JYC 2010: December 12

Christmas Past is the prompt, so I dug out a photo from my childhood!
On the left page, I printed a text from Dickens's "The Cricket On The Hearth", I inked it with Distress Inks, crumbled it and inked it again because I wanted to achieve this look.
On top I fastened with ribbon a colored image so that it flips upwards and on the back side I adhered the journaling card.
On the right I added a photo but I wanted to do some more journaling, so I made a kind of card. I also added some ribbon because the card was not centered on the page and it lacked balance, the ribbon was just perfect!

I watercolored the image with Distress Inks but my brush was not thoroughly cleaned from yesterday, so when I touched the paper it became green! While lamenting on my recklessness, I discovered that a green hue was actually just right because it gave a mouldy effect, which is perfect for old Scrooge's office!
Of course I also added a dash of shine on the border with Perfect Pearls.

For the cover of the card on the right, I stamped on the paper with embossing clear ink and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I thought to color it with my copics but I wanted to continue the color scheme from the left page, so I watercolored it with Distress Inks too, I also added Perfect Pearls on the bell. Then I dabbed more distress ink all over the card, I used a piece of rough bath sponge and the result is really interesting.

Today was a hectic day with work and all the streets jammed with traffic because of the strikes, but this little trip down to memory lane was just what I needed to relax!

JYC 2010: December 11

Christmas tree is the prompt, so I took two night shots of our tree because I love the lights!

On the left I wanted to add a christmas tree, so I colored one with distress inks and Perfect Pearls, I also added some stickles.

 

I also colored an image, I had a water accident on the face, so I sketched one, it's sort of scary, LOL!

JYC 2010: December 8

Sights of the season is the prompt, so on the right I adherd photos I've been taking the previous days. On the left I started by watercoloring an image but when I positioned it on my page, I thought that it lacked something.
While I was thinking how to incorporate it in my layout, I had the idea to transform it to a view from a window so I positioned the image on a white paper and cut around it so as to make a kind of shutters. Then I colored them with my copics and distress inks. I adhered it on my page leaving the shutters free to move and then I thought that it needed something more, so I added the tiny curtain on top!
Behind it there is a pocket for my journaling card.

I also used Ranger's Perfect Pearls for some shine.

Can you believe that we're only 14 days away from christmas?

Project: Lavender letters and green butterflies Bracelet

If you liked THIS bracelet, here's a new one:

I made it for a friend who likes subtle colours and I thought light purple and green look well together. I don't have any inks in purple, so I just used pink and blue distress inks.

This is how I made it:
1. I cut a strip of plain grungeboard at 1'' 1/4 wide
2. I covered it with thin white paint and let it dry
3. I colored it with randomly with blue and pink distress inks using the foam applicator, I varied the intensity of colour because I didn't want a uniform result
4. I stamped the butterfly with black ink and then heat embossed it with a Ranger's Holographique embossing powder
5. Then I masked the butterflies and stamped on it with the Hero Art's Old Letter stamp and blue distress ink
6. I colored the butterfies with a mixture of Perfect Pearls and Mat Medium and added the pearls
7. Then I covered the lot with Gloss Medium, I also used Mat Medium underneath it, as a sealer
8. Last step I added the fastener and adhered the cutout butterfly on it.

 And she can wear it with the closure upwards or on the inside, as shown above.
Now that I see it again, maybe I should make one for myself too!

Project: Cherry Blossom Bracelet

The other day I wanted to make a bracelet with grungeboard but I didn't have anything to use as a clasp. But THIS was exactly what I wanted, so I ordered Tom Holtz's fasteners and here it is!

I started with a piece of plain grungeboard 1 and a quarter inch wide. Then I covered it with white acrylic paint and while it was still wet I smudged with my fingers a drop of distress ink in Broken China and then sprinkled some water and Perfect Pearl mix on it.
When it dried, I stamped on it using a cherry branch stamp from an asian themed Inkadinkado stamp set and colored it with my copics. Then I added a drop of glue on the centre of the flowers and covered them with Martha Stewart's microbeads, while for the larger flowers, I used pearls.
When they dried, I covered the lot with some Claudine Helmuth's Glossy medium, so as to secure everything in place.
Last step, I added the fastener, then I didn't like the hole that much so I also stamped and colored a large flower from the same stamps set and glued it on top of the hole. This way I can also wear my bracelet with the flower on top or underneath, depending on my fancy!

And here is one more photo, to give you a better idea:

It takes a while to make one, but it's sooo cute!