April moodboard challenge scrapbook layout tutorial with Brenda

Hello crafty friends and a big welcome to Off The Rails. Brenda here with you to share a page I created of my Eldest son Riley using this months challenge mood board for my inspiration.

I chose to use the beautiful bright colours from it along with the rosettes and the dots all over the lips for my inspiration. I just loved this mood board and the bright colours and as soon as I looked at it I felt happy, I needed a fun happy photo and I knew just the one. Riley house swimming sports. His house colours are yellow and all the students are encouraged to dress up and do a fashion parade as well. Yes my fun loving son is in the middle and they were the winners of the parade. 

 For the rosette I created it with a stencil and texture paste. Once this was dry I then went over it with different bright Distress Inks.

I worked out where I wanted my photo to sit and the frame I was gong to use so that I knew I had enough of the background showing when it was placed on the top.

I mounted the photo on orange patterned paper and the frame I painted red. On both I did circle/line in white as well to match in with what chippies I was going to use. 

For my circle and butterfly chippies I used Paint Pens all different colours.  Over the top of the Butterflies I used a Clear Wink Of Stella to give it a little sparkle.

Once everything was placed on my page I then used the different paint pens to put dots everywhere on the page. Some even on the chippies. The lips in the mood board with all the dots were just screaming out at me to be used.

The last thing I did was colour and place my chippie title. First I painted it yellow to go with the kids outfits and then I used a sponge to sponge on it a little of the orange paint I used. 

  

I hope you have enjoyed popping in to see my page and how I have used this months mood board. Please make sure you join in with us this month because it is such a bright, lively mood board and I would love to see your take on it. Don't forget to keep scrolling to see some other amazing inspiration from the rest of the Design Team along with other takes on the challenge. 

Happy Crafting xxx

"Fun Times" scrapbook layout with Brenda

Hello crafty friends and welcome to Off The Rails. I'm here with you today to share my latest page with you and I chose to use the challenge this month to create it.

The photo of my son Riley was taken some years ago. He was really doing his best to pull off the attitude that goes with the face painting. 

I started by background on white cardstock and I applied it with a baby wipe using Dylusions paints as I love the brightness of them. I picked three colours, two shades of orange and yellow.

Once this was dry I the used and orange and yellow Dylusions Ink Spray and let it run down the page. With the excess that run off I then place the page face down on it and created some more ink patches.

I tore a small amount of corrugated cardboard and applied with the same baby wipe a little of each colour but this time adding a little black. With paint pens I then put a little white across it.

 Next I used a Kasercraft stamp and some Archival Black ink here and there to give the background  some lines similar to what was painted on Riley's face.

With a white, orange and yellow paint pen I put some lines at the edge of the stamping.

White all this was drying I painted my A2Z Chippies with black for the title and silver for the chicken wire. Then It was time to glue everything down. 

After everything was glued down I the used a black paint pen to place triangles here and there. The paint pends dry so quick and by the time I had finished the last I was able to then do a white outlined  triangle inside the black. With this done my page was complete and loved by Riley. 

I hope you have enjoyed stopping in to see what I have created and I hope you will join us with the challenge. Create, photograph and attach to the link and let me and the other DT members see your take on the challenge. 

Happy Crafting

Brenda xxx

Special Photo of Brenda and her Mom

Hello crafty friends and welcome to Off The Rails and my December tutorial. Wow December and only a week away from Christmas. I hope you all have your Christmas shopping done and that you have a long craft list for Santa. So from my family to yours Merry Christmas.

Th tutorial I will be sharing with you is the page I created for this months Challenge. I chose to do my page of the very last Christmas photo I have of my mum and me.

I created my page on white cardstock and the first thing I did was to use a Tim Holtz Air Blower and Distress Marker. I used the traditional red and I love doing this method as it makes a great fleck background. Over this I then used a Script stamp with a brown ink.

Next I die cut some poinsettias and inked the edges along with the leaves. I mounted my photo on some Christmas Graphic 45 patterned paper and then mounted that on a square of cardboard to raise it up. 

I then used the end of a paint brush brush (but you can use a pen or similar) to roll the one side of the petals and leaves, then glued them together. Once glued it is time to place some bling in the middle.

I used a Kaisercraft reindeer and my 25th title wooden emballishment next. With my finger I put Modeling Paste on the reindeer so he was nice and white. I heat dried it with my heat gun so keep the ripples I created on it. I found a little packet of sting Christmas lights and fussy cut a Christmas clock from the Graphic 45 patterned papers.

    

Next was the placing and gluing of everything to my layout. With the gluing I left the string of lights till last and draped it over the top gluing it down as well.

 

 Finally I used a Wink Of Stella clear pen and went over the reindeer and the 25th with it. It give them a nice sparkle. With this done my page was finished. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing how I created my page and please join in with us this months challenge. You get to use the moodboard and one other colour to create the beautiful Christmas/wintry creation. The rest of the design team and I would love to see what you create.

I hope you all have a Happy Christmas and New Year no matter where you are in the world. Please stay safe if traveling and I look forward to seeing and crafting with you in the 2018. 

Happy Crafting, Hugs Brenda xxx

Art Journal with Brenda

Hello crafty friends and as always a big welcome to Off The Rails. After having two months off selling our farm, buying a home and moving I'm back at the craft desk and into everything I love. I was looking forward to getting my craft on with this months challenge and then my tutorial. I may have been moving but my mind was running with what I would do this month for each thing. 

I would like to share with you my Art Journal double page I created of my son Riley. 

It has been created in my Art Journal which has hand made paper so that is why you are seeing some white around the edge from the page before and after. I love creating in this art journal because of the texture of the paper. When doing it with one of these journals though always remember to Gesso the pages so there is no bleeding through to the other side or you will ruin other work created on the page before or the next page you will create on. 

This is my finished work followed by how I created it which is quite simple to do. 

To start my page I have used a black Gesso and give the whole page a real good coating. You can wait for it to dry or give it a quick hit with the heat gun.

While waiting for my Black Gesso to dry I chose my photo (black and white to go with the background) and the shape I wanted to use.  I chose circles and punched them out but you can choose what ever shape you like. I had in mind a bit of an out of space look so that's why I chose them.

I placed them on the journal where I wanted them and then glued them down. If you choose your shapes before you start you can glue them down and the cover the whole page with the Gesso.
Because I was deciding what I wanted to do I did the background Gesso first and then once the circles were glued I then did the Gesso on them.

Once this is done and then dry it is time to add the colour. I used Ranger Perfect Pearls - Forever Violet, Turquoise and Confetti White. You can use as many colours as you like as there is a great range. If you are unsure of how it would look then do a sample first.
You will now need a spray water bottle, Perfect Pearls and a heat gun.

1. Wet your page with spray water
2. Using a dry brush with a little Perfect Pearls on it, tap the brush and let it fall to the pages. Do with all your colours of chose.
3. Re-spray with water. Do not spray too close and the more water you sure the more the Perfect Pearls will run.
$. Dry with your heat gun.

 As you can see by the photos, being on hand made paper the texture to the background is great. It is now time to place your photo. I chose to fussy cut Riley out so the photo was in keeping with the background and I think it makes it a little more dominant on the page.

 One he photo was glued on I then got a white marker pen and Kaisercraft Gel Pens. I first went around each of the circles, then did some stitchching on the edge of the circles.

Once this was done I did journaling around each circle about Riley.

With all this done my journal pages were finished. Simple but nice. I hope you have enjoyed having a look at how I created them. Please keep scrolling to see other creations and techniques by the rest of the Design Team and also have a look at this months challenge and join in with us.
Happy Crafting - Brenda xxx

Crayon Canvas with Brenda

Hello crafty friends and welcome to the Off The Rails Blog today and my Crayon Canvas Tutorial.

I'm looking forward to sharing this with you as it was so much fun creating.

Between me having this canvas done and my post I have been without internet for some time and this week a very sick son. Tonight I have finally got behind the laptop to make the post and I'm so glad I have because I'm sure you are going to love it and be keen to try it out.

So now for my canvas -

I have created the canvas for my eldest son Riley for in his room in our new home. Another of the things I have been busy with, selling our farm and buying our new home. He is so happy with the final result. Now for How I created it. 

When starting your creation you need a Canvas, Crayons, Hot Glue Gun and a Heat Gun (or hairdryer) and these things are for creating the background. I chose to use a 20" X 24" canvas but you can chose any size you want and just adjust your crayons to suit.

You need to make sure that you cover your work area extremely well as this can be a very messy process. With my work area I used cardboard from a TV box that I had saved. You can also use newspaper. When Heated the crayons can splatter. 

After you have sorted out the order you would like to place your crayon colours you will need to use your hot glue gun and place them across the top.

Once this is done it's time for the real messy fun to begin. Standing you canvas up on your covered work area it is time to get out the heat fun or hairdryer. I chose my heat gun but you must keep in mind which every you choose the crayons will melt fast, a lot faster than you think. Depending on the distance you hold your heat gun and how much air comes out it will determine how fast the crayons will melt and flow down your canvas. 

  

Once this is done it is time to decorate your canvas with what you would like. I'm big on dream catchers being in our bedrooms and decided that I would place one on Riley's canvas and being a boy and the fact he liked the bright colours I decided I would keep it simple, the colours already were speaking enough.  So the dream catcher and a word were going to be all I used on it.

 

To place the dream catcher on the canvas I also used my hot glue gun. Once this was done I placed the canvas aside and it was time to create my word - DREAM.

For the word I used Colorbok Monogram Punch-out Pack. The first thing I did was choose the colour I wanted to paint it. I picked Dylusions Pain - After Midnight. 

Once I had painted each of the chipboard letters and they were dry I then used my finger to place some Viva Inka Gold Colours here and there. The three colours I chose were - Lava red, Aquamarine and Champagne. 

After this I then hot glue gunned each letter in place on the canvas. Now it was time to coat each of the letters with Glossy Accents and the finish looked great. Once the Glossy Accents were dry the canvas was finished and the canvas was ready to hang.

I have another canvas that I have done and on this one there is no dream catcher. I have used the darker crayons and then placed a photo of my youngest son Harley and a few other bits and pieces. I thought I would add a photo of this canvas at the end just so you could see a different way they could be done. Harley's is a smaller canvas though. 

I hope you have enjoyed popping in and having a look at my canvas. Don't forget to keep scrolling though and have a look at what the rest of the DT girls have been up too. You will also find this months challenge along the way and we would love for you to join in with us.

Happy Crafting 

Brenda xxx