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

my blog

Monday, November 21, 2016

Imaginarium Designs

Create your Dreams 
By Sue Smyth 



Hi Bloggers
I have been so busy of late, so I only have one project for you, but hopefully
you will love it. I made it before the silly season commenced 
so I have loads of photos and a tutorial for you to make up for it lol
I was inspired by a layout I saw on the net,  by Nina Roganova 
And in the layout the designer used a lot of green and
embroidered around her photos.
I thought I would try to replicate that look with chipboard
and I think it work really really well! Almost too well!


I purchased a bottle of Moss paint, this is a two pack system
and I so wanted to use it in this experiment. So the overall
look was of moss and spring green, with a pop of 
colour from flowers.


Here I have used real moss to tuck under small flowers.
Because the colour is so strong you only need
small flowers to lift the look.


Here I have made a faux cloisonne butterfly.
1. Paint chip butterfly with white gesso 
2. Paint over gesso with a metallic sparkly paint, thickly
3. Add swirls in a contrasting liquid or pearl drop paint.
4. Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to swirl the paint into 
the metallic paint.
5. Allow to dry.


I have added the moss 2 pack, to the bird and the chip thistles
it gives them a great texture and dimension.
I have added some to the back ground as well.


Then I have used some Art Stones on the background too,
I am in love with these as they look so real and natural.
They also can be coloured to suit if needed and go so
well with chipboard.


The title is just painted with matt black spray paint
then I have layered it over the photo and chip elements.


After I have painted the thistles with gesso and the moss 2 pack paint
I have added Dimensional magic to the tops and 
sprinkled with micro beads or prills, they look so real, dont they?


The thistle in the back ground has lavender beads added 
to create a neat contrast. Tuck real moss into the top of the photo.


The rips in the sides are perfect places to add tiny details

Here is how I made the background 


Take a white or cream sheet of cardstock and spritz with water 
then add drops of green dylusions spray or other brand if desired, just make
sure it is a strong colour.
Allow it to bleed and blend adding sprays of 
water to move it around the page.


Then  I have made a mask or stencil with the negatives
of chipboard.
Use tape to cover areas you don't want to spray, and cover the edges
with scrap paper so you get a clear image.


On a second sheet spray all of the weeds with the same ink.
A little tip if you want it paler, just dilute some of the ink 
in a spare bottle.


Add sprays of water to allow them to blend and bleed.


Now add drops of green ink with a pipette until the big blogs
join together, keep playing until you are happy with it.


Then here is a great tip, if you have too much ink on the 
page, scrunch up wet wipes and press down on the area.
Here I have weighted them down, on my first page to take away
some of the colour, this will give you 
a neat marble look, try it next time on scrap cardstock first.

Now paint the chip with white gesso first.
Dry and then paint with 2 pack moss.


You can see the fibres and texture in the paint, which 
creates the mossy look.
I think you could achieve a similar effect with flower soft or flocking?
What do you think?


I have added small prills or micro beads here and there 
for yet more dimension.


Use Dimensional magic to add them as detail on the 
thistles. 
Then assemble page, I have layered my stenciled page
over top of the heavily sprayed page, and then torn
2 large V's in each side so you can see the spray below.
This makes a nice area to add details.

A lot of these techniques let the mediums do the work for you
it is just a matter of playing with them until
you are confident and then you can 
predict what they might do, and use it to your advantage.
Give it a go!!




Happy Crafting ! 



Thursday, November 17, 2016

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Couture Creations guest 2

Treasured Memories 
by Sue Smyth 
For my second layout using Ooh La La, I wanted a different 
look. Still vintage but with a more modern feel.
Again the matching patterned papers are 
just perfect for layering as they match the look 
will be seamless.



The labels are so easy to trim out and use to create a 
layered look


Here I have teamed Ooh La La with gold and black, 
accented with pearls and gold glitter cardstock


The cream cardstock is altered a little with 
Anna Griffin Arabesque stencil.
I have used a khaki colour or kraft coloured ink for
a subtle look


The Chipboard is double embossed with a thick 
aged embossing powder for a lustrous look 


Don't be afraid to snip the labels in half and 
tuck under the layers, this adds interest and 
re inforces the layering 



Tuck some cream paper flowers around the layered label 
and die cut glitter cardstock. Top it with an 
enamel clock.


A timeless Layout 
for you all 




Happy Crafting 


Sue Smyth