A great big fat batch of ATC's

I'm just getting myself back on track. 

I feel like I say that every single month but I suppose it's much better to continually feel like I'm getting back on track than it is to feel like I'm derailing.

As I often do when I feel creatively slumpy, I made a batch of ATC's. 

I've talked about them loads before but if you're unfamiliar, "Artist Trading Cards" are small works of art measuring 2.5" x 3.5". They can be drawn in pencil, painted, or any medium the artist likes! The only stipulation is the size.

Mine are made with vintage papers, paint, old postage stamps, discarded books, gold embossing powder and more.

There's 16 (!) cards in this bunch so I won't babble and bore you between each card but I will say that if you'd like to own a tiny bit of original art, my ATCs are available in the etsy shop here. 

Enjoy!

Have a beautiful weekend filled with warm kisses.

Graphic 45 "Princess" Paper Crowns

You know that as soon as I saw Graphic 45's "Princess" I was going to make crowns. It was an inevitability!

And I did! Three simple paper beauties.

I cut a simple three pointed crown shape from the 12" Princess pad, about 6" tall at the highest point.

Added a 1.75" band around the bottom, and secured a ribbon for tying between the layers.

Note: the gold piece you see there was a Fancy Gold Dresden Diadem I had in my stash BEGGING to be used!

This gave me the base to which fussy cut butterflies, die cut pieces, Princess Chipboard,
Princess Stickers and other embellishments were added.

These butterflies were snipped from papers from Olde Curiosity Shoppe—Deluxe Collector's Edition.

These were snipped from "Flutter".

There are a few Metal Brads here and there but I wanted to keep these crowns really lightweight so that they didn't slip around when worn.

Want to make your own "Princess" crown? Here's a list of all the supplies I used:

Graphic 45's "Princess"12" Princess Pad
Princess Chipboard
Princess Stickers
Square Tag & Clock DiesMetal Brads 

Olde Curiosity Shoppe—Deluxe Collector's Edition (butterflies)
Flutter (butterflies)

Fancy Gold Dresden Diadem

Self adhesive gems
Foam Squares

Ribbon
Glue

Have a beautiful day, and here's hoping spring doesn't dally!

Steampunk Dream Box for Graphic 45

Hey folks! I'm back from Cuba and have loads to show off... but first, a dreamy project I completed for my friends at Graphic 45!

It’s a brand new year which means, for many, a time for resolutions of self improvement and positive change.



As the calendar year turns, it’s as though we’re given a fresh start. There’s so much potential in front of us!



I’ve made a box to mark the occasion with a Mixed Media 5x5 Box—Black and Steampunk Debutante—Deluxe Collector's Edition



I’ve dotted the front with loads of butterflies, the perfect symbol of change and transformation.



The hinge created with Antique Brass Metal Clock Key and Antique Brass Metal Door Plates & Knob to open the way.



Inside is ready to store memories of my journey of 2019.



If you’re interested in how this box came together, there’s a snapguide walkthough of it’s making here.



Here’s hoping that 2019 is dreamy and beautiful for all of us.


Graphic 45 Supplies:
Steampunk Debutante—Deluxe Collector's Edition
Antique Brass Metal Clock Key
Antique Brass Metal Door Plates & KnobMixed Media 5x5 Box—Black
Antique Brass Stamped Metal Brads
Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad Photogenic

Other Supplies:
Glue
Foam spacer squares

Sweet Winged Dressform

I've started this blog post a million times. Trying to come up with a good explanation, a reason for this project. The truth is, there is none. It's just a fun silly thing that happens to be pretty.

And you know, that's ok. Why does there need to be a reason to create something other than the urge to do so?!

 So I've made this pretty frock using a Dressform Hang Up as a base.

To it I've added a pair of wings from the Wings Assortment

And nestled a piece of the Victorian Corners 2 set onto the bodice (it fits just right!)

I've layered silk rose petals and tulle for the dress portion, simply hot gluing them in place. A bit of glitter, paper flowers and a heart embellishment and voila! you've got a sweet little something. 

If you need some guidance to create this piece, I have a video walkthrough HERE, but rest assured it's easy as can be.

Here are all the bits you'll need:

Dressform Hang Up
Wings Assortment
Faux Metal Number Plates 1 to 25
Victorian Corners 2

acrylic paint

paper flowers

silk flower petals

tulle

glitter

glue

Garden Goddess ATC's

My toes are cold. I am wrapped in both a blanket and a very woolly, very warm, scarf. I am THIS CLOSE to dragging the little oil heater over to my desk and using it as a chair. I feel like I just might never ever get warm again!

I shouldn't complain. We've had such a mild, 'easy', winter.

Between this chill, and the plethora of seed catalogs Mr Pixie has strewn about the house, I can't help but long for spring.

 

With daydreams of blooms and sunshine in mind, I pulled out "Garden Goddess" from Graphic 45.

I used papers from the 8x8 Garden Goddess Pad and went to town making a group of artist trading cards.

A whole bunch of flowers and figures were cut from various Garden Goddess papers, then I experimented with layouts and layers.

They probably took a lot longer than they needed to... but I'm certain the warm thoughts were taking off the chill!

The butterflies on the cards are snipped from Olde Curiosity Shoppe... but really, you could use any little paper butterflies.

That little blue patch of sky is a snippet from vintage music paper with some smushed up white and blue paint.

Want to make your own? Here's the supply list:

8x8 Garden Goddess Pad

Olde Curiosity Shoppe

Square Tag and Clock Dies

ATC blanks

Glue

Acrylic Paint
Old paper

**You could absolutely cut your own cardboard ATC blanks from a cereal box, but THESE chunky ATC blanks are some of my favourite things. They take an absolute beating without warping at all and are super thick and strong.

If you're in this hemisphere, I hope winter is being kind to you. Stay warm, lovelies!

P.S. While we're talking about warm thoughts... I'm escaping the cold next week and headed to a warmer climate (Helllloooo Cuba!) Only digital files will be available in the etsy shop from February 2nd to 11th and my internet will dodgy at best.

P.P.S. I have a "Snowday" sale wrapping up tomorrow. Here's your coupon codes if you'd like something from my etsy shop:

SNOWDAY10 10% off $15+

SNOWDAY15 15% off $30+
SNOWDAY20 20% off $60+
SNOWDAY25 25% off $100+

Simply enter your code during checkout xo

Murderous (and other) Mini Scrapbooks with Tutorial

I love projects that are made just because. Just because I'm enthralled with something and want to explore and celebrate whatever is clunking around in my head and tickling my fancy.

Today I'm showing off one of those projects AND I have a tutorial so you can embrace your own weirdness.

I've been making miniature scrapbook albums of the crazy variety.

I've gone absolutely coo-coo for true crime podcasts over the past few months. I've become well versed in all things serial killer. I am overflowing with terrible information that is probably inappropriate table conversation (which in no way prevents me from talking about it endlessly at dinner.) This led to UFO's and Bigfoot and... and... and...

I really like these books. They lay flat, open easily, there's space to add pictures and snippets without too much bulk and they are fairly fuss free to make. They aren't made to a particular scale, and I'm fine with that. (If scale IS important to you, you could adjust the measurements.) They're big enough to be handled and I think they'll be fun for those who are interested in mini things, without getting too complicated.

While I love, love, love all this murder and mystery, I have not forgotten my sweet and squishy side.

I also made mini albums with tea stained pages and vintage mini goodness... 

And a fairy believer's album too!

So how you make these precious little books? The video tutorial can be found at the bottom of this blog post (or jump directly to my channel HERE).

Here is some of the other information you'll need.

Supplies:

Cardboard (i.e. serial box)

Card stock for the inside pages (heavy/cover paper/scrapbook paper)

Scrapbook paper for the cover

Glue stick

Scissors

Optional but recommended tools:

Roller/brayer (Honestly, it makes everything stick so much better.)

Paper cutter

Scoreboard

Measurements:

Card stock: Cut into 2.5" strips, score at .25" from edge, then cut into 1.75" pieces

Cover cardboard: 2.25" x 1.75"

Scrapbook paper: 3.5" x 3" (this gives a large fold)

How many pages you add is up to you. Decide on a number then add 2 to account for the pages that attach to the cover. I'd recommend starting out with 8 to 10 pages. It can be surprisingly difficult to fill those small pages! 

The filling!

Looking for bits to fill these wee books? I've got you covered.

Killer Scraps Collage Sheet

Bigfoot Scraps Collage Sheet

Flying Saucer Scraps Collage Sheet

Fairy Scraps Collage Sheet

Vintage Scrappy Bits Collage Sheet

Want to resize your own snaps? Skip over here for a quick how-to.

Ok, so now that you're all ready, here's the tute. Have fun!

Making wee photos

I have a really lovely collection of old cabinet cards and Carte-de-Visites. I've been meaning to scan them for years, but I the process seems so overwhelming.

I got it in my head to reproduce some of the photos in miniature. I photographed the front and back (some of the reverse sides have beautiful graphics!) to achieve totally accurate reproductions. Yes, they looked great... but what a pain in the bum! Recreating the backsides was quickly abandoned.

BUT!!! I did forge ahead and make a few batches of 1:6 and 1:12 scale of some of my photos.

Just like the life sized versions there is variation in their finished sizes. I think this makes them rather more special. Wonkiness usually does.

Aside: what is your favourite scale to work in? I think that making thing as teeny as possible is challenging and impressive but larger playscale is a bit more enjoyable.

Someone mentioned that they'd like to convert their own photos into miniatures. If you're just looking to make minis of your snapshots and have basic photoshop knowledge, I've got a bit of a solution for you. 

Create a folder and add the photos that you'd like to miniaturize (I make copies so that I can just delete the whole folder when done.)

Open the folder and change the 'view' to 'large icons'

Adjust the window so that there are 5 or 6 columns of photos like so...

Now, either take a screen shot then crop the thumbnail area, or use your computers snipping tool to create an image file like so.

You could just print this screen-grab file but to be honest I think it looks a bit fuzzy and the thumbs are tad too big for my liking. Instead, I create a new document in Photoshop (or other photo editing software) at 8.5" x 11" 200dpi, then copy and paste the image into the new document. Then print that sucker out!

This makes the thumbnails just the right size to use with THIS mini scrapbook.

Cut out those thumbs and pop them inside!

If  all of that is a little too complicated for you, and you'd like some wee vintage photos, I have 1:6 playscale photos available HERE and smaller 1:12 dollhouse scale listed HERE.