LittleBirdyScraps

Sunday School

Right, then.....I'm going to reinstate this, I think I did one of these posts ages ago and I'd like to continue, at least until September when it all goes mad again!

I thought I'd post some tutorials, as it's always nice to try something new.  Not completely new, I shouldn't think for a moment, but it's new to me and hopefully will be new to some of you.  Too.  :D

We'll start off with some title alphas.  For ages I've been cutting up the negative bits of alpha sticker sheets to eke out my stash (yes, like I don't have enough...actually, it's what I do when I really can't find the right letter in the right style!).

I like to cut round the left-over edges of the letter, like so:

You really need dinky little scissors for this.  These are the Squizzers I bought ages ago on Ebay. Maybe I should do a poll - only I don't know how to, hur hur - on which letters should be available in larger numbers.  M's are always running out.

Then, instead of sticking them straight onto the page, which also works a treat, I stuck them onto a little scrap of paper left over from the leftovers I'd made the page with!

Then just cut them out and add them to the page!

Now, I have a problem with this page.  I posted a sneaky peek the other day, because although I wanted to finish it I was looking for something.  You see that little chap at the bottom right, who's been fussy-cut from the paper?  Well, his little friend went missing.  And at the time of writing she's still nowhere to be seen.  I finally put the page together without her, but I'm concerned.  It seems to me that she represents Daughter, since the photos are of her and Youngest, and she is missing!

So, if I don't find her - and believe me, I've looked everywhere three times - I'm going to have to buy another sheet of this paper just to cut her out and add her to the LO, or something horrible might happen in real life.........:O

If you try this trick and want to share, please feel free to add a link to a comment below - I'd love to come and have a look!

Hopefully, there will be more next  Sunday.

Sunday School!

Okay, following on from yesterday's swirly things, I thought I'd demonstrate another little technique that is very useful for getting thru scraps.

And I do mean scraps - this is perfect for those small or oddly-shaped bits of pp that you really like and don't want to chuck out.  Often when I'm storing leftover pp, I snip off awkward corners and stash them inside my desk - which is one of those kiddy ones with a lid.  Bits like this:

 

You might find it useful to sort your scraps into colour-themed bags.  Or you might already be doing just that and I'm miles behind you...

The next thing you need to do is tear your pps into bits.  Strips first, then little rough squares.  Like this:

 

Double-sided pps are good for this, as you tend to find once you get going that you haven't got enough different designs.  So, the next thing you do is to take a piece of thick paper, card, whatever you've got spare.  I used the insert from an album, the bits that go inside the sleeves when you buy them.  It's under the scraps in the pic above!  But you could any photo-safe stuff you've got lying around. 

What you need to do is glue the little squares to the base sheet - yes, it's a mosaic!  Well, it's a collage really, cos the little bits overlap.  I use a glue stick and swipe the bits of paper across the top of it.

   

This is what you end up with.  If you have a brayer, give it all a good going over to flatten it out.  Or, if you are kicking yourself for not buying the brayer you saw on holiday last year when you had the money spare, use a wallpaper seam roller.  They're actually quite effective and dead cheap.  As you can see, I've put together quite a summery sort of colour scheme.

Let it all dry - this is very important or you end up with something that looks like someone's chewed it without their teeth in.  Then you can cut shapes from it.  This can be used to make titles, or little tiles, any of which you can mat which is also very effective.

This time I cut some flowers out.  Because they looked a bit like patchwork I doodled some stitching round the edges.  You could also stamp them or add glitter or whatever works.  It would be a good idea to apply some mod podge or gel medium at this stage, if you want.

 

In fact, I have been very busy today!  I got out of bed at 7.30 which is early on a Sunday, and Youngest was too poorly to go to rugby training so I had a good couple of hours before Visible Teenager needed a lift.  I have also started altering a book, far too many pages, but I'll let you know how it goes!

I did this, too:

 

I thought it was time I covered an album.  Most of mine are cheap ones from Asda (Wal-Mart) which have a plain black finish.  This is going to be a Heritage album so I cut up an old velvet curtain - not for the first time - and added some lace and a flower made from the same velvet.

If you like the look of that lace, watch this space.  I have just acquired about a ton of it and there's far too much for me so I intend giving some away.  Not the white one, probably, that's just toooo precious!

I had better go and make some dinner now or by the time I go downstairs there will be little skeletons lounging all over the sofas...