Hi Everyone,
   I'm back with a new kit. This one is called INTO THE WILD and is themed around outdoor activities.A great one with summer arriving. Unfortunately, between not having much in the way of outdoor pics and also not having a decent photo shop around here anymore, I have had to create my layout without photos this time.
The layout can accommodate 6 photos of varying sizes and would be perfect for picnic pics. The colours are mainly blue, red and green, with some natural tones in between.

I have included some distressing techniques and some dry brushing with white paint. As well as masking and inking,

The colourful flags add a fun element to the page.

The lace and the roses carry the fresh outdoor theme through.

Let me know if you are interested in ordering this kit.... melodyk@mweb.co.za

Painting the stamped book paper image using watercolours or Distress Inks.

I used these colours if Distress Inks to colour my images....Peeled Paint, Evergreen Bough & Seedless Preserve.

                                       
 Use a wet paint brush to pick up some of the ink directly from the ink pad. Paint it onto the leaf image. The more water used the light the colour will be. Feel free to play with differnt colours and techniques. Watercolours will work just as well.

Double Slider card for the So Natural kit.

Hi |Everyone,

As promised, here is a step by step breakdown of the Double Slider in the So Natural kit.

These are the pieces needed. The double sided tape was not included in the kit.

Once you have used a craft knife to cut the slits on the dotted line, then slip the plastic strip into the one slit and then exit through the other slit.

Fold the edges of the plastic strip in and attach double sided tape to one edge of the strip. Take care that the tape doesn't extend beyond the strip anywhere otherwise it will stick to the slider and stop movement.

Now attach the other side of the strip to the taped side, pulling it securely but taking care not to pull so tight that is bend the card. Now slide the join to the left of the card just before it would pull through the slit.

Now attach a strip of double sided tape vertically to the left edge of the plastic strip. 

Attach the longer narrow piece horizontally to the centre of the block, lining it up with the left edge. It will extend beyond the right edge.

Flip the whole piece over and attach a strip of double sided take vertically to the left edge of the plastic strip. Again take care not to have any tape sticking over the edge.

Now attach the smaller narrow strip to the centre of the whole piece lining it up with the left edge. It should line up with the right edge too.

When pulled your slider should now look like this. Return it to its closed position and make sure that the longer piece is extending on the top side.

Make sure the slider is positioned in the centre of th card. Attach 5 pieces of foam above the slider piece and 5 pieces below the slider piece. This will help to keep the slider moving correctly on your layout.\

Attach the remaining larger block to the foam squares, lining up the edges with the original piece with the slits in.

Flip the card over and attach foam squares as you did before. These squares will attach the hole double slider to the layout, so can keep their paper covers on for the moment.

Fold the pull tab in half vetically and attach it to the extended edge. Your slider will now look like this.....ready to be embellished with paper and photos for the layout.

Enjoy trying this fun interactive piece for your layout.

Hi everyone,

   Time for a new kit. This one is called  SO NATURAL and is themed very much around garden and nature. The beautiful colour scheme of Lilac, Teal and Green helps the natural garden theme. The layout can accommodate 6 photos, 2 of which are hidden in a double slider.



Included in the techniques are working with liquid ink to create the runs on the layout.

Again you will use watercolours or, if you have, Tim Holtz Distress inks, to add colour to the stamped butterfly and leaf images.  I used the distress inks in 3 colours, namely Evergreen Bough, Seedless Preserve and Peeled Paint. I will include another step by step blog entry to show how I painted the images.

The most challenging technique is the double sided slider where there are 2 photos hidden, or if you prefer you can add hidden journaling.

I will include an extra blog entry with a step by step guide on how to do the Double sided slider.

Please let me know if you are interested in ordering (melodyk@mweb.co.za)

Hi Everyone,

At last I have a new kit out. This one is called Salt in the Air..... and is themed around the beach and summer. This kit would work great as a "boy" layout but would also easily accommodate general beach or summer pics.

This layout can acommodate 6 smallish photos which are displayed in a polaroid picture style. This gives a relaxed holiday feel to the layout. Journaling can be added to each pic enhancing that holiday feel.

Doodling is the primay technique used on this layout. Be creative and try different patterns. Doodling is great fun and adds lots of interest to a layout. Make use of both black and white pens.

I have made use of Aquarelle (Watercolour) pencile to add colour to the Lighthouse and the other photo elements. Aquarelles are really nice to work with and give bright vibrant colour. If you don't have Aquarelles, then you could make use of regular coloured pencils.

A variety of strips bring the colour and design together to complete the layout.

Please let me know if you are interested in ordering a kit. (melodyk@mweb.co.za)

Hi Everyone,

Another month is upon us and I have a new kit available. This is another very feminine layout using pinks and green as the colour scheme. The layout is called SMILE and can accommodate 3 photos.

Included in the kit is a printed stencil for you to cut yourself and a recipe for texture paste so you can create the fun texture effects on the layout

Along with some usual distressing techniques I have included a Faux Metal technique which you will use to finish the chipboard elements included in the kit.

The addition of gauze, doily and butterflies adds to the soft femine theme.

A transparency title completes the layout.

Please let me know if you are interested in ordering a kit (melodyk@mweb.co.za)

Good morning everyone,

And a Happy Easter to you all. My new kit is available from today. Even thought it is not Easter themed, I'm sure you find some photo opportunities this weekend that will suit this layout perfectly. The Layout is called SIMPLE ELEGANCE and is very feminine in design. The layout can accommodate 5 photos of varying sizes

I have incorporated a distressed circle to highlight the focal photo. The distressing is done using water and an accentuated gathering is created in the top left corner to display a charm.

The dress form adds to the "elegance" of the layout along with the introduction of a bit of bling.

Trendy coloured paper straws cut into varying lengths add an interesting colour and texture element to the second page.

 The script title is added using a white pen and further pen work is added in the form of stitching around some areas in white and black.

Should you be interested in ordering a kit, please let me know .... melodyk@mweb.co.za



Hi Everyone,

    Back again with a new kit. This one is a little out of the ordinary for me as I dont often use green but this new Fabscraps paper was just too beautiful not to use. So I created a layout called AMAZING using some new photos of Courtney. I like the way her 'hippie' style matches with the retro style paper. The layout can accommodate 4 photos.

I have included a few different techniques. One of them is creating paper circles, folding them and arranging them in a grid like pattern to form a striking element on the page.

I have also used a masking technique to continue the diamond pattern from the paper.

The last technique is used is cutting around the printed elements to create dimension.

You will also create a few of your own butterflies using transparency and permanent markers.

Let me know if you are interested in ordering a kit (melodyk@mweb.co.za)

Hi there,
    This month I have done something a little different. In order to keep things interesting I decided to do a mini album instead of a double page layout. This album is Christmas themed and although Christmas has passed I am sure you all have some photos that still haven't been scrapped. The album is made completely from scratch and makes use of a versatile binding system that is quite popular at the moment. This allows you to make this album again with many other themes.

I  decided to make the album without putting any of my own photos in so that you can get a good look at each of the pages without the photos covering them. The pages will easily accommodate a standard jumbo photo and the pull out pages can accommodate slightly smaller photos or a combination of small pics.

Pages are made with envelopes which creates a pocket, making space for a pull out page. Each pull out is created with a different pull tab.

I have also included some smaller pockets and tags to make the album interesting.

Embossed toilet roll empties work well as pockets for tags. These tags can be used for photos or journaling.

A really fun album to create and super place to save all your Christmas memories.

Let me know if you would like to order a kit (melodyk@mweb.co.za)