3D acetate flower

Don't you love flowers? I love to put flowers in my works ... and hearts ... and butterflies ... But sometimes it's hard to put a flower in a winter craft.

This 3D acetate and vellum flower is ideal for a winter project, because it reminds the ice or glass, and also as acetate maintains its shape once molded, it is ideal for decorating objects or put it on minialbums covers .

Supply list:

• 655268 Sizzix Big Shot machine
• 656640 Sizzix Bigz Die- Tattered Florals
• 658298 Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 2PK- Butterflies & Flowers set
• Paper: Canson, acetate, vellum, scraps
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Stamps: TPC Studio
• Adhesives: Glue Dots, Glossy Accents
• Others: Washi Tape, brad, white acrylic paint, pink rhinestones

Today's  tutorial is in video format. If you know my blog will know that it is a format that I really like, because it is very clear and dynamic, so watch and enjoy :)

¡Happy Monday!

................

¿No os encantan las flores? A mí me encanta poner flores en mis trabajos... y corazones... y mariposas... Pero a veces me resulta difícil poner una flor en una manualidad de invierno.

Esta flor de acetato y papel vegetal es ideal para los trabajos de invierno, porque recuerda el hielo o el cristal, y además, como el acetato mantiene su forma una vez moldeado es ideal para adornar objetos o ponerla en las tapas de los miniálbums.

Materiales:

• 655268 Sizzix Big Shot machine
• 656640 Sizzix Bigz Die- Tattered Florals
• 658298 Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 2PK- Butterflies & Flowers set
• Papel: Canson, acetato, papel vegetal, restos
• Tinta: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Sellos: TPC Studio
• Adhesivos: Glue Dots, Glossy Accents
• Otros: Washi Tape, brad, pintura blanca, brillantitos rosas

Hoy el paso a paso viene en vídeo. Si ya conoces mi blog sabrás que es un formato que me gusta mucho, porque es muy claro y dinámico, así que dale al play y disfruta :)

¡Feliz lunes!

fabric selection - a quick guide


I've had a busy week this week! I finished my Christmas Scrappy Trips Around the World quilt top using the free tutorial from Quiltville and my Sizzix Bigz XL 2.5" strips die and I'm just waiting on some lovely soft flannel fabric to back it with before I send it off to be long arm quilted.
Quite often, on my blog, I get asked about how I choose my fabrics so I thought it would be an ideal blog post for here. To talk a little about the process of fabric selection and choosing colours.



My first step is to have an idea of how I want the finished quilt to look using a colour scheme. For this quilt my colour scheme was Christmassy, but without being too traditional. I wanted a fresh, colourful Christmas quilt, that was scrappy with a lot of different prints but without looking messy. If you follow a few basic rules it's quite easy to create that controlled scrappy look.

I started with Christmas fabrics I had to hand - and one print in particular gave me the the colour palette I was looking for. Using one fabric to help choose a colour scheme is a really useful way of shopping for more fabric or to help you pull suitable fabrics from your stash.
It can be overwhelming to decide colours without something to inspire you. Have a look through magazines or books, or around your house for something that grabs your eye and start to break that down into colours. Paint chips or colour cards from DIY stores are a great way to plan colour stories and to play around with colour combinations. Cut them up and store each of the same colour family in little zip lock bags so you can find the right colours easier - for example, all the greens in one bag, all the blues in another.



For this quilt the washing line print from Cherry Christmas was the perfect colour scheme. I already knew I wanted a more modern palette, not just red and green so the addition of pink and aqua was spot on. The white would help make the finished quilt look light and lift all the other colours.
My fabric stash is abundant with blues and greens, and I knew I would have plenty of fabrics to use without shopping for new ones (which is something you should also take in consideration - do you want to make a quilt using fabrics you already own, or are you prepared to go shopping?)

I pulled out as many Christmas fabrics I could find from my stash (and, as my friend is making the same quilt, from her stash too!) It's a good idea to pick out as many fabrics as possible. Too many. You can then sort them into piles and decide which ones work with your palette and which don't. I put a lot of fabrics away that were the wrong red or the wrong green.



Then I cut them into strips using my Bigz XL 2.5" strip die.



As well as Christmas fabrics I chose fabrics that had small scale prints or were tonal prints that are often known as 'blenders' - like dots, stripes and small florals, in the same colour scheme. Small scale prints represent their colours better than larger scale prints - you may find a print with a large floral on that looks like one colour overall, but when you cut it into small pieces the individual pieces can read as a whole rainbow of colours. As an example, the Christmas print on the Big Shot in the picture above reads as green but when cut into small squares depending on what part of the design you get it could read as white, red, green, or even blue.

The print below is an example of what isn't a good choice. The large medallion is made up of too many colours, and there's too much neutral background that will dilute the overall effect. Although technically this print contains most of the right colours for the palette, it's just too busy and the scale is too large.

On the other hand, small dots are particularly good because they tend to be single colours, so you can use them to add cohesion and to pull fabrics that are busier into the colour scheme and calm something very busy down a little. Also, the whole print is the same - however which way you cut, you will always end up with the same thing. If you are still a little wary of using too many fabrics (there are over 100 different prints in my Christmas quilt, of which around half are Christmas fabrics) then try adding some solid fabrics from your chosen colour scheme. Solids give your eyes a place to rest, and there are so many to choose from that you don't need to just rely on basics like white, black or grey. 

Quilt fabric manufacturers design fabrics specifically for this job of adding cohesion or 'blending' fabrics together. They may not be the most exciting looking fabrics in a store, but they're your stash building essentials and every quilt will use them. 

In a nutshell this is what you need to remember when choosing fabrics;

1. find a colour scheme either by selecting a particular fabric, a picture from a magazine, paint chips, or something in your house.
2. select fabrics that fall within that scheme
3. it is always best to choose too many fabrics and 'audition' them, before deciding they might be the wrong scale/shade/print type
4. use coloured solids, or blenders such as small scale dots to add cohesion and tie your palette together
5. the more fabrics you use, the scrappier or busier the overall look will become. Consider this when selecting fabrics. How busy do you want the quilt to look? Do you like it to be scrappy? Do you want to go shopping for more fabric, or use what you have on hand?

I really hope this helps you select fabrics for your next project and to try something a little different. It's always fun to experiment and try out new colour palettes instead of the ones we feel most comfortable with.

Next week I'll be showing you how to use the drunkards path dies to make a cushion cover.

Introduction from Gerry


Hello Sizzix friends!
I`m so happy to introduce myself today on Sizzix blog.

My name is Gerry. I`m a 39 years old Bulgarian woman who lives in The Netherlands. My Dutch husband and I "created" two adorable children - Leanne (5) and Alexander (9). I`m a full time mom which gives me opportunity to stay at home and have plenty of time for my hobbies - scrapbooking and photography.

I`ve been already scrapbooking for more than 10 years and it became an important part of my life. My style changed through the years a lot and nowadays I can define it as a romantic, shabby chic & sometimes vintage. I like playing "gently" with different mediums and of course I love using Sizzix products on my projects. My Big Shot Machine is my best friend while I`m creating :-)

Here are some projects I created using Sizzix products:

657496 Sizzix On The Edge Die - Distressed Doily

*  *  * 

657722 Sizzix ScoreBoards Die - Place Card & Flowers

*  *  *

657759 Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Card, Heart Scallop

657758 Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Card, Circle Scallop & Bow

657763 Sizzix Embossing Folders -  Scallop Heart Doily Set

*  *  *

657906 Sizzix Framelits Die Set - Frame, Snowflakes

657942 Sizzix Framelits Die Set - Ornaments, Round

656938 Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Tag & Bookplates

*  *  *

657708 Sizzix Sizzlits Dec. Strip - Flower Garden w/Scallops

658038 Sizzix Bigz Die - Frame, Fancy 

657759 Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Card, Heart Scallop

657763 Sizzix Embossing Folders - Scallop Heart Doily Set

*  *  *

657911 Sizzix Framelits Die Set - Tags, Fancy

*  *  *

657388 Sizzix Sizzlits Dec. Strip Die - Royal Swirls

657387 Sizzix Sizzlits Dec. Strip Die - Fancy Scallops

657661 - Sizzix Embossing Folders - Bird & Birdcage Set

I`m so happy & honoured to join this amazingly talented team.

I hope I`ll inspire you with my creations in the future and you`ll enjoy my blog posts!

Thank you for your visit today and see you next Sunday :-)

Have a Creative day!

Gerry

ScoreBoard ATC Box

I'm ready for spring- aren't you?

Here's a look at a couple of dies from my new collection, From The Heart. I made a ScoreBoard ATC Box from matboard and matching ATC card. The box will also hold candy, jewelry, small treasures, business cards, gift cards and lots of other fun things. There are Movers & Shapers that coordinate but I chose to leave the box plain this time.

Here are the Sizzix dies I used:

658056  Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Box, Artist Trading Card

658053  Sizzix Bigz Die - Flower Layers w/Heart Petals

658050  Sizzix Sizzlits Die Set 3PK - Hearts & More Set

657721  Sizzix Bigz Die - Borders & Hydrangeas

657119  Sizzix Bigz Die - Leaves

657114  Sizzix Bigz Die - Flower Layers #9

658054  Sizzix ScoreBoards L Die - Gift Card Folder & Label

657184  Sizzix Movers & Shapers Die - ATC & Corners

Other Supplies:
ink, paper, tissue paper, buttons, stamp, drywall tape, Bazzill chipboard, Viva Decor Inca Gold- platinum, double sided adhesive, hand dyed seam binding, watercolor paper, adhesive pearl

1. Cover a piece of matboard with some drywall tape. With a stencil brush, using a circular motion rub ink on through the tape, then peel it off. Don't worry about getting even coverage. 
2. Run stencilled matboard through die cut machine using ATC Box die.
3. Assemble box using strong double sided adhesive. 
4. Rub brown ink along the edges of the box.
5. Cut Heart Flower from off-white cardstock. Distress edges with brown ink. Position flower on box and add leaves and zigzag border. Add button to middle of flower. Adhere in place.
6. Cut ATC card from heavy chipboard. Ink with platinum Inca Gold, rub off and buff.
7. Cut leaves, zigzag border, heart flower, label, and hydrangea. 
8. Cut smallest flower from 20 layers of tissue paper. Punch a hole in the middle and secure petals with brad. Fluff up. 
9. Paint hydrangea using blue ink and water brush. Adhere two layers together.
10. Stamp label and tie around box with seam binding. 
11. Place card in box for a special person!

Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day! I don't know if you celebrate it like we do here in the States, but you never need an excuse to celebrate those you love. See you in two weeks!

Creativeworld recap

As you probably know by now, last week a group of us went to Paperworld as Sizzix had a stand in the Creativeworld section. I flew on Wednesday and did not come back till Tuesday very late. It was really exhausting, but all in all a great experience.

The stand look great as usual.

 The machines centre display was clever and a great focal point. And look, for the first time one of my collections was in display. Actually there were two, Fresh Moments (which is available now)and Winter moments (which you can see on the right side of the left photo). It was a very special moment to see the dies and display up.

I was really happy to be demoing for one of our UK distributors, Personal Impressions, which is a company really close to my heart. I had a blast in no small measure because I was beside the fantastic Dyan Reaveley. Such a fun and inspirational woman.

One great thing about trade shows is that we get to meet different companies, and since I love paper getting to know the people at Garza Papel (amazing 100% cotton paper) or the guys at St Cubherts Mill was great! Specially the samples I got to take home.  

Mr Pete Hughes was demoing at the Rayher stand, one of our distributors. You know, he is a big hit there, with crowds gathered around him all day long!

And behind Pete there was this lovely display made by the Rayher in house design team which was made entirely using dies from my Everyday collection, the Butterflies and Scallop Flowers. Seeing that was really surreal as I did not expected at all! 

And the super talented and incredibly nice and funny Anna was demoing at our Sizzix Stand. I stalked her like crazy!

Can you spot the new look of the Big Shot? Such a pretty machine. And the comes with a completely different set of dies exclusive to the starter kit, which you are going to love if you like Everyday.

Creativeworld in Frankfurt - Sizzix all around!

Hi everybody!
As you probably know last days were super busy not only for me but also for all Sizzix team! We were attending very big European show, Creativeworld in Frankfurt. For me it was first time and I was thrilled I could meet wonderful people from the team I could only admire online! What experience! I was lucky to help in Sizzix booth - doing some demos and presentations. Just look how pretty the display was - the team spent a lot of time carefully choosing the elements, preparing samples and decorating the stands. Can you see new cute design of the Big Shot machine? Yes, it is aqua blue now!

Here is Angela and her breathtaking fabric kingdom  I can't believe what  beautiful projects she can do with pieces of fabric and Sizzix dies... 

And here I am with some friends from the booth. It was busy but fun and in great atmosphere! Thank you so much for warm welcome :)

Of course I had some job to do too! I was doing demos and during one of the days I prepared a layout based on new Prima Marketing paper collections (Life Time) and my "Mechanicals" - metal embellishments. 

Here is finished project - I used some older and some new Sizzix Tim Holtz dies, which were used both traditionally and in unconventional way - to create a stencil to make some extra pattern in the background of the project. To add extra texture I used decorative strip from Dena Designs.

 

Sizzix products:

- Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Decorative Hearts (Dena Designs) - 658000
- Sizzix Bigz XL Alphabet Die - Word Play - Tim Holtz - 657837
- Sizzix Bigz Die - Picture Wheel - Tim Holtz - 658558 

And some detailed photos - you can see how gesso was applied through the "alphabet leftover" stencil and how all the elements are layered.

I hope you enjoued this small "trip" with me - see you soon!
xoxox
Finn

Moulin Rouge Brooch

Happy Friday everyone,
This week I wanted to show you a textile jewelry item: I created a brooch! This flower is so fun and pretty and so easy to make. I really love making flowers, especially out of felt. It brighten up blazers, plain blouses, aprons and lots of other stuff!
My brooch is inspired to “Moulin Rouge” movie: I used a combination of colors in black and red.

Items used to make the brooch:

Sizzix Big Shot machine (655268)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Tattered Florals (656640)
Sizzix Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set 2PK - Mini Tattered Florals Set (657488)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Flower Layers #5 (656522)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Leaves (657119)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Owl #2 (657694)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Circles (656333)
Sizzix Movers & Shapers Die – Ornamental (656641)
Sizzix Framelits Die Set 6PK w/Stamps - Flowers, Daisies (657916)
Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 2PK - Butterflies & Flowers Set (658298)

Decide on the colour combinations you’re following. For mine I used: red, black, bordeaux red – but you could use whatever you have.

felt (more color)
scrap of fabric
scrap of black lace
tulle fabric
sequin
wool pom pom
a brooch back or safety pin
needle and thread or hot glue
white cardstock

How to make:

1- Use the flowers Dies (656640, 657488, 656522) to cut out your layers of petals. I used 6 layers of petals. Make sure each layer varies in shape, size, material and colour.
2- Assemble: Start with the smallest and work backwards. Sew or use hot glue.
3- Cut out a heart (657694) of felt and glue in the centre. Glue a sequin above.
4- Use the leaves Die (657119) to cut out your layers of leaves. I used 2 layers for each leaf: felt and black lace.
5- Attach the leaves in the back of flower. Glue or sew the yarn pom pom wool.
6- For the back: Cut a felt circle (Die 656333), just big enough to hide all the ugliness. Cut slits in it to slide a part of the safety pin behind it. Then thoroughly hot glue the whole thing down! Voila you have a beautiful brooch!
7- For the card: Use the Die Ornamental (656641) to cut out your tag. Stamp with the stamp Framelits set 657916. Lastly use Embossing Folder. Drill two holes to sticking the brooch.

I love so much create this brooch that I made another, in other colors.



It's a nice gift for someone sweet!
Have fun and do let me know if you attempt to make one of this :)

**************************************
  Per le amiche italiane! :)

Felice venerdì a tutti!

Questa settimana ho creato una spilla floreale, ispirandomi al film Moulin Rouge. In Italia si avvicina il Carnevale e quel film, con le sue scenografie e i costumi eccessivi, è una fonte d'ispirazione perfetta per questo periodo dell’anno. Il rosso domina su tutto, così come scure e cupe sono le tonalità che prevalgono nella parte più drammatica. E così ho scelto proprio questi colori per realizzare la mia spilla, che ho poi accompagnato ad una semplice card, pronta per essere regalata.

Ma vediamo di spiegarvi come ho fatto.

Per realizzare la spilla avrete bisogno di:

Sizzix Big Shot machine (655268)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Tattered Florals (656640)
Sizzix Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set 2PK - Mini Tattered Florals Set (657488)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Flower Layers #5 (656522)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Leaves (657119)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Owl #2 (657694)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Circles (656333)
Sizzix Movers & Shapers Die – Ornamental (656641)
Sizzix Framelits Die Set 6PK w/Stamps - Flowers, Daisies (657916)
Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 2PK - Butterflies & Flowers Set (658298)

Decidete prima la vostra combinazione di colori. Io ho scelto i colori: rosso, rosso bordeaux e nero.
feltro di due o tre colori
avanzi di stoffa
avanzi di pizzo nero
tulle o voile
paillette
filo di lana pom pom
una spilla piatta o una spilla da balia
ago e filo oppure colla a caldo (secondo le preferenze)
cartoncino bianco (o altro colore in tinta unita)

Procedimento:

1 - Utilizzare le fustelle a forma di fiori (656640, 657488, 656522) per tagliare i vostri strati di petali. Io ho usato 6 strati. Assicurarsi che ogni strato sia diverso per forma, dimensione, materiale e colore. (vedi foto in alto)
2 – Montare il fiore: Iniziare dal fiore più piccolo e lavorare a ritroso. Cucire insieme gli strati o usare la colla a caldo, secondo le vostre preferenze.
3 - Tagliare un cuoricino di feltro usando la fustella 657694 e incollarlo al centro del fiore. Incollare sopra una paillette, scegliendo un colore in tono con la spilla.
4 - Utilizzare la fustella a forma di foglie (657119) per tagliare i vostri strati di foglie. Io ho usato 2 strati per ogni foglia: feltro e pizzo nero, per ognuna.
5 - Fissare le foglie nella parte posteriore del fiore. Cucite o incollate anche il filo di lana pom pom.
6 - Per il retro: tagliare un cerchio di feltro (fustella 656333), grande quanto basta per nascondere tutte le imperfezioni. Praticare due piccole fessure per far scorrere la parte fissa della spilla sul dietro. In questo modo la spilla rimarrà incastrata nel feltro e non si muoverà. Quindi incollare il cerchio con la colla a caldo premendo sul retro del fiore. Voilà, ecco la vostra spilla!
7 - Per la card: utilizzare la fustella Ornamental (656641) per tagliare la tag. Timbrare con i timbri del set Framelits 657916: io ho usato la frase sull'amicizia e i fiori, perfetta! ;) Infine utilizzare l'Embossing Folder per embossare la vostra card. Praticare due fori per attaccare la spilla. Ecco un'idea regalo per le vostre amiche, magari un pensierino inaspettato per il Carnevale!

Mi è piaciuto molto accostare il pizzo con il feltro di colore in contrasto. Questa spilla-fiore è così divertente e così facile da fare... che ne ho realizzata subito un altra con altri colori, più di tendenza!

Un’ultima cosa: come mi avete segnalato, i commenti in questo blog non sono visualizzati, ma non vi preoccupate, la vostra visita qui è già un gesto cortese da parte vostra ed un enorme piacere per me! :)

Alla prossima settimana!