Personalised Christmas Baubles - Couture Creations DT

Welcome back, it's Alison

Can you believe how close CHRISTMAS is now?

Really, just weeks!!

I LOVE Christmas...

Love everything from the crazy shoppers with trolleys laden to our home filled with decorations and handmade gifts are an important part of the celebrations - 

Sometimes you just need something a little special, that doesn't cost a fortune but you want the other person to know you were thinking of them..

Personalised Christmas Baubles

make a lovely gift

and you can choose colours or add embellishments which show the recipient you made it especially for them!!

I've started with some 'plastic' baubles but you can find 'glass' also?

Pull off the caps and save them to the side. 

Start by cutting various width strips from your patterned paper - great way to use up those extra bits, as it doesn't matter if they are long or short - 

I chose some lovely papers from the 

Season's Greetings collection

Now run your scissors or bone folder along the length and curl them all - you can start at one end curling one way and then turn it around and curl from the opposite end - 

Then push them all inside the bauble

You can also add various sequins, seed beads and you know all those little bits you get when you do a bunch of diecutting? They are perfect to add to a bauble as filler - those bits are good for adding to Shaker style cards too!!

I adhered a 'Poinsettia Duo', a 'Small Mixed Poinsettia' and a mini christmas tree to the cluster 

It was quite difficult to photograph the glare but you get the idea?

There was FOUR baubles in the packet

so, I made THREE more, why not...

This Bauble was filled with strips from the 

Be Merry & Bright collection

I've added some of the pink sprinkles too

Finished by fussy cutting a star and adhering the 'Silver Glitter word - Heart'

 

I combined some strips from the new

Ooh La La collection

to those beautiful 'Mixed Metallic Daisies' and 'Mixed Ferns'

They come in a lovely copper, gold and green too!

The collection also contains a packet of mixed toned sequins - how good would a bauble look filled with them? You could add a layer of thin clear glue and roll it around inside till the surface is covered then add the sequins and let it dry, tip out an excess that hasn't stuck!

I have a friend who loves everything Africa so filled a bauble with strips from the 

Wild and Free collection

even added some Giraffe diecuts (her favourite African animal)

and finished with a rhinestone initial - 

You can add a giant ribbon so your bauble can hang on the Christmas tree - something which can be put away and hung again next year!

I like to package them nestled in some soft tissue paper in a cute box - if you're really keen, you can even make the  box!!

Be Merry Collection - Chipboard Words CO 724924

Be Merry Collection - Be Merry & Bright 12x12 Paper Pad CO724920

Couture Creations - Wild and Free Collection Pack CO724852

Ultimate Crafts Ooh La La 12x12 Paper Pad ULT157610

Ultimate Crafts - Season's Greetings - MIxed Metallic Daisies ULT157668

Ultimate Crafts Season's Greetings - Mixed Ferns ULT157667

Ultimate Crafts - 12x12 Paper pad ULT157660

Ultimate Crafts - Season's Greetings - Small Mixed Poinsettias ULT157665

Ultimate Crafts - Season's Greetings - Poinsettias Duo ULT157664

Hope you make a handmade gift this Christmas,

Alison

Couture Creations - Create your own custom coloured shoes

Welcome back,

It's Alison again...

I recently represented Couture Creations by demoing at A Place to Create for The Papercraft Trail - what a fun day!!

The store released a NEW collection - 

Wild and Free

designed by Queenie Yeung

I created a number of samples -

a bunch of Layouts

dozens of Cards,

a mini album

and

altered a new pair of sneakers, by adhering a few die cuts - 

I used the very pretty

Forest Frame - CO724823

I wasn't 100% happy with them on the day so decided I'd add a little colour with the

Anna Griffin Pigment Powders

Step one - purchase some white canvas sneakers - you can of course, give your old shoes a new lease of life - or choose slip on shoes - or choose a pale colour to add some extra colour and shimmer too!!

Step two - Die cut - you can really add whatever takes your fancy? and almost any colour of the rainbow - I chose black cardstock! I've adhered them onto the shoe front and sides with the 

Anna Griffin Texture Paste in Matte - one coat over the top and let them dry!!

Step Three - pick some colours from the set of 'Mix & Match Pigments' - I've made them ALL up, just in case? I picked up a plastic paint palette and some 'Gum Arabic' (liquid not powder) 

I've added a 'pinch' of the Pigment Powder, a 'couple of drops' of the Gum Arabic and a 'squirt' of water and stirred the mixture - I left this to dry naturally.

Step Four - I added some water to each of the colours I thought I might use and started adding some colour  a little here and a bit more there. I coloured parts of the dies and added a little more colour in spots and blended everything together.

I've tried to capture the beautiful SHIMMER from the Pigment Powders.. it's a little difficult so you just might need to buy a set and have a go yourself!!

If you live in Brisbane, I'm planning to wear my ORIGINAL footwear to the Craft Alive show in Logan - 11, 12, 13th November - come and say HELLO

Anna Griffin Mixed Media - Mix & Match Pigments - CO724866

Anna Griffin Mixed Media - Texture Paste Matte Finish - CO724867

Couture Creations - Wild & Free collection - Forest Frame - CO 724823

Thanks for visiting,

Alison x

Scrap the Girls - September challenge

It's a first time for me..

First time participating in the 

Scrap The Girls

challenge for September

They have a great sketch 

..which I rotated 90' to the right so I can have the bulk along the bottom

I have stretched the title up also

Initially I thought of doilies or big flowers but went with elements and floral clusters.

Remember Your Dreams

I had the black background in my pile of 'backgrounds waiting patiently' pile from when I was mucking around with 2 step Resin and had a little left over so, swirled it over a piece of cardstock... as you do? I thought I might be able to snap and crack it but it dried quite flexible!

The printed vellum is from an OLD packet of Close to My Heart papers (Not sure of the name of the collection, but I WON it in a challenge - hooray!!)

I then adhered the lace paper across - just like the sketch - traced a paper plate (I was at a Retreat and didn't bring my circle cutter, of  course?) misted the OLD Pink Paislee resist card - added a lovely piece of pleated ribbon/lace from The Vintage Chicks Club.

The 'Remember' part of the title and a couple of the flowers are old Heidi Swapp resit ephemera, which I spritzed with Kaisercraft mist in Candy. 

'Your' is Thickers and the 'Dreams' is part of a Dusty Attic set, simply inked black.

Add some Manor House Creations flowers, a couple of Imaginarium Designs Chipboard 'leaves' and Basic Grey (yes, super old!) coloured metal which I sniped in half and adhered under the photo.

My favourite embellishment is Shaneen's cut and pieced 'Elegant lady' - those electronic machines are not my thing, I'm old school so anytime I see that someone else has made it work, I'm happy to pay them!! lol She came in various colours and has a sweet porcelain flower on her hat!!

Photo is sweet baby Phoenix.

Alison xx 

Scrapping Outback - September

Hello!!
I recently went away to Shaneen's famous retreat with a bunch of ladies - they laugh at almost everything!! I created a bunch of layouts for September challenges -
Just added the photo for this one!! 

The mood board the Mood Board is fresh colours this month!

Create a layout inspired by ALL the colours in this photo and youMUST USE AT LEAST ONE PIECE OF CHIPBOARD (as Scrapping Outback is known for ALL its Chippie)

Fresh colours for a fresh photo of
Phoenix



I started by arranging the corner chipbooards from Memory Maze to create a 'frame' on the OLD Close to my Heart papers (Cannot remember the name of the collection, sorry?) - I dabbed some Prima Crackle paste over the swirls, waited for it to dry (Slow) and then added some spots of Kaisercraft sprays in the yellow, Apricot and Orange - should have added a close up as it does look very pretty!
I then mixed some of the 'yellow' Anna Grifin Pigment powder with some of the AG Texture Paste in Matte and then swiped it through one of the AG stencils - the finish is the lovely vertical golden shimmery strip in the background.
Couple of strips of paper lace 
An old Prima bud branch
A Manor House Creations flower
Some of Shaneen's famous pieced pretties (not what she calls them but she is probably not reading this! haha)
An offcut from a yellow doiley I used on another layout - waste not?
A My2angels Scallop Felt frame in white - crisp!
Assorted flowers to fill the gaps from various brands!

This is Phoenix's official Daycare photo - she is cute!
Oh,  Shaneen is such a lovely and hilariously funny lady, if you asked nice she could do some pretties for you too!!
Alison xx

More than words - September challenge

Couture Creations is sponsoring a prize this month so I had a go...

The mood board is an absolute

DELIGHT

and a RECIPE too

What fun!!

Delighted



I've created with the new Season's Greetings patterned paper as a base with a base of kraft - sprayed with green spray over the Anna Griffin stencil... so the overspray created a border - the green resin are all from The Resin Rainbow - the Poinsettia also from Ultimate Crafts - the chipboard is from Imaginarium Designs, it was a a border strip, cut in half to frame the photo -
I've chosen the ART RECIPE
Tag or Die cut - both!! The tag is on the left side of the photo with a half resin doiley and green clip - the die cut is the swirly piece under the photo.
Flair of badge - under the photo, above the die cut.
Flower or button - the pretty pale green poinsettia
A pinch of Beads or a dash of mist - the green mist over the stencil

Another photo for Phoenix,
Alison xx

Dusty Attic - September challenge

Hello September...

the slippery slope to Christmas

The September Mood Board has such grungy and masculine colours

and yet, they are also delicate and feminine

I couldn't choose!!
So I found this lovely photo and set about giving it a base of grunge
and added some flowers for the girls!!

Dare to Begin..



I've altered the Barbed Wire & Cog Frame with crackle paint and inks -
Fashioned a little DreamCatcher on the left from the 'Barbs' included in the chipboard set -
Added a little lace to soften all the 'boy stuff' but kept to black, white, grey and a little 'bluey lavendar' with the black & white photo!
The flowers are kept white and are Dusty Attic too!
Some Thickers for a title and done!!

Yes, another photo of the super sweet Phoenix with her Mum and Dad at her Christening,

Alison xx

Kraft Plus - Melon challenge in September

Ooh such pretty colours!!

How can you say no?

The images are so lovely too..

I was away with some fun ladies for a retreat this past weekend,

so I put together a bit of this and that 

and this is the result of that couple of hours!!

DREAM



The papers are OLD Close To MY Heart which I won a couple of years ago in a challenge!!
There is a few resins from The Resin Rainbow - black camera, 2x apricot stars and the oink one too!!
A Funky Flair..
A super cute Charms Creations blue heart!!
Shaneen's hardwork piecing the Blue Sprig!!
Some bits and pieces that were hanging around for a perfect moment... and here it is!!

Still so many school photos to scrapbook!!

Thanks so much for looking,
Alison xx