Mini Handbag Sewing Kit - A Blockheads Design Team Tutorial!

Hi Everyone!

I just got back from a wonderful mini vacation in Las Vegas at The Palazzo with my precious hubby!  We celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary and saw the Phantom show which was absolutely fantastic!  But now I'm back home and ready to share another project I designed for  

Blockheads Paper Arts :0)

click on the photo to enlarge

click on the photo to enlarge

 I've designed a seriously cute mini Handbag Sewing Kit that is oh so pretty in shades of pink and black that's perfect as a two-in-one novelty greeting card and gift or as a nifty little stocking stuffer.  I created the handbag template and it can easily be adjusted to make any size handbag but I love miniatures so went with a mini handbag for this tutorial!  Today I'm featuring a selection of images from their awesome exclusive Sewing themed stamps!  Household Notions, Vintage Light Form and one of Blockheads newest releases, the Sewing ATC set!  Click on the text or pix below for more info!

click on the template to enlarge

Cut out the handbag template from white cardstock with a deep grain texture to it that kind of reminds me of corduroy for an instant faux fabric effect.  Score and fold along the dotted lines and punch out the holes along the top edge with a small hole punch.  I used a fancy corner punch on the two bottom flaps.

Stain the cardstock with Rouge ColorBox Fluid Chalks ink.  I applied the ink with a Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool and Foam (look in the Other Brushes section) but a piece of scrunched up paper towel will do the trick too.

Stamp all the sewing themed imagery with Warm Violet ColorBox Fluid Chalks ink first and then stamp the lace and tape measure images with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I stamped just a small portion of the lace image along the top edge too.

 Decorate the inside too.

 Fold the bottom flaps up and sew along the inside and outer edges of the kit to make the inside pockets.

click on the photo to enlarge

Stamp the small collection of buttons in black Versafine ink on the inside and on the cover of the kit.  Stamp four of the large buttons (from the stamp and scissor image) in Rouge Fluid Chalks ink on a piece of scrap cardstock and cut out.  Adhere them to the corners of the inside pockets with a permanent adhesive.  Sew real hot pink snaps to the inside of the kit with black cotton for a closure, I also added a dab of glue to help make the closure more secure.  I also drew in faux cotton lines with a black Sharpie on all the pink buttons except for the 4 large ones and one or two of the small ones.  Click on the above photo for a closer look at the details.

click on the photo to enlarge

Embellish the outside cover of the kit with fabric flowers and buttons.

 

Here's some close ups of the flowers with the buttons I sewed to the centers.  I stacked two buttons on the flower in the top photo.

Add mini white eyelets to the holes and attach them with a Crop-A-Dile or other eyelet setting tools.

 

I made the handles for the handbag out of black wire and pink beads.  Cut 2 lengths of wire and thread one end through an eyelet and wire wrap it in place.  Alternate the beads as you thread them onto the wire and finish by looping the wire through the other eyelet and wrap that end too.  Then do the same for the other handle.

 

Cut a small piece of self-adhesive magnet tape and adhere it to one of the pockets.  The magnet strip is perfect for storing needles, pins and safety pins.  Finish off by tucking in some thread and a mini packet of buttons and whatever else you'd like to add to your kit.  If you're giving it as a card or a gift you could make a matching gift tag and attach it to the handle!

Front Cover

Back Cover

 Here's two more views of my finished mini Handbag Sewing Kit!  Cute isn't it ;0)

I hope you enjoyed my Blockheads tutorial!  Don't forget to check out what Karen is up to over at Dreaming and Creating for more Blockheads inspiration!

Until next time.....Happy Stamping!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

" Calendula Sympathy Card " A Blockheads Design Team Tutorial!

Hello Stampers!

click on the photo to enlarge

Thanks for stopping by my blog to check out my latest Design Team tutorial for Blockheads Paper Arts!  Unfortunately at some point we all need inspiration for Sympathy cards and sadly I needed to design this card when my husband's Aunt passed away earlier this year. 
 

I would like to dedicate this project to Aunty Jean, she will be remembered always! 

The main feature of my card is the gorgeous Calendula flower stamp available from Blockheads Paper Arts.  This large flower image comes on the large Flowers Sheet unmounted or cut on cling cushion.  Some of the flowers from this collection are available individually too!

 Before inking up the Calendula flower stamp mask off the 'calendula' word portion of the stamp with sticky tape or the sticky part of a post-it note.  Ink up the stamp with black Memento dye ink and remove the mask.  TIP:  Memento dye ink is recommended for use with markers and watercolour techniques because the ink doesn't bleed when you colour over the stamped lines!  Stamp the image onto a sheet of white cardstock or paper suitable for use with Copic markers.  I actually like to use Strathmore Bristol 300 Series smooth paper which you can easily pick up at any arts and crafts store!

Colour the Calendula flowers with Y23 Yellowish Beige then add shading with Y17 Golden Yellow to just the petals.   Colour the flower centers and add depth to the petals with Y38 Honey and blend with Y23.  Add more colour to the flower centers with YR09 Chinese Orange and blend with Y38.  

Colour the stems and leaves with a combination of YG11, G82 and G85.  Shade and add depth with the two darker colours and blend everything together with YG11.

 

I played around with various Spellbinders die shapes by placing the actual dies over different areas of the flowers to see what shape and part of the stamped image I wanted to use and decided on a round Spellbinders die to cut out just the 3 main flowers as the main focal point of my card.

Obviously for this particular card I used a 'With Sincere Sympathy' (Studio G) sentiment but this design could be used for any occasion as well just by switching out the sentiment stamp.  I stamped the sentiment onto white cardstock in black Memento ink and cut it out with a Spellbinders die and also prepared a small set of the same mat styles I used for the main flower panel (which you'll see in the next photos).

I decided to use an A2 size white blank folded card and cut out a lemon mat just slightly smaller than the card and rounded the corners with a Marvy corner punch.  I then made a vintage lace-like mat from a large white doily and trimmed away the excess pieces and adhered it to the lemon mat with permanent adhesive.

I used a Spellbinders die to cut a larger mat circle out of lemon cardstock the same size as the center of the doily and adhered it in place with permanent adhesive.

I used Fiskars fancy scissors to cut out a petite scallop mat from bright yellow cardstock just slightly larger than the flower panel and adhered it to the lemon circle.

Then added the flower panel.

I cut a length of yellow satin ribbon and created a crisscross design on the front of the card.

I assembled all the mats for the sentiment panel and adhered them to the card front with glue dots for slight dimension (coz this was going in the mail to the UK) and finished off my card with a yellow bow which I also attached with a glue dot.

Well I hope you never have the need to make a sympathy card but at least I've given you some inspiration just in case!  But don't forget that my card design can be adapted to fit any occasion just by switching out the sentiment stamp you use!  I actually made a birthday card for my niece along the same lines, I'll share that one in the next couple of days!

My next Blockheads Design Team tutorial is SEW much fun so stay tuned for that one too ;0)

Karen, my fellow Blockhead, has some new release stamp eye-candy to share with you so dash on over to her blog and check out her duo of feathery creations! 

Until next time...stamp happy!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Horse Themed DominoART Swap going on Now over at the D'ART Blog!

Hey Stampers!
I'm hosting a Horse themed domino or game-tile swap over at the DominoART Blog!
If you'd love to join the fun then please pop on over for all the details.
See you in the land of DominoART ;0)

Happy Stamping!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Proud to Announce the Launch of DominoART's Blog and Facebook Page!!

Hey Stampers!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekends so far!  

I've had a very busy week and I'm now very excited to share that my Yahoo Group, DominoART,  has gone live with a brand new Blog AND and a Facebook Page!  How exciting is that!!

DominoART is a group for rubber stampers who love to use dominoes and other game pieces in their artwork. All Domino-like game tiles, Chess, Checkers and Jigsaw pieces, etc are all considered Game Pieces! We're a very friendly group with lots of activities for you to take part in. Various group activities and events are going on through out the year and all levels of stampers, ladies and gents, are welcome here! So come and join us!

 DominoART's Blog

click on the photo to go to our new blog

I designed this really cool blog logo showcasing all the official DominoART mascots - the Dominique Dolls!  The tall thin red one on the right hand side there is my original 'Alice' Dominique Doll from 2003.  She made her first ambassador appearance at our annual Birthday Bash Celebrations.  The copper metal one left of middle is the 2004 winner by Margaret D.  The blue one right of middle is the 2005 winner by Jill-Marie aka Bean.  The spectacular one in the middle is the 2006 winner, and has reigned every since, by Paula S-M (my very talented sissypoo).  We took a break from the Birthday Bash Celebrations for a while due to personal reasons and a spell of quiet time in the land of DominoART.  But I'm proud to say that 2011 heralded in new interest in the Dominique Dolls in the form of the 'Mini-Me' Dominique Contest.  The gorgeous doll on the left hand side is the 2011 winner by Pilar F!

Here's the badge I designed for our new Facebook Page!  So please stop by our Group, Blog and FB Page and join in the fun of altering game pieces of all kinds!

click on the badge to go to our new Facebook Page

FYI:  I'm a freelance fine artist/graphic designer and I'm available if anyone is interested in having logos, badges and banners designed for their blogs, websites and Facebook pages!  

Please email me for more info!

Happy Stamping!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

' Steampunk Self Portrait ' Creating Fine Art with Rubber Stamps! A Blockheads Design Team Creation!

Howzit Stampers!

click on the photo to enlarge

I'm back today with another Blockheads Paper Arts design team tutorial!  I've designed a really cool Steampunk-style self portrait creation that demonstrates how you can create Fine Art with rubber stamps for a truly unique piece of Art worthy of being framed or for making personalized art cards.  I also used metal washes and T!m Holtz Idea-ology embellishments to achieve that perfect Steampunk look!

All the stamps I used are from Blockheads Paper Arts exclusive stamp line.  Click on each image sheet for more info.  All are available unmounted or cut on cling cushion.

 MATERIALS

I used the the following stamps:

Poppy and the Calendula flowers from the Flowers Full Sheet 

 Small Blossom and Butterfly from Nature Medallions

 Flourish from Grunge It Up

Paisley Flourish from the Painted Butterflies Set
Two Blossoms from the Victorian Eccentricities Collection

Three Moths from the Grunge Collages Collection

Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad

Various Copic Markers from the Blue Green, Blue and Blue Violet ranges

Prismacolor pencils

White gel pen

White, Blue and Purple cardstock

7 Gypsies 6"x 6"Black Book Board

Spellbinders Square die 

Glitter Glue

Double-sided tape

Crafter's Pick The Ultimate Glue

Steampunk embellishments:  metal washes and T!m Holtz Idea-ology Gears

I started out by drawing my own face in profile on white cardstock suitable for use with Copics and stamped the first of the largest images, the Butterfly, with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

I then stamped the large Calendula and Poppy flowers and proceeded to add smaller images.

I added the flourishes to give the feeling of flowing hair mixed in with all the flowers and insects.  I continued to build up the images until I was happy with the overall design.  I then used a square Spellbinder die to cut out the panel.

Next I stamped the butterfly and moths a few times on scrap pieces of cardstock and cut them out.

I coloured them with Copics and embellished with glitter glue.  I love the one that has the gorgeous iridescent ultra-violet glitter in it.  I then creased and folded up all the wings.

I coloured my self portrait with a combination of Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils.  I added glitter glue to the flower centers and to all the flourishes for extra sparkle.  I also added highlights to all the areas with a white gel pen.  I didn't do any extra shading or multi-colouring to the stamped butterfly and moths though coz later on I glued all the insect cut-outs over those images to give dimension to the piece.

I then embellished my self portrait Fine Art piece with various Steampunk elements.  I used silver metal washes in three sizes that I picked up from Home Depot - those are the smaller pieces I glued to the centers of all the smaller flowers.  I also attached the large silver Idea-ology gear to the center of the Calendula flower with a mini silver brad.

I then layered the art panel onto blue and purple cardstock mats and then finally onto a 7 Gypsies 6"x6" black book board.  I intend to mount my piece in a shadow box or frame suitable for hanging on my studio wall.  The last step was to adhere all the insect cut-outs to my self portrait.

I hope I've inspired you to create some Fine Art portraits of your own.  They would make perfect gifts for your family and friends too - portraits of them of course LOL,  but I'm sure your Moms would appreciate ones of you ;0)

For more Blockheads inspiration check out Karen's blog.  She's got some very 'sharp' tags to share with you using the Sewing sheet ;0)  Don't forget that Karen is also currently hosting a Blockheads Facebook Challenge!  There's an awesome prize up for grabs so go check it out!

Happy Stamping!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

" Free Parking Kitty Attendant " - A 3rd Coast Creative Coterie Halloween themed Card!

Hey Stampers!

Can you believe it's August already!  Time is flying by so fast it's going to be October before you know it.   So I designed this spooktacular Halloween themed card for Third Coast Rubber Stamps as a member of the 3CCC design team aka the 3rd Coast Creative Coterie to help you get a jump start on your Halloween preparations!  I decided to go completely unconventional with my colour scheme for this card and love it ;0)

click on the photo to enlarge

 The main feature of my card is the awesome stamps available from Third Coast Rubber Stamps of course ;0)  I adore that kitty cat which is part of the Scary Hairy Girl and Cat combo - VB-321-P and the Free Parking tree - AP-479-P is so much fun to use in scene stamping and is one of their newest Halloween releases!

Stamp the tree and the cat images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock that is suitable for working with Copics.   Use a square Spellbinders die to cut out the panel and colour the scene with various Copic markers.  I used the colourless blender Copic to fade out the sky and grass areas of the scene.  The blender pen acts more like a bleach and removes colour instead of blending like the name suggests!   I added highlights to the scene with a white gel pen.

I love the kitty's eyes so I coloured them green to make them really pop against the hot pink I decided to go with for kitty's fur and also gave them dimension with Judikins Diamond Glaze.

Use a Fiskars Celestial moon corner punch on just the two top corners of the scene panel and adhere small pieces of pearlescent orange cardstock to the back of the panel behind the moons.   Edge the scene panel with a metallic silver paint pen.  Then cut out a larger rectangle panel from decorative hot pink cardstock and corner punch all 4 corners with the Fiskars Celestial star corner punch.

Cut a larger rectangle panel from pearlescent green cardstock and round the corners with a Marvy Corner Rounder punch.  Adhere all the panels to it with double-sided tape.

 Punch out a decorative border from black/pale pink polka dots decorative cardstock with a Martha Stewart double edge punch and trim away parts of it until you have what looks like a hugs and kisses design 'OXOXOXO'.  Slot the cut out border behind the top panel but weave the 'O' parts of the design so they overlap the scene panel and the 'X' parts go behind.

Make a 5" x 7" folded card from teal-green cardstock and adhere all the panels to it with double-sided tape.  The pumpkin embellishment is made from mulberry paper and was originally orange.  I coloured it black with a paint pen and back-lit the Jack O' Lantern face with a scrap of the orange pearlescent cardstock.  Weave green ribbon through another piece of the Martha Stewart border and attach the pumpkin to it with some glue dots. 

Adhere the whole piece to the front of the card with double-sided tape and you're finished!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I hope I've inspired you!  Now dash on over to Third Coast Rubber Stamps and grab their newest Halloween stamps for your spooktacular cards this year ;0)

 For more inspiration check out my fellow 3CCC designers!  All their blog links are located in my right hand sidebar directly beneath the Third Coast Blog badge!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents