imagine the possibilities

Project Life details using the Xyron Creative Station.

Welcome to May – can you believe how time flies? With the cooler weather our way here in the South I am creeping deeper into my craft space and catching up on my Project Life album. I am so excited to be incorporating the Xyron Creative Station in my Project Life. It sure has made some things so much easier. Today I am sharing a nice and easy tip, making your life a lot easier.

I like using delicate and sometimes not so delicate die-cuts into my Project Life layouts. But sometimes inking and adding colour to these die-cuts can be tricky. So here’s how I solved my dilemma Step 1 – Place the Permanent Adhesive cartridge into your Creative Station.

Step 2 – Die-cut some borders out of white cardstock. Feed the borders through the Xyron to add the adhesive.

Step 3 – Peel away the top plastic protective layer after removing the die-cuts from the machine.

Step 4 – While the die-cuts are still on the backing from the adhesive sheet, use a sponge to ink the die-cuts.
I used two different colours of ink to ink my borders, and then used a black ink to stamp a small pattern onto the borders.
TIP: By leaving the die-cuts on the backing sheet, you can easily ink, stamp and alter the plain white cardstock into something really special.

Step 5 – Remove the altered borders from the backing sheet and adhere it to your photos or project.

Step 6 – Use your Chiswick scissors to cut off any excess of the die-cut from your photo.

Step 7 – Add any additional embellishments and decorations to your die-cuts, and then insert them into your Project Life sleeves.

I love how the Xyron can make something so simple even easier. In a few easy steps I could cut, add adhesive and ink my borders without any issues.
The Adhesive backing paper comes in really handy as an inking surface eliminating unnecessary transfers onto a craft sheet. Have you bought yourself a Creative Station yet? Well i think now is a good time to do so – the possibilities are endless.
Acid-Free Permanent Adhesive Refill Cartridge (18′) xt1605
5″ Creative Station Machine xr0510
Head on over to the website to view all the products in the Xyron family available from Chiswick.

8:05:00 AM
0 Comments

It’s just a Kaisercraft Oh So Lovely Layout.

double page scrapbook layouts

Soft beautiful florals, birds and gorgeous accents are what caught my eye when I first saw this range. But on even closer inspection it is the colours that seamlessly complement each other into the designs for perfection in design…that is the new Oh so Lovely paper range from Kaisercraft

I know that with every new range you just think that the one before it was the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, and then there is the next one, and each time they become your favourite – that is the life of the creative soul. A vicious circle of beautiful colours and design merged into one to form something that the soul finds a reason to smile… and so it was with this range.

It literally spoke to my heart and soul completely. I love everything about it! The designs the colours the delicate birds and beautiful script writing detail hidden amongst a flower medley.

And so came to be this double page layout filled with texture and design. The layout itself is uncomplicated but it is the details that make this layout so much more interesting. Even the photo selection was something that happened by chance, and in the end it is the unexpected use of the photos that became my favourite part of this layout – pulling together all the interesting elements for a really fun and striking layout.

I used the Prima Copper crackle texture paste to add some texture to my background. I added the paste across the layout once it was completed, as I wanted to add some texture paste over my patterned papers too. I used a palette knife and a stencil, and once applied walked away to leave it to dry completely.

The collectables pack matching the paper range is filled with so many beautiful designs and elements I had a hard time choosing what to use, but settled on this beautiful bird and cage. I used foam tape to raise them slightly adding dimension to my layout.

love stamping and a layout is never complete if it doesn’t have some stamping on it – the perfect finishing touch to any project. I used my trusty Versafine sepia ink pad to stamp the detailed images onto some coloured scrap papers.

Across the centre of my layout I added a beautiful quote stamp alongside my giant title. The title was cut on my Silhouette machine and then embossed using AC embossing powder in yellow. The embossing powder colour was perfect element of surprise – bold and unexpected. I finished off my layout with some hand sewing, buttons and diamanté.

I love everything about this paper range and layout – feminine, beautiful, classic and some elements of surprise added to make it really stand out. How will you use this gorgeous range to create something fun and extraordinary? Please feel free to share your Kaisercraft Oh So Lovely Layout!

Products Used

5:00:00 PM
0 Comments

Sweet Mum – A Card Just for Her.

cards

It's Mothers' day weekend and I hope you have made something handmade for that special person in your life? I made this little birdie specially for her, featuring some of my new favorite IMAGINE Crafts and Tsukineko products. Head on over to the blog for a step x step on how to re-create this quick card.

My mom loves birds and so for this Mother’s day I wanted to make a card that incorporates a little birdie. Thankfully I have some really cute stamps and with the help of the amazing StazOn Studio Glaze I could add some really amazing color to my image. For my sentiment I used two stamps and stamped them in different colors for a fun look. Learn how to make your ‘Sweet Mum’ this lovely sentiment here!

4:53:00 PM
0 Comments

Fathersday card - Xyron sticker accents and washi tape.

cards

Head on over to the Chiswick blog to find some inspiration using your Xyron machine and washi tapes to create a bold and beautiful card for dad this father's day.

www.chiswick.co.za

8:27:00 AM
0 Comments

Silhouette Heat Transfer Glitter T-Shirt Step by Step.

altered stuff

In our house we have a thing for making our own designs and then ironing them onto t-shirts. But until now things were quite limited – that was until the Silhouette. Now we have access to so many designs ad products and we really have a feast creating our own custom outfits.

Today I am sharing the settings and things I learned while using the Silhouette heat transfer material

Gather your glitter heat transfer material. When cutting this you don’t need to use your cutting matt, although some ladies do. I don’t.

Step 2 - I set my cutting page settings to the size of the entire roll of heat transfer material. This way I have a more accurate view of what I am designing, how big the image or wording is – a true representation. In the top right hand corner you can see I set my page to 9×36”. Create your design to iron on the front of your t-shirt. If you are doing wording or a quote, remember to “mirror” your writing.

Step 3 - Change the rollers so that you can load the material. Flip the handle on the right hand side to release the roller bar, move the white roller on the right hand side to the right width for your heat transfer material. Remember to fasten the handle again after setting the rollers.

Step 4 - Load the material into the machine. Make sure to move the arrow down on your LCD screen to “load material” instead of load cutting matt.

Step 5 - Remove the blade from the blade casing and insert it into the hole on the left of your machine base, or the grey cap – set your blade to position “1”.

Step 6 - Change your cut setting to “Heat transfer material ‘flocked’”. I tried cutting on the smooth heat transfer setting and it didn’t cut through, so with all things I tried until I found the setting that worked.

Step 7 - I draw a block around the design to make it easier to remove the excess material that need to be peeled. Also do a text cut first to ensure that your material cuts right. Rather be safe than sorry and mess up a whole roll of material. Cut the design.

Step 8 - Use your paper piercer (if you don’t have a hook) and remove all the material around the cut design. I peel a bit and then cut it off before peeling again.

Step 9 - Once the entire design is revealed, remove the outer block of material as well. When you flip your design over the plastic layer should be on the front and you should be able to read the wording correctly.

Step 10 - Place the design with the plastic face up on your fabric/t-shirt. Cover the plastic with a cloth. Heat your iron on the cotton setting and then place the iron on your design for 50-60 seconds at a time to transfer the design.
- Tips and Tricks
  I think my iron was a bit hot as the plastic started to melt and curl up, this means that there are not hard and fast rules when doing iron on transfers – you have to just try it. Start off with a small design and practice on something like a scrap piece of fabric or an old t-shirt.
In the end I really love how it turned out. The Silhouette heat transfer material is amazing and looks really good. So all in all I am pleased with this glitter t-shirt for a special friend.
Products Used