Wisteria Club Scrap Blog Hop

Welcome to July's

Club Scrap Blog Hop

featuring the

Wisteria Kit!

This month when I saw the paper I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it...

I wanted to make an "Inspiration" book for a very dear friend.

She is battling a very tough disease that leaves her incapacitated at times and I'm sure it gets to be very disheartening not being able to do all that you would like.

To help her through these tough times I thought it would be nice to give her a bit of a lift and this kit was perfect.  The sentiments included in each set of stamps were just perfect and very upbeat.

I decided to go with an envelope album (click here to see how I made the basic envelope album).

Here's how it turned out....

Front Cover....

Here is the inside of the album ~

this side is where all of the envelope pockets are.

Each page has a CS Sentiment stamped somewhere on the page and

each of the insert pages has a stamped CS sentiment as well.

These are the individual pages...

You can see that each of the inserts has a Metal Corner Clip (included in the kit) which I am using here as a pull tab so the insert pages stay nice even with repeated use.

just to show the pull out insert.

And I also covered the backs of each envelope as well, most with sentiments.

And the back of the album....

All of the papers and ribbon are from the Wisteria Kit, I used stamps from Wisteria, Hopes, Cape Cod, Spring Chorus and Random Doorways.

The only additional supplies used were: Dusty Concord Distress Ink, Distress Markers

and 8 Ivory 4.75 x 6.5" envelopes.

Thanks so much for stopping by to check out this months creation!

Your next stop is...

Deb Charlesworth

If you get lost along the way or just joined the hop,

the complete listing of designers participating can be found here....

Club Scrap Creates

Thanks again for stopping by!!

Have a super day!

When dying seam binding....

Hi All!

I wanted to pass on a little idea I had while I was dying some seam binding this past weekend.   You know me...I'm very "frugal" and I hate to waste anything so I had this great idea while I was trying to dry my seam binding....

o.k.... so I gathered a nice big pile of white seam binding and pounced some Distress Stain here and there until I thought I had enough ink ~ next I spritzed the pile with water to distribute the ink through the entire pile.  Doing it this way some areas of ribbon will be darker and others will be lighter.

Well, I had WAY too much water as you can see... 
I usually just let it dry naturally but this was going to take too long so I had a thought....

I pulled out a few tags and started blotting the pile of seam binding on the tags.

I didn't really want complete coverage, just ink here and there...

Once one tag was inked to my satisfaction, I moved on to the next until most of the excess water had been pulled out of the binding into the tags.  It worked like a charm!!  I ended up with 5 really cool looking tags and a pile of almost dry dyed seam binding!

It's a great way to kill two birds with one stone...

using half as much stain because I didn't use any extra...

just what was already in the ribbon.

So, next time you pull out some seam binding to dye,

pull out a few tags as well!

Frozen Charlotte Doll Winners

 

Well, I've been working at making more of these little devils...

I have 3 paper clay sets of dolls so far so that's what I'd like to give-away!

 

Here are the 3 winners drawn using Random.org....

 

inanoctopusgarden

 

 

inanoctopusgarden said...

I love these girls! I would love to try incoorporating them in to a plaster/fabric piece, a technique I recently learned from Kate Thompson at a workshop. I think they would emerge beautifully from the plaster. I love you post and opportunity to enter the give away too!
thanks :)

July 16, 2013 at 3:09 PM

 

jasann

jasann said...

Would just love to use one or to of these dolls in my configuration box that I am making, they would really stand out,thanks for sharing!!!

July 16, 2013 at 5:13 AM

 

and

 

Bleubeard and Elizabeth

 

 

 

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Yes, yes, yes. I have wanted one of these dolls since FOREVER, but, like you, found the cost too prohibitive. I have a pincushion on a paper mache box I've been wanting to finish. All it needs is the Frozen Charlotte.

July 16, 2013 at 12:06 AM

 

Congratulations!

(please e-mail me your snail mail addy)

 

 

Now, if you didn't win this time, no worries, I'm going to be making more of them (when I get more clay).  When I do, I'll post a project I've used one of these little devils on and give away a few more sets of dolls so you can play too :)

 

 

Follow me into the Night Canvas Winner

The winner of this canvas is.....

 

Calamity Jane!!!

 

calamity jane said...

Like you, I love Alter Pages!! As of yet, I haven't entered any of the challenges but know I will soon! I love what you've done with!! The colors and the French saying just put a smile on my face!! Thanks for the chance to win it!

July 11, 2013 at 6:49 PM

 

Congratulations!!!

(please e-mail me your snail mail addy)

 

There is still time left to enter this months challenge....

Dreamy Nights

Right now there are only 2 entries so your chances of winning are pretty good!

If you've been holding off... Go For It!

No time like the present :)

 

 

You can also vote for your favorite Design Team project as well ~

The entries are located in the right hand column.

Envelope "Inspiration" Book

Happy Monday!

I still feel like I'm on weekend time today ~ it's so cool and overcast here I'm finding it hard to get it into gear today.

This Wednesday is the last Wednesday of the month and you know what that means...Club Scrap's Blog Hop!!  I always try to make something extra special for these hops because the paper is so special...  This month is no exception and I think the folks at Club Scrap have out done themselves...this kit may be a bit more special than ordinary.  Why?  Because July's kit theme is Wisteria!!! 

I don't have any in my yard but I have wanted to grow some Wisteria for such a long time...we have the wrong kind of soil so I'll have to settle with playing with the amazing stamps from this beautiful kit.

check out these stamps....

I usually just use the stamps that come with the kit

(shown below)

But the "extra" stamps were just so beautiful and right up my alley

I had to order those as well!!!

I can think of so many fun uses for these stamps

PLUS

there are tons of inspiring quote stamps

included with each set of stamps...

they are what "inspired" me to create an

Inspiration Book

for a friend.

Next, what kind of book do I want to make?!?!?  I  was flipping through my "to do" folder and found my instructions on an envelope book and decided I hadn't made one in a long time so that's what I'm going to do!

The following instructions will work for ANY size envelope you want to use.  So, like I always say, use what you have on hand :) To begin I cut a piece of scrap cardstock 1/4" smaller than my envies.  I am using 4.75x 6.5 envies so my cardstock is 4.5x6.25".

I tucked the piece of cardstock into the envie so it was just inside the flap and centered it vertically.  I then traced the outline of the opening onto the cardstock.

Next, pull the cardstock panel out and here's what it looked like...

I cut away the "v" and I now have a perfect fit mat for the pocket side of the envelope!

I then cut enough cardstock panels for the front and back of each envelope ~ in my case 4.5 x 6.25"  I will be using 8 envelopes so I cut 16 panels.  You can make this book with as many envies as you'd like.

After I had all of the panels cut I traced the template onto the back of one of the panels.

Next I carefully cut the "v" from the panel (don't throw the "v" away). 

 I inked both the panel and the "v" with Dusty Concord Distress Ink.

I then glued the panel to the outside of the envelope and then I glued the "v" right inside the envelope.  Since we used an actual envelope to make the template the cut away piece fits perfectly!  It looks like the envelope was lined with exactly the same cardstock as what's on the outside.  Nobody has to know it's just scraps!

I did a bit of stamping to make my own pattern paper on a few of the pages...

And I also water colored one of the existing pattern papers to give it a bit more personalization.

And here are all of my "lined" envies.

To assemble the book you need to lay one of the envelopes out with the flap open.  Apply your favorite adhesive to the flap.  I used a line of double stick tape along the fold and then licked the envelope adhesive...hey, it's there, might as well use it!

I then placed the second envie over the flap and pressed to make sure it was glued down really well. 

You need to keep gluing one envelope to the previous envelopes flap until you have added all the envelopes you want (in my case 8).

Here's what it looks like all glued together. 

 Fold the envelopes accordion style - the back of the first envelope will be the front cover and the last envelope will be the back cover.  You will not that you still have the flap on the last envelope that doesn't have anything attached to it.  This flap will wrap around the side of the book to the front to make a closure...but you'll have to wait to see that until Wednesday!

Finally I made some inserts for each envelope....  These are made from the scrap left over from the 12x12 sheets of cardstock I used to make the panels to cover the envelopes.

Now, that's all I'm going to tell you until Wednesday!

You'll have to come back and check out the finished album then :)

Christmas in July #5 - Vintage Spoon Ornament

Final day of Christmas in July...

I thought I'd finish with an ornament idea using recycled, vintage spoons!  I'm using an old serving spoon I found at a garage sale but of course you could use any old spoon you've got laying around.  I left the spoon tarnished and worn because I love the distressed vintage feel.  If you'd prefer, you can polish it up to a nice shiny finish.

Next I got out a few frustrations by hammering the bowl of the spoon flat.

It's so much fun ~ I'm thinkin' of making these for family and friends - LOL!!

Then I bent the handle around towards the back. 

This will become the hanger for the spoon ornament.

Just another angle so you can see what it looks like at this point.

I printed off a vintage image (Altered Pages - Holiday Postcards 1155)

to the rough size of my flattened spoon.

I sealed the image with a thin layer of Micro Glaze to make the ink waterproof and permanent.

I trimmed away the background and glued it to the spoon using my favorite collage glue.

Once it was dry, I sanded away the excess paper,

inked the edge with Sepia ink

and covered it with a layer of Crystal Lacquer.

I then covered much of the CL with Rock Candy Glitter and let it dry.

To finish off the spoon I added a few little extras....

Just think of all the fun collage images you could use for these ornaments!!

I'm thinkin this might be perfect for wooden spoons as well but of course you couldn't bend the handles - LOL!!