Hello crafty friends and hope you're well this morning. After a rather chilly start here, we've got a very bright and sunny day - would love to put some washing on the line but it's not that warm and that's always assuming I could make it to the line without sinking into the lawn :oD!!!!!!!!!!
It's new challenge time at Incy Wincy Designs and this time we'd like you to Personalise It! It doesn't matter what your project is, but we'd like to see some sort of personalisation on it and it doesn't even have to be for you ..... !
We've got two fabulous sponsors for this challenge:
Our first are the team at Fabrika Fantasy ... as well as their online store of digital artwork you can keep up to date with them via their blog or visit their Facebook Page where Dmitry is hosting another challenge! They're offering a prize to our first lucky random winner.
Our second sponsor is Lizzy from Oddball Art who is offering 3 digital images of choice to our
second lucky prize winner.
Lizzy has always loved the stranger, quirkier side of life and that is exactly what she loves to create. Her art described as a perfect combination of sweet and sour that glitters up the grunge! As a love of all things whimsical, kawaii and creepy cute, she throws in some Pastel Goth with a touch of glam, punk & rockabilly pinup!
She has certainly never been a mainstream type of girl and definitely won't fit into your stereotypical cookie cutter artists role; but rather she finds beauty in the truly unique, big eyed creepy little cuties with a bittersweet sadness. She is never truly happier that when she is in her art studio painting or sewing, creating a whimsical dream world easily recognizable as her signature style of creepy yet cute, all the way from the haunting darkness to the rainbowtastic, Lizzy's creations are lovingly sprinkled with a heartbreaking sweetness.
Growing up a child of the 80's, pop rocks princess, with an extreme fondness for anything candy coated, Kawaii Kitten & Ziggy Stardust, all of which had a major influence in the work that she is creating today. Lizzy employs many different mediums when she creates, anything from mixed media painting to sewing with many different textiles, the end result always being the same; a whimsical dream world filled with big eyed beauties, creepy little cuties and quirky monsters of all shapes and sizes.
For my first inspiration piece for this challenge, I'm using an image by Fabrika Fantasy, but before I get to my project why don't you settle down with a cup of tea as I've got a story and a short tutorial to share with you!
Those of you who are regular readers know that a lot of projects here at "Casa Mia" develop from situations that I find myself in ... usually with a little voice on my shoulder! This project stems from a trip we took as a family to London in the fallow period between Christmas and New Year, when we did a bit of shopping, saw the Christmas lights etc. Whilst exiting several stores, I set the security alarms off! At one of the stores I was questioned by the security guard who also searched my rucsac. Had I bought anything? Only a yo-yo. Had I got any makeup with me? Er no, I don't wear much makeup. What's in this bag? Our packed tea! Papa Mia was outside the store and remembered that I had a library book from school that I was reviewing for our librarian ... was that it? I took the book from my bag and threw it out through the security barriers to Papa Mia and sure enough the alarms went off! Mystery over, happy security guard, and I spent the rest of the day with the book in my jacket pocket so I didn't have to empty my bag any more. Now comes the really funny part of the story. I was retelling the events to our librarian telling her she was in so much trouble and she was wondering what had happened to the little index card from the front of the book as that protected the alarm tag. "Oh that," said I, "well that was my bookmark!". So I figured that I needed a bookmark!
I used to have a really great little bookmark that was double sided and magnetic, so it stuck in my book. However, that is no longer anywhere to be found ... so I've made myself a new attaching bookmark, and this is how it's made:
Materials:
1 piece of cardstock - the width and length is up to you, but you need to be able to fold it in half so allow double the length of the front portion plus 3mm for the fold (my piece of cardstock is 6cm wide and 25cm long)
Cutting and scoring tools - I have used my Crafter's Companion Ultimate Pro together with The Boxer Board
Bone Folder
2 thin magnets
How to Score and Fold
And here is my completed bookmark:
My card recipe is as follows:
2 thin magnets
How to Score and Fold
Using the Ultimate Pro Boxer Board butt the short edge of your cardstock up against the top of the board and score your first fold. My design is 5.5cm x 11.7cm so I'm leaving a 3mm border all round my image. This means that my first fold will be at 12.3cm, which isn't one of the score marks on the board, so I've very lightly pencilled in a mark at 12.3cm on each long side of my cardstock and have lined these marks up against the same score line to get my fold line.
Make a second score line 2mm back from your first line.
Fold and burnish these two fold lines - getting the second fold is a bit fiddly, but you should end up with something like this in the middle of your bookmark:
Decorate your bookmark as you like, although remember it does need to fit into a book so flat embellishments would be best, unless you don't mind your bookmark poking out of your book in which case you can put bulkier embellishments at the top of your bookmark!
To finish your bookmark, take one of your thin magnets and stick it on the inside of your bookmark towards the bottom edge (the opposite end to your fold) in a central position.
Now for the clever bit! To ensure that your second magnet attaches in exactly the right place on the reverse of your bookmark, stick it on top of the magnet you've just attached ....
... and fold your bookmark over, and press the cardstock down to attach it to the magnet.
And here is my completed bookmark:
My card recipe is as follows:
- Bookmark base - Centura Pearl Snow White Silver cut, scored and folded as per my tutorial above
- Front of Bookmark - Image is the pre-coloured version of Wise Dragon by Fabrika Fantasy. Using my word processing package, I've merged the image with a sentiment from Paulette at Create with TLC. This was a freebie on her blog last month and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was utterly perfect for this project! Once my merged design was printed, I cut it to the right size and then lightly distressed the edges using Walnut Stain Distress Ink
- Reverse of Bookmark - the backing paper is Slovenia Dragons Paper by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking ... I nearly fell off my chair when I found it - it's perfect for this project! I created my Ex Libris nameplate using my word processing package and this was die cut using the middle sized Die'sire Essentials Rectangles die. The edges of my paper and name plate have been lightly distressed using Walnut Stain Distress Ink
- Magnets - are 12.5mm in diameter, 1mm high and are self adhesive. Mine came from eBay (although I can't remember the seller now as we've had them a while) but search for craft magnets and you should find them!
I hope you like my tutorial, but if you need any more inspiration head over to Incy Wincy Designs and see how my clever team mates have Personalise(d) It! Then come back and join in the fun by sharing your creations with us! This challenge closes on Saturday 5th March and we'll be back with our next challenge on Monday 7th March 2016.
I would like to enter this project into the following challenges:
I would like to enter this project into the following challenges:
- February Challenge - Things with Wings at Bunny Zoe's Crafts
- Critters and Creatures Linky Party 1 - February at Ellibelle's Creative Moments
- Week 7 - Animals and Insects at Digi Choosday Challenge
Stay tuned, as I'll be back soon with a project featuring an image from our second sponsor.
In the meantime, take care!
Hugs, Helenx
