Category Archives: Shabby Chic Project Ideas

Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket

Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket

Today’s project is a Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket.  I was inspired by the many loaded envelopes, pockets and hoops that I’ve been seeing around in the snail mail genre.  These loaded pockets are super easy to make.  You start with a piece of 12×12 double sided designer cardstock, fold in half, and cut one side down to your desired measurement for the pocket.  You can then enclose by adding your Artist Glitter Glue or Scor-Tape, or you can make a couple of expandable gussets and then enclose.

Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket

This Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket was more of a snail mail exercise for me.  I’m really bad about sending out store bought goodies in their original packages, instead of prettying them up! So I took a lesson from my friend Christine, ShabbyPinkHouse on YouTube, and decided to make my packaging look extra special!

Shabby Chic Stamping

As you can see, it really doesn’t take very much to make a package look pretty.  Just trim your paper down to size, fold, use a corner punch to round up the corners, hot glue an embellishment at the center and you’re done!

How to shabby chic packaging

You can even use a stamped sentiment on scraps and turn them into beautiful tags.

Altered memorydex card

Lately I’ve been on an Altered Heidi Swapp MemoryDex Card kick. You’ll see more about it on a later post.  I decided to alter this one with coordinating papers, added my info on the back and it’s done!

Shabby Chic Wands

No snail mail package is complete until you’ve included a wand! I decided on two wands for this Shabby Chic Loaded Envelope.  For this beauty I used the Heartfelt Creations Arianna Lace Craft Dies HCD1-747.

Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket Tutorial

And to decorate the front of my Shabby Chic Loaded Pocket, I simply used odds and ends from my crafting left-overs.

Heartfelt Creations Arianna Lace HCD1-747

I hope that I’ve inspired you in making your very own Loaded Pocket.  Check out my video on YouTube and Subscribe.

Shabby Chic Explosion Box

Shabby Chic Explosion Box

This Shabby Chic Explosion Box was created using the We R Memory Keepers Gift Box Punch Board, and it was super easy to make!

shabby chic box tutorial

Taking into consideration that not everyone has the punch board, I’ve taken the liberty to make a two-part video tutorial for this shabby chic project.  Below you’ll find a tutorial video using the We R Memory Keepers Punch Board; and another tutorial using a score board.

shabby chic mini album tutorial

Both tutorials are super easy to follow and won’t take up too much of your time.

Some of the items that you’ll need to make your very own shabby chic explosion box are the following:

Video Tutorials

I hope that you find these video tutorials helpful.  If you are not already a subscriber to my YouTube channel, go ahead and subscribe.  At Decor8yourlife I do a lot of paper crafting project shares, tutorials, handmade cards, mini albums, traveler’s notebooks, you name it!

Click here to watch my Shabby Chic Box Tutorial.

Bo Bunny Winter Wishes Mini Album

Bo Bunny Winter Wishes Mini Album

This Bo Bunny Winter Wishes Mini Album was created for a swap. I absolutely loved working with this collection. The soft colors and gentle graphics lend themselves to the making of this beautiful Shabby Chic Christmas Mini Album.

Shabby Chic Mini Album Ideas

This Shabby Chic Mini Album was made out of chipboard (for the covers) and paper bags (for the pages).  I used several paper-cutting-dies from Spellbinders to accentuate the top of the tags. I also used the Heartfelt Creations Fleur Borders & Pockets for the pages inside.

Shabby Chic Mini Album

As you can see, I’ve also created several Christmas Cards, box included; and a couple of Gable Boxes for gifting.

Check out the full Shabby Chic Mini Album and Christmas Cards Here

Click here to see some of my other Mini Album creations.

As always, thank you for watching my videos, subscribing to my Youtube Channel and following along in my Blog.  I appreciate your visit. Have a wonderful Holiday and wishing the best for 2018!

Christmas Loaded Bags 2017

Christmas Loaded Bags 2017

Christmas Loaded Bags 2017 – This is my first installment of Christmas Snail Mail Ideas using paper bags.  It’s been awhile since I’ve made a loaded envelope.  If you’ve never heard of loaded envelopes, click here to watch this easy loaded envelope tutorial.

best loaded envelope ideas for 2018

I created this Christmas Loaded Bag for one of my YouTube channel subscribers.  In it she’ll find useful items like Christmas Cards and envelopes, tags, die-cuts for her paper crafting, a metal-cutting-die and a couple of wands to pretty up her Christmas gift wrapping.

Spellbinders Paper Crafting Ideas

List of Supplies

I’ve used several different items in the making of this Christmas Loaded Bag. I wanted to make this gift a one-of-a-kind; and there’s nothing better than your paper-cutting-dies to help you create something spectacular!

Christmas Loaded Gift Bag Project Share

Need some more paper crafting ideas and inspiration? Click here for more project shares and tutorials.

 

Spellbinders NEW Monthly Die Cutting Clubs

Acetate Christmas Cards Tutorial

Acetate Christmas Cards Tutorial

Learn how to make quick and easy Acetate Christmas Cards using Spellbinders and items you may already have in your craft room! In this acetate card tutorial you will learn how to measure and cut your card stock, craft papers, and acetate to make that perfect elegant, sophisticated dimensional Christmas Card.

best christmas cards ideas for 2017

Christmas Card Project Supply List

Some of the items on this list contain links that will take you directly to the product page. You may click on those links if you wish to make a purchase. Thank you.

best acetate card ideas for beginners

Acetate Card Tutorial – It’s an Easy DIY

Shabby Chic Mini Album Tutorial

Shabby Chic Mini Album Tutorial

Shabby Chic Mini Album Tutorial using pocket pages created with the Spellbinders Designer Series Paper Bag Envelope Die-set by Tammy Tutterow.  In this start-to-finish tutorial I will show you how you can easily create and design your very own mini album using these set of dies.

best shabby chic mini album ideas

I also share how you can decorate each and every single page using your dies from Spellbinders!

best shabby chic mini album ideas

With your dies from Spellbinders you are just one die-cut away from making something magnificent! And let’s not forget! Spellbinders also carries a line of beautifully crafted trims and embellishments.

Shabby Chic Mini Album Tutorial

I wanted to keep this Shabby Chic Mini Album Tutorial as easy as can be, so I decided to use my Cinch for the binding. However, you can just as easily use binding rings, be it one two, or three; and decorate them with strips of lace and seam binding for that cute, shabby chic effect.

shabby chic lace mini album tutorial

I hope that you enjoy the video tutorial.  It is a lengthy tutorial since this is a start-to-finish and by all means, either bookmark this page or add the video to your personal YouTube playlist for future reference.

I thank you so very much for visiting my blog, and click here to view my other paper crafting tutorials.

Shabby Chic Mini Album Video Tutorial

 

List of Items I used in this Shabby Chic Mini Album

Mini Album Pages – Spellbinders Designer Series Paper Bag Envelope by Tammy Tutterow S6-118

Tag Toppers – Spellbinders Shapeabilities Victorian Medallion Two S4-443

Cat used on page one – Spellbinders Die D-Lites Purrfect S3-214

Doily used on page one – Spellbinders Shapeabilities Parisian Motifs S5-035

Small Tag on Page two & frame on page three – Spellbinders Die D-Lites Swirl Delight S2-142

Page four large corner embellishments – Spellbinders Die D-Lites Garden Weave S2-006

Vertical Frame on Page five – Spellbinders Die D-Lites Reflection S2-145

Beautiful Flourish Corners on Cover and on back of Pages three and four – Spellbinders Die D-Lites Victoria Corners S2-134

Poinsettia Flower on first page – Spellbinders Holiday Layered Poinsettia S5-055

Beautiful rectangular frame on Front Cover – Spellbinders Die D-Lites Frame One S2-001

Embellishments used on front cover – A gilded Life Antique Gold Trim Embellishments GLVT-003

Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial

Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial

In this Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial I’ll be sharing how I used 12 paper sacks, and 3 pieces of chipboard to make a TWELVE PAGE Paper Bag Mini Album cover to cover!

The video tutorial is kind of lengthy.  It took me several days and lots of hours to film; but I have edited this tutorial the best I could.   I recommend that you bookmark this page, or better yet, subscribe to my YouTube channel and add my video to your personal playlist, for future reference.

Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial

List of Items for this Project

The following is a list of materials that I used in the making of this Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial. I will include links to these materials, when I can.

Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial

Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial

Twelve Page Paper Bag Mini Album Tutorial

 

 

Click here to see my other video tutorials.

Click here to see my other Paper Crafting Tutorial posts.



Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album

Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album Using Spellbinders Dies and Trims

This Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album was a cinch to make!  I used 10 black paper bags, chipboard for the spine, glue to glue down the outside gusset and the pocket folds, double sided tape to adhere the inside gusset to the binding system, several dies from Spellbinders and Trims and Bling from Spellbinders.  I also used papers and other embellishment pieces from my stash.

best paper bag mini album ideas

Paper Bag Mini Album Ten Page Binding System

This Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album measures 7 x 4 3/4 x 2 1/2.  How I wound up with a two and a half inch spine is the following: I knew I wanted to make a ten page mini album, so I used the Hidden Hinge  Binding System, with my own variation.

I simply took an entire piece of 12×12 card-stock, cut it in half, and began scoring at the half inch mark.  The scoring process I used is: half inch, half inch, a quarter inch, half inch, half inch, a quarter inch. I do this all the way to the end of the paper.  The very last score mark will leave you with a gusset that’s a bit smaller than a half an inch; but it still works.  You then do the folds in peaks and valleys. The half inch score lines make the peaks, and the quarter inch score marks are the valleys.  You then use STRONG double sided tape to adhere the inside of your peaks. What was once a 12 inch wide piece of card-stock, is now about 2 and a half inches!

Once you’ve done this you will use double sided tape all through the back of your binding system to adhere it to the spine.  If you are more of a visual learner, and would like me to make a video tutorial on this ten page Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album, let me know in the comments section below.

How I Made the Front and Back Covers

Once you have adhered your binding system to your chipboard spine, it is time to adhere the pages (paper bags).  Tip: It is always a good idea to adhere your papers or card-stock to your paper bags before you adhere the bags to the binding system. However, refrain from decorating them at this time.

I began with my back cover. To adhere your back cover, you will use strong double sided tape.  You must be precise at placing your first “page” down.  This back cover will be your guide.  Tip: You don’t necessarily have to slip your page all the way in the gusset. By leaving a little bit of room, it will be easier to turn the pages once it’s complete.

You will do this for the remainder of the pages, always matching placement to the last page you adhered, until you get to the last page.  Now that you have the front and the back covers to your Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album, it is time to decorate.  Suggestion: Decorate or embellish your inner pages before you do the covers.

best shabby chic mini album ideas

On the front cover I used Beaded Woven Trim (top gold accent piece), Ruffled Loop Trim (surrounding the flowers on lower left corner), and Floral Trim (next to the spine) from the Spellbinders A Gilded Life Antique Gold Trim Embellishments.

I also used fine Beaded Trim along the edges and Ruffled Trim on the spine, from Spellbinders A Gilded Life Ballet Pink Trim Embellishments; and to top of the flower cluster that you see on the bottom left corner, I used a rhinestone from A Gilded Life Jewel Box Buttons Embellishments.

Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album Ideas

On the back cover I used Floral Trim from Spellbinders A Gilded Life Ballet Pink Trim Embellishments.  The other embellishments used were from my stash.

Beautiful Mini Album Tags Using Dies from Spellbinders

It was fairly simple to create these elegant Mini Album Tags. I decided to cut my tags using the Spellbinders Amazing Paper Grace Cascading Grace Pockets.  These mini album tags sit inside the top paper bag pockets and peek through to adorn the mini album beautifully!  You can glue a singular flat-back pearl on top for that additional touch of elegance!

Spellbinders Spellblogger

Shabby Chic Mini Album Ideas

So much detail went into the making of this stunning Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album.  I encourage you to watch the video for the album flip-through.  I absolutely LOVE making these! And with dies, trims and bling from Spellbinders, I know my next mini album will be just as beautiful!

Full List of Spellbinders Dies and Embellishments Used

Click here to view my other Spellbinders Spellblogger projects.

Shabby Chic Paper Bag Mini Album Flip Through

 

Shabby Chic Pocket Letter

Shabby Chic Pocket Letter 2017

This Shabby Chic Pocket Letter was put together for a Giveaway Challenge.  It’s been awhile since I’ve made full size pocket letters. Sure you’ve seen me send out a couple of mini pocket letters here and there; but nothing that required that much on my part.

I knew I wanted to make a Shabby Chic Pocket Letter, but I was a bit intimidated by the entire process. So I went through my stickers and paper bins and this is what I came up with!

Shabby Chic Pocket Letter

Shabby Chic Pocket Letter

To create this pocket letter I used the following items:

Spellbinders Mini Envelope 2 – S4-509

Martha Stewart Punch All Over The Page Pattern Punch-Crochet Flower, 1.5

Photo Play Paper BV2211 Julie Nutting Belle Vie Double-Sided Paper Pad (24 Pack), 6″ by 6″, Multicolor

DCWV Country Life 12×12 Paper Pad

EK tools Paper Punch, Large, Glass Jar

So what do you think of my Shabby Chic Pocket Letter? Now, I need to stuff it with goodies and send it off to Canada! I hope it gets there in time! Thanks for stopping by. See you next time!

Click here for my other Shabby Chic projects and ideas.

 

Accordion Mini Album with Spellbinders A Gilded Life Embellishments (Giveaway Closed)

Accordion Mini Album using Embellishments from Spellbinders!

Accordion Mini Album – Funny thing happened when I posted my Spellbinders Spellblogger DT Package for May (in my  YouTube channel).  Many of you said “I didn’t know Spellbinders sold trims!!!” After the third comment like this, I knew I had made the right choice for my May package!  As a fellow crafter I enjoy diving into many of the popular paper crafting fads of the moment.  But every now and again, I like to take a walk off the beaten path, just to see what I come across with.  And my oh my! Do I have a treat for you!

Spellbinders has this amazing luxury trims, bling, and metals line called A Gilded Life.  Their trims are very beautiful, easy to work with, and very affordable.  Not only did I use trims from A Gilded Life in my Gift Card Holder Tote Bags, but I decided to put them to good use in this beautiful and very glamorous Accordion Mini Album as well.

Accordion Mini Album

This accordion mini album stands at 6 x 4 1/4 with 10 spots for your favorite pictures in the pages within.  It has a black with gold dots ribbon closure, and the front is decorated with many elements from Spellbinders.  On the top you see a die-cut using Spellbinders Die D-Lites Swirl Delight S2-142, and on that die-cut I decided to add a Jeweled Boxed  Button GLB-002.  Underneath the Swirl Delight die-cut I hot glued a strip of bling from the Spellbinders A Gilded Life Antique Gold Trim Embellishments GLVT-003.  On each of the sides I added a piece of floral trim from A Gilded Life Ballet Pink Trim Embellishments GLVT-004.  The pearl trims are from my stash; and the beautiful die cut flower is from Spellbinders Die D-Lites Blooms Three S2-046.

Accordion Mini Album

So this blog post concludes my Spellbinders Spellblogger projects for the month of May. I hope that you have enjoyed your visit with me; and I want to thank you for taking the time out to comment on my blog posts and watching my videos.  Good Luck in the giveaway. I will have a winner announcement up on my YouTube on Saturday, May 27th.   For the rules and how to enter my Handmade Prize Package Giveaway, please visit my first blog post of this series by clicking here.

Accordion Mini Album

And friends, don’t just take my word for it, you MUST visit the Spellbinders A Gilded Life page to see all of the affordable, luxurious crafty items they have in store for you!

Accordion Mini Album
Handmade Giveaway Prize Package

 

 

Shabby Chic Craft Ideas and Altered Projects

Shabby Chic Craft Ideas and Altered Projects

Today I’m sharing some Shabby Chic Craft Ideas and altered shabby chic projects.  Hi and welcome to Decor8yourlife! The blog that is!  I’ve been super busy getting my shabby on, and I can’t wait to share it with you! First and foremost, Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there. This is your weekend. Do what ever you please. You’ve earned it! For me, I’m keeping busy redecorating the family room and moving things around in my craft room.  It’s busy work I know, but I actually enjoy it!

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been getting my shabby on! My first project is an altered shabby chic egg carton.  This shabby chic egg carton was created for an Instagram swap. I loved how it turned out and best of all, the recipient loves it as well!  The Paris Theme Mini Album leans more towards the Shabby Glam side; but I guess it can be classified as Shabby Chic? I made this Gatefold Mini Album using the Frank Garcia base. Since I didn’t create this mini album from scratch, I will have to call it an altered project. This is my second mini album that I’ve created using the Prima mini albums by Frank Garcia. They’re well made, sturdy and easy to work with. The only thing about them is, is that you can’t embellish the inside pages as much as you may want to. However, with the beautiful Prima papers you let the papers speak for themselves!

Shabby Chic Craft Ideas     Shabby Chic Craft Ideas

Shabby Chic Craft Ideas

In my Shabby Chic frenzy, I also created some gift bags, embellishments, and Rosettes.  Now I know that everyone likes to turn their paper rosettes into wands. My thinking is however, what if the recipient wants to use the rosette embellishment on a card, mini album or any other project they like? So I left them without the straws.

Some of the items I used in the making of these projects were:

So what do you think of all these shabbilicious goodness??? Pretty cool hu? LOL  Click here if you want to see other projects using Spellbinders Dies.

 

And please, don’t be shy. Leave me a comment 😉 Until next time.

 

Shabby Chic Shadow Box Tutorial

Shabby Chic Shadow Box Tutorial | Design Team Project for KS4U

I must admit, writing out a tutorial is not my forte. However I’ll do my best to jot down all the steps I took in the making of this shabby chic shadow box.

I begin with a 6 ½ x 6 ½ shadow box. I then cut 4 pieces of pretty paper according to the dimensions of the box openings, and distress them a bit with gesso around the edges.  Just a light sweep with a dry brush will do. I then use glue to adhere the paper to the openings. This will serve as the backdrop to my shadow box.

On the top row I adhere pink roses from the shop. The foam pink rose is secured on a metal filigree; and the metal filigree is hot-glued to the center of the paper.

For the lower half opening, I glued down the backdrop paper. I then cut a smaller piece to add as a frame for what I’m about to add to the lower half. This “frame” is distressed around the edges for that shabby effect. I then cut two smaller squares of paper, distress around the edges, adhere one to the “frame” at an angle, cut a piece of lace and adhere it to the square, add foam squares to the other square piece and with hot glue, adhere it on to the lace.

I then fussy cut a flower bush from the paper collection, score about half an inch at the bottom, fold along the score line and glue this piece to the bottom of the shadow box. I then cut a piece of applique from one of the laces and adhere that to the upper ledge so that it freely dangles over the flower bush.

I make a rose “vase” by wrapping a pink rose, some pink bead spray and white pearl spray, with some pink trim. I then hot glue this vase on the bottom left corner.

To adorn the edges of the shadow box, I apply several trims; and run some flat back pearls to adorn the laces. I then use a die-cut butterfly to add on top of the pink laces.

On top of the shadow box, I added a white-painted wooden filigree. I then adorned that filigree with a rhinestone crown.

At the bottom of the shadow box, I hot glued two silver-tone metal filigrees and topped them with one singular pink flower right in the middle!

If you would like to see more of this Shabby Chic Shadow Box, check out my video. For more crafty goodness, follow my blog, subscribe to my YouTube Channel, and click on the links to the side to follow my social media for the behind the scenes stuff!

Shabby Chic Spiral Notebook | Shabby Chic Project Ideas

Shabby Chic Spiral Notebook | Design Team Project & Giveaway

Shabby Chic Spiral Notebook – I used papers and chipboard from my stash; and my cinch binding machine to create this spiral notebook. However, you can easily decorate the cover to any spiral notebook you already have.

To add a touch of elegance to the inside front and back covers, I used Pink Scalloped Trim.

I decided to glue down a piece of craft color card stock on the cover. (approx.. 9×7). The card-stock serves as a strong paper base, where I can glue other items on to. I then added Gold Embroidered Tulle Lace on the edge on one side of the card stock, and a scalloped stretch trim on the other side.

I then took a piece of grey corrugated paper (approx.. 9×6) to lay my design on. I cut two Square Silver Metal Filigrees right down the middle. These served as the corner pieces. To accentuate the metal corners, I used Flatback Pearl Buttons.

I used tags and stickers from my stash on the upper part. To decorate the bottom third of the corrugated paper, I layered several trims. First I glued the gold dangle trim. I then glued the French Script Trim on top of it. I then glued down the Pink Gimp Trim, and right on the edge, I glued down the flat back pearl trim for that finishing touch.

To accentuate the trims, I used a Silver Wrap Filagree with a Rhinestone Cameo on the center.  Once I was done decorating the corrugated paper, I adhered it to the cardstock, using double sided tape and scraps of chipboard, for that dimensional effect.

Shabby Chic Ideas

 

Shabby Chic Altered Clock Tutorial

Shabby Chic Altered Clock Tutorial using the Tim Holtz Idea-ology clock.  Hello! and welcome to my blog! In this post I share with you how I altered this beautiful shabby chic clock using items from Shabby is Chic Boutique. I’m so super excited, as this is the first mixed-media project that I’ve done in a while, and it turned out super fabulous if I should say so myself! And I have!

shabby chic clock          shabby chic altered clock tutorial

How To: The first Step in this Shabby Chic Altered Clock Tutorial is an obvious one, you take the clock apart.  Then apply gesso on the clock surface you’ll be working with (the inside and out).  Allow the gesso to dry and apply a second coat.

Next you will tear some strips of scrapbook paper (the thinner the sheet the better), you may also use napkins if you wish. Decoupage the torn strips on the clock. Pressing firmly with your brush, ensuring there are no air bubbles left.  For this altered clock, I chose to apply the strips sparingly, as I wanted to paint some of the surface. I painted areas with a light green chalk paint, and I painted the inside of the clock as well.

Once the paint was dry, I applied some white gesso sparingly on both the painted outside area, and on the decoupaged area.  Once this was dry, I sprayed several shades of glimmer mist to add some sparkle to the clock.

For the back (lid) portion of the clock, I took 2 pieces of 6×6 scrapbook paper, traced around the lid, and cut two circles.  On the circle that was to go on top, I cut a slit almost to the center, then took the edges and rolled them with a pencil.  I also distressed the edges of the circle.

I then glued the first circle down (on the part that I had applied gesso to earlier), then I glued the distressed (rolled edges) circle on top of it.  I continued to cut small strips of paper and glued them on the lid.  My last layer was a strip of Cream Crochet Trim.

I then used glossy accents to adhere the Silver Wrap Filigree on top of the trip. I also used glossy accents to adhere the flat back pearl button on top of the metal embellishment.  I applied several Mini Foam Roses and Pink Teardrop Sprays along the side, and topped it off with some paper butterflies.  I popped the lid back on the clock and began embellishing the outside.

For the outside embellishments, I begin with Cream Crochet Trim, then applied the Brown Tassel Trim on the top.  I then applied the flat-back pearl trim along the clock frame.  I also embellish the bell portions of the clock with trims and flat back pearls. I used seam-binding to make a bow and adhered it to the side.  I continued adding Mini Foam Roses, paper punched butterflies, metal embellishment, and used a Rhinestone Cameo to dress up the Rose Gold Metal Bow.

I also have a video tutorial for this clock. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, if you enjoy crafty videos! Let me know, in the comments section below, if this Shabby Chic Altered Clock Tutorial was helpful to you and what other projects you would like to see in my blog and in my youtube channel.

*Since the making of this tutorial, Shabby is Chic Boutique is no longer in business. However, you can find many of the items mentioned in this tutorial at KS4U.*