Monday 8 August 2016

Queen of the Heavens

Hi everyone!

Not many posts here from me lately - I am taking time over the summer to rest and make plans.

Blogging for now will be taking a back seat - but I will pop up occasionally when I have made something....and today is one of those times....

 Two very dear friends of ours have become first time parents (YAY!) and of course at times like this I really love to make a totally original, 'one of a kind' gift that is as unique as the newborn...


 Of course it is a frame - how I love making those!

Usually I make new born baby gifts in the standard pale pink and blues...but this little girl's Mummy is a huge fan of colour (You can see for yourself here - please take a peek at the hugely talented work she does with her friend. They own a company called hattie and flora )

If you did take a peek at the video link you will totally see why I have made this collage in the way I did! As much as it is a collage for Juno - it is also a tribute to her Mummy's love of colour and, while I can't copy what she does so brilliantly, this frame is also a tribute to her unique style. I definitely wanted it to be in tune with her love of vibrant colours...(she is also trained as a florist - so I just had to put some flowers in there too!!).

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I chose a beautiful dusky pinky-peach plaid background for the collage and the first decoration I made was a picture of the beautiful little girl....Luckily I had access to FB pictures so could choose my favourite...


I cut out the photo and glued it into a silver pendant frame. I used some off-cuts from a previous project as the background...some stencil printing (I think) with distress inks. I added some paper lace, gems and a chit chat sticker.


The baby's name....Handwritten on a piece of card that had Worn Lipstick DI dabbed over, then stenciled, sprayed with water and then stamped with a text stamp....not very noticeable details - but just adding texture. I added little pearl gems to each corner.


The baby's birth details - On a piece of card I dabbed with Shabby Shutters DI and stamped with a text stamp using Peeled Paint DI. I then spritzed the card with water to make the colour more muted. I then finished it off by drawing faux stitching around the edge.

Now to fill in more of the baby collage frame....


One of my favorite baby quotes - used many times - but still perfect. The card was dabbed with Broken China DI and then some printed paper was cut into a heart shape. I wrote the quote across the card and added dots around the edge. A chit chat sticker was then added.


I had a metal embellishment of a baby hand print and wanted to use that. Using Wild Honey DI I covered the card and the spritzed with water before dabbing it with a tissue. A chit chat sticker was added.


 A final quote - which is so true!!! I wrote this quote on a piece of card that had been dabbed with Seedless Preserves DI and stamped with a fern stamp using Seedless Preserves DI. I added a swirl die cut here and had a small gap to fill in the collage....so I used a piece of card covered with Evergreen Bough DI and used a 'LOVE' metal embellishment.


The frame was made as usual from Balsa wood...1inch wide strips cut to size and glued in place. When dry I painted it with Decoart Burnt Umber paint. Then I covered it with a layer of Decoart Weathered Wood. Followed by a coat of Americana Decoart White acrylic paint. Then I applied two layers of Decoart Media Ultra Matte Varnish. I then glued it to the arrangement and added a mountboard back to make the frame sturdy.


Two holes were made in the top of the frame and a length of twine was pushed into them. A blob of strong glue was added and the screw brads were pressed into the holes and hammered in place.


 And now for the flowers...I made the pink flowers using the Tattered Florals Die cuts. Coloured by placing them into a puddle of Seedless Preserves DI made by smooshing the pad onto the mat and spritzing with a lot of water. When the flowers were still slightly damp I pressed them into shape with the end of a paintbrush then left them to dry - this way they keep the flower shape without having the creases that occur when trying to shape firm card.


The center of the flowers was made using Glossy Accents and sprinkling on my favourite glitter - Rock Candy Distress Glitter....such a beautiful effect


The tiny yellow blossoms are made using a die cut from the Susan's Garden range by Sizzix. I coloured them with a wash made from Wild Honey DI and water. I then added a tiny pearl bead to each flower center.


The blue flowers were made by cutting a strip of card and then cutting it into a fringe of tiny strips halfway down the card. This was then coloured with a wash of Shaded Lilac DI and the glue was applied to the base of the card and it was then rolled up. It is easiest to do this while the card is still slightly damp.

The leaves were cut from Tattered Florals Die cuts and the Susan's Garden set. They were coloured with Peeled Paint DI and dabbed with Frayed Burlap DI around the edges.


I added a few extra blossoms to the collage along with die cut swirls and a little button.


So there it is.....Juno's baby collage......I loved making it! 

It is a bit of a baby boom around here - so watch out a for a few more baby themed gifts being made!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Happy Crafting

Laura 
xxx




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3 comments:

  1. Lovely Laura... Wonderfully created and a fabulous gift xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a beautiful and personal gift, Laura,

    Lucy x

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful gift!!! She will cherish it always!

    ReplyDelete

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