what I mean lol

Julie: Working chipboard and vintage items into a scrapbook page.

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hello there.

My project today is a scrapbook page featuring several embellishments and interesting vintage-themed items all available in the shop at the moment. For a full list of supplies just leap down to the bottom of my post.

Here's my page which tells the story of an old sign I spotted in Beamish which made me laugh [I've blogged more about the story behind it on my own blog today if you'd like to hear more!].

I began by layering up strips of patterned paper onto a patterned paper backdrop. Yes, I like patterns!

Next I added the illustrations and the snippets of wording all of which were taken from one of the vintage comic books Jean stocks. Finding appropriate images and words is one of my all time favourite ways to add to the story I'm telling on my page:

For more texture I covered two of the chipboard stars from Collections Elements with a mix of paint splodges, ink splatters and scraps of text from a Chinese newspaper.

Also in the top left of the photo above you can just make out the vintage food label I tucked behind my photo to add colour, shape and interest and to help make my photograph stand out.

The date is written on one of the labels from the Vintage Labels CD [which I printed off following the printing tutorial I blogged here].

For a little embellishment cluster at the top I layered scraps of paper with a chipboard frame from the Collections Elements micro-book pack which I'd added white paint and splashes of ink to:

I like my pages to have a lot going on, so the eye has somewhere to land on right across the page. I like to think there's not too much going on that it feels too busy though ... which is why I like to cluster my items together and leave at least a little so called 'white space' here and there!

Here are the 3DJean supplies I used on this page:

Vintage Comic	Collections Elements - Chipboard Stars	Vintage Labels CD
Vintage Food Labels	Micro Accordian Book

InLinkz.com

That's all from me for another few weeks, as always, just leave us a comment if you'd like us to drop by and visit any of the projects you've made from 3DJean items.

Until next time, happy crafting to you!

Julie :-)

Sitting Ducks!

2011-10-03T11:58:00.007+01:00

Just how cute are these little ducks?.....they reminded me of the ones you see in fairgrounds so it seemed only fitting to make a shooting gallery....no ducks were harmed in the process!

Take one household matchbox and cut the cover in half...cover with patterned paper, Studio2Mers

Cut a roof shape,make a shelf and stamp a curly border...Lost Coast. stick to the shelf.

Stamp and cut out your ducks and glue to the shelf and then slide into the half cover.Decorate your roof and stick to the top.

Add the words.. from Collection Elements
The feet are small cotton reels.

If you would like this little bit of nonsense then leave a comment saying so and a name will be chosen at random.

Effie

XXX

All he wanted was a brain!

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000+01:00

Better late than never I am here with my next piece as guest designer for September!
This time I've made a book using the Studio2Mers papers, the scarecrow stamp from The Octopode Factory and the Collections Elements Tiny alphabet
I used one of the papers to cover the covers of the book then stamped the scarecrow image onto a scrap of the paper, cut him out and added him to the cover.

To make him blend into the background paper I added some extra white dots around the stamped image. Next I used my sewing machine to stitch around the covers and then used the small card alphabet to add the quote.

For the pages inside the book I folded three of the Studio2Mers papers into a concertina type design, these are then attached together at one of the flat surfaces to give a bigger fold out piece. This is then glued between the two covers trappping pieces of ribbon that are used to tie the book closed.

Sue Roddis

Artchix and Alter That Kits

2011-09-27T17:23:00.003+01:00

We have lots of new products now on the website from ARTCHIX and not just there lovely image sheets but lots of other goodies from them.

And for those who fancy trying some of their products but dont want to buy packs we have put together an OCTOBER ALTER THAT KIT with lots of there products in

Home Sweet Home.

2011-09-21T08:39:00.003+01:00

How cute are these little birdhouses!......they're from Collection Elements.

They don't take much decorating.....I covered mine with paper from an old atlas and scraps of red card.

The bird is covered with a little scrap of painted atlas paper.

The hearts were cut on a Big Shot.

Jean - Basic Grey Olivia and a bit of scraping

2011-09-15T11:57:00.004+01:00

I love Basic Grey and use it a lot when scrapbooking.So what better than a range named after my daughter Olivia. So I thought I would do a little scrapping with it.If you fancy some we have it in by the sheet for 50p or there is a 9 sheet pack for just £4.

We went to the NEC two years ago and saw the Hairy Bikers ,Olivia loves them so had her picture taken with them and we watched them cooking. The pinks in the Basic Grey Olivia go perfect so thought I would make a double layout with all the photo's we took.

Second page of the layout.

Julie: Ideas for The Octopode Factory stamps

2011-09-13T11:21:00.000+01:00

Hello again.

My project today features an alternative interpretation of the Octopode Factory's 'Ghost' stamp becasue, rather than create a Halloween themed card with it, I've made something altogether prettier, frillier, and less spooky ....

As I so often do, when stamped this cutie on to a light coloured but patterned paper as I don't really feel inspired when I stamp directly on to plain white cardstock. I then added a little bit of colour to the girly-ghost using ProMarkers:

The backing designs to all 4 cards are from the same double-sided sheet of Studio2Mers paper which is pink and purple toned on one side with shades of coral and red on the reverse. The black flourish design paper [above] is from Collections Elements:

I added a rose cabochon for extra feminine flair:

Once again, those Studio2Mers I've been using in my last few posts here, feature those lovely 'I can't believe it's a printed design' touches like the doodled buildings above and these abstract doodles below:

Supplies used:

Studio2Mers 12x12 paper 'Cities 7'

Collections Elements 6x6 'Noir et Creme' paper

The Octopode Factory 'Ghost' stamp

Mini rose cabochon in 'Peach'

If you'd like to see a few more images from these not-so-ghoulish ghost stamps, pop over to my blog today.

I hope, next time you see a stamp you like, but which you think is too themed to regularly use ... you'll look at it again and consider the alternatives. It's a great way to get the full value from one image.

I'll see you back here in 3 weeks .... or much sooner if you drop in on me.

Julie

Lots of Cards

2011-09-09T10:04:00.008+01:00

That's all I feel I have been making with 2 of the stamp ranges we sell.I have done lots with the Octopode Factory steampunk range and then a few more with the Molly Bloom ones.
I will start by showing you the Octopode Factory ones today .

The two I chose from the range are Violette which is this one with the little pieces of watch parts which match her lovely watch hair.The other one I used was Nipper Siouxsie.

I think with them being steampunk that the kraft coloured card goes better than white. It's just a bit different.

Quoth the Raven....Nevermore

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000+01:00

Hi, my name is SUE RODDIS and I have been asked to be the guest designer for SCATTERED SCARLET for the month of September.
This is the first of three pieces that I will share over the course of the month.
I used Collections Elements Victorian Antiquing tissue glued onto a canvas panel.THis was then coloured using watered down DISTRESS INKS
I then stamped the OCTOPODE FACTORY images......Edgar Allen Poe and The Raven onto card and coloured, cut out and added to the canvas panel.
The words were added using Collections Elements Upper Case Tiny Alphabet

Guest Designer

2011-09-04T18:09:00.003+01:00

Ooooo yes we have a great Guest Designer joining us for all of September. Her name is Sue Roddis and if you dont know her work , which is just lovely, well then pop over to her blog JABBERWOCKY , www.sroddis.blogspot.com
Her first post will be tomorrow so dont forget to drop by and have a look.

Jan: Just sign on the dotted line

2011-09-01T10:00:00.001+01:00

By the time this post appears I'll be on my way to New Zealand via Hong Kong. you didn't know ...where have you been? I'm off to watch the Rugby World Cup for 8 weeks. I'm a BIG rugby fan (not that big now I've joined Slimming World!) so I need a big autograph book to collect all those signatures. I've made mine from a couple of strips of chipboard that I covered with Basic Grey Out of Print paper. These are lovely papers, all different texts and finishes,some are clear, some look as though they have been gessoed. I'm hoping to get at least all the England squad so wish me luck.

Just Got to Love.............

2011-08-27T14:02:00.002+01:00

Anything that makes crafting easier.......and this paper does just that! Making this door hanger was so quick to do. Blanks are available in the shop. Cover the hanger with the paper and just cut out the houses and use foam pads to fix to the hanger.. a fab little gift

for boys or girls.....add some embellishments, I've used some Dew Drops but Stickles would look fab
The wings are from Collection Elements and covered with the paper.

I love this paper.......if you want to see more then look here

Julie: More scrapping with Studio2Mers

2011-08-23T17:08:00.001+01:00

Hello again.

You might remember that the last project I shared here was a layout using part of the Studio2Mers 'Constellations' paper range. Well, todays project uses another paper in that range which - just like last time - you'd be forgiven for thinking had additional paint and techniques added to it.

But it hasn't - it's all part of the paper's design:

Apart from a few tiny splatters of white paint, everything else on the background is pre-existing.

From the deep shades of pink and blue inky, water-colour wash, to the circle bubble-wrap type impressions:

To the snippets of old music paper poking out beneath my extra layers here:

Even the white circles which look like they've been made with paint and a bottle lid .... it's all there, ready for you to throw on a photo and a few words!

It's a great range for when you want a quick, arty-style page ... with not a stained fingernail in sight!

Check out the full Studio2Mers range here.

Thanks for stopping by today and happy scrapping!

Julie :-)

Julie: Vintage Image CD Giveaway Winners

2011-08-13T17:24:00.002+01:00

Hi there.

Just dropping by to announce the 3 winners of the Vintage Image CD giveaway. The lucky 3 are ....

Amanda of http://all-kindsofwonderful.blogspot.com/

Becky of http://beckysburblings-beckyg1.blogspot.com/ and

Joan of http://latenightstamping.blogspot.com/

Please email me your postal addresses which I will then pass on to Jean who will send you your disc. [Edited: All winners have now sent me their addresses which have been passed on to Jean - happy crafting!]

Congratulations ladies and thanks to everyone who joined in!

Julie

Jan: The girl chose a frock

2011-08-11T10:00:00.001+01:00

Did I mention that Jean has got these cute mini canvases in the shop well I love them.

This time I've covered it with the yummy tissue paper from Collections Elements . Then I've mounted one of the chipboard dress manniquins also from the Collections Elements range, which is covered in Basic Grey Out of Print (it's also out of stock but due in any time!). A little bit of lace and a butterfly (cut from the afore mentioned tissue paper).

After all which girl wouldn't choose a frock?
So what are going to do with yours? Let us know and we'll come and have a peek.

Julie: Vintage Image CD Giveaway!

2011-08-02T07:01:00.011+01:00

Hi again.

Over on 'notes on paper' - my personal blog - I'm hosting a project called Going Postal - which you can all join in with and which you can read more about here if you wish!

Part of the postal-themed fun involves lots of giveaways and today Jean has kindly thrown in a giveaway of her own. so, how do you fancy winning a Vintage Label CD?

Edited to add: There will be THREE winners of the Image CD now!

It would be hard to inspire you by showing you a photo of the actual CD itself [it's round with a hole in the middle in case you're wondering] so here are a few cards I've made featuring bird labels printed from the disc:

These blank labels [carried in their beaks] are especially useful for stamping or writing your own greetings on to:

Along with the cards, I've also grabbed some screenshots of me browsing the files on the CD itself - to give you a better idea of what's on it ... and what you can win!

Here's the main menu - note the last two words in the very top bar ...

[ust click on the image above to see a larger version]

Yep, that's right, there are 2800 images on the disc broken down into the 10 main categories above. Then, when you click on each of those categories, you get another sub-category.

Here I opened the Animals category to reveal:

And here's the blank animal label section, featuring the birds I used above:

Here's a shot of the Misc Victorian Goodies Category many of which would work so well with all your Steampunk, Tim Holtz-esque or Crafty Individuals-ish projects:

And finally here's a glimpse of a few floral labels, some of which will be featuring on cards on my blog later this week:

If you like what you've seen here, and you want to be in with a chance of winning one of 3 Vintage Image CD then here's what to do:

Leave a comment below making it clear you'd like to win!
That's it!
The deadline for entries is 1pm [UK time] on Saturday August 13th.
I'll then pick three names at random and announce winners here and on my own blog on Sunday 14th August.

Best of luck!

If you'd like to see more of the Going Postal project, hop over to my blog where I've got a full list of the postal-themed-posts so far in my sidebar.

I'll see you here or there very soon.

Julie

Dear Alice

2011-07-29T10:05:00.004+01:00

Who doesn't love/like the Alice In Wonderland story but to make things even better Lily made the characters into Octopode Factory Stamps. And I had to have a play.

A little sparkle added by the way of that lovely Vintage Glitter.
The best for me has just got to be The Mad Hatter, so I put him on the front.

Here's the rest of the Alice Gang on the back.

Dont forget if you dont like stamping and colouring in we now stock The Octopode Factory image sheets.

Here Kitty Kitty!

2011-07-26T19:44:00.004+01:00

You've got to love this little chap.......he's just looking for trouble!

I've used him here with subduded colours and an unfussy style but he could be as wacky as you like. He's one of my favourite Octopode stamps so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of him.

You can find him here......

Hope you like him
Effie
XXX

Jan: Songbird

2011-07-21T12:36:00.000+01:00

Jean has got these delightful mini canvases in the shop. They're so cute and so easy to decorate. I've stamped and then sprayed my canvas with Shimmerz (Bubblegum). Then embellished with an umberella from a sheet of Websters pages(Wonderfall), Bird image from CatsLife and a strip of lace.
What will you do with yours? Leave a link and we'll pop over and take a peek.

Julie: 'Beauty in the Garden' - Scrapping with Studio2Mers

2011-07-14T11:38:00.003+01:00

Hello again.

I've been scrapbooking with the new arty, eclectic and wonderfully colourful Studio2Mers papers now available in the shop.

For this page I've used a sheet from the inky-stencilled-looking 'Constellation' range:

For those of you who love the look and feel of inky, painty, messy techniques ... but who don't want to get your fingers dirty then these papers are for you!

You might not be able to tell from the photographs but I haven't added any ink or paint at all to the Studio2Mers backing paper. Everything you see - the stencilled effects - the paint-stamped effects - the spritzed effects ... they're all printed on the paper already, all I needed to do was add embellishments and a photo.

And here's what else I added ...

2 Collections Elements Chipboard Hearts;
Collections Elements Tiny Alphabets;
A pink rose cabochon;

A border punched sheet of Collections Elements Noir et Creme 6x6 paper:
A cluster of embellishments including an inked doily, a die-cut heart, a vintage milk bottle top; baker's twine:

Wording, appropriate to the photo of flowers in my garden, cut from one of the Vintage Comics in stock;

Similarly, I tore an image out of the same vintage comic and slipped that behind my photo;

All of the Studio2Mers papers are also double-sided and you can see images of both sides of each sheet when you click on each individual design on the website. Seeing as how all of the inky, painty messiness had already been done for you ... the hardest part in using them is deciding which side to go for.

Unless of course you take the advice DT member Jan has often passed on to us all: 'if in doubt ... buy both'!

Here's to crafting with Studio2Mers and to clean-hands!

Julie

Something new and different

2011-07-06T11:10:00.004+01:00

If you are after "NEW" and "DIFFERENT" then pop over to the shop and have a look at the new A4 Image Sheets from The Octopode Factory.

There is something for every one Peter Pan , Devils & Angels , Christmas , David Bowie , Zetti and more

Little Book

2011-07-03T11:21:00.004+01:00

I think all the design team loved these little book from Collection Elements. And had lots of fun creating with them.I love having 2 in a pack. I though they might look nice and work well on the front of a card. So I decorated one of the black ones. Using the alphabets from Collections Elements as well I put the words OPEN on the front of it and tied it all on with some black ribbon.

So open the little book up and you can put what ever message you want inside. I used a Happy Birthday banner one.

Jan: All dressed up

2011-06-30T10:15:00.003+01:00

There seems to be a dress theme going around our design team this month. We hadn't discussed our projects, honest. First we had Gail's wonderful tissue manequin, then Julie showed us those Fabulous 50s frocks and now I introduce my "sixties" shifts. The dress in the front was made with the fabulous Studio2mers papers that Jean has in the shop. They are so colourful and when you are a bit low on mojo they are a dream to work with.

I made this card with one of my favourite Sweet Pea stamps Telsa

The sentiment is made up from those oh so versatile Collection Elements lower case alphabets and finally I stamped the Bingo border stamp along the edge of the card and there you are a lovely quick card.

Julie : Fabulous 50s frocks!

2011-06-21T07:23:00.000+01:00

Hi again.

Today's project is for those of you who managed to get your hands on the Collections Elements chipboard dressforms before they ran straight out of the shop door!

If you didn't manage to get them this time, keep checking back for re-stocks or else have a browse around the other blank chipboard shapes in the same range.

Now let's move on to the pretty dresses!

I dressed my bare chipboard shapes in fancy 1950s frocks made from patterned paper and ribbon.

To do this I:

cut a curve on a scrap of paper - for the neckline;
stuck it to the chipboard with double sided tape;
flipped it over and trimmed around the top half of the chipboard dressform;
finally cutting diagonally to cut a wide skirt shape.

I added a big bow at the waist, a ribbon and crochet trimming and a gem necklace, before mounting the shape on to 3D foam pads:

The 'Birthday' part of my greeting was cut from the Collections Elements 'Tiny Alphabet' sheets, while the 'Happy' was a word I spotted in one of the Vintage Comics in stock at the moment, which I simply cut out and popped on the card!

Here's a colour variation of the same idea:

Personally I like to often leave blank chipboard blank and find that the kraft card base and lettering I used for these cards helped tie it all together:

If you've made anything with any of the Collections Elements shapes, do let us know. It's always good to see other people's take on the same product.

See you next time, when I think I'll share somehting I'm making with the paper range which landed brand new in the shop last week: Studio 2 Mers.

If you like something a bit unusual, something a bit paint-y, art-y, journall-y and unique then feast your eyes here ... where the colours and designs are sooooo very different to the norm!

Happy crafting.

Julie

Isn't it.......

2011-06-16T09:48:00.005+01:00

....great what you can do with a bit of tissue paper and wire!

this was an old dress form that had seen better days so it's had a makeover.

The petals are wire covered in this fab tissue paper from Collection Elements and spritzed with colour.

abit of lace and a few gems...

This is how to make tissue covered shapes...

Bend your wire to the shape you want...cut the tissue around half a centimetre larger and using PVA or Mod Podge fold over the edges... easy peasy!

Add colour with sprays or spritzes..and some Stickles!

Hope you like it

Effie

XXX

Back In Stock

2011-06-09T10:39:00.004+01:00

Yes that's right the House Configuration Box is now back in stock

How long for I don't know , so get them while you can.

Julie: Micro Accordian book

2011-06-08T09:11:00.048+01:00

Hi there.

I just wanted to drop by to share a project I've made which might be of interest if you have:

one of the chipboard Micro Accordian Books by Collections Elements;

some of the chipboard hearts from Collections Elements;
or the June Alter That Ephemera / collage kit which contains both a micro accordian book and chipboard hearts!

I covered the heart and the frame on the book cover with texture paste and then acrylic paints:

I used a heat gun to dry it and to create a 'bubbling' effect with the paint:

Here's the finished book:

Being such a small size, it becomes a real feast for the eyes as you can see all its pages at once!

I just wanted to quickly show you this here - in case you've been wondering where to begin on yours ... but over on my own blog today I've posted a lot more photographs of it, with close-ups, if you'd like more detailed shots.

Just click here to see the full project.
Right, I'll duck away now ... it's not really my turn to be here today!
See you soon enough ... [when it is my turn!]

Julie :-)

Arrived

2011-06-01T08:30:00.003+01:00

Lots of "NEW" Collections Elements products have arrived but the most exciting product for me are the lovely tissue paper packs.

"Antiquing Tissue". Comes in two styles, Victorian and Melange. The ease of applying it to odd shapes and "inside" areas of boxes and the like make tissue a really fun thing to use. This is a super strong tissue and the best part about it is you can colour it the way you want to. So you can "Antique" it with lots of things that you will already have at home or in your crafting cupboard.

As you can see from the sample above I have 'antiqued' the tissue in different shades of tea and added a touch of red colouring to the top piece. As you add a second and third piece, dilute your tea. Actually by wetting the tissue it makes it even stronger when dry, sounds weird but it actually does, so if you want the tissue white still wet it and allow to dry. You can colour it any shade to match your project using any number of re inkers, (water based ones) food colouring or you could add some misting power to get different tones on the one

Julie: Anniversary card, Octopode Factory style

2011-05-31T07:24:00.006+01:00

Hello again.

Last time I was with you I shared the birthday card I'd made for my other half and now I'm back with his anniversary card:

There's nothing that quite says 'Happy 19 years of knowing you' like a cute snail stamp is there?

The stamp is from The Octopode Factory a really fun, unique brand that Jean is now stocking, so if you like something a bit different ... hop over there to check out the other designs. [Stick around for some new designs coming soon too!]

Behind the stamped image I used a circle of Collections Elements 'Noir et Creme' patterned paper:

There are also some lovely new printed tissue paper designs from Collections Elements in the shop and a really lovely chipboard printer's tray too.

Finally, the greeting on my card was cut from the endlessly useful [I've used mine non-stop since I got them] tiny cardstock alphas, again from Collections Elements:

I think that's possibly the last handmade card he'll be receiving from me for a while [until Christmas at least] ...as I'm fast running out of occasions.

Although ... thinking about it ... there's always ... Happy First Tomato of the Season, or I'm So Glad You Made Tea or even Welcome Home from Work ....and .....

... and those individual cardstock letters are going to come in so handy for spelling out all my new occasions!

Happy crafting.

Julie

Don't You ........

2011-05-24T23:12:00.006+01:00

.......just love when you can use something in lots of different ways.......like these chipboard owls from Collection Elements.

take one set of owls... four plain napkins.

a few scraps of fabric and some Bondaweb. Iron your scraps onto Bondaweb. Draw around your shapes.......

cut out and iron them in place....

stitch with a narrow zig-zag

and hey presto four customised napkins!

Enjoy!

More of Ozzy later!

Effie

XXX

Anyone got a piece of paper?

2011-05-19T09:00:00.002+01:00

How many times do you hear this at a crop or workshop? You would think us crafters would always be armed with paper, yes we are but not always the sort we need to take a note. So how about getting yourself prepared. I've used some really cheap notebooks from the pound shop yes they cost a pound for 10(amazing) My sister calls these pound shops ten pound shops because you never just spend a pound lol. Anyway I digress, I've then used my favourite Websters pages to turn them into a worthy notebook that any self respected crafter would be proud to pull out of her bag when asked that question, has anyone got?........

Cover the fronts, tie a bit of ribbon round the spiral and there you are. Easy really, hardest part getting hold of those delightful papers from the shop keep checking as they are worth waiting for but if you can't wait why not use Cosmo Cricket or Echo Park.

Julie: 'Sarsaparilla Celebrations' - vintage style card

2011-05-10T07:26:00.002+01:00

Hello again.

Today's project is a card I made earlier this month, for my partner's birthday, using lots of 3DJean elements:

The main image is one of the Vintage Airline Playing cards which come as a pack of five and are a cross between regular playing cards and a foreign phrase book.

I chose a the card which teaches you how to ask for a drink in both Spanish and Portugese ... because knowledge like that can never go to waste ... particularly when someone's celebrating his birthday!

The 'Celebrate' greeting was cut from the kraft version of the Collections Elements 'Tiny Alphabet' sheets and glued on to a journaling sticker. The 'Mini chipboard star' is from the same Collections Elements range on to which I just added a smudge of gesso and Shimmerz paint.

The Sarsaparilla cap is one of the 'Vintage Soda Bottle Caps' available now in a pack of 5 random designs, it's simply mounted to the card with 3D foam:

For my backing paper I cut into my own 12x12 sheet of paper from the new October Afternoon '5 & Dime' range - but there's actually an 8x8 '5 & Dime' pad available in the store.

Right then, I'm off to find the nearest Portugese bar ... anyone joining me?

Julie :-)

Vintage.......

2011-05-04T18:14:00.001+01:00

How cute are these............from Collections Elements,there are several sizes in a pack, they look fab with the vintage papers but could look equally good with retro, chintz or contemporary papers too. They are so easy to make.....simply roll the large strip of chipboard into a tube and cover with paper , cover two large discs (both sides) and glue one to each end of the tube.

I don't think they will be around for long so make sure to get yours soon! You can have them purely for decoration or use them to store your ribbons and lace!

Look out for the next give away... this reel will be among the goodies!

Hope you like it

Effie

XXX

MORE Cabochons

2011-05-04T09:14:00.003+01:00

They have just arrived and you can buy them 10 mixed colours for just £3 or we have bags of single colours 4 for £1.50.

Want no NEED a bargain?

2011-04-28T08:38:00.002+01:00

Jean is stocking some fabulous chipboard items at the moment and this one is a real bargain. For £3.50 you get two little chipboard concertina books to decorate in your own style. The inserts come in different colour mine were pink and as you can see there's not a hint of the pink once I'd gessoed it.

I've inked the cover and inserts with distress inks

The star has been covered in the sumptuous glass glitter, it's so so sparkley. When I was finished Gail suggested that I use the frame, that was left after I had popped out the pieces, to make a configuration box. So here's what I came up with.

Here's a shot of the back of the frame so that you can see how I attached the matchboxes that formed the trays. It does help if your match boxes are slightly bigger than the aperture, unfortunately mine were a bit smaller so a bit tweaking was needed.

So for £3.50 I got TWO concertina books and TWO frames ..... bargain!!!!
What are you waiting for pop over to the shop and bag yourself a bargain before they sell out

SweetPea stamps

2011-04-26T17:35:00.005+01:00

14 New Sweetpea stamps arrived today.There on the website now and here are 3 to tempt you

Julie: Cards for the cycling gent!

2011-04-19T07:42:00.001+01:00

Hello again.

If you're anything like me, an incureable pattern-collector, you'll be pleased to hear that the shop is now stocking a new range of patterned papers. New. Patterns. Need I say more?

They're 6x6 pads from the Collections Elements paper range and for today's post I've been working with the Noir et Creme pack:

As someone who likes collecting and using different patterns all the time in their work I especially like the fact that there are only 2 sheets of each design in these packs. It means I know I'm going to use them up before getting tired of them!

Here's how I've been using 2 of those designs:

The first paper I used is this black damask-style reminiscent of vintage wallpapers:

My second card uses the text print:

To co-ordinate with the vintage feel of the papers I printed out some apropriate images from the Vintage Labels image CD directly on to plain white cardstock and aged using Distress Ink:

The images were then layered on to a combination of the vintage Noir et Creme designs and sheets from the more modern Onirie 'Sweetness of Living' range:

If you liked my gentlemen cyclists then you might want to hop over to my blog today for some cards featuring their female co-riders!

Here's a peek at one of them:

That's all from me for this time round so I'll be on my bike for now ...

all that's left for me to do is wish you a Happy New Patterned Paper Day ... surely the discovery of new paper designs should be an occasion for a public holiday? Wouldn't you say?

See you soon.

Julie

The Octopode Factory

2011-04-17T09:38:00.006+01:00

I just love Lily's images so when she dropped me an email telling me she had made them into stamp and would I like to sell them ,well I didn't have to think for long lol.
So here are a few to tempt you. They are sold as single images and are only £5 each. They are on the website NOW !!!

All Stitched Up!

2011-04-15T16:14:00.004+01:00

A no sew sewing project!... with these fab papers and chipboard shapes... The screen is simply three pieces of chipboard measuring 4x9.5 inches with the tops rounded.

Covered with this paper.....add some eyelets ( remember those!) to tie the panels together.

and a shed load of 'odd' bits and pieces.. the kind that there was never enough to do something with and you never threw out!

It's very satisfying when you can use up your 'bits'

... one vintage sewing project.

I don't think these papers will last long so go check out the shop as soon as!

PS.. there's some other fab chipboard bits from Collections Elements....I've got the bird houses so watch this space!

Hope you like this

Effie

XXX

Jan: Fancy a tea party?

2011-04-07T12:56:00.001+01:00

When Jean told us she was going to stock up on Crafty Individuals stamps I was so happy. These stamps are on my all time favourites list. I have ~~a few~~ .....ok loads of them! I love all the detail. You can use all the stamp or bits and they stamp great. They are ideal for decoupage or that vintage look. I have teamed the Tea Party CI-269 with another favourite, My Mind's Eye paper pad Hazel. These pads will not be in the shop for long!

I've made an easel card to show off these beautiful papers.

Added a few buttons, flowers and black ribbon to complete the look and of course that all important sentiment. Who couldn't agree Birthdays are all about cake.

So get the kettle on, cut a slice of cake, put up your feet and spend awhile browsing the shop.
Enjoy.

Blog Candy WINNER

2011-04-06T08:48:00.002+01:00

Well 13 is unlucky for some but not today as Maria has won the Blog Candy. Well done and thanks to all those that entered.
Maria can you email me your address at ordersat3djean@btinternet.com please.

Julie: A CD and an Acrobatic Comedienne

2011-03-29T12:41:00.010+01:00

Hi again.

At the start of the year I posted a step-by-step photo-tutorial here which explained a method of printing out the images on the various Vintage Image CDs now available in the shop. And I thought today I'd share another project made using that technique to print out an image, this time from the Vintage Theatre & Circus Image disc.

Allow me to introduce to you one of the hundreds of characters from the CD ... Miss Nellie O'Neil ... the 'acrobatic comedienne'!

Seriously ... I'm not making it up ... look closely at the bottom of the image:

Now wouldn't that be something worth paying to see?!!

Once I'd printed out my image [onto the very useful weight of white cardstock which is new in the shop] I decided to reflect the colours in the image in my choice of papers. Then I recreated Nellie's ruffled petticoats by adding the papers in layered bands across the card!

My final touches were the greeting from the versatile Purple Onion Designs 'Hello Set':

... and three of the gorgeous Queen & Co Adhesive gems.

Once you know how to resize and print out the images [using my method from the tutorial - or whatever works for you] then the Vintage Image CDs offer you an endless supply of images to add to your cards.

Just print out a few full sheets from time to time and keep them handy for super quick, no mess cards.

-------------

I'll be back in a few weeks time. Until then, enjoy your crafting and make sure to visit:

the SALE section of the shop [I nabbed myself 6 pots of bargain Shimmerz paints there yesterday!];
The NEW PRODUCTS pages [there's some beautiful new cabochons, paper pads and stamps];

And finally

hop by my blog - notes on paper - where there's another card I've made using the image CDs over there today. And this one has monkeys on it!

Now ... you wouldn't want to miss that would you?!

Julie

BLOG CANDY

2011-03-23T21:35:00.003Z

As promised here is some blog candy to win.

There is a set of Onirie FarAway 12x12 papers , 10 A4 White 300grm card , some Cabochons , two of the lovely SweetPea stamps and four items that the design team have made over the last month or so.
just sign up below

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!

2011-03-23T16:54:00.004Z

We had great fun with these door hangers, they're just a simple shape cut from chipboard.............they could be anything, bird houses ( my favourite) rocket ships, lighthouses cuckoo clocks.....

This one turned into beach huts!........ and these are the perfect papers
I'm not great on colouring in but these papers are perfect for stamping on.......instant colour!

Hope you like it
Effie
XXX

Jan: Ooops I'm late

2011-03-18T18:13:00.001Z

Sorry folks I forgot it was my turn to share a couple of projects I've been working on this week. I'm still playing with those fab papers by Onaire. They're so versatile. This week I've used them to make a couple of Tri-Shutter cards. They are so subtle that they are great for backgrounds and for stamping on. I have made a Mother's Day card and just so I'm not caught out I've also done one for Dad. Nothing like being ahead of yourself.

Now I just have to put it somewhere safe and remember where I have put it!

These papers are a must have in your stash box so don't delay pop over the shop and stock up.
Thanks for popping by and I've set my alarm to remind me when it's my turn to post next.

Jean - My Minds Eye - which 6x6 to have

2011-03-13T14:24:00.005Z

All 4 of the 6x6 My Minds Eye (Stella & Rose)6x6 pads arrived this week , but which pads to keep myself?
Well I've started of with the Gertie set.

And these are 4 of the cards I have made over the weekend.

I love the old muted colours and instead of a white card as the main I bought some cream , which I like with these papers better.
The lovely mice making cupcakes is a new stamp I bought this week from Lily Of The Valley. The scarecrow is a Molly Bloom and one of these cards is for my Dad ,it's his birthday Tuesday.

And just to finish the card off I've used some of the lovely twill ribbon from Andrea at the Ribbon Girl, so pleased with this as it's cream back ground with lines of colour running through instead of white so matches real well.

Julie: Scrapbooking [a silly photo] with Onirie papers

2011-03-08T08:16:00.009Z

Hello again.

I've got a scrapbook page for you today in what I think is becoming a regular combination of elements for me: stamps, spray inks, layered papers ... plus a silly photo!

And here it is:

The backing paper is 'Serenity' from the Sweetness of Living range by Onirie which is in stock now:

Layered on top of this sheet was a flourish and flower section which I cut from 'Peaceful' another sheet from the range:

The grid pattern across the layout is from where I sprayed Shimmerz spritz minis - in Truffle and Bamboo Leaf - through a section of plastic canvas [the kind normally used for embroidery]:

Then, once that had dried I stamped over the grid effect with the 'How Are You?' phrase:

... which is from the Purple Onion 'Hello' set:

As for the silly photo ... well it's probably self-explanatory really. Surely?

You know how it is ... you go away for a weekend in November with 6 other crafters ... you all pretend it's Halloween ... someone takes a photo of you holding up a skeleton ... the person who usually does all the cooking has gone to Japan .... you know?

All the usual stuff ...

Thanks for dropping by today and I'll see you soon.

Julie.

Scrapping.........

2011-03-02T09:35:00.002Z

Scrapping 12x12 has taken something of a back seat lately... (I usually only scrap holiday pics)
but I love this Onirie paper.... and it went so well with this picture that didn't print properly! waste not want not.
I cut out the flower sections and used them to frame the picture adding some stickles for a little sparkle.
The birds were an invitation card (junk mail!) I added some stickles to liven them up.

These gems are fab too, I used a whole strip up the side of the picture.

Hope you like it

Effie

xxx

Jan: Coming of age

2011-02-24T12:05:00.000Z

No not me! Last year my youngest turned 18 and I used the fabulous Onirie Midnight Secret papers to make a mini album. I was so pleased when Jean said she was going to stock these again. I think they are perfect for mens projects. Plus they are double sided so you have twice the choice!

So dither they won't be in the shop for long.

Julie: Spray-inked, shimmer-painted and masked journal backgrounds.

2011-02-15T09:17:00.001Z

Hello again.

I've got another minibook to share with you today, this time using the Onirie 'Sweetness of Living' paper range:

... plus a few shimmery extras:

It began life as tag book with perfectly useable inner pages ... but that slightly dated cover wasn't exactly inspiring me!

So, I removed the covers from the ring binding and covered them in 'Gentle' - a sheet of the Onirie paper:

Then I set about adding some shimmery backgrounds to each page inside. To do this I used:

Shimmerz paints and spritzers in shades of blue, green, brown and gold;

And various masks/stencils including -

different styles of sequin-waste; and
the outer surrounds of a cardstock sticker sheet once all the stickers had been removed.

I used a sponge to dab and swirl the paint through the sequin waste:

Whenever I used a mask the 'usual' way - by painting or spraying through the punched-out holes ...

... I always then flipped the mask over while the paint or ink was still wet and pressed it down firmly on to the next tag.

Not only is this method great for using up all tha ink which could go to waste ... it also creates a great 'opposite' design to the one you created originally:

Finally, I took a plain woodboard shape:

... and gave it a coating of Shimmerz paint in 'Jilted Jade' which I then sanded for a distressed-yet-sparkly title for my book:

If you'd like to see some of the 'freaky friends' I've been creating inside, then hop over to this post my blog and I'll offically introduce you!

After that ... go dig out that sequin waste you've got in the back of a drawer somewhere - or take a look at all those old sticker sheets you could put to better use as a stencil/mask. As always, I'd love to see the fruits of your crafty-labours if you give it a go!

Happy crafting.

Julie

Our Guest Designer

2011-02-14T13:25:00.005Z

Bev has been busy again for us and made this lovely card using the Sweetpea stamp Red Heart and soem of the new Orinie paper from the Opera range.

Another picture of the card.

I love the colours she has used for colouring the stamp

Back In Stock

2011-02-11T09:47:00.004Z

Jan used this stamp a couple of weeks ago and she sold out , but now she's back in stock , her name is TELSA
I wanted a nice bright card so instead of colouring her with promarkers i used sakura pens instead. I think it worked ok. The black pearls are the prima ones and you will be pleased to know there is a big order on it's way for lots of them in loads of colours.

Bunnies............

2011-02-09T14:39:00.006Z

... of the chocolate varierty, there's been a bit of chocolate around lately! These bunnies are so cute and this vintage style cone is a great way to give them as a gift. I've used these papers... they're fabulous colours, really fresh and spring like.

I simply made a cone shape, cut strips of paper, scalloped one edge and glued them around the top. I then pleated a strip, ran it through the sewing machine and glued that in place. I added a string of beads, glued in place with Diamond Glaze.

The rosette was cut with a Tim Holtz die and the edges dipped in glass glitter....... how fab is that stuff!

The centre of the rosette is decorated with pretty paper roses

The ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl

Hope you like it

Effie

XXX

Julie: Minibook using Onirie papers

2011-02-06T16:59:00.008Z

Hi everyone.

You know when you come across a paper design which you almost can't bear to cut into? Well, that's how I felt about this beautiful picture frame paper:

The design is called 'Invocation' and is part of the Onirie 'Midnight Secret' range which is now in stock in the shop.

If you hop over here- to a post on my blog - there's lots more photos of the minibook I've made using the range.

But if you just want to sprint ahead and get your hands on some of that paper [ie. before I stock up on those frames!] ... then simply click here!

I'll see you back here soon with another Onirie project but until then, happy paper-stroking!

Julie

Good enough to eat!

2011-02-03T20:18:00.000Z

When I saw the new range of 12 x 12 papers by Onirie that Jean is stocking I just wanted to eat them. they looked so yummy. The Opera range just reminded me of soft velverty .....CHOCOLATE. So once I had got my mitts on them I knew that I wanted to make a lovely gift bag and of course fill it with CHOCOLATE. I think you can see where I'm going with this.

I've used one of the lunch bags as a base and cut out a window to show off those delicious chocs. It has the look os one of those fancy French chocolate shops.

The flower was created using a Spellbinder's nestie and edged in that gorgeous glass glitter that is so erm... glittery!

I'm not sure how long the chocs will stay inside the bag but in the meantime pop over to the shop and get yourself some of these lovely papers before they sell out. Don't forget to check out the glass glitter too.

Please welcome our Guest Designer BEV ROCHESTER

2011-01-30T09:08:00.006Z

Welcome Bev and here is her lovely work.

I have used a Sweet Pea stamp – Glam Goth. Isn’t she gorgeous! I made a bit of a boo boo with this card, after it was done I realised the ribbon should have gone over the image, not behind. Just as well as it would have hidden this gorgeous fairy. So, as I had no intention of starting the card over I just ran a piece of chain across the image to under the flower then dangled a charm from there. Phew, problem solved lol

The little blue roses are mini rose cabochons that I painted with a coat of Shimmerz December Sky. The twinkle is so pretty. The cabochons feel like porcelain and the detail on them is amazing. The image has been coloured with Copics – can’t remember which colours I used and I have lost the bit paper that I wrote them down on, sorry. The paper is Onirie Sweetness of Living.

If you want to see more of Bevs work pop over to her blog www.bevscrafts.blogspot.com

3 more paper ranges by ONIRIE

2011-01-28T13:41:00.002Z

Here are the three "NEW" ONIRIE paper ranges that have just arrived. Wonder what the design team are going to make with them.
Talking of Design Team we have a Guest Designer for the month of February and she it starting tomorrow , so remember to pop back.
SPRING

MATROYASHKA

FARAWAY COUNTRY

Julie: 3 blog posts for the price of 1!

2011-01-25T07:38:00.003Z

Hi there. How're you today?

I think I've actually seen the sun twice since we last met, so I can't complain really can I? Better still, I've taken delivery of some of the brand new Onirie papers Jean has begun to stock ... and that's made me very happy indeed!

I've changed my mind at least three times about what to share with you today ... so have decided to share bits of all three things rather than make a proper decision! Starting with some of those papers ...

Jean is currently stocking 4 different ranges of 12x12 papers from the French [hard-to-buy in the UK] brand Onirie .

3 out of the 4 ranges are double-sided and I personally have wored with 3 out of those 4 ranges! So I'm well placed to vouch for lots of wonderful sides of patterned paper there!

The lovely gridded backgrounds to both these layouts are from the 'Projet Toto' range: And while I think this next design has sold out already, there are still others in the range which feature those 'cute-in-a-good-way' sketchy, doodled characters:
I still have some of the range left including this amazingly atmospheric one [called 'Smearing']
Which is so striking you could almost just throw it into a frame and hang it as is! The other ranges are equally as stunning ... but are all quite different. Do go over and check them all out, if you're tired of the same-old-same-old ranges than Onirie might just be what you need to make you fall back in love with paper.

[Clearly that last line was just a joke ... I mean .. when did you ever fall out of love with paper??? I don't think such a thing it's possible ... is it?]. ;-)

Right then, let's move on to 'thing I wanted to share No.2'. The new ranges of Queen & Co. embellishments in stock now:

That perfect little Self Adhesive Gem in 'Snowflake' is seriously one of my favourite items right now! I'd love a pair of earrings like that, in fact ... oooh maybe I could actually turn them into earrings .... I'll make sure to let you know if I do!

Anyway ... I've blogged more images of the cards I've made, which feature the gems, over on my blog today here. While you're there you can have a look at the free class I'm holding there for the next few weeks - which is all about how to use Twittter - and you're most welcome to join in!

I've made a vintage-style title images for each of the lessons throughout the 3 week course and all of the bird images I used came from the 3DJean 'Vintage Labels' Image CD which is in stock now: I've been teaching myself how to use a free image editing software called GIMP which is how I managed to take the original images from the CD and adapt them to give my class a very specific bird-themed look and feel! So don't just think you have to print out the images form your Image CDs - they may have a purely digital use which you'd not thought of.

[But don't forget my 'printing from Image CDs tutorial' if you actually DO want to print out!].

OK then, that's enough from me for one day ... you've got new stash to browse and a Twitter class to contemplate joining in with!

I'll see you around.

Julie

New Papers

2011-01-23T21:14:00.006Z

Four "NEW" sets of papers arrived this week from ONIRIE and I just had to have a play with them. I chose the OPERA set to make a little book to hold ATC's.

Here is a little book I made with the papers , it's so easy to make from a double sided 12x12 paper, so this new paper was just the thing. Then to go in it I made some Bird themed ATC's.

It's a while since Ive made ATC'S so was a nice change.The colour of them was also a change for me PINK , those that know me know im really not a pink girl part from my hair colour lol. The crowns I used are the Dusty Attic one's we sell just painted pink to match. So cute

Love token

2011-01-19T15:15:00.003Z

Need to make a little something for Valentines Day? How about Ryla from Sweet Pea.

Simply stamped,coloured and mounted onto a chipboard heart which has been sprayed with Shimmerz.

And edged with the fabulous glass glitter.

Real cute!
Effie

XXX

Jan:Pretty Lady

2011-01-13T10:00:00.001Z

Isn't she gorgeous?

She is one of the new Sweet Pea stamps that Jean has got in for you to play with. I have coloured her dress with Distress Inks to tone in with the background paper.

She's definitely going to be one of my favourites will she be yours?

Julie: Tutorial - Printing from Image CDs

2011-01-04T06:43:00.002Z

Hi there, how's things with you 4 days into a brand new year?

For my first post of 2011 I've created a tutorial to share, step-by-step, how to efficiently print out some of the images from one of several Image CDs Jean has in stock.

Plus, it's as much a tutorial on how to use Picasa - a free photo-editing software - to print out a sheet of A4 paper completely filled with images so you don't waste any paper. The techniques I show in the photo tutorial below are exactly the same as those I use when printing out my photographs for scrapping too.

With the 'Vintage Labels' CD I organised my kitchen storage jars:

And here's how ...

Using Picasa to print your own labels

If you don't already have Picasa you can download it for free from Google here and the put your Image CD into your computer.

You can copy all of the images on the CD onto your computer if you wish, but if you don't want it taking up space on your hard-drive then:

when asked by your computer what you want to do when you insert the CD, select 'Open folder to view files'.

To be able to see them properly go to 'Views' and select 'Extra Large Icons':

Next create a new folder [by going to 'Organize' > 'New Folder'] where you will store all of the images you want to use.

Now drag the picture from the CD over into the new folder. This does not remove it from the CD - it just makes a copy:

When you've copied over as many images as you want to print out open up the Picasa programme and search for the new folder with the copied images inside:

You now need to select all of these images before going on to arranging them ready for printing. The quickest way I know to 'Select All' is:

Click on or near any image in the folder;
Hold down the 'Ctrl' button on your keyboard and then press the 'A' key.
The selected images will have a blue border around them:

Now you need to create a page from those images by clicking the 'Collage' button at the bottom of the page:

At this stage your images will need some re-arranging before printing:

In this new page select A4 from the 'Page Format' box on the left - as this is what you will be printing out onto later:

Next, click the arrow at the top of the page - just beneath the 'Settings' tab.

It is possible to sometimes work with the 'Mosaic' and 'Grid' setting but ...
For finer control of your images and their sizes - I usually opt for 'Picture Pile':

Make sure to untick the 'Draw Shadows' box before moving on.

Each of your images on the page now has its own wheel to control its individual size and position on the page:

You can rotate, make larger or smaller and grab and move about. This part might take some time but it's worth it as you get to choose the size of each separate image - plus it makes full use of your paper!

After a few minutes tweaking and shuffling here's my finished page:

When you're happy with your finished arrangement - click the 'Create Collage' button at the bottom of the screen:

It automatically saves to a folder called 'Collages' - which the Picasa programme creates on your computer [I always end up moving it somewhere else if I'm going to keep the collage for future use, but there's no real need to].

Picasa will prompt you when the collage-making process is complete - and you can click to view it. If you want to print out your page then and there click the print icon at the bottom [or go to 'File' > 'Print'].

In the 'Print Layout' pane select 'Full Page':

The rest of the default settings are usually fine - so now simply press print at the bottom right of the screen.

I printed my full page of Vintage Labels directly on to self-adhesive photo paper so I could make easy storage jar labels:

They could also be used as journaling blocks, on cards, envelopes, gifts ... etc etc.

And ... considering that I only printed out a handful of the 2800 labels on the 'Vintage Labels' CD I have ... the possibilities are [almost] endless!!!

If you aren't already familiar with them, check out Jean's selection of the Image CDs [priced £3.50] here.

I really hope my tutorial today has helped those of you looking for a way to print out a full page of images. I'd lov eto hear from you after you've given it a go! Just give me a shout either here on on my own blog.

I'll be back later this month, you have fun printing with Picasa!

Julie

Little Bags

2010-12-31T14:33:00.008Z

Ive had these lovely lunch style bags for ages , piles of them , but I have never got round to putting them on the website. Ive now got the ones I have been using over christmas on today.

And this is what I have been making with them. I needed a little bag or something to put some little birthday presents in.So got out a bag and decorated it with one of the new Sweatpea stamps - Pinkie one of the Phunky Pharies.

I then thought a matching card would be a nice idea.

And then with the left over pieces of card I made a spare one

Last Minute

2010-12-20T20:06:00.004Z

Only five sleeps left and i'm still making cards.Not one present wrapped either. But here are what I am sending as my christmas cards this year. I've used the lovely Poinsetta Fairy from the SWEETPEA stamps.

Instead of stamping in black and then colouring her in , I stamped in red and then put a little red stickles on the flowers.Then useing only red and white papers and embelishments on the cards. Just a nice change I think.

Julie: Christmas Elf stamps

2010-12-07T08:00:00.002Z

Hi all.

As I mentioned in my post on Sunday the Design Team have all been getting festive with the Sweet Pea Christmas Elf set:

And today's my turn!

For my cards, I've been experimenting with several softer colour options than those on the sample sheet above, while keeping the red checked backing paper the same throughout.

Here's a soft blue and grey version [all coloured with ProMarkers]: Complete with twinkling Stickles accents and ruddy cheeks:
Another blue version, this time with extra red details:
And finally, a splash of pink and purple:
Again, the outfit wouldn't be complete without some Stickled trimming!
I've got a fourth colour option in this post over on my blog - Notes on Paper - today, where it's illustrating something Christmassy I overheard [you know how I like to keep my ears open!].

The full details of the Christmas elf sheet can be found here, and maybe I'll see you on my blog later too?

Julie :-)

Julie: Shop Updates + Sweet Pea Stamps

2010-12-05T14:05:00.008Z

Hi all. How's Sunday treating you?

I've got a few bits, bobs, snippets of news and things to keep you occupied indoors while it's still below freezing out there! So you get yourself comfy and I'll make a start ...

1. Whether or not you've had the snow where you live, if the scenes from all the recent snow falls have made you feel festive already and given you a taste for all things twinkly then why not take advantage of the special 3 for 2 offer Jean has on the site throughout the month:

"Order any two SHIMMERZ products in December and receive a third one free! (just add the free product in the comments box at checkout)".

So now would be a great time to make a list of which Shimmerz products you'd like for Christmas and pass it on to your friends and loved ones ... after all you'd be saving them money now they can get 3 for 2 wouldn't you? It's like you're doing them a favour really .... ;-)

Click here to see the Shimmerz range.

2. Have you seen the latest products Jean's listed in the shop? There's:

the December 'Alter That' kit;
lots of new paper pads including ones from My Mind's Eye and Melissa Frances;
and a half-price offer on some Tattered Angels Glimmer chips too.

You can check out everything in the super-useful 'New Products' page on the site, but here's a few of my favourites ...

This very smart Lost Coast Design lady caught my eye: The 'Mini Text Diva with Face' possibly a bit of a favourite as her legs are just like mine today as I've got my stripy leggings on! Plus, you've got to love a stripy-legged stamp haven't you?

Then there's a re-stock of this Stained Glass Flower border stamp:

Which is the one I used on both of these tags:

At only £2.00 the border stamps always sell well, so grab yours while you can!

3. There's also some new Sweet Pea stamps available, including this adorable Christmas Elf sheet:

Which Jan and Effie have already been using here and here.

Then there's some 'Phunky Phairies' - one of which I've just used on a feature published in Papercraft Inspirations Magazine next year. I can't show you the full thing, but here's a sneaky peek of how I used the 'Jinx' design: 4. And speaking of Sweet Pea Stamps ... did you know that they have a blog which includes a customer gallery?

I've just discovered it and thought that some of you might like to see the work you've bought from Jean featured on the manufacturers blog, well, everyone likes a little bit of recognition don't they?

You can see the full range of Sweet Pea stamps stocked by Jean here, and below is just some of the uses the Scattered Scarlet design team have made with them over the last few months:Finally ... I also discovered that Sweet Pea have a challenge blog called 'In A Sweet Pea Dream' which seems to offer prizes to the challenge winners! So, get putting those Sweet Pea stamps to good use and make sure to let us know if .. or rather when ... you win!

I'll be back on Tuesday with the cards I've made using the Christmas Elf, but until then, keep those crafty fingers moving so the icicles can't form on them!

Julie :-)

Jan; Santa's little helper

2010-11-25T12:31:00.001Z

At this thime of the year Santa needs all the help he can get and so do we! So this sheet of elves will be very useful for all those cards and projects you still have to do!

I have used the jack in the box stamp on this lovely little plaque. If you were lucky enough to get those Echo Park papers before they flew of the shelves they are ideal for this project. I don't have any copics/promarkers either but I have used my trusty distress inks (which are in the shop) and a water brush to colour in the image. The Merry Christmas banner is one of my favourite stamp set from Purple Onion.
Finally a project isn't a Christmas one without a bit of bling and I have used stickles.

So why don't you pop over to the shop and see what you can find to make a Christmas project or two.

Going Skiing.......

2010-11-21T21:42:00.004Z

One stamp............... Same style .......

but two different looks.............
I'm not a great 'colourer inner' ( I don't have the time, patience or the Copics) but these stamps are easy to do... just a few colours and they're all set to go...

You can find this little chap here

Hope you like him
Effie
XXX

Julie: Purple Onion 'Antique Ledger' set.

2010-11-18T16:15:00.007Z

Hi all.

I don't know about you, but I love to use office supplies in my crafty projects.

Give me a manila envelope, some graph paper and a few paperclips and I'm as happy as a pig in a stationary shop ... or something like that ... you know what I mean! And it's why I love this 'Anitque Ledger Background' stamp set by Purple Onion, which you can find in the 3DJean shop here:

While the lined background is ideal for journaling on to, it can also add a hint of office-y loveliness to plainer papers. Here, behind the photographs, I stamped its lines over a lightly patterned paper:

Included in the same set is a selection of really useful words and numbers that can be used as stand alone stamps - even without the lined ledger background.

Here I've used the 'Quantity' and individual number stamps to record how many crafting friends I went away with on a retreat recently:

And on each page I've used the 'Name' stamp to record exactly who those people were! Not that I'm likely to forget ... but it does add something to the page:

Finally I used the 'Date' and 'Description' stamps to add a few extra details to the back of my mini 'facebook': If after ogling the 'Antique Ledger' set you feel like indulging your own office-supply urges, you might also like ...

The Purple Onion 'Vintage PostMark Dates':
... or the more contemporary Purple Onion 'Date Me' set: ... and the Lost Coast Designs' 'Shopping List': All of which will come in useful for festive projects this season too!

Remember you're welcome to give us all a prod whenever you use a product you bought from 3DJean, that way we can hop over to your place and 'ooooh' and 'aaaaaahh' over your work. And we like doing that ... in fact the whole Scattered Scarlet design team spent the whole weekend doing just that with each other ... and I have my little book above to record it!

Right then, you get crafting and I'll see you very soon.

Julie

Jan; Say Cheese

2010-11-02T16:33:00.001Z

I think I've said this before but I love those Webste'rs pages. This one is from Hollywood Vogue and WonderFall collection combo pack. I'd like to know who thinks of the names for these collections they're great.

These papers are a godsend when you need a quick card as the background is done for you. Even better when you need a card for that trickiest of themes .....Men! All I've done is stamped the cameraman image and it was ready.

So if you need a quick fix pop over to the shop and check out these papers they won't be there long

As Simple as ABC

2010-10-29T14:39:00.007+01:00

It would have been easy to use these ABC stamps as an ATC.. they're the perfect size but they make a fabulous border for this box. Make it as a baby memory box or to wrap that special Christening gift. The border would look good around the Christening cake too.

Stamp the images them in grey rather than black .. this gives a softer look.

Add Golden Berry Dewdrops to the punched flowers around the edge......the flowers hide the joins!

The large flower is made with Sizzix dies and white glitter paper

Hope you like it

Effie

XXX

Julie: Layered Ephemera Tags.

2010-10-26T07:27:00.001+01:00

Hi there.

Last week, those of you who read my blog, Notes on Paper, might have seen the first project I made using one of the gorgeous new range of paper roses now available at 3DJean.co.uk:

If you didn't already see it then this was the end result:

But, if you pop over and visit my original post you can also see the slideshow step-by-step tutorial I made to demonstrate how I built up the layers.

Once I'd made the first tag, for the card above, I carried on going using the same supplies to make more layered, ephemera pieces:

The base for these was a selection of blank kraft luggage tags and index cards from a stationery shop plus the following 3DJean supplies:

several 'Mixed Two-tone' Mulberry Paper Roses;
mixed vintage ephemera from various 'Alter That' kits;
strips of paper doilies;
a Lost Coast Designs border stamp;
various Tim Holtz Distress Inks and
some Art Chix collage elements.

Now here's how all of that, combined with ribbon from my stash and some 7Gpsies wording stickers, looked when I'd finished:

I loved mixing the snooty fat Art Chix cat image with the cigarette card of King Charles!:

And I'm really pleased with how the contrast of periwinkle blue and orange worked here:

And finally, I think one's my favourite: As I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment on the sticker:

"She knew with the right amount of junk she could create a masterpiece"!!!

How about you?

It's kind of exactly how I felt about making these tags so I hope they've made you feel like looking through your stash and throwing together some random, eclectic ephemera ... topped off with a paper rose or two.

It's a great way to use up stash and try out new, slightly eccentric, interesting combinations of both imagery and supplies.

Thanks for reading today, see you in a couple of weeks time. Until then, don't forget to look at the step-by-step here on my blog.

Julie :-)

p.s: If you're at all intrigued by the 'Flawed Work of Art' frame in the background of my photos, it's something I made for a Copy+Paste challenge last year, which you can read the full story here.

Jan:Trick or treat?

2010-10-19T10:00:00.001+01:00

It's almost that time when all manner of ghosts and ghouls will knock on your door asking "trick or treat?" Can I ask has anyone ever said "trick" or are you just like me and reach for the sweetie bowl?

Here's my "sweetie" she's one of those delectable Sweet Pea stamps that you can find in the shop.

Whatever your're doing this halloween enjoy.

Keep it Simple.....

2010-10-17T09:29:00.003+01:00

I know colouring in is very popular but I just don't have the patience.......... or a huge amount of Copics or Promarkers so I've kept this very simple. take a piece of white semi gloss card, cut a tag 8x16 cm and use Distress Inks to create your background... I wiped mine on with a makeup sponge. Spray with water and dry with a heat gun .Keep to the same colour palette . Stamp your image in black, add a few pearls and some stickles.......and there you have her..

One Ice Queen! Hope you like her!
Effie

Halloween

2010-10-08T16:04:00.009+01:00

Got to be my favourite time of the year. So I just had to have a play with some of the new Cosmo Cricket Matilda Papers.

6X6 pads are great for cards just the right size , so here you go. Two of the cards I made with it.

For the orange one I used some of the Dew Drops. I dont normally use them , I know the other design girls do , but this time I thought I would have a mess around with them and liked the way I could use them round the apature. Then I finished the card off with a couple of the flowers we are now stocking.
Halloweenie (is that a word ?) but not to scary.

Roses

2010-10-03T09:53:00.003+01:00

I have been using these lovely mulberry roses on my cards for a while and thought maybe I should stock them. So if you pop over there now we have some in. I of course have used Red and Black ones , but we have pinks , purples and others in stock.

Im still playing with the SweetPea Stamps and with the colours I use think this card looks just a little better now I have added the roses.Hope you think so too.

Shimmerz........

2010-10-01T19:15:00.003+01:00

Playing with Shimmerz a la Ms Wakely. It's a work in progress, I have no idea how to go about the journalling but I do like all the spritzy colours and effects ( I probably won't do any journalling!)

I sprayed this one though a used sticker sheet.

   I just love playing with those sprays!
                                                                                                               Effie
                                                                                                              XXX

Julie: CatsLife Press Bird stamps

2010-09-28T08:21:00.002+01:00

Hi there you lovely Scattered Scarleteer you. How's things?

Which are the images shapes, styles, details and figures which you keep returning to on your projects over time? Flowers? Hearts? Crowns?

One thing a few of us here at Scattered Scarlet have in common is a love of bird imagery and luckily for us there's been a whole flock to choose from in recent years as bird designs have popped up everywhere from stamping and papercrafting to fashion and interiors.

This week on my own blog I'm going to be indulging in birdy-themed posts so, when it came to sharing something with you today, these cards, featuring bird stamps from Catslife Press were the obvious choice.

For these tiny general greetings cards I've used the 'Here's a Good Tale' and the 'Always On the Go' stamps:

On the 'Always On the Go' stamp, I managed to snip away the bird design from the actual wording to create two stamps for the price of one ... because I'm greedy like that: The cards were made from scraps of leftover card and paper in shades of kraft, beige, neutral and lilac:I then added a length of raffia, a snippet of cotton ribbon and a button:... and ran the whole thing under the sewing machine a few times: As for those extremely pretty quails' eggs ... they're 100% natural so I can't take any credit for those I'm afraid!

There are currently two further feathered friend Catslife Press designs available in the 3DJean shop namely the 'Royal Bird':

... and the 'Perfect Pair':

And seeing how most of her Design Team love birds rather a lot ... I can't imagine they'll be the last Jean gets in stock!

In fact, there are already many other bird-themed items in the shop, such as these:... so have a browse around the Catslife Press and Lost Coast Designs stamps and the Artchix sheets amongst other things, and see what leaps / flies out at you.

Julie :-)

Pretty in Pink

2010-09-17T11:39:00.000+01:00

Well hello it's my turn to play with the delightful Sweet Pea stamps. I decided to go with a "cutie" rather than the "attitude" look that I've seen so far. These ladies have the most beautiful eyes and soulful faces. I've used my old fashioned watercolour pencils (I don't have any copics/promarkers) to add colour to the image.

With just a touch of stickles on her lace and the kitten's wings and she's gorgeous. The background was created using my favourite spritz Shimmerz Cotton Candy. I don't think my photo does it justice but believe me these sprays really add bling! Another favourite Dewdrops were added to complete a rather cute card. So as if you need any encouraging why don't you pop over to the shop and see what you can find.

Keep it Together!

2010-09-12T16:02:00.007+01:00

Want to keep stuff together?.... This little book is a record of some of the challenges I've done.The images are already on my blog so I just selected some and printed them wallet sized.
You will need 2 chipboard covers and as many pages as you like.
My pages are 14x9cms, all different colours. I used the My Card stamp from Purple Onion ( Maybe out of stock at the moment but there's bucket loads of new stuff on the way so keep looking!)

Cover your front and back covers. Stamp the hand onto white card....dull the image with an ink pad, I used TH Antique Linen. Glue the hand to chipboard and cut out............glue this to the front WHEN YOU HAVE PUNCHED THE HOLES FOR BINDING!... 2 layers of chipboard does not go into a Bind it All!

Cut out your printed images.... with a craft knife cut around the fingers and slip in your image beneath the fingers..

I used an old text book for background paper

and added stitches around each page

Try using a selection of your own photographs.. maybe for a birthday or other special occassion!

Hope you like it

Effie

XXX

Julie: What do you get if you cross art-journaling with scrapbooking?

2010-09-07T08:28:00.000+01:00

Hi all.

So what do you get if you cross art-journalling with scrapbooking? Art-booking? Scrap-journalling? Well, watever you want to call it, I've been doing some of it ... and mine looks like this:

I suppose it's looser in style than regular scrapbooking and uses lots of paint and spray inks ... like a lot of art-journalling at the moment, but the inclusion of a photograph somehow keeps that scrapping element alive.

To start, I covered my page with various scraps of paper in various shades of pink, grey and brown.

Then, to tie them together I dry-brushed some areas with gesso and swept over others with Shimmerz Pearlz in 'Grey Flannel' .

'Grey Flannel' is one of my favourite colours of Shimmerz paints because, while it adds a soft, sheen to the surface it's also a very useable neutral shade which you can use over large expanses.

I love working in this style as it's so freeing and messy and my pages in this style seem to only benefit from the addition of more and more layers and additional details ... which is a lot of fun!

To draw the focus of my busy page to the photo, I framed it with lots of interesting and shiny bits and pieces [I think I must be part magpie!]. Which included Dew Drops gems in 'Hyacinth' and some lovely pink German Scrap: The same Artchix 'German Scrap' was used to frame two lovely ladies from an Artchix Image sheet which were the nearest lookalikes to me and HannahBanana I could find! And which of my projects lately could be considered complete without the addition of my current favourite stamp? Here's a touch of the very fabulous Lost Coast Designs 'Skulls' border:

[The border is currently out of stock ... sorry. And no ... I didn't buy them all up!].

Here I stamped the border again down my journaling block, then painted it out with my Shimmerz Pearlz for a more subtle effect and one which I could write over: So, that's the end of my scrap-journaling for the day. I hope I've given you an idea or two to try, whether you're an art-journaler, scrapbooker or none of the above.

I'll be sharing more of my messy / scrappy / journallesque pages on my own blog later this week, so if you're passing ... drop in and say 'hello'.

See you soon.

Julie :-)