lördag 31 januari 2015

More inspiration with Swirlydoos January kit!

Hi there! Today I have two new layouts to share, made with the stunning January kit - Bejeweled - from Swirlydoos. This kit has been absolutely amazing to work with! The papers are the most beautiful papers I have seen in years, and the embellishment Krissy picked out for this kit are fantastic - everything works perfectly together!
 
You can see the kit and add-ons HERE.
 
I have also a tutorial for you today, showing how I created the background on one of the pages, using several mixed media products combined with papers and embellies from this kit and add-ons.
 
Here's my first page:

 
I have used one of the beautiful papers from Blue Fern Studios Sanctuary collection, and then built up some layers in the middle using tags from the embellishment add-on, doilies and small pieces of left-over paper. The background was made using a stencil, gesso, clear gesso and mists. For tips, look at my tutorial further down.

 
Lots of gorgeous flowers from the kit and flower add-on! I adore the Petaloo Ephemera!


 
Here's my next page:
 
 
I just love the butterflies from Art Anthology! They come in many sizes and there was so many in the package that you can use lots and lots and still have tons left :)
 

 
Loving the Prima resin birds too!

 
And now for the background tutorial. I took lots of pics when I made this background, so I hope you can follow my creative process. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask - here on the blog or in the Swirlydoos forum :)
 
 
I started with a piece of the Garden Plaza paper, that I had left from making another layout. This paper has a beautiful, bright and bold pattern, which sometimes can be hard to cut and scrap. But if you put on a thin layer of white gesso on, the pattern still shows through and you can add embellishment without getting a too busy page.

 
I added a thin layer of white gesso across the paper, using an old plastic card.

 
After the layer of gesso, I used a stencil and some texture paste, creating a pattern in the top and bottom.

 
I glued some of the Art Anthology butterflies across the page.

 
I then used a large brush, and painted a layer white gesso over the butterflies.

 
After the gesso had dried, I used the same stencil as before and with some clear gesso I created more pattern. It's important to use clear gesso last, to get the effect I'll show you next.

 
After drying the clear gesso with a heat gun, I misted here and there (and made some drips too) with pink and silver mists. I also let the ink run a bit.

 
I then used a dark purple mist (Primas colorbloom Pressed Petals) and sprayed a couple of times. This color is very intense, so I didn't want too much of it. Just a couple of sprays. I then took a small brush and let the three different mists blend. The clear gesso let the ink blend beautifully together!

 
My next step was to cut the paper and distress the edges. I glued the paper on another Sanctuary paper, Botanical Garden, and added pieces of cheese cloth (from the embellie add-on) underneath.

 
I then cut the edges of this paper too, distressed the edges and put strips of one of the BoBunny papers, Shadow Vintage, underneath.

 
As a final touch, I used the BoBunny stamp from the main kit and randomly stamped using black ink. Below you can see a close-up of the background, and the cute little butterflies: 

 
There you go! A mixed media background with lots of texture from gesso, texture paste and the butterflies. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)
 
Have a great day!
 
xoxo
Helena
 
 
 

tisdag 13 januari 2015

Live Beautifully ~ Dusty Attic

Hi! The Dusty Attic inspiration board for January is a fabulous one and I got instant inspiration looking at this one, and had a blast creating!
 



The colors are amazing together, and I found the perfect photo from last summer, my ds is running towards the water, taking a dip in the lake close to where we live.
 
This page is a mixed media page, where I have played with mists, stencils, texture paste and gesso.

 
Behind the photo, across the page, I have a piece of the Geometric Panel (DA1037), painted with white gesso and misted with the same colors as the background (blue, peach, gold). Also behind the photos, I have put the two smallest of the String Frames Small (DA1185), painted white.
 
 
Here and there I have added seashells, some are from Dusty Attic (DA0559), some are real and some are made of resin (Prima). I have put some white gesso on them and then painted them with mist ink.

 
In the upper right corner I have placed Mini Seagulls (DA1176), painted blue. So cute and just perfect for a sea/lake themed layout!

 
My newest Dusty Attic favs: the new titles! This one "Live Beautifully" (DA1170) is amazing, don't you agree? I just painted this white, to make it show on this busy layout.

 
Just a few more close-ups for you:



 
I hope you will join us and make your own layout using the January Inspiration Board.
 
By the way, you just have to check out the new Designer Kits over at the Dusty Attic shop! Now you can buy a kit, with complete instructions and all the material you need, to create as our amazing designers!
 
And more news! If you order from the Dusty Attic webshop in January, you get a 20 % discount if you use the promo code: happy2015 - and I hope you already know that you now can buy directly from the website, you don't have to be a retailer. Such a fabulous offer!
 
Have a fab day, see you soon!
 
xoxo
Helena
 
 
 

onsdag 7 januari 2015

Swirlydoos January Kit Reveal!

Welcome to:
 

January Scrapbook Kit Reveal!
 
Thank you for joining our blog hop this month! 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.  Make sure you leave a comment on all blogs for a chance to win a prize! And, make sure you have LIKED & FOLLOWED Swirlydoos on Facebook!!!

Swirlydoos is proud to bring you our beautiful January collection:
 
Bejeweled

 
 

And check out these coordinating add ons that perfectly compliment our January scrapbook kit! 
 


Are you a subscriber? If so, your kit is on it's way if you don't already have it! If not, check out the Swirlydoos store to see if there are any January kits or add ons in the store!

Has it sold out? - become a subscriber and not only will you never miss a kit again, but you'll also pay less for your monthly scrapbook kits!
*Mention this blog hop and save 10% on your first kit*



 Never miss one of our kits again!



We have some absolutely beautiful scrapbook projects for you to see today !!  
 
Here are my first three layouts with this amazing kit:
 
 
 
My first layout is made after this months sketch. I used the chipboard circle from the embellishment add-on, painted it white and misted it with Primas Pressed Petals. I did the same to the butterflies, also from the embellishment add-on. I have used a stencil and some clear gesso and mists on the background paper.
 

 
Here is my second layout. I have used clear gesso, a stencil and some mists for this background too, and also added stamping with the gorgeous BoBunny stamps from the kit. I have just stamped randomly on the edges and on the paper strips going across the page, under the photo. Here I also added my title, using the stickers from the embellishment add-on, and some washitape.
 
 
 
 A couple of close-ups:


 
 And my third page:
 
 
I have painted the background paper with white gesso and then used mists to drip some ink (silver). I have also used a stencil and clear gesso, and used the stamps as on the previous page, and washitape. All flowers are from the kit and add-ons, and I just love the resin bird!
 
Close-ups:
 

 
 
You have until midnight, eastern time, January 8th to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on 1/10. 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. 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 : but


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