If you look at Papermania’s Nature’s Gallery collection you may think ‘spring’ or ‘summer’, but it definitely also gives me ‘muted fall colors’ vibes.
So when a group of colleagues asked me to create a ‘nature-themed album’ for a colleague who is retiring this month, I immediately suggested this collection.
They wanted a brag book for about 10-20 pictures and with 15 tags – one for each colleague to write a ‘waving goodbye’ message. So I created a 2-page mini album of about 7×10 inches, which looks elegant and sophisticated – yet is quite thin.
If you want to see it in different colors, check out my earlier version in bold autumn colors here.
There’s an easy to follow tutorial waiting for you in my Etsy shop, should you want to make some yourself! (They’d make great Thanksgiving or Christmas gifts 🙂 )
Enjoy the video and feel free to leave a comment in the comment section, either here or on Youtube!
Although I’m a bit of a design paper collector and like to have a lot of choice when deciding which project to create next, I’m also a frugal crafter. I simply don’t like to throw away design paper that could still be used.
But if you only have like one piece of paper left of any substance, the question may rise what to make with it. This week’s post is all about that: I had one piece of design paper of about 4×12″ (10 x 30 cm) left over from my Harmonica Micro Album, plus some small snippets.
Here’s what I created with it – and you can create it with me.
In one of my previous blog posts I showed you some backgrounds with Ranger’s Texture Paste, which dries white and matte, and is porous like paper. Ranger also has a Transparent Texture Paste, which has some significantly different properties.
By the way, both of these pastes have now been rebranded as a Tim Holtz Distress Texture Paste, in case you’d like to go shop for them.
Properties of Transparent Texture Paste (Ranger/Distress)
This paste has a lower viscosity (it’s thinner and not as ‘pasty’ as the regular texture paste) and though it’s semi-opaque when you apply it, it will dry completely clear. Also, it will dry glossy, and is not porous at all. So in fact it will act as a resist, instead of taking color like the regular paste does.
This gives you the opportunity to apply texture but with different techniques, compared to the regular Texture Paste by Ranger.
Technique: Transparent Texture Pasteas a color sealer
I created an Indian summer-themed background with this transparent glossy paste, using the following steps:
Ink up the entire tag with four different colors of Distress Stain – I did use the dabbers this time, instead of spraying the Stains by pouring them into spray bottles;
Place the tag upright and spray generously with water, almost drenching it, to get a heavy flow of color going from top to bottom. Then heat dry.
3. Apply Transparent Texture Paste through a stencil, and let air-dry for a couple of hours (drying time could probably be shorter but I wanted to make sure).
4. Since everything underneath the Transparent Texture Paste was now sealed, I could spray anything over it. So I sprayed it with two of the same colors of my palette, but this time with Distress Oxide Sprays: Oxides always dominate dye inks – except where the dyes have been sealed.
Using a splatter box whenever you spray a color medium prevents a lot of cleaning duty…
5. So I removed the Oxide from the textured leaf pattern with a damp cloth, revealing the leaves in bright dye colors, in the midst of a now more chalky colored background.
Because I used the same color palette in Oxide, the effect was subtle. You can imagine completely different effects if you use more contrasting colors, or even black!
All in all I like the ‘seal-in’ effect this transparent paste brings; however, if you were to apply it to uncolored paper, you’d never be able to color it afterward, since it’s a resist. Something to think about, and especially: play around with!
Happy New Year everyone! May 2019 bring you closer to your hopes and dreams than you have ever been, taking the first steps to turning them into reality!
Me, I’m kicking off the new year with some plans of my own, though I haven’t worked them out in detail yet. For instance, I’d like to add some new elements to my Youtube content – about which I’m talking in more detail in the video below, and I’d love to hear you all’s opinion by the way!
As a first project share, I’m showing a new photo storage box I created for Nora, for whom I’ve made two other projects: the Remember Me box pocket album, and the Beautiful Dreamer folio album. For this box I used the gorgeous Beautiful Dreamer papers again, by Bo Bunny.
All of my boxes are very sturdy and the lids close tightly. If you’d like to make some of your own, check out my elaborately detailed tutorial! It comes with two free bonus cutting guides for different sizes. I’m confident that once you’ve made all three of those boxes, you can design a box of any size you need!
And: because my birthday is January 11th, I’m celebrating it with you all by offering you a 40% discount on all of the tutorials in my shop, from January 11-13th! So don’t hesitate any longer and grab this – only once a year – chance!
Have fun watching the video – you’ll see me on camera again, which is one of the changes I’m implementing in 2019 (not sure if that’s a recommendation… let me know in the comment section below! 😉)
While Autumn has arrived and stretching its legs with some really cold temperatures here in the Netherlands, I thought I’d design and share a little Four Season’s mini album. I used Graphic 45’s calendar collection Time to Flourish, which of course automatically offers seasonal colors and themes.
The cover design makes it a cute little suit case with a magnetized closure and a ribbon grip, that will stand on its own. Each of the ten pages are pockets, holding a tag that has been decorated on both sides but still leaves room for wallet-sized pictures.
All in all a very cute little gift – think Thanksgiving, Christmas, simply Summer or basically any seasonal holiday 🙂
Like to make one yourself? Go ahead and purchase my tutorial, offering lots and lots of clear pictures, guiding you through the creative process step by step. And for people who have worked with several of my album tutorials: this time I’ve used a different binding system, so not the hidden hinge binding, but the stack the deck binding. If you don’t know how that would work, check out my tutorial.
Enjoy the video and let me know in the comments what you think!
Yeah yeah I know I know, Halloween comes first so why am I even talking about Thanksgiving. Well, simple really: I don’t like Halloween. It’s a creepy holiday celebrating death and the occult. Me, I’m into Life. And that’s the first important reason to be aware of everything that deserves your gratitude – or your thanksgiving, if you will. After that come many more reasons, one of those being the people you are grateful for of being in your life, or whom you’d like to thank for some actual nice thing they have done for you the past year. So why not add a card to that gift you’re buying them? 🙂
That is why this week I’m sharing five of those, to inspire you with some ideas – and well in time for you to make them 🙂 All my cards were made with an older Bo Bunny collection called Ambrosia, but the main thing I hope will inspire you is that paper alone really is enough to make beautiful cards.
Layering was the main technique I used, using the design paper and the diecut pack that came with the collection and playing around with some dimensional tape. Some stamping will always do well of course, to add the main sentiment to your card.
Will you be sending out any Thanksgiving cards this year, or will you add any to your gifts? Let me know in the comment section!
SInce it’s almost Thanksgiving (which we don’t celebrate in the Netherlands, but still 😉 ) I’m sharing a Thank You project with you all today.
If you’re in need of a way of showing your gratitude to someone, why not create a personalized little card?
For instance, recently I changed departments so I said goodbye to some colleagues. I made them each a unique and personalized Thank You notelet. I worked with four different paper collections: Mariposa (DCWV), Craftsman (Prima), A Proper Gentleman (Graphic 45) and Spring (Precious Marieke).
Needless to say my colleagues really enjoyed them 🙂 Hope you find this idea inspiring and create lots of them yourselves! 🙂
Enjoy the video and stay crafty, see you next week!
Two masculine-themed cardlets for the guys in my team:
