Sugar and spice

Today I’ve got the first part of a big project I am doing up, a baby book for a colleague at work who is expecting her first little girl.  This is taking a lot longer than I thought to complete so to motivate me I am going to post up the only bit that is finished so far, the cover.

To make up my baby book I’ve used a Tim Holtz Collection Folio, the large size, and gone to town with the decorating of it.  To do up the front cover I have followed the layout sketch at Feeling Sketchy and got inky and powdery with all sorts of good things.  I started with Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Picket Fence and then sprinkled on some Fran-tage.  On the layout I used modelling paste and a stencil for my butterflies and added some Distress Ink into the modelling paste as well as some more embossing powders over the top.  I also did the same with the textured background that is only just visible under the papers.

With all my various effects on the cover I am also entering this in the current Craft Hoarders Anonymous challenge.  There are copious amounts of flowers all over the cover, as expected for little girl’s book, so I am also entering this in the current challenge at Paper Crafting Journey.

I swapped out the black elastic closure for some pink elastic.  I was going to put a word band or some letter charms on the elastic but the cover is way too busy as it is.  Notice that border, looks pretty good, doesn’t it?  Well it had better for the work that went into it, let’s just say these Collection Folios are made thick and tough and it was also too big to go through my Grand Calibur so I traced and cut round my Sizzix die and then used various sized hole punches for the lacy edge.

Opening up the folio you get two flaps top and bottom and I decorated the outside of these with some chippie words, these I painted up and sprinkled with Fran-tage also.  The large heart buttons have been in my stash for ever as have the tulle flowers, I think they were from Webster’s Pages.

I’ve tried to tie things together with matching elements so I’ve got some of the same Organza Pearl Pink on the inside of these flaps.  The top one is missing the pocket, I have no idea where I’ve put the packet, it’s got to be somewhere in my craft room!  It’s meant to be for the hospital name card from the baby’s crib.  The bottom one is ready to go with a pocket for the baby’s wrist tag.

There’s also a flap on the right side and I’ve used the same Organza Pearl Pink on the outside with some buttons from Jesse James.  On the inside I have the same lace as the top and bottom flaps and some chippies and more of the Jesse James buttons and flowers to tie in with the other flaps too.

You’ve got to have space in a baby book for all the vital statistics from the birth and I’ve put that on the inside left cover using a piece of vellum over some lovely shimmering cardstock with some more flowers and another piece of lace.

The back inside cover I’ve done up as the last page looking back over baby’s first year with some journaling cards ready to go.  I’ve tied this in with the flaps using the same lace and roses too.

Stay tuned for the inside pages, hopefully in the next day or two, I need to get this finished before baby arrives!

Ingredients:

Chalks & Powders etc

Fran-tage Embossing Enamel ~ Aged Ochre, Aged Scarlett, Aged Silver, Shabby Pink & Shabby White

Lindy’s Stamp Gang Embossing Powder ~ Starburst Candy Rose

Pebbles Chalk ~ Pink

Pink Mica

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Forgotten Scraps ~ Party Banner

Magenta Stencils ~ Nature Elements

Memory Box Stencil ~ Texture Mesh

Sizzix Thinlits ~ Scallop Border

Embellishments

BoBunny Jewels ~ Frosting (coloured with RV34 Various Inks)

Dusty Attic ~ Safety Pins

Kaisercraft Paper Blooms ~ Dusty Pink

I Am Roses ~ Mulberry Paper Roses Variegated Pink and Pink

Jesse James Dress It Up Buttons ~ Baby Girl

Kaisercraft Pearl Strip ~ Pink Champagne

Kaisercraft Sparklets ~ Hearts

Metal Charms from stash ~ Hearts & Umbrellas

Petaloo Darjeeling ~ Wild Mini Blossoms Pink

Scrap FX Chipboard ~ Hospital Name Band & Mini Pins

Tulle Flowers

WOW Chipboard ~ As Cute As A Button & Precious

Inks & Paints etc

Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst ~ Cheshire Cat Cherry

Liquid Pearls ~ Copper Pearl

Teresa Collins Basically Essential ~ Modelling Paste

Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ Shaded Lilac, Tea Dye & Worn Lipstick

Tim Holtz Distress Paint ~ Picket Fence

Twinkling H2O ~ Just Peachy

Papers

Authentique Classique Pretty ~ Life Cards

Carta Bella Baby Mine ~ Baby Floral, Baby Girl Dots

Pion Design Fairytale of Spring ~ Hope

Pion Design Sweet Baby ~ Pink Baby Blanket

Ribbons & Trims etc

Green Tara Trim ~ Organza Pearl Pink

Live & Love Crafts Lace ~ Adélaïde, Pearl Lace with Beads & Pastello Pink

Challenges

Craft Hoarders Anonymous #10 ~ Spray It! Ink It! Paint It! Smear It! Emboss It!

Feeling Sketchy ~ Layout Sketch #92

Paper Crafting Journey ~ Flower Power!

Thanks for stopping by!

…that man is not truly one, but truly two…

It can be hard work making a male card but not when you start with an awesome image like the new Dr Jekyll from Simply B Stamps, drawn by Abigail Larson, which I’ve used on a card for a friend’s dad.

OK so you can’t see the image yet, this view shows the “band” around the card, I followed the current sketch over at Sketch n’ Dies for the band and added some manly metal embellies and chippies from BoBunny.  I’ve used the same sketch for the front of my card, still no view of the image though, you gotta be patient.

The card is a double display card, there’s a great template (including the band) over at From my Craft Room, go check out Norma’s gorgeous work and fab templates.  I thought this was a fitting backdrop to Dr Jekyll, which I’ve teamed with a suitable sentiment and a quote from Robert Browning, also fitting for a milestone birthday.

And a close up of the fab image and the sentiments.

That Craft Place’s current challenge is male cards and this certainly is that hence no flowers or girlie embellies and lots of shades of blue and grey so I am entering my card there.  I was going to die cut around my image but I’d already coloured it before deciding on my card and I didn’t have a die to fit the image and the card and I am a bit challenged when it comes to measurements so didn’t think I could alter the card base to fit.  So that meant fussy cutting, never an easy thing with all those little swirly elements but I think it worked really well, especially with the image placed on the designer paper from BoBunny.  And as I have cut out my image I am also entering this in the current challenge over at Corrosive Challenges.

Now there are a whole collection of gorgeous new images from Abigail Larson over at Simply B Stamps just released today in the Dark Stories and Tales collection.  Go check out what the other awesome DT gals have done with these images at the SBS blog or see the list of their blogs at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E000, E00, E11, E21

Eyes E27

Lips E11

Hair T4, T6, T8, 100

Outfit B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, C00, C1, C3, C5, C7, N0, N1, W00, W1, W3, W5, W7

Smoke B91, C00, N0, N1

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Forgotten Scraps ~ Party Banner

Embellishments

2Crafty ~ Tiny Henri’s Frame

BoBunny Ephemera ~ Somewhere In Time Brad & Chipboard Label

BoBunny Buttons ~ Somewhere In Time

Carta Bella Alpha Stickers ~ Beautiful Moments

Jolee’s Boutique ~ Halloween Goblet

Metal Brads from stash

Prima Alpha Stickers ~ Romance Novel

Prima Junkyard Findings ~ Ceiling Light Bulbs, Ignition Keys & Steampunk Air

Tim Holtz Idea-ology ~ Chain Tassel, Jump Ring & Screw Brads

Inks & Paints etc

Smooch ~ Gold Lame

Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ Black Soot, Faded Jeans & Weathered Wood

Tim Holtz Distress Paint ~ Picket Fence

Tim Holtz Distress Stain ~ Tarnished Brash

Papers

BoBunny Somewhere In Time ~ Chrononaut

Glitz Vintage Blue ~ Stripe

Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe ~ Olde Curiosity Shoppe

Kaisercraft Cardstock ~ Liquorice

Prima Craftsman ~ Widgets

Stamps

Simply B Stamps Steampunk ~ Dr Jekyll

Challenges

Corrosive Challenge #201 ~ Crop It or Cut It

Sketch n’ Dies #8

That Craft Place ~ Men
Blog List

SBS

Corinne 
Celina 
Irene 
Emily (me) 
Rebecca
Tanja
Kay
Louise
Lisa H

Thanks for stopping by!

The greatest show on earth!

This is my last showpiece for the super cute new Jude at the Circus collection from Simply B Stamps and what better way to finish than with a card featuring Jude himself, this is Ring Master Jude.

I’ve made up my card for my nephew for his birthday so I’ve gone with more boyish colours (I hope they appeal to a boy!) and followed the fun sketch this week at Outlawz.  I raided my stash of Freckled Fawn embellies for the camera and banner chippie, which I think suit the image really well.  I don’t think I’ve used the banner die before but the sketch called for a banner so this die was perfect.

Cute Card Thursday has a challenge going with wild world as the theme, not much more wild than a lion, even a circus one can turn on its tamer at any moment, so I’m entering my card there.  I’m also linking it up at the Crafter’s Café who have a super easy challenge to make a square card, mine is a 6x6 inch one.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E50, E51, E53 (E02 cheeks)

Eyes B000, B00

Mouth R00, R02

Hair E23, E25, E27

Outfit N0, N1, R24, R29, R46, R59, R89, T4, T6, T8, 100, W1, W3, W5, 0

Lion Y23, Y26, YR20, YR21

Hoop YR12, YR14, YR16

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Forgotten Scraps ~ Party Banner

Spellbinders Nestabilities ~ Grand Circles, Lacy Circles & Standard Circles

Embellishments

Freckled Fawn Stickers ~ Glitter Enamel Stars

Freckled Fawn Wood Chips ~ Banner & Camera

Inks & Paints etc

Dew Drop Brilliance ~ Cosmic Copper

Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ Mustard Seed

Papers

Bazzill Cardstock ~ Iced Cocoa

Creative Memories ~ Happy Holiday

Echo Park Bella Road Summer Days ~ Yellow

Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells ~ 6x6 Patterns & Solids

Stamps

Simply B Stamps ~ Ring Master Jude

Challenges

The Crafter’s Café #55 ~ Make A Square Card

Cute Card Thursday #313 ~ It’s a Wild World!

Outlawz Sketch

Thanks for stopping by!