Archive for the ‘Beyond the Page’ Category

It’s always exciting to see how other crafters and scrapbookers use Kaisercraft’s fabulous products and we were especially excited when we saw these stunning projects completed by Emma Williams.

We asked Emma to create something beautiful using Kaisercraft products and her first project was a stunning Beyond-the-Page Handbag Tidy decorated with papers from Kaisercraft’s Miss Nelly collection. You can find out more about how she made this on her blog.

Her second project was a fabulous layout using the Her Voice die cut paper and Printed Chipboard from the Miss Nelly collection. You can find more details of Emma’s layout over on her blog.

Emma will be working with Kaisercraft products again in the near future but in the meantime, you can visit Emma’s Blog, That’s Life, to see more of her work.

One of the latest additions to Kaisercraft’s Beyond-the-Page product line is their fabulous 25 Drawer Treasure Chest. It makes a really useful storage unit but I decided to decorate one to create a beautifully extravagant Advent Calendar.

I painted all the MDF parts of the 25 Drawer Treasure Chest with Kaisercolor Acrylic White paint before assembling them. I decided to give it a slightly whitewashed look by applying thin coats of paint (although, due to the large size of the chest, it still needed two tubes of paint). I assembled the MDF and glued it with EvoStik Wood Glue and then covered the sides and top with pieces of Bazzill White cardstock (which covers the visible parts of the joints) and decorated with Silly Season Rub-ons.

The drawers are made in a similar way to the smaller drawers of the Kaisercraft BTP Advent Calendar (see step 12 in our previous post for details) but I used the Silly Season papers and covered the drawer fronts in squares from the Milk & Cookies and Gingerbread papers. I then finished the edges of the drawers with a White Paint Dabber and a few rhinestones. The chipboard numbers are supplied with the Treasure Chest – I painted them with the Paint Dabber and applied Crystal Lacquer.

On top of the chest I created a Reindeer and Sleigh scene using some of Kaisercraft’s latest Wood Flourish designs. I filled the Sleigh will presents cut from the Presents Foil paper and decorated the Reindeer with a Flourish Background Stamp and some Hot Pink Rhinestones and used an old necklace as reins.

I hope you like my large size Silly Season themed Advent  Calendar – it was great fun to make is a nice contrast to the vintage looking Advent Calendar in my earlier post.

In part 1 of this post we outlined how we painted and assembled the Kaisercraft Advent Calendar. In this post we describe how we decorated the Advent Calendar with the recently released December 25th collection from Kaisercraft.

You can, of course, use a wide range of different papers to decorate your Kaisercraft Advent Calendar but I wanted to give it a vintage feel to match the photo I planned to use at it’s centre. As described in the previous post, I had already covered the drawers with papers from Kaisercraft’s December 25th Collection and painted the whole calendar in Kaisercolor Raw Umber paint. This post continues from that point.

1. I started by applying a little gold paint around the front edges of the drawers using a Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabber. This gives them a slightly distressed, vintage effect and adds a little sparkle at the same time. I printed out the numbers 1 to 24 on a colour printer and glued them to the front of the drawers before applying some Crystal Lacquer to give them shine. 
2. I decorated the outside edges of the calendar with strips cut from the reverse of the Wish paper (P719) from the December 25th collection. The calendar is just slightly longer than the paper so small corner pieces are needed to fill the gaps. I also cut some “wrought iron” corners from Pinecone Bazzill Cardstock using the Cricut Expression and the “Ornamental Iron 2″ cartridge to further decorate the corners. Then I used the Gold Paint Dabber again to add some sparkle to all the front edges of the calendar.
3. I decided to decorate the centre of the Advent Calendar with a Christmas photograph from the past. I started by cutting a piece of the Noel paper (P718) slightly smaller than the central area, distressing the edges and colouring them with the Paint Dabber. I mounted it in the centre of the calendar and layered on a square of the reverse of the Wish paper and then the photo (printed in sepia tone). The date plaque is a Kaisercraft Square Bookplate Wood Flourish (FL332) coloured with a Brown Ink Pad and distressed with the Gold Paint Dabber. The date itself is printed on a colour printer onto a scrap of the Wish paper.
4. The present decoration in front of the photo is a ScrapFX Present Corner Chipboard Shape (2009278C). The presents have been decorated with scraps of paper, coloured with Ink Pads and embellished with coordinating December 25th Jewels. The ribbon scroll is coloured with a Lipstick Ink Pad and then Red KindyGlitz Glitter Glue. The Chipboard Shape is glued to the corner of the calendar using Crystal Lacquer as a glue.

I hope you like the end result and it inspires you to create your own unique version of the Advent Calendar. Oh, and in case you are wondering, the little girl with the brand new doll on her lap in the middle of the photo is indeed me. Every time I look at the photo it makes me smile – and I think that’s what any Christmas decoration should be all about !

Chrissy xx

We’ve had a few requests from customers to provide instructions on the best way to make the Kaisercraft Advent Calendar so we’ve painted and assembled one and written this (rather long) post – hopefully you will find it of use.

Actually, this is the first of two posts on this subject – this one describes how we have assembled the main part of the Calendar and drawers. The next post describes how we decorated it.

There are probably other ways to assemble the Advent Calendar but what we’ve written below certainly works for us. If you have any further suggestions please feel free to get in touch.

1. Once unpacked the Kaisercraft Advent Calendar will contain one sheet of chipboard numbers, 25 chipboard drawers (24 for the calendar and one spare), a large MDF base (or back) board and a number of other MDF parts as shown in the picture below. The two parts marked A below are joined by tabs and are 32.6cm long – just a few millimetres longer than the four parts marked B which are 32cm long. There are two shorter parts marked C and 20 parts marked E (joined into two sheets of 10).
2. We would recommend that the parts are painted before they are separated since they are much easier to hold that way. If you are using Kaisercolor Acrylic Paint then, for dark colours, you will probably need to apply only two coats while lighter colours such as white may need three coats. You should not paint the tabs since they will then be more difficult to insert into their respective slots. The part marked D on the picture only needs its edges painted while all other parts should be painted on both sides (although, as mentioned, tabs should be avoided). The picture below shows the same parts after painting.
3. The backboard is also best painted at this stage. You should paint all around the edges but you do not need to paint the back or the centre if you intend to cover it with paper. Try to avoid getting paint inside the slots in the board since it will make assembly more difficult.
4. The best way we have found to separate the tabbed parts is using the Tim Holtz scissors but you can also use a strong, sharp craft knife (in which case it’s best to make a V-shaped cut from one side and gently separate the pieces). Tidy up the cut edges, especially on either side of each of the small pieces (marked E on the image), using a sharp knife or a file.
5. We’ve found that the tabs can sometimes be very tight to assemble – they are tight fit to start with and, unfortunately, the paint can cause the MDF to swell slightly making them even tighter. We would recommend using a sharp knife or file along each side of each tab to make them into a wedge shape (as shown in the picture below) – this makes them much easier to put together.
6. The next image shows the painted back board and indicates where each tabbed piece goes on the board. Place the back board flat on a strong desk or table and insert the tabbed parts carefully before pushing them home firmly. You may need to place a piece of scrap wood (or something like a strong coaster) on the top edge of the parts to push them home (but make sure you don’t push them over sideways and break the tabs). We would recommend assembling parts C (marked in yellow) first, followed by parts B (marked in green) and then parts A (marked in red).
7. The small tabbed parts (E) should be inserted after A, B and C. Again, place the back board on a firm surface and push the parts in firmly using a scrap piece of wood if necessary, making sure that they are all aligned vertically and the individual gaps for the drawers are all the same size.
8. If the tabs were particularly tight to assemble then glue may not be necessary. However, we would recommend that you apply a little wood glue or PVA glue to the back of each of the tabs to fix them permanently (and to the corners of the Calendar if necessary). We use Evo-Stik Wood Adhesive (available from Homebase) for this because it is very strong, dries clear and is extra fast acting to save time.
9. Because the back board is slightly larger than the main body of the Calendar, it may cause it to lean forward slightly. The part labeled D in the first picture can be glued to the front-bottom edge of the Calendar to correct this lean if required.
10. After gluing it may be necessary to touch-up some areas of paint (for example around the outside edges) – now is the time to do this. Once the main part of your Calendar is completed it should look something like the image below :
11. There are probably many ways to make the drawers for the Advent Calendar but the best way we have found is by sticking each corner of each drawer together with short strips of double-sided tape. The same tape can then be used later to stick the paper onto the drawers.
12. To cover each drawer you should cut a strip of paper the same height as the drawer and long enough to wrap around three sides plus a few millimetres at each side of the front. Squares to fit the front of each drawer can be cut from the specially designed Kaisercraft 12×12 papers (e.g. the Believe paper from the December 25th collection or the Milk & Cookies paper from the Silly Season collection) or from other papers of a suitable colour. To cut the finger hole into the square, turn it over and use the drawer as a template to mark the shape of the finger hole before cutting it out with a small pair of scissors (curved nail scissors work especially well).
13. The cover each drawer, remove the backing from the double-sided tape on the drawer, optionally use a glue stick to dab a little extra adhesive onto the chipboard and then wrap the paper around the drawer before sticking the square on the front. The next image shows each stage of this process.

At this stage you should have a fully assembled Calendar and 24 fully assembled drawers. From this point onwards there are many ways to decorate your Advent Calendar to make it unique. In the next post we’ll describe how we decorated ours.

I changed my mind a few times on how I wanted to decorate this new Kaisercraft Trinket Chest but in the end I chose to use the lovely (and also new) Velvet Ensemble papers.

After painting the chest in Antique White Kaisercolour paint I covered the whole chest (drawers, sides and back) in the costume paper and inked round all the edges to give an aged look. I cut the mask on the lid from the ‘Stage Show’ paper and added a few little embellishments – a feather, a flower and some rhinestones – to it. The Black Organza bow finishes the chest off.

I wanted the feel of the chest to be one of opulence and I hope I have achieved it.

I used the following products to make the chest:

• SB2109 – Kaisercraft BTP Trinket Chest
• P674 – Costume, Velvet Ensemble 12 x 12 paper
• P678 – Stage Show, Velvet Ensemble 12 x 12 paper
• P675 – Performance, Velvet Ensemble 12 x 12 paper
• KC002 – Antique White, Kaisercolour paint
• PL514 – Pearl Flourishes, Black
• RI613 – Organza Ribbon pack, Natural
• KG-024003 – Red Kindyglitz Glitter Glue (for the Red lipstick)
• KG-021552 – Silver Kindyglitz Glitter Glue (on the flower)
• Crystal Lacquer Set
• Glue Stick
• Brown Ink Pad

I started this project just before we went to the Scrapaholix/Kaisercraft Retreat and managed to get some quality time at the Retreat to finish it off. I have used the new (and absolutely gorgeous) Chapter One Collection to cover the lovely Storage Unit and some of Kaisercraft’s beautiful Blooms to decorate it.

For some time I’ve been wanting to make some storage to hold all my Kaisercraft flowers and Blooms and this unit is perfect since its a good size and I can simply empty out all my half used packets of flowers and Blooms into the drawers.

I used a single sheet of the Chapter One Motivate paper to cover all three drawers. I wanted the design to continue all the way up the drawer fronts and I think it has worked quite well. I used the reverse of the Afresh paper to cover the sides and some black Bazzill cardstock to cover the top. I wanted to keep the unit clean and simple to show off the gorgeous design of the paper so just added a few Kaisercraft Blooms, a Rhinestone flourish and some Wood Flourish Leaves to the top and three Blooms and a rub-on to the bottom drawer.

I used the following products to make the storage unit:

• SB2105 – Beyond-the-Page Storage Unit
• P670 – Motivate 12 x 12 paper, Chapter One Collection
• P665 – Afresh 12 x 12 paper, Chapter One Collection
• KC031 – Black Kaisercolour Paint
• FL301 – Wood Flourishes, Leaves
• F631 – Paper Blooms, Sea Breeze
• F632 – Paper Blooms, Sage
• RB920 – Chapter One Rub-ons
• RS459 – Rhinestone Flourishes, Elegant, Island Lagoon
• Crystal Lacquer Set
• Green Ink Pads

This wonderful Friendship Album was made a few months ago by my daughter for her best friends birthday. It includes pictures and a short story about her friend.

The Mini Heart Album is decorated with Kaisercraft’s Shaken Not Stirred collection which is normally used for masculine projects but, in this case, the mainly red papers have been used to give a feminine effect. Paper flowers and rhinestones have also been used along with offcuts of ribbon to decorate the album rings.

The products used to make the album include:

• Shaken Not Stirred paper collection
• SB156 – Mini Heart Album
• F624 – Midnight Paper Flowers
• F610 – Poppy Paper Flowers
• SB777 – Black Rhinestones
• SB711 – Red Rhinestones
• M024 – Red Book Rings
• Offcuts of ribbon
• Rub-ons

I was looking through some old photographs of relatives and decided that these, taken in the late 50′s, would be fantastic for use in a Display Frame. I used the Kaisercraft Shaken Not Stirred collection because its bold colours and patterns were a perfect match to the pictures.

I painted the frame with Kaisercolour acrylic paint, then a layer of Crackle Glaze and finally another layer of paint – this gave it a distressed, almost leather-like, look. I used some appropriate rub-ons and a tie (tied from a short length of ribbon) to match the “Lads” theme.

This would make a pretty cool gift for Fathers Day coming up in June.

I used the following products to make the frame:

• SB2093 – 12 Frame Photo Display, Beyond the Page
• P468 – Daniel 12 x 12 paper, Shaken not Stirred
• P470 – Timothy 12 x 12 paper, Shaken not Stirred
• P471 – George 12 x 12 paper, Shaken not Stirred
• PP808 – Shaken not Stirred Paper Pad
• EM908 – Shaken not Stirred Embellishment Pack
• CB108 – Chipboard Alpha Set 2
• RB915 – Boys Rub-ons
• RB909 – Laugh Rub-ons
• SB711 – Red Rhinestones
• KC031 – Black Kaisercolour Acrylic Paint
• 2007146 – ScrapFX Chipboard Shape, Broken Circle
• CL-01802 – Crystal Lacquer Set
• Crackle Glaze
• Black Ribbon (for the Tie)

When I heard the words “Mum, can you make me a scary Door Hanger” I just knew that I had to use the Stampotique stamps by Jill Plenney & Daniel Torrente. Merley chose the Prom Queen Stamp as the main image but also insisted on using the Kaisercraft Love Notes papers. Hmm, a scary Door Hanger using the Love Notes papers – now there’s a challenge.

After sticking the paper to the Door Hanger I stamped all round the edges and slightly towards the centre with the Stampotique Splatter Long & Splatter Blob Stamps using Kaisercraft Black, Hot Pink and Lilac Ink Pads. I also stamped random Spider Webs (using the Web stamp) over the centre of the Door Hanger. I just kept going until I had an effect I was happy with.

The heads sticking out from behind the paper are from Weasel and Sheer. I gave the Prom Queen some Bat Wings by stamping and cutting out the Stampotique Batty and placing it behind her. I coloured parts of the Prom Queen’s dress using some Promarkers and finished off the hanger with a little strip of Kaisercraft Lace, some Rhinestones and some Mini Alpha’s.

I used the following products to make the door hanger:

• W041 – Kaisercraft Door Hanger
• P606 – Adore paper (Love Notes Collection)
• MA501 – Mini Alpha Stickers, Black/White
• EM929 – Kaisercraft Lace, Black
• IP707 – Kaisercraft Mini Ink Pad, Black
• IP713 – Kaisercraft Mini Ink Pad, Hot Pink
• IP715 – Kaisercraft Mini Ink Pad, Lilac
• SS-6051 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Prom Queen
• SS-6105 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Puss Puss
• SS-6115 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Weasel
• SS-6022 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Sheer
• SS-3033 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Batty
• SS-3025 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Web
• SS-3014 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Splatter Long
• SS-3013 – Stampotique Rubber Stamp, Splatter Blob

I also used Crystal Laquer, a couple of Promarkers and a few odd Rhinestones. Note that, in this example I used several Stampotique stamps but a similar effect can be achieved with fewer images if desired.

While I was tidying up a bedroom recently I decided we needed something to keep a few bits of jewellery neat and tidy and had a crazy idea of making the Kaisercraft Advent Calendar / Bits’n pieces drawers into a Jewellery Box.

I decided to use the After Five collection as this will match the new colour scheme in the bedroom. I could not find any colour matched fancy hooks to hang the necklaces and bracelets on so decided to cut up some wood flourishes and fix them to the inside of the unit using Crystal Lacquer (which makes a very effective glue). I really like the end result – they are perfect for my little bits of jewellery.

The drawers are perfect for rings and larger heavier necklaces and brooches – I’ve covered the outside of each one in a strip of paper from the After Five collection and added pearls to decorate them. I left the inside of the drawers plain but you could line them with felt to protect your jewellery if preferred.

I added strips of the Debutante flocked paper from the After Five collection around the edges of the unit and a small vanity mirror in the corner (if you prefer you could add a larger mirror to cover the full size of the inside panel of the unit).

Here is a list of the products used in this project:

• SB2066 Advent Calendar
• After Five Paper Collection
• RB883 After Five Border Rub-ons
• KC031 Black Kaisercolour Paint
• SB721 Wood Flourishes Border
• SB793 Black Pearls
• CL-01802 Crystal Lacquer Set
• T301 Kaisercraft Glue Stick
• Wood Glue