Friday, July 29, 2011

Turtles, Fish, Seashells with a sprinkling of snow ....

Make a charm pendant - by Geli
My son loves turtles and here is a fun thing to make that will suit both boys and girls. 

First I cut the loop off a turtle charm  with some pliers and filed the sharp edges a little. 

Then I covered a circle pendant  with Dimensional Magic  and put the charm into the middle.
Make sure none of the Dimensional Magic gets on the charm. 


Before it is dry cover it in glitter  and let it dry completely (putting it in the sunshine speeds it up!). This will take at least half an hour, so be patient! Once it's dry brush off any glitter from the charm and you're done.


Have some fun with other charms like a snowflake  for a Christmas card or a daisy flower charm  for a girl's necklace. You can even use the cabochon flowers  for a pretty look.


As a variation try a larger flower in a bottle cap (see the tutorial on how to squish them flat here )


Have fun with charms!
Geli 


and from me Tracy,

finally I got to finish off this layout I started some time again, well I did have to wait for our new seashell charms and starfish charms ... perfect for this layout

We stopped off in Burnie, Tasmania a couple of years ago and watch the penguins come onto the foreshore at night, and whilst the photo doesn't exactly look like a beach/foreshore scene the embellishments were perfect for the environment the Angels were in.



using the Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden Dew Drops pattern paper, core dinations cardstock and some muslin sprayed with Key Lime Pie Glimmer Mist and toned down with some Granite Glimmer Mist

Did you know that Glimmer Glaze bubbles when you use the heat gun on it?




and do you remember this from last month? It's my title!
(See I was telling the truth I did start this layout some time ago LOL)




I also used the following embellishments:

Scrapware Lamp Post (the ones I used are currently OOS but we do have these lamps) ... I inked them with Pumice Stone, Heat Embossed with Walnut Stain then covered with Inkssentials Crackle Accent and lastly, filled the lights with white opal liquid pearls
Scrapware Do-Hicky Florish #7  sprayed with Key Lime Pie Glimmer Mist and Oil Slick Glimmer Glaze
seashell charms
starfish charms
fish charms
yacht charms
flying bird charm
chicken wire
Peapod Bakers Twine - green and white
and some black netting



And just quickly before I go ... check out Nic Howard's blog ... what a cute girl, I mean cute idea for Baker's Twine


Hope you all having a great weekend ... I will be down in Melbourne at Scraphappy's Retreat seeing old friends and making new friends ... yipee

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

CHARMS CHARMS CHARMS


NEW Charms have arrived in store




 


 Antique Bronze Round Frame (similar to our popular silver frame)



Angel Heart Wings
these are a great large size ... approx 4cm x 1.5cm
They have a hole through the middle making them ideal if you like to create your own hat pins or thread ribbon through for a hanging embellishment on your layouts and cards

How good are these large keys?
They come in Antique Bronze and Antique Silver and measure approximately  6.8cm x 2.1cm



Also a restock of our man on a motobike charms, fairy girl charms, petite silver frame and oval frames (our cameos fit PERFECTLY inside these)


All the new arrival charms came be found in our charm section or new arrivals


AND ...

With so many new mediums out there I thought I would show you some my2angels stock and what works on charms


Starting with Paint Dabbers, I was really surprised that this worked and so glad because how good does the Pitch Black look on our spanner charm?  
Gives it a used look with oil stains on it!



We have two new leafing pens in copper and red shimmer which goes on brilliantly, just leave to dry for around 10-20 minutes and 
ta da you have coloured charms

of course you don't have to colour the whole charm in ... perhaps on some areas that have deep grooves just fill in the gaps for an aged look

and then we have Zing Embossing Powder



We have stickles on our circle pendant and topping the cupcake charm is white opal liquid pearls then a rhinestone to top it off



and on this circle pendant, dimensional magic and again liquid pearls on the cupcake charm
The circles in the background is created by using  white opal liquid pearls



The above example is from this layout using October 5 & Dime papers ..



Our antique bronze chain is a perfect match with the Tim Holtz Hanging Sign covered in Antique Linen Crackle Paint  (we are currently out of this die but if anyone would like a hanging sign just let me know when you make your next order and  I will cut a couple up for you)

I am away down in Melbourne teaching 2 layouts at Scraphappy Kats this weekend so all paid order received after midnight Wednesday won't be posted until Monday 1st August ... sorry for any inconvience

Tracy :)


and 


How to make a romantic border with felt and charms
by Geli

Here is a little tut on how to alter a metal embelly and use felt ribbon as a border. Hope you like it. The lighting isn't' the best but it's been so cloudy all day it's the best I could do.

Take a piece of double-sided paper (Webster Pages works best for a romantic look. I like how the back has a nice contrast that still matches). Mine was 4x7". Punch both of the longer sides with a border punch or use decorative scissors.


Fold it so that there is a gap between the 2 punched sides.



 


Put on a piece of 12mm double-sided tape with the ends tucked around and place some lace on it. Give it a few pinches as you lay it down to get a ruffled look. You want the top of the ribbon to be hidden by the folded over paper and tuck the ends around the edge.

I wanted to use a tag charm but the colour didn't stand out enough. 
So here's a great way to change the colour of any metal embellishment, including brads and charms
Hold your tag with tweezers and heat with a heat gun (don't try and hold it with your fingers, it'll get hot!!!)

It'll take about a minute. 
When it is hot sprinkle embossing powder over it. It'll stick to the hot metal. If it doesn't stick heat it some more. (You will not need any ink.)


Carefully scrap of some embossing powder with a craft knife to reveal the words or any bits you want to highlight.


Attach it to your paper with some bakers twine  and a blue flower
I stapled the very top of the folded edge to keep the paper from popping open and the flower hides one of the staples.


I wanted to make a butterfly from a felt heart  but I didn't have 2 matching ones. But since it's nice and thick I cut it into 2 layers with a craft knife. 

An Eiffel tower charm  makes a quirky butterfly body.

For the background I used a piece of felt ribbon as a mask. By spraying it from the back with glimmer mist  I didn't actually change the colour of the felt and can use it again on something else.

I outlined the sprayed image with an old pen that's a little bit dry. 
Don't try and do a perfect job (as if!), it'll look better if it's not exact.

Now put it all together and you can use it as a card or as a border for a photo. 


Geli

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Embellish Me


Do you find yourself admiring the embellishments you see on online layouts 
and wonder how they find the time, creativity and money to produce them?

Does your budget not allow you to buy all the mediums and products you want? 

Are you a bit afraid to spend so much on a product you may not use again?

Or maybe time just doesn't allow you to create as often as you would like?

Did our recent blog posts leave you wanting to make some of the glimmer misted
soaked chipboard; or the butterflies with resin flowers or maybe the diamond dust coated alphas were more your style ... whatever your favourites, 

Then let me introduce you too ....


We have put together a monthly embellishment kit for you that will wet your appetite for new products and perhaps encourage you to try something a little different.


Each month we will send you my2angels embellishments and handmade creations, in which I can guarantee there will be a touch of Tim, a dash of charm and some altered chipboard to add to your creations.

Here is a sneak peak of JUST A FEW items you will receive in your August Kit



This kit is about saving you from the expense of purchasing a myriad of expensive embellishment mediums, yet still allowing you to enjoy handmade embellishments using these mediums.

It’s about allowing you to ‘sample’ some of the top Brand name-embellishments – without the expense of purchasing large multi-item packs. This way, you can play with a little of everything, rather than a lot of one thing.


In fact, in some ways, this embellishment subscription kit could be called a sampler pack – allowing you to view used results with the products for a fraction of their cost - and decide if you would like to then purchase in larger quantities 

For only $55 per quarter - paid in advance (this includes postage) - you will receive 3 kits (that’s 1 per month) sent on the 20th of each month.

That’s amazing value – all that yumminess and creativity -for less than $19 a month (average kit RRP $30.00)

No two handmade embellishments will be identical, thus giving you the ultimately unique embellishment kit. 

You may cancel your quarterly membership at any time, however, we request that you do so with at least a months notice before the start of the next quarter, as kits are prepared and products ordered in advance.
(kits are only posted to Australian Addresses)

AS A SPECIAL OPENING OFFER (AND TO GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT WE ARE OFFERING) WITHOUT COMMITTING FOR 3 MONTHS

WE HAVE ON OFFER A ONE MONTH SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FOR AUGUST ...



TRY US ... WE GUARANTEE YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF PRODUCTS IN THE KITS


HERE ARE TWO LAYOUTS COMPLETED TO SHOW YOU THAT OUR KITS ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR A SPECIFIC STYLE OF SCRAPPER (NOT ALL PRODUCTS ON THE LAYOUTS ARE IN THE KITS, IT IS JUST A SAMPLE OF A FEW)



 TFL
Hope everyone is having a great weekend


Friday, July 22, 2011

Scrunching, Pleating , Rolling and Gluing

Hi Girls,
Cathy here today

It's a bit of a long post from me for this week as I have a LO, 2 cards and tutorials to share so bear with me. This week My2Angels is focusing on using ribbons and lace and we are showing you techniques on how to incorporate them on your own creations.


First up is my Ribbon LO. 

I started with Kraft Cardstock (which is only 75 cents at Tracy's store.. bargain!!) for my background and then used the yummy Websters Yacht Club Diecut and other pp's from the Yacht Club range which I hand cut and layered with foam tape. 
Websters pp's are just perfect for fussy cutting and are one of my fav ranges for this technique.

I added some textures to my LO by using some of this beautiful cream lace flower trim to frame my photo and some hessian. 

The roses were made by rolling some ric rac... loved trying out this technique and you can have a go at making your own by following Tracy's tutorial which is further down this post .. so easy to make!!


Using ric rac is a great way to simulate waves and I used some beautiful blue velvet ric rac here, creating some lovely soft textures.


With all the charms Tracy has in store, you're bound to find the perfect embellishment for your LO's and I used two of them here. The Yacht charm which 
I tied with some Bakers Twine and the gorgeous fish charm which is swimming in amongst my ric rac waves.

I decided to combine stickers and pp's for my title by hand cutting the gorgeous alphas from Websters using the Yacht Club Alpha Stickers
I also hand cut the little white butterflies from the Websters Trendsetter Style 105 pp and finished off with one of Tracy's fab memories embellishment pins and some Jingle Bells glimmermist.

With my 1st card I decided to go masculine and used the Websters Yacht Club pp's again which I hand cut and layered and some Websters Seaside Retreat for the background. 
For the ribbon detail on this card I scrunched the organza ribbon for some texture. I have added a simple tutorial for those of you who haven't tried this before.


How cute is this turtle charm.. like I said before Tracy has a charm for all your LO's. 
Check out the COMING SOON section at my2angels as Tracy has some new charms which will be available within the week.

For my 2nd card I went bright and feminine using more Webster pp's in the Spring Market & Wonderfall ranges & some Basic Grey for the background. I hand cut & layered the papers and added some mini roses & a dragonfly charm for a little interest. 

On the border of the card I layered some velvet ric rac and a border sticker from the Spring Market image and phrase sticker sheet. I changed the colour of my white organza ribbon with some Tim Holtz Mustard Seed Distress Ink to match my pp's and then pleated the ribbon for some texture. 

For the sentiment I used the Spring Market alpha stickers.


I have put together 2 quick and easy tutorials on scrunching and pleating ribbon.

Scrunching Ribbon


Start with sticking down some double sided tape where you would like your scrunched ribbon.



and scrunch the ribbon as you go.. if you want a messier look don't be too particular about how you scrunch it.


Pleating Ribbon

Pleating ribbon is a similar technique but instead of placing the adhesive tape on your project I adhere it to the back of the ribbon to be pleated. 
You can just pull the backing off as you go, to make it easier, then pleat and stick down.
It will stick up, so you can use you sewing machine to stitch in place or place bits of tape under each pleat to for a nice flat finish.




Hope you enjoyed some the of the simple ways I incorporated ribbon onto my LO's and hope to see some of your ribbon inspired creations in our gallery.

Cheers
Cathy :)))


Ribbon Rosettes
by Geli

Making ribbon rosettes (with a version for seamstresses and one for the sewing impaired)

 

Here's a great way of making ribbon rosettes.

Take 1m of my2angels girlfriends ribbon , and gather it in loops with your sewing machine. I simply fold the ribbon as I go.
Sew only along the edge of the ribbon.
The smaller the loops the better it will look.

 

Your ribbon is now only about 1/3 of the original length.

 

Cut a circle (about 4cm diameter) from sturdy cardstock. This does not have to be perfect as it won't be seen.
For the next step I have used a hot glue gun (cause I'm the impatient kind).
You can also use Pritt glue  and hold down each section for a little while till it sticks. Starting from the outer edge, glue on sections of the gathered ribbon until you've come all the way around. Then you start overlapping the previous row. Like a snail. You get it.

 

When you come to the middle leave a small empty space


Now you glue in a cabochon flower or an acrylic flower , daisy charm flower or a flower from a rhinestone chain .
Whatever takes your fancy.


This looks great on a hair pin or a head band too!
Are you a sewing impaired person?

Don't despair, here's a cheater's way (though it's not as sturdy). Stick some 6mm double sided tape along one edge of the ribbon and peel it off one bit at the time as you stick it on the cardboard circle.
Pinch it into loops as you go.
I used about 1/2m of ribbon.


Finish the centre however you like and you're done in a flash.
This is also great for ribbon that won't sew easy, like the glitter ribbon  I used.


If you have mastered the art of pinching and sewing you can do all sorts of cool stuff, even sewing in the middle of the ribbon and using it as a groovy border.
Big loops will look good for boys, too.


Geli




by Lindy


Using the 10mm organza white ribbon cut ( 5) 2inch strips



Do a running stitch on three sides of the ribbon starting from the narrow side up along the long side and down the wider side and pull together to make one flower (figure 2) and sew together in the centre




Just added some bling to the centre of the flower and some loops of rhinestones to the
back of the flower. (and Tracy some has feathers now in store which will look great on these also)
I also make a black flowers with white acrylic rhinestone chain and a rosebud 

Glue the bud on with glossy accents (fantastic glue I use this on everything ... (Tracy uses Dimensional Magic for all her gluing but I love glossy accents so there are two choices for your gluing needs and they also are a glossy medium as well) 


Lindy


and from me, Tracy
with Ric Rac Flowers

What do you need:
 

Needle and thread to match your ric rac (or hot glue gun or any other quick drying glue suitable for ribbon)

Scissors

 
 


Take a piece of ric rac and fold over the end on an angle and secure with a couple of stitches

(this usually turns me off making flowers so I use my hot glue gun instead)





 Start to roll your ric rac around your stitched end, stitching to secure as you go (or glue)












On each roll, pinch the bottom of ric rac and glue as you go, give the flower an open bloom look as opposed to closed flat bud
(I have rolled it loosely for the benefit of the photos)






Keep rolling until you have the desired size of flower. 


Cut ric rac and secure by gluing the end piece under your flower 

then add to your layout as Cathy has done above



and just quickly before we go

with all the HUGE range of mediums out there, we have so many options to colour ric rac and ribbonS  to suit your layouts (and give it some texture) ...

Here a few mediums I have played with on our ric rac to show you what it will take ...
(for the record Glimmer Mist also works perfectly but I ran out of time and sunshine to get photos)




Hope our mega long post gave you a few ideas (or reminders) of incorporating ribbon into your creations

Wishing you all a fun and creative weekend