Fathers Day gift idea ...

With Fathers Day just around the corner I have a paper collage picture doubling up as both a card and a gift to share with you today.

Decide on the size of picture that you want (to fit your frame) and print the template of the boat in a size that will fit.

Cut a piece of base cardstock the correct size for your frame.  The picture will be stuck to this base card which will then fit into the frame.

Begin by cutting strips of white cardstock (make sure that they are all the same thickness and that you have enough to cover your base card). Edge each with a little peanut ink.

Stick the edged strips into place on the base card leaving about 1mm gap between each strip.

Once all are stuck into place take a 'bluntish' soft pencil and run the pencil along each of the gaps to create the shadow and weathered board effect (N.B. a sharp pencil will leave a harsh line, one with a rounded end will work better).

Once the background has been created it is simply a case of cutting parts of the template out one by one and tracing them onto your patterned paper, cut out, edge with ink and add to your picture.

The effect on the sail was achieved by tracing and cutting out the sail template parts and carefully scrunching up each piece.

(N.B.  Scrunching up the piece of paper will make it slightly smaller once flattened.  It is a good idea to trace the sails in pencil {lightly] and then cut just outside of your pencil line.  This way you will make the sails slightly larger which will scrunch up and become the overall size that you need for the picture - remember to erase the pencil line!)

  Once you are happy that you have scrunched enough, flatten out the pieces and gently take a brown ink pad to dab over the pieces.  Using a dye based ink pad like a Memento ink pad works really well for this technique as the ink pad will have a felt pad instead of sponge and so the ink will sit on top of the creases - remember to tap the ink gently onto each sail!

Stick into place with double sided tape but allow the sail to move a little on the base card by pushing with your fingers to get a feel of movement instead of sticking it flat.

The number on the sail was a rub on with a weathered feel which makes the piece of paper look even more like a canvas/sail.

Once the collage is finished a black gel pen can be used to create a little more definition to the picture.

Finally add a stitch around the mount on the frame with a pencil and stick triangles of nautical paper to a separate piece of cardstock.  Cut the bunting out in one long strip and attach to the picture so that it sits over the mount and the picture.

Add your sentiment to the bottom of the frame or add it to the back and there you have it - a card and gift all wrapped up in one!

Products used can be seen by linking through to the website (just click on the link) as always.

Happy crafting!