Scraps and Stuff

Places We Go Mini Album

2009-10-07T08:03:00.003-04:00

I found this mini album at Michaels on clearance for 70 cents. It was just so cute I couldn't resist. I had never worked with a shaped mini before, and once I got the cover the way I wanted it, I really enjoyed it. The cover was just flat chipboard and I really had a hard time figuring out what to do with it. I covered it in paper, and tried a few things, but I was lacking dimension, so I traced and cut out another car out of thick corrogated cardboard. I cut windows into that and sandwiched some Sassafrass Lass between the layers. I cut the things that go over the wheels out of the thicker cardboard as well, and covered the whole thing in thick Gesso. I pained it bright red over that. Once I got the cover done the rest was easy. Well, thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great day.

Grungepaper Button Jar

2009-10-04T10:33:00.005-04:00

While we are on the subject of grungepaper (we were on the subject of grungepaper, right?) I want to post a project I did quite a while ago, but never posted. I made this out of an empty jar of spagetti sauce ('cause you know how I hate to throw anything away). I made the topper just a little bit larger than the jar lid and it fits very snugly. I wanted brighter colors, so I basecoated the grungepaper in white and then used Dusty Concord and Broken China Distress Ink to color it. The stitching was done by piercing the holes first and then going back and stitching. The backround stamp is Prima and the bird is a Tim Holtz stamp.

Along the bottom of the jar I cut two layers of 'grass' by hand, inked them with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink, and used some Tim Holtz stamps on the backround. I added some Patina stickles in a couple areas for a little more texture. I absolutly love how the grungepaper could curl and hold it's sahpe. Super cool stuff. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Grungepaper Roses

2009-10-01T18:16:00.005-04:00

You know how there are those projects that you always intend to do? You see something and say, wow, that is neat. So you go out, but the stuff and it sits around forever, just waiting for you to get to it? That was me with the grungepaper flowers.

But today I finally sat down and made a couple. The lavender one I used my Cricut Plaitin Schoolbook cartridge to cut out 2 1/2 inch flowers, and the brown flower I made a template. Who knew Vintage Photo Distress Ink matches my favorite hat exactly?! I used the tutorial on Wendi Vecci's blog

I had one fine time getting any adhesive to work. I eventually just got out my glue gun and used hot glue to hold it together. I used Distress Ink in Dusty concord and Vintage Photo, Stayzon ink in Timber brown and some Vanilla Breeze glimmer mist.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

2009-09-30T14:30:00.002-04:00

I've been going through a bunch of older pictures. The pics on this layout are from when my sweet little Kevin was only 5 months old! I had a bunch of scraps from my Sassafras Lass Hog Wild collection and I cut them up into little strips, sewn down the middle. I got the idea from the Prima blog and I thought it was a great way to use up all of those itty bitty scraps!

JacksonBelle Tuesday Challenge

2009-09-28T10:00:00.004-04:00

Well, I went a little overboard with this one. The challenge was to make a card with some of the new products in the Jacksonbelle store, and when I started with the Earth Love paper by Cosmo Cricket, I just couldn't stop, LOL! Sometimes you just get in one of those moods. you know? And I simply adore Stampavie stams! While I was making cards I decided to do another Jacksonbelle challenge, from the week before. The challenge was to make a Halloween card. I don't know if the previous weeks challenge is an entry to the contest or if it isn't , but I used this inkadinkado stamp and a little kitty die cut from Paper Doll Dress up. The paper is Cloud 9. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a great day!

Because you should never waste the Sass

2009-09-24T12:13:00.004-04:00

This week I decided to try something new and play along with Pink Sketches. Here is what I came up with for Sketch 46.

I absolutly loved Sassafras Lass's Hog Heaven collection. I've never use a paper pack so thoroughly before. I even used the backing sheet that the sticker letters came from on this layout! I also used some trim, grungepaper hearts and buttons from my stash. Thanks so much for looking. Have a great day!

Some new cards to share

2009-09-19T16:35:00.004-04:00

I got a little time to be creative this afternoon. Thank you Kevin for taking an extra long nap for Mama! I made a birthday card for my youngest nephew. It's not his birthday yet, but since he can't read I feel safe posting it. ~wink~ I used the Card Positioning System sketch of the week. They have a really fantastic prize up for grabs. I used an inkjet transparancy for the center portion of my card. I went into Microsoft Word and used the 'wordart' feature to get the font that way. I like that it adds a shadow effect behind the words. In this picture you can se the 'transparency' part better. The patterned paper is DCWV and the stamp is Martha Stewart. After I finished this card I went out to check the mail. I had the happiest little suprise in there! My buddy Shemaine sent me some sweet goodies and I immediatly went to work with them! Sarah Kay reminds me of my sister, Joy. So I colored her in to match! I used this weeks sketch at 2sketches4you. Stamped image is Sarah Kay and patterned paper is Cosmo Cricket.

Creativity is...

2009-09-17T10:58:00.005-04:00

I wanted to share a little project I did a few months ago. I bought a bunch of teas that came in boxes. The boxes were so cute, that I ended up buying a lot more tea then I needed. I love recycled crafty goodness! I also love this quote stamp by Tim Holtz. "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to check out the Creative Mini Albums Blog. My work is being featured there this week!

Operation Showers of Appreciation

2009-09-07T22:03:00.003-04:00

Check out this amazing quilt! Isn't it fab? Jessica made it. I just love her sense of style. She is quite the crafty one. And she uses the word 'gnarly' in sentences. What could be better? Jessica made this quilt to be raffled off by Scrapbook Royalty. 100% of the proceeds are going to benefit Operation Showers of Appreciation. Go ahead, click on the link. I'll wait. Anyhow, for those of you that didn't click on the link...Operation Showers of Appreciation is a volunteer based organization that assists active duty and active duty reserve military and their families expecting babies. OSOA honors these families for the many sacrifices they have made in a unique way by providing baby items and hosting large scale baby showers in their honor. I am a military wife myself. My husband is in the Navy Reserves. While I was pregnant with our son my husband was away with the Navy. Fourtunatly, with him being in the Reserves I was still around my family and friends who helped me get through the complications of my pregnancy and take care of me through 4 months of bedrest. I really feel for the military wives that DON'T have family around to help. I know first hand how tough deployments are on families, so this is really dear to my heart.

Buy your tickets here

You can purchase one ticket for $5 and for every $20 you spend you get two extra tickets. How awesome would it be to win this? And even if you don't win, you get the warm fuzzy feeling inside of you when you do something nice for someone.

A Day in the Life

2009-09-04T15:25:00.007-04:00

I started this mini album ages ago, but I only got around to finishing it last week. The cover started with an inspiration from my friend Shemaine, I loved how she used crackle paint on exposed corrugated cardboard. I used a box I had and just stripped the top layer off of it. I used some paper from Prima, some trim that I got on clearance, rub ons and Thickers by American Crafts and the flower and butterfly pin were yard sale treasures.For the inside of the book I used coordinating papers from Daisy Ds. I also used my Basic Grey journal stamps. Believe it or not I never thought of using them on patterned paper before.

I have a huge stash of vintage buttons and a they really coordinated nicely with the paper. I used some Prina Say it in Crystals on the page above.

The felt die cut is Prima and for the bird I used the negative of my die cut. I inked it with Distress Ink and used it as a mask, stamping over top of it. The tickets are Mellisa Frances.The pages of the album itself are made from cereal boxes. I love projects that use things that would otherwise be thrown out. The mats for the pictures are made from the same box I made the cover of the album with. I just painted them with crackle paint.

I really enjoyed making this mini. It really is amazing what you can do with some pretty patterned paper and cereal boxes. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a great weekend.ETA sorry the pictures are a little weird. Our other computer is in the shop for a few days, and that is where my jpegs are stored. I'll fix the pictures when it comes home.

Hey Dad!

2009-09-01T16:25:00.002-04:00

Eventually, you reach the place in your life where you aren't scrapping 'cute' stuff about your kids anymore. It's a lot fun to scrap first smiles and the adorable antics of toddlerhood, but you wake up one day and your kid is 11. Thank God I still have Kevin. This page is about Larry and Noah's obsession with Death Match. ~Rolling eyes~ I don't get it, but they bond over virtually killing each other. Noah's code word for it is DM (because I am an overprotective parent who refuses to allow her 2 year old to view violence and he sweetly took it a step further by not saying the word 'death'). I used Basic Grey papers for this one. Thanks for stopping by and have a great September!

You Are My I Love You

2009-08-25T08:51:00.004-04:00

Here is a layout I made following a sketch on Inspired Blueprints. This photograph means so much to me. My sister took it of Kevin and I. We were playing around with the settings. And I wish we could say we did it on purpose, but... Anyhow, I think this photograph just captures the essence of our relationship, just WHO we are together. For the layout I used Fancy Pants Daydreams collection. Yes, I used pink and purple to do a layout of my little boy, but this is for my album, not his, so I figured I would try to get away with it. Thanks for stopping by today.

Aloha!

2009-08-22T13:58:00.003-04:00

Two posts in one day, isn't that a treat. I almost forgot that today is the deadline over at 2 sketches 4 you challenge blog. I made this card using Imaginescince snag 'ems stamps (Now available at Michaels- YAY) I saw these at my LSS, didn't buy them and then next thing I knew they were out of business. So I was really happy to get these little guys at last. I wanted to stamp an 'Aloha' sentiment on the card, but I had a problem with doing it on the glittered paper. So, instead of ruining my card, I put the sentiment on the inside. I colored in the Penguins with Radient Pearls and some watercolors. Thanks so much for looking.

Circular Layout Summer Means

2009-08-22T08:52:00.004-04:00

I don't really do many shaped layout, but this was a challenge at embellished.ning.com a couple weeks ago. I used some Scenic Route paper. I loved the summery look of it. Also appearing are another part of the jeans I cut up. I made the tree paper piecing a while ago following a pattern from Scrapbooks Etc. I actually have a nicer tree that Jill made for me in a swap, but this was on my table and in hand's reach, so on it went. I made the title letters with my Cricut and inked and sketched around them to give them a little more interest. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great day.

An American Boy

2009-08-16T16:50:00.002-04:00

I did this layout following Becky Fleck's pagemaps contest sketch. I love the pagemaps sites, but I most often use the card maps. The theme for the contest is Summer, and you can't get anymore summertime than 4th of July. I combined paper from My Mind's Eye, Sassafras Lass, and K&Co. I use a piece of denim to mat the photo. The alphabets are doodlebug and KI memories. Thanks so much for looking. Have a fantastic day.

Amazing Eyes

2009-08-15T15:48:00.003-04:00

I made this layout for a contest over on the Embellished.ning group. I didn't get very far in the contest. I guess you win some and you lose some. I love entering challenges though because, even if you lose, you got inspired and motivated to make something. That is almost a prize in itself. I really love how the layout turned out. I stamped the piece of plain canvas under the picture with Red Brick Distress Ink. Then I frayed the edges a bit to give it more of a distressed look. This is one of my favorite recent pictures of Kevin. The kid has amazing eyes, so I am very happy with the picture and I'm very happy that it is scrapped and in the books, so to speak.

These kids grow like weeds!

2009-07-25T12:46:00.000-04:00

I sometimes look at the kids and wonder where time has gone. It is amazing how they continue to grow and change each day. For the 'TWO' layout I used some Fancy Pants paper that I adore. I've been hoarding it forever and I'm really sad that I cut into it. I also repurposed a pair of jeans that were torn I frayed them a bit extra for the look I wanted. The idea of gluing it down or busting out the sewing machine at that moment gave me a headache, so I used my trusty stapler. I really like how it turned out. In this layout I used some older Basic Grey paper that I loved. I also used some felt and vinyl thickers. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a fantastic weekend!

Friday Faves

2009-07-24T10:20:00.006-04:00

Wow, I really had planned on updating a little more this week. I had layouts and everything. Serious! But we snuck in a mini vacation to Knobles this weekend. I went camping in a tent for the first time. We had a great time. And it's just been a little bit of a crazy, short week. So, for now I will give you my fave fives of the week, but stay tuned for some layouts and stuff tomorrow . 1. This week would have to be Knobeles. It's fun, and very family and budget friendly. All of their prices are reasonable, even on the concessions. We really loved it. 2. Pain medicine. Of any kind, but mostly Aleve today. I'm still having pain from the car accident I was in a couple months ago. And I got my back readjusted. Now nobody can say I'm out of whack. Anyhow, Aleve is my friend today. 3.Summer CHA. Nothing is more fun than looking out for sneak peeks from my favorite manufacturers.Search #chasummer on twitter so you don't miss a beat! craft and hobby association 4.Photo editing software. The software that came with my camera is complicated. I'm still learning it. But I've been using Aurora and I really like how easy it is to use. I love how it shows you how different things will look in one screen. And it is really cool that sometimes you can take a really crappy photo and make it much better and more interesting through the editing. 5.The way a two year old, who is learning to talk says things. Kevin's vocabuary is just growing by the minute. And the way he says things just kills me (oh, wait, that is my back...) Favorite new words this week include Choceeeeee!! (that would be chocolate) and Drackee!(tractor)and sh*t (meaning SHIRT) but it really makes us giggle when he says it. Blogger is not letting me upload pictures at this point :( But I'll try to come back and add some in later

Friday Faves

2009-07-17T08:22:00.004-04:00

Well, everybody is doing Friday faves, so I'm just gonna hop on the bandwagon with you all. Pretty sure I owe someone credit for this, but I don't know who. 1.My first fave is my friends. Particularly Danielle, Jill and Amy, who gave me blog awards. And I've been lame and doing other stuff and I haven't had a chance to pa pass it along. But they are my girls and they are sweet. I'm lucky to have them in my life. 2. Potty training. Our first day of potty training went really well. I will spare you the gruesome details that only a mommy could love. But we are getting there and I think that Kevin is finally ready! 3. Goodnight Moon, by Margret Wise Brown. I've always wanted to read with Kevin. But he is not the sort of kid that sits still. EVER. And lately he is wanting me to read to him. I've already read Goodnight Moon to him twice today. 4. Magic Jack. You pay 40 bucks for it at Walmart, Plug it into your computer and plug it into your phone. And your calls are free for a year. I ended up calling the phone company and switching to the bare bonesiest non package thing they have for 15 bucks a month (since we get out Internet through the phone company and I wanted to keep my phone number). The Magic Jack does give you a new phone number, but that is the only downside that I see. We will save $430.00 off of our phone bill this year. That is a lot of paper. 5. PBS I used to watch it when I was a kid, before my mother went nuts and threw out our television. I love watching Mr.Rodgers and Sesame Street with Kevin because they are the same shows that I watched as a kid. I'm not going to lie, Sesame Street has changed a lot. It took me a while to warm up to it. But Kevin loves it. He really really does. And motherhood is all about compromises. Happy Friday, Peeps!

Noah Layouts

2009-07-16T12:24:00.002-04:00

Well, I figured out why I am so behind on Noah's book. It's really hard to scrap boys. Little boys aren't as bad, but there are not a whole lot of embellishments for older boys. And I may be able to get away with a flower or two on Kevin's pages, but it ain't gonna fly with Noah. I've completed a few layouts. more of those are to come. The Wiffle Ball layout is on Cosmo Cricket paper and the green pleated paper is Basic Grey. I think it is the least expensive layout I've ever made in my life. The CC and BG papers I bought on clearance for a quarter each. The cardstock I used for matting and title was 6/96 cents at JoAnns, and the little pebbles were on clearance at Target for 75 cents. I have a couple metal K& Co elements that I was given long ago . It's simple and inexpensive, but I think it really works in this layout. I love this layout. the paper is also Cosmo Cricket and Basic Grey as well. I got the trim on clearance at JoAnns. I used some faux Say it in pearls and some American Crafts stickers and Thickers.

What I've been up to....

2009-07-15T09:21:00.007-04:00

Well, it's been awhile. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. For the sake of explanation, here is a list of the top 5 things I've been doing while my poor neglected scrap stuff is gathering dust. 5. I've been summering. Trips to the park, playing in the back yard with my little guy. He keeps asking to go " 'side, 'side, Mama!" How can you say no to that? 4. Noah has been spending more time with us while he is off school. I can't tell you how excited we all are about this. He's never spent extra time during the summer with us. It is so nice to have him here more. Kevin just adores spending time with his brother. Every morning he wakes up and looks for Noah. And with an extra family member, comes a little less time for myself and a little extra laundry. I don't mind at all, he is so worth it. 3. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Wow, does it never end? Please don't answer that. If I find out it doesn't end I might just never clean again. My sweet husband likes things a bit more clean than I do. I'm a bit more laid back. I like things clean, don't get me wrong, but I find a lot of the things that I do, I do for him, not really for myself. And with a 2 year old and a 10 year old, it can get pretty messy. Given a choice between a messy floor and scrapping, I choose scrapping. The floor will get messy again, but mojo only lasts so long. Memories are forever. Or so I tell myself. 2. My scrappiness went on vacay. It forgot to take me with it. I have actually been trying to scrap. I've just had a really hard time finishing projects and liking what I have been doing. I think it has more to do with my mood than with the actual scrappiness itself, but that is a theory. Perhaps I forgot how to scrap at all . 1. My husband bought me the camera of my dreams. No lie. For our 5th wedding anniversery he gave me a Cannon Rebel xsi 12.2 mp camera, with an extra zoom lens. And I've been photographing a LOT. And I've had to spend a lot of time learning the camera. I used to shoot with a Cannon Rebel 2000 before I got my digital camera. And I learned a lot on that one, but it is incomperable to a DSLR for learning. I love instant feedback. Plus if I had to develop those shots, I would be millions of dollars in debt. So, I guess the short story is I've been trying to find balance in an ever changing life. I'm off to scrap, now that the baby is sleeping. Let's hope I have something spectacular to show you tomorrow (or even tonight)!

2009-06-23T14:09:00.002-04:00

I did this layout a couple weeks ago. I guess I had forgotten to post it. I loved this picture of Kevin and it was in the pile that i was 'saving'. Saving for what, I have no idea, but I think it looks great with these Jenni Bowlin papers. I used a piece if cardboard for a bit of texture, and painted it with Tim Holtz crackle pain in Walnut Stain. Thanks for looking and have a fantastic day!

Scrapping out Loud

2009-06-05T11:05:00.006-04:00

I made this first layout for the challenge over at Scrapping out Loud. The challenge was to use a rub on directly on your photograph. It's a technique that I've loved to do for a long time. I just love what it adds to the photograph. And "Who is that adorable child?", you may ask? Why. me of course! This is a layout of my childhood trip to Germany to visit my maternal grandparents. This layout I made for Vintage Plum last week. The paper for both of these layout is Prima's Nursery Tales. I really adore the paper, but find it really hard to work with. You know when you get in that magical zone when the layouts just make themselves practically? Well, this paper doesn't do it for me. I think I just really love dramatic contrasts and this is just more ...not contrasting. LOL Thanks so much for looking! Have a super sweet day!

These Beautiful Days

2009-06-03T09:39:00.004-04:00

Here is a layout I made for the Paper Posies crop. I saw a beautiful layout while I was blog hopping and I forgot where it was, but I followed the sketch of her layout. The beautiful lolipop flowers were made by Pauline. The paper I used is by Prima, and the trim was from the craft store. I made the flourishes with black stickles. The letter stickers are Rebecca Sower, I believe. ***ETA I refound the bolg I scraplifted from! it's simplyabundant.typepad.com. Her layouts are beyond amazing and worth a look, for sure!***

Some cards I made this weekend

2009-06-01T11:45:00.002-04:00

Paper Posies had their anniversery crop this weekend. I love crops because with the variety of challenges and short deadlines I make a lot of things in a short period of time. It's always nice to have extra cards around, just in case you need one. I hate making cards at the last minute. Thanks for looking and have a super sweet day!

Childhood Memories

2009-05-27T12:49:00.003-04:00

r I went to a yard sale (oh how I love yard sales) a couple weekends ago and I found some Radiant Rains paint. I'm just in love with the way it gives a bit of shine. The effect is like glimmer mist only I don't end up cursing like a sailor when it destroys a project I spent hours working on. It's a paint, so it is much more precise. I played around with it on this layout. I did the flowers, the frame (which started out mauve- I painted it with white acrylic gouache and then used the RR over it). I did the outer bracket in a moss green. I also wanted to play with some Texture Magic by Delta ( I think...) I put a thick layer around the edge of the layout. It warped a bit, but it should be fine once it is in the page protector. That's about all I have for today. Thanks for looking and have a super sweet day!

2009-05-22T08:56:00.002-04:00

Well, this is not the world's most masculine page. It's for my son's book. I know he probably isn't going to be too thrilled with it, but I LOVE how it turned out. I used white Bazzil cardstock and some Fancy Pants paper, the scallop is Sassafras Lass, I used Prima flowers, black Prima Say it in Crystals and some lace that they had on clearance at JoAnns. I don't remember what sort of chipboard the letters were. Some are Daisy Hill and another company. I painted the chipboard white and then used some doodlebug glitter on it. The credit for the sketch goes to Scrapbooks Etc. Thanks for looking, and have a super sweet day!

Fussy Cut Layout for Vintage Plum Star Search

2009-05-19T09:00:00.004-04:00

I fell in love with Prima's Mommy and Me line. It was just sooooooooo cute. I ordered some online from A Cherry On Top with my gift certificate that I won. And, when I first read the challenge on Vintage Plum, I knew these would be the perfect papers to use. I fussy cut all of the little animals out. Some are on pop dots, and some I altere by cutting out different bodies to go with the heads. Isn't the little froggie ADORABLE??? And I had to add some Hedgehogs from Sassafras Lass. I did some hand stitching with embroidery floss. Let me tell ya, that took forever, but I think it is worth the extra effort. I don't really feel like stitching anything by hand for a while though! I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but the trees are glittered. I used DCVV's Boy Nursery collection, Making Memories Noteworth Notebook from the Chole's Closet collection . The ticket is from Melissa Frances. Thanks for looking, and have a beautiful day!

Unique

2009-05-17T14:30:00.003-04:00

I was looking through a bunch of older pictures and I found this picture of my son at around 6 months. I love this picture and I had scrapped it a few times in mini albums that I had given away as gifts. I had never put it in Kevin's book though. I started with a sheet of K& Company Daydreams paper. I added the blue gingham Sassafras Lass Hog Heaven paper, threw in some DCWV paper from the boy Nursery collection and from the Citrus Stack. It's a really bright, fun and happy layout, just like my little Kevin. I made the layout following this weeks sketch from 52 sketches 52weeks Thanks so much for looking and have a super sweet day!

Layout with Pink Paislee

2009-05-16T12:42:00.004-04:00

Here is a layout that I made of one of the most traumatic days of my life. The day when my sweet little baby got his first haircut. He had such lovely curls and it was so sad to see them go. I used Pink Paislee papers and the title letters are from Making Memories. I really wanted to use a die cut scalloped circle that I had, but it didn't match, so I improvised and traced the scallops circle onto the paper I wanted to use. The rub ons are from American Crafts adn the flowers are Bazzil. Thanks for looking and have a fantasic day!

Mini album with ~suprise. suprise~ Sassafras Lass!

2009-05-08T09:09:00.005-04:00

Isn't it So great when you scrapbook paper matches your life? I saw the Sassafras Lass Anthem collection and I swear the little boy on there looks just like my brother! And since I made a mini for my sister, I thought I should make one for my brother too. How perfect is that?! Oh, and this is for his birthday, so shhhh! Don't tell! The cover is painted with Walnut Stain crackle paint. I used some Hog Heaven papers too. I love that collection :) The cars I cut out of K&Co paper. I believe it was Danny O. The album is a Basic Grey Bracket album. Stickled Grungeboard heart.... I used cut outs from the Sassafras paper and clear packing tape to do photo transfers. I love the effect I got with this! Now tell me this was not the perfect paper for my brother. I know this is a favorite childhood memory of my brother's. He loved this car cake so much. I'm thinking of adding some little spots for him to journal, if he wants to. Well, that's all she wrote! I may add a few more pages to this one, I don't know yet, but for now we are calling it done. Thanks for looking and have a fantastic day!

Back in the Groove

2009-05-04T11:18:00.004-04:00

Well, I apologize my dear bloggy friends for deserting you. I've been having the most amazing time with my family. It's been surreal to have my Hubby home and I've been savoring every second. This weekend I've been hanging out with the girls over at Vintage Plum. They had their first ever online crop. It was tons of fun. Lots of great challenges and prizes to be won. Here are 2 of the layouts I made. If you can't tell from first glance, I was in a Sassafras Lass mood. I made this card to match Kevin's birthday party theme. I used the Citrus Stack form DCWV and the Wild Kingdom Cricut cartridge.

A new card and Candy Alert!

2009-03-29T11:52:00.006-04:00

This is a card I did for a challenge on cafemom. I love the bunny image. I bought 3 bunny stamps for 4 dollars at a yard sale last year. I was so happy to finally make a card with one of them. I stamped on watercolor paper and used my watercolor pencils. The sentiment stamp is from K&Co. I wanted a Happy Easter sentiment, but I never got around to getting one. I used up some scraps that I've had forever and that makes me happy. :) Also, the lovely lady that hostessed this challenge, Pam, is giving away some yummy blog candy on her blog. Go check her out. If you are in a purchasing mood, Pam also has another blog where she gives you good deals on great stuff. Check it out :)

Man in a Uniform...

2009-03-18T11:57:00.004-04:00

Here is a layout I did following this weeks 52 sketches 52 weeks. The sketch is really cute. I love the clean line look, but I can only get it when I follow a sketch and try really really really hard not to go overboard. Who, me? Overboard? The papers are from Sassafras Lass (who else?) and the submarine paper and the green circle is from K&Co's DayDreams collection. I used embroidery floss to stitch around the circle and some Weathered Wood Distress Ink to give some definition to the layering. The flowers are from Prima and the Glazed Brads are Basic Grey. I used some really really awful chipboard letters. I covered them in ink and diamond glaze to get a look that I liked :) Thanks for looking and have a super sweet day!

little artist

2009-03-15T10:15:00.003-04:00

Here is another layout I did with all Sassafrass Lass papers. I cut out all the little hedgehogs and doodlemajigers. I also FINALLY found a use for these Love, Elsie stamps that I bought on clearance and LOVED. I guess that was over 6 months ago. I never found the perfect page until now ;) The title is Bazzil naked Chipboard that I covered with Doodlebug glitter and Diamond Glaze. I try to do artistic things with my son every day. My Mom did creative stuff with me when I was little and I have some really great memories of that. This was his first time with the TaDoodles he got for Christmas. Yeah, SO not mess free! But they do wash up easily.

At The Orchard

2009-03-06T08:44:00.003-05:00

Well, I finished my first layout with my new Sassafras papers. I really was happy with them. A lot of times when you get the paper in packs like that they are thin. The Sassafras papers though are a great cardstock weight and are great to work with.Everything on the page is Sass, except for the chipboard flower that I covered in sassafras and the little crocheted flower Thanks for looking and have a super sweet day!

Thinkin' Spring!

2009-03-04T07:57:00.002-05:00

Well, we finally have a decent amount of snow on the ground. But with March here I am really in the mood for some daffodils and tulips! Before you know it winter will be behind us at long last! I can't wait, this has been a long winter. I'm so grateful though to live in a place that has distinct seasons. I think it makes me appreciate the weather and the feelings it evokes more since it is only temporary. So much for my deep thoughts of the day :) I'm playing around with the Sassafras Lass papers I got with some birthday money my grandmother gave me. They have the Sassafrass Lass papers at Michaels. There are two collections...Hog Wild and Wale of a Tale. So cute! They are $24.99, but with a 40% off coupon... I'll share my creations very soon, possibly even today! LOL

I Never Knew What Love is Until Ewe

2009-03-02T08:50:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been a little while. I need to post more often, but this project took a crazy amount of time, I made this layout with the intention of selling it on ebay, or at least attempting too... But I probably won't post it on there until next weekend. Although it took forever to make I think it was worth it. And if it doesn't sell I have two beautiful nieces, so I'm sure the layout won't be 'wasted', LOL It's nice to do something girly for a change.

This is the two layouts together. I used Bazzil Bling for the backround. The photo mat on the far right has a pull out tag that is big enough for more pictures or journalling. I used Plantin Schoolbook to cut out the stars and hand stitched them.

I used a ton of Prima flowers and Say it in Crystals. I machine stitched all of the photo mats. I used inking and some chalking for a little more dimension. I used my cricut for the fences and grass (Paper Doll Dress Up) and the sheep (Animal Kingdom). The title is cut with the Calligraphy cartridge.

All of the ribbons are Making Memories and the little hearts are K&Co stickers.

I spent hours on these sheep to get them perfect. My son was unusually demanding last week and I was only able to scrap in bursts LOL, so these did take forever! I had so many mess ups! But I flocked all of the sheep twice to give them more texture. Then I added a little bit of chalk to make the texture really show up. This layout is full of little details like that. I think it makes it really unique.

So, if anyone was wondering what I've been up to... here she is! Thanks so much for reading. Have a super sweet day!

Baby card

2009-02-16T11:57:00.002-05:00

Well, I did manage to finally make something! It's pretty basic, but I really like how it turned out. We've been having quite a baby boom around these parts lately. It seems like everyone is pregnant or has a newborn. Isn't it funny how it seems to happen in bunches? The paper is from last year's DCWV Spring stack and the stamped image is from The Angel Company. I got the image from Erica in a swap. If you like it check her out because she sells TAC stuff.

Creatively Blocked

2009-01-25T11:45:00.004-05:00

I've sat down after The Boy has gone to bed for the past three nights. I sit down with my paper, embellishments and adhesive, determined to make something spectacular. And nothing seems to work out. I have so much stuff I should be inspired by, and I'm just not! It's so frustrating! It's not that I've ever gone for so long without doing something, it's just that I've been trying so hard and ending up nowhere. So, I am off to Inspired Blueprints to work on a sketch. Hopefully that will jog the creativity loose from wherever it is hiding. If I can make something, anything I will be happy. Even if it stinks, at least i will have made something, LOL !

Little book of Joy

2009-01-23T12:59:00.005-05:00

My buddy Pam, who is super duper sweet gave me this little book and yummy Sassafras Lass papers and flowers. Wasn't that just darlin' of her? And my mother gave me my grandma's book of photographs. They were mostly photos of me, but inside at the end I found these darling pictures of my sister Joy. So, I put together this album with those. I used a grungeboard thingie-ma-doodle on the edge going around the spine. I think those thingie-ma-doodles are the neatest. No idea what they are called. This I know Joy will love. it is a picture of her and our favorite dog, Faith. Thanks so much for looking, and if you are in need of some super cute blog candy, check out Erica's blog. She is giving away some cute stuff. Thanks for reading. Have a super great day!

I won an award!

2009-01-22T21:34:00.005-05:00

Today my buddy Pam has awarded me a nice award. See! TaDa! The cool thing is that it was her first award and it is mine as well :) The honor now demands that I choose 5 of my closest bloggy buddies, to pass along the torch of bloggy goodness. So, without further ado...

Check these girlies out because they SO rock!

Pen Holder & Blog Candy Alert

2009-01-16T11:46:00.000-05:00

Here is a project I made for an altered art challenge that Morag has set up over at the AllyScraps.com forum. I needed a container to hold my outrageous number of pens, markers and paintbrushes, so I made a pen holder. I made one of these in first grade, but this one is a little nicer. If you want to do a similar project, use a smaller can! This one is about 13 inches around, which was a PAIN! The tomatoes were quite delicious though. I covered the can with brown paper from Prima and used some heavier My Mind's Eye glittered paper in the center. I used the square bracket-y thing (one day I will find out what the heck it is called for real) from the Calligraphy cricut cartridge. I really wish that they would have given the capapbility to have a blackout out image! I end up glueing the frame part to the paper I want inside and cut it out with scissors (thus making owning a die cutter more complicated). The shape is actually the same off white Prima paper. I inked the outline with Distress Ink, then I stamped the part that ws going to be the inside with Distess Ink and my new handy dandy script backround stamp. The swirly things are from the calligraphy cartridge as well. On my last trip to Michaels I picked up some Say it in Crystals by Prima that they just started to carry. So that is what all that bling is about. Flowers are by Prima as well. The angel is from some stickers that my mother brought back from Germany 10 years or so ago. They have an ugly white outline around them, so I just trimmed it off.

~*~BLOG CANDY ALERT~*~

Be sure to check out Irene's blog for some adorable blog candy! Fat free, calorie free (for my girlies on a diet) and guilt free! Irene has the most fantastic blog. She is so inspirational to me. Well, I'm done rambling for today. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Toilet Paper Mini Album Tutorial

2009-01-12T12:12:00.005-05:00

I made this tutorial for you all when I was putting together my last toilet paper mini. I've made a couple now, and, while it is not really rocket science, I thought I would share what I've learned is easiest.

You will need 3+ toilet paper rolls
Bone Folder ( a small ruler may work just as well)
Glue stick
Scissors
Eyelet setter/cropodial
ring to hold the pages together
Patterned paper
Embellishments of choice

To flatten your tp roll squash it and use the bone folder to go along the sides. Press very firmly as you do this. I really have found the bone folder indispensible here, but if you have a small ruler that may work just as well. I have also heard of people using the cuttle bug. Cut your patterend paper (I just freehand) with about an inch or so extra along the sides and about half an inch longer top to bottom. No need to be exact as long as your paper will cover all the way around your roll with extra to spare.

Cover one side of you tp roll with a glue stick. (If you buy gluesticks at Target buy the pack of 2 for .22 and not the pack of 6 for $1.99- sorry that kind of stuff really bugs me) Place the tp roll glue side down with about 1/4 inch on the bottom and 1/4 inch on the right side. There will be a larger overhang on the left side. This is what you want. These dimensions are approximate. Don't stress over it.

Glue the bottom flap down and fold over the right side flap (ONLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OTHERWISE YOU WILL LOSE YOUR POCKET). Snip a little at the top of the roll. Gluing down one of the side flaps will help the roll to remain flat and also, if you use the inside of the roll to hold journaling tags or photos it will keep them from slipping out the back end.

Cover in gluestick and flip the roll over. Try to do this with the roll smashed flat as possible and with the paper tight. Keeping the paper tight seems to aid in keeping the roll flat. You will have extra paper on the top and the sides. Trim the TOP and the RIGHT SIDE ONLY(the side that you cut the slit into. See, I told you you could eyeball it!

Now, on the left side you should have about 3/4 inch or so of overhang. Take your scissors and snip the fold down to the tp roll.

Fold them back enough to glue them. Tuck them inside the tp roll.

Now nobody will ever guess that it is a tp roll!

To make an album all you need to do is make a hole in the top left of all your covered tp rolls (make sure that your pocket is faceing outward before you punch your hole) then just put them all on a ring or you could even tie them together with a ribbon If you make a toilet paper mini album I would love to see it. Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Christmas Toilet Paper Roll Album

2009-01-09T15:51:00.005-05:00

Every year I like to make a mini album of our Christmas. When we take out the tree to decorate we go through our albums and look through them and remember the good times that we had previous years. This year I made a toilet paper roll album. Toilet paper albums are great. Recycling is always good and it is so fun to see the look on people's faces when you tell them that they are holding toilet paper rolls as they look through your album. I love the little pockets for holding journaling and extra photos . My inspiration for this album started with some yummy flocked paper from Me and My Big Ideas. I hate to put fuzzy things locked away behind a page protector and it gives such a tactile quality to this little mini. I also used some velvet trim and the trim with the fun little tassels to add textural interest. I had these little vintage looking stickers my mother brought back on a trip from Germany years and years ago. I'm so glad I finally used them. I cut the little shape-y thing from the Calligraphy Cricut cartridge (thanks Hubby) I don't know a lot of the sources on the things I used on this project. I am trying to use up my stash and a lot of these things I bought years ago. The metal clip is from Making Memories. I folded the black lace to give it even more texture. The photos are printed in black and white to add to the vintage feel of the album. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Peeled Paint on my photos and papers. I layered a Heidi Swapp chipboard clock with a button and a jingle bell. It hangs off the edge and functions as a tab. I used some Prima flowers (LOVE THESE) and put a snap in the center. Thanks so much for taking the time to look at my blog. Have a fantastic day!

2009-01-05T19:51:00.005-05:00

My Friend Shemaine told me about a really neat site called Inspired Blueprints. I made this layout based on one of their sketches. It's pretty basic, but I love the patterned papers on this one. They are from Prima and My Mind's Eye. I used the Calligraphy and the Plaintin Schoolbook Cricut Cartridges.

Casing Rachel

2009-01-01T08:43:00.004-05:00

I found Rachel's blog several months ago. I must admit that it is one of my favorites to visit. She has amazing style and uses lots of flourishes and subtle chalking on her fab layouts. She is also a very sweet person who generously allowed me to case this layout and offered me some really helpful tips on the chalking since it was my first time. Thank you Rachel, you rock! Check out Rachel's gallery for the layout I cased (hers is really much better). The backround for this page is My Mind's Eye. I used flourish stamps from Autumn Leaves and the flowers are cut from cricut's Calligraphy cartridge (thanks Hubby!) I used Inkadinkado chalks.

One Last Christmas Project

2008-12-29T19:32:00.004-05:00

I missed my favorite holiday!

2008-12-28T11:25:00.003-05:00

I must say that I'm not really one of those people that goes nuts about holidays. Any holiday, really. I don't really do a lot of decorations or send a lot of cards. Heck, some holidays I don't even celebrate at all! I'm doing better with it ever since I became a mother, maybe one day I will be one of 'those' people. On my list of favorite Beate holidays are Day after Halloween, Day after Easter, and, the most hallowed of all Beate holidays, the Day after Christmas. Obviously, the day after Easter and Halloween are really all about the 50% off candy. But the DAC is special. It's when everything I love is 50-70% off. The DAC brings such joy to my bargain hunting soul. I have to go to Walmart first, because all of their stupid gift sets are 50% off. They also have Christmas crafts too. And I love Boscovs. They have amazing sales on purses. And, even though I have been carrying around a diaper bag in lieu of a purse for the past 19 months that doesn't mean that I won't get one. It just means that the one I get won't be practical. I also need to look at the jewelery, scope out Bath and Body Works, Target, Michaels and Joanns. Michaels and Joanns are the best because they usually mark down the Christmas stuff 70%. That stuff will be in high demand and at full price in a mere 10 months :) Maybe even 9, as Christmas does seem to come earlier every year thanks to greedy corporate America. Alas, this year I missed my favorite holiday! It's all my brother's fault. He decided to bring his four sick children to the Christmas eve family get together. Everyone in our family has been throwing up since then. And I missed the shopping. We're finally feeling better (and hopefully not contagious any longer). So today I will go out, and, no matter how many bargains I find, I will be so sad knowing in my heart that I missed the BEST bargains of all.

Yummy Yummy Blog Candy!

2008-12-27T15:17:00.002-05:00

Ooh, I just found such a cool blog today! I am always amazed at the talent that there is out there. It kinda makes me thankful that I live in the day and age I do. I don't know how I lived without the internet! Anyhow, in addition to an amazing blog, I found some of the yummiest blog candy! Check it out for yourself at LifeasLou.blogsome.com

Snowman Cupcakes

2008-12-16T23:15:00.004-05:00

When I saw the cover of Taste of Home I knew I had to try these out. I'm not very good at cake decorating, but these were super simple and I had everything I needed on hand, which kind of frightened me a little. I guess it was a good thing.... Anyway, here is my attempt. I omitted the hats (shown in the magazine) because it was icy here and it just wasn't worth it to go out and get chocolate wafers.

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care

2008-12-15T18:50:00.006-05:00

Well, while I was browsing in my local Dollar Store (I keep finding the best stuff there) I found these wooden stockings. You are supposed to paint them, but I think if Monet himself painted these things they still would end up really tacky (sorry, Claude). I ended up using a heat tool to remove the shapes stuck on top of the stocking and give me a flat surface. I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper. The paper I used for all 4 stockings is from the My Mind's Eye Christmas Short Stack. It is so nice to get stacks like this that way everything just complements every thing else and it saves a lot of time. The hearts on this stocking are cut on my cricut (Plaintin Schoolbook) as is all of the lettering. I used a glittered bell (also from Dollar Tree) and the Holly leaves are from Prima. The tree chipboard is from Colorbok, covered with MME paper and I glittered the star with Doodlebug glitter. The Chipboard Ornament is from Cosmo Cricket. I used some Making Memories trim on top of it for a little exta texture. All of the stockings are inked with Weathered Wood Distress Ink to give them a little more dimension. This last stocking is by far my favorite. I LOVE the Cosmo Cricket snowman. Isn't he the cutest? I also used Prima flowers on this one (hope Hubby doesn't find it too girlie). I used snaps for the centers the way Tim Holtz did in one of his 12 tags of Christmas. I thought that was very ingenious of him. Well, that's what I've been up to this weekend. I'm also working on another project that I hope to share with you soon. Thanks for reading and have a super blessed day.

Happy Everything!

2008-12-12T18:47:00.003-05:00

Well, can you tell I am losing hope that I am going to get all my Christmas cards sent by the sentiment on this card? I hope it gets sent by Christmas, really I do, but it is getting closer and closer.I made this card based of a pagemaps sketch that I really loved. The image is from a swap I did on cafemom, so I'm unsure of it's origin. I colored it in with watercolor pencils. I used Distress Stickles for the snowman noses and to accent the snowflakes. I cut the heart out on my Cricut, used some Doodlebug glitter on it around the edges. I busted out the scallop edge scissors on the purple paper. This card is for a dear friend of mine, so check your mailbox in a few days/weeks to see if it is you :) Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

Wishing you...

2008-12-10T11:26:00.002-05:00

Here is another type of Christmas card I made. I don't enjoy making the same thing over and over, but I made ten of these. This was a sketch over at A Spoonful of Sugar. I made it that week, but never posted it in time. I used DCWV textured cardstock, and glittered paper from My Mind's Eye

Christmas Cards

2008-12-01T09:36:00.007-05:00

Here are a few simple cards I made from some stamped images that I received from a friend on Cafemom. I just love House Mouse. I have so much fun coloring in stamps. My son is learning to color and he likes to do it with me. Thanks for reading. I hope you have a lovely day.

Altered Wooden Angel Project.

2008-11-30T15:13:00.003-05:00

I found this little angel on clearance at Michaels. She was $1.34. I really liked the scrolls, but I knew she needed more than a little paint. This is what I started out with. I used some old Anna Griffin paper that I have had for ages. I don't have much of an occasion to use tapestry inspired floral paper I suppose. The green paper is from K and Co. The ribbon is Making Memories. I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper and, after trimming as close as possible, I sanded it down with my trusty nail file. I used Peeled Paint Distress Ink on all of the edges and sealed it. It was a quick little project and I was really happy with the result. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.

Photo Cube

2008-11-21T09:04:00.006-05:00

One day I will be a good blogger that can create amazing creations to share every single day. But probably not today. There is never enough time in the day for everything! For now, here is one of my latest creations. It is an acrylic photo cube. I bought it at Walmart for $3. I decorated it with some of our fall pictures for my husband and I used Basic Grey's 'Boxer' collection and Peeled Paint Distress Ink. I really loved how easy this all came together. It was finished in under an hour and a half. I started off by distressing my photographs with scissors and a nail file. I cut the paper to size and inked everything with the Distress ink. The words are grungeboard that is inked. The challenge on this project is to only use flat embellishments. I took the project out of the cube to take the pictures because of the glare. Thanks for looking. Have a fantastic day!

Autumn Splendor

2008-11-03T23:12:00.003-05:00

Here is a layout that I created for a challenge on Method Playground. The challenge was to add dimension. Since I love layering, I knew I had to enter. I've not had as much time to scrap too much lately, so it is an 11th hour entry, I am afraid. I've titled this layout "Autumn Splendor". I've gotten to break out my brand spankin' new Distress Stickles on this layout. The stickles are Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalade; I've also used Distress inks. I used the bookplate and flourish die cut from Cricut's Home Accent Essentials. The word 'splendor' is grungeboard. Here is a close of to show some of the dimension. I used a page from Making Memories 'Noteworthy Notebook. The green ricrac is making memories as well. Cardstock is by DCWV and the patterened papers are from BoBunny and MME's Wild Asparagus. The flowers are hand crocheted and the brads are from SEI. I love this lace that I found at a junk shop. I overlapped it with itself to add a little more interest and texture. Thanks for taking a peek at my blog. Have a fantastic day!

Another Card

2008-10-31T22:25:00.004-04:00

I recieved this stamped image from a swap on cafemom from Mary. I loved it so much I probably would have hoarded it and never used it ( a habit that I am trying to break) but Mary so generously sent me a few, so I have some to hoard and some to use. This card is a gatefold. I once again used my Dollar Tree colored pencils for the coloring on the image. I treated myself to some new watercolor pencils when I went out today and I can't wait to try them, but I digress. I used Bazzil Bling cardstock and Basic Grey paper from the Boxer collection. The snowflakes came glittered and are colorbok die cuts. I also used my new favorite color of Distress Ink, Shabby Shutters. Thanks for taking a peek at my blog today! Have a good one.

It's been a while :)

2008-10-28T17:39:00.004-04:00

You know those times when you try to make something and it just takes forever and you aren't quite pleased with anything you make. That's been me the past week or so. I think my mojo went on vacation. It's back now and I've been scrapping up a storm over here. the theme is Christmas. I joined a couple of swaps and here is what I came up with for them. I guess I'm getting less intimidated by the stamping. I have this little Santa stamp by D.O.T.S. We don't include Santa in any of our Christmas celebrating, but this little stamp it so cute. I bought him at a yard sale with a bunch of other stamps for $4 total. I stamped him on white cardstock and colored him in with my SUPER pricey Dollar Tree colored pencils. I used a blending pencil on the image, and then cut the oval around him. I used Vintage Photo distress ink around the edges to give him a old fasioned look.He is matted with DCWV textured cardstock. The patterned paper is really old. I bought it when I first started scrapping. I'm thinking it was from a 'Stack', but I have no idea which one. I cut the base cardstock 5x8 and scored at 2 inches in either side (I flipped it around) to make the card a gatefold. Then I just adhered the ribbon with glue dots and adhered the image to the one side of the 'gate'. I think it gives the card a lot more impact than it would have if it was traditionally done. And here is a little tag that I made for a swap as well. It is the "Roly Poly' tag cut from my Cricut's Plaintin Schoolbook cartridge. The little snowman on pop dots is from Stampin' Up's Speaking of Winter. I dressed him up with stickles and I used microfine glitter for the 'snow; to give it a little more of a 3d effect. Thanks for reading. Have a great day :)

Toilet Paper Roll Mini

2008-10-16T14:41:00.005-04:00

Well, I think it is high time I made a book about myself. I have huge books for both children and a lot of stuff about my huisband, but I really didn't have anything just about myself until now. I got the inspiration to do a toilet paper roll album from the Bad Girls Kits message board. I saw one my friend Danielle made and I knew I had to try it! Some of my journaling prompts and ideas came from the Crazy about Mini Albums blog. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies! My favorite part about the cover is the cameo, which came from my local junk shop. All of the papers are K&Co's Blue Awning collection. The Pink flowers are Primas and the others are all Bazzil. I wish I could tell you where the gems in the center are from, but I lost that package long ago. I love the key and the lock. They are made by EK Success. The stickers are K&Co, mostly Brenda Walton's designs. The corner here is from the junk shop as well. I suppose it came off a photo frame or something. Noticed how I used the bitty fragment of the Heidi Swapp chipboard clock (leftover from another project) here. Amazing how such a tiny scrap can speak huge volumes. Oh, and I love the dticker with the dog and the feather duster. You can't really see it in the photo, but the sticker says "Housework Stinks, Saving for a Maid" That is a true dream of mine. I hate cleaning! I used the insides of the toilet paper rolls to hold my embellished journalling tags. They are a little too private to share here though. Thanks for reading!

Basic Grey Gate Fold Mini Album

2008-10-15T19:33:00.005-04:00

I found a fantastic deal on this Basic Grey Sublime collection mini gate fold album. This project came together pretty fast and easy. I used paper from the Aged and Confused Sublime collection, another sheet of BG and some paper that I have no idea where on earth it came from. A lot of the techniques that I experimented with are from the blog Scrapperlicious. I used Distress Ink in Vintage Photo and Fired Brick. A huge challenge for me in making this album was that I couldn't use any dimensional embellishments. I love dimension on my pages and but I didn't have a lot of leeway for closing this one, so to give it a feel of depth without the bulk I used a lot of inking and distressing. I used die cut circles to mask off the paper while I inked around it. I did that with both Vintage Photo and Fired Brick. The flourish stamps I used are from Autumn Leaves. The chipboard clock is Heidi Swapp. I did a bunch of doodling on some of the pages. I used a fine tipped pen to do some faux stitching and to write little messages to my husband. I used only 4 12x12 papers in this album. I used EVERY last scrap of the Basic Grey. Although this collection is not one of my all time favorites, I just love how the using everything from the same collection makes everything just come together so easily. I made this book in just under 4 hours (that is a record for me, I'm super slow). I used some rub ons from Kaisercraft on these pages. So, there it is. I'll be sending it out soon. The last mini I made for him never made it, so I hope he gets this one. Thank you so much for reading.

Crackle Medium Tutorial

2008-10-11T16:00:00.006-04:00

I wanted to make a tutorial on using crackle medium for my buddy, Julie and I thought I would share it with you as well. Crackle medium is my latest paper crush. I've used it before on wood projects and when I saw Tim Holtz's blog using it this month the wheels began turning! I have a hard time finding the latest and greatest products around here, so I'm improvising. The Tim Holtz crackle is colored and the stuff I am using is clear. This is the (almost) finished product. I have to add some stitching and final touches, but the crackling is done anyway. I just am in love with the texture you can get with this. Here is what I used: First I added the die cut to the cream colored tag. I will use the green shadow of the tag later. Then I used the crackle medium. I just painted it all over the surface. You need to use a thick coat. If you do it too thin it will not crackle. You can see that it is pretty thick and not that even. That is ok. This is the scary part. Your paper will shrivel up as it dries. It will look like a mess and you will be afraid you ruined it. It's gonna be ok though. Just chill. Don't mess with your paper while it is drying. Don't look and see if it is crackled. Just leave it alone! Hands off! When it is really, really , REALLY dry you can smooth it out. and glue it to the backing paper. In this case, I used the shadow feature on the Doodlecharms cartridge as a backing. I like to use a glue stick for this, because that ensures that you get glue everywhere. A little of the crackling may crack off as you do this step, but it's ok. After it is glued on tight I like to DAB some ink on it. I did this with Distress Ink (vintage photo). I dabbed the ink onto a makeup sponge and onto my project. This enhances the crackle design and make your project look aged. Your project may need a little flattening. If it does you can put your dictionary on it and leave it for a few hours. I hope this tutorial has helped you out and if you have any questions you can feel free to ask!

Extreme Bird Makeover

2008-10-10T21:37:00.006-04:00

This is my little birdy friend. She is kinda sad. You see, all of her children have left the nest and she is stuck wearing these bright pink feathers. She is so ugly that nobody would buy her and they stuck her in the clearance bin at Walmart. That is where we come in. She needed more than help. She needed an Extreme Makeover: Bird Edition. So, here is the house I made for her. It was from Dollar Tree. I got the inspiration from Heather's blog. I used K&Co's Blue Awning line. After I cut the pieces out I used my sewing machine to do the holes for my stitching. I wanted a thicker thread than my sewing machine could handle, so I used embroidery floss. This adds texture and interest along the bottom. I cut some die cuts from my cricut's Home Accent Essentials cartridge and I used the scallop cut from Plaitin Schoolbook to make the shingles on the roof. To finish the front of the house I used wood stain gel (JoSonja) for the fence. Paint would have also worked. As for the bird herself, I covered her with patterned paper that I had textured and inked the edges. I added a wing, which is grungeboard, and used crackle medium over her. It is quite a tranformation from wild nineteen eighty-something pink to shabby chic, but it works for me. She just loves her new home :) Thanks for reading.

A New Tin (Do they have rehab for this stuff?)

2008-10-08T09:40:00.005-04:00

This project was inspired by a snippet of lace I acquired at my favorite junk shop. I saw it and it really screamed out 'Moulin Rouge' to me. So I began this tin with the intention of it being a sort of Moulin Rouge theme. The funny thing is the lace that inspired the whole project is not even on it. I may add it later. I wanted it to say 'beauty', but all I had was 'wonder. In short, this project did not go as planned, but I must say that I am really in love with the result. The first layer of paper is Kaisercraft. I inked it with 'Vintage Photo" distress ink and also black ink. I added the die cut paper from a Making Memories' Notewothy Notebook. I also stamped a flourish with a glue pad and added glitter. I brushed some of it away, because I was going for a more subtle effect. The words (don't they look like a transparancy?) are actually a sticker (from Sandylion I think). I had to trim and move it around to cover everything I wanted to cover. The wings are Grungeboard, which I covered in an old magazine and inked with VP and B ink. I trimmed the Heidi Swapp chipboard clock to fit the corner. I pained the rest of the tin with acrylic gouache and sealed the whole thing with Mod Podge. Although it turned out nothing like I intended, I am really pleased with the end result.

Halloween Mini Album

2008-10-07T11:26:00.001-04:00

Well, here I go again. I don't celebrate Halloween myself. I just never have, even as a child. But I made this album for a swap in the group I am the owner of on Cafemom.I apologize for the picture quality. It is a paper bag album, my first, and I did it a little unconventionally. This is mostly because I had no idea what I was doing. I sandwiched the bag between two sheets of patterned paper and sewed around them. Then I sewed down the middle for the spine. I like the texture the stitching adds, but I think I am going to do a paper bag album the 'right' way to see if I just really made it hard on myself (I have a suspicious feeling that I did)

I used the Paper Doll Dress Up cartrige to do most of the die cuts. The woman I made this for is having her daughters dress up as a bee and batgirl this year. The swirl stamps are from Autumn Leaves.

I inked all around the pages and photo mats with Distress Ink in 'Vintage Photo" Also, I marked what size the photo mats were for. This will save her a lot of guesswork when she goes to put her pictures in.

I used my Making Memories 'Noteworthy Notebook' and some Primas on this page. I also added som pop dots behind the girl and her cape. Since it was all black I wanted to give some definition. I also used a wee bit of white ink for more definition and some black stickles.

I love how the bee costume turned out. The actual costume has a tutu, so I added the tutu from the ballerina die cut to the bee. She is also stickled.

The candy and candy bags are cut from 'Doodlecharms'. I used some stickers on the treat bags.

The words are Studio 112 rub ons. Aren't the little bats cute? The skull is Grungeboard. I thought the page needed a little more texture, so that is what I added.

I love putting googly eyes on die cuts. It really adds such a cute touch. The bat is from PDDU.

A Tutorial for Altered Tins

2008-09-28T14:53:00.000-04:00

You start out with a tin. Small tins work great, but so do larger tins, lunch boxes or altoid tins. (If you ever see this kind of chocolate you should definitely buy it because the chocolate is so amazing with wine and the tin is fun to alter. Total win win. I bought 3...)

You start by tracing an approximate shape onto your patterned paper. This works best with lighter weight paper. You can use cardstock weight pp, but it is much easier with the lighter paper. I would like to point out that this tin has a curve to the lid. If you are using an altoids tin or something similar it will not have this slope and will be much easier to alter. You would just be able to cut for the lid and then put ribbon or a strip of paper (or even paint) on the side edge. Notice how imperfect my line is. You DON'T have to be exact, by any means.

Cut out your paper and coat your tin with Mod Podge. Just a note about Mod Podge: It is a sealer/adhesive and comes in different finishes. I usually use a matte finish, but they also make glossy and glitter finishes as well. It is available at JoAnns, Michaels, WalMart...

You want to put the paper on the tin and cut slits aroung the corners.

The slits allow you to fold around the slope. Again, if you are doing a tin without a sloping lid you could skip to the next step.

Tuck your ends in all the way around.

Trim as closely as possible with your scissors. Don't stress about being exact. You don't need to be.

Use a nail file to trim your excess paper.

Coat your project with Mod Podge and add your embellishments (I used die cuts here).

That is all there is to it, folks!

Altered Lunch Box

2008-09-25T18:42:00.004-04:00

I made this altered lunch box for a challenge on the [some] assembly required blog. I saw the ones their design team had done and I just got really inspired. I've been doing a lot of tin-altering lately I guess. I had this great paper from BasicGrey's Baby Girl collection. I love it that I used it to alter and it isn't locked away out of sight in my scrapbook. I wanted a lot of texture and depth on this project and I did that by distressing and layering. I love the addition of the vintage inspired lace and the antique button. It gives it such a shabby chic quality that I love. I used glittered chipboard and 'Vintage Photo' distress ink. The flowers are from Prima and I used Autumn Leaves stamps to make the swirls. I mixed the color of acrylic gouache to match the paper exactly. A huge shout out to my Mom for teaching me that useful skill. I used Mod Podge as an adhesive and to seal the paint and paper. I also used Mod Podge to accent my clothes, hair and sewing machine. Do not try that at home. That stuff never comes out once it dries! Suprisingly enough I didn' make an album to go inside this one. I plan on using it to store my cards until it is time to use them. I plan on blogging a lot more frequently, so be sure to stop back in soon.

Mini Christmas Album

2008-09-21T18:35:00.011-04:00

A Mini Album

2008-09-14T21:58:00.005-04:00

I made this for my Hubby. He is overseas right now, serving his country. I altered an altoid tin for him to keep in his uniform pocket. Inside is a mini album with pictures of the kids and I. The paper is from Scenic Route. I made this album, a card and I still have some left over to play with! The base of the album is a 3 1/2 strip of 'kraft' colored cardstock. It is scored every 2 inches and folded like an accordion. I used a corner rounder to give each page more definition (and so it will fit in the tin). The front of the album says "A World Apart" I used rub ons from K&Co. The inside of the album says "but forever close in my heart"

Ah...True Love

2008-09-09T12:05:00.006-04:00

This is a layout for my 'Love Story' album. I still haven't found the perfect album yet, but I have 6 or 7 layouts for it. For this layout I used some Wild Asparagus paper for the backround. Wild Asparagus is a recent discovery of mine. It is the nicest paper I have ever used. The patterns are so beautiful and the texture is amazing. I sprayed a little bit of Glimmer Mist on the paper to give it a slight sheen. I also glimmer misted the back of the vellum quote, using the black die cut as a mask. If you ever plan to use glimmer mist on vellum be warned that it curls up when wet. I like the effect, but it is not something I could have planned. I used Doodlebug glitter in Beetle black on the title. I also used some doodlebug flock on the braces for a rich, textured look. The locket is a junk store treasure and I crocheted the flowers myself. The brads in the center of the flowers are plain office brads. I didn't have any in the size I wanted, so I used a rub on to alter the look. The notepaper is from Making Memories and the heart paper is a little splurge from my last trip to the scrap store. It is from "Journaler's Notebook" by Creative Imaginations. At $8.50 for 20 pages it was a real splurge for me, but I really loved it. I colored in the leaves with colored pencils and added more glitter to the flourishes. The ticket that says 'Never Forget' is by Melissa Frances. I really hate the way I look in the photograph, but it is sentimental, so I felt like I have put off scrapping it for long enough. I have a lot of photos where the quality is not the greatest, but are very important to me. It is hard for me to get over that, but preserving memories is what scrapbooking is really all about. Of course that and all the pretty papers.... Thank you so much for reading. Have a fantastic day!

Be Back Soon!

2008-08-29T16:47:00.001-04:00

Life is in the way of my blogging. I'm not complaining a bit! I won't be on for a week or so. Try not to miss me too much! Have a fantastic week!

Birthday Cupcake

2008-08-28T08:56:00.008-04:00

This is a page I made for a contest. I didn't win, so now I am able to share it with you all. The pictures were taken of my son eating his first birthday cupcake. Special thanks go to my bud Heather for her helpful advice on this one. The challenge was to use office supplies on a layout. I chose notebook paper, a paper clip, staples and a binder clip. One thing to note about using notebook paper on your layouts is that it is not acid/lignin free. Therefore, you would not want it touching your photographs. To me it is not a huge deal, because personally, I think it is really freaky that scrapbook stuff will not age. I did 3 rows of machine stitching. One is along the outside cardstock and I did 2 rows to make a square closer to the center. To make the title I used some adorable vintage-looking paper with letters on it. I had to cut it all to pieces to spell the words, but I really love the look. I stamped the word 'birthday' on after I glued them onto a scrap piece of cardstock. The last detail I will show you today is the inital embelishment. I used the same paper I used for the title. I inked around the edges and used a small metal package popped up with a pop dot. I put 2 little ribbon scraps affixed with staples. The whole embellishment is on pop dots as well. Thank you so much for looking. Have a fantastic day!

A new life for junk store treasures

2008-08-25T13:04:00.005-04:00

The beautiful little lady in this layout is my lovely niece. This photograph was taken when she was around 2 months old. I used brown textured cardstock and the patterned papers are from K&Co's Mikayla collevtion. I had a very difficult time getting the letters of her name to stand out, so I applied some pink and brown ink behind the letters. I then double matted the photograph and stitched it together using my sewing machine and brown thread. If you look closely at the photograph and mat you can see that I distressed the edges a little bit. It was very nerve wracking to distress a photograph. I had a backup, so that gave me a little more confidence. The lace was found in a pile of yard sale treasures. I got almost a whole bolt of it for a quarter. I tacked it around the patterned paper with glue dots, but then I had to go around and get it again with some liquid glue. A few weeks ago I found a garage sale and the woman sold me a cardboard box full of cotton thread for crocheting for 50 cents. That is what I made the flowers out of. There was a tutorial I found that was very helpful. So, if you are ever in the mood to make some crocheted flowers you can make some of your very own. My favorite part of the layout is the little shiny pendant (I thought it was a brooch at first, but it is a pendant). That I found at a junk shop. I bought a whole bunch of little vintage pretties and 2 containers of embossing powder for $3. The small daisy adorning the baby's hair was, in a previous life, an earring. I think it adds a bit of texture and unexpected dimension. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you have a spectacular day.

Address Album

2008-08-20T11:49:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Truth be told I've not been scrapping that much, as I've not been feeling well. This project also took quite a while. It's not too typical of me. I wanted to make it sort of Victorian and romantic. I didn't have too many things that were really fitting, so it took some time. I had the original inspiration from the patterned paper. It is the Mikayla Collection by K&Co. I found the images of the children online and I really wish I knew where. I go on these insane clicking sprees when I'm blog hopping and I have no idea where they came from. A tutorial for making the album can be found here though. Some of the details that went into this one were really fun. I used metalic gold drawing ink by Windsor and Newton to highlight the floral patterned paper and the enhance the images of the little girls. It doesn't show up very well in the pictures, but in real life it adds just the right amount of detail. I did it very lightly, so it looks sheer. I had the green trim in my stash for a while. I love it because it adds more texture than you could get from a ribbon. I machine sewed it to the top of the pockets using a small zig zag stitch. The lace I used was purchased at a yard sale. The rose shaped buttons I have had in my stash for about 6 years. It is about time I used them! One thing I love about this project is that it is all about details. All of the patterned papers are inked within an inch of their lives. I've already mentioned the gold drawing ink. The images are inked and double matted on inked/distressed paper. I even placed some colored crystals in the basket to add a tiny bit of sparkle. I am going to use this for an address book. I am grouping my telephone numbers into categories (Family, Friends...) and writing them on the tags that will go in the pockets of the album. There are four pockets, but they will hold multiple tags, so I should have plenty of room. That is my project for the day, I suppose. Thank you for looking. I hope you have a fantastic day!

My Son Shine

2008-08-10T08:17:00.005-04:00

Well, when I went out last Friday I bought some new glitter. If you check my blog regularly you will probably seeing a lot of it. I love a little sparkle! I used the glitter on the title for this layout. The chipboard is the really cheap junk that you can buy at Walmart, but would probably never put on your pages as is. I bought it anyway though because I love to alter chipboard. You can always use paint, glitter, flock or paper glaze to totally alter the look. You can customize it to your layout. I got the inspiration for the layout from Scrapbooks Etc. Another inspiration was the popsicle from a swap I participated in on cafemom. It was just so cute that I designed the layout colors around it. Even though this layout is of my son I used a lot of flowers.The flowers are made out of fabric, buttons and lace I hope he doesn't mind when he get older. Even though they are flowers I think they are of a more whimsical nature.

Some tips for stitching.

2008-08-06T15:23:00.011-04:00

When people see my layouts I get a lot of positive comments about my stitching. Stitching is one of my favorite ways to give a layout a little something extra special. One thing I love about stitching is how inexpensive it is. Scrapbooking can be a very expensive hobby and with stitching you can give your projects a high quality look for very little money. You can buy thread for the sewing machine or embroidery floss in a rainbow of colors very inexpensively. Embroidery floss also comes in metallic and pearlized colors as well. 1.If I am going to stitch directly on the layout I place my flowers/embellishments and draw my sketch around them. I do this on a piece of cardstock, not directly on the paper I am stitching on. When I am happy with my design I place the paper I drew the pattern on over the paper I am stitching. I place a mousepad under everything. 2. Next, take a pin or needle and punch holes along the lines that you have drawn. These holes will make it a lot easier to make your stitches. Try to make them as evenly as possible, but don't be too uptight about it. Nobody will notice if you are a little off. Remember: You are your own worst critic! 3.After all of you holes have been punched you are ready to begin sewing. I usually secure my thread with tape on the back of my paper. You can get really fancy with all sorts of embroidery stiches, but a basic running stich or backstich works just fine. To do a backstitch (which is what I used for this project) bring your needle up from the backside of the paper to the front. Then, take your needle down the next hole. Bring it up once more and (instead of going down into the next hole) go down in the previous hole. And you just go and do all of the stitches in this manner. It is not hard to do when you get the hang of it! I hoped this little tutorial has inspired you to try some stitching on a layout or two. I also have a little bit of advice to help thing so go a little more smoothly for you. 1. When stiching by hand always use cardstock or cardstock weight patterned paper. 2. When sewing by hand it is easier to use embroidery floss. Embroidery floss is made up of 6 strands that can be seperated and you can use 2-3 strands for a thin line or all 6 for a thick one. (I used 6 strands for this project) 3. If you have it, use a larger needle for punching holes than you do for sewing. Totally not required, but it will make sewing easier. 4. Always punch on the patterned side of your paper. Punching will push the paper out on the bottom side of the paper. If you sew on that side it will not look as smooth. 5.After you get comfortable with this technique, experiment! There are tons of embroidery stiches out there and it looks so neat to change it up with ribbon or beads!

Finally...A layout!

2008-08-05T21:58:00.003-04:00

Time to post a layout. I've been busy with cards and other projects and I've been waiting for inspiration to strike. This is one made from a sketch on pencillines.com. I also did it for a challenge on cafemom. The papers are K&Company from the hopscotch paper pack. I used some chipboard for the flowers and doodled the stems. I've been seeing a lot of doodly type stuff lately and I wanted to give it a shot. This picture of my son is one of my favorites. He looks so sweet and innocent. He isn't. This picture was taken about a month before he learned to walk. He is growing up so fast and changing so much. I treasure every moment with him.

One of those days...

2008-08-04T22:37:00.002-04:00

I guess even the most creative people have days when they are stuck. Days when, even if you have a brilliantly creative idea, you can not translate it into something less than a disaster. I was so excited to scrap tonight. I put my little angel to bed and headed into my freshly cleaned scrap area ready to get down to it and make something adorable. The something adorable never materialized, but I did create the Microbead Disaster of 2008. It was followed the glitter avalanche. So, hours later I have nothing made, nothing created and just a big mess. Life can be like that I guess. I love it when things go together effortlessly. When I am really in 'the zone' creatively speaking. And even when I am not (which is often the case), at least have a little to show for all of my efforts! I will try again tomorrow. Hopefully I will have something fantastic to show you all!

2008-07-31T18:40:00.004-04:00

I made this card following Heather's (http://craftastictimes.blogspot.com/) sketch. It is for my husband's sister. They had been trying to conceive for two years now. And we got the news that my son will have a little playmate in about 9 months! The sketch seemed very quilt-like to me and so I decided to make it a baby quilt. Since we do not know if it will be a boy or a girl alternated 'boy' and 'girl' colors. I thought that sewing along all of the squares would complicate the design, so I just did the blue and green squares (I had blue thread in my machine, which made that an easy decision). I also stitched along the outside of the card. I did turn the sketch on it's side due to a little sewing machine issue. I used some Zips by Therm o web to put the fuzzy rickrack down. I must say, I was super impressed. A lot of times when I put ribbon on my cards I was afraid of it moving, but this stuff is really fantastic if you use ribbon a lot. The mini tag was made with my new (yet retired) Stampin' up set 'A Little Love". I stamped on the cutest scrap of patterned paper and I stamped on a white tag that I sorta freehanded. I cut the little onesie out of the patterned paper and attached it with a pop dot over the onesie on the tag. I loved it so much I took a close up. I'm really quite happy with the way it turned out, but I may love it too much. I don't think I want to give it away!

Ta Da! My New Blog

2008-07-29T11:22:00.000-04:00

I'm so pleased to be starting a blog. I love blogs. I read blogs. And, at last, I have begun to write one of my very own! I've posted some links on here to some really great places that I love to visit when I am online. I go on cafemom a lot. I've got some really great friends on there. I'm an admin for the group The Shabby Chic Scrapper. It is a group for advanced scrappers and the girls in that group do some really inspiring work. There is also the link to pencillines.com. They post an amazing sketch each week. Whenever I am stuck for inspiration I usually head over that way to check them out. Over the next few weeks I will be posting some of my latest creations. This is a photo mat that I did last night. It was a lot of fun to do. I haven't had time to do a full layout with it yet, but I will post it when I do. I made an oval out of dark blue cardstock and accented it with a white paint marker. I cut some lengths of beige yarn and inked them with some red ink to look like sauce. I made the meatballs out of brown felt. I also highlighted them with a little bit of light brown ink. To adhesify the whole mess I coated the 'plate' with diamond glaze and just stuck the spaghetti where I wanted it. So the diamond glaze not only adhered everything, but gave the plate a nice sheen as well, making it more realistic. I double matted the photo and stitched around the photo mat to give it some texture. Well, this concludes the first entry to my blog. Thank you so much for reading. Please leave a comment. I would appreciate it so much.