Reindeer Games 12 x 12 Layout

This layout features my dog Friday.  I took this photo last Christmas but never had a chance to scrap it.  I cut the layered wreath with my cricut using a free svg file from svgcuts.com.   The red doily underneath the wreath is cut from a Martha Stewart punch.   The banner was fussy cut from design paper, and popped up off the page.  Then I added additional embellishments on top of it to make it even more dimensional.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Flourishes 2

Winter Shape Set (the title)

Intricate Doilies

banner border strips

Other Products:

Martha Stewart Circle Edge Punch in Rounded Leaf

Tim Holtz Sizzlets Decorative Strip Die - Festive Greenery

My Mind's Eye All is Bright Collection - Noel

BoBunny Blitzen Collection

Prima Flowers

There really is a Santa Claus!

Here is my newest layout featuring my Frankie.  Here he is watching in amazement as Santa crosses overhead on Christmas Eve.  I began with some BoBuuny design paper and applied some Japanese lace paper with gel medium over the center to create the look of swirling snow.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Cottage Windows - Large

10 Words Set

Santa and Sleigh Shape Set (available soon or by request)

Winter Shape Set 

Other Products:

BoBunny Design Paper (Blitzen Collection)

Japanese Lace Paper (available online at Dick Blick art supplies)

Prima Vintage Trinkets (resin bird)

Prima resin lamppost (shabby chic treasures)

Prima say-it-in-crystals bling

Flowers by Prima and Petaloo

Prima Junkyard findings (zipper)

glossy accents

glitter glue

Tim Holtz frosted film (on the windows)

clear glass microbeads

The moon image was found online and printed out

Home Decor or Photo Display Tray

Today I'm sharing one of our Photo Display Trays which I've used as a Christmas home decor project.  This project could be hung on my wall as part of my Holiday display, or perhaps placed on an easel on my mantel.  These display trays come in a variety of designs and themes, from Steampunk to pets and children. This is the fourth one I've made!  I love how simple they are to decorate, with or without photos.

In addition to the tray itself, which I painted in cardinal red, I also added some Gina's Designs chipboard shapes to my tray.  Closeups are below explaining how I colored and decorated the ornament and the snowman:

For the snowman:

If you're after a vintage look, as I was, try inking instead of painting.  First dry brush the pieces with a thick gesso and a fan shaped brush, using very little paint on the brush.  You can always add more.  On mine you can see the natural chipboard peeking through.  I didn't want complete coverage, making it look more vintage and shabby.  The fan brush helps achieve a light coverage.  After the gesso was completely dry, I simply colored with Tim Holtz distress inks in Christmas colors using cosmetic sponges to apply the ink.  Note that the hat is naturally highlighted by using more ink at the edges.  I really like the effect.  I wanted my snowman to wear a vest, so I used the holly leaf shapes from the shape set to make a vest :)

For the ornament:

This was really simple to decorate with embossing powder.  No need to paint the chipboard if your embossing ink is nice and wet.  I used Stampendous shabby embossing powder in white.  The shabby embossing powders are multi-colored, and this one has flecks of gold in it so it's a nice one-step process.  After the embossing, I applied Tim Holtz frosted film.  Simply cut a piece from the roll that's big enough to cover your ornament.  Trace the circle, then cut the film just inside your trace line.  Apply the film to the back of your ornament.  The sticky side will be up.  Shake some clear glass microbeads all over the sticky area. Tap the ornament to remove excess beads onto a piece of paper so you can return the excess beads to your container.  Add some bling gems.  For a sturdier ornament to hang on the tree, you could also back these with plain paper, painted chipboard, or design paper, and/or sandwich the frosted film in between.  Fun!

Gina's Designs Products used:

Photo Display Tray in Lace

Christmas Shape Set

Snowflakes Shape Set

Winter Shape Set

Ornaments Shape Set (not available online, at brick and mortar stores only)

Other Products Used:

Folk Art paint in Cardinal Red

Gesso

Fan Brush

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot, Iced Spruce, Pine Needle, and Festive Berries

Recollections bling and the little Christmas packages also by Recollections

Tim Holtz tattered poinsettia die

Design paper by My Mind's Eye (All is Bright collection)

Tim Holtz movers and shapers die (mini reindeer and 25 set) - ( I used the 25 at the bottom left of the tray)

Nature Inspired Altered Spool with Photo Tutorial

These spools by Gina's Designs are so much fun to decorate!  They are large spools and there is plenty of room to play with.  I wanted my finished spool to be nature inspired, and the end result was exactly what I'd had in mind.   I have created a step by step photo tutorial and you will find it following the photos of my finished piece.  The tutorial will show you how I created a  simple and dimensional faux bark look to the center of the spool.  I hope you like it!

Here is my finished spool:

Step by step faux bark tutorial:

In step one I have drawn lines of hot glue onto the spool center to simulate a tree pattern.  I grabbed a tree bark rubber stamp from my stash to get an idea of the pattern I would use.  It took just a few moments to draw on the hot glue.  Be sure your glue gun is nice and hot. My glue gun is the fine-tipped variety and I used the high temperature setting.  It took 3 of the fat glue sticks to achieve this.

In step two I painted it with two coats of white gesso followed by gloss enamel paint in light buttermilk.

In step three I used some ink sprays in nature colors to define the raised areas.

In step four I still wanted more definition so I  rubbed on some Lumiere metallics with my finger to further define the raised areas.  I followed that with a clear pearlescent spray for shine

In step five I covered the surface with thick coat of distress crackle paint in clear rock candy

Here is a close-up of the finished product

Although I did not do a tutorial on the rest of the spool, I will show you and explain some of the steps below:

Before attaching the top and bottom disks to the center piece, I first painted the two disks.  I used the same white gesso, followed by the same light buttermilk enamel paint that I used to paint the center of the spool. After the paint was dry I used Kroma Crackle to distress the finish on the disks.  When using Kroma Crackle I do the white glue method in combination as it dries quickly that way.  You can find this white glue method along with other product how-to's for Kroma Crackle HERE.  I purchase my Kroma Crackle at Dick Blick Art Supplies.  It has to be applied thickly for the best results.  I just use my finger to spread the white glue and the Kroma Crackle.  The crackle dries white so I colored it with ink sprays in browns and greens to look mossy like the floor of the forest.  Now it was time to glue the disks to the cylinder. I first sanded the top and bottom edges of the cylinder to insure better contact.  I then glued the top and bottom to the center of the spool with glossy accents.  There is a grove cut into the top and bottom of the disks so that you know exactly where to place  them on the center part.  I squeezed my glossy accents into the grooves.  I placed an item of moderate weight, in my case a ceramic dinner plate on top of the spool until I was sure the glossy accents had dried and that my spool was put together securely.  I then covered all exposed areas of the disks with the same rock candy distress crackle paint that I used on the center piece.

A close up is here

I gave the edges a finished look by hot gluing fibers along the edges of the disks.  I love these fibers, they are very soft and look like moss.  I purchased these fibers on Etsy,  HERE

Now the fun begins!  The next step is to start gluing your embellishments! 

I personally love the look of nature inspired, but I can see this spool decorated in many different ways, and I know I'll be making more.  I have a vision of the spool dripping with pearls and lace in a gorgeous shabby chic style, maybe an elaborate fairy forest, or perhaps a fun and funky steampunk design, or even mermaids in an ocean theme.   Whatever theme you choose, have fun and please share with us on our facebook page.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Large Spool

Cottage Windows Small

Layout in a shabby chic style

This layout features chipboard by Gina's Designs, some mixed media techniques, and my kitty Olive Oyl.  Olive was abandoned at my cat boarding facility at 16 years old.  She was given up by her owner in favor of the new relationship in her life.  I can't fathom how anyone could do that, but I love this girl to pieces.  She's a sweet old kitty and I think the shabby chic styling of this layout suits her purrrfectly.

Gina's Designs Products used:

pennant
doilies 8 inch
fern fronds
Leafy corners
steampunk doilies

Steampunk Canvas

This steampunk reverse canvas was made as a gift for a man.  It was a bit of a challenge for me to create a canvas without any flowers, but I'm really happy with the end result.  On the inside I used a mask and spray inks.  On the frame I used embossed metal foil tape with a sticky back.  In preparing my steampunk elements I tried to use different techniques to get as must interest and texture as I could.  I began with the chipboard art doll which I papered with a free schematics paper that I downloaded on the internet.  It had just the right touches of teal in it.  I also found a face for the art doll as part of a free collage sheet.  I used matte gel medium over the top of the art doll after it was papered to add stability.  I added some fun fussy cut images from Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante papers, and the rest came easily by adding inked and/or embossed gears and other chippies and elements from my stash.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Small Male Art Doll

Steampunk Shape Set

Skeleton Clocks

Gears Boarders and Corners

Brick Wall

Butterflies and Dragonflies

Other Products:

12 x 12 Canvas

Metal Foil Sticky-backed Tape (around the frame)

Tim Holtz Gears Mask (on the inside)

Dylusions spray inks (inside canvas)

Ranger Patinas (to color the foil tape)

Stampendous embossing powders to color chipboard elements

Prima chalk inks to color chipboard elements

Tim Holtz metal gears colored with Ranger Patinas

(by using a combination of both chipboard and metal elements you get more texture and interest)

Prima Junkyard Findings (little faucets and spark plug)

Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante papers

Punchinella in black

Tim Holtz metal wings and crown

eyelets were used as "glasses" on my art doll and colored with Ranger Patinas

Doorknob on lower left by Graphic 45

Layout - The Good Life using Gina's Designs chipboard lazer cuts

This was a quick project, trying to use up my supplies and some of my photos of the fur kids. This one features "Zeke", just one of my many four-legged couch potatoes. This photo was taken on super bowl Sunday 2013. I had gotten up to fix a snack and he got all cozy with my afghan. I have used some chipboard pieces by Gina's Designs including the curvy filmstrip which I cut in half, and the film reel at the top right. The pieces are part of our Hollywood set that includes a director's chair, large movie camera and other pieces. The butterflies are by Renea Bouquets on Etsy.

Gina's Designs Products used:

cardstock doilies

Hollywood Shape Set

Halloween layout for Gina's Designs

Today I am sharing amlayout featuring my dog Billie Jean all dressed up for Halloween.  I had fun dressing her up in costumes from the dollar store.  Of all my dogs, Billie Jean is the only one that actually seems to enjoy hamming it up for the camera.  I embellished this layout by combining chippies from Gina's Designs and some fun new stencils I had ordered online.

I inked the hanging clock with prima chalk inks in black and orange, covered the back of the clock with frosted film, and applied glass microbeads to the sticky part.  All other chippies were also covered in Prima chalk inks as well as the intricate doilies peeking out from the top of the layout.  I made the layered witch embellishment at the bottom right of the photo by beginning with a doily, then added a scalloped orange glittered paper layer that I had punched with a scallop punch, then added the witch image that was part of the paper line by using a round punch.  The layers are pop dotted to make a dimensional embellishment.  The doilies are so useful in making your own embellies.  

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Hanging Clock Set
Spider Web Shape Set
Doilies (I got mine in black by special request)
Intricate Doilies
Barbed Wire

Other Products

Dylusions Stencils -  Lucious Leaves and Checkered Dots
Prima Chalk Inks
Dylusions Ink Sprays
Crafter's Workshop Mini Deco Doily Stencil Doily
My Mind's Eye Wicked Mechant Malvado papers
Flower vine by Prima
Petaloo Orange Velvet Flowers
Tim Holtz Frosted Film
clear glass microbeads

Gothic Layout - The Darkside

I love the darkside of Halloween and I enjoy scary movies, ghost stories, and vampire fiction.  I wanted to create something really Gothic, but was also hoping for artistic and somehow beautiful at the same time.  I hope you can enjoy a bit of the macabre.  I had a lot of fun creating this one.

Gina's Designs Products used:

Peacock Feather

Steampunk Doilies

Corner Flourish ( this can be special ordered)

Other Products:

Papers from my stash

Damask Stencil

Splats Stencil

Static Stencil

Prima chalk inks

Petaloo flowers

Dylusions ink sprays

Spooktacular Gothic Birdcage

This dimensional birdcage by Gina's Designs was so much fun to put together and decorate.  I have seen several of these from the Design Team already, and all are fun and different.  I decided to decorate mine in a gothic theme for Halloween.

I began by spray painting the three pieces with black matte spray paint by Krylon.  Next I attached the bottom, then added a raven and some moss to the inside.  I followed that by attaching the top, a very simple task,  matching the holes at the top and stitching it together.  (I used a thin bakers twine and an embroidery needle).  I can't sew, but had no problems putting this together.  Then I used silver rub n buff all over the cage.  Next came the fun part, looking through my Halloween stash, plugging in my hot glue gun, and adding all the embellishments I could fit.  The back and sides are covered with spider webbing but it doesn't show in the photo. The bare tree was crackle painted before gluing it to the bars of the cage.

Gina's Design's Products used:

Bird Cage - coming soon

Bare Tree #1