Archive for the ‘Beyond the Page’ Category

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

My daughter Merley collects and loves anything to do with fairies hence the fairy themed Advent Calendar I made previously. Soon after I made that I also decided to make her an album to capture some of her favourite fairy ornaments and some lovely little fairy poems.

I loved making this album – it is decorated with one of my favourite Kaisercraft collections – Airy Fairy. The layered butterflies and fairies were cut out from the Sparkle paper so you will need at least three sheets of this paper, but I think they add that extra dimension to the album. I used one of each of the other three Airy Fairy papers.

The Lilac Ink Pad was used to ink around the edges of the MDF album. The castle door was drawn with a black drawing pen onto a spare piece of matching card and mounted behind the doorway.

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

• SB186 Fairy Castle Album
• Airy Fairy Paper Collection
• SB1167 Airy Fairy Brad set
• SB705 Lilac Rhinestone Embellishments
• SB708 Dark Green Rhinestone Embellishments
• M012 Blue Book Rings
• SB730 Wood Flourish Corners
• CS721 Flourishes Clear Stamp Set
• F607 Baby Pink Paper Flowers
• IP715 Lilac Ink Pad
• KG-021828 Kindyglitz Crystallina
• CL-01802 Crystal Lacquer Set
• A few odds and ends of ribbons

As part of the preparations for Christmas I decided to make some table decorations to match my colour scheme of black, white and silver. The Medium and Small Flourish trees were perfect for what I had in mind.

The medium tree is an ideal size for the centre of the table and the small flourish trees are ideal for the name placements I want to make.

First I painted both trees with white Kaisercolour paint and, once they were dry, stamped all the pieces using the Script Background Stamp and a black ink pad. I then painted each of the bird and flower shapes with black Kaisercolour paint and covered the same areas with Crystal Laquer. I added Pearls, Kindyglitz Glitter Glue, bows and, on each corner,  black hanging beads (that were made using black Kaisercraft Pearls stuck together with a piece of cotton through the middle).

The Small Flourish Tree was finished in a similar way – I just added the name to make a perfect name placement.

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

• FL313 Medium Flourish Tree
• FL312 Small Flourish Tree
• KC001 Kaisercolour Paint – White
• KC031 Kaisercolour Paint – Black
• CS752 Clear Stamp – Script Background
• IP707 Ink Pad – Black
• SB713 Pearls – Pearl
• SB793 Pearls – Black
• EM926 White Lace Ribbon (for the Bows)
• CS760 Clear Stamps – Tags
• EM923 White Tag Pack
• KG-021828 Kindyglitz Crystallina
• CL-01802 Crystal Laquer Pack

Our Christmas preparations continue with a Hanging Tree decoration styled with Kaisercraft papers.

My daughter Merley (aged 12) created this fabulous Scallop Hanging Tree decorated with papers from the Kaisercraft Home for Christmas collection. All the presents, birds, words and even the Christmas pudding were cut out from the papers. Merley has also added some Kaisercraft Pearls and highlighted some parts with Crystal Lacquer.

The separate parts of the tree were joined with some matching ribbon offcuts and the presents were hung from the bottom with thread.

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

• SB2079 Scallop Hanging Tree
• P296 Egg Nog paper (Home for Christmas collection)
• P297 Kris Kringle (Home for Christmas collection)
• P298 Santa’s Delivery (Home for Christmas collection)
• P299 Sleigh Ride (Home for Christmas collection)
• SB786 Pearls – Rose
• SB784 Pearls – Ice Green
• CL-01802 Crystal Lacquer Set
• Ribbon offcuts

I know it’s a bit early but I’ve decided to get into the spirit of Christmas, so my first Christmassy project this year just had to be the Holly Wreath made with some of the papers from the Be Merry Collection.

After separating and lightly sanding down all the pieces of the Kaisercraft Holly Wreath (SB2078) I arranged all the Holly leaves on the circle frame and, once I was happy with the layout of them, I then thought about which papers to use on the leaves. I decided that I wanted to use more than one colour of paper on the wreath and that I definitely wanted to incorporate the very cute reindeer from the fabulous Chirpy paper.

I used the back of the Chirpy paper (P559) to cover the largest of the three pronged leaves and then used a brown ink pad (IP708) to stamp with the Script Background stamp (CS752) over them. On the smaller three pronged leaves I used the Cheer paper (P558) and on the large long leaves with the berries I used the green side of the Happy paper (P560). I finished the edges of the all of the leaves using a brown ink pad. I then cut out some berries, approximately 25mm across, from a scrap of red card and used Crystal Lacquer on them. I also cut out two large Reindeer, two smaller reindeer and one Christmas Tree from the Chirpy paper, finished them all with a coat of Crystal Lacquer and then added some red Rhinestones (SB711) for a little sparkle.

The next bit may seem a little obsessive but its a great way of making sure you are happy with the final effect. Once all the pieces were decorated I rearranged them back onto the wooden inner circle and took a photo of the finished wreath. I then took a couple more photos removing a few pieces each time. I then used the pictures I had taken to reassemble the wreath, gluing each piece with PVA adhesive. Once all the leaves were glued down I used foam pads to attach the Reindeer and the Christmas Tree.

The finished wreath is a modern looking take on the traditional Holly Wreath. For a slightly different look, here is the Kaisercraft Star Wreath (SB2064) I made last year using the papers of the Belle Collection.

After a recent holiday to Italy to visit relatives and learn more about my Italian ancestors I was inspired to make the Kaisercraft Family Tree as a way to display images of past generations of my family.

I wanted a fairly traditional, slightly European look for my Family Tree so chose the Duchess collection highlighted with stamped elements from the Peachy Keen collection.

Once all the MDF pieces of the Family Tree (SB2059) were separated and sanded down I painted the trunk and branches of the tree in Kaisercolour Raw Umber acrylic paint (KC032). I covered the front and back of the tree canopy with the Empire paper (DS204) from the Duchess Collection (the tree is fairly large so one sheet is needed for each side). I then randomly stamped the canopy using the Script background stamp (CS752) and the Flourishes clear stamps (CS721) and inked round the edge of the canopy with a Brown ink pad (IP708).

I am loving using the Peachy Keen Clear Stamps (CS739) at the moment, so decided to use the cute little birds and leaves on the Family Tree. I stamped about 10 of the leaves using the Kaisercraft Forest and Sepia Ink Pads and then cut them out. I also stamped the little birds in various colours and then cut out the wings and body separately and layered them to give the birds different coloured body parts.

Once I had chosen my family photos, printed them, cut them out and stuck them on the cameos, I used the frames from the Heiress paper (DS201) to finish of the cameos. I also added three small Chocolate Pearls (SB792) to the bottom of each cameo. For the centre of the tree I cut out a frame shape from a piece of scrap card and added the word “Family” in the middle.

Finally I arranged the leaves and birds on the tree and stuck them all down using foam tape ensuring that they neatly framed the cameos on the tree.

My Italian themed Family Tree now provides a long-lasting reminder of my trip to meet my relatives and my Italian family heritage.

One of the most frequently asked questions we have had over the last few months is “What is the best way to stick patterned or plain paper to an MDF Beyond-the-Page product” ?  In this post we describe the method we use which works particularly well for us.

The method we describe is excellent for sticking large areas of paper to BTP projects. You will need a sharp craft knife, a cutting mat and a glue stick. We use the the Kaisercraft Glue Stick which seems to be particularly well suited to this task since it allows repositioning while its wet but sticks very firmly when dry. Other glue sticks will probably work fine although we have not actually tried them.

If you intend to paint the edges of your MDF then this is definitely best done before sticking the paper down. Leave the paint to dry thoroughly before using the glue stick on it.

1. Start by cutting your paper to roughly the right size, leaving about 5mm all around. Place the paper face down on your desk.

2. Now use your glue stick to completely cover the MDF surface. Make sure the glue covers right up to the edges. You don’t need to put any glue on the paper.

3. Place the sticky side of the MDF onto the paper on your desk and press down to make sure it doesn’t move.

4. Turn the MDF over and use your hand to squeeze any air bubbles out of the paper. Make sure that the paper is firmly down all over including around edges (you can use the glue stick to apply small dabs of glue around the edges if you find any unstuck areas). It may be best to leave the item for a few minutes at this point to allow the glue to dry a little.

5. Turn the item face down on a cutting mat and use a sharp craft knife to cut the excess paper from around the edges. Try to keep the craft knife vertical to make sure that the edges are evenly cut.

6. If you wish you can sand very gently around the edges with very fine sandpaper (we use the flat file from the Kaisercraft File Set). Keep the file at about 45 degrees to the paper and only sand enough to remove any rough edges.

7. If you need to make holes for book rings then this may be the time to do it. If you use a round tool of about the right diameter (we generally use a Fiskars Eyelet Setter tool) to push the paper through the hole then you should get a nice even effect.

8. Depending on the paper you’ve used and the look you are trying to achieve you could be finished now. However, if you wish you could now finish the edges with an ink pad. You could just use it to hide any white edges of the paper or you could also use the ink pad to colour the edge of the MDF itself (giving a more subtle colour than paint would normally give).

As an alternative to the above method you could use double sided tape instead of a glue stick but we have found that there is more risk of getting wrinkles in the paper. We would advise against using a wet glue (e.g. PVA glue) since there is a much greater risk of bubbles and it takes a long time to dry.

The recently released Hippy Girl collection from Kaisercraft is excellent for showcasing girly photos so I decided to use it to create a beautifully feminine frame for one of my favourite pictures.

For this project I used the Kaisercraft Large Square Frame (W106) which can be either hung on the wall or freestanding. I started by covering the whole frame with the reverse of a sheet of Sunshine (P551) from the Hippy Girl collection and then cutting out the central aperture. To finish the edges I gently smoothed them with the flat file from the Kaisercraft File Set (T307) and used a Jade Ink Pad (IP717) to hide the whiteness of the edge of the paper.

To add some background texture to the frame, I’ve used the Hippy Girl Clear Stamps (CS749) with the Jade Ink Pad to add some stamped flowers and leaves along the bottom and right hand side of the frame. I added a couple more lightly stamped flowers at the top left and then stamped over the flowers with the Script Background Stamp (CS752) which is an “endless” stamp so I could create quite a large area in the top left corner.

Now the time consuming bit – but if you like cutting out then this is the fun bit. I cut out a selection of flowers from two of the Hippy Girl papers – the Earth paper (P550) and the beautiful Delilah glitter paper (PS112). I gently curled the petals and applied Crystal Lacquer to some of the non-glitter flowers before layering some of them together and applying Hot Pink Pearls (SB787) and the occasional Red Rhinestone (SB711) to their centres. I also cut out some leaves from the Earth paper which I layered onto a piece of acetate to give them some rigidity and to add some extra dimension.

I then arranged the flowers and leaves in the bottom right corner of the frame. At this point it’s a really good idea to spend lots of time arranging things exactly as you want them without using any adhesive. Move them around until you are absolutely happy and then take a digital photo of the finished arrangement to work from when you stick them down for real.

I’ve used double-sided tape and foam to stick everything down and made sure that I’ve given the flowers a really three-dimensional look with lots of layering. I’ve finished the frame by using a flower from the Hippy Girl Printed Chipboard (CB113) layered with a couple of flowers and some more pearls in the top left of the frame. The photo is layered on the leftover centre piece of the Sunshine paper I used on the frame and a leftover corner of the reverse of the Earth paper I cut the flowers from.

Hopefully I have inspired to create something equally girly with the new Hippy Girl Collection. This simple project used only three sheets of paper from the collection and hopefully shows how beautiful effects can be created with a small amount of material, a pair of scissors and a little patience.

As soon as I saw the Kaisercraft Beyond-the-Page Journal I thought what a wonderful “book of lists” it could make. So recently I finally got around to creating a Tea at Elsie’s themed Journal of my own.

The Kaisercraft Beyond-the-Page Journal (SB2071) comes with front and back covers made from MDF and 100 lined pages. The front cover features a stem and leaf design although, as you’ll see below, I chose to modify it a little when I made mine.

I started by covering the inside of the back cover with the Peppermint paper (P500) from the Tea at Elsie’s Collection and the outside of the back cover with the reverse side of the same paper finished with a couple of strips from the Ceylon paper (P499).

I then covered the outside of the front cover with the reverse of the Ceylon paper and cut out two of the leaves and the stem from the cutout design. After that I covered the inside of the front cover with the Peppermint paper although I didn’t cut out any of the leaf shapes. For the design on the front I cut out several flowers and leaves from Chamomile paper (P496), coated them with Crystal Lacquer and arranged them at the top of the stem. I also cut out a single leaf shape which I coated in Crystal Lacquer and arranged it alongside the stem to give a deeper, more dimensional effect to the flower design on the front. I also filled the “embossed” leaves with Crystal Lacquer to add a little more sparkle.

Along the side of the front cover I added some strips from the Ceylon paper and some more cut out and lacquered flowers from the Chamomile paper. I then finished the front with some Latte Pearl Strips (PL505) and Latte Pearls (SB715), some lettering from the White and Black Mini Alphas (MA502) and, on the inside front cover, I added a journal block using the reverse of the Peppermint paper and some more lacquered flowers.

I finished the edges of the Journal by lightly colouring them using a Kaisercraft Sandstone Ink Pad (IP710) and used some Kaisercraft Stone coloured Book Rings (M017) to complete the journal.

I now have a beautiful and very useful “book of lists” to take pride of place on my desk.