Christmas 'Pinspiration' - Melted Snowman Ornaments ~ Creative Embellishments

I love Pinterest! It is such a great source of inspiration for crafty ideas - so I have to credit this project as a Christmas 'Pinspiration'! I've used the new Creative Embellishments Snowman Parts to create these Melted Snowman Ornaments.

If you have kids - you'll know that Disney's Frozen is still hugely popular - and my son loves Olaf, so I made him these ornaments with Olaf's quote "Some people are worth melting for..." I used inexpensive clear plastic Christmas balls and added some Ornament Flakes (from Michael's) and the Creative Embellishments Snowman Parts inside. I painted the Snowman Parts with Acrylic Paints - and made sure to paint both sides so that when you shake the ornament, the colour is visible on both sides. I added 'icicles' around the top of the Christmas Balls using a DecoArt Glistening Snow Writer (LOVE this product). Then I decorated the top of the ornament with some floral elements and twine and created a burlap banner to mat and hang the quote from the top. My son loves these - and because they are plastic, he can shake them around to find all the hidden Snowman Parts in the 'melted snow' inside! Here are some close-ups!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Happy Holidays!

Rustic Holiday Cards ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There! Today, I have a set of three Rustic, Wintry Cards using the Creative Embellishments chipboard Reindeer Set. I just love the combination of blue, brown and white for a wintry-look - so I've layered some older Bo Bunny papers with doilies, frayed burlap, cheesecloth and corrugated cardboard and added some burlap twine to the tag elements to create a rustic/shabby look for these cards. I used DecoArt Snow-Tex to add the snow and then splattered everything with watered-down white gesso. The plain chipboard reindeer were already the perfect colour for these cards - so I simply inked the edges of them of Distress Ink in Ground Espresso and added a little 'snow' to their antlers and hooves!

Here are some close-ups of each card:

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Happy Holidays!

Wintry Mixed Media Tag ~ Creative Embellishments December Challenge

It is December already!!! How did that happen?!?! The first of the month means a new challenge is up at the Creative Embellishments blog! I just love this month's Inspiration Photo - isn't it gorgeous? And the twist for this month's challenge is to add something that dangles to your project.

I was inspired by all the silver and 'glittery' nature of the inspiration photo and created this Wintry Mixed-Media Tag.

I used one of the Creative Embellishments Chipboard Lamp Posts and a few snowflakes from the Large Snowflake Set to decorate the tag. I glued the chipboard pieces in place and then painted everything with a coat of white gesso. Next, I added another coat of white gesso but mixed in some Prima Mini Art Stones with the gesso to get a 'snowy' look to the tag. I misted everything with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists in Marshmallow and Denim Blue. Once I was happy with the misting, I added some colour using Prima Art Alchemy Acrylic Paints. I used Pure Sunshine paint to add the 'light' and glow to the tag; I used Silver Spoon to paint the Lamp Post and I used Light Patina on the snowflakes. I finished off the chipboard snowflakes with some Prima Glass Glitter in Sterling and some Fairy Dust glitter (added using Soft Matte Gel). For the challenge's twist, I added a silver snowflake charm dangling from the tag's ribbon - I used plain white Seam Binding and also coloured some seam binding with the Denim Blue mist to create the bow for this tag. The quote is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Here are some more angles/close-ups!

I hope this project inspires you to play along with the Creative Embellishments challenge this month! Be sure to follow the Challenge Rules so that you're eligible to win the $50 Gift Certificate to the Creative Embellishments store!

Challenge Rules:

• Create a NEW project layout, mini album, tag, card, canvas, etc….as of December 1st, 2016.
• Please add your entry to our InLinkz box on the Creative Embellishments blog to be eligible for the prize. You have until the last day of each month 11:55 pm eastern time to enter.
• It is required that you mention in your blog post that you are playing along at Creative Embellishments together with a link back to our blog. Please make sure to reference our challenge. Please no back linking.
• Combining with other challenges is permitted.
• We would love to see you USE AT LEAST 1 CE product on your project but it isn’t required to play along. However everyone that does will get and extra chance at winning.
• WINNERS will have 2 weeks to claim their prize. The winner will be announced on this post the day after the challenge ends. Keep an eye out to see if you are a winner.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Happy Holidays!

An Altered Wooden Rocking Horse ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi there! Today I'm sharing an altered project with you! One of my favourite things is to take something old and upcycle it - so when I saw this chipped/broken rocking horse at a second hand store, I knew I could make it beautiful again!

Along some buttons, trim and resin & metal embellishments from my stash, I've used Creative Embellishments Mini Frames (some whole and some cut into pieces) and the larger of the Fancy Oblong Frame Set (cut into two pieces) to decorate the rocking horse. I also added Relics & Artifacts Chivalry Wings and an Imperial Egg decorative piece as the headpiece. Once I had all the embellishments in place I covered everything with a few coats of heavy white gesso. Then, I used Prima Art Alchemy Acrylic Paints to highlight details of the decorations - the trick here is just to play with colour until you're happy! Lastly, I dry brushed areas with gold paint to give it a rich, vintage look. Lots of pictures below so you can see all the details!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Happy Crafting!

St. Nicholas Christmas Ornaments ~ Creative Embellishments

Today, I'm sharing a set of Christmas Ornaments I made using the Creative Embellishments chipboard Stars Frame, along with Graphic 45's St. Nicholas collection. I trimmed the two smaller stars off the largest Star Frame and then embossed the three frames with Stampendous Embossing powder in Detail Gold. I used some of the 6x6 St. Nicholas papers on the back of the chipboard stars to create the base for the ornaments - the patterned side faces the back so that the back of the ornaments are pretty to look at too. I used lots of fussy-cuts from the 8x8 St. Nicholas Papers and pieces from the St. Nicholas Banners sheet to decorate the Star ornaments and then finished the embellishing with some Creative Embellishments Wood Veneer Holly Leaves and some ribbon. I painted the Holly Leaves with metallic paints and then added some Christmas Red Stickles to the holly berries for a dash of glitter.

Here are some close-ups of each of the ornaments. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Happy Crafting!

The Poisoner's Handbook ATCs

In October, I played along with an ATC exchange on the Scraps of Darkness/Scarps of Elegance Facebook Group. I created this set of three ATCs using the Materialize 8x8 paper stack, Curiosities Ephemera and Embellishments by Tim Holtz. I inked all the papers with Ground Espresso Distress Ink. I added Distress Crackle Paint and a Tim Holtz Apothecary Vial Label to the glass vial on the 1st ATC. I added an Incantation Metal Word Band, Gothic Remnant Rubs and a small skull to the 2nd ATC. For the 3rd ATC, I added an Arrow Adornment, some spider webbing and a small plastic spider. I'm calling this set "The Poisoner's Handbook ATCs" because each card has some poison warning labels.

Here are some close-ups so you can see the details on each card.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Joie de Vivre Vintage Tags ~ Creative Embellishments November Challenge

It is a new month (How is it November already?!?!?) - which means a new challenge is up on the Creative Embellishments Blog. Here is this month's inspiration picture and the twist for this challenge is to use wood on your project!

I was inspired by the beautiful rich colours in the Inspiration picture to create these "Joie de Vivre" Vintage Tags. I used beautiful toile papers as the background with a leafy pattern. Playing along with the fashion theme of the other papers, I have used two pieces from the Creative Embellishments Mini Dress Form Set of 6 to embellish the tags. I painted the chipboard dress forms with Acrylic Paint in Antique White and then embossed them with some pink glitter and clear embossing powder - picking up on the glittery elements of the papers. For my wooden element, I've used two mini wooden clothes pins, which I coloured black and covered with Black Diamond Stickles so that they would be glittery too!

I hope this project inspires you to play along with the Creative Embellishments challenge this month! Be sure to follow the Challenge Rules so that you're eligible to win the $50 Gift Certificate to the Creative Embellishments store!

Challenge Rules:

• Create a NEW project layout, mini album, tag, card, canvas, etc….as of November 1st, 2016.
• Please add your entry to our InLinkz box on the Creative Embellishments blog to be eligible for the prize. You have until the last day of each month 11:55 pm eastern time to enter.
• It is required that you mention in your blog post that you are playing along at Creative Embellishments together with a link back to our blog. Please make sure to reference our challenge. Please no back linking.
• Combining with other challenges is permitted.
• We would love to see you USE AT LEAST 1 CE product on your project but it isn’t required to play along. However everyone that does will get and extra chance at winning.
• WINNERS will have 2 weeks to claim their prize. The winner will be announced on this post the day after the challenge ends. Keep an eye out to see if you are a winner.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Wine Journal ~ Creative Embellishments and Heartfelt Creations

This month the Creative Embellishments Design Team had the good fortune to work with some gorgeous products from Heartfelt Creations for a cross-promotion feature! So, I have an awesome 'album' project to share with you today!

In addition to paper-crafting, my other hobby is making homemade wine! So, I have used the gorgeous Heartfelt Creations Italiana Riviera Paper Collection to create a Wine Journal! It was so easy to put together this journal using the Heartfelt Creations 3D Flip Fold Album (Black), along with the Pocket and Flip Fold Inserts (Black - A, C and D). To embellish the album, I've used several different Creative Embellishments chipboard pieces, which suit the paper design perfectly, including: the Wine Pouring Set, Wine Bottles and Glasses, Grapes, and Grapevines. I also used the Arched Doors Set 2 and the Wrought Iron Fence 3 to decorate the front cover, along with one of the Window Shutters to decorate the spine of the album.

Front Cover

Spine

Inside Front Cover & Page 1

Page 2 & Page 3

Page 4 & Page 5

Page 6 & Page 7

Page 8 (Insert Open) & Page 9

Page 8 & Page 9 (Insert Open)

Page 10 (Insert Flipped to Right) & Inside Back Cover

Page 10 (Insert Flipped to Left) & Inside Back Cover

Back Cover

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Happy Crafting!