Pretty Bird Matchboxes

Little boxes, fussy cutting, and pretty papers... swoon!

You can absolutely make your own matchboxes, but I totally cheated and bought a bunch from the dollar store. I covered them in papers from the glorousiously gorgeous Graphic 45's Floral Shoppe (seriously, I cannot get enough of those papers).

Inside are fussy cut flowers, birds and butterflies from Floral Shoppe and Seasons. 

(Disclaimer: a butterfly or flower might have snuck in from another collection. I was a flurry of paper and scissors and my memory is a total blur.)

I lined the inside of the boxes with vintage dictionary pages that have been given a wash of white acrylic paint.

Depth is created by using layers foam squares.

What is it about small things that make them precious? Holding these in your hand is like a little bit of magic.

Here's an even better look at these pretties.

Want to make your own? Here's what I used:

• matchboxes

• Graphic 45 Floral Shoppe

• Graphic 45 8" Seasons

• old papers (dictionary pages)

• acrylic wash

• glue

• foam squares

• self adhesive nail heads

A Little Big Fat Nature Journal

This month's AlphaStamps kit has sprouted an ATC sized nature themed junk journal.

I separated the panels from an ATC Ticket Journal as a base for many of the pages and used some Water Media ATC Cards for others.

Really I just made a whole bunch of ATC's and then stitched those suckers together. They make a lovely fat little book.

To bind the pages I simply poked three holes in one side, and tied them together with Bakers Twine which I've muddied up with a wash of brown paint.

The interior pages are a jumble of collage sheets and papers and fussy cut bits and bobs. Check the bottom for the complete list of supplies used.

I'm really pleased with how all of those wee ATC's came together to form a cohesive bookette. If you'd like to make your own, here's all the bits and pages and papers I used.

Bakers Twine - Black
Ornithology Collage Sheet
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Entomology Butterflies
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Herbs & Antique Wood
1 Inch Wide Paris Pocket Watch Pendant
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Ephemera
Bees, Birds and Butterflies Collage Sheet
Blue Birds Collage Sheet
Songbirds - ATCs & 4x4s Collage Sheet
M for the Magpie Collage Sheet
Aged Parchment Scrapbook Paper
Mixed Size Butterfly Dresden Scraps
ATC Ticket Journal
La Mode - Papillon Collage Sheet
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Antiquity Note Cards
Water Media ATC Cards - Set of 20


And if you want to find them all in one place... TA DAHHH!

The Bird House for AlphaStamps

A while ago I created a set of mixed media chunky houses with bases I had the hubs cut from mdf. I still had one of those housey shapes kicking around and I decided to put it to use for this month's AlphaStamps.com project. And so, here is 'The Bird House'.

There's nothing too complex going on here. Some fussy cutting, some embellishing, painting and gluing and Ta Da! a pretty shabby thing-a-ma-doodle to hang on the wall.

I restrained myself and didn't use a spec of glitter. To make up for it I did paint a golden egg and add some Narrow Gold Fleur Dresden Borders* (which I think is just about the prettiest thing ever). And topped it with this Fancy Silver Birdhouse Charm* 

Normally I avoid using gold and silver together but I think they're getting along on this piece. Maybe it's because they're just sitting delicately, and are too buy being pretty to compete against one another. 

Note: Yes, my supplies have personalities.

While going off the deep-end, buying buckets of supplies, and throwing all you've got at a project can be fun, sometimes a 'simple' something is just the thing for your soul. Sometimes you only need a little this and that.

"The Bird House" supply round up from AlphaStamps
Silver Bead Caps
MDF board

Mashed up update post

I have not fallen off the face of the earth.

I've been napping, and relaxing and clearing away the Christmas hub-bub. I've been tidying my studio (ha!) and basically farting around and taking it easy. Totally unlike me but I think it has de-stressed me so much that I might actually avoid my usual post-Christmas 'oh-my-god-kill-me-now' sickness!

Anyway... today is Mr. Pixie's birthday and marks the last of the holiday celebrations in our house. Feeling fine and dandy (knock on wood) I'll be back to being a crafting machine next week.

Two little side notes:

This guy showed up on my deck yesterday.

He was pretty bold and watched me watching him from just a few feet away through the kitchen window. I admired him for a few minutes before running to grab my camera. He stayed put, just fluttering from spot to spot, and let me get a few shots in before taking off. He's a Sharp Shinned Hawk if you're interested in that sort of thing. 

He doesn't seem to have scared off the Dark-Eyed Juncos that hang around here every winter. They were still flying about, getting their fill of seed and bossing one another around. I'll have to keep my eye out though. As beautiful as that hawk is, I don't want to make those wee songbirds easy pickin's for him.

Lastly, my January kit from Tresors de Luxe arrived yesterday and I have a video reveal of the kit and review of the projects I created for them last month (see very bottom of this post for embedded vid). Tresors de Luxe is now selling the same Design Team Kits they provide their designers with if you want to play along. They have also introduced a monthly mood/inspiration board challenge with three prizes up for grabs. Here is this months board...

That's all for now. Hope 2016 is being kind to you!

Old Bird ATC Pocket Letter with tutorial

It's the first Friday of September (already!) which means it's my turn to share a tutorial using magnifique products from Gina's Designs Lasercuts. Woo hoo! This month I thought we'd do some nitty gritty paper crafting and create a sort of pocket letter.

I've been seeing these pop up all over my timeline and wanted to give it a try. 

What is a pocket letter, you ask? Janette Lane, the creator of Pocket Letters™, explains on her site:

"Basically, you fill all the pockets of a 9 Pocket Trading Card Protector and send the whole page to someone who wants to swap with you... You fill the pockets with anything you like (stickers, tea bags, a note, washi tape samples, pictures, etc.) A short note or letter is included and tucked into one of the pockets. Then the Pocket Letter is folded up and sent in a standard 10 size envelope."**

I am a huge fan of ATC's (Artist Trading Card: miniature works of art measuring 2.5" x 3.5") so I've created a cohesive set of birdy themed cards to fill those little pockets with. You can source your own public domain images, or purchase a collage sheet with all of those vintage birds and sentiments available HERE.

When creating your own piece, consider other little bits and pieces to tuck into those sleeves. Stamps, ephemera, feathers... little bits that match the theme or look of your cards.

Also consider the sleeves themselves. I've added clear stickers to the exterior.

Of course you could just create these pretty ATC's and trade/give them separately. There's nothing wrong with spreading the crafty love around.

If you're not keen on making these little bits of art, you may want to check out the tutorial anyway as it includes creating the textured background seen below.

But enough blabble! HERE is the video tutorial. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give me a shout. I'm happy to lend a hand or answer any questions you have. Seriously. Don't be shy ;)

THE SUPPLY LIST

From Gina's:
Cardstock Doily Set 1
Cardstock Doily Set Intricates
Steampunk Fan
Ornamental Birdcages Shape Set
Pen & Ink Shape Set
Faux Metal Number Plates
Herringbone Stencil (available soon!)

Other things you'll need:
For the Birds Collage Sheet
Cardstock
Paper (I used pages from an old book)
Decorative scrapbook paper
Glue
White acrylic paint
Watercolour paint
Stamp pad
Clear stickers
Tim Holtz Long Mini Brads
Foam spacers
Ultra fine glitter
Jute twine
Washi tape
Buttons, stamps and other small embellishments and trinkets
ATC Pocket Pages

**For more information on Pocket Letters you can visit Janette Lane's YouTube Channel or join the Pocket Letter Pals Network