It looks like it is that time again; I will be showcasing my various projects for The Scrapbooking Studio in Bloomington, Illinois over the next few days.  First up is an Altered Canvas I made to showcase Teresa Collins Fabrications Line.

The Details

I started with a blank canvas (these can be bought fairly cheaply at any Michaels.  I like to pick up the $19.99 value packs with a coupon.)  I created a Gesso Spray by mixing a small amount of Gesso with water in a spray bottle and liberally spraying my canvas with the spray.  The Gesso makes an awesome resisting agent.  Once the Gesso was dry (I helped it along with a heat tool, which allowed the Gesso to “bubble up” in a few places, giving the piece some added texture), I added several layers of Distress Ink in Various Colors.  After allowing the Distress Ink to dry, I applied various colors of Spray Inks (i.e. Tattered Angels, Perfect Pearls, etc…) to the canvas.

Once my base was dry, it was time to start building the collage.  For this month The Studio had supplied me with the Teresa Collins paper I mentioned above, the flower from yesterday’s post, and some fabulous Art Parts from Studio 490 by Wendy Vecchi… the only thing missing were element from Tim Holtz; of course, I had that one under control!!!

I chose a piece of green patterned paper from the Teresa Collins line and distressed that baby up.  I then took the edge of my scissors and further roughed up the edges before applying it to the canvas.  I then chose a piece of pink pattered paper from the TC line and created a tag base from that.  I chose a few strips to cut from Tim Holtz’s Lost and Found paper stack; including the clocks on the tag, the photo strips, and the border strip applied at the bottom of the canvas.  I layered those pieces together and felt the canvas was really beginning to take shape.

There was, however, still some dimension missing from the canvas.  I took some Tim Holtz Film Strip tape and layered it over some Tissue Tape and added that to the tag along with a clock face and some “game spinners” I had dipped in Stampendous’ distressed embossing powder (for this project I used Shabby White and Aged Copper).  I continued adding art parts from Tim Holtz (I have a recent obsession with the gear pieces), and dropped more embossing powder in various places on the canvas (I love this technique, it is one of my favorites as of late).

I used my Cricut and the Storybook Cartridge to cut my title out of more TC paper.  Of course I had to ink up those, and then applied those to the canvas.  I also pulled out the Flower I had previously grunged up, and added that to another layered block in the corner of the canvas.  I included a few scraps of TC paper that I had hand-cut into little banner flags, some more metal from Tim Holtz and a piece of “scrap” mesh ribbon from Maya Road that I had laying on my desk.

Finally,  I took out my spray inks one more time, and opened them up.  I took a few colors and used the wand (sprayer) to flick more ink over the page; resulting in more of a “splatter” effect that a “misted” one.

I had a great time working on this canvas.  It was a bit outside of my normal comfort area, but was a fun challenge and really got the creative juices flowing.  I hope you enjoy the finished project as much as I enjoyed making it.

All products (minus the canvas) can be found at The Scrapbooking Studio in Bloomington Illinois.

For my design team projects for The Scrapbooking Studio this past month I was given an assortment of products from Teresa Collin’s Fabrication line; including this flower.

Well, anyone who is familiar with my work may already be wondering, “How in the world is Stephanie going to incorporate this type of flower into her work?”  And the question would be a  good one, because it is the same question I was asking myself when I first saw it.  Inspiration, however, quickly took hold and I turned this item I was originally lukewarm about into something I was seriously excited about….  The first step: playing with fire.  (Note: execute extreme caution when lighting fires in your scrap space.  I recommend a metal mixing bowl filled with water and a “partner-in-crime” standing near with a spray bottle filled with water.  I also recommend using a pair of tweezers that are heat resistant; Cutterbee tweezers work for me.)

Once I was happy with how “burnt” my flower was, I pulled out various colors of spray inks and sprayed them in layers on my flower.  After the spray ink dried I rubbed embossing ink all over the flower and them sprinkled some distress embossing powder on top.  It took a few tries to get it exactly exactly right.

The final result: one simply amazing-grunged up flower that I would be happy to incorporate into anyone of my projects:

Tomorrow, I will show you the gorgeous altered canvas I made using my grungy flower.  Stay tuned.

There is nothing like a fairly simple layout. 

The Layout

The Details

		Perfect VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Product

PP Amy Tangerine Sketchbook by American Crafts**

Black Cardstock

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot**

Brads: old brads from Basic Grey

Ribbon: Maya Road**

Thickers by American Crafts**

Ditto Spray Ink: available at Michaels

** Products Available at:

The Layout

The Details

		Just Become You VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Product

PP from Basic Grey PB&J** and My Minds Eye Miss Caroline

Washi Tape from Bella Blvd**, Queen and Co.**, 7 Gypsies**, and Recollections

Metal Flower from Basic Grey PB&J**

Tag from 7 Gypsies

Ticket from Recollections

Thickers from American Crafts

Distress Ink from Tim Holtz**

** Products can be found at

The Layout

The Details

		Smile Like You Mean It VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Product

PP from Basic Grey PB&J and American Crafts Chap**

Washi Tape from Queen and Co**

Ribbon from Maya Road**

Metal Flowers and Hat Pin from Basic Grey PB&J**

Plastic Flower from Bo Bunny Alora**

Gears from Tim Holtz**

Distress Ink from Tim Holtz**

** Products can be found at

The Assignment:

Make either a card or tag using Authentique’s fabulous new line Celebrate  which can be found at The Scrapbooking Studio in Bloomington, IL.  I absolutely love this line, despite the fact that it is not my usual style.  I have had so much fun playing with this line all month.  If you haven’t seen them yet, take a look at past posts: Celebrate, Altered Board, Magnet Board.

The Project

Listen to Your Soul with My Minds Eye

Follow Your Heart

The Layout

The Details

		Listen to Your Soul VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Product

PP MME Follow Your Heart**

Chipboard Stickers from Basic Grey

Alpha Stickers from Echo Park

Metal Embellishments from Tim Holtz**

Tissue Tape from Bella Blvd.**

Distress Inks from Tim Holtz

7 Gypsies Postale Index Cards and Tag Inserts**

Baker’s Twine from The Twinery

You Lift Me Up

The Layout

The Details

		You Lift Me Up VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Product

PP by Basic Grey What’s Up**

Overlays and Flair from Basic Grey What’s Up**

Grunge Board Alphas from Tim Holtz

Sassafras Lass Alpha Stickers from stash

Gear Sprockets from Tim Holtz**

Buttons and rub on from American Crafts Neapolitan Collection**

Distress Ink and Stain from Tim Holtz

Baker’s Twine from The Twinery

** Products can be found at