Altered Birdhouse

Happy Wednesday!  Sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately but I am happy to be able to share with you my project for this week at Heartfelt Creations... I'm always trying to figure out new ways of using all the wonderful products that HC offers in new and creative ways!  Of course I love creating cards and scrapbook pages but sometime you just have to do something else and the last few weeks I've been working on the something elses to get my creative juices going... it helps to changes things up a bit at time or lese things even hobbies start feeling like a task.  So here is the super cute and easy little birdhouse I came up with this week.

 Here is the how you can recreate this lovely birdhouse yourself... It's really simple I promise.  Here is what I used but these could all be easily substituted for what you have in your stash.

HCD 702 Decorative Butterfly-Border Die  the border strip is what I used for the roof.
HCD 714 Decorative Layered Basket Die the vine is the perfect size for this kind of project especially when paired with the smaller vine from the Chateau Gate collection
HCD 718 Decorative Chateau Gate Die
HCD 701 Posy Patch Die  these are some of my favorites there is no limits to the types of flowers you can make with this set.
HCPC 3303 Posy Patch Flowers PreCut Set how easy is it when you can punch out the flowers instead of cutting them out... this cuts my time in half!
472186 Rose Creations Shapeabilities I love mixing my leaves it adds interest and flexibility to any cluster.
472123 Foliage Shapeabilities

Other Products: Wooden birdhouse, Delta Creamcoat acrylic paint – Dark Burnt Umber & Ivory, Folkart Crackle Medium, Pattern Paper – Brown & Greed, pink cardstock, Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Martha Stewart red Pigment Ink, BoBunny timepiece jewels

Directions:

Paint entire birdhouse in brown; apply a thick coat of crackle medium around the walls of the birdhouse and with a coat of ivory paint.  Make sure you allow each layer to dry completely; a heat gun can be used to speed up the process.  Be careful when using a heat tool to keep it far away from the project or else the crakle with bubble up.  If it does bubble it is OK it adds to the overall distressed worn look I was going for with this.  I confess that I am NOT the best painter in the world!  LOL!  When I was painting the walls I got some paint on the edges and under the roof so I added some paint randomly to those areas to make it look as though I wanted it that way!  Makes the whole thing appear shabbier which is right in line with my project so don't worry about perfection.

Cut a 4” strip of brown paper and punch out enough border pieces to cover the roof, I used 16.  Ink the edges and the sides of the birdhouse with vintage photo.  Arrange the strips along the roof, curling the edges and offsetting the design, trim off the excess and add a strip to finish the peak of the roof, again ink around the edges.  

Cut out leaves & vines using the dies listed above, ink the edges with vintage photo and arrange the vines around the birdhouse as desired.  I found that by combining the vines I could get a much better look to my project.  I also wanted to have the vines wrap around my house so that the sides flow with the front of the house.  I love the way that turned out, you can see in the picture above how the vines from the front and the vines from the sides wrap around the house, here is another closeup so you can see how I tied in the other wall of the house. 

Here is both of the side views of the house

To create the flowers I used the 5 smallest posy stamps and coordinating dies.  The small flowers used the 2 smallest sets, stamp and cut 10 of each size using the pink cardstock and the red ink, then ink the edges on both sides of the flowers and curl all the petals up using a stylus.  Double up each flower, alternating the petals and finish off with a jewel in the center.  The large flowers are made in the same way but for these, use 2 of each remaining flower sizes per flower and follow the same preparation and assembly of the smaller flowers, these should have 6 layers once completed.  Of couse there are closeups of these as well.

Floral Cross Release

It's time to debut another exciting collection at Heartfelt Creations and once again we are so pleased to showcase a wide variety of samples to inspire your own creativity!  I always like to find new and creative ways to use these stamps but before I show you...

Heartfelt Creations is pleased to release the Floral Cross Collection. This collection is as fresh as a blooming yellow lily on a sunny spring day: intricate flowers compliment the typographical, linear, and wooden crosses. There are 6 new PreCut Stamp Sets and one beautiful new exclusive Spellbinders die designed for Heartfelt Creations.
Leave a comment on the HC blog by February 14 to be eligible to win the entire release valued at $125.93. The winner will be announced on February 15 on the HC Blog.

OK so this wekk I decided to create a canvas... but I had such a hard time with this one.  I find it so frustrating when I have a specific idea and it just doesn't go as planned.  Before I explain what I mean here is my finished project.

I decided that I wanted the flowers stamped all around my canvas, easy right... so after I primed the whole thing with Gesso I stamped the first flower on the corner and I couldn't get a  good image!  Then tried again to realign the stamp!  Urggg... What I mess.  So I reprimed... Do you knw how many coats to cover Archival Ink once it has been stamped!  Lots (3) that how many coats!  LOL!  I finally was ready to try it again...

I figured that the reason I couldn't get a good impression was that the canvas was too loose in the middle so I inked the stamp set it on the canvas... flipped it over to rub from behind the canvas and once I was sure that I had pressed everywhere I lifted it up and I had another horrible mess... LOL!  I reprimmed my canvas and starred at it thinking that I was going to have to do something else...

I had just about given up all hope when I thought of a technique that some of the girls use to make stamped candles... stamping on tissue and embeding the image, that is how I finally got this to work and it was easy after that!  LOL!  I had planed to leave the images clear but I couldn't help myself I just had to add color to these flowers they are just too darn pretty!  Here is a close-up of the stamped flowers... can you tell it is kleenex??  I even love the added texture that it gives the canvas.

The other thing that went wrong with this one is that I had envisioned this canvas running on the opposite side.  The title and the closs where suppose to be beside each other but when I was placing them how I thought I wanted them.. It just wasn't working for me.  It took a while but I finally got something that worked, here is a closeup of the middle pannel...

I can't tell you how many times this project almost ended up being thrown across the room but in the end I do have a beautiful canvas that I'm proud of and that I love!  Thanks for stopping by this week!

It's Another Heartfelt Creations Wednesday!

Well it is that time again and this week I have another layout to share with you for Heartfelt Creations but before I do...   I was talking with a friend of mine this week about my DT commitment and she was commenting on how hard it must be to limit myself to using only HC stamps and that it must be hard to come up with new original projects all the time.  The funny thing is that there is nothing hard about it!  I've found so many things that I can do with these stamps that I don't get bord, I'm always trying to think of how I can use the stamps differently and there are so many options that I can play with that bordom is not an issue.  It did get me thinking though of doing something a little different so I'll try a few layouts regularly and then add my HC twist to them to see so stay tuned for that... not next week because it is the big reveal week and I'm sure you will be delighted by the new collection!  But the week after I'll do a before and after HC page!  Should be fun so I hope you will check it out! 

On to the regularly schedualed festivities.  Here is what I have come up with for this week.  By the way this is also my example for a challenge that I am hosting at Swirlydoos for the month of February called love!  When you think Valentine's day what come to your mind... for me it is all about hearts, roses and sweets and so that is my challenge to all the Swirly Girlies this month is to come up with a layout that incorporates all these elements.  Easy Peasy! 



I used the Vintage Blue collection by Glitz on this page I just love the colors in that collection!  This page just fell together so easily!  I love when that happens!  Here are a few details to share with you.  Of course starting with my favorites... flowers!!  Lots of yummy flowers!  I couldn't really see the stapming on the dark blue flowers so I dipped the edges in glue and sprinkled some Diamond dust on them... also called suguring!  Hense the Sweets in my layout!  The title was also sugared I'm not sure how much you can tell from the picture.  So pretty in real life!  

and just for good measure... even more flowers!  I love the look of adding flowers on fussy cut flowers and this pattern paper was so pretty I just had to do some fussy cutting!

Of course the other main element on this page is the hearts...

And finally the some important and prettiest element on my page!  My darling daughter!





Heartfelt creations and Swirlydoos!

What a winning combination in my mind anyways!  I played along with the the SwirlyHues Challenge at Swirlydoos!  Did you know that anyone can play along there are no restrictions you do not have to be a Swirlydoos Kit subscriber to play! (Even though I am because they have the best kits around, IMO) Here is what we had to do follow the story board... how easy is that!  They provide the colors and a sketch and you select any tutorial from the Swirlydoos extensive list of tutorial and voila you have a completed page!  Here is this months Storyboard:



And for my page I used my Heartfelt Creations stamp to embellish and to create all my flowers!  Here is what I came up with!

You can find a detailed step by step instructions on the Heartfelt Creations Blog along with all the stamps used in the creation of this page.  I'm also playing along with Shopping Our Stash as there challenge this week is to use primarily blue on your page!  But for now a few highlights and closeups... Flowers are my favorite embellishment and honestly I can't remember the last time I used pre-made flowers!  I just adore making my own!  Here is a closeup of the flowers...

Next thing I wanted to show you is the little trinket that I made of the band!  I found a picture of them online and using Glossy accent I secured the image to a Tim Holtz Crystal, the image blured a bit since I have an Ink printer, I'm guessing that a layer printer would not have bled so much but I like it anyways! 



and of course I have to give you a better look at my hottie Colin... Yum! 

And of course a page would not be a swirly page without the mandatory butterfly!  OK they are not mandatory but they should be!

Well with that there is only one thing left to do!  Of course that is leave you with one of my favorite Trews songs!  Check out Colin being his yummy self here in Hold Me!  Gosh I just love it!!

Happy Heartfelt Wednesday!

Wow!  What a week!  I'm so glad my week is over!  Seriously this was... the strangest... block of work that I've had in a long time!  But it is over now and I love when A Friday ends up on a Wednesday and I don't have to be back at work until Monday night!  Are you confused yet... well so am I but that is OK because it is Wednesday and the one thing I can count on on Wednesday's is being inspired by all the amazing projects on the  HC Blog and this week is no exception.  By the way a big congrats to Laraine_R as she won the entire new Chateau Gate Collection valued at $174.90!  Congrats and don't forget HC gives away 1 of each new collection on Release days which are the 2nd Wednesday of every month so don't forget to come on over and play along!!

Well with that out of the way, I have to let you know how much I love this new collection for cards!  Today I have another card to share with you.  I just can't stop making them!  These stapms are just too much fun to color.  Well without further adue here is what I came up with this week...

As always the instructions as to how you can recreate this card are on the HC Blog.  I hope you have picked up some of these stamps because I'm sure they will become some of you favorites.  here is a closeup of the flowers on this I wish I could have captured just how glittery this actually turned out!  But you can kind of see it on this next shot... I just love it!



Well thank you for stopping by and Hope you have a great week!  I know I'm planning on it!!

It's Heartfelt Wednesday!

A little late again, my scheduler is giving me trouble… or maybe it is operator error.  Either way, I apologise that this post is coming at you a little late.  Well this week is another fabulous week for Heartfelt Creations as they have done it again with another beyond fabulous release, the Chateau Gate Collection is just perfect for so many different cards, whether you are creating feminine, masculine, house warming or a thinking of you card, there is something for everything and everyone.  As always when introducing a new collection, HC is giving you the opportunity to win the entire collection and all you have to do is drop by the Heartfelt Creations Blog  and leave a comment by January 17 to be eligible to win the entire release valued at $174.90. The winner will be announced on January 18 on the HC Blog. Here is what I came up with this week, of course all the details on the stamps used and the copic markers are all listed on the HC blog.

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the design team came up with to see just how versatile this set really is!  Good luck and don't forget to leave them a comment for your chance to win!!

Blooming Love with Heartfelt Creations

Well today I get to share my latest page with you... unfortunatle I used the sunflower stamp so you won't be seeing this one on the Heartfelt Creations blog but you should go by and see the other amazing projects that were posted this week.  By the way Today's blog post includes inspiring projects, a family activity idea, and best of all, a sneak peek of the Chateau Gate Collection which is scheduled to release on January 10 at 12 Midnight EST. This collection is "magnificent" and the intricate detail in each of the designs is absolutely beautiful. This collection is very versatile and you will be able to create projects for the men in your life, invites, graduations, love, congrats and so many more! This collection features 9 PreCut Stamp Sets and one beautiful new exclusive Spellbinders die designed for Heartfelt Creations.  I hope you grabbed yours while you could because I really love these flowers anyways here is what I can up with...

Blooming Love Layout

Heartfelt Creations Products
HCPC 2294 Aztec Gold Sunflowers 1 PreCut Set
HCPC 2293 Aztec Gold Sunflowers 2 PreCut Set
415223 Blossom 2
HCPC 3407 Botanical Floral 2 PreCut Set
472186 Rose Creations Shapeabilities
HCPC 3404 Wedding Sentiment PreCut Set
ZD2OZ Zip Dry Paper Glue 2OZ

Other products
Cardstock, pattern paper, trim, Momento Tuxedo Black ink & Martha Stewart pigment ink, tags & journaling spot, Say-it-in-crystals flourish, Prima resin, MS brown glitter

Start with a 12x12 pieces of cardstock for the base. Select 2 coordinating pages of pattern paper. Cut the 1st paper into various strips, one 6 x 11 ½ and two 3 x 11 ½ position the 3” strips along the top and bottom of the page. Cut the second page in strips as well one 8 x 12 and a 4 x 12, layer the 8” in the center of the page followed by the 6” and the 4” strips until pleased with the base. Add trim along the top and bottom of the center strip. Mat a 4x6 photo as well as 2 wallet size photos using the second sheet of cardstock and arrange on the page as shown. Layer 3 tags under the third layer and add a journaling spot under the tags then stamp the title/sentiment on the journaling spot. I created the flowers using some scraps of cardstock; I used a dark and light pink, beige and gold cardstocks. Stamped 2 large and 2 small flowers on each and cut using the coordinating dies, ink all the petal edges pink and snip between each petal. Crease and fold back each petal add brown glitter to the centers of the small flowers and layer alternating colour cardstock. Stamp 18 leaves crumple and arrange as shown on the layout. Finish of the page with crystal flourishes and a resin bird bath.

And here is a close up of the gorgeous blooms on this page...

Well hope you'll stop by next week to see all the gorgeous projects!  I promise you will NOT be disappointed!!  Happy New Years, Warm wishes and all the best.