I have moved!

I have moved! Please come visit me at my NEW website www.brandywinedesigns.net for brand new adventures.

Learning How To Use A Camera

I have been practicing my photography. This is a photo I took after studying hours about all those strange functions I never understood on my camera! Never stop learning!

Faux Cabinet Card Tutorial

Todays tutorial was born from one of my collections. I collect antique cabinet cards. Cabinet cards were a style of photograph which was widely used for photographic portraiture after 1870. It consisted of a photograph mounted on a thick card. Many times the cards were very ornate and beautiful. Sometimes you can even find them with advertisements for the photography studio on the back. I have bought them from antique shops, thrift stores, ebay, and estate sales. I love to make collages and mixed media. My style is vintage and grungy. Cabinet Cards seem to be a perfect addition to my projects. However, I'm a bit of a vintage hoarder and just can't seem to use my real stuff in my work. So through playing experimenting I have made my own.

 Begin by cutting 110 lb cream or manila cardstock to 5x7 (Note: or what ever size you need) to fit in the embossing folder you are using. Then I misted it with water using a mini mister. This helps get a deep impression.

I used my Sizzix Big Shot and the Spellbinders Embossing folder Persian Splendor. There are a lot of other embossing folders that would work great for this project too. Tim Holtz has several that would be perfect.

 



 

I have the new Sizzix Magnetic Platform and I LOVE it. Its especially great for this project.  Start by placing the embossed paper on the platform and one clear plate face up or what ever sandwich your machine requires. Next I placed the largest oval from Spellbinders Gold Ovals One. When I placed it, I looked for patterns in the embossing that I could use as markers. This helps keep everything even.

 Inside it I placed the next size of Gold Ovals One. The first two ovals just emboss. This step can be eliminated. However I like the extra detail it adds.

Last I placed the largest Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Oval. This oval will cut a window into the card.

 Send it through with the proper sandwich for your machine.

Using Distress ink in your favorite colors ink edges.

 Don't forget to ink the inside of the oval window.

Use a mini mister and some Distress reinker to spritz on some spots.

 Very sparingly use a dye spray to add a few dark spots.

Dry it all using a heating too.

Send the mat through a Xyron Sticker machine to add adhesive.

Before I peel off either plastic I like to burnish it. This  makes sure the adhesive sticks.

 I also use a sharp object to get the adhesive out of detailed spots.

A double mat is a lovely extra touch. Simply cut a coordinating color cardstock to fit the mat. Peel the backing of the mat and adhere the cardstock.

 Use the next to largest oval to die cut a window. Yay! Your faux cabinet card is ready for decorating.

Add adhesive to the back and place the image you want. I used a new tag from my ETSY shop.
 I don't have a picture but then you run the mat through the Xyron again. After that cut a piece of chipboard the same size and adhere.

 

 

 I made some wrinkle ribbon.

Punched some holes at the top. 

I then added felt flowers and greenery  using Tim Holtz Spring Greenery and Tattered Flower Garland dies.

I used a Tim Holtz Nature Adornments butterfly. I dabbed Scattered straw Distress paint on it. Next I coated it with Clear Rock Candy Paint. Last I added Milled Lavender Ink. The photos do not do it justice. Its gorgeous in person.

 I used some rub-ons to complete the collage.

 I really love the pretty punch of color it adds to my studio. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and have fun creating your own cabinet card collage.

*I was not paid or compensated in anyway for this post. All opinions are my own.

 

Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge 2

 

I have found another Tim Holtz Challenge blog! Yay! Linda Ledbetter has created this challenge around Tim Holtz new book Compendium of Curiosities 3. Challenge #2 is all about his Distress Glitter. On my tag this week I used Antique Linen. It makes the perfect sand!  I would love to know if anyone knows of more Tim Holtz challenges are out there.

A Vintage Journey Challenge 4- Spring Flowers

 Thanks to everyone for the congrats on being one of Tim Holtz Blog Worthy Links! I was so surprised and happy! I love working with Tim Holtz products. I made this collage with a lot of them for the Vintage Journey Challenge #4 I bought this antique photo a long time ago. I love the dog in it and the children are just beautiful. I made a faux cabinet card for it. I plan on doing a blog tutorial soon on how I made it. Thanks for stopping by!

Materials used:
Tim Holtz Alteration Sizzix Dies : Festive Greenery,  Tattered Flower Garland,  Spring Greenery

A Vintage Journey-Challenge 2

 I recently found a new blog A Vintage Journey. It is a Tim Holtz Challenge Blog. Tim is my all

time favorite crafter so this challenge was a breeze.

For this tag I used the Butterfly and Moth stamp by Tim. I cut and colored them with

distress ink. Then I covered them in rock candy paint.  The paper is the new Wallflower collection. Take flight is a Tim Holtz rub on. I LOVE getting inky!

Valentine's Day Contest

I have joined a group on eBay called MOMZ. We are a group of women who are moms and grandma's who love to scrapbook. Everyone is super talented and really nice. You can find our eBay auctions by searching "MOMZ". 

We are having a contest! Feb 4-11th. Find the word CUPID in any MOMZ listing

and email that member.  You will be entered to win Cupids Tear Bear! (see logo below)

You can find us on Facebook too. Momz eBay Design Group

I will be listing this valentine Stitched Scrapbook Mat Set this week. My eBay name is lavenderwolf7. Good luck on the contest. That little bear is really cute!!

Cherish-A Mini Chipboard Album

Thank you for your comments on my last post. Following this years theme: Broaden, I have

started a new crafty adventure by making and selling mini books and scrapbook pages. I do consider myself a paper crafter, I almost have all the scrapbook tools known to man yet in the past I had some kind of hang up when it came to traditional scrapbooking. I finally got over my hang-up and created some.  I even made my first You Tube video! This is a pocket, hidden hinge, chipboard mini album.

Its completely made from hand and stitched. I really had a lot of fun putting it together. It took me forever! I believe the paper I used was My Minds Eye.   The book is available  on Ebay.  I also have two layouts and another mini album available. I will show you those in another post. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 



Hello 2014!

Can you really believe its 2014? I've had this blog since 2007. I only had 17 post last year. Yikes. I can't image anyone is still reading it. I also have never put much "personal" stuff on my blog or online anywhere really. I have 50 excuses like what if the ex, in-laws,or my parents read it? What if people think I'm dumb or a dork? What if someone uses the info and steals my children? But what it really is is fear. Fear of putting myself out there. Fear of what people will think. Well I have noticed a trend among the crafty, DIYers, Moms, and women lately. We are getting REAL. We are posting photos of our chaotic messy house, the project that was a fail, our pouting children, our no makeup yes still in pjs self. We are writing about our pains, failures, feelings, weight gains, and the truth. And I think its...beautiful and brave. My word for the year 2014 is BROADEN. I want will broaden my world, my experiences, my heart, my soul. It WILL be super scary but I'm ready for that.

I will start out by telling you last year was hard. Really hard. My business Brandywine Designs seem to fall off the planet. No matter how hard I tried the income just wasn't coming in. My husband is a contractor and got a year long "job from hell everything went wrong"  job so he was stressed for 1 whole year. My son became a teen (enough said). That's just some of it. The most depressing part was I almost got a divorcé. But through counseling and a few amazing books and people we are happier than we have ever been together. One of those people was Alisa Bowman. She has a book and blog Happily Ever After. Let me tell you people she is REAL. She puts it ALL out there. And she is super nice too. 

I'm still going to have a "crafty" blog.  I am BROADENING my crafty, art side too.  My goal is to blog at least once a week. I have a lot to share and I don't plan on holding back.

If your still reading this...thank you! And to all any of the wonderful people that have stuck with my blog over the years THANK YOU! 

p.s. I'm mostly social network on Instagram. You can find me here  http://instagram.com/lavenderwolf7