WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS

Come One Come All to the Greatest Show on earth!!!!! Don't you love a circus? The animals, the acrobats....everything is colorful and flashy! So this week Lunagirl is having a fun little challenge  "Vintage Menagerie" and I thought it might be a bit of fun to alter this cool frame I found at the (of all places) 99 cents store. 

I started with a 5"x7" image that says "welcome to the Circus" and then I backed it with a circus print paper from Graphics 45. Next I covered the sides top and bottom with circus stripe paper from Graphics 45 and inked the edges with brown ink. 

Next I took the sheet from Luna Girl called Animals at the Zoo

  and added text to the monkey picture "Not my circus, not my monkey"  and the lion "Just roar" .

And from the Gecko Galz "Circus Menagerie" set I cut out the elephant and giraffe, ink their edges with your brown ink and place to the side. Next I took my yellow and pink paint and paint my feet (fount at Hobby Lobby in the wood working area) and the inside lip of the frame and let dry.

adhere elephant to the top outer lip at the top and the Giraffe to the left side (you might want to ink the back or even print a second image that you have flipped horizontally and glue to the backside.

Next using fabric adhesive or double side tape and add gold fringe to top of frame and then add green and gold bling around frame edge on front.

next take rust stars and using E6000 adhere along top and down right side to bottom and let dry for a few hours. then layer on your trinkets and two Luna Girl images inside the bottom lip of frame ( you can use any ephemera or trinkets you have  that is whimsical, I used an old skate key, a feather, and film strip from Tim Holtz. Now take your fabric Rosette and ribbon (I got both mine at hobby lobby) you can buy them or make them.. And last but not least adhere your feet to the bottom of the frame to create the shrine. This makes a great piece of decor for game rooms or table decor for parties.

So for fun Gecko Galz is donating the "Circus Menagerie" sheet to all my followers and I am giving you the Welcome to the circus  banner so you can go make your own piece of art....and here is a special deal from Gecko Galz just take the sheet and create something with it and then add the picture to their facebook page and on May 30th they will choose one winner who will win a $25 shopping spree with Gecko Galz...sounds fun hu? And don't forget to join in the Luna Girl Challenge!

Happy Crafting

Gecko Galz

Perfect with Paint

A few years ago I was introduced to something new...Digital Stamps and ever since then I have been very taken with them and love creating cards using different techniques. So today I thought I would share some ideas with all of you on fun ways to use paints...or better yet painting with products you may have never thought about using. Also I am sharing a few fun digital stamps for you to play with and if you like the way it has turned out maybe you will hop over to the city crafter challenge this week where their theme is "Paint It" and join in! In any case I hope you have fun and will go play with all your products.

NATURES GIFT CARD

On this first card I used a Day for daisies digital stamp and used just plain watercolors and copic makers to paint it. To get that wonderfully textured background I did a wash, first you want to print your stamp onto watercolor paper (any other paper will buckle and not blend as smoothly) then with your paintbrush ad water to your water color pat and to the background (generous amount). Next take watery paint dab on first color and let bleed then add another color. I then blot with a paper towel to get up excess water from paper then paint in areas that are still white.

The ret I colored with copics then inked the edges with brown dye ink.

PURPLE PIXIE CARD

For this card I printed the fairy stamp from Gecko Galz Fairies digital stamp set onto water color paper and then I painted with Twinkling H2O's. Now what are twinkling h2o's? They are water colors with a shimmer to them they give off a beautiful ethereal shimmer that looks magical. for back ground I did it just like I did above adding blue and touches of purple. for the fairy her self I used more of a dry brush for better control of the color then went back in with small amounts of water on my brush tip to blend and smooth. The outer edge I distressed with Radiant Rain Ink (the liquid version of Twinkling H2O's.

WILD FLOWERS CARD

For this card I again started with a Day For Daisies Stamp and printed this one onto Smooth Bristol Card Stock (I wanted a smooth surface). I used Ranger distress inks to paint with....yes you can paint with these and it is terrific fun! Take your ink and a piece of wax paper and rub your color on to the paper. Place a few drops of water into the ink and mix, now you have watercolors. For this image I used Dried Marigold, salty ocean for her dress. And Scattered straw for her flowers and  walnut stain for her hair. Just like water colors just paint with them.

GATHERING APPLES CARD

For this card I used another Day for Daisies stamp and printed onto smooth Bristol Card Stock. Next I painted with my ranger inks again this time using Festive Berries for the apples, Antique linnen and Crushed Olive for the dress and wild honey for her hair. Next I painted the clear buttons and lace trim with Alcohol Inks.....yep just two color lettace and red pepper (sounds like a salad hu?) and using the dauber just place your two colors on the felt making them cross each other in places then bounce on each button then the lace. Your lace needs to be polyester (because that is plastic) to get the best results. And the best thing about this is that it drys super quick.

So go forth and play with all your products and just have fun!

ALTOID BOX MAGIC

So for my own personal challenge this month I decided to recycle some old Altoid boxes. If you are like me another persons garbage (in this case a bag full of Altoid tins my mother did not want) becomes a new treasure by adding some pretty papers, trims and altered art images done in photoshop. I began making wish boxes, prayer boxes, affirmation boxes and dream boxes one afternoon and got into them so much I ended up doing 12.......I get a bit carried away when I enjoy making things. I started by creating my images in photoshop (or you can use gimp) then picked out paper and trims. I cut the papers for the inside and outside of the box and you can ink the edges or even distress paint the edges. I then painted the outside lid with white acrylic paint and let dry. Next I layered paper on the top of the box, bottom and inside using Scotch liquid adhesive and red line tape.
Next I added my trims using double side tape and a touch of glue. Then add your picture to the top and embellish with a Viva pearl pen, stickles, UTEE what ever you think looks right for your design. Once that is done I found super cute 2"x 2" sticky note pads for people to write their dreams, wishes or prayers on and placed it in the box (Or you can use them as a gift card box). For the affirmations box I put 10 affirmations in the box plus 5 blank cards for them to write their own on. These make great little gifts and truely you can do them in less than 30 minutes.
Here are a few I did.

And here are some images so you can make your own boxes. Be sure and send a picture of them if you make some and I will share your design on my blog site! Just attach images in a comment to this post or send them to me at fripperiesandbutterflies@yahoo.com.

I hope everyone had a beautiful Easter!

Happy Crafting

Lee Seed

SPRING DREAMS SHRINE

So this week I thought I would share with you a fun little Shrine I did to celebrate Spring. Every year I do a little Spring/Easter decoration for my mom to put out and this year I was thinking what can I do that captures the feeling of the season and was looking through the fun collage sheets from Gecko Galz this month and came across the "Flower Girls" collage sheet and thought it would be fun to create a mini shrine.
I also started thinking about how Easter is one of those Holidays that goes by without all the decorations that some other holidays get (Halloween and Christmas to name them) so I say lets change all that and ask ourselves WWTEBD (what would the easter bunny do) and get our decorations on this year so this is my first decoration....share your links with us for your favorite decorations!

Supplies Needed

2" wood Block

decorative trims

Gecko Galz Flower Girls Collage Set

Moss

Small decorative bird

brown ink

print out below

How to create

print out the word blocks and your flower girl (in Gimp or photoshop rotate her  so you have one faceing right and one left) on white card stock then fussy cut them out on the girls you will want to leave a 1/4" tab below in order to adhere her to the block.  Ink the edges with your brown ink and glue the word blocks  onto the wooden block. Next bend back tabs of the flower girl and adhere to the top of the block. Take your redline tape and add decorative trims on the top and along bottom edge. Next spread liquid glue to top of block and pat on moss, let this dry for a few hours then add on little bird. To finish add yellow stickles to hat and skirt. And there is your amazing little shrine!

Have a Crafty Day

Leanne

FREEBIES IN MEMORY OF CHANCE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

I normally do not let my personal life enter into my blog entries, but I feel life is what drives creativity. Today I lost one of my muses and best four legged friends, Chance. He was a 13 year old Schnauzer and anytime life got to be too much he always calmed me down. So in his memory I have dug through all my images and wanted to share some amazing vintage doggy images for you to use in your projects I hope they will inspire you like he did me!