Merry Days - Scrapbook & Cards Today December Album

Can you believe I completed this Album in one day??!!  I can't!!  I attend a 12 hour crop at a community hall with friends every month or so and yesterday I was able to throw this together.  Of course it helped that I had instructions with the kit and I wasn't planning my pages around photos I already had.  That's the beauty of creating an album this way!!  This was a kit put together by Virginia Nebel and sold at Scrapbook and Cards Today and Crop & Create in September.

The kit used products from the Bella Boulevard Make It Merry line, Becky Higgins gold foiled PL cards, Simple Stories Claus & Co. line, some Sn@p products, Heidi Swapp foam letters and American Crafts Album, chipboard and roller stamp.

Be warned - this post is very photo heavy!!

There were a few little inserts throughout the album - this was an altered envelope.

I had to share a close up of the embossing powder I used on the chipboard pieces.  I didn't want to use them in their plane state so I decided to heat emboss them with this cool embossing enamel.  It's Aged Ivory by Stampendous - I love the gold flecks!!  

I was thinking of giving this away as a gift, but now I'm not so sure :)  It's kind of nice to have an album ready and waiting for photos!!  Now the idea of documenting 25 days of December is a little overwhelming to me.  It kind of feels like pressure to take a picture each day and document it.  So I'd rather do something like 25 Favourite Things of December or Christmas instead.

Season's Greetings

Still on my tag kick - I saw these tags using Penny Black stamps and had to make one myself!!  I love the watercolour background and these tiny images are from There She Goes Stamps.  I got this stamp set called Snowman Soup just before they closed shop.

I stamped the images in Archival ink and then watercolored the background around the images.  You can't tell in this photo but all the images are covered with clear Wink of Stella.  They're actually so shimmery.  I used some white Hero Arts embossing powder for the sentiment on black cardstock.  I plan to make a couple more - probably in a bright pink and a purple :)

And this is what I used to watercolour!!

These are my new Gansai Tambi Watercolor Paints.  They are gorgeous and vibrant.  They will take some getting used to as I've only really watercolored with distress inks, these are very creamy.

Sending Holiday Wishes - Vintage style

Here is the 2nd tag I made using this sweet stamp from Unity Stamp Co.  You can see the first tag here.  I REALLY enjoyed making this tag - there's just something about adding all that ink and creating a completely different look than what you started out with.  I love the simplicity of just stamping the tree and adding the colours to the background.  It's fun digging into my stash too :)

You can see the shimmer from theWink of Stella in the photo below.  I covered the whole tree with it.

And here are the two tags side by side - so different but I love them both!!

I'm entering my tag in The Shabby Tea Rooms Challenge #264 - O Christmas Tree.

Stamps:  Unity Stamp Co. Christmas Tree of Hope, Joy, Love and Poinsettia Wishes
Paper:  BasicGrey 
Ink:  Archival Jet Black; Peeled Paint, Peacock Feather, Pumice Stone and Vintage Photo Distress Ink; Tea Dye Distress Stain
Accessories:  MFT Pierced Tag and Traditional Tag STAX dies, BasicGrey coordinating decorative brads, Wink of Stella clear, twine from stash

Sending Holiday Wishes - CAS style

I have a thing for tags - you'd never know it because I hardly ever make them, I think the last one I made was this one last Christmas!!!  Unless of course I'm making Tim's Tags or taking one of Vicki's classes but I don't give those away!!!  No way, those are mine!!

So I've decided to challenge myself (like I need more challenges) to make more tags!!  So many crafty things to do, so little time, that's my problem :)

I decided to make two tags using the Christmas Tree of Hope, Joy, Love stamp designed by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company.  I just loved this tree but I wasn't sure that colouring it with copics was going to be the answer.  This is the first tag and I was very happy with how it turned out :)

I'm entering this in The Paper Players Challenge PP271 - create CAS Christmas card (it's not a card but I think I can still enter with a tag and it is CAS) and Tag You're It Challenge #34

Stamps:  Unity Stamp Co. Christmas Tree of Hope, Joy, Love and Poinsettia Wishes
Paper:  My Minds Eye 12 Days of Christmas
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, copics
Accessories:  MFT Pierced Tag and Traditional Tag STAX dies, MME coordinating decorative brads and rhinestones, Wink of Stella clear, ribbon and twine from stash

Adventure

I finally finished up this scrapbook page I made a little while ago.  I took Studio Calico's 2015 Mixed Media class - this particular project concentrated on using gesso, reinkers and acylic paint.  We also used a silkscreen.

The background was created by first applying a layer of gesso over the area where the silkscreen and watercolouring was going to be.  Using the silkscreen I applied the acrylic paint.  After that it was just a matter of mixing some reinker ink with a bit of water and applying it over the image.  I love this silkscreen by Heidi Swapp.  I picked out some papers I had in my stash the matched and did a little layering and stitching.  I took my paintbrush and flicked some more watered down ink over the papers and waited for that to dry.  I did some journaling on a tag and stamped the date in the bottom corner.  I thought this Adventure sticker was perfect for this layout.  

One of the tips given in the class was to make sure that your background doesn't overpower the photo.  You want the photo to stand out first and foremost.  I think it does.

Look at the gorgeous shine on the gold word sticker!!

My experience with the silkscreen - make sure the gesso is completely dry!!!  If you touch your page and it feels cool, it's not dry - trust me!!  I had to make a second attempt at this as the first time I ripped up all the gesso and paper because it stuck to my silkscreen.  You also have to clean them really really quickly after using them or the teeny tiny holes will plug up and that's not good :)

Supplies:  

Studio Calico Color Theory reinkers and acrylic paint

Studio Calico 12 x 12 paper pads Wanderlust and Printshop

Amy Tangerine's 12 x 12 paper pad Plus-One

American Crafts Wildflower Thickers

Heidi Swapp Roller Stamp

Maka A Wish

I had to come up with a quick birthday card this week for my niece and I just happened to have these backgrounds laying around.

A while back I made some shaving cream backgrounds using watercolour paper - that was fun!!  What a cool technique!!!  I used my Studio Calico ink refills for the colours.  If you haven't tried this you should, but try to find scent free shaving cream :)

I used CTMH stamps Doodled Designs Flair and Wish Occasions then I added a few Doodlebug sequins and some Platinum Stickles and that was it!!  Quick 5 minute card :)

Here you see the shaving cream backgrounds I created last month.  I turned a couple into project life cards for my album using Studio Calico's Palm Tree stamp set.  

I'm entering my card in Seize the Birthday's Challenge - Anything Goes.

Happy New Home

Just sharing a quick card I made for my mother in law.  I was inspired by a card I saw here using a Unity stamp set and figured I could do the same with my Stampin Up set I have.  It took a little practice to get the masking figured out as each of the three houses are a separate stamp but I got it :)

It's been a while again since I coloured with my copics, it was fun to do that again. 

Stamps:  SU Holiday Home

Paper:  PTI, SU Baked Brown Sugar

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories:  CTMH Enamel Heart