Thursday 31 March 2011

Live, Laugh, Love Frame & Frame-Covering Tutorial


Finally I am posting the photos of the frame I was commissioned to make a couple of weeks back for my friends' daughter {bedroom decor for her birthday}.

I was provided with this "shadow-box" frame, which was nice & deep so there was lots of space for 3D embellishing.  I was also given the photos & the "sunflower" theme to work with.
I used some older papers by Doodlebug (for the frame) & Kelly Pannacci for Sandylion (the background print) as these were versatile papers with a good mix of colours that would hopefully "match everything!"

I have had those sunflowers in my stash forever & a day so finally put them to perfect use!  I was also given the scripture required but it was left up to me to decide how to print it up & with which font, etc...
I used strips of bling all around the scripture to make it stand out & a blue sunflower in the opposite corner to the others, with an American Crafts Sunflower badge in the centre, to re-inforce the theme.

I was fortunate enough to find a "joy" embellishment in my stash - to tie in with their family name.  The sunflower image is stamped & then coloured in & the entire frame is edged with Pink Paislee washi tape, directly on the glass, to hide the clips that hold the front glass to the frame {initially there was a wide cardboard mount supplied but I did away with this to allow more space for the layout beneath}.
I made the 2 frames that I then covered with printed paper & have a little tutorial on that below.

The font I used is called "Amaze".  It was quite tricky working with this sized "layout" which was bigger than a standard 12inch page but smaller than a double-pager.  I had to carefully paper-piece the printed paper together so that the joins were not obvious & so that the text was maximised & strategically placed.
I don't generally make things for other people unless they are gifts.  I find that non-crafty people have little concept of the time, effort & expense that goes into this kind of project.  My friend was of course very grateful though...

This is how the paper looked when it was all glued down to the backing board - there are 3 joins altogether there - can you spot them?
I bought a sheet of this board from a packaging wholesaler, who kindly cut it into 12inch squares for me, to make it simple for me to store with my papers.  It is 3D foamcore board & perfect for making frames, which are really simple, just measure & cut using a non-rotary trimmer so that you can turn the corner at a specific point.

Use your craft knife to cut out the centre section then slash into the corners on the inside of the frame, as illustrated, and slice diagonally across the outside corners, then fold & voila - there you have it!
If you don't have a Making Memories Craft Knife like mine you really need one - it's a must (and comes with stacks of spare blades too).  Just be careful - it's dangerous - once I dropped it into my foot & it stayed there!  I had to pull it out!  Gross!!!

I'm not one to worry about how things look "at the back" as long as they look perfect from the front!
If you want to try this out & don't have the 3D foamcore board you can use the back of a foolscap pad (the thick "chipboard" type cardboard that comes on the back of the exam pads the kids use for school).

My kids all know that as soon as they are finished with their foolscap paper pads they pass the backing cardboard on to me for my stash!
Once you have cut the printed paper you need to apply double-sided tape to the reverse side of the frame then neatly fold the paper backwards behind the frame & adhere.

Flip it over & you should have a perfectly covered frame ready to use on your next layout or off-the-page project!
****PLEASE LOOK HERE AT MY PREVIOUS POST CONTAINING MY RAK GIVE-AWAY****

I have decided to extend the deadline on this until Tuesday 5th of April to allow anyone who would like to enter to have a chance to leave a comment linking me up to a photo of their scrapspace (in an online gallery, old or new blogpost).

I will be back tomorrow to share some BIG NEWS (my final toot - tomorrow) as well as my layout for the very first sketch up at my new DT gig site - Once Upon a Sketch so do pop in again to take a look and please play along - we have some fantastic sponsors lined up for the future and FOUR prizes to give away in April!

Please forgive me if I owe you a bloggy visit - I have just come out of hospital & DH is insisting that I come to bed now so no blog-hopping for me tonight I'm afraid!  But I promise to do my best to visit you all soon!



8 comments:

THERESA said...

This is a job well done, just love it !!! Any DT can be proud to have you on board!! I think the way you take us through all the steps is fantastic, there is so much one can learn, just by taking note, thanks for that!!
NB::: Listen to hubby and rest, most important!!
lotsa luv

Natalie said...

Hi there Helen - you have such an amazing blog - I have been so inspired by your creations. Thanks for dropping by the Imaginarium Designs blog too!
xxxx
Stay Safe
Natalie

Diana said...

Whaaaat? Hospital...? Everything ok...? I hope so!
Love this frame shadow box thing.
"I don't generally make things for other people unless they are gifts. I find that non-crafty people have little concept of the time, effort & expense that goes into this kind of project." 100% agree. It's the same with the workshops too, people don't know how much goes into it and so you can't price it properly. And photography too!

Diana said...

I just saw your LO over at once upon a sketch. What a great site and what a great DT. Did you tell us you had joined that DT? I must have missed that announcement.

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

Great job, your friend is going to treasure this lovely piece!
Go, rest well! Take care!!!

Sabrina Scrapbook said...

Helen, tq so much for sharing this!! Awesome job!! Were you admitted to the hospital? I really hope everything is ok at your side, Helen!! Yeah, please have enough rest before you play with those papers and scissors again. Take care, dear!! xoxo.

Bente Fagerberg said...

This is going to be the pride and joy of that little girl.I can appreciate the amount of work that went into it , but believe me ...It was all worth it. i am sure your friend must have been oh so pleased!!

Heather Jacob said...

wow my gorgeous friend ... this is a stunner... and a great tutorial...so well explained and easy step by step pics .. beautiful ..hugz x