Don’t let the petite size of this folio fool you! I’ve packed loads of fun inside. Here’s a cute tuck spot with a journal tag. There’s room to add a photo behind the image, as well as a place to write a message on the back side. You can also tuck a photo behind the circular image on the right.
This sweet little tea tag is topped with more of the citrus dots grosgrain ribbon. And there’s room for a small photo on the back.
Here’s a look at the folio when fully opened.
The center panel is a little ribbon-tied flap pocket.
If there’s tea, one must have a special little spoon and some honey to go with it!
The right hand side is a really fun pull out folio. You’ll see it demonstrated in the 5 minute project share video below.
On with the hop!
Now hop on over to the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog. Answer Bonnie’s question of the month so you will be entered into the drawing for your very own Sizzlin’ Summer Ribbon Club Assortment.
If you haven’t signed up for the RRR Monthly Ribbon Club yet, now is a great time to join! You can learn all about it HERE.
I hope I’ve shared some tips, tricks and inspiration that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album for Frilly & Funkie
Hello, Friends! Today I have a Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album to share with you. It’s the start of a brand new challenge over on the Frilly & Funkie Blog, and our lovely hostess Sara Emily has chosen a wonderful theme for us. Can you guess what it is? OK, I’ll help you out! Here’s what Sara Emily has to say about this fun challenge.
Challenge Theme: Home, Sweet Home
Whether your house is grand or modest, neat or messy, there’s no place like home. Houses get bought and sold, but home stays with you forever. For this challenge, I would like to see how you interpret what home means to you on your vintage or shabby chic project.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: Home is Where the Tea Kettle Is
You just never know when or how or where inspiration will strike. For this challenge, I was breaking down a box of Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea. It comes in a nice big box with LOTS of tea bags for this tea drinking girl. As I was about to toss it in the recycle bin, I realized it already had a really nice area that would be a great spine on a mini album. And that’s how it ended up as the album base for this project.
The finished album measures 5″ x 4 7/8″ with a 2 1/2″ spine. I paired up Stamperia Patchwork papers with the Tim Holtz Elegance 3-D Embossing Folder and a supporting cast of mixed media goodies for this production number. Let’s take a look at that process.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: Step One/Preparing the Base
Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of the original tea box. Thank heavens I found a photo on the internet.
Begin by carefully opening the box. Cut off the left and right hand side end panels. Then fold the box flat, and cut off one side along the scored lines.
Flatten the box and trim to measure 5″ x 4 7/8″. Be careful not to cut off the one box side, as that will become the spine on your mini album
Now, lightly sand the entire surface of the box, front and back. This will help it to accept accept a coat of paint later.
Use a damp sponge, baby wipe or paper towel to wipe any dust from the box surface.
Next, place the box in the Tim Holtz Elegance 3-D Embossing Folder. You won’t be able to fit the whole thing in there, and will have to run it through your machine following the sandwich recommended by the manufacturer.
Keep shifting the position of the box until the entire surface has been embossed.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: Step 2/Mixed Media Mayhem
Now that the box is embossed, it’s time to pull on your Mixed Media Boots and get messy!+
First, paint the album base, front and back, with grey chalk paint. If you don’t have grey chalk paint, just use Pumice Stone Distress Paint. A light layer is fine. Heat dry.
Next, dry brush the embossed areas of the base with Antique Linen Distress Paint. This layer will act somewhat as a resist to the Distress Oxide Ink layer that comes next.
When the paint is dry, apply Picked Raspberry and Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide Inks with a blending tool. You don’t have to cover the entire surface as we will be coming back in with more colors.
Once you’ve laid down the amount of color that looks good to you, spritz with water and let the ink move around a bit. Then heat dry.
Repeat this with Twisted Citron and Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide Inks.
Follow this process for both sides of the album cover.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: Rosy Gold Accents
The top photos shows what my album cover looked like after I had finished applying the inks, spritzing and heating. While beautiful, it was brighter than the finish I wanted for my album. I also wanted to add some metallic accents. So I tapped on some Rose Gold Mixatives using a felt pad and blending tool. That’s the bottom photo. Pretty, but still brighter than the finish I was going for.
To remedy this, dry brush the entire cover a medium coat of Ivory Chalk Paint. Let it sit for about a minute, then spritz with water and lightly wipe the surface with a paper towel. I repeated this process until I reached the level I was happy with. Then I coated the entire cover, inside and out with Clear Gesso to seal everything. I’m very happy with the final result!
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: Cover and Spine Details
Now tear some images from the Stamperia Patchwork pad and layer them up on the cover. Not too many, though! You want that glorious mixed media background to be seen.
TIP: Lay the edge of a ruler along the area of paper that you wish to tear. Then pull up along the ruler edge. This leaves a nice distressed edge, but gives you better control over where the paper will tear. I use a metal ruler, and place it upside down on my paper for better control.
Layer on some flowers and metal embellishments to add texture and dimension.
This brass door plate and door knocker are both Graphic 45. I had them in my stash from my time on the team. They have been aged with Cracked PIstachio Distress Paint and Seth Apter Mediterranean Baked Velvet Embossing Powders. More about that in the video below.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: The Closure
The closure for the album is made with the left over side from the tea box. Alter it just as you did the cover. Measure it, and score flaps on the ends. Adhere one flap inside the cover. Punch two holes in the other flap, and add grommets. Line this up with the cover, and repeat the process. You will loop jute cord through these holes and tie a bow to close the album. Simple, but effective.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: Staggered Pages and Simple Binding How To
Create staggered pages and a simple stacked binding for your album by following these steps:
First, cut (3) 11″ x 4 3/4″ panels of 85 pound kraft cardstock.
Page 1
Score on the long side at 3 3/4″ , 6 1/8″, 9 7/8″
Fold the small flap on the right hand side to the back side of the panel
Page 2
Score at 4 1/4″ 6″, 10 1/8″
Fold the flap to the CENTER of the panel
Page 3
Score at 1 1/2″ , 5 5/8″ and 6 3/8″
Fold the Flap to the back side of the panel
Now you have 3 pages with center spines of varying widths.
The first page has the widest spine at 2 1/4″
The second page has a 1 5/8″ spine.
The third page has a 3/4″ spine.
Stack the spines together so that they are evenly spaced on both right and left hand sides. Adhere.
This is the simplest way to create a book binding that I know of. Now you can decorate your pages however you desire. This is always the fun part
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: A Peek Inside
NOTE: if you are short on time, just scroll on down and watch the video walk through. But if you want tips and details on how I put these pages together, read on.
The inside cover is a simple book plate. Again, I did not wish to cover up the mixed media background.
The first page is an accordion pull out page. Cut your paper 12″ x 4 5/8″. Score every 3 5/8″. Adhere the small flap under the base page. Add the altered butterfly as a pull out tab.
Computer journal quotes and lines of poetry about home, then tear out and add to the album as you like.
The next set of pages is a collage page and a fun fold down flap. To make this, cut out the tall house from the paper collection. Score and fold.
The next set of pages is a pocket with tag insert and a flap page. Create a tuck spot on the flap page by adhering just the bottom edge of the Tim Holtz Paper Dolls to the page.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: The Pop Up Page
This pop up page is my favorite. Fussy cut along the tree/house line of a 12″ wide page. Adhere about 1″ of the page on the right hand side of the album base. Now, fold your paper so that the back side ends up on top. Place adhesive here. Close the book. Instant pop up!
TIP: Practice this before you add the final adhesive. You can hold things in place with a paper clip. Adjust where necessary. Once you have it as you like it, add glue.
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album: More Pages
This flap and flip up page is easy to make. The flap on the left is the one you scored onto the base. Create a turn tab with a circular element cut from the paper pad. For the flip up page, tear your paper with 1/2″ extra on the top. Score this and adhere behind the base page. Then tear paper from the collection to make the little house icon.
The final page is another flap page. This time, adhere the image to the scored flap on the base page. Then cut or tear paper that is the width of the page plus the back side of the flap. Score, fold and adhere as you did with the pop up. Fussy cut elements from the paper collection to decorate the page, and the inside back cover.
Phew! If you hung with me through all of that, you deserve a cookie!
Stamperia Patchwork Mixed Media Album Video Tour with Tips
Now it’s YOUR Turn
What does home sweet home mean to you? You are cordially invited to create your own vintage or shabby chic home themed project. Then link up on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog before 11:55PM EST on Tuesday, July 2nd.
The winner will earn the chance of a Guest Designer spot at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. In addition, the Design Team will select three further outstanding entries and those creators will receive a Top Pick badge to display on their blogs!
I can’t wait to see what you make!
A Fond Farewell
I need to let you all know that this will be my last Frilly and Funkie Challenge. Being on this team for the past 3 1/2 years has been pure joy. I love my beautiful and talented teammates, adore Linda, the owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique, and have grown in my art during my time here. But my work schedule has become a bit unwieldy as opportunities with The Button Farm Club have opened up for me. ( While I don’t sleep a lot, I do need to get at least a few hours a night.) So the difficult decision to step down from this amazing team had to be made. My deepest love and gratitude to Linda, Jenny, Cec, Maggi, Suzz and Sara Emily for inspiring me with your beautiful artwork. You are the BEST!
I hope I’ve shared some tips, tricks and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio for All Creatures Great & Small at Frilly Funkie
Hello, Friends! Today I have a fun, funky mixed media project to share with you. I created this Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio for the latest challenge over on the Frilly and Funkie Blog. We’ll take a look at it in a moment, but first let’s see what the Magnificent Maggi, our challenge hostess, has to say about the new challenge.
Challenge Theme: All Creatures Great and Small Animals delight us in so many ways; perhaps a trip to the zoo with the kids has made you smile. Maybe you have fur-babies that are a big part of your life. My fur-babies are my children and hold the top spot in the hierarchy of my home! For this challenge, create a vintage or shabby chic project that is centered around animals. It could be your pets or a vintage photo. Could be an animal you fear, spiders anyone??? Eeeek!!!! No humans please, just animals on your project, otherwise anything goes.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio: The Inspiration
I love animals, but severe allergies/asthma prevent me from being in contact with them. So for this animal themed challenge, I chose my favorite species: birds. What’s not to love? From their beautiful feathers to their cheering songs to their amazing ability to soar against the sky, birds are marvelous creatures. The Patchwork collection from Stamperia is filled with whimsical bird images…and tea! So you know I had to use it for this challenge.
Stamperia Patchwork fairly begs to be used in mixed media. What can I say…I answered the call when creating this 5″ x 7″ top fold card folio.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio: A Little Mixed Media Mayhem
First, use a brayer to roll an uneven coat of Antique Linen Distress Paint over the edges of a 5″ x 7 kraft card base.
This is a tip I picked up from the amazing Seth Apter. Next, use a really cheap paintbrush to dry brush Evergreen Bough Distress Paint over the Antique Linen layer. The idea is to end up with lots of brush strokes as you can see here.
Sadly, I forgot to take photos of the next steps in the process, as I got all involved in the act of creating. Mea culpa!
Next, use the wood grain stencil from Tim’s Mini Layering Stencil Set 10 with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to add another layer of texture over the brush strokes. Then, randomly spray the edges of the card with Distress Resist Spray.
TIP: As per Tim’s instructions, always place items in a box before you spray with Resist. The tiny particles go everywhere and stick PERMANENTLY to anything they touch. I have an old shipping box set aside for use as a spray box.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio: Seth Apter Baked Texture
Now that you’ve sprayed the edges, sprinkle on Chunky Rust Baked Texture and heat emboss.
TIP: Heat emboss from the UNDER side of your project to prevent granules from flying all over the place. You’re welcome.
You can see the cool effects of the Chunky Rust Baked Texture quite clearly at the top of the card. I really wanted this card to have a lot of grungy, distressed layers. Machine stitching, spattering, and painted distressed edges did the trick.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio: Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture
I’m in love with Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture. Here’s how I altered the bird.
Fussy cut the bird from Stamperia Patchwork.
Ink the edges with Gathered Twigs.
Place the fussy cut image on a non-porous surface like your craft mat. Cover it well with an Emboss Dabber.
Place the image in a funnel tray or clean piece of paper. (So you can save the Baked Texture Powder for another use) . Cover it thoroughly with Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture and heat emboss.
Let the image cool, then repeat the above step. You end up with a beautiful, vintage gloss that looks amazing. As a bonus, it strengthens the paper, too.
Now, while the image is set, but still a little warm, shape it with your fingers to add dimension. I just sort of bent the edges in toward the middle, and to my delight, the shape held.
When it is time to adhere the bird to the card, back it with 2 or 3 layers of foam tape. Or, be cheap like me and use waste chipboard.
Add a thin bead of a strong liquid adhesive to the very edge of the fussy cut image. (I use Art institute Dries Clear Glue.)
Hold the edges of the bird against the paper until the glue takes hold. I use a fast drying glue, so this really only takes a few second. The foam tape in the center will give the body a lovely, rounded shape.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio: Detail Shots
Add Grit Paste through Tim’s Stitched Stencil. Then I brush a little Rusty Hinge Distress Stain over it to make it match all the rusty, distressed elements in the card. After sewing the card, leave the thread long, then tuck it under this rusty index clip.
These Little Birdie Flowers are from the Pastel Palette. I dry brushed them with Rusty Hinge Distress Stain and a little Antique Linen Distress Paint to age them. The sentiment is backed with waste chipboard to add more dimension. And everything is spattered with walnut ink.
Custom dye seam binding ribbon with Evergreen Bough, Wild Honey, and Rusty Hinge Distress Stain.
Stamperia Patchwork Life is Good Card Folio: A Peek Inside
Pockets are great…and just look at these amazing colors!
This little tea bag wallet sits in the side pocket on the top of the card.
The lower pocket is filled with a vintage silver spoon found on one of my junkin’ adventures. Then I stitched one of the tags onto natural canvas and dressed it up with a little vintage lace and a vintage button. And where there is tea, there must be a honey stick!
The design team will pick our 4 favorite projects from all those entered. The winning project will join us as a Guest Designer on the Frilly and Funkie Blog. Our favorite picks will receive a badge to display proudly on their blog, too. And everyone who plays along and follows the guideline will be entered to win a $25 shopping spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.
Be sure to pop over to the Frilly and Funkie blog to see what the rest of the team has made. I know you will be inspired!
I can’t wait to see what you make!
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!
