Anita Enright: February 2016

25 February 2016

Magnolia Lane Shutter Tri-fold Card

Hi Everyone,

Today I am sharing with you another post for the Couture Creations blog.

I decided to do a card that I had never endeavoured to do before and I am very happy with the result. Of course the beautiful papers and embellishments that I used from the Magnolia Lane collection made it ever so more amazing.

My finished card ended up being 6" x 6" when folded closed.

To start I chose the gorgeous Ultimate Crafts cardstock in Charming and cut it a piece 6" x 12".

Below is a picture of how the scoring and cutting was done on the card stock.

Once you have done your scoring the vertical lines and cutting the four horizontal lines you can fold along the score lines. The best way to do this is to start at the two inside long score lines (at 4" and 8") as these both need to be valley folds, this makes the very back of the folded card. Working your way to the outside the long 2" and 10" are peak folds. Below is a photo of the finished folds for your to match your card to. A better example is further down showing from the top.

Next cut two 3" x 6" in the same coloured cardstock. These get attached to the front of the card mat with the inner edges of your 3"x6" piece on the 1st fold line on each side of the card. When folded flat this makes the card 6"x6".

Once you have the base of the card folded it is now time to select the papers to make it really pop. I chose to mat each of the prints on the Pandora pink colour Ultimate Crafts cardstock. I used my 6"x6" paper pad as these worked really well. So for the front of my card I chose the Gentle Magnolias & Lace. Cutting is straight down the centre worked beautifully when cut. By matting the patterned paper you will need to trim down the papers slightly.

On the two large side panels I just attached the Pandora coloured cardstock and then added a strip of black lace to each side. All of the forward facing pieces I have used both the pink cardstock matted behind a patterned paper. Patterened paper used on the small pieces were Floral Fancy and Pretty Patches. For the large back inside area I used the Rosehip Memories.

Once I had all my patterened papers in place I attached a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" card to the centre reverse of the card to put my sentiment.

Finally I added heaps of the chipboard and ephemera and my favourite die, the Drifitng Feather to the front. Add a scattering of the 3mm pearls to highlight specific areas of your choice.

Check out the close ups of the finished project.

PRODUCTS USED

CO724635 - Couture Creations - 3mm pearls - Pretty Pink
ULT200020 - Ultimate Crafts Cardstock - Charming
ULT200007 - Ultimate Crafts Cardstock - Obsidian
ULT200082 - Ultimate Crafts Cardstock - Pandora
ULT157486 - Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane 6"x6" Paper Pad
ULT157508 Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane Paper Magnolias
ULT157507 - Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane Black Lace
ULT157516 - Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane Adhesive Chipboard
ULT157515 - Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane Diecut Ephemera
ULT157525 - Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane - Drifting Feather Decorative Die
ULT157510 - Ultimate Crafts - Magnolia Lane - Timeless Garden Stamp Set
CO721985 - Couture Creations - 6mm Double Sided Adhesive Tape

Until next time, Happy Crafting :)

Anita

15 February 2016

The Little Things You Do - by Anita Enright

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to February.
Hands up who loves MAGNOLIA LANE??? We all do. It is such a beautiful collection and I have heard so many lovely comments about it. Sue Smyth definitely has created a winner of a collection.

Today I would love to share with you a layout I created for my very 1st teaching class. Oh my was I nervous but it ended up being a class of 50 amazing ladies who made my 1st class a very enjoyable experience. To them I say thank you.... maybe some will see my blog post too :)

I have used a wonderful mixture of papers, dies and the beautiful flowers and embellishments from the collection.

Preparation Instructions

I do not have a full set of photos for the step by step instructions but the instructions are very detailed, and the closeup photos will help you create the finished layout.

1. Ink your daubers up one with mid blue ink and one with pink and shade in your five flowers. With one of flowers focus more on the blue than pink with your inks.

2. Once your flowers are inked up take your mist/spritz and wet each of the flowers so that blue and pink ink start to soften and blend. Squish petal together for when they dry and put aside. If you have a heat tool you can speed up the drying process by using it.

3. Take one of the Magnolia Border papers and distress the edges. Don’t worry if you tear the paper as it adds even more texture to your layout.

4. Take your ‘Denim’ blue cardstock and measure in 2 1/2” from each side and make a square in the centre of the cardstock. This will give you a 7”x7” square to use later.

5. Lightly distress the blue frame then attach the distressed Magnolia Border paper to the blue frame. Play with the edges of the patterned paper by rolling tearing etc. to show the blue cardstock.

6. Spritz your layout mat with the pearlised spritz to give it a little shimmer. Set aside to dry.

7. Cut from Timeless Garden paper reverse (use bottom section) - 9” wide x 5” long.

8. Cut from Timeless Garden paper (use the front side with the clock face) – 8 ½” wide x 7” long.

9. Cut from Floral Fancy (small flower side) – 3 different sizes - 9” wide x 6 ½” long, 6” wide x 1” long and 3” wide x 6” long.

10. Cut from Magnolia Borders – cut and put aside lower portion of reverse side with the butterflies, you will fussy cut these for attaching to your layout.

11. Cut from Magnolia Borders – 4 1/2” wide x 3 ½” long.

12. Distress the edges of all the pieces of cut papers and ink in a matching shade of ink.

13. Spritz with your pearls mist all pieces of paper and put to the side to dry.

14. Cut from Poetical Labels – fussy cut the bottom left and right flowers, I left the leaves and blue background shading. You will also need to fussy cut the large butterfly from the top frame.

15. Mount the title card on some of the left over Magnolia Borders paper, slightly distress the edge of the mat and ink the edges in pink.

16. From the left over 7”x7” piece of denim blue cardstock cut a piece slightly larger than your photo to use as a mat. Lightly distress the edges of the cardstock and if you like ink the edges.

17. Add mounting tape to the reverse of your photo and mat on the denim blue photo mat. I then added more mounting tape to the reverse of the blue mat.

18. From the strip of Magnolia Borders fussy cut out the 4 small butterflies.

19. With your blender of water pen tab into your pink ink pad and then lightly shade the centres of each of the five butterflies.

20. Take for four feather die cuts and ink the edges in blue. If you choose you can add a little bit of glitter to each of the flowers (go gently if you do).

21. Take the six pink die cut flowers and make two three layered flowers. Depending how dimensional you want them use glue dots, tape or foam dots/squares. Scrunch the flowers a little in your fingers to give more dimension to them.

22. We now have a base ready, so now it is time to put all the finishing touches and embellishments to your layout - Construction time.

Starting with the Timeless Garden paper (reverse side), the wider but shorter piece, mount on to the back of the larger Floral Fancy slightly off centre and on a slight lean. Mount the larger Timeless Garden piece (clock face side) on top of the Floral fancy. Add the 1”x6” strip of Floral Fancy to the back of the bottom right of the Timeless Garden paper. Add the 3”x6” Floral Fancy piece on top of the Timeless Garden to the left top side. Add the Magnolia Borders 3 ½” x 4 ½” piece over the Floral Fancy. Add your mounted photo on a slight angel. Tuck in the title card under the mounted photo on an angle. Attach the layer of papers to the main layout mat. All my paper layers are a little haphazard which is what I liked with this many different patterned papers. It is up to you how you layer your pieces.
Take the two black border die cuts. With the larger of the two tuck it under the bottom right of the photo mat and adhere in place. The smaller of the two black border die cuts is used on an angle in the top left hand corner of the layout. The top five tear drops should suffice but you can use more or less if you like.
Attach two of the blue feathers over the top left corner. Use foam dots/squares to the reverse of the feather to give more dimension.
Take one of the black leaf die cuts and cut down to only two of the leaves and tuck this under the feathers in the top left corner.
Add a foam dot/square to the reverse of the large butterfly and attach to the top of the feathers/leaves in the top left corner.
Attach gauze to the bottom left side of the paper layers. Add your pink layer die cut flowers. Add three of the magnolia flowers, using the mainly blue coloured one and two of the others. Attach one of the fussy cut flowers and one of the leaf die cuts. You will need to cut this down into the five individual leaves and attach under the flowers and gauze.
On the bottom right layers the other two magnolia flowers, the last two blue feathers, the fussy cut flower and the last leaf.
Add a metal trinket to the lower right corner of the photo, poking out from under the flowers.
Adhere the four small butterflies on the layout and WOOHOO you are finished.

Below are some close up photos of my finished layout.

Products Used

ULT157508Paper Magnolias

ULT157500 Metal Trinkets

ULT157489Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Patterned Paper – Floral Fancy

ULT157493 Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Patterned Paper – Timeless Garden

ULT157497 Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Patterned Paper – Poetical Labels

ULT157490 Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Patterned Paper – Magnolia Borders

ULT200007 Ultimate Crafts Cardstock – Obsidian

ULT200008Ultimate Crafts Cardstock – Denim

ULT200076Ultimate Crafts Cardstock - Lollipop

ULT157523 Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Die – Rose Cutting

ULT157525 Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Die – Drifting Feather

ULT157527Ultimate Crafts MAGNOLIA LANE Die – Magnolia Borders

CO723286 Couture Creations Sponge Dauber

CO723022Couture Creations 2 Way Glue Pen

CO723828Couture Creations Non Stick Craft Mat

CO723816Couture Creations Glue Dots

CO721985 Couture Creations 6mm double sided tape

CO721964 Couture Creations 12mm Foam Mounting tape

CO723780Couture Creations 3D foam dots

Thank you all so much for stopping by. Don't forget to stalk your local scrapbooking store this gorgeous collection. If they don't stock it ask them to get it for you... it is flying out the door everywhere.

Ciao for now

Anita E

3 February 2016

Upcoming Fun - Workshop Wonders

I was very privileged to be asked to teach at one of Brisbane's favourite craft days put on by the wonderful Alison Bevis for our local crafters. This is my first actual teaching class so I am not only excited but also a little nervous.

I have been sponsored by Couture Creations and Ultimate Crafts so I am lucky to be showcasing the beautifully newly released Magnolia Lane collection. Below are a few sneak peeks that I shared with the girls last week. You will see more about it once I have completed the class this coming Sunday.

***squeal****

Have a wonderful week.

Anita xx

2 February 2016

Memories from Magnolia Lane

Hello fellow crafters

Welcome to 2016.

Did you check out all the sneek peaks on the Couture Creations blog over the last couple of weeks? All I can say is WOW!!! We all have a lot to look forward to with amazing collections on their way.

The stunning Magnolia Lane range that will be in your favourite scrapbooking stores very soon. The beautiful Susanne Smyth created this range, and what a range it is. It has everything covered for you - papers, embellies, dies, embossing folders and even gorgeous laces. You will find perfectly matching cardstock in the Ultimate Crafts cardstock range to go with Magnolia Lane.

So, for my first play I created this cute card. The range uses the Pantone shades which compliment each other beautifully.

To start I cut a piece of Ivory cardstock from the Ultimate Crafts range at 5 1/2" x 11" and folded it in half.
So that I didn't cut into my 12x12" papers I took the Rosehip Memories and Floral Fancy sheets from my 6x6" paper pad for use on the card. I also cut out one of the Postcards from the Pretty Patches 12x12" sheet making sure the edges were roughly as in the print. I then inked the edges of the postcard in a coordinating green ink.

Next I cut the Rosehip Memories piece of paper down to 5"x 5 1/2" and embossed it using the Magnolia Lace embossing folder. It is such a pretty embossing pattern and really shows up beautifully on the patterened paper.
Adhere is to your card base.

Next I took one of the magnolias from the adhesive chipboard and a selection from the diecut ephemera. Whilst I loved the original colours of the flowers, to tie it further in with the mint green colouring in a couple of the papers, I took a blender pen and coordinating ink and coloured in a few spots on the flowers. I also used the same green and a coordinating pink and did the same to my butterflies. It just made them pop even more.

I do so love the magnolia flowers in this collection.

I inked the edges and centre of the flower with my coordinating mint green ink, and then to soften the edges I sprayed them with a pearlised spritz. I have to say the end result, looking at the before and after pictures, came up a treat. I was very happy.

Before

After

To finish off the project I cut the Floral Fancy paper just slightly bigger than the postcard itself.
It was then just a matter of placement on the card base. The only other additions aside from the Magolia Lane range products I used were the white gauze that I tucked under the flower and and the small pink seam binding bow that I added. The finishing touch was the matching mint green inking of the card surround to soften the edges.

Closeups of my finished project. Enjoy :)