Mandie's Keepsakes Box

When I started this project it was going to be a quick and pretty little box. I had a very simple idea in my head for what I wanted to do... and then I found myself adding a little more here and doing a bit more there, and found myself spending many hours creating this little box.

It started lift and a plain wooden "book-look" box that I had purchased a couple years ago, on clearance for $.29. I had purchased several because they were so cheap and cute. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I decided to FINALLY alter one of them.

To begin, I sprayed the "Pages" part with lots of Glimmer Mist. I started with the Walnut Gold, added some Coffee Shop and then finally some Tattered Leather. Then I used my Black Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber to paint the rest of the outside of the book. Then I decided to work on the inside of the book first.


I started with some fabric remnants that I picked up at a local craft store. I loved the silky patterned one so I simply used my Scor Tape and adhered it to a sheet of chipboard that I cut slightly smaller than the inside measurements (to allot for the fabric's bulk). Then I used my Glossy Accents to adhere this piece to the inside bottom of my box. Did you know that Glossy Accents is an excellent adhesive as well? I then repeated this to line the inside of my lid. Next a grabbed the music note fabric and cut small pieces of chipboard to do all of the inside sides on the box. Since the music note fabric was plain white cotton I wanted to make it co-ordinate just a bit more. So, I grabbed my Bazzill Splat Mat, my Heat Tool, a Mini Mister filled with water and my Glimmer Mists! First I sprayed the ribbon with water to make the dyes soak in better. Then I randomly sprayed Mel's Diner, Wheat Beer and Meadow Green all over my fabric. I used my Heat Tool to dry it and then cut it to cover my chipboard and used more Scor Tape to adhere it. Then used the Glossy Accents to attach all the pieces to the sides. I also used some giant binder clips to make sure my pieces stayed tight to the surface to dry.


Next I started working on my cover. Remember the Mosaic card I posted here a few days ago? Well, this is the original project that I had cut all those pieces for. I just cut strips from my Echo Park Paper "For the Record" 6 x 6 Paper Pad. This technique would really be great with any of Echo Parks lines! Then I inked all the edges of my pieces by swiping them over my Walnut Stain Distress Ink Pad. Then I very sparingly added Glossy Accents to the back of each piece as I created my pattern. I made sure to leave space for my title piece. Then I used my Glossy Accents to cover each piece of paper to give it a glass tile look and let it dry.


For my title, I had picked up these really cute "mistables" at a LSS a while ago and they've been sitting on my desk waiting for just the right project. I think this qualifies. So I used my Wheat Beer Glimmer Mist to cover the whole thing. Then I used my Barn Door and Walnut Stain Distress Inks around the edges. Then I added a layer of the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. When it was dry I added more Walnut Stain Distress Ink to the cracks (just liberally apply it with your Ink Blending Tool and then use a damp cloth to wipe off the top). Then I added 2 layers of chipboard behind it to raise it up a bit more. After I adhered it to my box with more Glossy Accents I then added the Glossy Accents to the top of this as well.


So here is where I will mention what I will call my "Glossy Accident"... I had actually already completed most of my box when I was adding that final title "tile". When I set it aside to dry I didn't realize that it was sitting at the tiniest angle... and when I came back to it to take photos I gasped. The Glossy Accents had slowly traveled over the edge of my tile, through the other tiles and down the side of my box. Well, I'd invested too much time in this box to toss it aside and start again, so I decided to roll with it and disguise it as much as I can! So I added Glossy Accents to the whole top of the box. First I very carefully outlined the whole top of the box with it and let the outline dry on a completely level surface (yes, I checked it with a level to be certain). Then I filled in the rest of the "grout" space with a thin coat. When that was dry I added one more layer to all of my tiles to be sure they all stood out. I love the finished effect!


Ok, so now I will tell you how I decorated the back of my book box. I wanted it to sit flat so I needed a flat design. I created a stencil from one of the shapes in one the For the Record papers. Then I used my White Adirondack Paint Dabber to fill in my shape. When it was dry I removed the mask and then I randomly added my Glimmer Mist using the Wheat Beer, Coffee Shop, Walnut Gold and Tattered Leather to it. Then I painted the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over the area and when that was dry I added Scor Tape around the edges, peeled off the backing and covered it with antique gold glitter. A quick simple way to make sure your glitter goes on perfectly straight!

Here's a look at the spine of the book. I simply added my paper (this was a 12 x 12 sheet from the same line) and added some May Arts Velvet Ric Rac to the edges. After that previously mentioned "Glossy Accident" I added the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over the top as well to mask that little boo-boo.

I's so thrilled with how my little book box turned out, now I just need to find some special treasures to tuck inside!

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Tutorial Tuesday: Glimmer Mist with Laura

Hey, I'm so excited to be here for a Tutorial Tuesday!! More Glimmer Mist fun ahead!! Today I'm going to take you on an Under Sea Adventure with Glimmer Mist!

Here's a nice start to a scrapbook page about a snorkeling excursion we went on.


It's simple, nice enough, but watch what a little Glimmer Mist can do!!

First, using my Bazzill Splat Mat as my work surface, I did a little "test spray" of each color I wanted to use to see how they would look together. I decided to use Tiger Lily, Patina and Dragonfly. I also spritzed my title card with a little light spritz of each.


Next step, was to layer two of the stencils on my blank cardstock....


...and then spritz lightly over them with all three colors (one at a time!). I removed one of the stencils so you see how this will look:


Then to create depth, a different way to use the stencils, is to spray the mist directly ON the stencil like this:


And then put the stencil mist side down on the paper and press down. The best way is to lay a paper towel on top and then use a brayer over the stencil. This makes a "stamped" image on the cardstock like this:


To finish, because I wanted a softer look, I did a "color wash" technique. I sprayed the lighter Patina color over the page one area at a time (about 1/6 of the page at a time) and then quickly wiped it off with a paper towel. You can see the soft streaked effect, especially at the top of the finished page:


So now take a look at the SAME pictures and title, with just a couple of finishing touches on the Glimmer Mist page. WOW....what a difference, huh?? I finished the page by trimming the paper down by 1/4 inch on both sides, distressed the edges and used Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass and Vintage Photo distress inks, applied with the ink applicator and foam pads, and mounted on black cardstock. A journal strip and a few brads finish it off.


And here is a look at my complete two page layout!



Check out these great products at Cutter's Creek!!

Glimmer Mist (Tiger Lily, Patina)
Glimmer Mist Stencils *NOTE* the exact stencils used in this post are not in the store... but I'm sure if you asked Kim nicely she could get them
Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Tumbled Glass, Vintage Photo)
Inkssentials Ink Applicator and Foam Pads
Inkssentials Inky Roller Brayer
Bazzill Splat Mat

And don't forget we want to see what YOU can create with Glimmer Mist! Just post a comment with a link to your newly created Glimmer Mist project on your blog and you could win... MORE Glimmer Mist! Remember, this project must be newly created just for this contest and must use Glimmer Mist somewhere on the project. Judging will be based on a RANDOM draw (all names will be entered into random.org). All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Monday, January 24th. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 25th! I hope you all will play along with us!!!

Tutorial Tuesday - Glimmer Mist with Mandie

Welcome to our very first "Tutorial Tuesday"! To start off the New Year right we decided to try to focus on what YOU the customers of the Cutters Creek Store have questions about. So, if Cutters Creek sells it and you want to know more about it please feel free to post a comment! One product that we got a few questions about in the Cutters Creek Yahoo Group is Glimmer Mist. It's pretty, it's sparkly and it's available in a TON of colors... but what do you actually DO with it??? Well, hopefully this month we can give you a few ideas!


This is a peek at my craft room. You are looking at my rainbow of 1 oz. Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist bottles. I decided that before I invested in the larger 2 oz. bottles I was going to try a few different colors to see what fit my taste so I purchased a few small "sets". I can honestly say I am LOVING my Glimmer Mist and am only going to be buying the large bottles from now on! But don't they look cute all lined up on my shelf? Anyway, I'm going to talk about "Masking" today. Now, there are some GORGEOUS Tattered Angels Glimmer Screens available in the Cutters Creek Store. They are super easy to use, simply lay them on your project and spray the Glimmer Mist and spray the mist. You could also make your own "screens" with your Cricut and some heavy cardstock, chipboard or even acrylic to make it reusable. But today I'm going to share making your own mask with basic tools.


First, grab a piece of scrap paper. This would be a good use for some of those papers you bought or came in a paper pad that you will NEVER use! I'm going to be making a 5" x 6 1/2" card so I cut my scrap of paper to about 6" x 6". Then I randomly cut lines in my paper stopping about 1" from the bottom of the sheet. Then I folded back every other stripe. Notice the Bazzill Splat Mat covering my desk. Surface protection is VERY important when working with Glimmer Mist, unless you want a Glimmer Desk!


Next I cut a piece of Bazzill Simply Smooth Cardstock to 5" x 6 1/2" to cover my card base. You will want a separate sheet to adhere to the card for a couple of reasons. First, the spray can leach through to the other side of the paper. Secondly, the spray can warp the paper a bit so you don't want a wonky card. It kind of straightens back out when you adhere it to the card base. And finally, if you're anything like me some times you need to do a 2nd take and who wants to waste a nice card base? Lay your mask over your paper. Notice I added a paper towel under my paper on top of my Splat Mat. You don't *have* to do this step but I think the end result is a bit neater.


Next a laid another paper scrap across the bottom of where I wanted my stripes to end. Then I grabbed my Purple Pansy Glimmer Mist and shook it up until all of the "Glimmer" mixed in. You can tell it is all mixed up by checking the bottom. Just shake until there is nothing clinging to it! It just takes a minute but makes a WORLD of difference. *Side Note* - it has also been said that you should "swirl' instead of shaking so you can try that too, just make sure it's mixed well.


Now you are going to start spritzing. The above photo is just a couple of squirts. A couple things to remember: try to keep the bottle as upright as possible, keep it moving as you spritz and shake it up every couple of squirts, just to be sure to get as much glimmer as possible. The beauty of this is you can add as many or as few squirts as you want! When I felt that I had the right coverage (about 10-12 squirts for this project) I dabbed it with a dry paper towel to take of the excess and removed the mask....


And here is the background for my card! I used my Heat Gun to quickly dry my paper, just make sure to keep it moving so you don't scorch your cardstock. One tip I can give is to mostly dry the front, it will probably curl a bit... now flip it over and dry it a bit on the back as well. It helps straighten it out a bit. Depending on how picky you are you can also set it under a stack of books overnight to flatten a bit more. I've also heard you can lightly spritz the back with a Mini Mister full of water and that this will balance it out. I haven't TRIED this yet but I WILL for next week's tutoral! I will post posts of different swatches for you all to see.


So I decided to use my Cricut Expression Machine and the Create A Critter cartridge to cut an adorable cat for my card at 4 1/2". I cut the base from Black cardstock, the main body from Silver American Crafts Glitter Paper and the nose and bow from Pink cardstock. Now, I decided that with the glimmery background and the glittery cat body the plain Pink looked... Plain! So I grabbed some Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist and spritzed the pieces. If you click the photo to make it a bit larger you can REALLY see the difference just a spritz makes! And because I didn't really use a lot of spray There was no warping of my pieces.


For the ruffle along the pillow I used my Xyron 150, AKA the X, to add the adhesive to the back. This is one tool that I can't scrapbook without. It's so quick and easy to just add a little adhesive to small pieces!


Finally here is a look at my card all assembled! I like that I could use this card for just about anything. And there is sooooo much sparkle and shimmer with the Glimmer Mist!!!

So now you should head over to the Cutters Creek Store and browse the 72 different colors available in the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Sprays! Just a hint for the future here... you *may* want to have a bottle or two on hand for an upcoming contest..... So, what did you think of today's tutorial? I will be back next Tuesday with another Glimmer Mist tutorial! Also, keep checking the blog because we are going to be posting many more great projects and ideas during the rest of the week too!