Read

I (Mary-Ann, in case you weren't sure!) have always believed that reading to my boy is very important.    Since my son was young, we would cuddle in his bed, he would twirl my hair and I would read.  Now that he is 8, he is reading to me.  I must admit that I miss the hair twirling!  Reading is definitely his strength.  (You should see homework time that involves math!)  Except this summer, time has snuck by, summer homework is not complete, and getting him to read in our time crunch is like pulling teeth.  So, on a long trip to Maine last weekend, we rented a couple audio books from the local library and voila, the problem is solved!  He was bored in the car, so listening and flipping pages filled the time gap! (You know if you have ever had an 8 yr old, this was still a struggle.)

For this layout, I knew which photo I wanted and needed a background color to anchor my "302" 6x6 papers from Farmhouse Paper Company.  I layered my papers, metals, tags, stickers, chipboards until I developed a collage that I liked.  Once my papers were glued down, I decided to add  scattered stars using the Stars layering Stencil by Tim Holtz.  This stencil allowed my to place different size stars exactly where I wanted them.  I threw on some yellow punched stars I had on hand and some sequins.  I stapled the sequins on to help bring in more metal for balance.  They were attached with Tim's Tiny Attacher and a long reach stapler from Staples.  I added stitching, foam tape behind items that needed dimension and a title cut from my Silhouette.  

Thank you for taking a peek at my layout.  Hope you are inspired to fill some more pages of your albums!

Here are the items from the shop here at Eclectic Paperie!

Farmhouse Paper Company - 302 6x6 Paper Pad	Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Stars	Idea-ology - Tim Holtz - Remant Rubs - Numbers	Archival Ink - Jet Black Jumbo Ink Pad	Distress Ink Pad - Weathered Wood
Ranger Felt Applicator Tool	Idea-ology Tiny Attacher	Idea-ology Tiny Attacher Refills	Scotch Foam Mounting Tape	Mono Adhesive Tape Runner - Permanent
Beacon - Zip Dry

Father's Day

Hi eP fans, it's Mary-Ann here with you today to share some of my very simple, fast Father's day cards. I need to make several cards for this holiday and I was determined after being late for Mother's Day, that I would NOT let that happen again. (shhhh, I still have two mother's day cards to be mailed!)

I LOVED the Strong collection from Authentique.  Here I used the 6x6 paper pad and embellishments. The papers in this collection allowed me to create three different cards that look like they are three different lines but they still all coordinate beautifully.

For the first card,  I layered several patterned papers and a couple Stamp Blocks and Circles.  I inked all my edges with Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo.  This helps soften the edges.  I added a FarmHouse Paper Company key and May Arts ribbon.  See that great big delicious brown button?  That gem came from an antique store in Maine.  I just love how rich it is.  Of course, I added some Scotch Foam Mounting Tape behind some elements to bring dimension to my card.

For my second card, I layered some of the beautiful blue papers.  Again, very simple but the layering makes it look richer and more detailed.  I added a couple tags and twine that I had on hand.   I again used foam tape for added volume. 

I needed this tag to add to my dad's present.  I used an Inkssentials Surface #5 Black tag an covered it with the newsprint paper.  Added a strip of the GORGEOUS woodgrain.  I added punched circles that but thought it needed something more.  I dug out my Idea-ology - Tim Holtz - Remnant Rubs chopped them up and added small pieces in different locations that helped embellish my tag, still keeping it simple.   Adding ribbon, Black Shine twine from The Twinery and foam tape finished off my tag.

With just a simple, gorgeous pad of paper, I made three completely different cards.  I hope you are inspired to start your cards a bit early.

Sew easy...

Hello all, Alison here!  I'm so happy to be back with you to share another project, a jumbo shabby chic tag this time.  This is a great way to use up paper scraps, but also to use several of the papers in a collection.  If you're like me, then it's sometimes hard to crack in to a new pad, since they all look so beautiful in there together... this way you get to see them together but in use on a project!

I cut myself a large size tag (8.5 by 4.25 inches) and selected the papers I wanted to use from the Farmhouse Collection 6 x 6 pad, Fair Skies.  I had some pieces left over from a previous project, and I added a couple of new pages into the mix too.

First step was to cut them to size, varying heights but all the width of the tag, and then I spent some time shuffling them about until I was pleased with the arrangement before sticking them all down.

I did some fairly hefty sanding at this point... I love the worn look you can achieve with something as simple as some sandpaper.

Next was a light whitewash for a further shabby chic effect.  

I usually just dot some paint onto my craft mat and add a good spritz of water and apply the wash direct from there.

Then it was time to add some stamping texture... always a magical moment for me when the stamps come out.  This tag uses the gorgeous Wendy Vecchi set Art By Hand.  The sewing labels and advertisements make great background images, adding some extra interest.  They're stamped in Archival ink - in case I decide to do another coat of shabbiness!

I love altering the Tim Holtz AlphaParts.  These start out as black plastic, but you can paint, ink and alcohol ink them for various effects.  I usually paint mine on a spare bit of card, so that I can easily move them out of the way so that I can do something else while they dry.  Here they are with a coat of pale acrylic paint.

And if you do it on some card, you have the added bonus that you get a kind of stencil effect when you remove them - now I've got the quote in reverse should I happen to want it at some point!  Here they've also had Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink blended over the surface.

I stamped the scissors and thimble from the set on plain cardstock, "coloured" them with Pewter Distress Stain and then added a coat of clear embossing powder for added shine.  The little cotton reel is from my stash.  I wound some red thread around it, and gave that a quick wash of white paint too, to shabby it up (or down?!).

Thanks so much for stopping by today... it's great to have your company here at eclectic Paperie.  Do come back again soon; there's new inspiration every day from my fantastic fellow Design Teammates, so there's always something worth seeing.

Happy Crafting!

Alison xx