Welcome to my Blog

Welcome everyone, I hope to inspire you and share some of my papercraft work. You can find out where I teach and what I am up to, what inspires me and what I am working on next. I love to share new ideas and neat ways of adding creativity to your pages or cards etc

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Sunday, August 30, 2015

couture Creations

Bird House Card
By Sue Smyth 



I was tidying my studio and found this old template, I cannot even remember
what site I got it from, but it inspired me to make another
bird house card.



I knew I would be able to incorporate an idea I have had with 3 sleeping
stems from the Secret Garden collection.


You can make sweet white snow drops with
green stems from the intricate dies.
See my how to below.



Die cut 3 sets of sleeping stems from white and green cardstock.



Snip off the white flowers and adhere over the green
die cut. I like to do one side at a time,so I don't
get them mixed up, though they are pretty forgiving.
I have added green dots with a sharpie pen to the sides of
the flower. You can also emboss the white 
flowers on a mouse pad for extra dimension.


I added the Sparrow on a branch die.
Cut 2 one from green cardstock and one from Heartsease
papers and adhere the birds together.
But leave the branches un-adhered and spread them
apart. Adhere the snow drops and Sparrow onto your card

Couture Creations Materials 


Happy Crafting 


Friday, August 21, 2015

August Imaginarium post




Spooky altered book and 
Trinket box 
By Sue Smyth 

I managed to acquire a lot of old encyclopedias, which are great to 
alter and also do a class, because everybody has the same as a base.
This book I have altered as a Halloween decoration.  



I have used an old plastic skeleton as the centre piece and for 
a set of layered wings I have use metal wings from Imaginarium and 2 sizes of the
monarch butterfly.


I really wanted to use one of the corner flourishes, but had 
none left, so I have used the negative of the chipboard
to apply texture paste to give the same shape. See my mini
tutorial below. 


My skeleton (Jack) rests on a bed of bubble wrap and muslin.


I have clustered a bunch of Imaginarium trinkets 
around Jack. I have chosen any trinket that 
fits the them, clocks anchors, heart and wings etc .


I painted the skeleton with gesso before laying him to rest. 


for the wings I have painted them black with spray paint
then rubbed over purple metallic paint on the edges, along with a tiny
sprinkle of gold stickles
Add some luminous rhinestone eyes to Jack and a metallic crown.


Add old keys, lock panels and I even found a skull and 
cross bones in my stash, along with skull beads.

Here is a mini tutorial 



Cut a rectangle panel out of the front of the book.
Adhere some of the first few pages to the back of the cover 
for a base.


So if you have ever found yourself wanting to 
use a certain chipboard and you have none
left, here is how to fake it.


Use the negative to apply texture paste, like you would a 
stencil. Allow to dry and work away as normal


I have added plastic braid and other chipboard, corners and 
cogs.



To add texture I have used a palette knife to apply 
texture paste and once applied pull up the texture
paste to form peaks.


I have painted the whole book with Dylusions purple grape
paint, leaving little peeks of red showing through.
Once dry paint over with black gesso.


Rub over with Graphite inka gold for a metallic sheen and layer
over metallic gold paint, then decorate as you like.


Imaginarium Chipboard used


Trinket box 



My next project is a little trinket box, as I love to make the
for friends and family as gifts.


This time I have used lots of Denises Art deco embellishment
flourish to make a 3 D rose, as I had a lot of them and wanted
to use them up.
I have a mini tutorial below.


Once the rose is constructed I have 
sprayed it with black spray paint.
Then burnish with gold and purple 
metallic paint


The end effect matches the metal trinkets I have used too.


Start with a disc of scrap chipboard.
Dampen all of the chip flourishes with 
a quick spray of water.


Bend them into curved shapes and hot glue onto the 
scrap.( it is important to not spray too much water on them
as they will not adhere down well)


Keep building offsetting each of the "petals"


Make as large as you like


So it looks a little like a crown


Then spray with black spray paint or any other colour you like and 
use on your trinket box.

Imaginarium Chipboard used 




Happy Crafting 



Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Fairy Box by Sue Smyth


 Fairy Box 
By Sue Smyth  


As you know I love to make off the page items, I was inspired this 
time by the cute fairy die from the Secret Garden collection.



I have made the sides so that they fold down, this is
easy if you punch holes in the edges and lace
up with tie dyed seam binding.


Cut panels from Heartsease papers and decorate the sides
and construct a sweet garden for the fairy to sit in


On the cover add a hand dyed flower and die cut 
Strawberry leaves 



I have added 2mm rhinestones the the fairy wings and 
of course lots of glitter 


To make the fairy, die cut twice and glue the body
of the fairy together, bend out the wings
to spread them out. Blend inks over wings
add glitter and rhinestones. She can
then be perched over a flower or red spotted mushroom to
complete the woodland look 

You will need 



Happy Crafting