Tracey Campbell's Lesson for the month

My lesson this month is a lesson on how to turn a mistake into something useable. I kid you not I had good intentions of showing you how to get a great effect from the Crafter's Templates in the Mystical Store but upon using them with a Dauber I got the worst looking mess ever. In defeat I flipped the template over onto the second half of the cardstock and got a lovely pattern. So stick with me as I go through the process and see for yourself.
1. I use washi tape to hold down the templates as I tend to be a bit rough and sometimes they slide. Use a dauber to spread the ink around.



 2. Make random dots and lines with the dauber.

 3. Spray some water into the sponge on the top of the dauber so that you can make splatter marks across the template.

 4. Turn the dauber upside down and splat it onto the stencil so that it sprays across the template and the cardstock.

 5. Once you are happy with the spreading out of the ink over the template lift it up and see the effect.

 6. Upon revealing how the dauber worked with the template and the mess it made I place the template ink side down on the second half of the cardstock. I really didn't like how the dabber and the template had worked together. The ink ran and went under the template. At this stage I was going to throw out the cardstock.

 7. I lifted the stencil off the other half of the cardstock and found the reverse pattern I was looking for....but perfect for what I wanted.

 8. I then moved the template down so that it left some more ink on the bottom half of the cardstock.

 9. I cut the pattern out into a rectangle, without my first messy attempt on it.

 10. Using an eye dropper I dropped some blue ink onto the cardstock. The higher you have the eye dropper from the paper the more spread out the drops will be.

 11. Run the straw from the ink around the edge of the paper to give it some lines.

 12. Mat a photo onto your design.

 

Here is my final layout where I have turned a mistake in to a fine looking large photo mat.

The Gardens

 Thanks for popping in. I would love to hear about when you have turned a mistake into a great creation. Pop over to our Facebook Chat page and tell me all about it.

 

Hugs

Tracey

Paper Strip Flowers by Jane Howden

Hello lovely ladies,  

Do you, like me, collect the manufacturer strips from your patterned paper?  Want to know a really easy but very effective way of using them up?  Stay tuned!

Collect your patterned strips.  I have used strips that are 1/4 inch wide.  Each flower will need 7 strips and the size of your finished flowers will be determined by the length you cut each strip.  I have cut mine to 4 inches and 2 1/2 inches respectively.

TIP  The smaller the flower the less strips you need.

TIP  You don't need to use the manufacturer strips - you can cut your own from any scrap patterned paper you may have
. 

When you have your strips cut to size stack them up into an even pile and find the center and mark with a pencil.  Place your stack onto an old mouse pad, off-cut of box cardboard or Styrofoam (just something that will cushion impact) and take a thumbtack or other paper piercing tool and make a hole through your layers.

Place a brad through your hole to form the center of the flower and close loosely - you can use a plain, solid colour brad or a more decorative style - whichever takes your fancy.  Now open the strips of paper out much like you would spread open a hand of playing cards until your flower "petals" looks evenly distributed.  Make sure the prongs of your brad are pressed down firmly to hold everything into place.

They are now ready for you to use on a layout.  Enjoy.

Tutorial - ATC by Dale Tiernan

Hi everyone. It's Dale here. I'm going to run you through creating an ATC. Perhaps you are not familiar with these term or you are but have never made one. They are a lot of fun. Here's a little run down before I start.

Artist trading cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern trading cards baseball cards,^[1] or 2 ¹⁄₂ by 3 ¹⁄₂ inches (64 mm × 89 mm),^[2] small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets.^[3] The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland.^[4] Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals or fiber. The cards are usually traded or exchanged. When sold, they are usually referred to as art card editions and originals (ACEOs).

That definition was straight from Wikipedia.

I chose some products first of all.

black cardstock
Bo Bunny C-est La Vie Ephemera paper
blue ribbon and blue pen, white ribbon
sepia ink
Pink Paislee Hey Kid Element sticker
Flourish With A Bling, Grace - Pearl

There is Kaisercraft sticker sheet showing but I didn't end up using it.

1. I chose to use a black cardstock as a background. I cut it to the 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch size and put it to one side.
2. I then cut a piece slightly smaller of the Bo Bunny paper. It had a nice corset on it that I thought would be terrific. I distressed all the edges and ran the ink along the sides.
3. I added some colour to the corset with my blue pen. 
4. Then I adhered the white mini pom pom ribbon to the waist.
5. Next I added the Hey Boy sticker.
6. I cut a piece from the pearl bling and added that.
7. Next I wound the blue ribbon around the top of the paper twice and tied it in a knot.
8. Finally I adhered the paper to the black cardstock.
9. All done.

Here is the finished ATC.

When these cards are traded you add your information to the back. They are fun to swap and collect. I have also added some to my scrapbook pages before. It's a like a little mini art work on your page.

Why not try making one of these. I'd love to see some ATC's in our gallery, just for fun.

Jane's Gallery pick for May ...

I have chosen this wonderful page by Mel from my sketch in the May Sketch Mania Cyber Crop for my gallery pick this month.  I just love the soft colours she has used.  It gives the page such a dreamy quality. Great work Mel - love it.

Tracey Campbell's Take of the Monthly Challenge

Jane Howden set the challenge this Month and boy did it ever have me stumped for a little while, I don't have many older photos....so I used an old High School photo of me and a few friends. Does it match the over 30 vintage criteria?????  I'm not telling!!!! You will have to make up your own mind.

I have used the camera as my vintage ephemera.

High School Memory

 

Just in case you can't remember the challenge it is to use a vintage photograph (or more than one).  To be considered vintage an item must be 30 plus years in age so unless you are a sweet young thing this will likely mean we can use photographs of our childhood or pictures of our parents or grandparents or other family members.  

Use some sort of vintage ephemera as embellishment on your page.  This doesn't have to actually be 30 years old (but again it can be if you wish) but it has to depict something relevant to a vintage era so think items depicting old fashioned hand phones or cameras, keys, tickets, lace and ribbon etc.

Happy Scrapping

Tracey's Gallery Pick for May

My pick for May is this lovely Layout done by Deb W - the soft colours and the clustering caught my attention and then when I looked closely there was so many elements to look at. It truly is Lovely.

 

Today Is Lovely by Deb W

 

Mystical May Cybercrop Sketches with a Feminine Twist

As Mother's Day is in May we are celebrating with a feminine twist to our challenges. There will be three sketches set for you to use then one extra criteria .... that has a feminine touch to it. Do not let that stop you from scrapping those boy photos....just use your imagination to include the extra criteria on the page.

Tracey's Challenge

The extra feminine twist is - BLING.

Sketch is taken from Scrapbook Circle

Tracey Campbell

Dale Tiernan

Jane Howden

Dale's Challenge

The extra feminine twist is - RIBBON.

Sketch is taken from Page Maps

 Dale Tiernan

Jane Howden

Tracey Campbell

Jane's Challenge

The extra feminine twist is - FLOWERS.

Sketch is taken from Page Maps

Jane Howden

 Tracey Campbell

Dale Tiernan

You have until Midnight Friday the 16th to get you layouts into the Mystical Scrapbook Gallery for your chance to be in the running for one of these wonderful feminine prize packs.

Happy Scrapping.

 

Dale's DT example for the May challenge at Mystical

Hi everyone. Dale here. It's an exciting day at Mystical Scrapbooks.

First of all the cyber crop starts in half an hour. Don't miss it. It's going to be great fun.

Secondly, I have my example for Jane's May challenge.  Here's Jane's criteria.

Use a vintage photograph (or more than one).  To be considered vintage an item must be 30 plus years in age so unless you are a sweet young thing this will likely mean we can use photographs of our childhood or pictures of our parents or grandparents or other family members.  It doesn't have to be about motherhood although you are most welcome to use that theme if you wish.

I am also going to ask you to use some sort of vintage ephemera as embellishment on your page.  This doesn't have to actually be 30 years old (but again it can be if you wish) but it has to depict something relevant to a vintage era so think items depicting old fashioned hand phones or cameras, keys, tickets, lace and ribbon etc.

Here is my layout.

These cute little lads are my cousin's. They are now all grown up with kids of their own. All the products I've used are available in the Mystical store.

Make up a layout and load it into the Mystical gallery here.

Look out for my next blog post which will be a gallery pick. It could be your layout featured.

Our MAY challenge ...

Jane here and welcome to May.  This month we are going to introduce something a little different  .. a single monthly challenge.

Previously each of the DT have introduced our own challenge each month but we have decided to make life a little less complicated for everyone and we are going to have just the one - hosted in rotation by one team member and this month is my turn.  This doesn't mean the other two get off scott free !! Oh No!  they will be popping in during the month with their own takes on my challenge for your inspiration.

I'm sure this month our thoughts will focus on motherhood while we enjoy the attentions of our loved ones (or perhaps lavish attention of our own onto someone else) on Mother's Day.  At this time we may pause to remember experiences we shared in the past with our own mother or a grandmother or perhaps with our now grownup children.

So for the May challenge I'm going to ask you to use a vintage photograph (or more than one).  To be considered vintage an item must be 30 plus years in age so unless you are a sweet young thing this will likely mean we can use photographs of our childhood or pictures of our parents or grandparents or other family members.  It doesn't have to be about motherhood although you are most welcome to use that theme if you wish.

I am also going to ask you to use some sort of vintage ephemera as embellishment on your page.  This doesn't have to actually be 30 years old (but again it can be if you wish) but it has to depict something relevant to a vintage era so think items depicting old fashioned hand phones or cameras, keys, tickets, lace and ribbon etc.

For my sample page I have used a photograph of my mother as a young woman.  My Mum was a very quiet, very gentle, ladylike woman - I always thought she radiated beauty not only outwardly but from inside herself as well.  I have used a typewriter as my vintage embellishment and touches of pearls which was her jewelry of choice.

I have used papers and element stickers from the Crate Paper - For the Record range.  Ribbon, flowers and pearls as well as the cardstock background all available in the store.

You have all month to complete your layout.  Please upload it to our May Challenge folder in the gallery for your chance to win a lovely Mystical prize.