A Frugal Journey Through January Day 31

Thank you for joining me today on the final day of my frugal journey. I thought a little seasonal project might be in order but you could adapt it for any occasion by using different stamps to make your background paper. So, remember this, way back on day 8 ..........

..... I had to stamp an extra sheet as I forgot to photograph one of the early steps on the one page book project and never one to waste anything, I've used it for a different project.

I took a 5" x 7" mini canvas, painted it all over with black acrylic and cut a frame from one corner of my stamped sheet to cover the staples on the reverse as I wanted to use the canvas back to front, using the centre piece from the frame to fit inside the cavity. I stamped eleven six petal flowers and five rose leaves using some Wendy Vecchi stamps and cut them out. You could save yourself a whole lot of time by die cutting / punching out any six petal flower but I particularly like the roses you can create from this stamp and I don't mind the fussy cutting.

I coloured all the flowers and leaves with several shades of Distress Inks - I always leave them to dry for a bit before making the roses, less inky fingers and the various inks blend nicely together all by themselves as they dry. Whilst I was waiting I made a little 3d banner.

A fab Valentine's frame and I still have enough of the paper left to make a Valentine's card for the Headmaster!

Well, that's all from me for January, I do hope you have enjoyed my journey and it has made you take a fresh look at the stamps, papers and other bits and bobs already in your stash.

A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog, especially to those who have taken the time to like, follow and comment, also to those who have stopped by the studio or emailed to tell me they have been by. I do so appreciate it xx

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 30

Hello and welcome to the penultimate projects on my frugal journey.

About a year ago I was sorting leftovers from a workshop into my 'scrap' paper boxes and the Headmaster asked me when I might ever get around to taking them out again and actually using them in a project. Never one to admit he might have a point, either in private or public, I did quietly give the matter some thought.

I resolved to keep project and workshop leftovers in a tray on my desk for one week, try my very best to make something with them in that time and not just quietly sort them away. So, from this simple in concept but intricate in execution project designed earlier this year for a custom workshop....

......came these two very simple cards.

 

The first I just stuck a square of map paper to a kraft card, cutting along the land on the map to create a pocket. Grabbed some travel/postage themed stamps which I stamped out onto a scrap of cream card and added to the card with a compass stamped and embossed in cream onto the map. An easy card, no complicated techniques, made in less than 10 mins.

This second card took a whole 20 minutes, only because I took a bit of care to tear, distress and ink the edges of the paper and the tag. A second impression stamped onto the tag left a faded, vintage look image, a couple of other stamps onto cream scraps and a small off cut of printed twill and I was finished.

I realised afterwards had I kept the stamp set used in the original project on my desk too, I could have added some extra words etc. So I now only tidy everything I used in a project as far as my tray, and try very hard to create two much simpler projects either that same day or at least within a couple of days, when I do try to put everything away properly.

Tomorrow is my last day in my frugal journey when I have a fab Valentine/Wedding/Anniversary project to share. I do hope you will join me xx

 

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 29

Welcome back, thank you for joining me. Can you believe it is Day 29, my journey is nearly over!

 

Today I want to share one of the pages inside my Altered Book Journal. One of the reasons I chose to use this as a journal is I love text, whether stamps, paper or in this case scrap pages from the book. I have decided to stick with the theme and have at least some book print showing on every page.

I started with a very thin layer of Picket Fence Distress Paint, applied with a plastic card. I could use a brush but I prefer the uneven, random look and very thin layers I can achieve using the card as a scraper. I then added layers of Broken China and Bundled Sage.

When dry I put a little Barn Door Distress Paint onto an acrylic block, used the lid of the paint applicator to stamp circles and the plastic card to add lines. I also had a stamps of a smaller circle both open and solid, so I added the open circle in Barn Door and the solid one in Broken China. I liked the colour combination much more than I expected to, especially when I added some Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges!

I die cut some bunting from more leftover book print, stamping the letters and circles for this with Barn Door, then the other letters and circles in black. The letter A was a very old stamp from Hampton Art and I mounted it on a scrap of red card to make it stand out.

The phrenology head and the sentiment are both from Wendy Vecchi's Art Rules set and I added some red embossing to her lips and blue pen to her eye to make them pop. I restamped the flower part of the head and layered that on but felt there was still something missing so I added the half doily, also cut from book print.

I set it aside for a bit and later that day inspiration struck. I had some geek glasses paper lips I had bought for no good reason other than they were quirky, so I adapted them which I think is the perfect finishing touch!

 

I often leave pages aside because I don't feel they are finished, but can't think why, just hoping inspiration will come another day. Do you do that? Or do always complete a page in one sitting?

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my very frugal journal page, all from leftovers and will visit again tomorrow when I will have another project to share x

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 28

Hello and welcome back. Yesterday I shared the covers of my Junk Journal and today I'd like to let you have a peek inside.

My pages are not all the same size and only around six of them are as sturdy as the covers. I chose to do this so I could cut and peel back the surface of the corrugated card for added texture.

You will have gathered I am a huge fan of JOFYJO stamps designed by Jo Firth-Young for PaperArtsy, the are just so versatile!

 

Simple shapes work just as well.

I have added some layers and pockets and tags to some of my pages, all just from leftover paper, stickers and packaging, a few stamps and a bit of stencilling.

 

 

These have been interspersed with pieces of product packaging - I always think Prima packaging in particular is so beautiful it needs to be recycled in the studio rather than the recycling bin lol!

Some pages have some texture paste words from a favourite Wendy Vecchi stencil, and are still awaiting decoration, photos and journaling.

 

My favourite Scribbly Birds stamps from Dina Wakeley had to feature too, each on square pages made from packaging plus some Dylusions stencilling with ink and Crafters Workshop stencils with texture paste which I applied over wet ink so it would steep up through the paste.

 

 

My Junk Journal is by no means finished, it needs some more ink and paint, and of course the photographs from the 1940s and 1950s I have in mind for it, including one of my Uncle's first car and my Grandfather's workshop.

That's all for today, I hope to see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place for frugal idea #29!

PS If you are looking for the February Workshop Schedule then please just scroll down a little x

 

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February Workshops

Here we are with the February workshop list, ten different workshops to choose from with lots of great new ideas combined with fab new products plus, we now have a drop in Stop By & Stamp session every Thursday with Art Journal Sunday on the first Sunday of the month.

Drop in sessions are exactly as they sound, just drop by, no need to book. Workshops however do have to be booked (but not paid for) in advance, and you can do this by email snazzysstudio@gmail.com or telephone on 01793 609260.

 

 

Sunday 1 February 11am to 3pm

Art Journal Sunday £5

Drop by the studio between 11am and 3pm and join in the fun with inks, stamps, stencils, masks, paints and other media all provided. Just bring your journal, pour yourself a cuppa and get started.

Wednesday 4 February 10am to 1pm

Bookprint Cards £15/1 Snazzy Voucher

I have been repurposing an old book as a journal and in order to leave sufficient space for all the layers I tend to add to my journal pages, I have removed around a third of them from my book. So what to do with them? Make cards of course, and in this workshop we will create cards for all occasions, suitable for both men and women.

Thursday 5 March 11am to 3pm

Stop By and Stamp £5

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced crafter, make cards, scrapbook layouts, art journal pages or create Mixed Media pieces, stamps are a great addition. In these sessions we make all our workshop tools, stamps and consumables available to you so you can have fun experimenting and creating without having to buy all the bits and pieces. Why not drop by, enjoy a cuppa and have a go.

Saturday 7 February 10am to 1pm

Heart Within a Heart £15/1 Snazzy Voucher

Join me and creat this steampunk style Valentines hanging with a guided finish and roses made from Clearly for Art. A great, fun project with lots of tips and techniques along the way.

Saturday 7 February 2pm to 5pm

Framed Heart £15/1 Snazzy Voucher

With this shabby chic altered heart frame I will guide you through a simple crackle technique and show you how to turn die cuts into dimensional embellishments whilst creating a pretty hanging for Valentine's Day. (Also suitable for an engagement or wedding gift)

 

Saturday 14 February 10am to 1pm

Take One Stamp £15/1 Snazzy Voucher

In this workshop we will be using a brand new stamp set from the amazing Lin Brown with three different techniques to create some beautiful and vibrant cards to cheer us upon a grey winter's day.

Wednesday 18 February 10am to 1pm

Private Booking

Thursday 19 February 11am to 4pm

Private Booking

 

Tuesday 24 February 10am to 1pm

Private Booking

Thursday 26 February 11am to 3pm

Stop By and Stamp £5

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced crafter, make cards, scrapbook layouts, art journal pages or create Mixed Media pieces, stamps are a great addition. In these sessions we make all our workshop tools, stamps and consumables available to you so you can have fun experimenting and creating without having to buy all the bits and pieces. Why not drop by, enjoy a cuppa and have a go.

Saturday 28 February 10am to 1pm

Quirky Cards £15/1 Snazzy Voucher

Another debut of brand new stamps this time from the pen of the very talented Darcy. These stamps are a bit quirky and very well co-ordinated offering the opportunity to make some really stunning cards.

Saturday 28 February 2pm to 5pm

February Layout Workshop £15/1 Snazzy Voucher

Come along and creat a unique and interesting layout with your wintry photographs.

Remember, you can save 20% on the cost of attending workshops at Snazzys Studio by paying for them with Snazzy Vouchers, purchased in advance of the workshop you wish to use them for, a great gift for a crafty friend too!

 

 

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 27

 

Hello, today I want to introduce you to my Junk Journal. It is exactly what you would expect, an art "journal", in that I experiment in it as I do in my other journals, and "junk" because that is all I have used to create it.

Now I am a terrible hoarder so I have loads of leftovers which I always believe are just waiting for the right project, but if you are a decluttered kind of person then you can always visit Julie Kirk (aka Notes on Paper) and her wonderfully inspiring blog. She puts together the most amazing themed packs of papers and embellishments for you to choose from her Etsy shop, which will make decorating your Junk Journal a very enjoyable breeze. Despite my groaning shelves I have purchased these from Julie mostly because I couldn't resist,but also if Mr Mojo has departed the premises and I need a kick start!

Front Cover

OK, to business, I am going to show you the front and back covers of this project today, and will pop back with a peek at the inside pages later this week. I made the covers (and most of the pages) from the flaps of cardboard boxes, really sturdy and free as well. I don't think size matters with this, so create the size you would find most useful and which fits your junk, I made mine 5"x7" for no good reason at all lol! You will see I have used gesso, plasterers tape, tissue tape and packing tape to decorate it together with some texture paste through a stencil. I have used off cuts of the box flaps for decoration too, as you can see from the little heart on the front cover.

Back Cover

I have done much the same with the back cover, just with fewer dimensional bits so it doesn't catch when I put it in my bag.

Well, that's Day 27 over with, see you again tomorrow, same time, same place with another frugal project x

 

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 26

A very quick post for Day 26 on my frugal journey where I am featuring a simple idea using photographs as backing papers. You might use this on a journal page, a card or a mixed media project, but today I will show you how I incorporated this into a layout.

If you click on the image you will see that by printing my original photo onto A4 paper both in black and white for the backgrounds, and as I showed you earier this month, in colour to use to paper piece my stamped poppies, I have created a double layout without any bought paper or embellishments, but more importantly I have custom materials that match my project perfectly.

With the kind permission of one of my very talented customers, here is her beautiful take on my original layout idea.

 

I'm sure you could adapt this idea for your own scrapbook, journal or card making. Give it a go and I will see you back here tomorrow with another frugal project, made entirely from junk xx

 

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 25

Welcome back to my Frugal Journey where I will share an idea for a pretty little gift set from just one 12x12 sheet of cardstock, a double sided cardstock is great as it gives you more options to mix and match and, if it is sturdy card, you can also use leftovers from a 6x6 paper pad.

When my children were young they were as resistant as most to the small matter of thank you letters, so at Christmas I would make them each a different set of thank you cards in a little custom box so they could be persuaded to dash off a quick note the first time they slowed down enough to sit at the table for a few minutes. They also make a great little gift for a non card making friend if you add a range of greetings for different occasions.

The base of the box is a piece of cardstock 51/2" square scored at 3/4" on each side and the lid is 6" square also scored at 3/4" on each side. Snip into where the score lines cross on two opposite sides to make tabs and fasten with tape or glue to assemble your box and lid. If you want to create an acetate window in the lid, then you need to do the necessary die cutting with two sizes of the same shape die before you assemble it.

Cut the acetate and the frame for the window from the larger die, then the centre of the window and the box lid with the smaller one so when assembled the acetate is sandwiched between the window frame and the box lid to give a neat finish.

I used the remaining cardstock, this paper is 'Loyal' by Authentique, with 3" square cards and envelopes plus some favourite stamps, these are all JOFY Minis for PaperArtsy, to create pretty paper pieced cards to go in the box, four fit perfectly.

It is amazing how different they look in different papers, this set was made from Finnabair's Dreamer for 7Dots Studio,

 

and this one was Carta Bella's Beautiful Moments.

 

That's my frugal project for Day 25, I hope you enjoyed it and will join me again tomorrow for another thrifty idea on my frugal trail xx

 

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A Frugal Journey Through January Day 24

Hello again and welcome back to my frugal journey, I can't believe there is just one week left, how time flies.

It's been a very sunny and bright, if chilly week and I have really enjoyed my walk to work each day across parkland with the dappled sunlight through the trees. I have a bit of a thing about bare trees, they always present such interesting shapes and shadows, so today's post features one of my all time favourite tree stamps. It is by Inkadinkado, I have had mine for 8 or 9 years yet it's still in the current catalogue - and on my shelves - the mark of a really great stamp I think.

The other product which features in this project is also an old favourite, Ranger's Perfect Pearls. These are very shimmery mica powders with an inbuilt resin so you can seal them with a just a fine mist of water, mix them with water to create custom shimmery sprays, with less water to make shimmery glazes to apply with a wet brush, add lustre to your plain embossing powders in a ratio of 1:2, and of course use them with the clear embossing ink of your choice applied to the image with a dry brush. All round a hugely versatile, sadly often forgotten and very under-rated product which is available in open stock of over 40 colours at just £2.95 each.

Today I am going to share a quick step by step to using the unique properties of Perfect Pearls to create a faux reflection. You will need some dark coloured card, navy blue and chocolate brown work very well but I am going to be boring and use black. Cut your cardstock to twice the height of your stamp plus a little, and just narrower than the width of your stamp and you will also need that stalwart of all stampers, a scrap piece of copy paper with a torn edge.

 

Place your piece short end to the top on a piece of copier paper to protect your surface and hold your torn edge on your smaller piece of copier paper at right angles to your cardstock at roughly the halfway point whilst you cover the exposed piece of card entirely with your clear ink of choice, I used Versamark. Turn your piece of card top to bottom and inking your stamp with Versamark, stamp the image slightly overlapping your block of ink.

 

Take a small soft brush and apply a couple of colours of Perfect Pearl - I'm using blues, lilacs, greens, and Perfect Pearl itself which is silvery to create a frosty version of my autumnal reflection in the first photo - to the block of ink, and the stamped image, until all the ink has a good solid covering of powder, polishing the excess away with another soft brush.

 

Turn your piece of card so the block of ink is to the top and again inking with clear ink, stamp the image into the block of ink just above your earlier image (which is currently upside down)

 

turn it around again and hey presto you have a faux reflection.

 

You can use the properties of Perfect Pearls which allow you to use both the positive and negative of an image to build layers of one image, creating an illusion of depth

 

or by masking off areas with 'post-it notes' and using a mix of the two, which looks much more impressive, and difficult to achieve than it actually is.

 

That's it for today, thank you for joining me, I hope you enjoyed my frugal project and are sifting through your stamps of trees/landscapes/leaves/flowers etc to give this a go.

Back tomorrow with a very frugal and useful gift to make from just one 12x12 sheet of cardstock. Hope to see you then xx

 

 

 

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