Accordion Ribbon

I love this technique when I'm adding ribbon to a layout or a card. It is super easy and looks fabulous when finished. You'll need a liquid adhesive to do this, glue dots are just not sticky enough for this technique.

Adhere your ribbon in place and then add a dot of glue where you want your first fold to sit. Fold back or accordion your ribbon and adhere in place. Add a dot of glue to your background to hold down the ribbon and then repeat the process of adding your accordion folds until complete.

Once you're finished your folds, adhere the end bit down with another dot of glue. You do not need a lot of glue, too much glue will soak through your ribbon leaving a mark.

Here is my finished card, I added a flower to the end of my ribbon but it could be left as it.

Here are a couple layouts I created using this technique with my ribbon.

For the ribbon on the next layout I chose to staple my accordion folds in place rather than gluing them down. I did this becks the mesh would have shown the adhesive.

image taken from here

Handmade flowers! These babies are all the rage and can be found on many a big name blog. While I myself am not doing a picture by picture how to for you I think I've done one better. I follow Rhonna Farrer's blog and think she is just wonderful, she simply makes me happy. She did a flower "how to" video on this post that shows how to make three different types of flowers. It is a bit long but worth it (I watched it in two sittings). I wanted to share this with you because I thought it was so great and the flowers are gorgeous! I am going to try and get to the fabric store this weekend so I can whip up some flowers myself. Enjoy & have a marvelous weekend friends!

Technique: Staples

A rainbow of fabulous staples!

Staples! So much more potential than simply holding your report together! I use staples any where I can and I love them! As you can see staples come in a rainbow of colors and can be found at most craft stores, mine are mostly from Michael's but some dollar stores do carry them. You can however create your own colored staples! What you will need: alcohol inks, plain silver staples, felt. Simply add your alcohol inks to your felt or your felt applicator tool and rub onto your staples. Let dry and you'll have your own custom colored staples! Easy peasy! The staples are a great technique for holding ribbon in place, adhering acrylic embellishments that you don't want glue showing through, or for a little added embellishment on your pages. It doesn't have to be complicated, staples are an easy way to add that something extra. All you are required to do is have fun with it! Here are a few layouts I made that used staples. Enjoy!

Coffee Filter Flowers

These flowers are so versatile, they can be used on layouts & cards, made into pins or hair clips or strung onto ribbon to create a garland. They are also super easy to make and with all the colors of Glimmer Mist available the possibilities are endless!

How to:
You will need to different sizes of cone coffee filters.

Cut off the tops to make a smaller flower or leave if you prefer a larger flower.

The colors of Glimmer Mist that I have used below are S.W.A.K. & Caribbean Blue.

Open up the filters and spray the entire inside with your mist.

Squash down your coffee filters & let dry.

Layer your coffee filters and adhere together. Add a gem or other center to your flower. I use a hot glue gun to adhere these together.

I think these are so pretty and I love an easy peasy technique!

Enjoy!

Paper Flowers

Handmade flowers are everywhere, on layouts, cards, clothes, worn as accessories. Whether you're making them with paper, fabric, coffee filters or old napkins (I'll teach you those at a different time) they always look great and can be coordinated to anything you may be working on. I'll be showing you one technique for making paper flowers that is super easy and super fast to do, lets get started...

Supplies:
-Various pattern papers
-various sized circle punches or circle cutters
-edge distresser
-adhesive
-buttons, ribbon, gems, stickers- anything you could use for the center of your flower

Step 1: punch circles in various sizes

Step 2: distress the edges, crumple up the circles, rip the edges a bit- anything goes!

Step 3: Layer and adhere the circles together
Step 4: Add something, again anything goes if you like it. I have used a button, a gem and a sticker for my centers. Once you do this you're done. See how easy that was. Below is a layout I made recently using this technique.


Enjoy & have fun!
{xo} Nadine

Labels

Oh how I love my Dymo Label Buddy! This has to be in my Top 5 for favorite techniques- making my own labels!

What you will need:

1) handheld label maker, I say the handheld/ "turn the dial kind" because they're the only ones I know of that emboss the paper or label tape as opposed to just printing on it

2) strips of paper cut to fit through the label maker

3) sanding tool or ink

The cardstock that I use is from Die Cuts with a View, it has as a white core or cardstock from Coordinations that has so many paper & colored core combinations- wonderful. The reason for these specific papers is that after I run the paper through the label maker the letters are embossed. When I lightly sand over the embossed letters the core color shows through creating a contrast to the background color. Getting started: I cut down my paper to fit, this one is 3/8", I then feed the paper through until it catches then I am ready to start my word. You turn the dial for each letter to spell the desired word, use the built in scissors to snip it off once finished. I then lightly sand over the embossed letters to reveal the core color- allowing me to read my word. If the paper is too light, like a soft yellow, I rub ink over the embossed letters with my ink applicator from Tim Holtz. The embossed portions pick up the ink first, not the background- allowing me to see the letters. Another great option is to purchase colored label tape, my favorite is black tape with white letters! This tape however is only available online to purchase. If someone knows where to buy the black label tape in store drop me an email- pretty please. I love this technique because it is so versatile! Any word you can think of, you can make. You will always have the perfect something for that layout or project! This particular label maker was only $5 and can be found at most office supply stores. I found mine awhile back at Staples but I saw it online yesterday at all the stores- Office Depot, Grand & Toy and Staples! You will not be sorry you picked one of these babys up! Below are a few examples of the labels I made for recent projects. Enjoy!

White Core

Too light to sand so this label is inked.

Black cardstock with an orange core.

Have a great weekend friends!
{xo} Nadine

Stamping on Acrylic

This week's technique is one I love to use often. Stamping on acrylic! It's pretty much that straight forward but the type of ink you use will make all the difference. In order to stamp onto acrylic (or any other glossy surface) you will have to use Stazon Inks. They come in a variety of colors and can be found at most scrapbooking stores and at Michael's. You will need to allow a bit of time for the ink to dry but it does dry, which separates it from other inks that simply smear off.

Supplies Needed:

Stazon Ink

Acrylic (can be purchased at most scrap stores)

Various Stamps

For the above hanging ornament I stamped my images into the acrylic, let dry and then I cut them out of the acrylic. I punched holes, added crystals (from Heidi Swapp), attached each piece with jump rings then added tulle to hang the ornament with.
For this card I stamped the image, cut it out, mounted it onto burgundy paper and added it to the card.

I added the same image to the cover of my book using the same method as the above card, using the background paper as the backing instead of mounting it onto a separate piece of paper.

With Stazon Inks you can also stamp onto glass. I added ink to this reindeer stamp and stamped the image around my glass ornament. I did not mount this stamp to an acrylic block as I needed it to be flexible as I moved around the ornament.

I like this technique because it can be done with anything glossy, if you have the stamps then those images can be used. So many possibilities.

Enjoy & have fun!

{xo}