Tag Archives: vintage

When Pigs Fly Mini Album Tutorial

Frilly and Funkie Saturday Step x Step: When Pigs Fly Mini Album Tutorial

Hello, Friends!  Isn’t Saturday just the most wonderful day of the week?  You can wear your jammies all day long if you feel like it!  I know a lot of us are dealing with the winter blues right now, so I’ve worked up a really fun When Pigs Fly Mini Album Tutorial to brighten up your weekend.  It’s made with Graphic 45’s Olde Curiosity Shoppe Deluxe Collector’s Edition and a whole bunch of dies from my stash.   And, since it is Saturday, I have a YouTube Video Tour AND a Snapguide Tutorial to share with you.  How fun is that?

When Pigs Fly!

You know those little Russian dolls that stack inside one another?  Well, this mini album is a lot like them, because it is a constructed like a mini album within a mini album.  It’s interactive, whimsical and has a fun steampunk/vintage vibe.

The inside pages are made with Tammy Tutterow’s incredibly versatile Paper Bag Envelope Die.  This adds an interactive element , and that always makes me happy!

The flowers are made with Tammy’s Pom Pom Posie Die and printed paper from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe collection.  I took a walk on the wild side and added stamens to the center this time.

This little piggy went to market…via air mail!  I love this piggy so much that I went searching through my considerable button stash in search of this wooden piggy button.  Be still my heart!  And see that cute banner floating beneath Mr. Pig?  It’s made with Tammy’s Shortie Tabs Dies.  Yes, people…I had a Tammy love fest going on in my studio this week!

This chunky little piggy album measures just about 3.5″ x 5.5″ and has a 2″ spine.  I could go on and on…but why don’t you just watch this YouTube video tour so you can see all the details.

When Pigs Fly YouTube video tour

When Pigs Fly Snapguide Tutorial

I put together a Snapguide tutorial that covers the basics of building the album base, creating a tab binding system, making the pocket pages and the cute little Mini Tag Books that are used throughout.  I don’t go into decorating the pages…maybe a hint here or there.  But once you know how to build the album base, etc. you can make this album in any theme you choose.  It’s the old “give a man a fish/teach a man to fish” theory in practice.

 

Check out How to G45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe When Pigs Fly Mini Album by Kathy Clement on Snapguide.

I hope you found some ideas here that you can use in your own creative process.  I spent hours (days, actually) pulling all of this together for you in hopes that it would get your creative juices flowing.  I have product links below.  Just click on the picture and it will take you right to the store.  How’s that for enabling?

I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for sharing your Saturday with me!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links


Ribbon to the Rescue: Restoring Mom’s Bible

New Life for a Precious Old Book: Restoring Mom’s Bible with Ribbon

Hello, Ribbon Lovers!

In the wake of our recent move, I was working on getting a closet tidied up today.  In the course of arranging the books all nice and neat, I ran across a family heirloom: my mother’s Bible.  (Well, one of my mother’s Bibles, that is.  She had several and used them all. ) This one was given to her by my dad in 1969; the last Christmas gift he ever gave her.  A few short months later, he died suddenly of a heart attack.  It remained her favorite Bible for many, many years and was nearly falling apart.  Filled with her personal notes, Bible journaling (before it was a trendy topic) and her own handwriting, it is something I have treasured.  It made my heart sad to see how very dilapidated it had become, and I worried that it might not be around to pass on to our children and grandchildren.  I mean, peeps…it was really, really sad!

 

Restoring Mom's Bible 01

You can see that she tried to hold it together with tape, bumper stickers, anything she could find.

Restoring Mom's Bible 02

The inside had actually separated from the spine.  What to do?

Then, an idea struck my brain!  Dropping everything, I carried the Bible into my studio with me and went to work.  A few hours later, this is what my mom’s Bible looked like.

Restoring Mom's Bible 03

Ta-da!  Ribbon to the rescue!  I pulled out a piece of sturdy canvas, some shabby chic ribbon, crocheted lace, flowers in my mom’s favorite colors and gave this precious book a face lift!

The first thing I did was to line the book signatures and the interior of the spine with 1/2″ Scor-Tape.  Using the tape on both surfaces worked well, and the pages are now nicely secured back within the covers.

Restoring Mom's Bible 04

I’m not much of a seamstress, but I managed to stitch 2.5″ Cotton Blend Vintage Pink Floral Ribbon to the top, bottom, sides and spine of the canvas to make a sturdy cover that should last for some time.   I also stitched  Debra Natural Crochet Lace along the edge where the canvas and ribbon meet to add a nice finishing touch…and to cover up my not so perfect stitching!  Sorry, Mom!.

Restoring Mom's Bible 05

I used tea to stain a doily I found in my stash, and glued it in place with Studio Matte Multi-Medium.  Then I used Scor-tape again to adhere my 1.5″ Antique Gold Plaid Ribbon to be used as a ribbon closure.  I wanted to do this, not just because it is pretty, but because it helps hold the Bible together.

Restoring Mom's Bible 06

Then I had lots of fun! I painted a wooden key/door plate and flourish to add to the mix. Next, I die cut lots of foliage from old book pages and sprayed them with TA Olive Mist. I pulled loads of fuschia Petaloo flowers from my stash, and was amazed to find these that matched the ribbon perfectly. The elements were artfully arranged onto the cover of Mom’s Bible.  The finishing touch was the addition of a shabby chic bow tied with Fuchsia Seam Binding.

Now this precious family heirloom is restored and Mom’s Bible is more beautiful than ever.  She would have loved this shabby chic cover, the beautiful vintage roses and crocheted lace.  I have displayed it in my Grandmother’s bookcase, and it makes my heart happy every time I see it.  Once again, Ribbon came to my rescue!

Isn’t it amazing what ribbon can do?

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,
kathy

Give Me the Simple Life

Give Me the Simple Life: RRR May Ribbon Club Assortment and Authentique “Homestead”

Hello, Ribbon Lovers!  Give me the Simple Life…and some Really Reasonable Ribbon, of course! How about we start the day with a sweetly vintage card featuring the May Ribbon Club Collection from Really Reasonable Ribbon?  Have you seen these fabby ribbons yet?  This  red, white and blue color palette is one of my favorites.  It’s perfect for Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July and other patriotic projects.  I super love them!

 

So many pretty ribbons to choose from! This collection is also great for vintage cards and layouts..  Take a peeky at how I used them in this darling card made with Authentique’s “Homestead” paper collection.

Give Me the Simple Life 02

 

See what I mean?  They look amazing with these vintage papers! I created a belly band with paper from the collection, and then added beautiful Electric Blue Double Faced Satin Ribbon above and below it. This was topped with festive Random Patriotic Stars on White Grosgrain Ribbon.  To give it a little more of a vintage vibe, I lightly tapped the ribbon with Tea Dye Distress Ink before layering it on with 1/4″ Scor-Tape.  I really love the way that Scor-Tape holds ribbon and keeps the ends from fraying!

Give Me the Simple Life 01

 

The top of my  banner flag is festooned with gorgeous 3/8″ American Flag Print Satin Ribbon.  I love the way this draws the eye to the stitching detail on this denim-backed banner flag.  The red burlap panel adds wonderful texture and plays along with the vintage Americana vibe of the card.

Give Me the Simple Life Close Up

 

I painted a bottle cap with Picket Fence Crackle Paint, then added a circle punched rooster to the center.  A little straw and some speckled brown eggs were added just for fun.  This cute embellishment is layered on top of a die cut star, and with the smaller star in the upper right corner, it serves to “frame” the focal image.

Give Me the Simple Life Bow

 

Now let’s talk bows!  Thie double layer beauty on my Give Me the Simple Life card was created with 5/8″ Red Plaid Ribbon and more of that glorious American Flag Print Satin. My vintage button is threaded with ivory burlap string.  I don’t know how I ever managed to tie a bow without the help of my trusty Zutter Bow-it-All Tool! (Enabler alert: Bonnie has the 2.0 version on SALE in the shop…and is now taking Pre-orders for the all new 3.0 version.  And, it’s almost Mother’s Day.  Just sayin’!)

Give Me the Simple Life Interior View

 

Lately, I’ve been on a kick where I’m going wild finishing the inside of my cards.  It’s so much fun, and it turns a simple card into a real gift. In this Give Me the Simple Life card, I added a pretty border of the American Flag Print Ribbon along with layered papers and images from the collection.  The right hand side has a slash pocket that I filled with a pretty tag that can be used for  home decor.

Give Me the Simple Life Tag Pocket
I embellished the tag with a sticker from the Authentique “Homestead” Collection, and then you
know I had to get into my embellishment stash and search for something fun to add to the mix.
This little wooden washboard was inked with Vintage Photo DI, then draped with a scrap of Red Plaid Ribbon.  The end result made me so happy, I confess, I clapped my hands for joy!  Then I added a novelty apple button, a vintage clip, and more ribbon and burlap string to the top of the tag to finish it off.  I think this card could be used for a kitchen shower or a birthday present, and it would make a fantastic housewarming gift!
The versatility of these ribbons is so exciting: nautical themes, sports themes, kitschy kitchen projects, vintage cards like this one, and of course, patriotic projects!  What would YOU make?  I’d love to hear your ideas for using these glorious ribbons in the comment section below.
Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

 

Vintage Halloween Tag

Vintage Halloween Tag with Magnet for Polly’s Paper Studio

Hello, Friends!

I took some time this weekend to play with the darling images in the Vintage Halloween Creativity Kit from Polly’s Paper Studio.  Oh my…this kit is loaded from beginning to end with the most adorable images, printed papers, vintage ephemera and bows, too.  I decided to make something really fun, and designed this little Vintage Halloween Tag with a magnetic backing.  It can hang on your fridge, or in a workplace cubbie, a magnetic bulletin board…anywhere you want to spread a little Halloween Spirit.

Kathy by Design Halloween Magnet 01I was cleaning my studio the other day, and found the cardboard back from a magnetic list pad.  I’d obviously salvaged it thinking it would be fun to use in a project at some point.  So I pulled together a few embellies from my stash, some gorgeous ribbon and went to work. Have glue gun, will craft, right?

Kathy by Design Halloween Magnet 02After cutting  a decorative edge on the chipboard base, I layered on papers from the kit with a tiny bit of burlap.  The focal image was matted and then secured with foam dots to add extra dimension.

Kathy by Design Halloween Magnet 04

Tim’s Pumpkin die was used to create a pumpkin patch that I decorated with Spanish Moss, Burlap String and Orange and White Sweetheart Mulberry Blossoms.  The blossoms were tapped with chalk ink to make them look a little more vintagey. I think the non traditional pumpkins are a fun contrast to the cutie pie vintage image.   The little button card comes in the kit, too.  I just painted some tiny buttons orange and glued them onto the card.

Kathy by Design Halloween Magnet 05These gorgeous trellis roses were also sponged with chalk ink. I love that you can easily alter these mulberry blooms with a little ink or mist.  I used Black Soot Stickles on my letters, and around the rim of my spooky 31 button.

Kathy by Design Halloween Magnet 03This Black and White Houndstooth Ribbon is fast becoming a favorite of mine!  It is so silky and luxurious and ties gorgeous bows.  I frayed the edges here.  This was a pretty quick project to pull together, and I always like it when I can upcycle something that would normally land in the trash.

If you’re interested in purchasing the Vintage Halloween Creativity Kit, you can find it HERE.  Or, if you want to buy this Vintage Halloween Tag, you can find it in my ETSY shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Sew Decorative Altered Frame

Crafty Secrets Sew Decorative Altered Frame

Hello, Friends!

One of my fondest childhood memories is of sitting beside my mother while she sewed on her old White sewing machine.  Using newspaper patterns that she drew and cut out herself, she would take one of her old coats that was stained on the front (coffee…she was a coffee hound) turn it inside out and stitch up a darling little coat and bonnet for my baby sister.  Or, she’d take old sheets and stitch them up into ruffled curtains for the kitchen.  She really was “the Queen of the Machine; there was nothing she couldn’t sew.  When I found this beautiful image on the Crafty Secrets Sew Decorative CD, it made me think of her and I knew I wanted to use it in a project.  Then, while out “junkin'” one day, I found a hideous shadowbox for just a few pennies.  So today I got out paint, glue, paper and some fun vintage embellies and transformed it into an altered frame worthy of Mom’s stamp of approval.

Kathy by Design/Sew Decorative Altered Frame 01I thought it would be fun to give you a look at the original version of this altered frame.

Sew Decorative Altered Frame 05I told you it was hideous!  Clearly I was speaking the truth. After giving it a good cleaning, I removed the frame back and added a coat of Tattered Angels Crystal Decorative DIY paint to the inside and outside.  The paint was thick and creamy, covering up the ugly gray paint and smoothing out the surface.  After this dried, I dry brushed on a coat of Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress Paint, and when that had dried, I sponged the frame lightly with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  What a transformation!

Sew Decorative Altered Frame 04I hit the surface lightly with sandpaper and I love the wonderful vintage shabby chic finish this gave.  I lined the outside edges with this fancy trim and added the little silver scissors and Petaloo Blossoms.  The leaves are made with and old book page.  I tucked a loopy burlap bow made from both ivory and natural burlap string beneath the flower.  I debated adding more to the outside of the frame, but decided I liked it just like this.

Sew Decorative Altered Frame 02The hardest part of making this altered frame was deciding which papers to use.  The Sew Decorative CD is loaded with gorgeous papers, ephemera, frames, spool ends, buttons images, button cards and images like the one seen here.  I wrapped a vintage spool with Aqua Delicate Stitched Satin ribbon and glued it inside the frame along with a miniature cast iron sewing machine, a miniature yardstick and other assorted goodies.   These are all bits and pieces that I’ve picked up here and there.  But one of my favorite sources for affordable embellishments like this is the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

This frame would be adorable hanging in a sewing room…who knows, maybe I’ll even hang it in mine!  Actually, I think I’ll load it up into my ETSY shop, so if you want to purchase it for your favorite seamstress (even if that favorite seamstress is YOU) you can find it there.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheerio,

kathy