Friends Hanging Card

I don't know about you, but having Monday off has thrown off my whole week! But, it is Wednesday, and I have a sweet card that I created using some of The Rubber Cafe products and with this month's Scraps Of Darkness Kit-Summer Breeze,  to share with you. I am a country girl at heart and this card reflects that side of me. It is a hanging card and features a front and back side. I love these kind of cards, because they can not only be given as a card, but can be hung as a piece of art work as well.

 I started with a layer of the Prima Sun Kissed paper from the kit, and then punched the kit Jelliebean Soup corrugated paper and layered it on. I then took some more Prima paper and deeply distressed a layer and then fussy cut out another piece and stamped it using The Rubber Cafe's Heart Strings Stamp, and then added some shine with some Your So Fine Glitter in Bronze Medal.  I then layered it on with foam tape that I created with some of The Rubber Cafe's One and Only Tape to give my card dimension.

Here is a close up of the stamp work:

I took a piece of Prima Sunkiss Chipboard from the kit and added it as my sentiment, then added some visual interest by adding of some of The Rubber Cafes Pearl Jellie Dots

 I then added some little sunflowers to the corners and stamped some leaves, using Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Ink and one of  The Rubber Cafe's Leaf Stamp 1 stamps.

 I used some 7 Gypsies Metal Clothes Hangers from a past SOD kit to attach my hemp rope to create a hanger for my card.

 For the back side of the card, I layered up more of the kit Prima Sun Kissed Paper and some stash Webster's Pages Paper, distressing the edges and inking the edges heavily for that girlie grunge look I love so much.

 The sentiment was stamped using newly released stamp set Friends and the tulips were stamped using one of the stamps from the Window Garden Stamp Set. Both of these new releases can be purchased in The Rubber Cafe's brand new, totally gorgeous and versatile On The Fence Bundle.

Thank you for joining me for this weeks reveal! ~Renea

The Rubber Cafe Products Used:

Heart Strings Stamp
Leaf Stamp 1
Friends Stamp Set
Window Garden Stamp Set
On The Fence Bundle
One and Only Tape
Your So Fine Glitter - Bronze Medal
Pearl Jellie Dots
Scrap Happy Glue

Other Products Used:
Webster's Western Love Letters Paper
Prima Sun Kissed Paper
Jilliebean Soup Corrugated Paper
Prima Sun Kissed Chipboard
7 Gypsies Clothes Hangers
Martha Stewart Punch
Zutter
Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo
Tim Holtz Distress Markers-Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, and Vintage Photo
 

Wild At Heart

Hello everybody, and happy Wednesday! Hope your week is going well, and that you are able to find the time to create something wonderful. I have been in a rustic, more masculine mood here lately, and when I received my package from The Rubber Cafe, I was completely delighted to see the new On The Fence bundle. I immediately knew that I wanted to do a really rustic, western influenced layout surrounding one of my favorite subjects, horses. I grew up riding, and me and my cousin Kelly spent almost every day of our childhood on horseback. We loved to pretend that we were Laura and Mary from Little House On The Prairie and her horses Milkshake and Becky were our constant companions for our adventures. It wasn't uncommon for me to jump the fences of neighboring farms and ride whatever horse I could find. No saddle, no bridle, just freedom. To this day there is no better feeling of that freedom than being on the back of a horse. I used a wallpaper image from Google, my Scraps Of Darkness May Kit -Summer Breeze, and some of those wonderful new products, as well as some older ones from The Rubber Cafe.

 I started with some of the Simple Stories papers from the Scraps of Darkness May Kit. I distressed the edges and stained them with Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge Stain from The Rubber Cafe store. For the second layer I used a technique that  one of my Scraps of Darkness Sisters, Jennifer Snyder (Jrabs) came up with of using different punches mixed together to give you a different look and relieve punch boredom. I did a more grungy style, but the inspiration was all Jen. Thanks Jen!! You always inspire!

 In the top left hand corner, I cut a strip of the kit paper, distressed and inked the edges with the same Rusty Hinge stain, and then fussy cut a damask emblem from the paper, and layered it onto the strip. The western look, metal piece is actually some metal brads that I found in my stash that were created to house typeset alphabets, but instead of using the alphas, I took some metal buttons that I had picked up at my local children's charity thrift shop and adhered them to the brads using The Rubber Cafe's Scrap Happy Glue. 

 Next, I recycled some corrugated board and cut it into a circle. I dry brushed the circle with gesso and then inked the edges with some Tim Holtz distress ink. I then took a layer of the Kit paper, distressed and stained the edges with some Tim Holtz Wild Honey Stain. I then layered on my image and took a piece of Dusty Attic Barb Wire chipboard and coated it with some Your So Fine Glitter in Copper from The Rubber Cafe, and then accented the barbs with  Puffies in Black.

 I  lightly stamped my background layer with the Wood Grain Stamp from The Rubber Cafe's, On The Fence Bundle.  I then took the Spellbinder's On the Fence Die and cut out the fence from some thin chipboard. Next, I took some Mixed Media Ink in Leather and used the Wood Grain Stamp to stamp the fence, I then cut the fence and made 2 more of those metal pieces, and wrapped some Teresa Collin's twine around them to make the fence opening.

 Here is another shot so that you can see all the wood grain texture the stamp creates. I love it!!

 I then created a flower layer using the Prima Laredo Austin Flowers from this month's Flora & Fauna Add On, and some Petaloo Darjeeling Hydrangeas from a past kit. . I then created the title pieces. The "Wild" is some of the Simple Stories Document alphas from the kit that I glossy accented, I mounted the "At" onto a paper strip that I inked and distressed, and then I took The Rubber Cafe's Wood Heart Stamp and stamped it onto some of this month's card stock add on, fussy cut it out, set some eyelets and attached a wire handle with curled ends, and then added the word "heart" onto it with some of the Simple Stories  Alphas.

 For the final details, I stamped some leaves onto Some Prima packaging using The Rubber Cafe's Leaf Set One Stamp,  fussy cut them out and tucked them into the flowers, and then made a bottom strip with some more metal pieces and twine. I love the way The Rubber Cafe helped me to create something so rustic, beautiful and close to my heart! Thanks for letting me share with you. ~Renea

The Rubber Cafe Products Used:

On The Fence Bundle
Spellbinder's On the Fence Die
Wood Grain Stamp
Wood Heart Stamp
Leaf Set One Stamp
Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge Stain
Scrap Happy Glue
Your So Fine Glitter- Copper
Puffies-Black

Scraps Of Darkness June Kit-Summer Breeze Reveal

As we head ever closer to summer, Scraps of Darkness unveils it's kit Summer Breeze and it is just perfect for those fun summer photos. Of course, as always, this kit is so versatile, your imagination will know no limits.

The Main Kit Includes;

Papers: 
Simple Stories-Documented- Expressions Stickers
-Memories, Noteworthy, Ever After, Words 2 Live By
Prima-Sun Kiss Collection
-Sundried, Lemon Ginger, Sunshine Path, Nectar Fields
Little Yellow Bicycle
-Paradise- Happy Dots, Pleasant Plaid

Embellishments:
Maya Road- Yellow Zipper, and  Pins
Kaisercraft Wooden Flourishes
Prima- Poppies & Peonies Canvas Banners
Prima- Peanut Primmers, and Say it in crystals

For this kit, I used a lot of different techniques  in each layout to create dimension and texture; hand stitching, sewing, punching, beading, gesso, modeling paste, stamping, stenciling and painting are all great ways to add interest to your layouts. So be sure to take a close look at all the details.

The following sketch created by Sue Pup is also included with the kit:

The following is my take on this month's sketch and features a photo of me and my family when my son was about 4 years old. Simply put, I love my family. They are the world to me and I consider my family sacred ground. My husband, David and I have been married for 22 years and dated for 3 more. After being married for 5 years, we finally decided to have a child, and I must say there is no greater joy, for me than in being a mom. My son, is now 16, right at the verge of 17 and I feel so privileged to have watched him growing up and turning into the man that he will one day be. More amazing is watching this person, who is a little bit of me, a little bit of his dad, and whole lot of his own self finding his place in this world. I couldn't imagine life without either him or my husband, and count myself, one lucky lady to have been blessed with the beautiful sweetness of such a wonderful family.

I did lots of layering with the kit papers using reversed scallop edging, punching and distressing. I hands stitched around the Kaisercraft Wooden Flourishes from the kit and layered on Prima chipboard pieces from the Romance Add On. The Lemon Meringue Butterflies are from my Etsy Shop.

I did lots of machine sewing around the photo, word pieces and side piece.

Here, I used layers of the kit paper, one of the Prima Chipboard pieces from the Romance add on and some Prima- Lady Godivas Nougat flowers from the Flora and Fauna as well as some Yellow She Daisies from my Etsy Shop.

 The side floral layer was created using Sizzix Flourishes more of those Prima- Lady Godivas Nougat flowers from the Flora and Fauna as well as some more Yellow She Daisies from my Etsy Shop. The daisy and bling layer underneath is the Prima Say It In Crystals piece from the kit.

I love Daisies and Sunflowers and the papers and embellishment from this month's kit was just perfect for our family photo. I love when elements from the kit reflect things that I love and I get to scrap those special photos!

This next layout features a photo of my son, Draven and shows how this beautiful kit can be used to create a masculine layout. I can't believe how grown up my son is starting to look. He is slowly filling out his features and starting to look even more so like his dad. I took this photo along with some other ones while we were down by the Tennessee River at this big farm, and I love how wonderful they turned out and have just had to scrap some of them. I am so proud of him!!

I used layers of the kit papers, corrugated board, and the corrugated Jellie Bean Soup Paper also in the kit that I distress punched, inked and distressed to get my base layers.

The side strip is a piece of the Life Stories paper that I cut the large words "Life Is Good"  out of. I then gessoed over the paper to give it a soft side, distressing the edges for that rugged look. I then created a banner using the Prima Canvas Banner from the kit and some floss. I then took 2 Dusty Attic Keys that I had purchased from Mandy (Craftysprinkles) Etsy, and I painted them, then dabbed them with a paint dauber, strung hemp rope through them and hung them from the strip with a 7Gypsies clip from a previous kit.

I used a stencil and misted it with Lindy's Mist from a previous Color Add on at the corner of my page. I dry inked the Jellie Bean Corrugated board that I cut into my desired shape using a template. I then took a punchenella stencil, painted over it with modeling paste, with the stencil still in place, I misted it with some Maya Road Mist from last month's color add on and then went back over it with a stencil brush and modeling paste to blend the color in. I grunge stamped randomly on my page with Vintage Photo Ink to add visual depth and interest.

I tied some more hemp rope around the corner of the corrugated piece then took a Bottle Cap Inc- Bottle Cap, and Epoxy Sticker from the Romance Add on and made the crown piece. I edged the bottle cap with some of the Vintaj Patina Metal Paint from this month's color add on and then sealed it with some of the Glaze, also in the add on. The lock is another DA piece from the lock and key set I purchased from Mandy's store that I gesso'ed and then grunge stamped. For the final touch I tucked in some of the the film strip transparencies and one of the Simple Stories sticker sentiments from the kit.

I love the way the kit gave me all those wonderful, rugged yet beautiful pieces that allows me to scrap photos of my son. He is after all, one of my favorite subjects!

This next layout shows how you can use this month's kit to get a Vintage look. I love old Vintage images. I purchased this one off Etsy from a seller who scans them in from old Vintage postcards. I loved this one with those soft romantic greens and creams, so perfect for these papers. It is titled "In Another Time". 

The base layers of this layout are made up of punched layers of the kit paper that I punched and hand stitched, and of course did a little distressing and inking on. The trim is some beautiful Vintage look trim that Karen (aka LostCoastScrapper) gifted to me. Thank you Karen!!

Here you can see the detail of the technique work I did. I used a Prima Stencil and applied thick layers of modeling paste. I then hit it with my heat gun to add even more dimension then stamped in the modeling paste design. This is a great way to add dimension and design to your layers. I took a Dusty Attic Chandelier and painted it with gesso. I then painted it with Smooch paing and added details with Tim Holtz Markers, pink Smooch paint and some silver metal look paint, and then added little crystals for even more detail.

I created the flower layers by stamping the leaves using a Heartfelt Creations Rose Leaf Stamp and cutting them out with the matching Spellbinder's die. I then layered on flowers from past kits and some Shabby Love Letter Flowers from my Etsy Shop, and then added even more dimension with some Baby Renea Crushed Ice Butterflies from my shop.

Here is a close ups of some of the details.

 The ornate design on the side of the photo is a layered piece, with the bottom being a piece I cut using a Spellbinder's Parisian Accents die, and the next layer is one of the Prima Chipboard Stickers from the Romance Add on, and then a crystal accent for the center.

I love the versatility of the Scraps Of Darkness Kits, they so suit my "scrap your mood" style~


This last project is one that I have been wanting to do for a while. Both Ingrid Gooyer and Romy (DutchyRomy) have done little altered bird houses in the past, and I just loved them. They both inspired me to do my own version of one, so thank you Ingrid and Romy, you girls are so talented, and I am always inspired when I step into your galleries!

I started with a wooden bird house and gess'ed the whole surface to prep it. I then created templates and used the templates to create the paper details, distressing the edges.  I used the Prima Mountain Lily Sunflower piece from the Flora & Fauna add on to add instant beauty to the front of the bird house. I then used a stash chipboard bird, and some real branches and pine cones from my hemlocks to create texture and a natural look to the bottom. I attached one of the chipboard pieces from the Romance add onto the perch and added a Prima crystal to the center.

. I edged the front pitch of the house with lots of little beads which added some fabulous texture.

For the roof, I used a fence die cut and created "tiles" by staggering the paper colors. I then added some reindeer moss in keeping with my "natural" look.

For the sides I used a Donna Salazar Stanza Stamp and stamped onto the gesso'ed sides and then added some reindeer moss and more of the tiny pine cones.

Close up of some of the details.

View of opposite side.

I just loved how this bird house turned out so beautiful with a natural edge, and lots of texture.

Thank you for visiting me and checking out my Scraps Of  Darkness Reveal Day projects. I hope you enjoyed taking a look at all the different ways that you can use this beautiful kit! Now, I am off to check out what the rest of my sisters have created! Have a great week~ Renea

Carousel Horse Mini Altered Book Box

Good morning everybody, and Happy Wednesday! We are half way through another week, and today I would like to share an altered project. It is a Mini Altered Book Box and uses four different stamps from The Rubber Cafe and some of the Scraps Of Elegance Kit pieces from this month's gorgeous kit-Swan Song. It may be a small project, but it features lots of technique work and layers.

 I painted the entire box with white gesso, and then went over the gesso with layers of Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet Stain. I then cut out the top layer for my box from a piece of Pink Paislee paper from the Scraps of Elegance Kit, and distressed and stained the edges with some more of the Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet Stain.

 I then cut out a bottom layer from the kit paper, and then cut out a second layer using a Spellbinder's Fence Die, slitting the posts and curling them to varying degrees. I then layered on some of the yummy Vintage look trim from the SOE kit.

 I took The Rubber Cafe Carousel Horse Stamp, stamped the image on to plain cream card stock using Mixed Media Inks Truffle Ink. Then colored the image in, using Tim Holtz Distress Markers and Smooch Pearlized Paints. I accented the image in places using The Rubber Cafe, You're So Fine Glitters in the following colors; Bronze Metal, Terrifically Teal, Copper, and Princess Pink. I also added Viva Pearl Pen Accents on the flowers and harness, using the following colors; Pearl and Teal. I tied layers of ribbon onto the pole of the image and added a Terrifically Teal Jellie Dot for accent.

 On the bottom of the front of the box I punched strips of the kit paper with a Martha Stewart Punch and then layered some more of the kit Vintage look trim to the bottom. I then took a piece of plain white card stock, stamped the word Vintage onto it using the "Vintage Sentiment" from The Rubber Cafe's Vintage Treasures Stamp Set, cut it out with a Spellbinder's Fancy Tag 2 Die , and then inked around the edges and added some Rubber Cafe Cotton Candy Jellie Dots for accents.

 To create the look of well aged book pages, I layered on layers of modeling paste that I texture brushed to create the look of the pages. I then stained the pages with layers of Tim Holtz Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Stains. I made the book closure, by hand dying seam binding, attaching it to the book box and tying a bow.

 For the back of the box I grunge stamped the entire surface with the postcard stamp from
  The Rubber Cafe's Vintage Treasures Stamp Set, and then distress crackle painted it in places, to give the look of a much loved, well worn book.

For the binding on the book, I stamped pink crepe paper with The Rubber Cafe's Flat Wing Butterfly Stamp, and using  Mixed Media Inks Truffle Ink. 
I then adhered it to the back of the book in layers, using Scrap Happy Glue.

Once finished, I have a beautiful little book box to store treasures, keepsakes and photos in, plus a beautiful decorative piece for any home. Thanks for letting me share this project with you! I hope you find the time this week to create something beautiful for yourself! ~Renea

The Rubber Cafe Items Used To Create This Project:
Vintage Treasures Stamp Set
Flat Wing Butterfly Stamp
Carousel Horse Stamp
Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet Stain
Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Stains
Scrap Happy Glue
Mixed Media Inks Truffle Ink
Cotton Candy Jellie Dots
Spellbinder's Fancy Tag 2 Die
Terrifically Teal Jellie Dot
You're So Fine Glitters in the following colors; Bronze Metal, Terrifically Teal, Copper, and Princess Pink
Lil' Inkerz
Stick Em' Up

Other Products Used:
Prima Fairy Belle Paper
Pink Paislee Papers
Aqua Vintage Look Trim
Hand Crafted Flowers
Paper Mache Box
Martha Stewart Garden Gate Punch
 

Berry71Bleu Mother's Day Challenge

Have you seen the new challenge up at Berry 71 Bleu 

for the month of May?  It's a really sweet challenge set 

by talented team member Amanda Aveiro who says:-

In honor of Mother’s Day I am centering the challenge

 around your favorite quote/poem/song about Mother’s. 

So you need to create a project about a mother - you, your

mother, your mother-in-law {you get the idea!} & you MUST

include a quote/poem (or a line or two, etc from one) or some

song lyrics - just something like that to personalize your page.

If you visit the site Amanda has given various examples to 

get your creative juices flowing, and she has also put together

a really cute little technique video about altering chipboard

so click on over and have a watch!

--------------------------------------------------------------

As always there are a few basic rules to follow:

 1. You are allowed to make a card, layout or altered/off the page 

project as long as you follow the theme or challenge of the month.

 2. This challenge is open to anyone anywhere in the world.

 3. Pls post your ACTUAL project post using the link tool 

on the sidebar and DO NOT link to your ENTIRE blog.

 4. Please SERIOUSLY CONSIDER turning off your word 

verification if comments are important to you:)

 5. You can submit as many projects as you would like 

and combine your entry with other challenges.

 6. Please mention in your blog post that you are playing 

along at Berry 71 Bleu TOGETHER with a link back 

to our blog. Thank you!

 7. All entries must be received by MIDNIGHT May 31st 

Central Standard Time. Winner of the challenge will receive

 a prize collection kit from our sponsor this month. 

8.  Each month we will have at least TWO prizes on offer.

One will be based on MERIT and voted on by our entire

design team whereas the other will be selected by

random draw! So players both have a fair chance!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This month I am very excited to tell you that our sponsor

is none other than my boss over at Les Papiers de Pandore,

Julie Blanc!  Who is sponsoring the MERIT prize with a 

whole collection pack of "The Scent of Camelias" paper

Julie's papers can be purchased DIRECT from the Pandore site

HERE  and you can also find Les Papiers de Pandore on 

FACEBOOK, where you can join in their monthly challenge

for the chance to win big too, by posting your creation there

using Pandore products (the challenge can be found on the 

Pandore blog each month). 

 Here is the link to EXACTLY what YOU COULD WIN.

The Pandore blog is a FEAST FOR THE EYES to follow,

although it is in French, if you use Google Chrome it gets

automatically translated for you if you like.

All Pandore papers are made from 100% recycled paper,

which does not impair the quality at all, in fact the quality

is superb, and each collection has custom acrylic stamps

designed to co-ordinate with it too!

It is also printed in France using 100% vegetable dyes - 

so it is very environmentally friendly yet so incredibly

BEAUTIFUL.  Projects using Pandore papers will be

up on the Berry 71 Bleu blog as the month progresses.

The RANDOM winner will receive this prize pack from 

Zeus and Zoe and Berry71bleu Etsy Shops: 

Isn't that a beautiful tag, and look at all those stamps!  

The challenge winners for April have already been announced

on the blog and if you don't want to miss any updates there is

also a "follow by e mail" gadget in the sidebar, so sign up &

never miss out on any Berry 71 Bleu inspiration again!