Scrapping by Design

It is perhaps a bit early in the year to be making a calendar for 2016. However, that is where my muse lead me. This mini journal, calendar themed, is made from folding one 12″ by 12″ sheet of scrapbook paper. The instructions for making it are here: Folded 3 x 3 Album with Calendar Focus.

I made this mini journal for a swap at Art for the Creative Mind, an online mixed media swap group. We called this project Swapped for Fun.  The list owner mailed each participant an identical stamped image. It was the woman’s head that you see on the cover of the journal. We each made a project using the stamped image. We were free to do anything we wanted with the image. The idea is to see what different approaches the members will take.

After some consideration, I decided to use it as the front cover decoration for a small calendar journal. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils, then cut it out using a circular die cut and the Big Shot.

The words “Calendar for Year 2006” are computer generated, as are the printouts of the tiny calendars.

The front and back covers are made with heavy, glittery scrapbook paper, as are the seven tags that are tucked into the page “pockets”.

I decorated with die cuts and occasionally with stickers.

I left the backs of the tags white, but stamped a meaningful word on the back of each, using black ink.

I closed the mini journal by attaching two silver colored decorative buttons to the front and back covers, and running peach colored ribbon through the holes, as shown.

I hope my swap partner likes this project. It was interesting to make.

How often do you get a chance to see a pig-themed advent calendar?

I am guess that your answer is not often.

I made this specially themed countdown calendar for a Secret Sister swap at Art for the Creative Mind.

The recipient is a woman who has a cherished pet pot-bellied pig, plus she collects pig memorabilia.

I made the calendar itself from two colors of card stock. The 25 small envelopes each have a small picture of a pig on front. Inside, each envelope has a tag with the same pig picture, only larger. The recipient can use the tags in other art projects or keep them, as she wishes.

I used vintage style pictures of pigs, most found at GraphicsFairy.

I printed out small circles with numbers on them and glued these to the pockets, one for each day of the month.

I trimmed with some burlap papers, purchased flowers and stickers spelling the word Countdown.

The small pig at the top, in the right side of the top part, is Babe the pot-bellied pig that inspired the calendar.

I attached a strip of fibre at the back so the calendar can be hung if desired.

These are Dolls Seven and the last in the set. They represent knowledge.

I made the dolls from violet or purple coloured polymer clay. I stamped in the raw clay and added Pearlex for colour before baking.

I have decorated the dolls with beads, wires, roses and various dangly things.

I am happy to be finished with this project. It was a larger undertaking then I anticipated when I started.

This is the six in a series of art dolls that I have been making. I have been going through the colours of the rainbow. These dolls are indigo, and they represent TRUTH.

I made the dolls from indigo colored polymer clay. I stamped images in the parts before baking and coloured with Pearlex.

After assembling, I decorated with miscellaneous wires and beads.  All three of them have a red crystal heart dangling from the tail.

I made this pop-up box birthday card to send to a little girl on her 3rd birthday. The box folds flat for mailing, as you can see in the lower picture.

The instructions for scoring, cutting and folding this card are located here: Pop Up Box Card at Splitcoaststampers

Despite the apparent complexity, this pop up box is quite easy to make and the instructions given at splitcoaststampers are clear.

The box itself uses only one 12″ x 12″ sheet of card stock, plus whatever papers and trims you want to use for embellishing.

I used a set of coordinating birthday papers and stickers that I won in a prize draw awhile back.

I added some ribbon that I found in my stash.

I found the inspiration and the instructions for this mini album at The Scrapbook Fan Blog.

The mini album itself uses only one 12 by 12 sheet of cardstock or thick scrapbook paper, strategically folded. It makes seven pockets for tags.

I challenged myself to make this entire album using odds and sods from my stash.

The book itself is made from a Tim Holtz scrapbook paper, and decorated with the animals from the same TH series.

I created tags using some scrapbook paper that seemed to match the TH papers fairly well. I decorated the tag fronts with more of the animal pictures. On the back of the tags, I used stamped sentiments combined with black rub-ons.

For the front of the book, I did an image transfer using an image found in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. I transferred it directly onto the scrapbook paper using Gold’s Gel Medium, then I stamped the word DREAM on the front using brown ink.

If found one of my calendars had tiny months for 2014 — so I cut them out, darkened them with Distress Ink, and attached them to the surface of each page.

I used a couple of round things in my stash. I think they are called boshers . I glued the boshers in place and tied the book shut with ordinary string.

I made this shrine for a swap at Art for the Creative Mind. The theme was to use an icon, real or imaginary. I used Count Dracula, since Halloween was fast approaching.

I used a five sided candy box and lined it with red felt on the bottom. For the sides, I used a map of “Transylvania’.

The top has a black and white image of a woman’s face, fashioned from a stamp on Polymer clay.

Count Dracula is a cut out paper doll. I also used a key, a silver cross, a raven, and black and red rosettes.

I placed a black paper coffin in the shrine to the back of the Count.

This strange and peculiar item is an altered kitchen whisk. It is now, at least in my view, a steampunk flying machine.

It is for a swap at Art for the Creative Mind. The theme is “Whisk the Night Away.”  Consequently, the flying machine has some stars!

First, I painted the wire parts of the whisk with several different colours of Luminiere paint.

I had some real peacock feathers that a super-duper lady from AFTCM sent me quite a while ago. I thought they were too pretty to use, but eventually I decided it was wasteful not to incorporate them in a project, so here are some of them. I did keep some for myself!

The front of the flying machine is meant to represent  peacock heads. I drew it by hand on shrink plastic,  including goggles, and then coloured it with pigment inks. I shrunk the plastic and added some rhinestones to emphasize the crest of “feathers” on the head.

The front “wheel” is made from several items made from shrink plastic and strung together with florist wire. I made several stars, cutting with a stencil, using black shrink plastic. I also stamped several steampunk gears on translucent shrink plastic, and used silver heat embossing powder when I shrunk them.

The two heads are separated using a metal socket purchased in a set at the Dollar Store. The back wheel is also a metal socket.

The two round silver things are items from the hardware store. I stamped them with a steampunk design, using black Stazon ink. I placed  two red jingle bells in the center of each.

The front has a black button with silver stars on it, and several strands of chain.

At the end of the handle, where the handle joins the body, I taped the feathers in place, using double sided sticky tape. I covered the other side of the tape with micro beads.

The steampunk flying machine is put together, primarily, using magnetic craft buttons. It can be taken apart readily, therefore, and reassembled just as easily.  I bought the magnetic craft buttons at the Dollar Store, along with the sockets.

It’s pretty weird.

This gothic arch, with the theme of Charlotte’s web, was made for a swap at Art for the Creative Mind.

I drew the arch on light card board and covered it with white paper. I made two half-doors that open and close.

I am not familiar with the story of Charlotte’s web, but I did a little online research and determined that it involves a pig and a spider. The spider spun the words “Good Pig” in its web as a message to the farmer who was thinking in terms of ham and pork chops.

I drew the spider’s web using a glue pen and black glitter.  Likewise, the words Good Pig.

I had a couple of cute pig pictures, cut from advertising materials from Telus, my telcom provider.  Telus uses cute animal pictures in their advertising.

Anyhow, I positioned the pig as shown and covered it with a dimensional lacquer.  I added some green leaves cut with a die and covered with wedding mesh.

I twilled some flowers as seen on the web, and I twilled the spider that is attached at the bottom. If you have not quilled and want to learn, Amazon has a good beginners set: Quilled Creations Beginner Quilling Kit

Inside, I put a quote from the book Charlotte’s Web, and a couple of die cut fence sections.

On the back, I used more cute pigs from Telus’ advertising materials.

Thanks, Telus.

These pictures show the front, back and inside of an altered CD case that I made for Art for the Creative Mind Swap Group. The theme was My Diary.

The case is made of clear plastic, so I took advantage of that by using the front as a window.  I placed a strip of hand crocheted lace along the inside border of the outer cover. I affixed an old fashioned nib pen on the front, tied with organza ribbon  in a pale yellow colour.

Inside, I decorated a CD with scrapbook paper covered with a gel image transfer, and a stamped image of a clock. I nestled the CD on a bed of eyelet lace.

The words, “My Diary” are cut with a Cricut and the Jasmine font.

On the back of the CD, I have embedded more scrapbook paper and a stamped image reading, “Remember”.  The eyelet lace is clearly visible from the back.

The CD case is in the hands of my swap partner now.