Mixed Media Canvas Featuring Sabor Papel's Amor Collection

Welcome to my blog!!  I am so excited to share this tutorial with you.  I created this mixed media canvas to celebrate my daughter's birthday.  Crystal Dominguez of Crystal Domi Designs is the co founder and graphic designer for Sabor Papel and now has launched her own design company called HolaChica.us.  Happy Birthday my love and I am so very proud of you and excited to see what the future holds for you with your new company!!

Supplies Used

Sabor Papel Amor cardstock and cardstock cutouts

Decoart Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint
Butterbee Scraps Metal Embellishments
Acrylic Gems and flowers from Michaels
12x12 Canvas from Michaels
Coordinating Colors Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Tim Holtz paper distresser
Ranger Stickles
Coordinating Colors Tattered Angels Shimmer Sprays
"Beauty" Wood Sentiment from Michaels
Martha Stewart Paper Punches
Beacons 3 in 1 Adhesive
Mod Podge



My Process 

Since I knew I wanted this to be a home decor piece, I painted the sides and one inch along the edge of the front of the canvas with two coats of gold metallic paint and allowed it to dry in between coats.

I sprayed the bottom layer with Tattered Angels shimmer sprays to create an overall glow on the paper.

Next, I distressed and inked all the edges.

Then, I glued each layer of paper on top of the other making sure to use a brayer to ensure a complete adhesion.

The photo above shows the distressed edges.  To add more interest, after gluing the layers to the canvas with 3 in 1 glue, I lightly brushed the edges with gold paint and on the top layer, I swept the paintbrush across to create a more luxurious look.

I wanted to layer two strips of paper across the canvas to create a base where I would put the focal point, so I cut them and used two different Martha Stewart punches to embellish one edge.

After adhering the strips, I began to play with the arrangement of the photos.  I was pleased with this one, so I glued the photos to lightweight chipboard to give them more stability and attached them to the canvas using dimensional foam tape.

To provide emphasis on the focal point, I adhered metal corners to the top layer of paper.  Then, I began to arrange the sentiment and other flowers.

For the rest of the process, I played around with the arrangement until I was pleased with the distribution of color , balance, and texture.  I ended up painting the word sentiment in a teal color to enhance the jewelry Crystal was wearing in the photos.  It is this attention to detail that gives the project its overall cohesion and beauty.

I tucked in some metal and bling into the outside distressed edge.  I love this look and it adds a beautiful finished detail to the canvas.

To add shimmer and shine, I lightly brushed some of the cutouts with Stickles and glued bling here and there across the canvas.  The final touch was to add a few coats of Mod Podge to seal the canvas.  This step will help to preserve the piece since it will be hanging in the home as a decor piece.

I just love the way this canvas turned out.  It embodies everything I love about my daughter.  Crystal is beautiful, classic, and artistic.  Happy Birthday my sweetness. Wishing you continued success and creativity forever. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think of this project.  Happy Crafting!!

Love and Blessings,

Erminda

First Birthday Fiesta Layout

Hello!  Thank you for visiting my blog today.  I am so excited to share how I created this festive birthday layout for my grandson's first birthday.

I knew that I wanted to mount it on canvas so that he could hang it in his bedroom, so I painted the edges and about a inch in along the front of the canvas with Decoart acrylic paint.

While that was drying, I went on to ink the bottom layer of the layout.  I used Memento ink along the edges and also added some over the paper to create depth and interest.

Next, I began layering various sizes of the Sabor Papel's Olé collection papers to provide color and to emphasize the photo, which is the focal point of the layout.

Once I was happy with that effect, I began working on the lower portion of the layout.  I pay particular attention to this area since I want to make sure that the focal point is anchored properly.  I added interest by using a Martha Stewart punch to embellish the paper.

Next, I began to layer fun trims for interest and texture.

I just kept layering and adding texture, color, and balance to the layout using the adorable Olé cardstock cutouts.  My intention was to create a fiesta right on the canvas!!

Here is a tip when layering multiple elements that add dimension.  As you can see in the photo above, sometimes I add two layers of dimensional tape so that the element lays flat on the layout over other elements layered underneath.

I really love how this layout came out.  I hope that it has inspired you to document your special occasions and display them in your home.  Please leave a comment to let me know if you like this project.  Thank you and happy crafting!!

Erminda

Fiesta Note Cards featuring Sabor Papel Papers

Hello and welcome to my blog.  Today, I want to share my tips for making quick and 
easy cards.  Last week, I needed 7 thank you cards and was inspired by Sabor Papel's Cardstock Cutouts to create these quick and easy, but oh so cute cards.  I made the seven of them in under an hour.

Supplies

Amor and Olé Cardstock Cutouts

Assorted Cards and Envelopes from Michaels $1.50 Bin

Bling and Assorted Flowers from Michael's Bargain Bin 

Scraps of Amor and Olé designer paper

Recollections paper doilies 

Adhesive

Distress ink, if desired

Since I bought the pack of cards and envelopes from Michael's, all I had to do was embellish the fronts.  I love making cards this way since it goes so much faster and there is no measuring and envelope making involved.  These bright and colorful pre-made card bases coordinate well with both Sabor's collections.

I had so much fun layering the beautiful cutouts with other scraps of Sabor Papel paper I had in my stash.  I even found a left over Sabor Papel Lindo papel picado we made for Sabor's debut at CHA this past January.  It layered beautifully with a flaming heart and petite flower. For more dimension and interest, I added details with bling and flowers to some of the other cards as well.   You could even add stamped sentiments if you like.  This quick project is limitless and only requires some layering techniques to create adorable cards.   I just loved how they turned out and I know my friends who received them loved them too.

Thank you for visiting m blog today.  I hope this has inspired you to get these two cardstock cutout packs and Sabor Papel paper for your card making and crafting projects.  Click here to see where to get them in your area.  You will love creating with them.  

Love and blessings,

Erminda

Using Social Media Posts in your Scrapbooking.

Hello!  Welcome back to my blog.  Today I want to share a tip on how to use your social media posts and comments as a way of documenting your journey and journaling in your scrapbooking.

          

For example, I want to include this post and its comments from family and friends that were given on both the Instagram and Facebook postings.  So, I took a screen shot of both posts, saved them to my desktop on my computer, and printed them out.  Now all I have to do is crop and creativily mat them into my mini!  Simple and fun, right?  The journaling is done for me and it is more meaningful because the loving comments from family and friends are now included in my mini!!

Instagram post I am using in my mini album 

I hope you give this tip a try as you continue to document your journey through scrapbooking.  

Love and Blessings,

Erminda

Using Color in Scrapbooking

Using Color in Your Scrapbook Designs

 I  am passionate about storytelling through papercrafting.  To tell your story well,  you want to capture the viewer’s attention, control the eye’s movement, emphasize the theme, and evoke emotion. I would like to share with you a few tips that can help you document your journey in a well designed mini album.

Today, I want to focus on Color, one of the 8 design elements of visual design.

Understanding and thinking about how you use color on your scrapbook pages is important because when used well, it will create a harmonious and pleasing layout,  as well as evoke feelings and emotions that will help convey your story.

For my "All I Need is Love" mini album, I chose to use a warm color scheme because warm colors (red, orange, yellow) are often associated with passion, love, and happiness.  My accent color is teal, since that is a complimentary color on the color wheel. 

Color Scheme and papers I will be using in the mini album.

Since the Amor and Ole collections are so well designed, it is easy to choose the papers for my mini.  After all this careful planning, my favorite part can begin: Documenting my story of love in my mini album!!  

Two embellished pages from my "All I Need Is Love" mini album. 

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I hope you found these tips helpful.  

Love and Blessings,

Erminda

Amor Keepsake Chest

Hola Crafters and welcome back to my blog.  Today, I want to share with you this wooden keepsake chest I created for Sabor Papel.  I was so inspired by the Amor Collection as soon as I saw it last winter.  The rich colors, vivid images, and traditional, timeless theme of everlasting love stole my heart.  Immediately, I knew I was going to have many delightful hours creating everything from paper crafts to home decor with this collection.

 Supplies:

Amor Ramitos, La Novia, and Sentimientos Cardstock

wooden keepsake box, I got this one from Michaels

metal embellishments, I used some from Butterbee Scraps and Michaels

scissors

Liquid Adhesive

acrylic paint

paint brush

Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Ink blender

sanding block

paper trimmer

We Are Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Process:

First, I removed the hardware from the drawer fronts.  Then, I lightly sanded and painted the inside and outside of the chest and the drawers with acrylic bronze paint.  I allowed it to dry.  Then, I rubbed some red acrylic paint into the grooves and creases to give a more dimensional look.  If you want a more distressed look, you could lightly sand the painted chest after it dries.  The key to painting this type of decor piece is to experiment with layering the paints to achieve the final look you want.  It is fun and quite rewarding to take you time with this step. 

Top of Chest

 For the top of the chest, I knew I wanted to use the sentiment from La Novia.  So, I used a paper trimmer to cut the sentiment out as shown above.   Then, I used a my We are Memory Keepers Corner Chomper to trim the corners.  I just love that tool and use it very often to get the tradition look I desire. I inked around the edges and glued it to the top of the chest.  Finally, I embellished it with metals from Butterbee Scraps and Michaels.

Sides of Chest

 For both side panels, I cut pieces from La Novia, inked, and sanded the edges for a distressed look before I glued them down. 

For more definition and embellishment, I cut the corners from the Amor Nunca Muere Tag from the Sentimientos page.  I glued them as shown in the photo below.

Drawers

I used the Ramitos paper for the front of the drawers.  I cut small panels, inked and adhered them to the drawer front.  I screwed in new drawer pulls from Butterbee Scraps that added to the traditional look I was going for.

 I absolutely love how this came out.  It was shown in Sabor Papel's CHA and Anaheim Scrapbook Convention booths and visitors loved it.  I hope this post has inspired you to use this Sabor Papel Amor Collection to create something beautiful for yourself or as a gift.  Visit their Where to Buy page to see the lists of retailers carrying their collections if you haven't already picked up this collection.  Thank you for visiting the blog today and have a wonderful week sharing your creativity!!

Love and Blessings,

Erminda