TUTORIAL: Faux Ceramic Letter Tiles

Here is a very easy tutorial on how to create faux ceramic tile letters out of chipboard squares and sticker letters.

I took 3 (of the 6) Dusty Attic French Window Pane chipboard squares (the portion that some people discard to reveal the window).

I painted the squares with Dusty Attic black Soot paint.

I adhered a letter sticker to each of the painted tiles.

I coated each tile with Dusty Attic Clear Gloss Varnish to create a ceramic tile appearance. This varnish product goes on so smoothly and dries very quickly too.

Then, simply glue the tiles to any project - so easy!

TUTORIAL - Versatile flowers

I have used these handmade flowers on several projects so I thought it would be time to provide a little tutorial. In changing the middle to coordinate with your project, the possibilities are endless on the "looks" you can create with this simple flower base.

STEP 1 - To start, you will need two punched or die-cut flowers with 5 or 6 wide petals. Mine are 2.5 inch punched from my EK Success Daisy punch.

STEP 2 - Mist the flowers (with water or a paint mist if preferred) and curl each petal and pinch while curled around the object to create wrinkles. Note - this will not work if not wet enough.

STEP 3 - Once your curled and pinched petals are almost dry, use a rounded stylus (or end of a paintbrush) and press the middle of each flower into a foam mat. This will raise the petals. now, let completely dry in this shape.

STEP 4 - While off-setting the petals, glue the centers of the dried layers together, pressing into the mat again with the stylus. I used Helmar 450 quick dry glue. Pinch the petal ends to shape them a little more. 

STEP 5 - Now it is time to add a center of your choice. Below, I simply glued a coordinating flower into the middle.

On another project, I used Helmar gemtone glue to add loose pearls and used Clearsnap chalk ink on the petal ends for an antique look. I also pinched the ends a little more to simulate a poinsettia.

Depending on the punched or die cut flower style, the paints and inks used as well as the choice to decorate the middle - the variations you can create are endless!

New DA chipboard in my shop!

I re-stocked my Etsy shop today (http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto) with Dusty Attic chipboard - including many of the newest releases (see images below).

You can now follow my blog via e-mail (see right sidebar to subscribe) for updates. Thanks so much everyone for all your support in my crafting and retail as well. I really do read and appreciate every comment you leave me.

Here is a peek at just a few of the newest Dusty Attic:

Swirlydoos February Blog Hop

Welcome to Swirlydoos' "Upon a Time" Kit Reveal

Blog Hop Block Party!

If you came here from Rae's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there. We have some amazing projects for you to see today. Make sure to leave a comment on all of the blogs for a chance to win a prize! Check out Swirlydoos on Facebook and Like Us too!

Well, this kit featuring the entire Graphic 45 "A Place in Time" collection (26 sheets of paper!) really gives paper crafters endless possibilities to create with. Oh there are so many color combinations to choose from! Here is a layout of my daughter as a baby. I have added some Dusty Attic chipboard (lacing tash and mini word title) from my stash to complement my kit layout. Click images for larger views.

Here is a close-up of the gorgeous pearl bling and fabric flowers this month!

I also used the beautiful kit sketch as inspiration for the layout above.

Next is a a layout of my son as a fun little toddler. Once again, I added some DA chipboard from my stash to complement the kit (snowflakes and scroll border).

Here is a close-up of the pretty blue kit flowers and my handmade ones too. I am working on a tutorial for these and will post it soon.

I used the Dusty Attic February sketch as inspiration for the layout above.

Lastly for today, I made a birthday gift box. Like I said, this kit has so many possibilities. I really love the variety of embellishments this month - so fun to work with!

I used this template to create my gift bag with a "unit" of 1.75 inches. Click image for larger view.

You have until midnight, eastern time, on Thursday, FEB. 14 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Friday 1/25. In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:

1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are REALLY beautiful things to see along the way.

2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down.

Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence.

3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had, tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected. Can't wait to hear from you.

My special word is : DIET

I will be back in a week or so with more kit projects too! Here is a peek at the "Upon a Time" main kit. To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

The party continues over at Angelica's blog. Have fun!

NOTE: I used a lot of Helmar goodness to stick all of my projects together. I used the premium craft glue on the paper layers, the 450 quick dry on the flowers, the adhesive runner for the photos, Zapdots to add dimension, and the acid-free glue for all the chipboard pieces. Thank goodness for good glue!

Lots of Swirlydoos, Dusty Attic and Helmar!

How can you go wrong when you combine a beautiful Swirlydoos kit, with gorgeous Dusty Attic products, and stick it all down with Helmar adhesives? NOTE: I have provided a handy list of the various Helmar products I use for different tasks on these projects at the end of this post.

I have created 3 more projects with my Swirlydoos January "Whimsy" kit" which features a lot of Prima goodness. I rarely do multi-pics but this one was fitting of my daughter as a toddler. The flowers in the add-on kit were a perfect compliment to these papers. Click on images for larger views.

I cut up the Dusty Attic leafy flourish to put on either side of my flower cluster. I simply painted it with several Dusty in Colour green paints and then topped with a variety of green and brown Clearsnap chalk ink.

Thank you Clearsnap for sending the Helmar team such awesome products to work with! This is what they sent me (my choice!) - the Autumn chalk ink set... LOVE IT! Clearsnap chalk inks have always been a must-have in my scrappy stash.

Here is the Prima January BAP sketch that I used as an inspiration starting point.

I thought it would be fitting to do a layout about achieving creative dreams. I have had the pleasure of designing for such fantastic companies. OK, I will be honest that purple is a very challenging color for me to scrap - but these Fabscraps papers in the January kit were just so beautiful with a hint of blue. I did some inking (using Clearsnap chalk ink) around all of the edges and layered some doilies.

I have used the DA decorative scroll #1 and cut it into several pieces. I painted it with several gorgeous colours from the brand new "Dusty in Colour" release of acrylic paints. I simply splattered it all to give it an artsy feel.

Next I used some chipboard mini words for the title (again swiping here and there with Dusty paints) and then added a pretty butterfly from the newly released chipboard styles. I also added a few small "Dusty in Bloom" flowers to the gorgeous main kit flowers - a perfect match!

FAUX REVERSE CRACKLE (technique on the butterfly)

Step 1 - Generously stipple gesso onto chipboard and let dry (the paint "peaks" will settle a bit).

Step 2 - Let completely dry.

Step 3 - Dip your finger into chalk ink and gently rub over the textured bumps to highlight them

This layout was inspired by the fantastic Dusty Attic January sketch (I reversed it). Don't forget to enter each month for a chance to win some beautiful products!

Lastly I have created an origami purse (gift bag). The decorative handle is actually a part of a broken fairy Halloween costume that I "borrowed/recycled" from my daughter's closet.

Here is a close-up of the Swirlydoos main kit flowers surrounded by Dusty Attic leaves and a cute little DA butterfly too. I used the Silks paint in the kit and topped the butterfly with Diamond Dust glitter glass.

Here is a quick snap before assembling the purse. I used a traditional gift bag folding technique to get it to this point and then slightly modified it to create the purse flap. Here is a great YouTube video on how to do a regular gift bag.

Helmar products used in these projects:

Premium Craft Glue - for paper layers

450 quick dry - for flowers

Acid-free - for chipboard and to adhere glitter

Adhesive Runner - for photos

Zapdots - for raising titles/notecards and clasping the purse

Gemstone glue - for pearls and gems

Don't forget to check out the awesome projects on the blogs for the cross promotion between Helmar and Clearsnap!

A little ATC (Meg's Garden/Dusty Attic/Helmar)

Artist trading cards (ATCs) are the perfect little canvas (2.5" x 3.5") to play with product and create a pretty embellishment to add to a layout or as a focal point of a card or tag.

Here I have used an older paper from Meg's Garden "The Antoinette Collection" to create a Parisian themed card. The papers in the additional strip you receive with Meg's papers are perfect for these kinds of little projects. I have added a beautiful Dusty Attic chipboard fountain (painted in DA white paint) that I topped with a mix of pale pink fine german glitter glass (also from Meg's shop) combined with coarser glass Diamond Dust. I love the effect of combining the two glass products for a soft effect. I used a nice variety of Helmar adhesives - premium craft glue for the paper layers, acid-free glue to adhere the glass to the fountain as well as stick the fountain to the paper, 450 quick dry for the flowers and butterflies, plus gemstone glue for the pearls in the flower centres. Amazing how much glue a little ATC can take!

Swirlydoos January Blog Hop

Welcome to Swirlydoos' January "Whimsy" Kit Reveal

Blog Hop Block Party!

If you came here from Paulien's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there. We have some amazing projects for you to see today. Make sure to leave a comment on all of the blogs for a chance to win! Check out Swirlydoos on Facebook and Like Us too!

Today is finally time to share a few projects made with my January Swirlydoos kit - a pretty mix of Prima, Fabscraps and Kaisercraft papers this month. I just love this first picture of my boys with a friend... taken while climbing trees by a splash park in the city. It was a picture perfect moment captured. I added some brand new Dusty Attic chipboard from my stash (french garden border) and painted it with some of their new paints too.

Click on images to see larger views.

The flower add-on has these beautiful Kaiser blooms. I cut out some of the blue butterflies from another paper and layered them onto the ones printed in yellow on the paper.

Here is a layout inspired from the kit sketch this month. I adore this picture of my boys as toddlers - they really are good friends - so sweet. More pretty blooms and resin from the kit.

This is the beautiful Swirlydoos sketch for January.

I added some Dusty Attic chipboard from my stash (corner vine). I simply inked it brown in a random pattern as to not over saturate it all and it gave a nice effect. The white flower is handmade.

On this one (Morrocan lamp) I added some teal Silks paint from a previous Swirlydoos kit. I love how Krissy has been including one of these paints in each Swirlydoos kit for the past few months!

Working with the Prima papers, I altered a Dusty Attic Journal and added a chipboard garden fairy from my stash. I just love the blooms this month that perfectly match all the different paper colors.

I wanted to show a great way to use the beautiful Silks paint in the January kit so I painted the chipboard with off-white acrylic paint, glazed the tips with the pink Silks paint and flared the color to gradually get darker on the ends. Here is a close-up in direct sunlight to show the dimension that adding glass diamond dust creates for the hair/wings and dress while keeping the paint color the same.

You have until midnight, eastern time, on Thursday, 1/24 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Friday 1/25. In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:

1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are REALLY beautiful things to see along the way.

2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down.

Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence.

3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had, tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected. Can't wait to hear from you.

My special word is : REMEMBER

I will be back in a few days with more kit projects too! Here is a peek at the main kit and I have a lot of pinks and purples still to play with :) To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

The party continues over at Irene's blog. Have fun!

NOTE: I used a lot of Helmar goodness to stick all of my projects together. I used the premium craft glue on the paper layers, the 450 quick dry on the flowers and leaves, the adhesive runner for the photos, Zapdots to raise the title, and the acid-free glue for all the chipboard pieces. Thank goodness for good glue!