Guest Designer for Graphic 45!! Plus...{VIDEO TUTORIALS}

 

Goodmorning everyone!!  A little warning, this post will be photo heavy and have not one but TWO Video Tutorials to enjoy.  So grab a cup of coffee/tea, sit back and enjoy, I hope you have as much fun checking it all out as I had creating these projects! 

 

When I got my package from Graphic 45 to do a guest spot for them, I was overwhelmed by the gorgeous products and their kind generousity!!   For my first project I did a layout using the beautiful Botanical Tea collection.  I've been waiting for the perfect collection to scrap this photo of my nephew Jared and his two little girls, Botanical Tea had all the pretty elements I was looking for.

 

 

I began by fussy cutting a bunch of the lovely design elements in the patterned papers.  I cut out the tiny pink flowers and attached them to a Dusty Attic Branch.

 

I made the flowers by using a Spellbinders die and a pink paper from the small 6x6 paper pad that coordinates with the Botanical Tea collection papers. I also added some of the amazing metal embellishments (Keys, key holes) from Graphic 45's Staples collection.

 

Here is a close-up of the key-hole,...I just love their metal embellishments, so intricate and beautiful!  I bordered my photo and patterned paper with some of the brown cardstock paper that coordinates with this collection.  I trimmed with a scallop edge scissor and added a dot of white gel pen to the center of each scallop.

 

I used a few Cheery Lynn die cut pieces for my corner designs and moistened the paper with a little waterto pull down the edge.  I finished by adhering a butterfly cut from the patterned paper.

 

There are so many wonderful coordinating pieces that come with this collection including cardstock stickers...here I used some for embellishing.

 

 

For my second project I thought I would do a fun 'off the page' project using Botanical Tea collection.  I took a few (empty) liquor bottles and turned them into painted Vintage Decor Bottles.  Here is a quick little step by step video to show how I made them....

 

These were a lot of fun to make, I hope you'll give it a try!  Next I decided to do some projects with the fresh and beautiful 'By The Sea' collection....

 

I've always wanted to make a 'reverse' style canvas, that is a canvas turned around using the backside, it creates a kind of shadow box design.  For this project I began by fussy cutting a bunch of the picture elements from this collection...love the mermaid, shells and starfish!

 

 

I used one of the postcard designs as the background and added some Dusty Attic chipboard elements (painted and stamped) to embellish the frame.

 

I cut out some of the sea elements (starfish, shells) and used a scissor handle to create a 3D effect .  Here I made another little step by step video on how I created this canvas...

 

 

.....and finally I have a couple of nautical style cards to share with you that I made using the 'By the Sea" collection....

I have a lot of 'girly' style cards I've made in my stash, ready to use, but I wanted to make a more masculine card for the men in my life.  I used the gorgeous stamp set that coordinates with the By the Sea collection as my centerpiece to the card...

 

 

You get such a nice crisp image with the rubber stamp don't you think?  I also added a chipboard button and more of their Staples metal accents (brads) with some hemp twine.

 

I like to use lots of natural products like burlap and twine with the navy and sky blues in these papers.  I feel like they are colors and textures that work well with a masculine style card.

 

 

For my other card I used a similar color combination but I made this one so that it can be used for a girl or guy.  I ended up using this as a card for my niece who is into boating and loves nautical designs.

 

I made the plank design by just cutting strips of the cream color cardstock in the coordinating 6x6 paper pads and inking the edges with a bit or soft brown chalk ink (Ingvild Bolmes pastel brown).  I also love the nice thickness of the patterned paper because it allows you to form it into 3D shapes as you can see with the starfish design I cut out of one of the patterned papers.

I hope you enjoyed checking out all the projects I created with Graphic 45's beautiful products! I want to thank Graphic 45 for this wonderful opportunity to guest design for them and their generousity in the product they sent.  I know I will be making many more projects with these goodies in the future! xo

Getting Whimsical with NEW Shimmerz Inklingz! {VIDEO TUTORIAL}

 

Hi everyone!  Gabrielle here with you today to share with you my first project as a Shimmerz Educator!  I was so excited to get my happy little hands on some of the NEW Inklingz and was just amazed by the beautiful effect you can get with them. 

 

 

As soon as I saw the color 'Blue My Mind' from the Inklingz, I knew I had to do something whimsical with it.  I pulled out some polymer baking clay (Sculpey or Fimo) and made a mermaid tail to act as a center-piece to my canvas design. I also made a few little accent pieces (Starfish designs) to add to the canvas as well.  The mermaid was made by sculpting the clay by hand (basically rolling the clay in the palm of my hands and forming a tail) and the 'scales' were added by using the tip of a pen (with the pen retracted so that the ink tip doesn't touch the clay).  I used the pen tip on the starfish as well to create a little textural pattern.  I baked it for 15 minutes (275 degree oven) and gave the piece a coat of Gesso....now it is ready to paint!  I gathered together a bunch of my gorgeous Shimmerz products and an 8"x10" canvas and got started.  Here is a list of the Shimmerz products I used for this canvas.....

 

 

Shimmerz Products: 
Inklingz (Blue My Mind, Miner Miner 49er), Texturez (Patina), Spritz (Treasured Hymn), Vibez (Egg Noggin', Jenni B Blue), Dazzlerz (Tutti-Frutti), Shimmerz (Key Lime, Olive Green).

Dusty Attic Chipboard: (NEW) Sea Grass, Grass Clusters, Mini Grass clusters #2, Mini Corner #2, Title Alphas

And to make it easy to follow along, I created a video tutorial to show, step by step how I created this canvas.  Enjoy!



Here are a few close-ups of my project....

 

The Inklingz create such a wonderful two toned, shimmering effect, I think my favorites are in the 'Gold' collection, I know I'll be using these again and again!

 

As you can see in the video, Shimmerz products are easy to use.  The Inklingz are a little different because they are a dry cake, much like a watercolor pigment cake.  You just add a little sprtiz of water let it sit for a moment and do a little stirring with your paint brush.  The more you stir, the thicker and more luxurious the paint becomes.

 

For my chipboard piece I used some Shimmerz paint, they have wonderful little flecks of mica in them that not only add glitter to your design but even a tiny bit of texture as well.

 

And finally here is a photo of the corner cluster of embellishments I added to my project.  I hope you enjoyed my project and that I've inspired you to give a mixed media canvas a try. 

 

If  you would like to purchase some of the NEW Inklingz or any other Shimmerz products, just head on over to the SHIMMERZ STORE .....and remember if you would like a FREE bonus Shimmerz product, when you put your order in just put my name 'Gabrielle' into the 'INTRUCTIONS TO MERCHANT' area and you will recieve a FREE full sized bottle of Dimensionz or Shimmerz or a sample sized jar of Dazzlers or Textures in the color of your choice!

Note: right now you can get extra savings on your Inklingz by purchasing full sets of the Pearl, Gold or Metal color groups!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and checking out my project! xo

 

www.gabriellepollacco.blogspot.ca

Saying Thanks with Bo Bunny's Somewhere In Time collection

 

One of my favourite color combinations is this craft color with the soft teal/aqua that is predominent in the Somewhere In Time collection.  For this Thank-you tag/card I chose one of the simpler background papers and did a bunch of stamping on it with some of my stash of BoBunny stamps.

 

I used natural accents for the tag using hemp twine, some chipboard cogs and then just went crazy with the stamps.  The dragonfly stamp is such a fun stamp especially for tags.  (this stamp is from the Serenade collection, the measuring tape and frame design is from the Weekend Market collection and the script is from a large Bo Bunny stamp set called 'It is Written".  I finishe of the look with a couple of pearl 'jewels' from the Somewhere in Time collection.



 

Another stamp that I find comes in handy all the time is the large stamp collection called 'You're Invited"....I chose the simpler font design for this tag.

 

Bo Bunny Product:

Patterned Paper: Timeless, Antiquity/Somewhere In Time

Jewels: Somewhere In TIme

Stamps: Serenade, Weekend Market, You're Invited Large Stamps, It Is Written Large Stamps

Lace: Natural Earth

 

 

The 6x6 paper pad is one of the best creations for cardmakers.  The reduced size images and smaller papers work perfectly for card creating. I chose the antique corset design papers to make up this card.

 

I also utilized some of the matching cardstock stickers to make up my card title.  The BoBunny pearl flourishes always add a nice elegant finishing touch to a card or layout.

 

Bo Bunny Product:

Patterned Paper:  6x6 paper pad/Somewhere In Time

Cardstock Stickers: Somewhere In Time

Jewel Flourishes: Frosting Jewels

Stamps: You're Invited Large Stamps

 

Before I close off for the day I just wanted to share a fun little challenge link with you all.  My sweet friend Evgenia Petzer has this wonderful scraplift challenge blog and she asked if I would let them use one of my cards for their scraplifting challenge.  I happily obliged,....they chose this card....

 

 

 If you would like to play along this month (and have a chance at their prize as well), you can find her website here Scrap Lifting Challenge Blog.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  And thanks for the lovely comments!

 

 

June Mood Board Challenge (Maja Design}

 

Hello my friends!  Today I have a little card to share with you all, made using the Maja Design June Mood Board for my inspiration.  Here is the June Mood Board....

 

 

 This beautiful mood board is filled with fresh and lovely colors, inspiring summery words, a calming pretty photo and an inspiring quote.  It is based on the NEW Maja Design paper collection that was just released called Coffee in the Arbour...

 

 

There are so many beautiful papers to choose from among this gorgeous collection, ...simple background papers, sweet mini-print floral and berry designs, stripes, damask and plaid and among my favourite....

 

...I just love the 'Delicious Moments' paper, I adore the little pic-nic vignettes, just perfect for cardmaking!  For this card I layered a few of the patterned papers, using a Martha Stewart (Swirling Lace0 edge punch on one of the papers, did a little machine stitching and added a new Dusty Attic scroll and some blooms.  Easy-peasy, quickly done.

 

Maja Design Papers used in this project: Coffee in the Arbour (Delicious Moments, Feel the Grass, Flourishing Garden, Raspberry Jam Cookies)....don't you just LOVE the names :)

 

Do you want to play in this month's challenge and have a chance at a lovely Maja Design prize?  Then head on over to the Maja Design Website for the details - MOOD BOARD CHALLENGE. 

 

There have been some incredible projects in the past few months entered into this monthly challenge.  I hope to see yours there too!  Thanks for stopping by today! xo

 

 

 

Summer Freshness with 'Coffee in the Arbour' {Maja Design}

Hello my friends!  I'm in such a great mood today,   I so 'delighted' to be sharing with you all my first layout using the gorgeous new 'Coffee in the Arbour' collection by Maja Design! I received my collection package a few days ago in the mail and I literally dug into it the second it got here! :)

I just love the beautiful summery images in this collection, just looking at these papers puts a spring in my step and ....maybe a little hunger in my tummy! LOL!

One of my favorite papers in this collection is the "Delicious Moments" paper, the beautiful hand painted vignettes evoke feelings of bliss and happiness. So I knew I had to include at least one of the pretty pictures in my first design. I wanted to keep a shabby-chic look to the page design so I tore the edges of the picture to keep a distressed look to it.

I wanted to frame the pretty 'Enjoying the moment' paper with a complementary color paper but I didn't want to lose the designs close to the edges. So I trimmed out the design I wanted to keep and then bought the edge down into the page creating a little 'arbour' effect with a trellis design underneath it. I also used a harlequin stamp (Prima) and some text/script stamps (Bo Bunny) around the photo area. I was so delighted to find an awesome paint spray that is the perfect match to this collections pretty deep rose colors. I used Shimmerz 'Bed of Roses' Spritz paint for the background behind the photo area, it has the nice deep, cool rose color that goes well with the images in the papers. (NOTE:  if you are looking to add some Shimmerz paints to your mixed media products be sure to put my name 'Gabrielle Pollacco' into the INSTRUCTIONS TO MERCHANT space when you check out, you will then be sent a FREE sample sized jar of Dazzlerz or Texturez or a full sized bottle of Dimensionz or Shimmerz of your color choice)...you can find the Shimmerz online store HERE).  

And speaking of delight.....that's what I see in my youngest daughters face in these photos. She had lost her front teeth in this pic but that did not discourage her from giving me some big gummy smiles! The chipboard title I used here is a new one from Dusty Attic Designs. I painted it with gesso, then gave it a little bit of Shimmerz Key Lime paint at the edges and then gave the whole thing a coat of Glossy Accents.

I used a variety of blooms on this one, some lose blooms from Michaels (in the bargain bin) and some Recollections blooms as well. The small white blooms are Prima and the natural cluster with the twine are from Tressors de Luxe etsy shop.

Maja Design papers used in this project: Coffee in the Arbour (Enjoying the Moment, Raspberry Jam, Delicious Moments), Vintage Autumn Basics (XVI).

Looking for Maja Design papers in North America?  My friend Janene at the Scrapbook Diaries just got in the full collection of 'Coffee in the Arbour', she has them available as full collection packs (12x12 and 6x6 for the cardmakers out there) and in individual sheets....you can find her HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today and for all the kind and sweet feedback you all leave me in your comments, they mean so much to me! xo xo

Timeless {NEW Bo Bunny 'Somewhere in Time}

I was so excited when my Bo Bunny package showed up this past week and I just immediately had to dive in and play with the gorgeous Somewhere in Time collection!  I just adore the cogs & gears mixed with feminine things like the corset design.

 

 

I began by first sitting down and fussy cutting a bunch of my favorite elements from the collection, like the steampunk style corset and a few of the gears.  For the corset I added a little more dimension to it by adding a fabric ruffle and some cheesecloth netting.  I also added some shimmering black glitter glue and some gold glitter glue (Stickles 'Platinumn') to accent the design.

 

 

I used foam pop dots to apply my cut out cogs/gears to the page and then layered over them with the smaller Kraft wood gears from Bo Bunny.  I finished the look with some pearl jewels and shimmering brads.

 

 



I chose blooms in neutrals and the sea foam color in the patterned paper in this collection to accent my page.  I used some lovely blooms my friend Lucy sent to me from her Etsy Shop called Tresors de Luxe, ...the floral fabric bloom, the 'shabby-chic' floral cluster and the antique lace are all from her amazing shop, you can find her shop HERE.  But before I added my blooms I first did a little light painting behind the photo area with some Tim Holtz 'Sea Glass' distress paint and then did a little work with texture paste and a stencil.  I also tried to add a little elegance to my page by stamping with the new Bo Bunny Gateway Stamp.

 

Bo Bunny Product used:

Patterned Paper: Antiquity, Beauty, Chrononaut/Somewhere In Time

Stickers: Somewhere In Time

Stamps:  Gateway Large Stamps

Kraftwood Gear embellishments

Jewels: Love Letter

 

I hope you enjoyed my post today using this gorgeous new collection by Bo Bunny!  I would imagine this collection is in a lot of your households (Bo Bunny sold out of all of their new releases, before we even got our DT packages....clearly this is one popular collection!)  ....so I wish you all joy in playing with these goodies!  Thanks for stopping by my blog today, hope you all have a fun, scrappy weekend! xo