Wall Decor for Ephemera's Vintage Garden

Hi Crafty friends!  Today I'm sharing my second project using the gorgeous Vintage Queen Bee digital paper kit from Ephemera's Vintage Garden.  This creation features some vintage family photos of my Mom, my Brother, and Myself.  Mom was definitely the quintessential Queen Bee in the family, so I was really excited to receive this paper collection to work with.  The papers are stunning, just look at all those bees, and vintage colors to die for!  To create this wall piece, I chose to combine these lovely papers with a honeycomb shaped display tray from Gina's Designs.  Yes, it's a match made in Crafty Heaven! 

 I always like to say that these kits can be used for many projects and in many ways.  Why not as you can print it again and again, but this kit is also perfectly designed to create a complete journal with everything you need.  I have included a link from the designer of this gorgeous paper that demonstrates just how easy the kit can be put together as a journal, ready to embellish in any way you like.  That video is HERE.

Products used:

Digital Paper Kit by Ephemera's Vintage Garden the Vintage Queen Bee Printable Journal Kit

Check out Debbie's other gorgeous papers, and sign up for some amazing freebies HERE! 

Honeycomb Display Tray by Gina's Designs

Butterfly by Renea Bouquets

Key and Crest Wall Hanging for Gina's Designs

Hi Everyone!  Today I am sharing a vintage heritage project.  I thought these photos of my Dad and my Granddad, would be perfect to display on our new Key and Crest Wall hanging.  This is a good sized piece to work with, about 12 inches across.  I am really happy with how it turned out, and it's a keepsake since my Dad and Granddad are no longer with us.

 I used several products to get the look I wanted for the key and crest, meaning the scrolled areas and the key.   The center area was papered with the DCWV Timeless Type Stack.    I began by using a fan shaped brush to achieve a light dry coat of gesso (at that point some raw chipboard still shows through).  Next I covered the whole piece with a bright turquoise luminescent type paint.  Following that I dry brushed a bit of bright orange here and there.   Next I embossed over everything with Tim Holtz vintage photo distress embossing powder.  Following that step I stamped over the whole piece with a burlap textured stamp,  and embossed those areas with copper colored embossing powder.  I then rubbed Gold colored Gilder's Paste all along the edges.  Thanks for looking!

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Key and Crest Wall Hanging

Pocket Watch Assorted Sizes Set

Tulip Scroll Corners

Chain Borders

Faux Metal Number Plates

Miniatures Shape Set - Guy Thing

Heidi's Stars Shape Set

12 x 12 Layout in a Shadowbox Frame

Today I'm sharing a project that is personal to me.   The main photo is me as a little girl, with Mom in the oval frame.  I'm calling this piece "The Dressmaker's Daughter".  When I was young, my Mom made all of my dresses and I used to model them in fashion show competitions.  I really enjoyed it, and I continued modeling on department store runways well into my 20's.  

This project began as an unfinished shadowbox frame I purchased at Michael's.  I painted the frame with gesso,  then I did some stenciling with modeling paste, some stamping and some spraying until I got the look I wanted.  The papers I used on the layout are from the French Seamstress Kit at Kitty's Scrap Post.  I really love this digital paper kit and this is my second project using it.  I also did some fussy cutting of elements from the kit like spools, thimbles, birdcage, flowers, etc, and of course you'll find plenty of Gina's chippies on it too.  The shadowbox is fairly deep so I added measuring tape and some wooden spools to the inside.   Thanks for looking!

Gina's Design Products Used:

Dressforms 2 Shape Set

Skeleton Clocks

Doily Box -Sew

Scribbled Lines

Delicate Frames and Ornaments Shape Set

Design paper by Kitty's Scrap Post - The French Seamstress Kit

Latex roses in two tone blue on upper right of layout by Craftsupplies1

Lace Appliques by Cathy's Crazy by Design on Etsy

Artist Trading Blocks for Gina's Designs

Hello Friends!  The team at Gina's Designs have been sharing these Artist Trading Blocks all this month, and it's been amazing to see all the different versions of these fun and versatile blocks.  I decided on a bird theme for mine.  I used the large block separately and left the top cover open,  and I stacked the smaller ones together.  The blocks are made of chipboard and come ready to assemble using the pre-scored fold lines.  I used red line tape to assemble my blocks.  Once assembled,  I covered the blocks completely with gesso to help build a firmer and sturdier surface.  I also "frosted" over the seams lightly with modeling paste and a painters spatula, then I painted and inked the edges.  I used matte Mod Podge to apply the paper, and I also put a heavy coat of the Mod Podge on top of the paper.   My end result were blocks that are very solid and sturdy like wood!

I chose digital papers in a colorful bird theme from Ephemera's Vintage Garden to cover my blocks.  I love the vivid images of birds and nests!  For the feet, I glued wooden spools to the bottom of the blocks then painted them with gesso followed by Tim Holtz dabber paint in copper.  I toned that color down with Gilder's Paste in Verdigris and in Patina.  I also rubbed on some extra gesso to further distress the feet.

  Following the prep work, I had a lot of fun decorating my blocks with  3-D birds, nests and eggs from the floral dept. at JoAnn's to complement the images on the design papers.   I felt that I needed some greenery so I die cut vines and ferns, and then I coiled some green wire by wrapping it around the handle of a large artist's brush and attaching it to the bottom of my bird nests on both blocks.  To the top of the coils I added eggs on the large block and the letters "FLY" on the smaller set.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Artist Trading Blocks

Bird Watching Shapes Set

Faux Typewriter Keys - Gold

Other:

Design Paper by Ephemera's Vintage Garden -  Spring Chic Collection

Vine Die by Marianne Creatables

Fern and Leaf Die by Marianne Creatables

Leopard Butterfly by Renea Bouquets

July Sketch Challenge at Gina's Designs Blogspot

Welcome to the July Sketch Challenge at Gina's Designs!

Each month, on the first Monday, a new sketch will be provided.  Use the sketch to create a layout, card or other craft project.  Winner will be drawn from all eligible entries and will receive a $10 gift certificate to Gina's Designs online store.  We encourage you to use Gina's Designs products in your project but it is not required to be eligible to win.  You have until the first Monday of the Following month to enter and the winner will be announced on the blog on the second Monday of the following month.  Use the Link Up tool below to enter.

Here is the sketch for July

Here is my take on the sketch.  This month I decided to create a memorial layout for some of my favorite furry freinds who have passed on in recent years.  I am featuring one of our new ribbon titles, our chipboard bridge, and our Queen Anne's Lace.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Ribbon Title Memories

Bridge

Queen Anne's Lace

An InLinkz Link-up

Book Box and Card Set for Ephemera's Vintage Garden

Hi Crafty Friends!  Today I am sharing my latest Creative Team  project for Ephemera's Vintage Garden. For this rotation, I am fortunate to be working with The Vintage Queen Bee Kit.  The images in this digital kit are amazing!!  If you enjoy making handmade journals and mini albums, then these complete kits are for you. For my first project with this kit, I chose to alter a wooden book box from Michaels and to store some handmade cards, created from the kit, inside the box.  I know I've said it before, but I can't say it enough how I've enjoyed working with digital papers.  Not only are they gorgeous, but you can print them over and over again, and even resize them to suit your needs.  In this case, I can give these cards to special friends, and just make more so I will always have cards to match my book box!

Below is a better view of the book box.  All paper is from the digital kit which comes with the papers and all sorts of extra images you can cut out to create little pockets, belly bands, circles, tags, etc.  The spine of the book box is also paper from the kit, with just a wee bit of extra distressing added by me. The roses are even created from the printed papers and using a rose die.  The knob and bookplate on the front of the box are by Recollections.   The chipboard flourishes on top of the box are by Gina's Designs.

Below is a closeup of the top of the book box.

Below is the inside of the book box.  Isn't the paper GORGEOUS!

Below are the three cards I created to fit inside the box  More info under each card.

Background design paper from the kit,  as are the pop-dotted elements at lower left (circle and ticket).  Honeycomb at upper right is a Tim Holtz die, chipboard bees on top of honeycomb are Gina's Designs.

On the card Above, all paper is part of the kit.  I only added bits of lace, buttons and a flower, and some Tim Holtz distress ink.

On the card above, all paper is from the kit including the circle shapes at mid and upper left.  In the center I have created a cut-out and tucked in a piece of chipboard honeycomb as well as a couple of bees and crowns by Gina's Designs.

Products Links:

Ephemera's Vintage Garden

Vintage Queen Bee 5 x 7 Printable Journal Kit

If you would like to see a tutorial on how this paper kit can be made into a completed journal, all ready for your personal touch, you can watch a video by Debbie-Anne the creator of this lovely kit HERE.

Check out Debbie's other gorgeous papers, and sign up for some amazing freebies HERE!