Mask It Up!

Hey there! 

It's been a whiles since I've done a tutorial - but I had such fun creating this card, that I thought I'd share the process with you:

I made it for a friend.....I had worked out the words, so used some old paper to created them:

 Waste not, want not & all that!

As for the umbrella. I DO have a silly [Sillhouette] machine.

I also have a computer to find images.

But I'm a LAZY scrapper.

So I sketched an umbrella that looked vaguely like one, and simply cut out a template using old photo copy paper:

As you can see above, then I have taped up around the shape that I'd cut out. That is then my 'secondary' mask.

Initially, I laid my umbrella over the card stock & sprayed on the orange Dylusions ink:

I blotted it off with some paper towel, BEFORE I removed the mask.

Next  I used the paper with the umbrella cut out of it, and sprayed on the blue Dylusions mist:

It didn't cover all my card, so I had to use some more scrap paper so it didn't 'contaminate' the orange I'd already sprayed on the card base

I ended up with this:

It splashed out a little, but not too bad.

Luckily I have a little tear shaped punch, so I added some 'rain drops' and my sentiment...

...a bit of outlining to define the edges & that's it!

You could do this with any simple shapes or die cuts that you have in your stash.

I really like the 'masking' off technique.

 If you used plasticised card [eg: that you get with embellished packs, or even clear plastic] then you'll have re-usable masks, too!

Hope this gives you some scrappy inspiration ~ Happy Scrapping ~ Lizzy ♥♥♥

Sandi's Paperbag Gift Bag tutorial

I always forget my shopping bags when I go to the shops (here in South Australia we have to supply bags or get charged for plastic or paper bags), so I have accumulated quite a few paper bags over the last year. This Christmas I decided to make gift bags instead of using wrapping paper (they can be seen on my blog), here is my tutorial on my Paperbag Birthday Gift Bag version.

I started finding the products I needed:

 Stencils: Tim Holtz 'Arrows' and The Crafters Workshop 'Mini Kaleidoscope' .

Stamps: Prima rectangular stitching, Alphabet blocks brought from Lincraft and 'Season' from Kaszazz.

 Mont Marte Modelling paste

A selection of scrap and 6"x6" papers: Kaisercraft 'Kaleidoscope' and 'Random' Crate Paper Co

Ranger Glossy Accents

Staz On Jet Black Ink pad

Dylusions Ink Sprays: Lemon Zest, Bubblegum Pink and Crushed Grape. White Linen and Black Marble.

Distress Inks: Antique Photo, Black Soot and Peeled Paint.

and of course 

a paper bag.

Using the Dylusions spray inks I randomly sprayed ink over the 'mini kaleidoscope' stencil which I had placed on the top right hand part of the paper bag. I removed the stencil carefully and dried the ink with a heat gun. Replacing the stencil slightly off centre to the previous position I spread modeling paste over the stencil this time.

I chose a range of papers from my 6"x6" paper pads from Kaisercraft 'Kaleidoscope' and Crate Paper Co. 'Random Collection' and die cuts from one of the Kaisercraft collection and tearing pieces layered them using magic mount to raise the bird, 'love' die cut and words to give more depth and dimension.

I also used black and white cotton twine to frame the words. and curved the butterfly's wings to give it more dimension

 

Using the 'Peeled paint' distress ink to add colour to the modeling paste and with the 'mini kaleidoscope' stencil to add to the background behind the layered papers. I used the 'Antique Photo' to edge the layered papers section.

Using the wood block stamps I stamped 'Happy Birthday'  with Staz On onto torn pieces of the pink paper I had used on the layered section and edged it with 'antique photo'

I used the Tim Holtz 'Arrows' stencil and Distress ink 'Black Soot' to add chevron arrows to the background, also used the smallest 'rectangular stitching' stamp and Staz On and the 'season' Kaszazz stamp to add more depth. I place some black cotton on the bag under the layered paper and after gluing the paper down I splattered the 'Bubblegum Pink', 'Black Marble' and 'White Linen' to finish the bag.

Hope you enjoyed reading my Paperbag Gift Bag tutorial for Off The Rails Scrapbooking. Next time you get a brown paper bag have a try in making an unique gift bag for a friend or family member or maybe you can think of another way to re-use a paperbag.

Special Delivery

Hello OTR friends. Fiona here with you today to share my latest creation. I used this months mood palette as inspiration for my decorated pizza box. 

Yes I said pizza box! LOL Let me explain. 

So I submit a few of my layouts to magazines (the one's they'll take anyway) and they ask that you send in the original for photographing. A pizza box, just happens to be the best size for a 12x12 layout and so that is what we use to transport them around in.

A little while back Scrapbook Memories magazine put out a challenge for submitters to decorate their pizza boxes for them. Just for a bit of fun really. The tradition of decorating submission boxes is not a new one but it's been largely only done randomly and very occasionally. Once SBM put out the call for boxes to be decorated the craze went viral!

They then started returning crafters creations to them in other crafters boxes they had decorated. It is so exciting to receive one of these boxes! and even more exciting when someone receives yours!

Some of them are mailed all over Australia and added to by their new creators. It has become such an excitement that a facebook group has been set up by Heather McMahon (A current SBM Master) to help find and share owners of each fabulous creation. "The Great SBM PizzaBox Mailart Hunt".

So this is my latest one. I hope the receiver likes it.

Here is a quick little run down of how I created this effect.

With Pizza boxes, the thrill of receiving one is grand but even bigger is the thrill of adding to one. This box came from SBM and was lovingly taped up with purple spotty tape by the very talented Natalie Elphinstone other wise known as One Scrappy Doctor. As soon as I saw the purple I knew it was the right box for this challenge mood palette.

So I added!

I made up a concoction of modelling paste, paint and Spray to create a beautiful gooey purple texture paste and I lathered it over a coordinating piece of 12x12 patterned paper I had in my stash using a palette knife. I think the paper is from a Simple Stories collection. 

Then I gave it a light spray with the Dylusions while it was still damp.

To decorate it, I die cut some flowers from a die using more coordinating patterned paper to add on the top of the background. The key to decorating these boxes is to keep it flat. So adding texture can be tricky.

One way to do it is to use textured papers. In this case I used Sticky Bark paper for the small leaves that adorn the larger flowers. Sticky Bark paper is literally paper with a very thin shaving of wood attached to it. It's actual real wood and the texture is divine!

I hope that I've inspired you to try something different. Even if you never submit any pages to a magazine you may find you still need to transport them one day and what a perfect way to do it!

Why not pop over to our challenge and give this colour combo a go yourself? Follow the link here for more inspiration and to link up your creation.

Until next time

Cheers

Fiona xx

Mixed Media Inspiration with Catie

Hi Everybody!

Catie here, with some mixed media inspiration in the form of a canvas I recently created.

First up (after priming my canvas with gesso) I used some Design Memory Craft Faber Castell Whipped Spackle.  This stuff is AMAZING!  It's a kind of texture paste, but is a smoother, lighter consistency, that is a little more flexible when it's dry. I used it with this burlap stencil, and loved the effect it gave.

Next I used some bubble wrap to imprint the whipped spackle while it was still damp.

I dried it off, then used some watered down glimmermist to start adding some colour.

And of course, I couldn't go without gelatos!

Then I started adding more colour with Dylusions spray inks.  I think I lost the yellow from the gelatos in the end, because I got carried away with making peacock type colours with the inks, but that's the beauty of mixed media - there is no wrong!

Next, I stamped some peacock feathers, and coloured them with Dylusions inks.  I love the shimmer that these mists have in them.  I fussy cut the feathers to layer up on the canvas.  The other thing I love about the Dylusions inks is how far they 'go'.  I'd spray on the canvas, add some water, and blend, add a little more water, and suddenly it would pick up surrounding colour from stray droplets around the area, and create even more rich colour to play with!

To create more texture in the background, I've used tissue paper, punchinella, plasterer's tape, sequins, gauze, a fabric doily (which I coloured with glimmermist and Dylusions), some feathers I found in my stash, in peacock-type colours and some metallic thread.  I used Mod Podge to stick all this down - I think my hands were covered in more materials than the canvas at one point!!

So, you can see how I've continued to layer up colours and textures til I was happy with what I had in front of me.  I also used some Liquitex gel medium over the inks, which gave a glossy sheen and really brought out the colours, as you can see in the bottom right image of the collage below. 

  

The whole point to this canvas was to work around a stamped image of a postcard that I wanted to use as the centre piece. I built up my background around the postcard, and then looked up some creative-type quotes, as this canvas was to be a gift to a lovely scrappy-friend.  The quote I used is by Robert Henri "The object isn't to make art; it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable".

Here are a couple more close ups for you....

and the finished product!

 

I hope this has given you some inspiration.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thanks for looking :)

Catie xo