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

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Christmas Treats

Christmas Treats 
Mason Jar Snowglobe
Join me at paper trenz to make this gorgeous Mason Jar Snowglobe using Tim Holtz Snowflake Rosette die and his Reindeer flight die

Mini Christmas Canvas
The Mini Christmas Canvas would make a great addition to you Christmas display this year, learn
loads of mixed media tricks while making something special with Tim Holtz Snowflake rosette die.
Contact Paper Trenz to join me   

Happy Halloween



My Halloween house was made many years ago, complete with  lights and a scream box, you just have to clap our hands and the whole house shudders and screams! it never gets old lol
So each year I dust it off ( not too much) and pop it out as a Halloween decoration for trick or treaters !

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Canvas Triptych


Canvas Triptych
by Sue Smyth 

Today I am sharing a Canvas Triptych, that I made about my children, conveniently I have 3 children so they fit nicely in this type of project


To start I have layered mesh,masking tape and chip boarders over the canvas. I have used 2 on the reversed and one normally. Apply tape to the edges of the reverse sides so the staples and wood do not show. Adhere the chip with gel medium or texture paste, and when dry coat with a rough coat
of gesso. I have attached strong ribbon to the top and base to form hinge .

Apply glimmer mist and paints of your choice to form the base on which you place chip and photos.

Dont be afraid to cut up the chipboard as I have done with the leaf flourish.

To create a birds Nest
twist wood fibre into a nest shape, 
spritz with Olive glimmer mist and a little Coffee shop glimmer mist
Dry brush with gesso on the top and heat with heat gun to dry
Not too much as it will burn,
Dab gesso over 2 cotton buds and spritz with Turquoise glimmer mist, 
allow to dry and snip off the tops.
mold a little with your fingers, and glue in place in the 
nest.


Spray with a combination of 3 mists, either Tattered Angels or Dylusions, allow to dry.
Dry brush edges of canvas with black gesso
Wipe gold paint over the raised areas for a touch of luxury and shine.


Emboss the frame with Stampendous Aged Gold embossing powder for a 
wonderful antique look


Enjoy the close ups 





Some of the Dusty Product used 

Vintage Frame

mini Ornate Gate #2

Flutterbies #3

Vintage Keys

Fancy Trim #4

Flourish #8

mini Picket Fence

Leafy Stem #4

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Sweet layout



Sweet Smile Layout
By Sue Smyth 

Girls always have fun, and this cute layout is made with Couture Creations Basic Square dies and Sophia intricutz lanvin die.


To start the background I have cut lots of squares from lightweight chipboard with 

Adhere to neutral cardstock with texture paste or gel medium. Use a mask, and extra texture paste
to create a dimensional flourish on the side.
Dry brush with gesso 

Spray with glimmer mists and apply Gelatos to the edges of the squares for definition.



Use a wet wipe to blend the Gelato into the background. Play around with the Gelato's and glimmer mists until you are happy with the look.

Couture Creations Products
Other Products used 
Gesso
Party pink, Sunshine & Cross your heart glimmer mist
Texture paste
flourish stencil
Pink and Red Gelato
wipes 
Petaloo flowers
Metal flower
resin heart
pearl and bead trim
adhesive trim 
Crushed Olive & Peeled Paint Tim Holtz Distress Stain 
white glitter
dimensional magic 
White paint pen
Imaginarium Chip Alpha
Donna Salazar Alphabet


Happy Crafting 



Thursday, October 3, 2013

Butterfly Magic and Shadow Box


Butterfly Magic 
By Sue Smyth 
I wanted to make a layout featuring butterflies, using all the different sizes that Imaginarium have. I wanted the butterflies to form the background as well as the fore ground embellishment. So many of us think of chip as an embellishment and not a background element. Here I have used the butterflies and hexagon chip to make the back ground. And also use the butterflies as a mask in areas when spraying with glimmer mist.
It is all about layering inks and mediums and then finally chip to create a wonderfully dimensional background. You may not be able to see this in the photo as it is hard to capture.

Several years ago my daughter posed for these fairy shots, you would not catch her doing that these days. But the photo is perfect for what I wanted to do. 

I have used the Croco crackling by Viva for the Magic title, and the background too. I really like the effect. The top right hand side, I have sprayed white dylusions over the top with a stencil and it has been absorbed by the crackle to leave this shadow of a white flourish which I love.

First paint the butterfly with gesso and then ink around the edges with your favourite color, cover carefully with dimensional magic and sprinkle with white glitter. When dry add different sized rhinestones as the body.

Use the hexagon chip as a mask, to apply Viva Stone Effect Paste and allow to dry. Then randomly apply gesso before spraying with purple and olive glimmer mist

Nice detail of the Croco Crackling 









Garden Shadow Box 
by Sue Smyth


I just love to create pretty things sometimes, and Jane's shadow box is the perfect starting point.
I wanted this to look like a secret garden and I wanted to use just about every way I know to alter chip.

To create the nest I like to use florists wood fibre, simply shape into a nest and spray with mists, dab a little gesso on the top for dimension. The eggs...guess what they are !
They are cotton buds, this is a little secret of mine, so I am sharing here! lol
Dab a little gesso on ends of a cotton bud.
Spray cotton bud ends with turquoise glimmer mist, allow to dry
(or dry with heat gun)
Snip off and adhere with a hot glue gun. If you place them right you cannot see they are not mini little eggs.

The top I have used Aged Taupe Embossing powder by Stampendous. I have trimmed a bracket frame to give more height to the shadow box, and this I have embossed with gold embossing powder,while wet sprinkle with micro beads. When cool, wipe turquoise paint over the beaded areas.

Oh eggshell, one my favourtie ways to alter chip. So save your egg shells, soak them in napi san to clean them, dry and store them in an airtight container for days when you want to craft.

I like to use texture paste to embed the shell, as I find it sticks better. Not to much, but enough to set the shell into.

Step 1
layer eggshell into the texture paste, using a pointed tool to set into the paste. A little at a time. Allow to dry overnight. 

Step 2
When dry use a file to take offf any rough edges, you can also carefully snip off overhanging shell. 
Then colour the shell with alcohol ink, I have used a mix of black and sandal Adirondack inks.
Coat with Dimensional magic and allow to dry.  


To alter the feathers, first I paint them black with either ink or spray paint. Then I use white dylusions inks to splatter little dots over the feather, I also use a white paint pen to add smaller neater dots, and run a line down the spine and sides of the feather. Then add a coat of dimensional magic, and a tiny dusting of white glitter.

For the fern leaves, I used another technique, I have dabbed them with Tim Holtz Crushed olive Distress ink. Then spray with a pearl glimmer mist, either gold or pearl, and while wet shape the leaves and stem so that the fern has an upward sweep. Pinch each leaf for shape. Dry with a heat gun to set in shape.

The vines are done with gesso, Distress inks and utee for that mottled effect. The corner bracket is simply sprayed with black spray paint. I like to use a satin finish. 

The title is simply painted with white gesso twice and covered with Dimensional Magic and sprinkled liberally with white glitter. Gesso, ink and glitter are used to create the butterfly the same as in the layout above.





Hope you are inspired and don't forget to leave a comment
 on the Imaginarium blog to be in the running for a chipboard prize