Let's Get Messy!: Laugh - Couture Creations DT Reveal

Friday, 4 April 2014

Laugh - Couture Creations DT Reveal

Hello and welcome to my very first reveal on the Couture Creations Design Team! For this project I have created a layout with a focus on polaroid frames, which seem to be a trend that is here to stay. Couture Creations has a specific Polaroid Film die (CO723525) but I have chosen to create my own using the square and rectangular nesting dies.

So let's get started on how to make this layout yourself:

1/ Cut a 5cm strip of black Core'dinations Cardstock with a blue core. Emboss this with the Jo Jo embossing folder, making sure it comes through with the raised design on the black side. Because of the slit in the top of the folder it's easy to get the whole 12" in a continuous pattern by running it through three times. Take your sanding block and gently rub this over the cardstock to reveal the blue core in the embossed areas.

2/ Tear this strip in half, working diagonally across the length of the stip. Adhere these two strips to the top and bottom of a sheet of white cardstock.

3/ Placed some Gem Stones in the centre of every second 'X' in the embossed design.

4/ Make your polaroid frame by selecting the size square and rectangular nesting dies that best suit your LO. I used the second biggest rectangle and third biggest square. Line them up and then tape the two long sides of the dies together so the frame wont move as you cut (see picture below).

5/ Pick three different double sided papers from the Damask Delight paper pad, chose carefully as we will be using both sides of the paper. I love the vibrant colours of this range so it was hard for me to narrow it down to three. Cut a strip of paper just slightly wider than your rectangle frame and die cut three polaroid frames from each strip. Make sure you keep the inner square as well. If you pick a paper with lines, make sure they are straight (I didn't quite get this right and it's left a confusing optical illusion in my bottom left frame).

6/ The layout only needs six frames so play around with your layout and chose which six you want to keep. You can see I've used the reverse side on some of the frames too. Once you've chosen the six you want to use, ink the inner and outer edges of them all with black ink.

7/ The two photo frames are the simplest one to create. Attach each frame to your photo using double sided foam tape to add dimension. Trim your photo so it doesn't show outside the frame. Adhere Pearls to the corners of one and a rub-on the bottom of the other.

8/ For the rest of the frames pick a contrasting centre square and tape this on the back to form backgrounds.

9/ Two of the frames have used Couture Creations die cut embellishments. The one of the left has a doily attached to the top. I have then cut the classy lady out of black cardstock from the 1950's Albert and Simonetta die. It has a lightly embossed area for the dress and hat which I have outlined in white gel pen and then coloured the interior areas with Glitzin Glamour in Lilac. The one of the left has the other half of the doily attached, along with an embellishment cluster of a Wedding Rose die cut and some flowers, finished off with a washi tape banner.

10/ To create the frame on the left, fussy cut some butterflies from the Damask Delight paper range. Mount them with foam tape to give the wings the illusion of curling up. Take a length of white cotton and curl it around randomly before taping in place to the back of the frame. The one of the right just has a cluster of brads and a vinyl flourish.