Hullo and welcome to LEPcrafts (formerly Snips N Scraps of Me.)
This blog is dedicated to crafting. I want to share the things I create and how I make them. I want this blog to reflect the joy and fun I get from crafting and learning new techniques.
I will be posting photos, videos and tutorials of my work. I will also be announcing my classes when I teach. I also hope to share some of my friends' beautiful works and events.
The theme for the ATC trade at Custom Impressions this month is Lace.
I choose a digital stamp by Some Odd Girl. It is a Princess Tia stamp. I choose it because she is so cute and gleeful i thought it went with a princessy lacy look. I colored it with Copics and Wink of Stella pens. I did the fussy cut around the stamp using the print and cut feature on my Eclips. This was my first try doing this and it worked pretty good. I need to practice centering more.
For the background of the ATC, I sprayed Prima Bloom over a floral mask. I then added a strip of lace that I had also colored with Prima Bloom sprays. (Both with Gold and Tea colors.) The lace looked way more brown than the sparkling gold I was hoping for, so I added some gold stickles to try and increase the sparkle factor.
I have to admit that this ATC did not end up l quite like I originally envisioned it. I wanted more sparkly, princess. I think its ok, and I really like how the Eclips worked and the coloring of the stamp. But the lace just seemed to end up blah, and that should have been the wow factor.
Do you guys think its blah too? What do you when a plan starts to go awry? Do you start over or try and fix it? For me it depends on time, how about you?
The ATC trade is the last Sunday of the Month at Custom Impressions. Please call ((562) 430-8100) for details and themes. Hope to see you next month!
If you havent heard of them, ATCs are original art pieces done on a 2.5 x 3.5 sized paper or canvas. (This is the sized of a baseball card or playing card.) You create a limited quanity. (Usually the number of people in the group or a pre agreed upon amount.) And frequently there is a theme or subject for the card. And then you trade. So you get cards created by other artists. Its really cool and quite fun.
Back in March, I started creating ATCs to trade with a group called the Art Therapy Club, that my friend Blacque Diamond started. I made three cards for the Art Therapy Club.
The first card is for the theme Quotes. It was made with Graphic 45's Couture, Typography and Staples (washi tape). All these elements had different quotes on them. I then conected all the pieces with a o-ring, twine and bling that i think is from Teresa Collins' Blingage line. Since I was really new at making ATCs, it is very interactive which i have found out is unusual to do.
My second card was for the Disney theme. For this card I did what is sometimes called a hug. This is created by making the card twice as big and folding it in half. This lets you use more or larger images on an ATC. On the front of the card, I printed a line drawing of the Cheshire Cat. I then doodled in the stripes. After finishing that, I used Copics to lightly color the Cheshire Cat and thd background. On the inside, i printed a quote from Alice In Wonderland and doodled a floral design at the top. I also colored this doodle with Copics. On the back, I hand drew the cat's grin floating in space. The doodling was a lot of tiny hand work, but I think it came out cool and was happy with the result.
The last card was a free theme and we were encouraged to make something that represented what we liked. So I did a steampunk shoe theme. (Lol.) I did a hug style card again. On the front and inside, I used Stampendous stamps of Steampunked up shoes. (well not just any shoes, but the ruby slippers.) Over the stamp I used some gold pen and Wink of Stella to give it some depth and sparkle. I also added a metal corner to the front. And inside I also added some red stickles and red bling. And on the back is a small piece of Graphic 45 (who else!) Couture paper of the shoe pattern. I really enjoyed making this card and feel like it represents my style. And this may be my favorite do far.
I am now part of a bigger trading group (also headed by Blacque Diamond) It meets at Custom Impressions. We make just 10 cards to trade. So its really easy and low stress. The ATC trade is the last Sunday of the Month at Custom Impressions. Please call ((562) 430-8100) for details and themes. Hope to see you next month!
Here is my first card for the CI ATC group. The theme was flowers. I stamped my card with the center part of a Prima Bloom stamp and colored it with Copics. I added a little glitter and pearl pen to accents parts of the design. I think it came out pretty and I like how the stamp fills the whole space.
Do you make ATCs? Do you trade online? In meet ups? Or by mail?
This April 30 Will and I gave been living together for two years. To celebrate we went to Disneyland's California Grand Adventure
.
Here is the image for the card I made for Will. It is a Stamping Bella stamp I purchased through Quick Creations. I really loved the sentiment on it. "If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?" And the image of the couple kissing under the umbrella is adorable! I used my Copics to color the image.
Happy National Scrapbooking Day!! I spent mine at a crop at Custom Impressions Scrapbooking Store. They have an awesome cropping area and the people here are really great! In fact if you live in Southern California you should drop by some weekend and say HI!
Teresa, the owner, did a fabulous Mari Gras theme for the crop, witch included home made food and a make and take mask decoration. And check out that cool photo op her daughter made, how fun is that?
I mostly worked on a gift for a friend's birthday, so it is totally hush hush and will be featured in an upcoming post. but here is a sneaky peaky.
So it is that exciting time of year again, time for the Graphic 45 design team call. This is the second year I am auditioning. And I am very excited to find out what people think of my projects. This year I tried to make both unique one of a kind items, some more conventional projects. and a couple that fall in between. I tried a bunch of new (to me) techniques and mediums in my creations this year.
So with out further ado, here are the eleven projects I am submitting for the 2014 Graphic 45 design team audition.
Olde Curiosity Shoppe Puppet Theatre:
I have always loved the feel of the Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper line, which makes me think of the The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus or the opening credits of Oz, The Great and Powerful. It has a weird, wonderful, wacky, creepy and fun vibe in the images and words used in its design. To reflect that, I decided to do a project that combines that feel with stamps like Catherine Moore's Doll Parts to create my own world of whimsy, weirdness, and wonder.
When you open the curtains of the puppet theater, you will enter five different quirky and amusing worlds. Each page has at least one puppet or doll that can be played with on the "stage" in front of one of the five set pieces- a ballroom, a forest, under the sea, a circus and the curiosity shoppe itself. On the back of each page, there is a space to write the story of each of the puppets. I used various different multimedia techniques, such as modeling paste and stencils, to create dimension in each scene.
(I have included a You Tube video of me displaying the theatre and puppets.)
Four 12x12 Layouts
I created four 12x12 layouts, trying to imbue each with a different feel.
"Cats" is a layout featuring Typography. To create this look, t, I layered the paper's different patterns and colors with black card stock to create photo mats with visual depth and interest. I added chipboard and sticker embellishments from the line along with some enamel dots. I feel like this ended up looking very clean for the amount of color and pattern that is on the page.
"Oscar Gold" featuring Curtain Call. For this layout I fussy cut from the paper (one of my faves) and layered it with gold foiled paper and one of the new G45 washi tapes. I love how this layout has the Hollywood glamour that suits the photo.
"California Gothic" featuring French Country. This layout is a humorous twist on the painting American Gothic.To create the 3D sunflowers, I fussy cut matching sunflowers and crumpled one to add texture before layering them together . I then added glitter glue and earl dots to each flower. To finish the layout, I used buttons, and letter stickers.
These are six cards I created to teach during the past year. They are all interactive or display style cards with fold or features that really show off a beautiful paper. I have included the You Tube videos I made when promoting the classes.
Steampunk Spells Cascading Card and Typography Tag Card
Sweet Sentiments Pop-up Box Card and Couture Crosscut Triptych Card
Teresa Collins Napkin Fold Card (Tell Your Story) and Infinity Folding Card (You are My Happy)
A 12 Days of Christmas Exploding Box
I used the stamps and all three sizes of the Twelve Days of Christmas paper to create this exploding box. I added graduated rounded tags and stamped each of them with numeric stamps for each of the 12 days. The cover is decorated with fussy cut holly, fruit, and other elements. This was originally created as an entry for Graphic 45's December Facebook contest.
Typography Desk Set
THis is a two piece desk set that has been altered using the Typography line. The first piece, a pencil box made from a cigar box, was originally an entry for Graphic 45's Typography Challenge. The second piece is an altered pre-fab crafting desk set from KaiserCraft. On both pieces, after covering them with paper, I added some of my favorite sayings and quotes off the paper. The I completed the look by embellishing the set with copper pipes, washers, and metal embellishments. I love this set so much I am already filling it with crafting goodies.
Marie Antoinette Canvas
Inspired by the work of Julie Nutting, I decided to create a Marie Antoinette multimedia canvas. I drew out my own pattern for the body shape. And then using Prima and other papers I crerated a period out fit from both cut and torn paper. In this piece I used quite a few mixed media techniques, including modeling paste for her hair.
Mad Tea Party Mini Album
Using my eClips paper cutter, I created custom tea party themed shaped pages. I then bound them by hand and covered them in Halloween in Wonderland and Botanical Tea papers. I really enjoyed mixing and matching the old and new lines for this project. I also used the new shabby colored embellishments to create another bond between thru old and the new. And the layered, bottom bound style of the mini album is something I haven't tried before, especially with the custom shaped papers. I have a feeling it will be a favorite of mine to page thru for years to come.
(I have added a You Tube video of myself showing this album.)
Three Piece Suit Cards
These are two really fun cards to make for guys that double as gift card holders. The first one was created using the Proper gentleman collection and the second features the new line, Good Ol' Sport. I was inspired to make them when I had several male friends' birthday parties to attend. I really think they are clever and fun to give.
Steampunk Corset Apron
I created this altered steampunk apron for the 2013 So Cal Shop Hop. To make it, I hand drew an original image of a corset directly on the canvas apron. I then used a combination of paint markers, Sharpie, and a gilding pen to fill in the corset and background. The functioning lace-up front was made using ribbons and eyelets. I also added a faux leather trim, beaded fringe trim, and metal hardware and embellishments. I think the finished piece has a fun trompe l'oeil effect.
Latched Book Box of Cards
This set was created as a gift for my step brother. I started by making a "book shaped" box using 12 x 24 black card stock and heavy chipboard for reinforcement..I cover the box with Typography paper. The box also features a latched band that holds it securely closed. To fill the box, I made six 4x6 cards with the quotes from the paper line mixed with embossed core'dinations paper, buttons and brads. It made a great "guy" gift that wasn't monotone or boring.
A Ladies' Diary Altered Shoes
To make these wearable pieces of art, I started with an inexpensive pair of flesh tone shoes and decoupaged the entire upper and heel of the shoe with small, torn bits from the A Ladies' Diary line. I then added individual, fussy cut flowers over the patterns. To add a final touch I made a bow from the G45 fabric by Wilmington Prints with a large G45 Staples brad at the back of the shoe, above the heels. I loved this project so much, I bought a second pair of shoes and hope to make a Couture pair - this time with video.
Thank you for taking the time to view my submissions for the design team. I hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as I did making them!
