Here at Gauche Alchemy, our goal is to support and encourage creative thought and expression by providing materials that help artists of all types and skill levels think differently about their creative pursuits. We endeavor to be the “jumping-off point” for your next great idea! We are all about upcycling, as well as digging up the best manufactured products we can find.  We are all about being inclusive rather than exclusive.

And now is *your* chance to get in on all of the fun, snark, and gauche awesomeness we pride ourselves on.  We are on the hunt for a few new faces to add to our team of Alchemists.

“What does an Alchemist do??”  I’m glad you asked!

“Alchemists” are more than just “oooh lookie what I made” and “here’s how I did it.”  Our Alchemists are teachers, crafters, artists, and enablers.  We share our knowledge as well as our projects.  We are here to inspire.  After all, we are regular schmoes too.

“What kind of workload is required of me?”

As an Alchemist, you will be required to submit 2 projects per month.  One project is for the newsletter and one is for the blog.  Occasionally, we may have special events such as swaps in which additional projects will be asked of you.

“Projects” include actual finished projects, technique tutorials, and anything related to what we do.  These posts can be about your craft space, what inspires you, how to bust a rut and so on.  Like we said, we are more than just a “creative team” who shows off pretty schtuff.

“Now how about the whole quid-pro-quo thing?  What do I get in return?”

As an Alchemist, you will receive an Alchemist “kit” that is looooooaaaaaaded with Gauche goodness.  You will also receive a discount to the Gauche Alchemy store.  There are other perks you receive but those will be discussed with you should you make the team.

“How long is my term?”

An Alchemist term is 12 months with the possibility of being invited to extend.

“Now where do I sign up?”

To apply, send the following to GaucheAlchemistCall@gmail.com by midnight Eastern Standard Time on  Tuesday, April 30th with the phrase “2013 DT Call” in the subject line.  This call is open to international aspiring alchemists too!

All aspiring alchemists please send us:
Name:
Location:
Your blog address:
Are you currently on any other design teams? (Previous DT experience is not required)
Your favorite type of project to create:
Which products in our shop inspire you the most?
Why do YOU want to work for Gauche Alchemy?

We decided to put our big girl pants on and have moved our blog to our gauchealchemy.com server. (We’re so grown up and stuff ) Please update your links and bookmarks to: gauchealchemy.com and follow our new feed here. We’ve already updated the code for our blog buttons, feel free to copy them again!

Thanks for your support!

I begin the card by laying down drywall tape as the base, then layered floral washi tape from our Green Washi Tape Combo Pack and aqua striped tape from our Diagonal Stripes Washi Combo Pack over it.  Next came some Heidi Swap neon letters and Basic Grey chipboard pieces.  Lastly I inked the edges and chalked over the drywall a bit.

For the envelope, I added chevron washi tape from the Green Washi Tape Combo Pack to give me a decorative area in which to write in the mailing address.

This card was done for a special person whose very kindness brought tears to my eyes.

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Amy, thank you for a wonderful, thoughful card.  It’s so great that you were able to repay a great kindness with one of your own.  Anyone would be thrilled to receive the beautiful card you have created.  Plus, I LOVE the chicken!

Until later…………………….
Smiles~
Marilyn

If you’re like me there are things you should probably have but don’t buy because you would rather spend your money on more paper, inks, mists, etc.  One of the things I really needed was a craft mat, but I really couldn’t see spending $20 on one!  So I kept trying different things to get the same effect and finally stumbled upon a roll of laminate…the kind you can find in hardware stores to protect drawers and shelves.  I has some on hand as I had just laminated a chore chart for my kiddo.  Anyway, I decided to test it out over a piece of cardboard and I was so excited to see that it worked PERFECTLY for my needs!

First you find a large piece of cardboard.   I’ve used the Gauche Alchemy “pizza box”.  It’s the perfect size and you already have the shape lined out for you!  Plus, who wouldn’t love to have their own Gauche Alchemy craft mat, right?

Then you use the “magic cover”, which is just a roll of clear laminate, and cut two pieces about an inch or so bigger than your cardboard piece.  Take the first piece and slowly remove the backing off small sections at a time while laying it over your cardboard piece….trying to smooth it out and prevent any bubbles or creases.  Then once you cover the first side, repeat with the opposite side.  The second side is a little harder because you want to make sure that you place the laminate on the cardboard without touching the sticky side of the laminate on the opposite side…or you will have troubles detaching them.

Once you have both sides laminated, cut the excess around the cardboard and your mat is ready!

As you can see from the pictures you can use inks and mists and since its a non-porous surface, it has the same effect as the expensive craft mats, and you are paying less than $5 for this one!

Now, I’m not saying that this is just as good as a craft mat in every way.  For instance, the Ranger mat is supposedly heat resistant, and this one will melt under extreme heat!  If your a cheap-o like me though, this is a perfect knock-off so that you can spend your money on better things like more mists, inks, and glitter!

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Thank you Misty for once again giving us a great how-to.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but this is the perfect solution to a problem I’ve been having.  See, I LOVE glue, but I get it everywhere & my nice, expensive craft mat is just too big for my work area.  So did I give this a whirl?  Oh, yessiree, yes I did, I sure did, I made a smaller one using Misty’s instructions.  PERFECTION! Now I can glue to my heart’s content and when done, move the mat out of the way.

Until later……………………
Smiles~
Marilyn

Gritty and gorgeous, right? Let’s see how she put this layout together.

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Misty: Here is a layout I made using lots of different styles of Gauche punchinella to make the background.  I painted my cardstock and then pressed the different punchinella’s in the gesso to give texture.  Then misted away.

From there I used the chevron template from The Crafter’s Workshop and and added modeling paste over it and misted it as well.

To embellish the page,  I added strips of the rectangle punchinella to the right bottom corner, and some 6 petaled flower punchinella to the top left corner.

I matted the picture to a piece of cardboard that I covered with aluminum tape and then embossed.

Below the pic, I added a strip of ouchless cardboard backed with some lace, and added large silver eyelets.

To the top right corner I clipped on a barrett from the blue color kit to a piece of scrap (ouchless) cardboard.  Because the color didn’t quite match my layout, I decided to heat emboss the barret and then add some purple ink over the embossed areas.

I had tons of fun creating this layout, and I’m obsessed with all of the different punchinellas that are available, to create textured backgrounds and to satisfy my need for metal on a page!

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I am just loving the monochromatic, industrial vibe to this layout. That turquoise pop from the bit of lace does a fabulous job of pulling the eye in towards the picture and highlighting the subtle and not-so-subtle textures.

Of course, I’d be totally remiss if I didn’t point you towards the Gauche Alchemy punchinella variety pack so you could try out your own take on this layout.

Until next time!

~Scraps

I loved our kit, Monstrous Mutant Robots From Outer Space from the moment I saw it- the pops of orange and the Bam Pop papers are so AWESOME. But I must admit the patterns are very intimidating. So here’s what I did- I pretended the paper was plain white. Sometimes the biggest hurdle using a certain material is overcoming your preconceived notion of what the final product should look like. I’ve been drawn to white background pages for a while now but when I tried to put this page together on white paper, I felt I needed to add a background to it with stamps and misting so I just decided to let the paper be what it is. I really like this as it represents what my nephew’s minds must look like (there’s probably more burgers, fries and soda involved though.)

My youngest nephew Marcus (background) is within the Autism spectrum and though he’s highly functional, mastering social interaction took a while for him and makes him uncomfortable to this day. His older brother Kaine (foreground), does his best to guide him through interactions in school and in public. It’s a role he didn’t choose for himself but he handles the occasional stares and comments with humor and good sense.

You’ve seen these before- I have a thing for triangles on borders lately. I’m so excited about the geometry trend in crafting! Mathematical equations, triangles, hexagons- I have a fetish. What I love most about washi tape is that it’s translucent so layering solid colors over patterns really makes an impact.

I also used our blue punchinella, red grid washi tape, and metallic silver washi tape!

The embellishments in the this kit are really cool. I LOVE these wall decals and their pure colors. I also cut out the robots from another Bam Pop paper but they never made it on here- in a future project perhaps.

Awesome layout Michelle!  Your layering of different elements is always so inspiring!

Now go glue something awesome onto some awesome something!

Maggi

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I wanted to complete a project using a paper napkin background and chose a very striking black and white paper napkin from the Paper Napkin Art Kit .  While very striking by itself, I wanted to see how it would look sprayed with some vibrant color (using Dylusions Ink Sprays – mmmmmm, yummy), which I liked.  So, I stuck the napkin onto a cardboard base using Mod Podge (although as you can see, I’d torn it a bit small!).

OK, I’d gotten my background, but now what was I going to do with it?  Hmmmmmm (** thinking face**).  I had a few ideas but nothing that was exciting me.  So, I picked out one of my ‘Stuck Sticks‘ (a previous Gauche project) and it told me to study an artist and have a go at creating something in their style.  Good idea (if I do say so myself).  But first, coffee!!  I took myself off to my local coffee shop and sat with a “medium cappuccino to have in please” and the Mar/Apr 2012 issue of Somerset Studio.  As I’m leafing through, what should I see?  An article by Mary Beth Shaw who, wait for it, studied an artist and then created artwork inspired by that artist.  Wow!  How serendipitous!  The artist she’d chosen to look up?  A Viennese artist named Hundertwasser (1928-2000).  I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of him.  His artwork, full of detail and colour, is STUNNING.  I’m in LOVE!  Back home, I carefully studied the main elements that make up his artwork and picked out several to create something which nods to his style but doesn’t copy it.

On one side of the paper napkin background I smeared black gesso over some large hole punchinella from the Punchinella Variety Pack .  Once dry, I used the ends of pens and paintbrushes to add neon bright acrylic paint dots (I was inspired to use neon colours by Alchemist Michelle’s stunning layouts and photographs).  Using black Staz-On, I stamped a Claudine Hellmuth line circle image onto paper which I then cut out and painted with neon acrylic paints.  These became my trees.  Once they were stuck on, I painted their trunks.  Often in Hundertwasser’s paintings you can see the trunk of a tree through the ‘foliage’ of the tree in front, so I replicated this by using charcoal pencil.

The finished piece includes a Hundertwasser quote,  which I’ve handwritten.  I initially wrote it with a white paint pen but it didn’t look very good so I painted over it with neon yellow paint.  Better.

I learned such a lot from this exercise.  From Mary Beth Shaw,  I discovered a new (to me) artist.  I REALLY enjoyed experimenting with a style totally out of my comfort zone.   From Alchemist Michelle I got the confidence to try using colours that I would NEVER previously considered using.  From myself, I learned that I can spread my little arty wings and try something new without fear of failure.  Have I created perfect artwork?  NO!  Did I enjoy creating it?  YES!  Will I do this exercise again with another artist?  DEFINITELY!

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Jo, what a truly beautiful work of art you have created!  Thank you for showing us that experimenting is good for our creativity, can bring us enjoyment, and that we should never fear the unknown.  All it takes it that one “AHA!” moment and we are off on a new adventure.

Until later…………
Smiles~
Marilyn

In  case you missed them: part one is here, part two is here.

In this final part we get to see how Amy arranges her embellishments, adds items that will lead the eye where she wants it to go (very important when you’ve got a lot of elements in play!) and ponders the ever present question: Does it need just one more thing?

I love it when a page comes together! And this series was like looking over Amy’s shoulder throughout the whole process.

Awesome work, Amy, on the layout and the videos! And is anyone else itching to get their hands on that Moshi Moshi kit–it can’t be just me!

Until next time!

~Scraps

Don’t forget to join us on Friday for part three!

Now go glue something awesome onto some awesome something!

Maggi

Thank you Amy.  Extremely enlightening and easy to understand!  I loved the part about using a horizon line to give you a starting point and help draw the eye, through the use of layers, to the main focul point (the picture or subject).  This is something I never considered and a definite “must do” my next time in the studio.  It will make layering sooooo much easier!

Folks, hang around because on Wednesday, May 16th, Maggi is going to share with us the second installment of Amy’s layering technique and on Friday, May 18th, Jenn (aka Scraps) is going to share the third and final installment.  Now, I’m off to find my scissors, glue, and paper.  It’s layering time people!

Until later…………………
Smiles~
Marilyn

We also have news of an awesome giveaway on the Paper Issues blog and a 30% off coupon code for our very own sweet shop!  For the Paper Issues giveaway, just head on over to Paper Issues and become a follower as well as “like” their Facebook page.  Here’s the awesomeness you’ll be in the running for:

Now for our awesome little coupon offer.  Just go into the Gauche Alchemy shop anytime between now and the 27th to take advantage of the 30% off coupon.  Upon checkout, use coupon code PAPERISSUES2012 to get 30% off your order!  This excludes the ACME Kit subscriptions though.

Be sure to check out all of the amazing mixed media projects over at Paper Issues and we would love it if you linked up your projects with them as well as within our Flickr group!

Cheers!

Chrissy

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Jo: I keep myself busy with quite a few art challenges which is great for inspiration but every so often I want to create something just for me, just because I can, just because.  So there I am, I’ve set aside some time, I’m sitting in my crafting area and, oh dear,  wondering what I can do.

**Tumbleweed Moment**

I’ll twitch a few pencils, stroke my favourite cardstock but will be stuck for inspiration.  Sound familiar to anyone?!  A-ha!  I now have a solution to this problem!

STUCK STICKS!  You’re stuck?  Pick a stick!

The pot is a food can (baked beans in this case) covered with washi tape. Have you checked out the Gauche Alchemy WASHI TAPE yet?!  My secret mission is to end up with one of each set!  It’s so easy to use and looks wonderful (especially if I don’t drool over it!).

The sticks are coffee shop wooden stirrers (ok ok, I drink too much coffee) which I color-tinted with Distress Inks and Distress Stains.

I rubber stamped with Staz-on ideas for creative things to do–sometimes very specific like ‘ATC’, ‘alter something’ or ‘watch a gauche video and have a go at the technique’, other ones giving broader inspiration such as ‘quote’, ‘choose a decade’ or ‘open a technique book and have a go at one’.  One of my most effective inspiration un-stucker stickers is to tidy up my crafting area – it’s amazing what gets found and I’m instantly inspired to create )

This was a quick and fun little project.  It would be great to team up with a like minded friend and make a set for each other – then you wouldn’t have a clue what idea you were going to pick out, what fun!

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Oh how fun! Not only did she dress up a lot of things that would have otherwise been tossed into the trash, but she made them into an awesome creativity tool for herself! And I love the idea of a stuck stick swap, anyone game?

~Scraps~

PS: As Sunday is Mother’s Day, I just wanted to take a moment to wish a very happy Mother’s Day to our Gauche Mamas, Mom-Alchemists and all our Mom-readers, too! Wishing you much crafty time to indulge your passions!

I don’t know ’bout you, but I am a total washi tape addict.  I admit, I have about 100 or more rolls of washi tape, including most of what we’ve got listed in our shop.  The addiction started years ago, when Yasu gave me a roll or two… then sent about 12-15 of them in a big care package once she moved back to Japan.  You can thank her for my fixation…

Anyway, one big bonus with washi tape is that it’s easy to cover just about anything in no time flat.  I decided to apply various patterns to a smash book I made a few weeks ago – the illustration board cover just looked so sad and bare.

Being as it is (sigh), my crafting time is limited.  I got a few lines of tape laid down and then realized I had to get to the grocery store before the end of the day lest we all starve to death.  Well, okay that’s a little dramatic.  Lest we have to eat plain tuna fish for three meals daily.  A Mama’s work is never done, what can I say?  So, I gave my big bag o’ tape to my 13-year-old and 5-year-old daughters and told them to have at it.  (And share.  Definitely SHARE!)

When I got home with my 15 bags of groceries, this is what they had done:

Well, they ALMOST did all that – I added the brown solid edging, and then my 13-year-old genius suggested adding the organically grown tape that was wrapped around our quart of strawberries.  (And shame on me for not thinking of it, organic foodie that I am!)

So, what have you been using your washi for these days?  We totally need to know, as the GA team is fired up with washi madness lately.  Share your ideas and projects on our Flickr stream or Facebook fan page (go on and click the bottlecaps below!).

Purple is truly Misty’s gorgeous niece Mallory’s color and Misty is going to show us how she worked her magic on this eye-grabbing layout.  She can always mix that right amount of grunginess with a touch of sweetness to knock us off our feet (& out of our socks).  So, without further ado or to-do, here’s Misty……………………………………….

Because I am out of white/cream cardstock, and don’t plan to buy anymore, I started this layout on a red piece of cardstock instead and covered it in gesso.  Then, I pressed the rectangle grid punchinella into the wet paint for added texture, added my mists and allowed to dry.  From there I started my layering, first using some music paper from the Acme Kit that I misted and adhered with modpodge.  Then, I continued to layer using some white mesh from the Wedding Night Mixed Media Color Kit, some peacock punchinella, and another piece of the same music paper, tucking in a tag to the left for some journaling. 

The sentiment at the top of the page came from cardstock found in the Going Postal Mail Art Kit that I matted with some TH tissue tape.

I had bigger plans for the film strips but changed my mind in the middle of it all.  Unfortunately, they were already tied down with eyelets so they just became part of the design anyway…  

I then added the picture and some torquoise rose ribbon as a border.  To add some extra interest, I added pieces of a chicken wire chippy from Scrap FX as well as the “Precious” wordlet.

Thank you Misty.  Just look at that finished layout!  WOW, doesn’t she make it seem so easy?  A little punchinella here, some layered paper there, give it a good mist, glue on some wording, and KAPOW!, there it is!

Until later………………..
Smiles~
Marilyn

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Jo: One of my favorite backgrounds is a blended paper background.  I learned the basic technique from Mary Green when I took her online classes–”Your Vintage Gluebook” and “Collage Coterie”–and have further developed it to suit my style.  I’ve prepared two 4″x6″ postcards to show two variations on the theme.

Firstly, I covered both postcards with pieces of book pages, torn and randomly stuck to the postcards with a gluestick.

Map pages are good, and handwritten letters, receipts, and postage stamps add interest, too. Gauche Alchemy has fab packs of  foreign text paper which would be perfect for a project like this!

For the White Gesso Background

Over the basic blended paper background I added a coating of white gesso.  This can be thinner in some places than others and it’s great to allow some of the background paper to show through.  Remove any excess gesso with a paper towel.  While the gesso is still wet, stick on some pieces of masking tape, making sure it’s well adhered by smoothing down with a bone folder or similar tool.

Allow to dry.  No, don’t just count to 30 and then carry on–walk away and go to bed.  It’s best to leave it overnight otherwise when you try and remove the tape it’ll take all the collaged paper with it, which is NOT the effect I think you’ll want!  So, once totally dry, peel off the masking tape which will remove some of the gesso and, hopefully, the top layer of some the paper.  Don’t be too gentle when removing the masking tape, think of it as taking a plaster off a cut knee! [Scraps: That's a band-aid to those of us in the States ]

Mmmm, this looks so scrummy, I love it!  I then roughly smeared Distress Inks round the edges (Dusty Concord and Peeled Paint).  Where the gesso has been removed by the masking tape, the Distress Ink will be a much stronger colour.

Using your normal everyday inkjet printer print out your chosen image.  I often use The Graphics Fairy, who has a wonderful selection of images which are free to use.  For this postcard I chose a wonderful moth image.  Remember to flip the image because when it is transferred it will be a mirror image.  Especially remember this if there is writing or numbers on the image that you want to be the right way round.  Allow the ink on the copy to totally dry, not overnight this time but I would allow about half an hour.  Cut out the image and, using a paint brush, coat the IMAGE SIDE of the paper with matte Mod Podge (or similar).  Stick this face down onto your background, making sure there are no air bubbles and, if possible, brayer firmly to totally stick it.  Try and avoid getting the Mod Podge on the back of the paper as this will make it harder to remove later (actually, virtually impossible!).

IMPORTANT: ALLOW THIS TO DRY OVERNIGHT!

Now comes the magic bit!  Wet the back of the image with clean water (I use a wet paintbrush).  With your finger, gently rub in a circular action.  The image’s paper backing will start to lift in small rolls of paper.  It’s quite messy, but keep with it, adding more water if it starts to feel a bit dry.  Even though you are being careful, some of the image may lift with the backing paper.  That’s OK!  If you wanted a perfect image you’d have simply stuck down the picture, right?  Leave it a few minutes; if there is a white fuzz on your image, then just wet the image again and rub gently, more backing will be removed.

As you can see I lost a bit of the moth’s wing, but I’m quite happy about that )

I used a quote by Sara Teasdale, rubber stamped onto old book paper and edged with Distress Inks.

For the Clear Gesso Background

Taking the basic blended paper background, I brushed on a coat of clear gesso to seal the background and to provide a decent ‘key’ for the image to adhere to.  The background will, this way, show through clearly.  I dragged Distress Inks round the edges (Dusty Concord and Peeled Paint).  Once dry I cut out my chosen printer copied image (again from The Graphics Fairy), brushed a coat of matte Mod Podge onto the image and put the image face down onto the blended paper background.  Ensure good adhesion by firmly brayering it.

LEAVE IT TO DRY OVERNIGHT.

Wet the image with clean water and gently rub the image backing.

The background is clearly seen through the image, giving rather a dreamy,vintage and/or ghostly effect.

I drew with a charcoal pencil round the image, smudging it with my finger – this adds some depth (another tip learnt from Mary Green‘s classes).  I also used the charcoal pencil around the edge of the postcard and around the title, taken from an old book.  I used rusty wire to attach the old rusty key to the card.

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I usually go for the instant gratification projects, myself, but this techniques shows that the old saying is true: good things come to those who wait!

~Scraps~

I started with an 11×14 canvas and Mod Podged a sheet of scrapbook paper to it. BTW, I’ve always used gloss Mod Podge in the past but decided to give matte a whirl and holy crap, it is AWESOME and I’m not using gloss like, ever again. Once you go matte, you never go back!

Anyhoo, after that was done I added some Dylusions Ink Sprays (these are so fantastic) in various colors and decided to play around with multiple styles of our Washi Tape. I really wanted to use this glittery ornament I got on clearance after Christmas so he made a home in the bottom corner there.

Next I decided to use some modeling paste with a circle stencil and didn’t feel like that showed up enough so I added some Pearlex powders to it. Once I added the title, “Life is Beautiful”, I felt that it and the washi tape was sort of fading into the background so I outlined all of it with a black pen. Done and done!

Now go glue something awesome onto some awesome something!

Maggi

My daughter actually napped today!!! For 2 hours!!!  I got to do some work in actual DAYLIGHT!!!  Using the same basic page design I always use, I slapped on some  washi tape, (including some triangles which I am now officially obsessed with) and incorporated the Gauche Alchemy Neon Color Kit and the Mutant Robots Kit (for the Alice In Wonderland quote, rabbit, word bubble and pink frame).  I wanted to include some journaling but I ran out of space, so here’s the story:

I had a very elaborate “Alice In Wonderland” theme birthday party planned for my 1 year old daughter.  That should tell you everything about how it went right there.  Elaborate and 1 year old do NOT mix.  The disaster alarm started ringing from the first step – a photoshoot with a handmade tutu and apron set I thought was “adorable”.  Well first of all, she hated the tutu.  She also hated the insane Carmen Miranda flower tiara I made for her (I was the Red Queen for the party but obviously Mad Hatter was a more appropriate choice).  I took Miss Thang out 7 times over the space of 4 weeks to get 1 cute baby smiling at the camera shot.  I didn’t even manage 1!!!  I was shooting with a brand spanking new point and shoot camera on auto.  Ok – straight talk from the chick who wasted 4 years and 60 thousand dollars on a photo degree.  DO NOT SHOOT TODDLERS IN SCRATCHY TUTUS USING AUTO FOCUS!!!!  Learn to use your new camera on manual setting or pay K-Mart to shoot the darned photo for you.  WHY?  Because your adorable kidlet in a tutu will look at the camera and smile for exactly 3 seconds no matter how long you spend trying to shoot.  The rest of the time the child in question will move around – a camera on auto focus will spend all it’s time refocusing and you will slowly go MAD.  But you knew this, didn’t you?

Journaling – 173 images.  Yup, you read right, 173 images – well, it’s actually around 300 but 173 is my final edit from all 7 shoots.  I SQUEALED when I saw the page from Alice in Wonderland in my Mutant Robots Kit!  It’s one of my all time favorite books and it fit the theme I had been struggling to capture for a while now.  I altered the grey American Crafts Thickers using some acrylic paint, yellow marker and a fine line pen.  The neon yarn is from the Neon Color Kit.  The background paper is my favorite print from Basic Grey’s AWESOME “Out of Print” collection.

TRIANGLES AND STRIPES!!!!  LOOOVE!  Washi tape is so great – cut it up and stick it on – that’s all you need to create all kinds of cool patterns on your paper.  My favorite combos are diagonal stripe, grid and lace scallops.

I don’t know if anyone else does this but I like adding cream or white mist droplets to my photos for a “Bokeh” effect without all the fancy in-camera technical footwork.  It’s easier than trying to get the right amount of “out of focus” and I really don’t like random messy effects digital “Bokeh” filters add to photos.

Let me leave you with this quote:  If you are silent, the walls speak. Please do not forget me they plead.

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Don’t you love it when you can take several different Gauche Alchemy Kits, pull elements out of each, and then watch things “fall” into place (especially when you spot THE piece that you need for your project”?  Even if it does take umpteen shots to get the perfect (or not so perfect) shot?  My eyes are crossing just thinking about looking through a camera that many times!  Michelle, you rock!

Until later……………………..
Smiles~
Marilyn

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Misty: I found this idea on the Oh! Crafts blog, via Pinterest.

Supplies Needed:

Terre Cotta pot, with base
Wooden dolls and pins
A round bubble bowl

Instead of spray painting my bubble gum machine, I decided to cover it in a collage of papers from Foreign text for mixed media art and collage. Also instead of using the wooden doll for the handle on the lid I used a little wooden knob I found in the Its All Gravy, Baby! Brown Mixed Media Color Kit. Then I added aqua punchinella around the pot with Mod Podge.

Unfortunately, because of the shape of the pot, I couldn’t put the punchinella on very evenly.  In the end, after the Mod Podge had already dried, I decided I didn’t like the way the punchinella looked and tried ripping it off.  Of course, since it was glued on it wouldn’t come off entirely and left a layer of the punchinella behind.  Luckily, I kind of like the way it looked and decided not to cover it.

From there, I misted the lid and base with color.  Then added trim and gems around the pot, both came from the green with envy color kit. From that same kit I also added some black and green metallic looking flowers towards the top of the pot. Then to top it off I added gold beads from the banana hammock yellow kit, around the lid.

My kids absolutely love these and luckily, they are a lot of fun to make. This particular one holds my son’s betta fish!  Unfortunately, he didn’t like having his picture taken so he’s a little hard to see!

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That looks like such a fun project!

Unfortunately, we’re received news that the fabulous fish bowl might have finally been too fabulous for the family fish. Guess he just couldn’t take all that sparkle.

~~In Memoriam~~
Blue the Betta Fish
~~2009-2012~~

~Scraps~

Today’s project from Lenna is a collage she created with our Showstoppers Kit to go into her new scrapbook…Have at it, Lenna!

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First, I cut out a nice size piece of the paper to lay my photo on and also cut out a number of the sayings.

I arranged all of the papers and the photo in a pleasing manner.

I edged my cut out words with a 14K Gold marker. Then I cut out 2 hearts and some contrasting strips using the same paper but showing the other side.

I glued everything down – this photo shows the reverse of both sides of paper.

A close-up of my collage.

Lastly, I applied my collage to a full size sheet of cardstock (also from the kit) and slipped the whole thing into a new scrapbook I had recently purchased. I am on my way to filling it!!

Fantastic job, Lenna! On behalf of all of us at Gauche Alchemy, we want to thank Lenna for working with our Showstoppers Kit and creating such fabulous projects! Thank you, Lenna!!!

Now go glue something awesome onto some awesome something!

Maggi

My daughter astounded me the other day by running up against a corner on the street and posing like a model.  I love how she looked moodily off to the right and stalked off when she saw me press the button on my iPod to take the shot.  This page was a complete fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants experiment.  I knew I wanted to try out the chevron pattern trend but I don’t have the patience to measure out perfect angles so I did this close up version to simplify the process.  The materials I used were just lying around on my table.  I had to machine stitch everything because the washi tape kept peeling up – word to the wise – use glue or stitch it down if you want permanent adhesion on tapes sold through American manufacturers like American Crafts.  (Oh, hey, did you know we have killer deals on washi tape in our shop now?)

The stripes were made using neon pink washi tape, Peacock punchinella, yellow embroidery floss and then machine stitching everything into place.

So you like the “neon” trend but REALLY don’t want to splurge on new items that cost a fortune only to find out OOOPS you hate the look?  I used older materials for this page that were already in my stash – here the alphas are from Pink Paislee 2011, Crate Paper Paper Hearts, Gauch Alchemy’s AWESOME Neon Color Kit, Hambly, and American Crafts (the tropical inspired Margarita line).  I also bought some cheap neon acrylic paint, price stickers from the dime store, and used gel pens from Sakura which can help you achieve the look for minimal price.

Just a fun photo you can use to close the page with.  “Neon” photo taken with Hipstamatic’s Ben Watts lens and Big UP film and then altered further using Camera+ app.

Why buy embellishments when you can make your own?  Here I punched out a simple square, cut into each corner, folded in one of the triangles for each corner, and wham – instant pin wheel!  I used a half pearl and a pop dot to secure the middle.  Are there any hand made embellishments you prefer to make?  Leave a comment or a link to your blog and we’ll swing by to check it out!

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Thanks for sharing this inspiring layout (& your model is totally adoreable) with us.  Just goes to show that you can create great and wonderful things without breaking the ol’ piggy bank.  A little ingenuity and a treasure hunt through you stash is all that’s needed.

Until the next time…………….
Smiles~
Marilyn

Misty says: This time I created a layout of my husband and I. The picture was taken at a homecoming dinner for our soldiers who had been deployed. I kind of like this picture considering it was taken only a couple of weeks after having my baby girl. Unfortunately, neither of my kids ever slept and having two non sleeping kids at that time, meant that this mommy literally looked like a WALKING ZOMBIE most of the time! It was so bad I started getting optical migraines, which left me slightly blinded at times…but wait, I’m supposed to be talking about my layout not the trials of motherhood! Back to the subject now…

To make this layout I took a piece of cardstock, cut out the “tears” and distressed the edges. Then I took each piece and Gesso’d them (Gesso’d it IS a word in my dictionary) and added some DIY mists in pink, yellow, and brown. Once the pieces were dry, I glued some yellow punchinella to the back of the middle piece.

(Originally, I thought I would add just enough punchinella to “peek” out from each side of the torn pieces but when I gave it a try, the results were kind of boring, so I decided to take a larger piece of the punchinella and ruffle it from one side…I decided that this made more of an impact.) At that point, I knew the lacing I intended to do would ruin the look of the punchinella so I decided to add some brads instead.

Then for the top pieces I added eyelets and wire lacing. I need a little more practice with this because the curve threw me off… Don’t look too closely because you will notice some wonky looking laces! Then I added scraps of Ouchless Cardboard under the tears.

From that point I knew I wanted to add some soft touches, so I pulled out a piece of pale pink lace and misted it in the three colors on the layout. By the way, if you haven’t purchased the Lace and Ribbon Variety Pack you really should! There are so many gorgeous and unique lace designs in that pack. I’ve not used them as much as I should because I’ve been hoarding them for those “perfect” projects. So I finally broke a piece out and added it to the middle of the background.

Then it was time to embellish! I embellished my frame with some pink crystals from the Pink Parts Mixed Media Color Kit and used white mesh from the Wedding Night White Mixed Media Color Kit. I added the wordlet, flourish, and frame from Scrap Fx. Then I topped it off with flowers. Most of them are handmade from book pages out of the Acme Kit, but I did sneak in a couple of petaloo flowers as well. I had tons of fun making this page!

Great job Misty! A beautiful layout to remember romance and sleep deprivation!

Now go glue something awesome onto some awesome something!

Maggi

Last week we took a page-by-page peek into the mini-album Misty created with the new Show Stoppers Mixed Media Paper Craft Kit. Now we’re going to take a look at 2 of the techniques she used inside the book.

Collaged & Distressed Background Pages

You’ll need:

Show Stoppers Kit
Gesso
Mod Podge
Mists
Sovent ink pad
A straight-edged tool of some sort

Misty: Prepare the backgrounds for all of the inside pages (Sav[ing] the front cover for the last step).

To prepare the pages, cover with Mod Podge, then create a collage by gluing down random sections from the magazine pages.  Then top off with another coat of Mod Podge.

Once the glue has dried, use a straight edge tool like an old room card or credit/gift card and distress the collage by scraping bits of gesso over the top.

After that has dried, ink up your ticket stamp with a solvent ink like Stazon, and then randomly add stamping.  Since we are using this as a distress technique try not to get a perfect stamped image.

A close-up of the distressed and stamped background.

Paper and Fabric Flowers

You’ll Need:

Show Stoppers Kit
Scissors
Paint Brush
Glue
Mists
Heat Gun
Fabric
Button

The flower is made out of large heart shapes cut from the pattern paper in the kit.

First, I cut out the heart shapes, and then with the end of a small paint brush I curled the edges under.

Scraps: When I first learned to make these sorts of flowers, I had a bobby pin handy and used that on the petal ends, sort of like a quilling tool. It makes awesome, tight curls and then slips right out without having to uncurl the petals!

Once that was finished I started to assemble the flower by gluing the hearts together at the ends, slightly overlapping each other.

Keep adding layers until your flower looks nice and full.  Then mist in your color choice, scrunching the flowers slightly towards the middle (you may have to curl some of your edges again).  Then use the heat gun to dry…this will urge the “petals” to curl up a little more.

Then add a middle.  Here I used a bloom from a rose ribbon and added an elegant button that came in the kit.

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You know, I’ve always started my paper flowers from the center and worked outward. That way does make it easy to stop when you’ve got a full-enough flower, but you end up with the problem of a stem end to deal with if you’re not making a bouquet. I think it’s pretty genius to work from the bottom up if you’re planning to place them on a page, what about you?

~Scraps~

Two years ago I saw this advert for an Alexander McQueen collection showing a close-up profile of a Mohawked model looking down.  I didn’t realize how deeply ingrained that image was till I shot this photo and realized I’ve been DYING to recreate that photo for 2 years.  The recent advert for the American version of “Girl With A Dragon Tattoo” is a direct “lift” of  that campaign as well.  I’m loving teal stripes, black thread and hexagons right now so they all got incorporated into my final page (the red border is a shellacked table in my apartment).  I used punchinella, die cuts and that AWESOME peacock eraser (which I cut in half to use twice!) from the Neon Color Kit, kraft paper from The Paper Company, Fancy Pants tape, Scrap FX chipboard, and the nail polish is a local store brand.

Some of the techniques I used on this page prove why joining social networks is essential for artistic development.  I got the nail polish painting technique from JamaicaMakes.com – she posted a photo on Instagram and I knew right away I would be trying this technique out.  Nail polish is GREAT for embellishments like chipboard or alphabets. It has deep color, dimension, and sheen so no extra treatments are necessary.  I added glossy accents to cover up the gel pen “doodling” I did on the heart.  (Doodling in quotes because all I did was outline the shape.)

I have neon purple and pink nail polish I will never use on myself since it chips literally minutes later, but it works beautifully on chipboard! WOOO HOOO!  The Hipstamatic Ben Watts lens adds high contrast to photos so my purple heart went black – there’s poetry there somewhere I’m sure.  I also used the totally AWESOMESAUCE Lablebox app to add writing to my photo.

I’ve had to move all hobby activities to late night since my daughter turned 2 so this is me scoring paper at 2am using a table knife because I couldn’t find my bone folder quietly.  (If you are imagining avalanches of paper, yes, that’s why.)

I LOVE this detail shot. I know it’s random but I really like the abstract look of it.  Here you can really see the embossed lines I made using my score board.  Again, this was a technique I found on Twitter from Melissa Mann who designs for Green Frog Studios (amongst other brands).

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with acrylic paint; but when I first started scrapbooking, I used pre-printed paper and embellishments because I felt couldn’t paint or draw, so it’s a little Alanis-type ironic.   Here I watered down some 79 cent acrylic paint in “Citron” and literally spilled it on the kraft paper.  I used a heat gun to dry the paper before it got too warped.

I used neon gel pens to color in the chipboard letters.  I also used neon pastel crayons on the chipboard swirl and scratched a sort of border on them – another technique I found using social media networking.

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Thanks Michelle.  The layout is totally awesome and the bright, happy colors lift the spirits.  Never would have thought social networking could be another tool for us to use in our art.  Hmmmm, think I’d better get on the ‘net & see what tips I can unearth.  Until next time……………

Smiles~
Marilyn

Take it away, Lenna!

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Here’s a Gauche instant book!

Take a piece of 12×12 double sided cardstock from the Showstoppers Kit. I picked Basic Grey’s Life of the Party: Popcorn Poppin:

Score the paper at 3”, 6” and 9” in 2 directions so you end up with (16) 3” squares:

Cut on the middle score line (the 6” one) just 9” up -so the paper is still intact:

Turn the paper 180 degrees and cut 9” up on both the 3” and 9” score lines:

Start at one corner and fan fold (back and forth) on the scoring lines you made until the paper is all folded up. Watching this video by Tim Holtz may help you to understand how to do it. This is not hard to create, but I think visual instruction will help:

Before you do any gluing or taping, your instant book will look something like this:

There are 3 pages which can be made into pocket pages because they are open on one end:

I used tissue tape to seal the sides and create the pocket pages of this little book:

I also used Tissue tape for the side binding of the book, but any decorative tape will do:

You can see the 3 pocket pages and how I cut an slight opening to make it easier to see the contents of the pocket:

I used the Tim Holtz Ticket stamp from the kit and StazOn permanent ink to decorate the front cover:

From the kit I also enjoyed using the “Admit One” tickets, “Questions” Trivia Card, Groucho Marx patch, the yellow feather (in a pocket!) . . . and I cut a heart out of the sequin fabric that was in the kit to embellish the pages. I used various rubber stamps to decorate the pages and tucked some of my own photos of my husband & I on a date into one of the pockets. I hand wrote a few notes and slyly gave this to my husband before sharing it here with you!

Click for larger view!

Enjoy!

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That is too cool Lenna!!!

Don’t forget to grab your very own Showstoppers Kit in the Gauche Alchemy store! (And throw in some washi tape while you’re at, eh?)

Now go glue something awesome onto some awesome something!

Maggi

That is one stuffed-with-awesome mini-album, right there! Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Using the included project sheet from the Showstoppers Kit, Misty created a touching testament to her grandparents with the cover inspiration coming from Grandma, herself!

Misty:  the Marquee [comment] totally sparked my interest! So I decided to stick with the “show stoppers” theme and make the cover a marquee introducing my grandma and grandpa and their love story.

I used my Big Bite [to create the holes] and just kept biting away until my holes were big enough to fit the lightbulb. Then I painted it in with glossy black paint ( I cheated and used spray paint) and once the paint was dry, I added my bulbs.  I printed the now showing from my printer and matted it to a rectangular piece of chipboard then I dressed it up a bit by adding rhinestones to the sides.  I also printed out my movie title from my computer and matted it onto a piece of sequined material that was in the kit to add more sparkle.   One of the magazine pages in the kit was an image of a nurse feeding a wounded soldier, so I cut out her arm and hand, scanned it into my computer so that I could flip the image, allowing me to have a right and left hand.  To the left hand I added flowers that came in the kit, and to the right hand I added tickets that also came in the kit.

The first page introduces our “Leading Man.” Now how brilliant is this? Though she covered some of the “bulb butts” with her framed picture, she used the others to anchor the charm garland topping the page. And, oh, I’m a sucker for a man in uniform–especially a vintage uniform!

Sometimes you get an embellishment and you just don’t know what to do with it. Misty ran into this with the Groucho Marx patch from the Showstoppers Kit.

Misty: That smoker had me stumped?!  Then my grandma said “why don’t you make a marquee with him on it?”

I eventually decided to use smokie as a perfect image for a play on words by adding smoke to the cig and stating that my grandpa was ”smokin hot”(…ok, its a little creepy when I’m explaining it that way).

A man in uniform is always smokin’ hot. End of story.

Our leading lady gets her time in the spotlight with a gorgeous patterned paper and fabric rose embellished with a button from the kit–see it sparkle in the very center! This page also used silver punchinella, feathers, ticket stubs and–another genius move–little jewelry bells as picture corners.

Misty: I misted the background in a purple and turquoise then randomly went over it with distress ink.  I cut out an arrow pointing to the previous page, then outlined the arrow with gold beads from the kit.  I also cut out the “nerves of steel” from the g45 paper in the kit, and matted it with some aluminum tape (embossed with my Sizzix). I also cut a star out of the aluminum tape and embossed it.  To the right, lower corner I used the black feather from the kit and placed it under the flower.  The eyelet and gem in the center of the flower were both part of the kit as well.  I added the butterfly from the lady marmalade orange mixed media kit. Then I added a key charm hanging from under the flower.

Among the pleated filmstrip border, punchinella-overlaid background and gems, there’s a darling story that goes with that charming postcard.

Misty: Shortly after my grandpa passed away my grandma and I were looking through her keepsakes and I stumbled upon the postcard.  I think she probably would have hid it if I hadn’t found it first. lol  The front of the card is a groom in bed waiting for his “busty” bride to come to bed for “snuggle time” and she is sitting at a desk writing out the thank you letters.  It was funny enough to know that my grandpa, who was away in the airforce somewhere, sent this…but the sentiment on the back of the card was even cuter.  He says “Of course, I’m only kidding! I hope its not like that when we get married.  What do you think?”

I thought it was so cute (and a little uncomfortable). Just kidding, I loved seeing this side of him.  After seeing their long relationship where they knew each other so well, I liked being able to see this sort of awkward side to him, when he was still getting to know grandma.

Every love story should have a happily ever after. Our couple gets their send-off decorated with a mist-over-modelling paste background (stenciled through heart punchinella), flower-and-fabric flounce and a sweet, to-the-point title whose torched edges give it an instant aging. The dove punctuates the hope of the moment while also balancing an over-torched edge.

Does that just make you want to dig up some old photos?

~Scraps~