Our last (but CERTAINLY not least!) guest poster is June from {
CreationsbyJune} June is one talented chick, you need to see some of her paper bag albums! And check out her latest Craigslist find...I am sooo incredibly jealous of the deal she scored! She's here to teach you how to make your own scrapbook embellishments. If you're anything like me, saving a few bucks on pretty things sounds like my kind of day!
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Hello! My name is June and I have a love for things that are shiny and sparkly and soft and fun! You will find me over at
CreationsbyJune I do a little of this and that, but try to stick with just scrapbooking and sewing and maybe some furniture refinishing. I tend to get in over my head with some of my supplies, but also just hate to spend a ton of money on supplies.
Have you noticed how much the prices have increased on scrapbook embellishments? I have came up with a few ideas to help decrease the cost and still get exactly what you want, without a lot of effort!
I really like the look of metal, but again the price thing. I have found a way to get the metal tag look on a budget.
Here is where the clay comes in.. I used black clay. The usual price is around $2.79, but I always wait to get the 40% coupon before I buy clay. It is really important to follow the instructions. You need to knead the clay for about 10 minutes or so and then it becomes a lot easier to handle.
While working the clay, I go ahead and pre-heat the oven
I roll it out on my counter and get out my stamps..... I have acrylic, but that is just my choice, any type will work
Once I have stamped the image on the clay, I use a knife to cut around the image. I try to get it in the shape I want at that point, but if you don't, you can still cut the shape even after you bake the clay.
I always do several at a time, so I can just have the embellishments on hand. With this type of clay, the directions indicate to bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes, but some clays are different
The other thing I do, is bake on parchment paper. It just makes it easier to handle, but it is not an absolute necessity. Once the baking is done and the shapes are cooled off then the fun begins. Like I said, I like the look of metals, so I go to my set of metallic inks..
I just smear it all over the clay shape....
They look beautiful, don't they? I just use a rag and and rub the ink into the clay, think of it like you are shining or burnishing. You can add more ink, or just a minimal amount, depends on what look you are going for. If you notice the edges are not smooth or in the shape you want, you can go ahead and use scissors to cut in the shape you want. Are your ready to see the final product?
Hard to tell it is clay now! You can even add a hole and use as charms for jewelry or a whole variety of things. I used 2 packages of clay, total cost of about $3.50 and ended up with 20 different embellishments... not bad deal and they are all ones that I would use, so no more buying a package of embellishments for the 2 or three you like and the others going to waste!
On to easy peasy idea number 2...... I use stickers and love the dimensional ones, but again with the cost..... I had found this Halloween paper and loved it and thought the bottles would be pretty cool individually. So I took some liquid glass and filled in the shapes...
I just cut the bottles out and used them individually for my Halloween books..
Are you ready for the last idea for uniquness for your scrapbooks? What if you have a favorite shirt or wedding dress or baby clothes or... you get the idea... How can you put that in your scrapbook? Take a photo and add it? Well, when I was in Hawaii last year I picked up some fabric and loved it and thought it would make some great scrapbook paper..
I did the easiest thing EVER! I copied it on acid free paper....
And now I have totally unique paper! Think of that for like wedding or baby albums. How cool would it be to have a photo of the bride and groom matted on paper that is made from the same material as the dress. Or a photo of the baby matted on paper that is the baby blanket that great grandma had made for grandma? Just a lot of different thing you can do. I got mine printed at the local scrap book store and it only cost about a dollar for one.
So now you have three different ideas for unique scrapbook embellishments that will not break the bank!
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Sheer brilliance!! Photocopying fabric? Genius! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks for posting June!
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