Crop & Create 2018 - Vicki Boutin's Mixed Media Class

I never miss a chance to take one of Vicki's classes.  This year it was a mixed media mini album.  Lots of  fun inky techniques :)

Once I got home the fun continued......

Crop & Create 2017

At my favourite place of the year - Crop & Create 2017 with Catherine from Scrapbook and Cards Today and my scrappy friends :) and of course taking a Vicki Boutin class!!

Oh and I may have come home with a little bit of Vicki Boutin stash - drinking the Kool-aid :)

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.

Texture Play aka Inky Fingers Class

So thankfully there was Crop & Create recently because I still haven't found much time for crafting!  I finished up my Folio recently which was from the Texture Play Class at this year's much anticipated Crop & Create Event in September.  I was looking forward to this class the most and it was well worth the wait.  Vicki Boutin taught this class as well as the Fundamentals of Distress class at last year's event.  She NEVER disappoints!!

The folio - just gorgous!!  Look at that ribbon - it is seem binding ribbon coloured with Distress inks.  And the word band was distressed with Picket Fence Paint.

I had seen sneak peeks before the Event of this dragonfly and couldn't wait!!  This was our first project in the class -   we inked it up by generously with Distress Inks and then generously applied Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  After it was dry and the cracks had appeared we applied Chipped Sapphire Distress Stain to the tips of the wings and then a bit of Brushed Pewter Distress Stain.  Pumice Stone ink was applied to the body.

Here you can see the inside completed. 

The tags are meant to be adhered to the flaps inside the folio. I just haven't done that yet. 

First up was the Gold Embossed Texture Paste tag.  After applying the texture paste we applied gold embossing powder and let it dry.  Once it was dry we then heat embossed it so it wouldn't get too puffy.

Here you can see a close up of the gold embossing paste and the silver Distress Stain which was sprayed and dripped. 

Clear Embossed Stamp Tag - the image was stamped with distress ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Then we inked the tag and did some water droplets to create 'water marking'.  

Love how the Crushed Olive ink looks gold.

Tissue Wrapped Texture Tag - tissue tape was added with multi medium underneath.  We inked the tissue and added Picket Fence Distress Paint with our fingers to mute the ink.  then we added Tarnished Brass Distress Paint through a stencil with a sponge.

That feather!!  A bit of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint was applied to the tip.  Once dry we applied some Tarnished Brass Distress Paint.

Texture Paste Stamped Tag - texture paste was applied to the tag.  Once dry we inked the tag and stamped it.  We brushed over the texture paste with some Brushed Pewter Distress Stain and after that was dry applied Pumice Stone Ink by brushing over the paste with the pad.

Love the shimmer from the Distress Stain.  

Debossed Tag - we used the debossed side of the tag and applied Distress Inks.  Then we misted the mat with Brushed Pewter Distress Stain and dragged the tag through.  A little bit of Pumice Stone Distress Ink was brushed over the tag as well.  

I love how the ink colours remain in the debossed areas and the stain and Pumice Stone ink was only applied to the surface.

Tinted Texture Paste Tag - I love the bright colours we used on this tag.  The background was created by inking over the texture paste (which was tinted pink) and then we applied Chipped Sapphire Distress Stain.

This gorgeous butterfly was created by applying the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint before the ink.  The crackle didn't completely cover the butterfly.  After it was dry we applied the Chipped Sapphire and Brushed Pewter Distress Stains.

That's Vicki in the background giving us the peace sign :)