It's Tag Tuesday! Happy St Paddy's Day and a tutorial!

It's a double celebration today since it is St Patrick's Day and tag Tuesday!

First up is a grungy mixed media tag that I did for Swirlydoos Kit Club monthly tags of savagery challenge.  We are using our tag challenges each month to try out different techniques and this month we are playing with mists and textures.  Below is a video tutorial showing you how I made my tag.

Come join in the fun of this challenge and make a grungy tag with us!  You do not need to use Swirlydoos products for most of our challenges.

For all my Irish friends, and isn't everyone Irish today, here's a St Patrick's Day tag that I made from Graphic 45's Bohemian Bazaar and Typography.  I added a Leaky Shed Studios oval frame and a vintage graphic, flowers and a bow to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by!

Swirlydoos Kit Club March KOM reveal!

Welcome to:

Swirlydoos Kit Club 

March Scrapbook Kit Reveal!

Thank you for stopping by today! I received my kit just a few days ago and it was well worth the wait!  I think you'll love the gorgeous Fabscraps Elegant Chic papers that are featured in the kit.  I'll be sharing my work with the kit with closeups and all the delicious details on the Swirlydoos blog and right here on March 25th.  I hope you'll stop by.  In the meantime, take a look at the kit and all the great addons.

Swirlydoos is proud to bring you our beautiful March collection:

Garden Romance

Are you a subscriber? If so, your kit is on it's way if you don't already have it! If not, check out the Swirlydoos store to see if there are any March kits or add ons in the store!

***All of our monthly scrapbook kits are available in our store while supplies last!***

Has it sold out? - become a subscriber and not only will you never miss a kit again, but you'll also pay less for your monthly scrapbook kits!
*Mention this blog hop and save 10% on your first kit*

Here's a little taste of what I've done with the kit.  I used pearls and  flowers from the main kit as well as the flower add on.  Those cute little frames and the title are from the embellishment add on kit.  The gray flourishes are diecut cardstock.

I adore the chipboard gate from Fabscraps that comes in the embellishment kit and what's even better is that there are diecut papers to cover the chipboard also included in the embellie kit. I made the vines using leaves that came in the floral add on.  The chipboard flowers on the right are from the main kit and the pearl branches are in the embellie kit .  The dodads on the gate are Prima Alpha Trinkets from the embellie kit.  

I'll be sharing more projects and all the details on the 25th, be sure to stop by!

Check out what the other designers have done with the kit so far!

Angelica  http://angelicascrappenings.blogspot.com/

Paulien http://paulienvandenbosch.blogspot.com

Maja http://stokk-eyovine.blogspot.se/

Maggi  http://scraptravelbark.blogspot.com/\

Helena http://willeascrappar.blogspot.com

Kim www.droopidog.typepad.com

Rae www.scrappingfancy.com

A Snapguide card tutorial using Graphic 45's Artisan Style.

Here's a fun card that you can make with Graphic 45's Artisan Style.  There's a complete start to finish tutorial on Snapguide below.   

Inside the opening doors you can tuck a gift card or a hidden message.

The flowers are handmade using McGill's Floriano and Retro Flower punches.  I used Core'dinations G45 Signature Series cardstock and misted with Lindy's Cape Cod Coral.

Check out How to Make a Card With Graphic 45 Artisan Style by Maggi HARDING on Snapguide.

Please visit my Snapguide page to see other tutorials that I'll be posting.  Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it!

It's Tag Tuesday!

I love making tags because the are small projects where I can just play and not be too concerned if it doesn't turn out the way I wanted it too.  I really have a hard time experimenting with really pretty paper because I don't want to ruin it, but with a tag, it's just a little bit of paper and no biggie if it ends up in the trash bin!

I made the first tag with Graphic 45's Steampunk Spells, that's such a fun collection to play with.  I started out with a mixed media background and then added in some elements from the collection and a couple of Leaky Shed Studios chipboard.  Love the steampunk bicycle!

I also experimented with a different bow than I've tied before and I'm quite pleased with it.  I used my bow-it-all to tie a 3 loop bow from tulle that was probably 8" wide.

I did a video start to finish tutorial for this tag.

                     

This next tag was made with Graphic 45's new Artisan Style collection.  I put a little pocket on the front so that I could write a personal message for someone and that makes my tag a targ, LOL!  A targ, is my word for a tag that is also a card.

I made a tulle bow for the tag also and this time I used white tulle that I misted with Lindy's Wild Honeysuckle Coral.  I love how it turned out!

I added just a little bit of molding paste on the background.  Fist I used some Viva Decor altgold Ferro paste and an Art Anthology drip stencil that came in the February Swirlydoos Kit Club mediums kit.  

I used Crafter's Warehouse mini tiles stencil and Studio 490 black embossing paste at the bottom of the tag.

I cut two frames with a Spellbinders die and edged the diecuts with copper embossing powder.

The flowers were white Petaloo textured blossoms that I tinted with Lindy's Wild Honeysuckle Coral. 

Thanks for stopping by!

A Calendar Journal - Graphic 45's Time to Flourish

This was a week long project and the end result was 27 9. x 8.5" pages that comprise a calendar journal made from G45's Time to Flourish collections.  Please join me on my video tour of my book that is a calendar with journaling spots and pockets full of tags!

Here's the front cover.  I created 4 pages for each month, a journal page, a calendar page, a pocket page and a pretty page!

Here are a few of the pages from the journal.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it as always!

Graphic 45's Time to Celebrate card and tutorial.

Tomorrow is my Mom's 93rd birthday and of course I had to make a special card for her!  I decided to use Graphic 45's beautiful Time to Celebrate collection for her card.  She will love the little birthday girl on the front of my card!

I've put together a tutorial for you if you'd like to make this card.  I've used Snapguide for the first time.  Let me know if you like that format.  It's really kind of  neat way to put together tutorials!

Here's a link to the template I made for this card.

Thanks for stopping by!

An ABC Primer

How exciting it is that Graphic 45 released this paper collection again as a Deluxe Collector's Edition because I did not get this collection the first time around.  I'm so happy to have it in my hoarded G45 stash now!

Graphic 45's March challenge is to create a project inspired by love.  This layout was certainly inspired by love, it is a photo of the dearest person in the world to me, my Mom, when she was around 10 years old, say 1932.   I love the look of these old vintage photos!

I made the flowers with a Paper Artist Bodacious Blooms die and then I used McGill's starburst die to create the centers.  I used Core'dinations Graphic 45 Tuscan Sun cardstock and stamped it with a script stamp before fashioning my blooms.

The pretty chipboard corners are from Leaky Shed Studios.  I've heat embossed them with Stampedous Aged Gold embossing powder; it's one of my go to products for altering chipboard.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, I apprecite it more than you'll ever know!

Graphic 45 Artisan Style

I absolutely love the G45 Artisan Style collection!!  Love the colors, the design!  Dare I say it's my new fave??  Oh no, I can not pick a favorite G45 collection, I just love them all.  Do you have a favorite?   I could pick maybe a top 3, hmmmm, let's see, French Country, Bird Song, oh and of course, Raining Cats and Dogs.  OK, maybe I CAN pick a fave, definitely Raining Cats and Dogs by just a wee margin over the others.  LOL!!  Then of course, as I was saying, my new fave, Artisan Style.

Ok so here's another Artisan Style with a little cardboard tucked in for fun and some Creative Embellishments chipboard.  I took the picture inside an old grist mill along the Blue Ridge Parkway.   I just love those pretty bright mums sitting amongst all the old and dusty tools.

I've been working on some mixed media tags with G45 so be sure to stop by if you want to see those.  Tell me, what's your favorite G45 line?  Can you pick a fave?  Thanks for stopping by!

Floral Delight with Fabscraps

Fabscraps Floral Delight is well, delightful, with its pretty delft blue papers!  I kept this one kind of simple as I wanted the bright yellow, and stark white to really contrast with the blues in the paper.

I've used Petaloo Botanica flowers to embellish.

For This Project You Will Need:

·    FabScraps Floral Delight collection C74:

·        1 sheet C74 002 Delft Blue

·        1 sheet C74 003 Delft Flowers

·        1 sheet C74 001Blue Birds

·    2 sheets contrasting color cardstock if desired

·    Fabscraps chipboard DC74 008 Teapot

·    Fabscraps MC74 001A Journal Book diecut teapot and fussy cut Time for Tea title and teacups from top of cake.

·    Punch around the page border punch

·    Embellishments of your choice - flowers, leaves etc.

Instructions:

1. Cut 003 Delft Flowers down  to a 10" square.  Punch around the page if desired.
2. Cut a piece of contrasting cardstock to 10" square and adhere 003 Delft Flowers from step 1  on top of the cardstock.
3. Now tear 4 strips from 001 Blue Birds about 1" x 10.5" and adhere around the edges of the paper in step 2 so that about a half inch is showing all around.  Now glue all of this to 002 Delft Blue not centered on the page, but to the right side and bottom of the page as shown in the above photo.
4. Choose a white and a patterned diecut teapot from MC74 001A Journal book. We are going to create a teapot with a white handle and base so carefully cut the handles and bases from both diecuts.  Now attach the teapot body to the DC74 008 chipboard teapot.  Then attach the white handle and base.  You will have to carefully trim a little to make it fit since the white teapot is facing the oposite direction of the patterned teapot.
5. Mat your photo on cardstock and adhere to the right side of the page as shown.
6. Diecut an oval or cut a rectangle about 4" x 6" amd adhere towards the left bottom overlapping the photo.  Now adhere the teapot as shown in the photo.
7. Pop up the teacups and adhere to the right of the teapot.
8. Take the Time for Tea title  from MC74 001A Journal Book and using foam to pop it up, place underneath the photo.
9. Embellish as desired with flowers, butterflies and greenery.

 Thanks for visiting today, I appreciate it!

More projects with Swirlydoos Kit Club Artful Blues February Kit

What I love most about the February Swirlydoos kit is its versatility.  I've done heritage pages and bright mixed media pages all from the same kit!

A few weeks ago I posted a layout of my husband's grandfather showing a photo of him as he prepared to go to France during World War I.  The photo was so great as his grandfather was in the typical "doughboy: uniform.  This is another photo of the same man and what was written on the back photo was fascinating.  His grandfather was born in NYC and when he was 11 years old he was put on the orphan train and traveled to Kansas where he was taken in by a family.  In 1907 he was in Oklahoma when it became a state.  He ended up in Illinois where he married and raised his family.

I read a novel about the Orphan Trains a year or two ago so I was just fascinated to find that my husband's grandfather was actually part of that history.  The Orphan Trains operated from 1853 through the early 1900's placing homeless and neglected children from the slums of NYC with families where they would be another pair of hands to help with life on the farm.   More information on the Orphan Trains here.

I kept this simple, I want to focus on the photo and the writing from the back of the photo.

I used the Kaisercraft black roses from the kit but I misted them with Lindy's Kiwi Glitz Spritz and Shimmerz Shimmeringz Goldie Lox.  The effect of both of these mists is to just add sparkle and is perfect for application on dark colors.  Then I dabbed gold paint on the edges of those as well as the Petaloo flowers from the kit.

I used Stampendous aged gold embossing powder of the chipboard title.

This was a fun project.  I took a sheet of white cardstock and layered it in with the Kaisercraft Blue Bay papers from the kit.  I used Shimmerz TextureZ patina molding paste to do some stenciling on the right side and white paste from the kit on the left side.  At this point I had used every single flower from the main and the add on kits so I dipped into my stash and used these Prima flowers that I got from the store.  The tiny blue roses are some that have been in my stash forever.  The white frames are from a previous kit.

I also did the layout for a challenge that Rae is hosting to use something old - the mask and patina masking paste is at least 2 years old, something new - everything from the kit, something borrowed - chicken wire, something blue -  the papers and roses.  Fun challenge Rae!

Thanks for stopping by my blog, I really appreciate it!