Shabby Chic Christmas Altered File Folders ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi there Crafty Friends! Today I'm sharing a Shabby Chic Christmas project with you - using gorgeous chipboard elements from Creative Embellishments! Like all of you, I'm sure, I've started getting ready for Christmas - and decided to create these Altered File Folders as packaging for Christmas Gifts! I coffee-dyed a standard letter-size file folder and then cut it in half - sewing the sides of each half closed to create a pocket. I layered vintage music paper, vintage dictionary paper, some coffee-dyed paper doily, and some pages from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on the folders and then added some vintage pink velvet ribbon and some vintage pink & white floral lace. I printed the angel images (a free printable I found on Pinterest), distressed them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and stitched them to some coffee-dyed paper and white cheesecloth. I added three buttons, stitched with silver thread, to each printed image. I added a CE chipboard Pine Tree to each folder - I embossed the trees with Stampendous Embossing Powder in Winter Wonderland. I also added a CE chipboard Bow to each folder - I embossed the Bows with Distress Embossing Powder in Worn Lipstick, but didn't like the colour tone on this project, so I painted over it with some Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Paint in Vintage Rose and added some highlights with Smooch Pearl Accents. Finally, I embossed words from the CE Chipboard Christmas Sentiments with Martha Stewart Embossing Powder in Sterling - I used silver to pick up on the silver flecks on the trees and the silver thread in the buttons.

I've left the back of the folders fairly plain (for now!) - simply adding a small collage of vintage music paper, book page and lace at the top and randomly stamping the folders with my favourite CE Stamp - Distressed Script.

Writing Boards for Vintage/Junk Journals ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There Crafty Friends! Today I'm sharing a fun and functional projectwith you! I've been creating Vintage Style Junk Journals lately and wanted to include a writing board in them -- a hard surface for those who like to journal on the go -- and the Creative Embellishments Large Tags are the perfect size to tuck into a journal for this purpose! For the "writing surface" side, I wanted to make sure that it remained flat, without any bumps or embellishments that would interfere with writing, so I started off by brushing a rough coat of white gesso on one side of the tag - leaving some places where the kraft colour of the tag base could peek through. Next, I stamped the tag with the Creative Embellishments Distressed Script Stamp and some black Archival Ink. I then decoupaged torn sections from a Paris-themed Napkin onto the tag. Finally, on the writing side, I heavily inked the edges of the tag with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.

For the reverse side of the tags, I created some "Franken-Paper" using bits of paper left over from creating the journals these tags were created for (check out Nik the Booksmith's YouTube for the inspiration for the Franken-Paper technique). I collaged the papers together and then cut the tag shapes from the collaged paper. Next, I stitched around the outside of each tag shape and along each seam of the papers; then, I added some lace that coordinates with some used in the journals. Before gluing the sewn/collaged papers to the Large Tags, I added a Pen Loop to each of the tags using wide black elastic. Finally, I glued the collaged papers to the back of each tag and inked the edges with Distress Ink. I finished off the tags with some lace, sari silk and eyelash trim and an antique-style pocket watch charm.

Steampunk Costume Accessory - Altered Toy Pop Gun ~ Creative Embellishments

Happy Halloween Crafty Friends! Today I'm sharing an Altered Toy Pop Gun that would be the perfect accessory to a Steampunk-Inspired Halloween Costume! I started off with a cheap plastic foam-dart gun from the dollar store - it was originally fluorescent orange and green - and added several different sizes of Creative Embellishments Gears, a glass bottle as a scope and some metal embellishments from Prima Marketing. Once I was happy with the arrangement of the chipboard and embellishments, I painted everything with Prima Art Basics Black Gesso and then dry-brushed on Prima Art Basics White Gesso to bring out the details. Next, I dry-brushed the gun with Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Paint in Steampunk Copper. I added some additional colour with Prima Art Alchemy Waxes - Antique Brilliance Lucky Emerald and Mystic Turquoise and Metallique Bronze Age. Finally, I finished off the project by adding two clear Prima Melange Art Pebbles to either end of the glass bottle 'scope'.

"Bird of Paradise" - Mixed Media Altered Mask ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There crafty friends! Today I'm sharing a new mixed media project with you - what I'm calling my "Bird of Paradise" Altered Mask. I started out with a (very) cheap mask from the dollar store. Then, I started layering lots of Creative Embellishments chipboard elements on the mask, including:

• Wing Set 2,
• Door Knockers,
• Flourish 4,
• Mini Frames (some full, as well as pieces cut from some), and
• Lace Border 3 (cut into individual pieces).

Once I was happy with the design, I primed everything with Prima Art Basics Black Gesso and then dry-brushed Prima Art Basics White Gesso to bring out the details. I added colour using Prima Art Alchemy Paints - Sparks in Mermaid Sparkle, Magical Pond, Fairy Wings, and Unicorn's Hair; and Metallique in White Pearl and Silver Spoon. I finished off the colour with Prima Art Alchemy Waxes - Antique Brilliance in Lucky Emerald and Mystic Turquoise; Opal Magic in Turquoise Satin; and Metallique in Old Silver. Finally, I added a few silver-toned half-pearls around the eyes for a bit of bling.

A Murder at 221B Baker St. - House Vignette ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There Crafty Friends! Today, I'm sharing a new Creative Embellishments House Vignette with you! I love the CE House Vignette SO much - it is such fun to create with - and this time I have used Graphic 45's Master Detective collection to create A Murder at 221B Baker St.

(Note: If you're going to be creating your own CE House Vignette,

I have a video tutorial on my YouTube Channel showing how I put it together.)

For the exterior of the House Vignette, I first covered the house with the Graphic 45 papers. Then, I added two Greek Gable End Ornaments as planters on either side of the house. I painted the ornaments with Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Paint in Steampunk Copper and then rubbed them with Art Alchemy Antique Brilliance Waxes in Lucky Emerald and Fire Ruby. I used the Arched Doors Set 2, one of the Windows Set of 4, and one of the Arrow Banners and embossed them with Stampendous Aged Black Embossing Enamel. I added some spiderweb paper behind the window and some Tim Holtz Vellum on the back of the doors. I hinged the doors and added Tim Holtz Mini Fasteners as knobs. The hinged doors open to reveal a fussy-cut of Sherlock Holmes (and Friends) in the doorway. Finally, I fussy cut "221B Baker St." from the Graphic 45 papers and added it to the Arrow Banner.

I used the Title Page of the 8x8 Master Detective collection to cover the interior of the House Vignette and then fussy cut elements from a second Title Page to create the 3D vignette inside the house. I added some spiderwebs and spiders, as well as some moss to the top of the house. I added moss along the floor of the house, along with skulls, a poison bottle, an evidence scroll, and a pumpkin. Here's a close-up of all the little decorative bits!

Alice in Wonderland ATCs ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There Creative Embellishments Fans! Sarah here today to share a set of three Alice in Wonderland ATCs with you! I used playing cards (the Jack, Queen and King of Hearts) as the base for these ATCs and covered the back of the cards with book pages from Alice in Wonderland. Then, I fussy cut illustrations from the book for each ATC. I embellished each ATC with a CE Chipboard piece painted using Prima Metallique paints, as well as a few metal elements and some moss.

For the "Drink Me" ATC, I used one of the CE Potion Bottles. After painting it, I added an eyelet and attached it to the ATC using a small chain.

For the "Hidden Door" ATC, I used one of the CE Simple Key Hole Plates.

For the Caterpillar "Who Are You?" ATC, I used two of the CE Mini Mushrooms.

Vintage Style Needle Book ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi there Crafty Friends! After taking short hiatus from crafting, I'm back to share a new project I created for Creative Embellishments - a Vintage Style Needle Book I made using the CE Passport Journal Cover.

I started off by separating the front and back covers from the spine piece, as I wanted a little more flexibility to the cover hinges. I wrapped the outside of the cover with fabric and decorated it with some lace, cheesecloth, measuring tape trim and a vintage sewing Trade Card. I added a couple of vintage buttons and a sewing machine charm on a bulb pin and made a closure for the book using a post button and a recycled Sari Silk tie.

I lined the inside of the cover with blue felt and made a pocket for the front and back covers using felt and lace. I made the interior 'pages' from felt and decorated them using lace trims and measuring tape trim. There are tucks and pockets to hold all manner of sewing paraphernalia. I added in a few pieces from the CE Button and Thread Cards, which I covered using print-outs of vintage sewing Trade Cards and patterned paper - I also inked the edges of the thread cards with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.

Mini Mixed Media Canvas ~ Creative Embellishments and Canvas Corp Brands

Today, I'm sharing a mini (4x4) Mixed Media Canvas!

I started out with a 4x4 Stretched Canvas from Canvas Corp and layered Lace, Chipboard Elements from Creative Embellishments and a Resin Face Piece from Relics & Artifacts on the canvas. The Chipboard Pieces I used included: a Grunge Circle Frame, and two of the Circle Chain Frames. I painted everything with Black Gesso and then dry-brushed White Gesso on it to bring out some of the details. Next I started adding colour using Tattered Angels Mists (Chalkboard Mist in Jade and Glimmer Mists in Patina, Vintage Lace, and Suede). Once I was happy with the misting, I added the golden 'rays of light' using Tattered Angels High Impact Antique Gold Paint and Glimmer Glam in Golden Goddess. I finished off the piece by adding some Rose Gold wax to the lips of the resin face piece.

Sweetheart - Baby's 1st Year February Layout ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi there! I'm back with a new instalment in my "Baby's First Year" series of layouts. I've used a combination of several Graphic 45 paper collections (A Place in Time, Children's Hour, and Time to Flourish) to create this layout, along with a Creative Embellishments Sweetheart chipboard title from the Valentine's Hashtags and a wood veneer heart from the Lover's Hearts Set 2.

I layered my papers and cut-out elements from the papers (all inked with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo), added the sweet photo of my son and then added the title and wood veneer heart to finish off the layout. The title was a bit too long, so I ended up cutting the hashtag off of it. I painted the sweetheart title and the heart with Prima Art Extravagance Metallique Paint in Royal Red and then inked them with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo. Here are some close-ups/different angles so you can see all the layers and details!

New Beginnings - Baby's 1st Year January Layout ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi there! Today I'm back with a new installment in my "Baby's First Year" series of layouts. I've used a combination of several Graphic 45 paper collections (A Place in Time, Children's Hour, Mother Goose, and Time to Flourish) to create this layout, along with two Spoons from the Creative Embellishments Small Cutlery set.

I painted the spoons with Prima Art Extravagance Metallique Paint in Silver Spoon and then dry-brushed two tones of Metallique blue paint (Midnight Sky and Rich Turquoise) on the handles. Once the paint was dry, I added some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the spoons to make them look slightly tarnished. Here are some close-ups and different angles so you can see all the layers and details!

Vintage French Tags ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There! Today I'm sharing a pair of Vintage French Tags created using two of the small Fancy Oval Frames from Creative Embellishments and papers/embellishments from Canvas Corp Brands. All the papers are inked with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.

I used the Tim Holtz Baroque Die to cut the base of the tags from a sheet of Canvas Corp Black and Kraft Fleur de Lis paper.   I printed the vintage Cancan dancer images and used the Creative Embellishments Frames on them. I painted the frames with Black Acrylic Paint and added a very fine crackle texture on them. I used a 7 Gypsies Junque Pack to create the paper layers and small tags. I added some 7 Gypsies Rub-ons and Miniature Keys to embellish the tags, as well as some paper flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and some raffia, lace and twine from my stash. Finally, I punched some leaves from some scraps of Canvas Corp Embossed Burnished Floral paper that I had left in my stash and added them to the flowers. Here is a close-up of each tag:

"It's Elementary" - Passport Size Planner/Journal ~ Creative Embellishments

Happy New Year! Today, I'm sharing a little project to help keep me organized this year - a Passport-size Planner/Journal using the amazing Creative Embellishments Passport Journal Cover. I used the Graphic 45 Master Detective collection to decorate the journal cover - all the papers are inked with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo. I've made this little journal in a Traveler's Notebook style so that I can update/replace the calendar/notebook as needed!

I'm calling this Notebook "It's Elementary" as I love everything 'Sherlock Holmes' related - and it is elementary that I NEED something like this little planner to keep my organized throughout the year. I covered the notebook with papers from the 12x12 Patterns & Solids and used cut-outs and a border from the 8x8 Patterned Paper to decorate the cover and I added a Graphic 45 chipboard element to the closure elastic.

I added a pocket from the Graphic 45 Tags & Pockets to the inside of the front cover and left it open behind so that there are actually two little tuck spots inside the front cover. I made a little cover for the planner from some of the Patterns & Solids paper and reinforced the spine with some Tim Holtz Decor Tape - this will help the cover stand up to being pulled in and out of the elastic binding. I decorated the front of the planner section with a tag from the tags and pockets. I found a free printable Passport-size 2018 calendar at Lady Falcon Travelers - and it is the PERFECT size for this journal.

The Passport Journal Cover is also the perfect size to hold a mini composition book. (I found them at Walmart in packs of 3 for less than $2!) I covered the front of the composition book with paper from the Patterns & Solids and covered the back with plain black cardstock. I'm going to use the notebook to jot down project ideas so I never forget one of my 3 a.m. moments of inspiration!

I added a side tuck spot to the back cover and made a coordinating pen holder using a small black bulldog clip and some green elastic.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today - I hope 2018 is off to a fantastic start for you!