More June Dusty Attic and Swirlydoos

I decided to try something a little different and extend the "collage" Dusty Attic theme that we used on our ATC projects this month - to create a manly layout in honour of Father's day that just passed. I used the last bits of my June Swirlydoos "Brass Shilling" kit. This kit features some glorious Kaisercraft papers.

Click on images for larger view

The picture is of my husband from our trip to Europe 11 years ago. I used the brand new DA small filmstrips chipboard set and joined them together to create a railroad effect at the top of my page and tucked a piece of the large skeleton clock under the corrugated cardboard from the kit. Next, I cut the chipboard title in half and placed it in two parts on my layout. I used a mini lamp post too and placed it right onto my picture (simply covered it with black DA "soot" paint and clear crackle varnish).

To finish the chipboard, I used inks on the filmstrips and clock and then used gesso and DA "Navajo" white paint on the title. I also dry brushed the paint on the corrugated cardboard. Behind the kit Petaloo flowers are some DA paper rose leaves too (love these!).

I used the awesome June DA sketch, created by Mistra, as an inspiration point for this layout. Don't forget to enter the monthly sketch challenge for a chance to win some chipboard goodness! See details on the Dusty Attic NING.

This month's Dusty Attic ATC theme is COLLAGE: An artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and color. I used my June Swirlydoos "Brass Shilling" kit scraps glued to a piece of corrugated cardboard (also in the kit) and a flower to compliment several DA chipboard casings (the parts surrounding the actual laser cut pieces), plus a pair of the mini wings.

TIP: Shabby chic "seashell" effect
How did I get that look on my chipboard? SO Easy! I simply stippled on thick gesso to create peaks. Once dry, I then used some semi-translucent mists (like Tattered Angels and Shimmerz) spraying lightly, letting it naturally resist the gesso peaks created and pool in the "valleys". Kinda looks like a cool seashell effect and it gleams beautifully in sunlight too.

I ended up turning this ATC into a Father's day card for my dad (with more of the pretty papers in the June Swirlydoos kit). White paint was randomly sponged onto the paper layers too.

Here is a peek at the "Brass Shilling" main kit and add-ons. To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

10% off the NEW Dusty Attic Releases!!!

10% off sale in my Etsy Shop at:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto
I have brand new Dusty Attic chipboard releases as well as many of the popular items - and everything is 10% off all orders over $20 (before shipping). Happy Shopping!

When you spend over $20.00 in my Etsy, you will receive 10% off your purchase. Enter the coupon code SUMMER2013 upon checkout (in the area provided for it) to receive the 10% discount off your ENTIRE order. This offer expires on July 15th so hurry before it's all gone! 

HOW TO ENTER THE ETSY DISCOUNT CODE:
Once you've added items to your cart, click the blue Apply shop coupon code located above Item total BEFORE you checkout. Then enter the coupon code SUMMER2013 and click Apply. The coupon discount will adjust your total before you submit the order (this only works on orders over $20.00). Here is an Etsy screen shot (as an example only) to show you the where the blue link is that you need to click (to enter the code):

P.S. You can subscribe to my blog via e-mail to never miss a post about new stock in my Etsy shop :)

Another Swirlydoos layout with my June kit

Just a little post today to reveal another layout I just made with my June "Brass Shilling" kit from Swirlydoos. This is a quick snapshot taken very late on my wedding night. I love the resin frames in the kit - adds beautiful texture around the photo.

Click on images for larger view.

Here is a peek at the "Brass Shilling" main kit and add-ons. To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

I still have LOTS more of my kit to play with and will be back soon to reveal 2 more projects.

Swirlydoos June Kit Reveal Blog Hop

Welcome to the Swirlydoos "Brass Shilling"

June kit reveal blog hop party!

If you came here from Angelica's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to the 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 prizes for participation in this hop. Also, be sure to check out Swirlydoos on Facebook and "Like Us" too!

This classy kit is so versatile for any age, gender or anything you want to scrap about. The Kaisercraft 75 cents papers are soooo awesome! First up is a picture of my daughter as an infant in the kiddie pool. I created this layout to kick-off week 1 of the June Swirlydoos Round Robin Challenge. I did the doily and lace twist and then added Dusty Attic chipboard from my stash (the rest is all from the main kit). Don't you just LOVE that wide yellow ribbon?

Click on images for larger view.

A little close-up. I used glass bead gel on the chipboard (from a previous Swirlydoos kit).

Next is a photo printing "mistake" that I've held on to for a while of my boys as toddlers. I went for a minimalistic look... and did you notice? No flowers on this layout! That's a first for me.

Here is a close up of the Dusty Attic chipboard (from my stash) that I painted with the gold Silks paint in the kit. I love this paint - no gesso primer needed!

This is the pretty kit sketch I used as inspiration (as rotated):

For this next layout, I played off the orange flowers in my picture and used more of the gorgeous gold paint in the kit.

Here is a close up of the fabric flowers in the add-on and some DA chipboard from my stash.

Lastly for today, I have made a card to share.

You have until midnight, Eastern time, on Tuesday 6/4 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Wednesday 6/5. 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.

Here is a peek at the Swirlydoos "Brass Shilling" main kit and add-ons. To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

My special words are: STOP TO

The party continues over at Andie's blog
Have fun!

I still have LOTS more of my kit to play with and will be back soon to reveal 2 more projects. Please note that all of these projects above are made with 80% the kit contents and a few items from my stash or past Swirlydoos kits.

More May Swirlydoos/ Dusty Attic projects (+ tutorial)

I'm back with more Swirlydoos Kits and Dusty Attic Chipboard DT projects to share. Here is a layout (and tutorial below) that I created using the gorgeous chipboard Floral Frame Set (DA0576) to complement my beautiful "Au Naturale" May kit from Swirlydoos (featuring Pink Paislee and Prima papers and gorgeous embellishments). I have been wanting to scrap this childhood picture of my husband and his brothers for so long and finally had the perfect papers and embellishments for it.

Click on images for larger views

For the floral piece, I randomly painted it with gesso, putting more in some places than others, especially on the flowers.

Next, I used light green and teal chalk ink. As you can see, the spots that had more gesso are much lighter than the others. This gives a more natural look than an all over wash of colour.

I then added some darker green and brown chalk ink and rubbed it with Q-tips to reveal the lighter colour underneath in several places (especially the middle of the teal flowers). Once dry, I glued the piece onto my paper and cut a bit of the right chipboard edge off that was hanging over.

Next, I filled in the middle of the flowers with baby blue Stickles glitter glue.

The Happy Memories title (DA0732) was a perfect font and description of this fun fishing experience too. For the title, I simply inked the pieces with dark green chalk ink and then splashed some green Pesto paint (DA0918), here and there on it. I also added the paint to the felt leaves that surround the large brown flower. Adding the Pesto paint gave everything a moss look to it. I love the rustic look all of these techniques created to complement the nature setting of this picture (taken well over 30 year ago!) amoung the pretty Pink Paislee papers in the Swirlydoos kit.

Another fun theme for this month's Dusty Attic ATC challenge is Art Deco style. I found a great inspiration image and my ATC easily fell into place from there using the Prima papers in the Swirlydoos kit. I added a chipboard Cameo Ribbon Slide from the 5/pack (DA0658), painted it with Vintage Gold (DA0925) and topped it with Clear Gloss Varnish (DA0901).  I created my ATC background by using a small circle punch and mounted the circles onto black cardstock, then added some kit bling in the corners and a patterned paper backing. Finally, I polished it off with a beautiful resin cameo in the middle (from a past kit).

Here is the beautiful image I found on Pinterest as my inspiration for this project.

I easily turned my ATC into a pretty card by mounting it on black cardstock and adding more bling corners. The repetitive corners really add to the art deco style.

Here is a look at the Swirlydoos kit: "Au Naturale" main kit (middle) and add-ons. To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

20% off Dusty Attic Chipboard (coupon code for my Etsy)

A little birdie told me there will be another new Dusty Attic chipboard release soon. So, I thought it would be a good time to do a "SPRING2013" cleaning sale in my Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto) to make room for the new stuff.

When you spend over $15.00 in my Etsy, you will receive 20% off your purchase. Enter the coupon code SPRING2013 upon checkout in the area provided for it to receive the 20% discount off your order. This offer expires on June 30, 2013. 

HOW TO ENTER AN ETSY DISCOUNT CODE
Once you've added items to your cart, on the right, click Apply shop coupon code above Item total BEFORE you checkout. Then enter the coupon code SPRING2013 and click Apply. The coupon discount will adjust your total before you submit the order (only works on orders over $15.00). Here is an Etsy screen shot (example only) to show you the blue link you need to click to enter the code:

Swirlydoos May Kit Reveal

Welcome to the Swirlydoos "Au Naturale"

May kit reveal blog hop party!

If you came here from Andie's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to the 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 prizes for participation in this hop. Also, be sure to check out Swirlydoos on Facebook and "Like Us" too!

I was over the moon excited when I found out that the May kit had Prima's Lyric papers paired with Pink Paislee's Hope Chest... two of my favourite collections this season! This is a picture of my brother in-law and his new bride. I added a large Dusty Attic skeleton clock from my stash to complement this kit. BTW - the flower add-on this month so heavenly.

Click on images for larger view.

Here is the SUPER gorgeous sketch I used from this month's kit (I flipped it). I think this is my all time favourite Swirly-sketch!

This is a picture of me at 5 years old when I fell asleep at a wedding. I used Prima's May Palette as inspiration and added a Dusty Attic chipboard title to complement this amazing kit. Really cool circle elements this month!

I just love making gift boxes, for this one I used only one single sheet of paper, one flower and a template from DigiChick. It is a really nice size to hold treats or even a gift card.

This is what the cupcake gift box looks like before assembling it.

A little thank-you card I made using some left-overs from cut papers (to match the gift box).

Here is a jar similar to the one I made for National Scrapbook Day, using a flower from my new Pearl and Lace Flower tutorial (no sewing required!). Also, see the homemade foot scrub recipe that can go into the jar to make a wonderful end of the school year teacher gift.

You have until midnight, eastern time, on Friday 5/17 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Saturday 5/18. 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.

Lastly, here is a peek at the Swirlydoos "Au Naturale" main kit (middle) and add-ons. To become a subscriber and never miss a gorgeous Swirlydoos kit click here.

My special word is: WHAT

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

I still have LOTS more of my kit to play with and will be back soon to reveal 2 more projects.

Swirlydoos NSD Challenge!

Right now the Swirlydoos design team is hosting a bunch of fantastic challenges in honour of National Scrapbook Day (but you have a week to complete them). Great fun and prizes to be won!

Visit the Swirlydoos Forum to see all of the challenges.
For my Pearl and Lace Flower tutorial see previous post.


MY CHALLENGE:
1. You will need to create a flower using my Pearl and Lace Flower tutorial (in the previous post).

2. Use your handmade flower(s) on any project of your choice. If you would like to make an altered mason jar (as I am doing), you will need a clean glass jar, paint (I used white Martha Stewart multi-surface paint because it stays well on glass without the expense of glass paint - and it can even be hand-washed after curing), plus any other embellishments of your choice.

3. Post your project in my thread on the Swirlydoos forum at: http://www.swirlydoos.com/sd_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207305

Here is a great recipe idea to fill the jar with...
(makes a wonderful mother's day or teacher gift)

LEMON PEPPERMINT FOOT SCRUB RECIPE

(adapted from a www.freutcake.com recipe)

- 2 cups coarse salt or sea salt

- 1/2 cup almond or coconut oil

- 2 tsp lemon zest (grated lemon peel)

- 10 drops of peppermint essential oil (aromatherapy)

- 2-3 drops of yellow food colouring
*Mix well and store it in the fridge. Enjoy!

There will be special prizes for the challenges and also great promotions later on today in the online store.

Pearl and Lace Flower Tutorial (no sewing!)

I am so excited to share another flower tutorial.

Materials you will need:
-- 3 or 4 feet of small string pearls
-- 3 or 4 feet of narrow and thin/sheer ribbon (I used seam binding)
-- 3 or 4 feet of narrow lace trim
-- a small punched paper circle (I used 1-inch diameter)
-- loose pearls or gems of your choice
-- strong holding glue (like hot glue or Helmar 450 quick dry)
-- clear, fast drying glue to use on the pearls/gems
OPTION: inks/mists to tint the ribbon BEFORE making the flower.

NOTE: I used 4 feet of each trim to yield the large 4-inch cream flower and only 3 feet of trim for the smaller pink 3-inch flower.

STEP 1: Wrap all 3 trims around your 4 fingers, holding the ends with your thumb. Twist the 3 trims as you go so you don't end up with all the same style on one side. NOTE: If you are only using 3 feet of trim, then only wrap around 3 fingers for a smaller flower diameter.

STEP 2: Once you reach the second set of ends, take just the ribbon (my white seam binding) and wrap it through the middle to secure everything into a bow shape. NOTE: This will be a little harder if you only use 3 feet of trim and 3 fingers.

STEP 3: Carefully slip it off your fingers and very, VERY tightly tie the two ribbon ends together (my white seam binding).

STEP 4: Gently start shaping your flower by spreading out the trims. You may need to loop things together to get a nice round shape.

STEP 5: Put a generous amount of strong holding glue on the tied knot and tuck loose ends into it - secure by pressing your paper circle over top. Let it dry.

STEP 6: Flip it over and glue a bunch of pearls or gems to create a cluster in the middle - using clear, fast drying glue.

This flower may cost as much to make as it would to buy a premium fabric Prima flower... but the result is worth it. Best of all you can make it in any color or size you need :)

Please let me know what you think of this new tutorial!