Soar High Mini Album

Hi friends,
 Today I am sharing this adorable Mini Album I crated for a special someone using Tonic Studios dies that recently released, and some papers from My Mind's Eye that were absolutely fabulous! It was difficult to part with this little book when it was all done, but I am very pleased that my friend will be able to enjoy it, ant that makes it all worth while.

On the cover you can immediately see that this is a Gatefold Mini Album style. The pages open to both the left and right sides. I altered a wooden Hot Air Balloon using papers from the collection, as well as pom pom and silver trim, gesso, chunky glass glitter and sequins.


 The floating teddy is also covered in chunky glass glitter. and a small pearl tops one of the kites that floats on the opposing cover page. I also used the blue pom pom trim to outline the sides and back of this book, and even added tiny gold hearts to the lattice edges of the cover.  On the sides of the book, I added another lattice in gold to make it shine! The closure is a small tag with a heart center, and a light blue grosgrain ribbon ties it closed. 

For the first page, I made a double frame topped with a bow, small white flowers, and a larger center flower. The outer diecut in coral is topped with pink and cream pearls. This is the darkest color used in this book, but I think it ties in very well with the rest. The little birds on the paper were so beautiful, I had to use this paper!

To the right, this page begins with two Polaroid-like frames that have removable photo mats. They are decorated with a small bow, golden heart-shaped tabs, photo corners, and a piece of white lace. A vellum doily corner that slightly covers a sentiment that reads "happy". You can also see that the hinges of this book are entirely decorated if you look closely to the edges of the picture. 

On the left is this page, with two square-shaped photo mats adorned with a stitched edge, a banner that reads "adore", and the cute little teddy bear holds two balloons with a string. The papers were so beautiful that not much was needed to make this little book beautiful.

Our next center page follows the Kite theme, and I incorporated three frames that can be untied from the page, and have matching photo mats on the back. These will dangle like a kite string when untied to reveal the pictures. The little kite on the side is topped with little golden bows, and I heat embossed the little bird image with pink embossing powder, then colored the layers in light green and yellow.

Here is another dual-frame page. This time they are ovals. and I added a festive banner that I made using small hearts carefully placed on string. There are also pink framed blue hearts in the background, and a little blue butterfly layered with tulle. Each paper was carefully selected to showcase the sentiments in the paper line also.

Here you see the same types of frames, with another delicate kite that has also been heat embossed with pink flowers. I placed clusters of gems on the corners for a little whimsy. 

The next page houses a flip-album that can fit up to six more pictures or journaling tied with a pink trim. I also used adorable swan-themed papers to inlay the flower motifs on the cover of this little booklet, and placed another teddy who holds a banner that reads: You Fly You Soar. The little decorative die-cut to the left can be used to jot a date or names. 

This page allows for a larger stand-alone picture in a circle doily, and it also has the  floating hearts decorating the background, grouped with a couple of doilies that serve as a hidden pocket for tiny matching tags tied with a string. I topped this off with a tiny jar that I altered with paper, golden thread, and its own little heart-shaped tag. I also used an acetate butterfly to finish this page.

In a similar style, this page also has a circle doily frame, only this time it has an adorable little envelope topped with a heart tag, a large butterfly that I hand-decorated with inks, and two little hearts as well as a tulle knot. Three little yellow vellum butterflies float around the frame followed by little gems. 

This page was so much fun to make! I designed a pocket by making a cluster of layered honeycomb shapes from the designs on the paper. They each are decorated with little hearts, a bee and bird, and behind it are matching tags I topped off with tiny matching bows. 

You may know I love adding shakers to my mini albums. Here I used a honey jar shape to make a window shaker. You can actually fit a picture behind this jar, and it will appear to be covered in the little floating sequins. The page is top-loading with a hidden clear window. The flowers are all handmade by yours truly to complete the page. 

Opposing the page is another dual-photo frame with golden photo corners,butterflies, pearl heart, and clover-shaped tags to hold the photo mats inside. I topped the frames with vintage trim to add softness. 

The last page houses yet another little flip-book. This time it ties to the side with a golden brad, and it is also a delicate shaker topped with a little bird and small gems. The flowers are also all handmade with love.

Here is the back of the book, displaying my favorite paper in this collection. I hope you have enjoyed this walk-through and can use it for your own inspiration. Feel free to watch the video below for more inside tips and suggestions on how you can preserve memories in love. 

Thank you for stopping by, and as always, 

Be inspired, Be Blessed!

~Raquel

Ethereal Mini Album

Hi friends, 

today I am sharing with you the sweetest little Ethereal Mini Album made with Items from Reneabouquets!

I incorporated items to make a soft and tender looking book that will be a very special keepsake.

On the cover:  A Victorian Heart Doily tops the paper covered Beautiful Board Tag. I also added elements to complete this cover with whimsy; the butterfly on the lower right cover is from printed Beautiful Board, and comes as a set with other pieces, including the tag. The silver crown and fairie are reminiscent of children's story books, which always inspire me. To ground this cover I cut pieces of the Beautiful Board Heart Lattice, Roses topped with Glass Glitter and Moonstones, a small skeleton leaf filled with champagne Micro beads, and the heart is covered with the glitter and beads, and topped with a gorgeous Tiny Treasures Sweet Pea Baby Blue Premium Paper Glitter Glass Butterfly. 

The book opens with a vintage bow topped with a  White Pearl And Rhinestone Button.

 For the Spine and Back cover of this Mini Album, I wanted to continue the garden-like feel. I covered the spine with Ivory Wide Floral Embroidered Lace, small beautiful board gears, a gorgeous Pendant blue dragonfly, and the back cover also was adorned with a beautiful printed Beautiful Board fairie, as well as a carefully placed piece of Beautiful Board heart lattice.

 The inside of this book is equally adorned using beautiful pieces to complement the cover. On this page: Scrolls top off the embroidered Ivory lace, layered with the Beautiful Board Victorian Snowflake clock, a delicate butterfly, and a small gear topped with a moonstone. The delicate little roses and leaf all work together for a shabby look that helps tell the story in this album.

 Here you see that every snippet of lace can be used. Especially if topped off by the Cotton Candy flat-back pearls...

 This delicate page has a border of lace topped with an altered clip that has a center of Champagne Microbeads as well as Glitter Glass panels, and a small Moonstone bead tops off the itty bitty gear.

  The Chunky Glitter glass helped me top off this dragonfly clip, and on the opposing page, a small yellow butterfly tops off a pocket adorned with a border piece of Vintage Lace.

 This small Heart clip also shines with Glitter Glass as it tops off a shabby belly band of layered tattered papers. This compliments the opposing page nicely, as it adds sparkle against the softness of the vellum shaker flip tag.

  Lastly, another little star topped with glitter. This completes this post, and I hope that you have enjoyed the examples of how you can incorporate these products into your book making. As always, thank you for your time, and I hope that you can Be inspired, Be Blessed!

Thank you Renea for the opportunity to have a go at playing with these marvelous goodies for the month of February! It has been much more delightful than chocolates!

Hugs & Blessings~Raquel

P.S. Links included in this post for ease of purchase!

Enjoy these coupon codes for the month of February, details on the webpage:

Coupon Code For $25.00 Order: CANDY

Coupon Code For $50.00 Order: MORECANDY

Please watch my video for more details!!

Shabby Chic Envelope with Attributes of Love for ReneaBouquets

Hello friends!

Welcome to my blog. I am sharing a very special project with you today, as I am thrilled to be invited as a Guest Designer for ReneaBouquets this month!

To make use of her absolutely gorgeous projects, I decided to make a piece inspired by 1 Corinthians 13. In this chapter of the Bible, we can read about the Attributes of Love. I was inspired to use this as the message of my home decor piece. 

This is a metal and wood envelope, and as you can see, I was able to alter it and make it a gorgeous piece that would be suitable for home decor, or to celebrate any special occasion!

I began by painting the base of the envelope with gesso, and adding designer paper to the inside. I then used gel medium, and Diamond Chunky Glitter Glass to give it a shabby distressed, but classy look. Of course I had to make use of some of Renea's absolutely gorgeous Vintage Blue Mulberry flowers. 

I love Gardenias and Roses, so these had to make it on the front. I surrounded a Beautiful Board Victorian Heart Doily and added  Small Victorian Scroll Borders, all embossed in white, and then topped them off with Butterflies to match. The Wide Floral Embroidered Lace and Reneabouquets Trim-Timeless White Lace

 added just the perfect mix of vintage and femininity to my project. 

Here you can see the beautiful Trim Timeless White lace as well as the texture from the glass glitter added to the designer paper. I used Stamperia papers for this project, as well as vellum and Kraft paper for lots of shabby texture.

You may be surprised to learn that Renea  also carries trinkets, but you can see some here, with the little glass bauble, as well as the precious pearl and diamond button I added to the front of the large envelope.

 Here you can see that I designed banners to top my envelopes. Each with a different attribute of love, and all take part in completing the Bible verse about love.

 Here is a closeup of one of the envelopes that I stitched with gold thread, and added magnets to for easier closure.

 I also used a delicate skeleton leaf from Renea's shop to add texture to a small note that I hand stitched with gold thread. All of my enveloped got texture and shabbiness from Renea's shop!

Here you can see the gorgeous Moonstone glass beads, Champagne Microbeads, Heart Lattice Chipboard, and Pendant Blue dragonfly, all from Renea's shop. The lent just the perfect shabby touch to this romantic envelope that I layered using vellum that I embossed and altered with mixed media. 

Here you can see where I also made a small banner using vintage seam binding topped with small hearts and Cotton Candy flat back pearls . This envelope is also a shaker, and has an inlay heart that also states :Love does not delight in evil bu rejoices in the Truth...

For this envelope I used more of the stunning wide floral embroidered lace, Cotton candy pearls, and another dragonfly to go along with the tattered papers, tulle, and vellum lace piece for an extra shabby look. 

I also heat embossed and distressed the envelopes as needed using Ranger Oxide ink and White Embossing powder from Recollections, and a stamp from BoBunny. 

The last envelope in this project was made using embossed vellum, mulberry paper, glimmery tulle, embossed and distressed paper, lacy paper diecuts, and I added heart paper clips from Tonic Studios as well as the gorgeous dragonfly that matched perfectly from Reneabouquets. 

I share more details in my video, as well as a tutorial showing the assembly of the large envelope. This was tons of fun to make, and it was a wonderful experience using these gorgeous projects. Please use the links for your convenience, and as always I hope that you can 

Be inspired, & 

Be Blessed!

~Raquel 

Christmas Crafts Snowman and Chunky Mini Album

Hi friends!

I am sooo excited to share some of my most recent projects. This one was my favorite of 2019, but it is just now that I am placing this little gem into the pages of my blog.

To begin, this was made to share in a collaboration with some amazing crafters in a youtube hop celebrating all things Christmas. (Details in video)

I was smitten with this little snowman when I first saw him on Silhouette Studio, so I gave it a go, and was so very pleased with the results. If you watch the video, you will see he has a little surprise to share!

To match, I made a super sweet mini album, as well as a card, which I share in the video as well.

Just look at that face!!
He is so sweet, and I took advantage of every but of space on his Top Hat to decorate with all the little bits and baubles that would make him look festive. Did I mention all of the flowers are HAND MADE? Yes, they are!!

  I added hand-colored poinsettias, which I made with dies from John Next Door, and Dress My Craft, as using delicate foamiran and paper, and decorated the top hat with glitter, gems, and even a little Tim Holtz Raindeer.

I also altered some Beautiful Board piecesfrom ReneaBouquets using paint and glitter ( of course!),  added vintage seam binding that I colored in the lightest pink and even tied a little bell that I painted to go with the color scheme. 

 Every little detail was hand-painted by yours truly...and now for the MINI ALBUM!!

This little beauty was made with lots of love using a tiny stamp from Stamping Bella, Lazer cut board from LaseroweLove and ReneaBouquets, Spellbinders and Tonic Studios Dies, and papers from Mintay. Can we say YUM??

To make the cover extra shabby and beautiful, I matched the coloring of the stamped image with the papers used in the background using Nuvo pens and Promarkers. I also added Nuvo drops for shine, and fussy cut images from the Sweet Christmas Mintay papers to top off the handmade Poinsettias. The snowflake centers are from ReneaBouquets and the swirls are all made with Spellbinders dies, and I layered everything with tulle, lace, and even a pompom trim on the edge.

 Layers!!! From the very first page, you get layers in this book, starting with an adorable pocket, trimmed with an embossed edge and pompom trim, and a beautiful bouquet topped off with a little Christmas tree decorated with pearls and sequins. The sprigs are also topped with Nuvo Drops.

 I made  this expanding tag page using Mythical Glade dies from Tonic Studios, and the golden tab allows the user to open this interactive element. Small lace flowers top this tag page, and little pink sequins add sparkle to the page.

 
This page contains a top folding element tied closed with mint twine, and backed up with lacy borders. The Snowflake is accompanied by little Gingerbread Babies I made using my Cameo, and all is topped off with shiny gems. There is also pompom trim and and a pink ribbon in the center of the page for additional texture.

The matching page has a shaker containing shiny bits, and tiny gingerbread cookies to match, as well as a handmade Jam Jar made with pink glimmery jam and a handmade felt flower. This page is also interactive, and the small heart-shaped tab allows you to open the flap and add a hidden picture.

For this page I made a spread where you can add a picture on the oval frame, and still enjoy a warm cup of tea! all items were fussy cut, layered, glimmered, embossed, colored with matching inks, and made to sparkle with Nuvo drops and gems.

 Here is another adorable page that opens to reveal a surprise. To see what it is, watch the video!
It is topped by a glittery pink snowflake, and sweet candy canes I cut using Spellbinders dies. To finish the page, I added  Beautiful Board snowflakes and a snowman, all from ReneaBouquets.

 This is yet another interactive page, with additional candy canes topped with mint candies fussy cut from the collection. The little window is topped with more fussy cut images, and a handmade bouquet. I colored different elements using Ranger Oxide ink, and topped the snowflakes with more fussy cut mints. Can you spot the washi tape? It's what I used to top the candy canes!

Here I made a pocket using a border die backed with acetate for support, and topped with different colored Nuvo drops. To this I added some festive trims, and I heat embossed some beautiful board snowflakes. They shine and add texture to the page, where three large tags can be used for journaling.

 My project wouldn't be complete without acknowledging the true reason for celebrating Christmas, so on this page, the little angel helps to announce: "Christ Is Born!"
This is my reason to celebrate Christmas, and my inspiration behind everything I make. The lettering is my own, and the board is from Laserowe LOVE. I also added a circular photo mat backed with swirls, and finished the page with more handmade poinsettias and greenery.

The matching page has yet another peek-a-boo window that doubles as a picture mat, and is decorated with a Christmas tree from the paper collection, and a gingerbread baby from ReneaBouquets. The cooke tray is a die cut piece I made using a Spellbinders die, and the flowers are made of pretty lace topped with pink pearls.

In case you were missing some RED...here I made matching pages using tonic dies that have interactive opening panels, and are topped with more beautiful board pieces that I heat embossed using glittery embossing powders and ink. The poinsettias are also handmade, using Oxide inks, and....paper towels!!! WHAAAT??? 

 Here is the opposing page, full of texture with the addition of more hand-placed bits of glitter throughout the page.

This is the last layout in this mini album, and here I made a pocket stuffed with little envelopes, and small ephemera from the Mintay Paper collection. To finish this page, I used more snowflakes from RenesBouquets, topped with small gems to match the envelopes.

The final page is one of my favorites. with a side pocket topped with an incredible bouquet of handmade poinsettias and gingerbread babies. This book has sooo much of what I enjoy inside of it, and I hope it is a source of inspiration for you!

 For the Spine, I used yummy beads and ribbons that emulated candy canes and sugar candies. The white pom-pom trim reminded me of falling snow. 

Please enjoy the video for more details on this awesome Christmas Project, and feel free to leave me a hello in the comments! 

As always, I hope that you can 

Be inspired, Be Blessed!!

****Thank you for reading****

Raquel