Winter Shrine Tutorial

Nichola here with a tutorial for a glittery magical something. I know that some people don't want to think about it just yet, but Jack Frost and the holiday season is on the way. Yes, there is still time before the holiday madness hits with full force, but I wanted to give you loads of time to get your supplies for this super cute project.

This snowy winter wonderland shrine was created using Gina's House Shrine Box. I really and truly love that little shrine house. It's such a great piece to apply your own style to.

Below you can just peek at the roof texture. This is achieved by layering pieces from the Cardstock Doily Set Intricates. The result is really cool and I show exactly how to do it in the video tutorial that goes along with this project.

The shrine is embellished with pieces from the Snowflake Shape Set. They've been painted and glitterfied and look oh, so sweet. Alternatively, you could use the Winter Shape Set which also includes snowmen, icicles and other wintry icons.

Inside my wee shrine I've added some bottle brush trees and a carpet of moss. Fill that space with whatever you like! A little Santa figure or snow capped house would be adorable.

Being a total glitter fiend, I used a lot of the sparkly stuff on this project. Feel free to leave it out if you like, but I think that it adds and special icy touch. You might think that white glitter would be ideal for a winter landscape, but I recommend using clear glitter for a snowy look.

What do you say? Want to make your own? You can find the full video tutorial HERE.

And here are all the supplies you'll need:

House Shrine Box*

Cardstock Doily Set Intricates

Snowflake Shape Set (or Winter Shape Set)

Wallflower 12x12 Paper Stash (or paper of choice)

Clear glitter

Light blue ultra fine glitter

Sky blue paint

Moss

A piece of foam

White acrylic paint

Glue

Bottle brush trees

*Note: the shrine box used in the tutorial is slightly larger than the one listed on the Gina's site. If you really, really, really, truly, must have the bigger version, please contact Gina's for pricing.

Halloween Book of Spells

Hi all! Amylove here still in the Halloween mood! I adore Gina's book boxes and have been waiting to use one! Now is the time! It is so hard to believe that October is almost over already. I have new found love of Halloween crafts and will sad to see October go. I hope you enjoy my Book of Spells box!

Follow this link to see the tutorial on the process for this project:

Halloween Book Box Tutorial

Gina's Designs

Large Book Box

Title Book of Spells

Hinges Shape Set

Apothecary Jars

Dragons Shape Set

Witches

Candlesticks

My Stash

Acrylic paint

tissue paper

stickles

sharpies

water color sprays

scrap book papers

jars

trims

markers

destress ink

Altered Tin Featuring Robin's Nest Papers

Hi everyone! Amylove here sharing one of my favorite items to alter. I have been altering Altoid size tins for the last year and I truly enjoy them. I was excited to use these beautiful Robin's Nest papers and thought what an amazing contrast the black would be against these yellows.

 

              

                                      

If you would like to see the step by step process of this project, please follow this link to my video tutorial:    Altered Tin Process Video

Products used:

Gina's Designs:

Parisian Shape Set

Dress Form Shape Set 2

Miniature Ladies Choice Shape Set

Delicate Frames and Ornaments

Word Elements 1

Robin's Nest:

Saffron Sunrise Collection

items from my stash:

Destress Ink

Glossy Accent

Fabritac

Embossing Powder

Black Chalk Paint

Stamps

Archival Ink

Lace Trim

Double Sided Tape

Tape Runner

Twine

Tin

Flowers

Tall Garden Cottage Tutorial

This month I have a pretty big tutorial to share.

There are loads of steps and it'll take some time to complete (especially when you factor in drying time), but I think it's worth it.

Created from Gina's 3 Story House, you could customize the contents to your own whims and tastes. Filled with little mementos, keepsakes and small photos it would make a wonderful gift for someone special.

Mine isn't quite so sentimental and will be home to little gnome and elf figures and collectibles :)

Don't feel rushed with this project. Enjoy the process of making it 'just-so' and the challenge of filling it with lovely little bits and bobs.

You can find the full video tutorial HERE. If you have any questions or are unclear about anything, don't hesitate to ask.

Gina's Supply List:

3 Story House

Cottage Windows Small

Stackable Labels Shape Set

Faux Metal Number Plates

The Robin's Nest Supplies:
Calamity Jane Diagonal Glitter Cardstock
Honeycomb Fleur Cardstock
Cathedral Specialty Paper

Other Supplies:
White Tacky Glue
Spackling (I used one that goes on pink and dries white)

Various Petaloo Botanica Flowers
Moss
Thin Fleur Dresden Borders - Gold 

Garden Gnomes Resin Embellishments*
White Acrylic Paint

Flower and Leaves Dresden Borders - Antique Gold 

Colorful Butterfly Buttons* Miniature Garden Tools - Rake & Shovels Wood Birdhouse Buttons* Antique Bronze 3D Rabbit Charms* Fly Away Resin Birds Set*

'Of Summer & Bees' Arched Top Triptych

Hi everyone! It's the first Friday of the month which means 

it's my turn to share a project and tutorial using some of Gina's faboo products. 

Here's what I'm sharing this month...

A mixed media homage to the coming days of summer, warmth and honey 
using the Triptych - Arch Top.

The bottom of this piece is embellished with three Faux Metal Number Plates 
which are flanked with some copper brads to give them a finished look.

I've created some honey in the chipboard Honeycomb embellishment with glaze and a smidge of paint.And while there are some chipboard bees included in that set, I couldn't resist using this 
divinely detailed bee charm to top off the piece.

I've added a few teeny weeny buzzy things too.

And because everything looks better framed I've mounted my triptych in an 11 x 14" shadow box.

I'm not going to lie, this piece took a while to create. 

The process isn't exactly difficult, it's just time consuming to achieve the right look. 

HERE is a video tutorial of the process,

but for time sake it's been edited to the bare bones.

If I've missed something and you have any questions feel free to ask :)

GINA'S DESIGNS SUPPLY LIST
Triptych - Arch Top 
Faux Metal Number Plates

Honeycomb & Bees Medium

Other Supplies
Copper Brads
Giant Bronze Bee Charm 
Small Bronze Bee Charm 
Slider Beads
Paper Butterflies
Acrylic Paint
Mod Podge
Aleenes Tacky Glue

Vintage images*
 
*Note: When looking for images for your artwork try using the search term "public domain images".
The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs collection is a great resource.
Just be sure to double check the Rights And Restrictions before using any images you find.

To Gesso or Not to Gesso by Mary M.

 Hello fellow chipboard lovers! I know many times you have read on this blog that the designers started their projects by using gesso. Gesso (which is pounced jesso) is primer. It gives your paint or glue something to hang onto as well as giving a tone that will allow the true color of your paint to be seen. In the picture below, the vintage lady on the right is how Gina's Designs chipboard will look when you receive your order. The lovely lady on the left has a coat of gesso applied to her.

 The ladies from above have invited a few of their friends to help show the effects of using gesso on Gina's chipboard pieces.

 

 First up are the sprayed ladies! I used the same amount and the same color of Lindy's spray on them, but the outcome was very different. The lady on the right has the gesso applied to her.

Next we have the painted stripe girls. I hope you are able to tell from the picture the differences. Starting from the top, I used a heavy body paint (Titanium White) and you can see the head on the left still is showing some of the brown undertone from the chipboard. The next three colors are your basic acrylic paint. You can tell the yellow and pink on the left have soaked into the chipboard. Since the lady on the right had a layer of gesso first applied, the brightness of the colors can be seen. While it is true the black paint looks good on either piece, my preference is to still gesso!

I embossed both sets of wings from the Dressforms and Wings Shape Set and a key plate for a project I am working on. I used gesso on the bottom piece, but not on the top nor on the key plate.  You can definitely see the difference! 

 Here is another shot of them on a different background. The wings on the right has gesso applied to it.

Again, the same amount and the same color of embossing powder was used on the items.

Gesso is available at art supply stores and you should be able to find it at the big box craft stores too. There are so many brands of gesso out there for you to chose from. My recommendation, start with a small, cheap jar and experiment! 
 If you are looking for that true color, use gesso. If you don't want to give your pieces several coats of paint, use gesso. Looking for the darker color to come through like the embossed pieces above? No gesso!

So it is up to you, to gesso or not to gesso....only you can answer that question!

If you do have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section! Thanks for stopping by!

Mary

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Dressforms & Wings Shape Set

 Keys & Plates Shape Set
Vintage Ladies Silhouettes Set

Other Products Used:.

Lindy's Stamp Gang Embossing Powder - Magic Moon Pearls

Hampton Art Stamps Embossing Stamp Pad - Emboss!

Studio 71 - Gesso
Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray - Blue Hawaiian Blue
Americana Paint - Lamp Black & Poodleskirt Pink
Liquitex Heavy Body Paint - Titanium White
FolkArt Paint - Daffodil Yellow

Easter Greetings

Hello and good day to you all. Shanna here with some fun Easter decor using some amazing new chipboard from Gina's Designs Lasercuts. She just added tons of new pieces so head over HERE to check out the new stuff.

I created a quick Snapguide on how to alter the chipboard eggs. Check it out here!

I decided to play with the new Build a Layout Easter set and make an Easter shrine based on Nichola's fun tutorial she recently shared.

Altering the eggs was a very fun process, quick, and a simple way to jazz up your chipboard pieces. 

I loved popping them out giving them dimension to really fill in the shrine. 

Items Used:

Gina's Designs: Build a Layout - Easter

Dressing up Chipboard Tutorial by Marjolaine

Marjolaine here today with a tutorial on how to dress up your chipboard. Follow along to create unique chipboard pieces for your layouts or artwork.

Color your chipboard with a permanent marker and allow it to dry. You might me tempted to skip this step since you'll be covering it up but it's really important to give your piece good coverage.

Cover your chipboard with a layer of crackle paint of the same color making it thicker in some areas. Allow it to dry.

Apply some distress ink with a blending tool getting the ink in all the cracks. It helps if your ink is a different color than your paint.

Color a different piece of chipboard with a permanent marker and allow it to dry.

Paint the chipboard with a stick of Gelato from the same color family and use your finger to rub the color in.

Add another color of Gelato in random places to add highlights.

 Cover your chipboard piece with 3D Crystal Lacquer or Glossy Accents and allow it to dry completely.

 Make a dot pattern on your chipboard with the dimensional paint and allow it to dry.

Your chipboard pieces are now finished and will make lovely accents or embellishments for any scrapbook page or mixed media project. Why not try different combinations of mediums, the results might surprise you!

Supplies Used:
Nancy's Garden Collection

Fleur De Lis Gate