Wendy Vecchi embossing paste and a Swirly Challenge

Welcome to December!!

WHAT?!

I know right?!

At any rate...mojo took a vacation and now she's back. It's been a really tough month creatively, however I got the privilege...nay the honor...of chaperoning for my 2 oldest boys electronics weekend for boyscouts. 

How on earth does this relate to scrapping?

Well, one of the committee members happens to be a scrapper too (and a pretty great gal to hang with), so she and I were talking one year and decided that the chaperones would scrap while the boys played with their electronics (aka video games). 

Of course walking into a full on weekend after a month's hiatus and no mojo is a pretty daunting experience. Never-the-less I emerged with this:

My brother was just married in June and what a better Christmas present than a home made inspirational canvas for him and his new bride to hang in their home. 

This was also the project that I was able to use for the eP 12 days of Christmas. We were promoting Wendy Vecchi embossing paste...and just what do you think is ALL OVER this canvas?

Make sure you click on my shopping link on the right to head over and check out the special deal for the day!

I adore the combination of colors on this canvas and the way the colors seep into the embossing paste. The tree is actually a piece of Fab Scraps Chipboard from an odl Swirlydoos kit! Crazy huh?

I used Prima's Finn line of vintage papers for the background with TH tissue paper, some washi tape, and some drywall tape. All of my paper flowers are hand cut and made and the zipper flowers are from a roll purchased from Melissa Frances. 

The brown tones on the lower right side are the Donna Downey Unity stamp that I purchased through eP. It's gorgeous but I was a little disappointed that it ran. I do love the shadowy look witht he stark stamping of the black images. What a contrast.

For the lettering I spritzed with smooch so they would stand out from the background a tad. Again I used another piece of Finn paper for the letters which is where the font you can see peeking here and there came from. The quote is actually from a stamp set that I own but I don't remember whom they are quoting.

I finally decided to pop in over at Swirlydoos and see what was going on with my swirly sisters. 

When I saw that my girl Kim was hosting a challenge...I knew I had to join in. What better way to keep the mojo going?

For the November swirly girls challenge we had to use everything but the kitchen sink. No less than 4 different mediums and it had to be inspired from your fav artist. Of course my fav artist is Finn...always has been.

She posted a blog post about a new blanket she bought and fell in love with that inspired her pages. How ironic that I just bought a new fluffy Sherpa blanket that I am in love with too!

This would be my color inspiration for my LO along with Finn's style:

The brown Dylusions spray turned a tad bit rusty colored on this LO but I still love the rust feel of it. All the layers, and the metal, the chipboard, the paper, the pearls....plus that photo!!! Cutest kids EVER!!! (If I do say so myself)  I forced them out to Stepping Stones Falls for a photo shoot one night after school. It was getting dark fast but they all were very good sports. From the photos I have deduced that mommy needs more work with her camera.

I hope you enjoyed the re-emergence of my mojo. I still haven't shared all the lovely creations from my weekend with my eP cronie Erin in WV so there will be lots of blogging to come.

{{hugs}}

Andiepants

Eclectic Paperie Get Altered Challenge

That's right girls...here's another inspiring challenge from eclectic paperie. This month we are focusing on art dolls. Personally I find paper dolls gorgeous and so versatile. There is so much that you can do. 

To top it off the world of paper dolls in art is HUGE!!!There is no set standard and no one way. Just google "art doll" and soak in the plethora of inspiration that assaults your visual sense. 

When I heard about this challenge I immediately knew what I wanted to do. It was kissmet that I was traveling all the way to West Virginia that weekend to hang with my fellow eP DT gal Erin Smetak!! She had just thePrima doll stamp that I was looking to use:

 I wanted to place mine on a canvas so that I could use various color and texture techniques. Erin and I had just gone on a shopping spree and purchased tons of lace, some canvases, and when I saw the wooden Angel sign...I knew it was for my doll. Thank goodness I had packed my resin wings.

 I wanted to cover my sign with my antique linen distress glitter but alas...I forgot to pack it. Instead I used Distress Stickles in Rock Candy over my pre-painted sign.  I painted the sign with Silks glazes (Pink Azalea) and sprayed with tattered angels glimmer mist.

I painted the edge with silks glazes to start and then covered with Kroma Crackle. Then I went over it with a prima stencil and some Wendy Vecchi embossing paste in various areas. I was trying to disguise the fact that I used the back of the canvas. The doll was too small for the canvas itself and the frame lent a smaller work surface and thus a better proportion to my art doll stamp.

For the background I layered lace, with drywall joint tape, and Pink Paisley coffee filter words. I covered with gesso and sprayed with TA glimmer mist and some Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst in Creme Brule' (which is how I got the GORGEOUS tone of the dolls skin).  The flowers were mostly cut from Webster's pages Postcard's From Paris II line and then sprayes with the same mists to give it a congruent look.

I hope you enjoyed my art doll. Pop over to the eP blog to check out the original inspiration and the other DT's take on art dolls. 

xoxo,

Andiepants

Swirlydoos and eP stacked boxes tissue cozy

Ok...so when I hear the word cozy...I get a little gaggy. Isn't that something that your grandmother crocheted for every kitchen appliance she had? Don't forget the crocheted flowers too ;)

So when I saw a cozy and the words "that's a great idea" came out of my mouth...I felt like perhaps I had been possessed. (this is the part where my head spins around)

Wait...let me explain. I love pinterest (don't we all) and I was just sitting there when this cozy came across my feed. This lady had created the cutest (but a little plain) tissue box cozy that looked like a nice neat stack of books. What a great present for my twins' teacher!

Now I KNOW that I could do something like that Andiepants style so I found another image of altered stacked boxes/drawers that looked like random stacked books with lots of shabby and lots of chic. 

BAM! 

Inspiration

I was going to make a tissue box cozy that looked like random stacked books. I was going to take the main idea from each and combine them to make...an altered box!!!!

VOILA!!!

*pausing for applause*

OK...so how did I make this adorably shabby piece of art?!

Here's a step by step video

Video

and here are printed instructions with photos. 

First I started with poster board. Cut a strip that is about 7" tall x 21.5" long. Starting at one end score at every 5.25" inches. This should leave a 1/2" strip at the end. *Crafty Andie's hot tip: Instead of 7" tall you can make it a tad shorter which will allow you to cover the box using one piece of 12x12 cut in half. Just measure your tissue box.

1. Along each score line measure 1/2" down from the top. Use a ruler/yard stick to connect the bottoms fo these 1/2" lines and then score along this line.  Cut down on each 1/2" line. These you will fold in to make the top of the box.

2. Fold your box together and apply glue to the 1/2" flap. Fold each one of the small 1/2" flaps and glue them to one another. You should now have a box that will cover a tissue box.

3. Decide what sizes you would like your "books". I chose 7"x5.75", 7"x8", and 8x8.5" *Crafty Andie's hot tip! Don't make the top book too small. I ended up with a very small edge to work with which made it very difficult. Next time I would make it a little larger.

4.Once you have figured your sizes, go ahead and cut 2 pieces of posterboard for each size. One piece for the top and one piece for the bottom. You can use a thicker chipboard for this step if you wish your "books" to be a tad sturdier.

5. Organize your "books" starting with the largest on the bottom. figure how you would like them skewed (or lined up straight). Place your tissue box on top to make sure that 1. the "books" will fit around the tissue box and 2. nothing is hanging off the edge. Use a pencil and trace the tissue box on the top book, trace the top book onto the center, and trace the center book onto the last book. *hot tip: because the posterboard bowed outward on the box, I used the box to mark my corners then used a ruler, measured the actual length of the box, and use my ruler and measurements to draw out the shape on the top "book".

6. Use reposition-able adhesive and adhere your book tops to the bottoms. (so when you cut out the square they won't wiggle)

7. Use an exacto knife and cut out the hole for each book set.

8. Now it's time to cover your books. I only had 1 piece of each paper so I had to try to cover both sides of my book. GET 2 SHEETS OF EACH PAPER!!! Trust me on this one.

10. Once all the pieces of your books have been covered, edge them with ink for a semi-distresssed look.

11. Use Mod Podge or Matte medium to wrap your tissue box.

12. Cut the pieces for your book bindings. I did 3 inches for the large one and 2" each for the smaller. Make sure you add an inch overlay for each cover. Therefore...my binding for my big book would be 8.5" long by 5" wide. Punch the corners for a decorative look.

13. Adhere the bindings with the 1" overlap. If the binding pieces overlap into the hole for the box, use and exacto knife to cut them out. 

14. Slide your finished books onto your box and adhere them bottom to top. Then them to the edges of the tissue box. Use a bullet level to make sure they are straight.

15. Adhere your top 

16. Embellish with gorgeous eP embellishments and Swirlydoos flowers and bling and you're done!!!

Papers are by Jillibean soup. You can get some adorable Jillibean embellies from the eP store! Just click on the link under Enabling your obsession to view the full store!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and I hope you decide to try one for yourself.

{{hugs}}

Andiepants

Mixed Media Layout

As my time on the Swirlydoos team winds to a close, the fall weather blows in to Michigan. Warm days mixed with cold morning, frost on the grass and car in the morning, a biting wind blowing through your ears, and gorgeous colors all over the trees and blowing to the ground. 

I had the honor of hosting a most welcomed house guest last weekend. Of course she was one of my swirly girlies and what would a swirly get together be without pictures. She took this gorgeous picture of my daughter and me walking down by the creek...and it was beautiful.

Of course I used the October Swirlydoos kit with those gorgeous papers by Bo Bunny. The chipboard is Dusty Attic and the banner is from the coordinating but outs through Bo Bunny. The flowers are by Prima and were not included in the kit but were a part of my stash. 

I started by printing the photo on transparency and blending the photo into the paper. I then used my Donna Downey stencil from eclectic Paperie and my Wendy Vecchi embossing paste to add the damask over the photo and blended area. The blue texture is Shimmerz 3D paint.

This gorgeous chipboard piece is treated with the Stampendous embossing enamel in aged black.

Here you can see the title I added with my Silhouette Cameo.

Hope you enjoyed this layout as much as I did making it. I hope it inspires you to go something messy;)

{{hugs}}

Andiepants

Swirlydoos Round Robin

Who doesn't love a good round robin challenge?

I've posted previous submissions and this month I got to follow the wonderful Kathi. This woman has more talent in her big toe than I have in my entire body!!!

The twist for the round robin this month was shadows....however you interpret that. So...I scrapped my sweet shadow Buddy.

I titled it Wonderful because Buddy is most definitely a wonderful dog. 

I used the leftover papers from the Swirlydoos tech kit this month in addition to one piece of the Base Coat II line.

Thanks for stopping by!

Andiepants

Swirlydoos is Proud to Present The Sweetest Thing

Welcome to Swirlydoos' October Kit Reveal Blog Hop Block Party!!

If you came here from Angelica's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there. We have some amazing projects for you to see today !! Make sure to leave a comment on all of the blogs for a chance to win!!! Check out Swirlydoos on Facebook and Like Us!!!


 I never thought in a million years that I would be designing for Swirlydoos and now my time has come to an end. It has been a whirlwind.  This is my farewell blog hop. Thank you all for the support and lovely comments left on my blog during the hops. If you want to become a follower just click the link over to the right. This is definitely not the last you've heard from Andiepants!

And what a gorgeous kit as my send off from Swirlydoos.This kit is over the top yummy this month! The pinks, and blues, and teal greens, and mustard yellows, all blend into this wonderful harmonious melody of scrappiness that just sings to the senses. 

Of course what Swirlydoos kit would be complete without our lovely sketch:

And my take on the sketch
The title of this one is "I love you"

And of course let's not forget the tech kit!!! This month I had the pleasure of altering the mini tall boy from Kaisercraft. Be warned...this is picture heavy!!! Lol

These super yummy Prima flowers and Melissa Frances frames made the perfect focal point for the top.

Here I have painted the wood piece in spicy tomato silks glaze. Yes, I adhered it upside down. I liked it better this way ;)

Here is a photo of the side and back. That stamp is from the Swirlydoos kit March 2013. See what you are missing?!

a better view of the back

Another view of the top. The frame and flower collage had to be three dimensional so it looked good from all sides.

*WHEW*

And after all that here is a step by step video on how I altered this piece.

Full Video Tutorial

If you missed out this month make sure you subscribe so you never have to miss another kit! Thanks for stopping by, for the lovely comments, and keep some paint on your elbows. 

Andiepants

You have until midnight, eastern time, on 10/5 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Sunday 10/6. In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:
1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are REALLY beautiful things to see along the way.
2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down. 
Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence. 
3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had, tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected. Can't wait to hear from you.


My special word is : THE


The party continues over at Irene's blog. Have fun!


Here is the order and blog addresses:

Swirlydoos: CLICK HERE
Paulien: CLICK HERE
Heidi: CLICK HERE
Angelica: CLICK HERE 
Andie: CLICK HERE 
Irene: CLICK HERE
Robin: CLICK HERE
Petaloo: CLICK HERE
Amy: CLICK HERE
Luminarte: CLICK HERE
Rae: CLICK HERE

More layouts using Swirlydoos Gilted Pleasures

September is coming to a close so I decided to share my last 2 layouts created with the September Swirlydoos kit. I really enjoy are the warm browns and cool blues in this kit. It has been an absolute joy to work with.

The first layout is a picture of my beloved hubby. I loved the houses in the embellishment kit were so cute and country...I wanted to figure out a way to incorporate them in my layout. 

I used glimmer mist in Sunflower, Patina, Suede, and Aquamarine for this LO. I also used my Donna Downey damask stencil from eclectic Paperie for the background. The drips are made with a Tim Holtz reinker in frayed burlap.  I loved the wood feathers that came with this months kit and I was determined to use them so I covered them with Distress glitter in Antique Linen and then sprayed them in a gradient pattern with the same colors of glimmer mist. I LOVE The way it turned out. The title was cut on my Cameo but was a tad lost so I edged it using a Distress marker in walnut.

This layout was created for the round robin over at Swirlydoos. I had to lift the LO's that were done previous to mine.

The punches are all Martha stewart. The chipboard twigs are Dusty attic pieces. I used some glimmer glass pieces from an old swirlydoos kit for the pieces sticking out and the resin piece is a broken chunk from the pieces bin at the Melisa Frances booth! I made the zipper flower myself and the large rolled flowers are made from Prima packaging. The hinge is a really old, and I mean old, stamp set that I stamped on brown card stock, fussy cut, and then covered with inka gold in copper.

It's difficult to see but I did use the Viva modeling cream in pearl with the ledger stencil and on the Dusty Attic berries. It was a perfect combination.


I hope you enjoyed my final layouts with the September kit. Hop over to the Swirlydoos Boutique to grab your kit today. If we are all sold out become a subscriber so you never miss out again!

{{hugs}}
Andie

Fall Photography Contest

We are so excited!!!

Swirlydoos is having a fall photography contest! Look what you could win!

So bust out those cameras, run outside, and show us what you've got!

Andiepants

Eclectic Paperie Blog Hop Belated Birthday Bash!

Welcome to eclectic Paperie's Belated Birthday Bash!  Today we're celebrating the (belated) one year anniversary of the store's new ownership! It's been an amazing year, full of inspiring projects, wonderful classes, and many, many new products!!  eclectic Paperie wouldn't be where it is today without the ongoing support of our customers and as a BIG thank you you'll have an opportunity to lots of great prizes!  eclectic Paperie will be giving away the following prizes!  You have until midnight tomorrow (9/20) to comment.

*A full set of Tim's NEW Distress Paints

*6x6 Paper Pad Bundle

*Dylusions Stencil Bundle

*A set of NEW Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks

*Crafter's Workshop Stencil Bundle

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with presents!!!  

It just so happens that eP's bday coincides with my cousin Chelbie's birthday too. This year I decided to make her an art journal for her birthday present!

I have soooooo much stuff...so I've decided that it's time to use it! It's got to go!! I've been collecting these Prima journals and decided to use one. I love the resist created with the Dylusions sprays.

Of course this is a Prima doll stamp. I have been DYING to get my hands on one. Oh my was this fun!

 Start by spraying your journal with Dylusions in your chosen colors. Here I used Funky Fusia, Almost Midnight, and Calypso Teal.

 Then  I added my bird cages using the Claudine Helmuth TCW stencil and the Wendy Vecchi embossing paste in black. Can I just say...it's like BUTTAH!!!!

 Here comes the best part...using your Julie Nutting stamp stamp one whole doll on flesh toned paper and then stamp the various parts on papers of your chosing. I used this WELL outdated Fancypants paper that I have received in a grab bag. The blue and stripes are two sides of the same paper...so they coordinate!!! Get it! Save yourself some time with 2 sided paper.

 After fussy cutting and adering all your pieces place the paper doll on your journal and trace around her. Note...I only did minimal tracing and I was kind of unhappy with how my shadowing turned out. Make sure you do a full trace.

 Then I used Gelatos in black and purple to create a shadowy outline.

 Use a stamp and archival ink to stamp around your doll.

Using the Wendy Vecchi Art parts apply white gelato over the whole thing. apply layers of green for the stems and pain the tops with silks glazes by Luminarte. I used Vavoom Red. Assembly your pieces and add your title

 Here is a quick shot of the back. I kept it plain and simple.

And that's it! I can't wait to make another. Thanks for stopping by!

Here's the list of products used that you can purchase at eclectic Paperie: