Too Early for LOVE???

Hello crafters..

Welcome to my page today…I have a ”New Technique” to share with you and am really excited about it  …well, when am I not???

Before that, I would like to thank you all for the lovely comments you all left on my altered Iron! That was so encouraging. So after a creative exhaust I thought I will try a new technique which I accidentally hit upon on You Tube!

It may a little too early for valentine projects, but somehow I thought a bold, romantic theme would suit this “Faux Leather Technique” that I am totally addicted to. I tried one and then the second and then ended up doing 6 projects with this technique!!

I am going to share 2 with you today…thank your stars for that now, Lol!

I have always loved vintage stuff and faux leather looks good on Kraft Card stock and I was more than happy to cut my CS to small pieces to suit my project.

I had a lot of coffee stained papers from my earlier project, another addiction and thought I needed to do something to preserve this beautiful papers and give them a grand cover…and so I made “faux leather junk journal” !

It is amazing how the Kraft CS takes a good amount of “treatment” to look like leather. sprit zing with water and glycerin about 3 times, squeezing and scrunching to break the fibers, drying it and then running it thru en embossing folder!

Yes, once the wet CS is out of the folder, it has to be dried and then starts the layers and layers of inking! I have experimented with different colors of DI and for this I have tried Fired brick and black soot (valentine, you see) !

For the journal cover, I used a damask embossing folder and once I achieved the desired color, I sealed it with 2 layers of spray varnish. This is what finally gives it the shine and sheen of leather! It is unbelievable how after the entire process, a crisp Kraft CS becomes so flexible and pliable like leather and most importantly, tough!

Do you see a faint image of a vintage romantic couple on the cover???I experimented with printing on tissue paper at home! Another new technique that I learnt!

For the closure, I have used some stretch lace and used Velcro to fasten it. To cover the joint, I made a romantic badge! I have Paper Artsy mini stamps here. Stamped it on CS, colored it and sealed it with 3 coating of Clear UTEE. Pierce a hole and have a little hearty cherub in metal hanging! LOVE….

I have stitched the coffee stained signature to the cover and have attached a beaded dangle with some glass beads and baubles and hold it…a lovely metal cupid charm, all of this hanging from the spine!

The extra twine that hangs after stitching, I brought it to the book center and have looped a small book mark to it!  This time it’s a die cut with the same PP and layers of UTEE…a glitter heart!

You have to touch the faux leather to believe it! I will be back a tutorial on this soon. Bless your souls for a short post from me! Lol…

Next I did a romantic mini using a single piece of 12 X 12 PP from DCWV ,French  Country stack and did a cover for it using the same technique but using another embossing folder.

 I reversed the colors this time, black being more dominant, then red and finally rubbed on some  Inka Gold with my fingers and then sealing it. 

This mini can hold up to 15 pics and also has pockets, tags and inserts.

For the closure here, I have used some silk threads in black and red and the spine here too has some glass baubles and a metal charm..a love letter in an envelope! How romantic is that???

To make it even more romantic, I took this cute Pooh quote from 613 Avenue Create and have made it the focal point in the album cover.

I thought I will make a set for the “romantic hearts” and so the coffee journal and the mini. I think they make a cute pair, what say?

Would love to hear your feedback on this and for those of you who want see my addiction with this technique here are the other 4 journals in different colors.

Have a good look and tell me which color looks the best. I am really looking forward to hearing from you on this.

I would like to enter this twin project in the following challenges…

DreamValley Challenges – Anything Goes

LTSCB – Anything Goes

Loves toCreate Challenge Challenge – Color inspired ( red, browns and black)

Craft Yourpassion – Anything Goes

That CraftPlace – Love / Valentine

613 AvenueCreate – Anything Goes with the option of Winnie quote

We LoveVintage Challenge – Embossing

CraftingMusketeers- Valentine

WinterWonderland- show us your metal

FrostedDesigns – A New… technique( have tried 2)

Until my next creative journey,

Happy Crafting and Re cycling.

Big hugs.

My Garden of Memories

Hello Crafters…

A warm welcome to all of you who have joined me recently and crafty hugs to my “oldies”. Thank you so much for the over whelming response to “My Creaking Door”..it’s seems to have creaked a lot and upon requests from my crafty friends I will soon have a pictorial up on how I made the wood grain log.

Today’s project is no exception…again an OTP altered project! Sometimes I wonder why my hands refuse to do simple things. The reason for doing this project is my 5 yr old daughter who is always full of questions and lately she has been asking us about our grandparents and their parents and their names and where they are and so on…the list goes on!

I dint want to do a typical family tree and decided to alter this…

One thing led to another and finally I ended up doing this and without further ado, here is my “ Garden of memories”

A beautiful vintage garden sitting on my “popular” wooden plank with flags fluttering about “family ties” !!! This just took me back in time and I so so enjoyed every bit of this mega altered project!

A small surprise awaits when you open up the ornate framed door! The main tin has 2 washi tapes wound up, the measuring tape and the vintage keys. The door has an ornate chip board flourish frame from Creative Embellishments ( my prize win at Lessology) which has been heat embossed in gold. The door is secured on one side with TH hardware findings hinge and tied on the other side with hand dyed seam binding with an antique clock hanging too. There is a ring of bling that goes around the tin.

When the door is opened….

Voila! A mini treasure awaits! Yes…generations of memories all held together in a “circle of Love”. A circular accordion mini in earthy vintage colors to be preserved “forever”…it is going to hold pictures of our grandparents and fore fathers  with spaces for journaling and there are inserts too where I can write their names and the years they belonged to!

 To make the accordion I cut out circles from Prima, “sunrise sunset” paper pack and for another set to do the journaling I did “faux leather” technique an a lovely hand made paper in different colors! It actually ended up feeling like fabric…I wish you could touch it!

I used the Inkadinkado stamps and Distress inks in co ordinate colors to stamp on the pages. I have linked the accordion using fiber paper. In all there are 16 slots for pictures and journaling. I have kept the embellishments minimum inside the mini as I wanted the pictures to be the focus.

However, there are some vintage clocks and flowers that add some color and I have used up all the stamps from Fiskars memory set as inserts on each page. I have not added the photos now, I am working on getting a good print of the vintage photos, but before that I wanted to share this “treasure” with you all.

The lid of the tin is now a stand on which the album stands. It can be removed off its feet so that the album can be handled easily! The stand too is decorated with hand made flowers using Joy crafts die and the 3^rd washi tape in yellow adds to the bright rim of the stand along with the bling!

The wooden plank garden, the stand, the frame, the album and the inserts can all be removed and placed back in their places easily!

I have torn the edges of the inserts and the flags and inked with walnut stain for the old, weathered look…the paper looks I said feels like fabric and you can actually see the ends fraying and it makes the vintage look so realistic. 

The flag poles too have been covered with washi tape. I have added the pebbles to give a garden feel and this doubles up as good deco piece too!

With this, I hope to answer my daughter’s questions and hopefully she will be able to answer her children’s questions too, Lol! 

I am glad I could do something to preserve a “ generation of memories”. Do let me know what you think of my “Garden of memories”..as always I am touched by all those of you who visit me and take that extra time to write something memorable!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Am linking my “Circle of Love” to..

Lulupu _ use 3 washi tapes and a ready embellishment

Sentimental Sundays _ A touch of Vintage

Artistic Inspiration _ Round and round

Craft for the Craic _ something with circles

Imagination Crafts Challenge _ Anything goes

Until then,

Happy Crafting and re cycling.

Big crafty hugs.