Mini Album Makers BLOGAVERSARY & GIVEAWAY

Hello Friends

This month sees the Blogaversary of Mini Album Makers and we are celebrating by having a Blog Hop and Giveaway!!

We are giving a $25 gift certificate from Blitsy.com to one lucky reader whose name will be chosen at random from all of the comments on the Design Team blogs (so please be sure to leave one).  In addition, our sponsor,  Lindy's Stamp Gang will give a $25 gift certificate to one lucky participant in our challenge.

Congratulations to Autumn on achieving a wonderful first year, the blog has gone from strength to strength and it has been such a pleasure to see so many amazing entries!  If you have arrived here from the wonderful Jennie Atkinson's blog, then welcome!

I have gone all teeny tiny this month and created a vintage looking domino album, with a sea theme.

I am sharing a few step by step instructions, in case you have not tried a domino album before.  I will not be adding measurements as I find that dominoes come in a whole variety of different sizes and I would not want to confuse anyone!

I measured the domino carefully and then took some cream card, scored it to fit the domino size, then spritzed it with Lindy's Stamp Gang Moon Shadow Mist in Golden Doublooms.  Whilst this was drying I added some gilding flakes to the edges of each of the dominoes and left these to dry too.

I attached my images to the front of each domino with Distress Collage Medium and then coated each with two coats of Collage Medium.  This is a really important step if you wish to coat the dominoes with Resin, as it seals the image properly.  The Ice Resin dried with a slight vintage tone.

Next, I mixed the Ice Resin (use your chosen type of Resin) and added it to the top of each domino and left these to dry thoroughly (it may take a day or two).

Before attaching the accordion element to each domino, I added a picture to each of the 'pages' and added a piece of ribbon to each cover. and then attached the accordion to the covers.

To finish off I added some Tim Holtz Chit Chat words and two jewellery beads to each domino to represent feet.

A final view of the completed mini album!

Please do visit my teamies during this blog hop, their projects are amazing!  Be sure to leave a comment on each one, we have two wonderful prizes on offer, a $25 prize from Blitsy.com another $25 prize from one of our wonderful sponsors, Lindy's Stamp Gang. 

Nancy Wethington - Art-From-The-Heart

Jennie Atkinson - Live the Dream

Anne Redfern - RedAnne (That's me)

Maria Lillepruun - Magic Attic Design

Alison Bomber - Words and Pictures 

Inna Bronnikova

Autumn Clark - SewPaperPaint

Please do join in our challenge this month, at Mini Album Makers, we do love seeing your wonderful creations!

Thanks so much for your visit,  the talented Maria Lillipruun is the next stop on the hop. I hope you enjoy hopping around to visit everyone! 

Hugs, Anne xx

Guest Designer at Frilly and Funkie!

Hello Friends

I am over the moon thrilled to be Guest Designer over at Frilly & Funkie Challenge Blog, after being chosen as Design Team Favourite for the Most Memorable Gift Challenge.

The current challenge is being hosted by the super talented Zoe who has chosen the theme of 'All You Need Is Love' .  Zoe says 'Create a vintage or shabby chic project with the word 'LOVE' somewhere on the project.  It can be the focus or just a tiny detail'.

Here is what I created for my guest piece:

I created a small 6" x 6" canvas.  I apologise that I did not do a step by step but I was busy preparing samples to take to Creativation (more of that another time) and I wanted to get this completed before I went and just ran out of time....  I will explain though, how I created the canvas.

1.  Paint the canvas with white acrylic paint (or you could use gesso)
2.  Apply a crackle medium - I used Weathered Wood Crackle Medium
3.  Once dry, apply Tim Holtz Broken China Distress Paint
4.  Gently scrape away small sections of the crackle and apply a covering of Viva Decor Rusty Paper, randomly, and wiping some off here and there (the corners are lighter) and leaving some heavier in places to give the appearance of natural rust.
5.  Die cut a heart from red card, apply two coats of clear Embossing Powder and then a final coat of red Embossing Powder.
6.  Whilst the third coat is still hot, ink up a patterned (red rubber) stamp with Black Archival ink and apply this to the embossed heart.  Leave a moment or two to cool and then remove the stamp.

7.  Cut a small red heart, give this three coats of clear Embossing Powder, ink up the 'love' word stamp with Black Archival ink and press this into the heart.
8.  Take a Tim Holtz Idea-ology pocket watch, line it with some music design paper, add the embossed small heart and some die cut flowers.
9.  Attach the watch to the canvas over some messy thread (a tip picked up from the lovely Tracy Evans).
10.  Stamp the 'love' sentiment onto tissue paper with Black Archival ink, and once dry attach this to the canvas with Distress Collage Medium.

I just love the sentiment, it is a Visible Image stamp, with quite distressed wording, and I think it works well with Zoe's love theme!

Thank you again to Linda Coughlin and the Frilly and Funkie team for having me as Guest Designer, it has been a real privilege!

Thanks too, for your visit, I hope to see you again soon, maybe even tomorrow!!

Hugs, Anne xx