Treasure Hunting & Crafting

Hello!

More treasure hunting this weekend. Today my sister, brother and my cousin Cajsa headed to a flea market hosted by the soccer team. I had never been before but heard such good things and it really was good! The plan was covered with tents, one for each category. 

 I got some really good stuff, like a wire basket, an archive-box, 

vintage books and some sewing things. 

 And yes, that is a glass dish... filled with embroidererthread... 

 We then stopped at a second hand shop and I found muffins tray that I have been wanting for a long time and I was to happy to find a small one!

 So tonight I just had to sit down and play! First was my long awaited tray:

 I love how it turned out, I put the things I use all the time and the some cute ephemera that I usually store in boxes. I think I will use more of this cuteness now when I see it. 

 Next on my list was making some tiny tassels with the embroidery thread. I love doing this and they are so fun to use on layouts and projects. 

 Such fun colors!

 One of the things I was so exited about was a bag with old seam-binding and I just couldn't wait to try to spray with my Heidi Shines. They turned out so pretty. As a write this they still haven't dried but they are really shimmery. 

 Tried the Heidi Swapp thing with masking of to get a striped look and LOVE IT!! So cute. Here I used; Raspberry, Sweet Mint, Sweet Mint masked, Pink, Gold and Navy and Teal.

I just a such a great time and so fun to come home and just play messy hands and all!

Now it is late and time for bed! 

Love Julia

DIY watercolor set

I love my watercolors and I have quite a few... But I would really want to bring them with me and paint "on-the-go".  So I found this super cute pen tin that I used way back and thought it would be perfect! Paints on the top "shelf" and water-brushes and pens under.

I used my old tube pains and just a blob of each. I know I will use more earth tones and green so I placed those in the ends and the reds and ultra marin in the middle. 

I'm so happy with how it turned out, just perfect!! This will work beautifully with any pen tin but i like that I can have my water-brushes and pen all together (minimizing the risk of forgetting something)

Love Julia

DIY traveler's notebook cover

Hello!
Like I said in my previous video, I couldn't wait to start playing with my new pocket sized travelers' notebook! This came with three inserts with kraft covers, perfect for making your own design!

I wanted to make some fun and cute designs and using paints and paint pens. Two of the books I know what to do with but the third... not sure.

 Can't get over how cute this little TN is. It's the black-brown from Alice's Sweet Castle 

 First in is my swan book, blank pages and perfect for sketching. I coated the books with an acrylic pearlescent ink and love how they look, a bit hard to photograph how ever.

 Next book is for all types of questions so I just did a quick Frans and W on the cover.

 The last book still has no job, but i'm sure I can find something, just love the glow on his one!

I think they all turned out so cute! I plan on having this in my bag, ready to sketch on the go. For now I just look at it and smell it...

Love Julia

DIY: Traveler's Notebook Insert

I love my traveler's notebook from Webster's Pages ans I use it all day, every day. Now, the TN is only as good as the books inside it and i like to make my own. They are so fun and easy to make!

The cover I showed how to make here . The inside pages (10 A4 sheets) are just copy paper of a 160g. I got that at the office store and it's so good! I started using this book in July (it's my July book) and I have stamped and done allot of water-coloring. 

This paper takes it so well for not being "proper"! 

So fold the papers and cover in the middle. Measure out the holes and saw together. Use a roller when cutting the pages and go slow!! Very slow, this will give you a nice edge. 

Now the cover is part Heidi Shine and part watercolor. The shine is beautiful but I found that it robed of in the TN. I just put a thin coat of matt medium on top.

Love Julia

DIY Watercolor designed patterned paper

Take out your watercolors and play!

Watercolor designed paper is everywhere and it's so pretty! Why not try to make your own. You choose the color and what to paint, the result, your very own design paper!

I had used Heidi Shine on some and the watercolors I used are the White Nights by S:t Petersburg. These are really good value and I highly recommend them. How ever you can use any type of watercolors, the important thing here is to have fun! 

Love Julia

Easter DIY Decor

Easter, I love Easter! That it's officially spring, the fun colors and not to forget, all the candy!! 

In Sweden we have this tradition of bringing in branches and decorating them with eggs and feathers. why? I have no idea but we have always done it and probably always will...  But for this year I will make some new decoration! 

I wanted to change out the old feathers for some cute tassels and make the eggs a bit more glamours!

I'm so happy with how it turned out, all glittery and colorful!! 

 I really like when you can make something really pretty with so few and simple steps and I even have plans for those tassels later on...

Happy Easter to you

Love Julia

Christmas stocking DIY

The other day I say a video by Jennifer McGuire Ink and I was so inspired!! That weekend I made 8 mini stockings: 

I made my own template and used felt in grey, white, red, black and green with silver thread. 

That silver metallic thread is my new favorite it adds that little extra.

The decoration on the stockings made using my die-cut machine. Here I have leafs and "berries" and a tree. 

 The white band is cut whit a Magnolia border die, and I think that one is so sweet.

You can change this ones up over and over again and I just love this little craft! And now I can stop die-cutting in felt. Perfect for the December Daily!!

Love Julia

Together DIY 12*12 scrapbook process

Do you you save your scraps? Where do you keep them?

In a drawer or sort them by color... I used to have a desk drawer for scraps but found that while it got fuller I didn´t look in it. Now I store my scraps on the paper-pad it came from. It works for me sens I keep looking in them and I tend to by my paper in pads rather then by sheet. How ever I do keep a tin next to my desk for tiny pieces and it from that tin today´s layout came from. 

I know some find it hard to work whit scraps and scraps from different lines and brands. This layout came together thanks to some papers ended up next to each other while I was looking through my tin. "Thous looks cute together!"

I really like to work whit b&w photos because then you can pick what ever color you want and you can pick more and bolder color sens it want clash whit the photo.

This flowers I painted, scanned and printed. 

Love how the watercolor look works whit the patterned paper.

 The title is from the "Confetti" chipboard sheet by Maggie Holmes, I

really do need another sheet!

I really like the fun feel this layout has, just as Majken and Kerstin in the photo. This is the last "DIY" layout. The last couple of weeks I have been focused on making my own embellishments, painting more and using more from my stash. Now I feel more creative and like to use my own things. I hope you have liked this, the layouts and videos. Hopefully you have found some ideas and felt inspired. 

My next project is almost done, just a few more layout to film, and then I 

will be working whit a kit from my stash. I hope you will stop by to check it out!

Love Julia 

My Story 12x12 scrapbook layout

Do you read allot of scrapbook blogs? I don´t, I have a few favorites (and lots of you-tube ones) this I check a few times a week and always feel inspired! On of those blogs are Maggie Holmes blog and the other day Kim posted this layout:

I love this page, the design, the colors and the "messy-ness" of it. I just had to scrapbook after seeing this one and jumped in to my scrap-tin.

I picked my scraps and placed them in some sort of color order, cold to warm but without thinking to much of it. Blue to yellow to pink, but I wanted to yellow to be a bit more. The title and flowers are Maggie Holmes "Open Book" and work so well whit the other yellows on the page.

But my favorite part of this is the stitching, I love the subtle effect it gives and the it sort of pushes all of the patterns a step back. It took time, I won´t lie, but it was so worth it! 

After I had stopped filming I felt that the background needed something more. (this is the danger whit leaving your layouts on your desk, they will never be "just right") Anyway, I decided to add some watercolor-look by the "packaging-technique" and distress ink in "pumic stone" and some teal spray. 

In the end I love how it turned out and will definitely to this technique again so thank you Kim!!

Love Julia

"Where do you sleep?" A4 scrapbook process

So the other day I was looking through my email trashcan for a email, but found that I subscribe to Simple Stories and in one of their emails was a link to some really cute printables. I hardly ever print that kind of stuff because my printer and I don´t get along, but for that dog I just had to!!

I went whit A4 and a stong pink background matted on a diagonal B&W from Maggie Holmes "Confetti". The elements from the printable are so cute, I printed page 6 and used all but 2 elements! and  between you and me, I would love a hole sheet of the dog and the flower circle! 

 I mean, look at that dog! so cute. I really enjoyed working on this layout, using cute things that are perfect for "life"

 I printed on a laser paper 250g witch takes the color better and feel more... real then regular copy-paper.

 Where do you sleep?- Var sover du? 

 Here you can print this cuties! 

 The elements that I had left I saved for my project life week 34. And they worked prefect for PL as well! In my PL I put in cute photos of my dogs, my baking and painting and also what I read and listen too. (Miss Fisher and Persuasion)

 As well as the printed stuff I used Simple Stories "Sn@p" labels in pink

 A little cluster on the bottom of the week card of label, printed doughnut, punched heart and pink glitter letters from Heidi Swapp

 Don´t forget, I obsessed about this girl!

In short, I love this printable and even though it´s intended for their "Life Documented" planner it works beautifully on both scrapbook layouts and Project Life pages!

Love Julia