Quick, Fresh And Girly!

I was commissioned to make this little mini by a teacher for a little girl in her class who was leaving. Since I didn't know her name or age, I tried to leave it as generic as possible and decided to go for fresh and girly, as I thought that would cover all bases.

It also had to be quick and easy for me to do as I only had a short time to do it. The book is 6x6 and all the papers and chippies are from a kit by Kelly Pannacci which I have had for years. It was nice to use up some of my older stash.

The whole thing is really very straightforward with places for fairly standard sized photos.

I included lots of pockets with tags so that all her classmates could write little messages to her.

I did a little bit of inking but really wanted to keep it quite clean and fresh.

So there you have it. I'm told the teacher loved it, so I hope the little girl did too.

Happy crafting,

 Iolanthe x

Once Upon A Springtime - Part 2

 

Hi there blog friends. Here are the rest of the pictures of my 'Once Upon a Springtime' book.

The left hand page is simply a triangular pocket with tags. The huge tag was cut on the Cricut and has been stencilled with Versaark Ink and brushed with Perfect Pearls to give a lovely soft shimmery effect. 

 

 

The right hand page has been layered with elements hand cut from the designer paper and a bower cut using the Cricut. All parts which overlap the photo mat have been left unglued so that a photo can be slipped in underneath.

 

 

There is quite a lot going on on this left hand page. I think I got a little carried away! The flower on the ribbon is held in place with a hidden magnet. The 'cover' has been embossed with a cuttlebug folder and then inked with Distress ink. The butterfly was misted with Tattered Angels glimmer mists and then suspended by a nylon thread.

 

 

Behind the 'cover' is an acetate pocket which holds the Tattered Angels tag which has again been sprayed over a Crafters Workshop template. The photo doesn't pick up the shimmer but in real life the tag is luscious.

 

 

On the right hand page the arbour has been cut with the Cricut and frames the fairy. This page is held closed with a photo flip.

 

 

 

Here on the left I have used another Tattered Angels tag to form a pocket, which after inking, has been embellished with a lovely chipboard bird from the Basic Grey Porcelain Collection, which I think worked really well.

 

 

 

Again both pages have the huge Cricut tag, I just love them. There's tons of space on the back and front for photos or journaling. Martha Stewart borders were punched, little tags stencilled and some Prima flowers thrown in for good measure - Oh, and I couldn't resist the K&Co acetate butterfly! Just gorgeous!

 

 

And finally - The corner has a huge Fancy Pants rub on which I have had for ever. The picket fence and flowers were cut on the Cricut and the little birdie wearing the sun hat was cut from the paper. I think it looks ever so cute and just finishes it off. 

 

 

On the inside of the back cover another Tattered Angels tag has been inked and embellished with one  of the fairies cut from the paper and her wings have been glittered. Just in case there isn't enough room for pictures, a little fold out mini book is tucked into the pocket.

 

 

The spine is made from Grungepaper which has been 'Cuttlebugged' and inked liberally. I really love the way the grungepaper takes on the ink. By the time you've finished inking it it feels like suede.

 

So, there you have it. Off now to find something new to do.

 

Iolanthe x

Once Upon A Springtime - Part 1

Hello Blog friends. I seem to have had weeks where life has conspired against me to stop me from blogging. I won't bore you with my catalogue of health setbacks, they would be enough for a whole series of scripts for a medical drama series! Suffice it to say that the latest one denies me access to my crafting space in the loft.

However, I promised some piccies of my latest project and here they are. So far everything I have made this year has been given away, so I decided that this one is for me. I intend to fill it (eventually) with pictures of my family in my garden.

The papers are from the Once Upon a Springtime stack from Graphic 45.

I tried to challenge myself to use as many different techniques and materials as I could and it is stuffed with both. I also used my Cricut and Slice, which was one of my crafting New Year's resolutions.

The book is 8x8 and I have constructed it from scratch using cream cardstock. I just love the closure. It is made from a an old necklace and a pair of dangly earrings which are wound around a 7Gypsies Book Knob to hold the chunky book closed. The colours are just fabulous.



First double page. Very straightforward. Pocket with tags, lots of inking with Tattered Rose Distress ink. Prima flowers inked and Martha Stewart border punch used to trim the pocket. I used the same MS punch throughout the book. Opposite page, tons of Prima flowers and bling. The little booklet tucked into the acetate corner has a cute little poem called  'A fairy went a marketing'.

To the left, 2 large pockets one with a HUGE tag cut on my Cricut. I just LOVE this tag. Again it makes an appearance several times throughout the book, each time treated with a different technique. This one was stencilled with a Crafters Workshop template. (Another 'must use that' ticked off my list!)6

The page on the right has flourish rub ons in opposite corners. The little book opens out for more photo space and is secured with a secret magnet underneath the paper.

This is my favourite double page. There are a few hidden features. I just loved the way it all came together. The fairy picture on the left is a pocket which has 2 large tags in it.



The fairy on the right of the pocket is framed with an oval chipboard frame from BG Porcelain. It was nice to be able to use some more of that too as I had loads left.. Hanging from the frame is a little silver bee charm, hanging from some fine nylon thread.

Behind the pocket page there is even more space for pictures. The lovely vine leaf was cut using a Spellbinders border. I cut the cute little bunnies using my Slice.

On the right hand page, the fairy picture is held in place with the vintage lace, again more room for photos. The page drops down to reveal more photo space and a transparent overlay, behind which I can tuck another photo.

The acetate panel drops down to reveal even more piccy space.

So, that's it for Part 1. I'm starting to worry about how thick the book will be when (if ever!!) I get around to putting pictures in it!.

Thanks for stopping by.

Iolanthe x