Distress Inks!

Love my distress inks so much and use them on nearly every layout, so after creating a perfect cupboard...

 

I needed to make my sponges accessible.  For ages now a few of us girls have been playing around with a storage system for sponges. This is the latest version which works brilliantly!!!! 

And it's cheap! This is a Lure fishing box. I got this one at Progressive IGA for $7 but I've also got some Jarvis and Walker ones for $7.  You just have to make sure they have equal compartments. If you want to get the 36 inks set eventually (there will be more to come)make sure you choose boxes that will allow for additions. 

Then I printed small squares on Publisher with the colours, printed it off, inked the edges and lined the lid with contact plus the squares. 

As below, I also put labels on the bottom so you can see where it goes back with the lid open. Best to edge off the contact with some tape to make it last longer without peeling.

I use the hydro sponges in two packs from BIG W in the bathroom section and cut them up. The rounded edge provides an excellent edge when inking around projects and the sponge is also not too dense, which gives a softer 3D look.

That way I am not interrupting my projects to wash and dry sponges! Just give them a wash and dry every three months to maintain a bit of moisture so they don't start breaking apart like sponges do when they get old.

Love it! Time and efficiency is everything when scrapping or else you spend half the little time you have getting ready, and half the time cleaning up! 

If you want a template of the tub labels or my ink labels message me, I'll email them! 

Chloe :) 

 Having all boys in my house, I love my girly zone of scrapbooking things. A girlfriend recently showed me a link to Amy Moss and her awesome creative work and I wanted something like her icecream parlour in my room... so...

I got busy with Kaisercraft drawers and advent calendars.

 

Isn't it just the cutest!!! This cupboard holds all my precious Tim Holtz distress inks which I use all the time on my layouts.(I just didn't put in the drawers) PLUS by adding another set of drawers underneath I can store lots of my other frequently used items. 

I love my I-Top and Sew Easy tools so I gave them the worship they deserve in this little advent calender which I converted. The different heads for the Sew-Easy are along the top (colour coded of course like a true OCD queen I am) and the threads have been wound on thread cards cut to fit about six in each little box so I can have a variety of shades of one colour. Then the little boxes dedicated to the i-top, I have put an actual made-up brad on the front to show the sizing. 

Again used Amy Moss' style marquee and JUST LOVE my scrap zone!!!  

Advent Day one!

How exciting!!! I actually finished my advent on time!

This one is the Dusty Attic Calendar and it is such good quality. It joins together brilliantly and is a sturdy wood. I used all my offcut Xmas paper that matched to make each box different and tried to use different techniques on every box.

Glossy Accents or Dimensional Magic is a great glue for these. It holds like cement and is much better for the precision gluing needed.


I used a whole bottle of Star Dust Stickles for the cute snow on the windows but it was worth it! I also painted the houses and used Glossy Accents to fill in the mini windows so it loks like glass is in the windows.

I used Staetdler pens to try and colour in Santas body and face decently but he still ended up looking like some mythical animal type imposter. White gel pens are great for the eyes.

 
The challenge is now to find little things that fit in the boxes!!! I think I've decided to do a treasure hunt style calendar, each day they find a clue in the box that will lead them to their treat. I just have to remember to hide it each morning... chocolate will melt quickly in this heat!

Enjoy! x

Super Vinyl !

I just completed some vinyl wall decor with the Superman cartridge from Scrappy Go Lucky!

My sons love it so much!

I found there are two ways you can do this. I used vinyl layers on vinyl layers so all of it was a sticker. It may however, be cheaper and also more easy to layer if you cut the base of the character in proper black vinyl then use bazzills on the vinyl to make the layers. I had to use skin coloured bazzills for the face of these two characters and sticking it on with glossy accents worked just fine. You would also have less chance of the vinyl buckling, like mine did in a few areas.

I had to use the flip function on the cricut with Lex so that they faced eachother and his L on his breast plate ended up flipping too, but it was a much better option that Superman being flipped. 

So for my first attempts at vinyl. I'm happy and the boys now have bigger and better ideas for their bedroom. I will have to buy a tonne more bulk vinyl from Oh My Crafts for all their ideas! 

Boys Will Be Boys 4!

 I love this page so much. On Publisher I pasted his photo, changed it to black and white and resized it to exactly his birth size 54cm and then printed it off on two landscape A4 pages. Using the centre line of the 12 x 12s I joined his photo.

It is so special to see my baby actual size again.

I saw a hand drawn page in Black and white and have borrowed the concept. This font is from Elegant Cakes Cartridge and I used a black pen to draw the stitching.

The word SIZE is cut from Boys Will Be Boys plain font.

This is an element from Boys Will Be Boys Cartridge. I cut the phrase out with the shadow and then drew on it with black and white gel pens.

I am now doing a similar page for my youngest son... But the photos are proving difficult. I only have naked ones of him full length as a baby or clothed ones where he is screaming. It is going to test my photoshopping skills!

Chloe :)

Boys Will Be Boys 3!

Dean is such as active boy, but when he stops, he really stops, gets overtired, grumpy, emotional. This page says Play Hard, Crash Harder, which is exactly what Dean does at 'Witching Hour'... that dreadful time between 4 and 7pm when kids are ratty and all the jobs have to be done.

See how I have tucked the two matted photos together to save on space in the photo above. Cut a slot in one photo. Easy! 

This is one of the phrases on Boys Will Be Boys cartridge and the little red cart is one of the pictures. I found the layers looked good with just plain colour, but using a black pen to accent the remaining white letters gave it a lift.

This tow truck is so cute when cut in the right colours. I extended the rope so it looks like it is towing the lettering.

I made this phrase up using a combination of the arrow font (shadow) and the normal font. I was so pleased to find the two fonts, plain and arrow, mix and match quite well. Again, I used a black pen to accent the white letters and also took my time to plan which colours to make the letters in.

I love a creative challenge. Owning a cricut and having cartridges like these that make you think and plan are the ultimate daily brain exercise for me. Some people prefer crosswords... Crosswords get thrown out and forgotten. My kids will be able to know their story and my story too PLUS I'm increasing my odds of not losing my memory by making my brain work! Love it!

Chloe :) 

Boys Will Be Boys 2!

This is a very simple layout. I have got to the end of a very big pile of photos and I just want them scrapped to show the boys stories without too much fuss.

This is the font from the Boys Will Be Boys cartridge blown up larger so layering is a bit easier.

These two photos (above and below) show what the Robotz Cricut Companion Embossing Folders can do when they are inked. Above is inked with Vintage Photo Distress Inks and the below background was inked with Broken China Distress Inks.  

Tomorrow I will show you what some of the phrases look like cut out in different coloured layers.

Chloe :)

Boys Will Be Boys!

I love my Boys Will Be Boys cartridge from

 Scrappy-Go-Lucky! Thank you Mandy!  

There is so much you can do with it! 

Ove the next few days I will show you some of my layouts with Boys Will be Boys! 

A friend of mine has just had a baby boy, so I am making a card for him and finishing with an amazing layout by the end of the week that you will love!

But first! Every afternoon we watch Mr Maker - a great craft show for kids. Dean loves it. I call Dean Mr Mess Maker. So making this page will remind him of both of those favourite things. PLUS gets to show off his messy shots!

The paper is from the Robot set, and I found matching brads in my local scrap shop that has just relocated.  

The Robot is cut from Boys Will Be Boys cartridge and I cuttlebugged his body layer using the ROBOTZ cartridge companion embossing folders.

I used Tiara Stickles to highlight his feet and hands. And Distress Ink - Broken China to ink the background circle.

The Arrow font takes a little bit of getting used to. This was my first attempt, so some of the bits went skewwhiff (yes, that is how you spell that word according to Collins! WEIRD!) when I glossy accented them on. The Xyron machine was extremely handy when layering the letters.

I like it, but was going to try more contrasting colours next time to highlight the arrow part and make sure I cut the letters nice and big... Live and Learn!

But I still love it all the same. PLUS, it is a page about mess. It probably wouldn't be right to have everything perfect! (That's what I keep telling myself!)

See you tomorrow for another Boys Will Be Boys layout!

Chloe :)

Make Your Fantasy Reality

Hi Everyone! Welcome to day three of the Card swap from Scrappy Go Lucky!  You can have a chance to win a Scrapcessories Cartridge Caddy with one cartridge insert today.  Just add a comment to my post and you can be in a random draw from Scrappy-Go-Lucky to win one!

These are ideal for storing your Cricut cartridges, in particular your solutions or seasonal cartridges which do not come with their own binder. Scrappy-Go-Lucky will post your prize anywhere in Australia. International blog hoppers are welcome to enter but will need to pay postage to their respective destinations. Return to Scrappy-Go-Lucky's blog each day and go to the next creators blog. One Scrapcessories cartridge caddy winner will be drawn for each days major posting. All winners will be drawn at random on Tuesday 2nd November.

I love the concept of this card. I am a goal driven person and love making my ideas into action. I have a page of 104 life goals of my dreams, goals and fantasies. Over the last ten years I have been making them happen. Last year I flew a plane! I would never have imagined that could happen in my life. But my point is simple. What ever you can dream up, you can make happen!

My card is made of black bling bazzills, I put a piece of black card through the Cuttlebug with the Swirls folder, I then traced glossy accents over the raised parts. This always looks great on black card.

I used a little bit of Stazeon ink around the black card, then drew Tinkerbell from Disney Tinkerbell and Friends Cartridge out in the filigree function with Silver Cri-kits pens and then the shadow function to cut her out. I embossed her detailed wings with Bridal embossing powder. I used Stickles to bling up her wand.

The title frame is cut from the Cindy Loo cartridge, it is the mushroom frame and layers. I used SCAL to write the words with silver Cri-Kits pens.

I then used an embossing texta and rainbow embossing powder to draw 'magic' coming from her wand. 

You can make ANYTHING happen!

Enjoy the Card Swap Blog Hop this week! Plenty more gorgeous cards to see and be inspired.

Chloe :)

 

Beautiful and Bold

Hi Everyone! I have been part of a fun card swap with the team from Scrappy-Go-Lucky and this is one of my favourite ever cards I have made!

I was given a theme, (Can you guess?) and went looking about on the internet for different pictures on that theme for inspiration.

I found this painting below by Fine Artist Elaina Wagner.

I am a huge fan of Glossy Accents and love using it excess lately to make things look glossy, especially embossed paper. I made a plain card out of black bazzills, cut three hair pieces and put them through the Cuttlebug with the Wood Grain folder. I gently inked Stazeon over the raised pieces and used Glossy Accents to higlight strands of hair. I added a rounded face in white card and inked it with Weathered Wood Distress ink to define cheeks. I made some lips in black card, used white gel pen to higlight it and put three layers of Glossy Accents to give it a real lip gloss and puffy lip look.

I drew the eyes and nose using black watercolour pencils and used a few layers of Glossy Accents and a rhinestone in the pupil to give it a glossy eye ball appearance. I also used Silver and Gunmetal Stickles to make eyelashes.

I made the mask from white bazzills and ran it through the Cuttlebug using the Swirls folder. I embossed the whole mask with Bridal embossing powder and Tiara Stickles to border it.

I used a piece of black and white ribbon as the mask holder and layered a flower using Sure Cuts a Lot and a two different flowers I found on clip art. I split them apart in SCAL before cutting. Here are the images you can save to your computer and use the Trace Image function to transport them into SCAL if you like it.

White glossy pen and more Glossy Accents finished the flower off very nicely.

I love the boldness of her face and seeing the ten cards together on my bookshelf was an awesome sight! Make sure you check out more cards this week on Scrappy-Go-Lucky! I have received some in the mail, they are so gorgeous! You are all in for a treat!

So... Just add a comment to my post and you can be in a random draw from Scrappy-Go-Lucky to win one Scrapcessories Cartridge Caddy with one cartridge insert today. These are ideal for storing your Cricut cartridges, in particular your solutions or seasonal cartridges which do not come with their own binder. Scrappy-Go-Lucky will post your prize anywhere in Australia. International blog hoppers are welcome to enter but will need to pay postage to their respective destinations.

All you need to do to enter is add a comment to the card creator's post.


One Scrapcessories cartridge caddy winner will be drawn for each days major posting.


All winners will be drawn at random on Tuesday 2nd November.

Tomorrow head back to Scrappy-go-Lucky and find the next great creation to see and leave a comment. One chance every day this week!


GOOD LUCK!

Chloe :)