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| Download Hi-Res version HERE: |
Sunday, December 18, 2016
December Blog Freebie
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
Saturday, November 19, 2016
November Blog Freebie
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
 |
| Download Hi-Res version HERE: https://1drv.ms/i/s!ApNPaUGF98dM3Fr1hUDv7P433kd7 |
Monday, November 7, 2016
Wardrobe Tutorial
Wardrobe
Tutorial
By
Heather Maxwell
This tutorial goes with the free download from
Catherine Moore which can be found HERE.
Please note her design is for personal use only. The method used here only took about an hour,
exclusive of drying time. Try it! It’s kind of addicting. J
Supplies needed:
- Downloaded wardrobe design, patterned paper for the inside
- Glue
- 8.5x11 chipboard
- Scissors
- Hole punch, eyelets and applicator
- Ribbon
- Various images of choice for decorating the inside
- Heat gun
- Spray sealer
Once you have downloaded the wardrobe graphic, print
it out on 8.5x11 paper. I used sticker
paper to make it easier to adhere in the next step but you could print it on
good quality cardstock as well. I also
downloaded a design to use for the inside and printed that on sticker paper as
well.
Next apply the two graphic images to either side of
the chipboard. It doesn’t have to be
perfectly aligned since you will cut out the sections next. This part reveals the beauty of using sticker
paper. No drying time, no bubbles or wet
paper with sticker paper. If you don’t
have sticker paper, spray glue is the next best thing but plain glue, evenly
applied, works too. Once the glue is
dry, cut out the three sections.
If you are going to alter the surface of the wardrobe,
do that now. At the very least I always
smooth out and ink my edges. For this tutorial,
I stamped some faux texture to age the outsides. I also sprayed with distress ink, then dried
it with the heat gun. When I was satisfied
with the look, I sprayed it with clear sealer.
This is always a good idea if you are using images you printed yourself
(keeps them from fading).
Starting with the front section, mark three hole
positions down the left side, punch the holes.
With the insides together, use the holes you just punched as a template
to mark the left side of the middle section.
Use same technique to mark and punch holes on the right side of the
middle section inside and the left inside of the back section. You should end
up with 12 holes. Optional: insert and
crimp eyelets into the holes. This will
strengthen and add a nice finish (pretty side of eyelet is on the outside of
the section).
Cut six pieces of ribbon at about 6” per piece. Lay
sections in order, insides down, and thread the ribbons through, uniting two
sections. Before you tie the ribbon, put
a pencil or other long, skinny object between sections as a spacer, making sure
you have a gap between the sections you are uniting. Tie knots and trim ends.
 |
| dresses and shoes using Character Constructions stamps |
Now you can decorate the inside! Add shelves for shoes and accessories, birdcages,
pictures of loved ones… Don’t forget to leave room for the dresses! Dresses can
be attached with pop dots, glue, ribbon, tiny hangers or any other way you can
figure out. Play!
Heather
Sunday, October 16, 2016
October Freebie: Girls & Butterflies
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
 |
| Download Hi-Res Version HERE: |
Sunday, September 18, 2016
September Freebie - More Halloween Goodies
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
 |
| Download Hi-Res Version HERE: https://1drv.ms/i/s!ApNPaUGF98dM3DdnKpro5LCrxCNV |
Sunday, August 14, 2016
August Freebie - Halloween preview
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
 |
| Download Hi-Res version HERE: |
Friday, August 5, 2016
New Swap - Tombstone Diorama
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
Hostess: Connie Holso
Sign Up by: September 20, 2016
One for one
Mail to partner by: September 30, 2016
Skill level: 2 - Budding**
I love Halloween - the silly, whimsical, kind of spooky,
stuff. When I saw these darling dioramas by Annette I just fell in love and
decided we should do a swap like this.
Each participant will make a diorama and post a picture in
the album on the PT Gallery site by September 20,2016 . I will randomize the
names on September 21, 2016 and only participants who have posted their images
will be swapped. Swappers will mail
directly to their partners by September 30, 2016. If you wish to swap more than one diorama,
please let me know via email and post the image of each in the album.
I made a pattern for the shadowbox, including a cutting file
for those who have Silhouette machines. There is even an advance copy of the
August Blog Freebie in the folder as I included some alternate tombstone shapes
in it. You can find it all, plus instructions at the link available in the swap
email.
You can, of
course. make your own tombstone shaped shadowbox. This is just to help you get
started and to help those who are less experienced with making structures.
Please try to keep your shadowboxes about the same size: approximately 3.5 to 4
inches x 4.5 to 5 inches when finished.
Please sign
up in the database and post your pictures in the album. See my Pinterest board for ideas.
**2) BUDDING - Participants will be open to
trying new ideas and materials, without necessarily being competent yet with
their applications
Monday, August 1, 2016
Speed Swap - Cubism
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
 |
Georges Braque
|
2-for-2 Speed Swap
Skill: 2 - Budding
Sign up by: Aug 15th
Mail out by: Aug 31st
Swap details
This swap
covers the era of Cubism which was an art movement led by Pablo Picasso and
Georges Braque during the early 20th century.
The definition of Cubism is as follows:
In Cubist
artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted
form—instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the
subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater
context. (Wikipedia)
For this
swap, we want you to make two pieces of art
in the
Cubism style. Create a picture and cut
it into pieces and rearrange the pieces to represent a Cubist creation. Here
are couple of links, one is strictly Picasso’s work, the other is a Cubism
board in my Pinterest account:
We will be
swapping two pieces of art,
3.5”x5”size.
Notice the size change, a half inch wider.
Sign-up in
the database.
Post your
Speed Swap Artwork to the swap album.
Each month,
on the 1st, we will announce
a theme or
technique for your art.
Anyone
interested will have until the 15th to
sign up. The
list will be randomized,
announced on
the 16th,
and you will
mail one 3'x5” piece of art directly to each of
the next two
people on the list.
A total of
two pieces of art each month for the speed swaps.
You don't
have to sign up every month,
just when
you feel like it or like the theme
or have the
time.
We don't
anticipate this costing more to mail
as a 3.5”x5”
will still fit in a standard note card.
It's
approximately $1.20 to mail internationally for
one ATC in a
note card envelope. You must be able
to mail
internationally to participate in this swap.
New themes
will be announced on the 1st of each month.
Thanks!
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Burned and Layered Holes Tutorial
 |
| Water colored |
In this tutorial I will share with you a method for burned
and layered holes. Since the actual
technique is pretty straight forward, I’m going to put my slant on what my
experiments taught me, and ideas for how to make your creations more dynamic.
First
things first – safety!!! It is obvious but – this involves a soldering
iron and it is HOT! Please don’t leave
it unattended while it’s turned on. Also
don’t let children or pets anywhere near it! I don’t want to be the cause of
any disaster (as much as I can help it).
Thanks,
the management
So to begin, lay out your work space. I always do this on a heat proof mat, with
some kind of metal tray to hold the iron. Don’t skip the tray. You have tedious work ahead and you’ll need
to put the thing down occasionally.
Optionally, I have a TV or computer screen in viewing distance. As I mentioned, this is kind of tedious work
and besides, it’s a good excuse to catch up on all those old Veronica Mars
episodes. J
The soldering iron I have is one I got at Michael’s with a coupon making it
slightly more than $10. It was meant for
crafters and came with multiple screw on heads.
Two of these could work for our purposes (see fig B). The pointier one is best since it gives you
an advantage for size of hole – we want variety in the hole department. If you are using a different kind of iron you
may only have the standard tip which will also work.
 |
| Heat-proof mat, tray, soldering iron |
 |
| Fig B |
 |
| Size Variety |
So now you have your table laid out and safety on your
mind, time to pick the paper. For this
demo I’ve used cut up maps. They don’t
need to be anything special. I just used
an old RoadMaster standard road atlas that was riding around in my car for
years (even after it became obsolete due to smart phones). This is a good weight paper for hole burning
(light weight, not shiny) and if you goof, which is pretty hard to do, you can
toss it and start over without worrying about the expense ($0). I also experimented with craft weight paper
which I’ll talk about later. I cut my
sheets to the size of my project first because, as mentioned, it’s boring to
burn holes and I don’t want to do any more than I have to. This is also where you need to think about
how many layers. Two or three with holes
and one base layer without holes is a minimum, I’d say. If you are a maniac (or fire bug) and love
burning holes, knock yourself out! More
layers will look way more cool.
 |
| Hold Paper Upright |
I tried two basic methods for making holes. The first was laying the paper on the
heat-proof mat and “drawing” the holes with the tip. This didn’t work so well for me. The second way was better. Holding the paper up off the mat and poking
it with the iron was pretty successful for multiple sized small holes. Holding
it up and “drawing” with just the pointy tip worked great for larger
holes. As I mentioned before, a good
variety of sizes makes a more interesting piece overall. I did most of the big holes first and then
peppered in the smaller ones between for a good effect. The composition of where the holes are and
how you can see through them to other layers is what will make your art
unique. I personally think lots of holes
on all layers makes for the most interesting completed project but it is all up
to you. Also, I found that some of my
holes didn’t burn cleanly through and left some paper ‘sludge’ around the edges
on the back of the sheet. A couple of
light swipes with a sanding block gets rid of those.
 |
| Contrast |
A word about the artistic aspect of the project –
CONTRAST. It is the contrast of your
layers that will make it interesting (isn’t that true of anything in
life?). I like to go from lighter at the
base layer then darker as you go up.
Again though, depends on your personal aesthetic. Don’t be afraid to
stack and re-stack the layers before you glue.
For this demo I just used Distress ink to add a bit of color to the
layers. I have also used watercolors (see photo collage at top) which works well too but then you have to let it dry and it can wrinkle and
warp the paper.
 |
| Stacked |
As for glue, I like to use Sookwang double sided tape
because it stays stuck and won’t wear out over time. Also, no drying time and won’t wrinkle the
paper. I’ve also used Diamond glue,
though mostly for touch-ups. Also, for
this I don’t want every bit of paper glued down. I want to leave the layers free to create
shadow and give more of a sense of depth.
 |
| Tape Loosely |
So I mentioned that I tried craft weight paper. It is thicker (this was double sided) and not
as easy to burn the holes through. It
did look kind of cool though. Also,
since it was thicker, I could burn shapes other than rounded holes (sort of).
 |
| Shapes of Holes with Heavy Paper |
So that’s it!
Easy and sort of relaxing in a pyromaniac sort of way (especially with
Veronica solving crimes while you work).
One last word on the topic – FINISHING.
By that I mean clean up the edges, clip corners and ink around the
edges. Those are good ways to complete any
project and I always do. Not required
but I think you’ll find it will lift your work to a new level with those easy
additions. I also usually spray the finished piece with clear acrylic sealer to
keep the colors crisp.
 |
| Finished Edges |
Thanks for sticking with me all the way through! I hope this is the first step toward some
cool new projects in your craft room!
HeatherFriday, July 29, 2016
Halloween MOO Cards
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
An 8 for 8 swap of Moo
Cards
Skill level: Budding
Due in hand by October 6th
Hostess: Karla Jackson
PLEASE include an address label and $2 postage.
I will cover postage for those who gift me an extra card.
This swap is for those paper lovers who like tiny bits of art.
A Moo card is 1 X 3 inches.
Although these cards are small...they can be a challenge
You will make 8 cards and must decorate BOTH sides. There is
not much room, but please sign your art!
Use your very best tiny bits of treasure that you have been
saving, lace, ribbon, fiber and make an
enchanting bit of Halloween magic in vintage or retro
style...nothing cutesy please.
Please make sure that your computer generated images are not
distorted or pixilated.
There are lots of domino sized sheets on my Halloween Pinterestboard that you can add lace to make them the correct size.
Sign up in the database
Post pictures of your work in the album.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
New Swap - Halloween Haunted House
This project is for Paper Traders members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
Hostess:
Heather Maxwell
4
for 3 (see definition)
Sign
up by: August 25th
Due
in hand by: September 25th
Skill
level: budding
For this swap you will be making three sections of a
haunted house by following the template provided. Please use a medium weight chip board,
covered on both sides with Halloween paper.
Each section will have an ‘inside’ and an ‘outside’. I will add the fourth section
for everyone, that being the graveyard (can’t have a haunted house without
that!). When all the sections reach me I
will take three sections from separate artists, add the fourth, and bind them
into a stand up house you can use for Halloween decorating. You will receive a house made up of sections
created by other swap artists. On August 26th I’ll do a random
drawing of all signed up swappers. The
winner will get a prize package of Halloween themed craft goodies!
A few guidelines:
·
Please use the template so
that everyone’s pieces will fit together
·
Print out on 8.5x11 sheet of paper and
transfer to medium weight chip board (like heavy cereal box), decorate with
colorful Halloween papers (orange, black, purple, green…)
·
Leave about ¼” on each side clear of any
important design elements, to allow for binding
·
These will fold flat for shipping and
storage so try to have dimensional items no taller than 1/8”
·
Sign each of your three sections
·
For each section, have one side represent
the outside portion of the house while the other side is the interior
·
Please sign up by Aug 25th to
be entered in the prize drawing
·
Please have your finished work to me by
September 25th to allow time to bind and ship everything so it gets
to you in time for holiday decorating
·
Include a decent sized return address label
and $4 postage (US) $6 (international)
I hope everyone will join in for some Halloween
fun. I know it may seem a bit early but
I wanted to leave plenty of time for everyone to do their best work and to be
able to get it turned around to you before you start to decorate for the
holiday.
Sign up in the database.
Add your photos to the album.
Get inspired HERE.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Freebie - July 2016
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
 |
| Download Hi-Res version HERE: |
Sunday, July 10, 2016
New Swap: My Stuff/ Your Stuff
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
The 5th (annual-ish) My Stuff/Your Stuff Swap 2016
2-for-2 ATC swap
Any theme
Skill Level: 2 - Budding
Sign-up deadline is July 22nd
Partners announced July 24th
Supply mail out deadline: August 1st
ATC mail back deadline: August 22nd
It’s time for our 5th (annual-ish) My Stuff/Your Stuff Swap!!
How this swap started - an excerpt from our first one:
"One of the benefits of hosting swaps is all the wonderful ephemera that the participants send along with their art. I always get inspired because it makes me think outside of my supply world and the things I usually am drawn to. Some of my favorite pieces have been made almost entirely from someone else's supplies."
I think most of us feel the same way and since this has always been a favorite within Paper Traders, let’s do it again.
1. Sign up by July 22nd in the Database.
2. I will randomly assign everyone a partner and post it here on July 24th.
3. By August 1st, mail your partner a #9 or #10 (standard letter) envelope of supplies and ephemera. Don't buy anything special; just raid your stash of nice quality ephemera (nothing too bulky, to keep postage costs low).
4. Make two ATCs using the supplies you receive from your partner. Yes, you can incorporate a LITTLE of your own supplies, but really try to use your partners supplies as much as possible to keep the spirit of the swap.
5. Mail back your two ATCs to your partner by August 22nd. You get to keep whatever supplies are still left over.
6. Don't forget to post photos of your ATCs in the project album here.
And please leave a comment on your photo mentioning whose supplies you used.
Hope you will all join us in this fun Paper Traders tradition!
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Gluebook Swap: Autumn
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
Autumn Gluebook Swap
Hostess: Karla Jackson
AUTUMN....VINTAGE GLUE BOOK SEASONS due September 22!
Lets do something fun and easy!
Glue books may appear simple at first glance - no ink, no stamps, no embellishments, nothing but paper - but a good glue book page has balanced composition, a cohesive color scheme, and a story to tell. (While this defines a proper Glue book page...’personally’ I do not mind using some extras like ink and stamps or flat embellishments.) Use your best vintage papers - old ledger sheets, book pages, vintage dictionary pages, sheet music, labels from old crochet threads, postage stamps to create the backgrounds first. A torn strip of text, a torn strip of map or floral wall paper, maybe some torn sheet music. Once those are dry and flat, start going through old images to select your main statements. I try to keep my main elements to three maybe four. You do not want the page to be so busy that your eye does not know where to come to rest. Everything is offset slightly to the right because holes will be punched along the left margins so that they can be bound into a binder or a book.
DETAILS: A 3 for 3 swap. Decorate THREE 4X6 Vintage Glue Book pages in each season as they arrive, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. The backs need to be signed and also decorated somewhat nicely. At the end of the year you will have 12 beautiful pages to bind into a keepsake book.
The swap will be announced in each season so you can sign up.
Mail your pages to me along with $2 and an address label, please do not forget the label as it makes swap out day so much quicker. International swappers can include an extra page for me and I will cover return postage.
Sign up in the database.
Post your photos in the Album.
Information and lots of eye candy at these links:
MY Pinterest board:https://www.pinterest.com/mzpeach/glue-book-pages/
New Swap: Bathing Beauties
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
Vintage Bathing Beauties Tissue Tube Swap
4-for-4 Pages (Tags with Sleeves)
Hostess: Connie Holso
Sign Up by: July 15, 2016
Due In Hand by: August 15, 2016
Skill level: 2 - Budding**
For this swap you will make 4 similar tags with sleeves. Make your tags and sleeves in a vintage beach theme with vintage bathing beauties. No restrictions on color other than to make them have a soft sepia or hand-colored look. Feel free to add soft color to old photos or use them in sepia tone.
The sleeves will be made from empty bathroom tissue tubes. Do NOT punch or bind your tags or sleeves; I will swap them, add covers, and bind them into little books for you. If you participated in one of my previous Tube Book Swaps this will be similar with just a few variations.
INSTRUCTIONS:
SLEEVES: Flatten the tissue tubes and crease edges. Measure the end of the flattened tube and double it. Cut a piece of cardstock about 1-1/2 inches by that doubled measurement. Fold in half so it is 1-1/2 by the width of the flattened tube. Make one of these the end cap hinges for each sleeve. Adhere to tube overlapping about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of one open end of tube. Glue the end cap together so tag will not go beyond end of tube when inserted into /sleeve. Please do not embellish end caps with any bulky items as I will need to be able to insert them into my binder for punching and binding. Do NOT punch them; I will do that when I bind them so that the holes all line up. Using a vintage beach theme, decorate the sleeves by covering with decorative paper, paint, inks, etc.
TAGS: Your tags should be a bit longer than the sleeves but with not more than about an inch beyond the sleeve. They will need to be a bit narrower than the tubes so they easily slide in and out. (You will want to check this before decorating.) Using a vintage beach theme, decorate the tags. Add a tab or ribbons to pull them out of the sleeves. Be sure to sign your work so others know who made them.
Mail your creations along with $6.00 for return shipping to reach me by August 15, 2016.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Speed Swap #25 - Art With Maps
This project is for Paper Traders
members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple
Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.
Art with Maps
Speed Swap #25
2-for-2 ATC swap
Skill: 2 - Budding
Sign up by: Jul 15th
Partners announced: Jul 16th
Mail out by: Jul 31st
Since it is summer time for lots of our members and traveling is in our plans (hope all of our Southern Hemisphere members will forgive us), our speed swap this month will be creating art with maps. Use a map creatively for your background or challenge yourself and create something out of your map paper that can be used in your art.
Each month, on the 1st, we will announce a theme or technique for your art. Anyone interested will have until the 15th to sign up. The list will be randomized, announced on the 16th, and you will mail one 3.5'x5” piece of art directly to each of the next two people on the list. A total of two pieces of art each month for the speed swaps. You don't have to sign up every month, just when you feel like it or like the theme or have the time.
We don't anticipate this costing more to mail as a 3.5”x5” will still fit in a standard note card. It's approximately $1.20 to mail internationally for one ATC in a note card envelope. You must be able to mail internationally to participate in this swap.
New themes will be announced on the 1st of each month.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
June 2016 Freebie
 |
| Download Here |
It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
https://1drv.ms/i/s!ApNPaUGF98dM23YjupDAa91e7IQw
https://1drv.ms/i/s!ApNPaUGF98dM23YjupDAa91e7IQw