A Page Out of My Book

Pages Reveal: Lollipop Bouquet

2012-03-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

The Reveal
This week for Pages from the Heart, the DT was charged with designing an altered item using a handmade embellishment. Here is my creation:

Lollipop Bouquet

The Inspiration

I was browsing through Pinterest and I saw a 30 Sucks Lollipop gift from Sisters' Stuff blog that I thought was a cute idea.

Pinterest Idea

It reminded me of the lollipop bouquet I made for my sister's wedding. She wanted all the bridesmaids to have indiviually wrapped lollipops instead of flowers, so I had to figure out how to make it. Here we are in our resplendant glory.

Vic's wedding with lollipop bouquets

Her birthday is coming up, so I thought it might be nice to pay homage to her wedding by creating a lollipop centerpiece that doubles as a party favor.

The Details

The guests can take a lollipop from the bouquet when they leave as a party favor.

Party Favor

Each lollipop is individually wrapped with using cellophane, Scotch tape, a tag and curling ribbon.

Wrapping each lollipop

For the base I used a Nabisco Wheat Thin Stix box, since I liked the tapered edges of the box.

Decorating the base

I cut down the box and decorated it with patterned papers, die cuts, ribbon, punched shapes and pearls.

Centerpiece Base

For more information about the project, please see this post from Pages from the Heart's blog. For a more detailed tutorial and supply list, please see this post from Page's blog.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Uplifting Card

2012-03-07T03:00:00.001-08:00

Cricut Magazine
Happy Wednesday to you! I just wanted to share that the Apple Card I made Kevin for Valentine's Day will be published in the August 2012 issue of Cricut Magazine: Card Idea Book. It is for a section on Cards for Men. The ironic part is that I used a baby girl kit for the card as that was what I had out since I was working on some projects for Pages from the Heart.

The Reveal
Since it is Wednesday, I have a new card to show you using my Sunday Afternoon kit.

Uplifting Card

Please hop on over to Paper Made Bakery to see the whole card and get more tips and information on this project. My inspiration was actaully not from a Pixar film, but from a photo that Kevin showed me on his iPad.

National Geographic House

The National Geographic Channel teamed up with scientists and engineers to launch a real house into the sky using weather balloons. I thought it was a cool visual and matched the sentiment of following your dreams.

The Kit
March's Sunday Afternoon kit is so fun to work with. There are so many designs and embellishments to jump start your creativity. I can't wait to show you my next project in a week.

PMB's March Kit

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: March Kit Reveal + Blog Hop + Giveaway!

2012-03-01T07:00:00.021-08:00

The Hop:

Welcome to Paper Made Bakery's March release blog hop! If you've just arrived from Ryann's site, then you came to the right place. If you would like to start from the beginning, please hop on over to Paper Made Bakery's blog. If you are lost, this the blog hop order:

Michelle (←you are here)

Lisa

Ashley

The Reveal:

I made a 7 x 7" canvas wall hanging for my nephew.

Canvas Wall Hanging

The Kit:

March's Fresh Baked Kit is entitled, "Sunday Afternoon" to match Webster's Pages 6 x 6 tablet called "Sunday Picnic" which is included in this kit. The clear stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop has images and sentiments to match the patterned papers because it was made exclusively for Paper Made Bakery just for this release! Everything is perfectly coordinated so you can just start making your cards or altered items.

PMB's March Kit

The Details:
The kit always comes with really fun embellishments, and this month is no different. The inspiration for my project was actually the 2" wide Maya Road Mega Bottle Cap. I was looking at it and it reminded me of the lens on my Cannon S95 camera, so I decided to paper piece a camera. I punched out a photo with a 2" circle punch and it fit perfectly in the bottle cap. I thought the camera was the right size to place on a small wall hanging.

I had previously purchased a finished canvas wall art at the dollar store for the purpose of altering it. It was cheaper to purchase a finished piece than a plain stretched canvas from the craft store. Go figure. I liked the green background color and the stitching already on the artwork so I kept that for my border. I just covered up the center image.

Since there were the stitched Xs on there, I decided to repeat the design. I stitched a row of Xs on my camera and also randomly added some to my title to tie everything together.

I used the stamp set for part of my title and cut out the main word with my Cricut on the lovely embossed Swiss Dot cardstock. I also used the stamp set to paper piece a kit to add some interest to the background.

The bows on the kite tail reminded me of a bow tie so I popped one on my nephew's photo. Hee hee. Just be creative and have fun with the kit. You'll be surprised with what you can come up with.

The Giveaway:

As a way to say thanks for participating in today's blog hop, Paper Made Bakery is giving a prize to one lucky participant. Here are the different ways you can win:

1. Comment on each blog, the more you comment, the better chance of winning!

2. Share this hop on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or in an email.

3. Comment on PMB's Facebook wall.

A winner will be announced Sunday Afternoon, March 4, 2012.

Good luck to all! Your next stop is Lisa's blog. Remember there are daily inspiration projects and tutorials on the blog all month long.

Thanks for hoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Window Sill Card

2012-02-29T03:00:00.018-08:00

Happy Leap Day! Today is the last day of the February Fresh Baked Kit from Paper Made Bakery, and the good news is, it is on sale! You can stock up on previous kits at a discounted rate here.

The Reveal
This is my fifth and final project using the kit. It is a cute little 3 x 3" window sill card. To see all the details and how to create your own, please visit today's post on PMB.

Lil' Window Card

I have to say I totally loved this kit and all the fun stamp images were so fun to play with. I am sad to see this month end. Bye, bye birdie.

February's Kit

The Summary

Here are all the other projects I've made with this kit, and I still have so many sheets leftover of the Tiny Tablet papers.

February PMB Projects

Tomorrow is the launch of the March kit which includes an exclusive clear stamp set by Sweet Stamp Shop which can only be found at PMB. The DT have been busy working on projects which showcase the new kit, so please stop by again tomorrow to see the new release, participate in our blog hop and be entered in a crafty giveaway. Fun, fun, fun.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

News and a Single Photo Layout

2012-02-26T23:42:00.000-08:00

ScrapStreet Magazine's Blog
Hey everyone! Hope you had a good weekend. I just wanted to share that I wrote a guest post for ScrapStreet Magazine's blog today. I shared three easy birthday cards I made based on the same sketch with a few variations that made them look totally different. Here is a sneak peek:

Trio of Birthday Cards on ScrapStreet's Blog

I hope you can head over and take a look!

Paper Made Bakery
My last project for February's Fresh Baked Kit will be revealed this Wednesday. I actually made 5 projects this month with my kit and I still have a ton of paper left. Then on Thursday we'll be celebrating Paper Made Bakery's new release for March with a blog hop and giveaway. I can't wait to show you what I made featuring my nephew Isaiah. Please come back for those fun events.

Trash to Treasure
I haven't really been working with trash, but have picked up a few items through an estate sale, thrift shops and craigslist for my craft room. I altered a few of the items and left some as is, and the outcome is super cute. I'll take some photos and share with you all soon.

Single Photo Layout
I am a multi-photo gal at heart, but wanted to try a single photo layout as it seems like all the rage. I had to ignore so many photos just to pick the final one. I settled on a group shot of my family's trip to Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Patara Elephant Farm layout

I used several collections from Bella Blvd. and picked out the colors that reminded me of the jungle and the bright sky. I did a color block in the background, but the colors looked too busy directly next to each other so that I matted everything in a dark brown to balance the bold colors.

Title

For my title, I chose colors from the Thai shirts we were given to wear during our trek, and outlined the alpha stickers with a black pen to make them stand out a bit from the patterned background.

Handmade embellishment

For my embellishments, I didn't want to use elephants as that tends to be associated with baby themed layouts. I went with the jungle theme and cut some thin strips of patterned papers and distressed the edges to simulate the tall jungle grass we traipsed through.

Journaling Block

For the journaling, I used a sticker and just filled in the basics. The layout was looking pretty full at this point so I just let the photo do the talking. I finished things off by adding a few more little stickers and jewels, and machine stitched each block.

In the end, I like the balanced look of the layout and the bright colors really reminded me of my Thailand adventures. But I really missed putting in the little photos that would have supported the main photo. I tried, really I did, but it will be back to a multi-photo page next time.

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Feeling Under the Weather?

2012-02-22T03:00:00.001-08:00

The Reveal
Happy Wednesday! It is time for my weekly reveal over at Paper Made Bakery. I had so much fun this month working with my February release stamps from Avocado Arts, making up punny sentiments, playing with the embellishments in order to create my cards. This one might be might favorite one yet.

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

To see the whole thing and some tips on how I created this, please hop on over to Paper Made Bakery and see today's post. There's only one week left for this Fresh Baked Kit. Next week there will be a new kit, plus another blog hop and exciting news from PMB.

PMB

Thanks so much if you filled out the survey last week regarding die cutting machines. All the participants were entered in a raffle and the winner was Amanda. PMB is gathering data for something that is in the works. I'll let you know all the latest developments. So stay tuned!

Thanks for stoppin' by and have a scrappy day,

Pages Reveal: Baby Banner

2012-02-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:
The February assignment for Pages from the Heart was to create a banner project. The one I originally made was picked up for submission, so I had to retrieve my project from the store. I found out that the magazine will keep it for 6 months before they return it so I decided to make another one for Pages. Without further ado, let me introduce my little niece, Zemira, to the scrapping world.

Baby Clothesline Banner

I've made a lot of projects featuring my nephew Isaiah, like this one of him falling out of the car card. I didn't want his little sister to feel left out so I made a wall hanging for her new room using her Christmas morning photos. Good thing she was wearing a pink and brown coat which matched my collection colors.

Isaiah's Card

The Details:

I was given Authentique's "Miracle Girl" kit which is a 700+ piece collection with a baby girl them. There is also a boy version with blues and greens. This was actually the fifth project I've made from the same kit. You don't have to use it for baby projects as I made a more masculine card for Kevin from this kit.

Miracle Girl Kit

Supplies:

Patterned Papers: Authentique

Die Cuts: Authentique

Stickers: Authentique

Mist: Tattered Angels

Jewels: Making Memories

Ink: ColorBox, Ranger

Twine: The Twinery

Liquid Adhesive: Fabric-tac by Beacon

Clothespins: Lowe Cornell (Jo-Ann Crafts)

Other: buttons, string, frame

As I was pondering the banner assignment, I thought that a clothesline looked similar to a banner. I also starting imagining cute baby clothes being hung on the line with clothespins so I just went with that idea and hung Zemira on the line.

Zemira Tag

I anchored my three photos of unto hand cut tags. I decorated the tags with twine, buttons, die cuts and stickers. I had previously purchased some wooden clothespins from a craft store, so I used that to hang the tags onto a piece of brown string. To fill in the space in between the tags, and to bring in more of a banner feel, I hand cut some little flags, glued on a few buttons and attached that to the string.

A Different Tag

For the frame, I went to a thrift store and purchased a framed wall art which was still new in package. I was looking for something cute or elegant in a bright white but could only find a rustic brown in the size I wanted. I decided to use the best available find and make it work. I took out the central art piece which was a pineapple print and cut out part of the central mat so I would have a bigger space to work with. The large mat that was left was an unappealing beige color, so I took my Tim Holtz Distress Ink and rubbed it over the mat to create a woodgrain look which matched the rustic charm of the frame. I also sprayed a bit of glimmer mist onto the mat to add a bit of shimmer and femininity.

Be creative and work with what you have, you might be surprised by what you can achieve.

Thanks for stopping by,

Another Giveaway at Paper Made Bakery

2012-02-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share that Paper Made Bakery has a quick survey they would like you to fill out regarding electronic die cutting machines. If you participate in the survey and leave a comment at Paper Made Bakery, you will be entered in a drawing for "a super-fun, crafty-type swag bag!" Please respond by Sunday for a chance to win. Good luck!

Paper Made Bakery: Owl Always Love You Card

2012-02-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:
Welcome to my Wednesday sneak peek reveal with Paper Made Bakery. For the full card, please visit Paper Made Bakery's blog, here.

Latest Creation with Paper Made Bakery

The stamp set this month from the Fresh Baked Kit has been so fun and versatile. There is so much you can do with all the Avocado Arts stamps. I decided to use the owl stamp this time. He was so nice, I used him twice on my card. I also loved the burgundy jute twine that comes with the kit. I may have gotten carried away and used the whole strand.

I also made a sketch for today's reveal, but as I started creating my card, I made numerous variations from my original sketch.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Happy Valentine's Everyone!

2012-02-14T01:14:00.002-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you will all have a lovely day. I was so surprised to receive a box of chocolates in the mail today. Thanks so much kind friend!

News to Share:
I made some scrapbooking resolutions in January 2011 and I have been working on trying to achieve them. One of my goals which I thought was elusive was to get published in a magazine. I've been featured on some blogs and online magazines, but was wondering if I could ever get published in a handheld, physical medium. I made a wall hanging which will be featured in "Create: Idea Book Series" in the July 2012 Home Decor issue. So I guess technically I'm in a book, which is even better. Here is a picture of the current spring issue featuring mini-albums.

Look for me in the July 2012 edition

I can't believe my wall art was chosen, because that is something I usually don't make. I usually make cards and layouts. I can't post any photos of my project until August. If you just can't wait, it will be displayed at Pages from the Heart after I get it back from being professionally photographed. So fancy!

Valentine Card:
I made a Valentine's Day card with Kevin in mind, so I kept is no frills, and tied it in to his favorite pursuit, technology.

Kevin's card will be in Cricut Magazine: Card Idea Book August 2012

He really likes all things Mac so I cut 24 little apples with my Cricut (Plantin Schoolbook cartridge). The apples are round, but on the one red one I hand cut out a bite, so it looks more like the Apple logo and also because he got picked. I typed the sentiment and ran the patterned paper (Authentique) through my printer. I don't like my handwriting so I try to think ahead and type the sentiments and arrange it in the right place. If you like your own handwriting, it'd be easier to just write it after everything is glued in place. I drew in two tiny apple seeds to continue my apple theme. I drew in some lines and a frame using a pen and ruler to finish the card. I kept everything simple and streamed line, and tried to refrain from the extra layers and embellishments that I'd normally want to add in there.

We actually celebrated Valentine's Day one day earlier since Kevin had Monday off from work. Guess where we went before the secret restaurant he chose? The Apple Store! He wanted to see the newly remodeled one in Pasadena. I usually obtain a glassy stare upon entering, but I have to say one new thing to note was that the usual typed display tags were replaced with iPads. Each piece of equipment had its own iPad detailing its features and functions. Can you believe we have devices that seemed so far fetched in Star Trek? The point is, the card was perfect!

Come by again on Wednesday to see my new Paper Made Bakery reveal!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: New Project with Tutorial

2012-02-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:
I have an exciting new project with a tutorial up on Paper Made Bakery's blog today. I can't tell you all the details, but can only give you a sneak peek.

New Paper Made Bakery Project

Can you guess what it is? I'll give you two clues, it isn't a card and chocolate is involved. You'll just have to hop over to Paper Made Bakery to get the full scoop. I added some bonus tips along with the tutorial if you want to create your own mystery item.

Keep In Touch:

Here are the different ways you can keep up with all the exciting news, reveals and giveaways that's constantly happeing with PMB. Visit their blog, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter. If you need inspiration, just browse their Flickr gallery.

Congratulations to the blog hop winner, Katie Skiff, who commented on Savannah's blog. Don't feel bad if you didn't win this time, I'll update you on all future events. So just keep trying. There will be a new blog hop each month.

Thanks for stoppin' by,

"What Lurks Beneath?" Layout

2012-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Featured Card:
I was informed by my fellow DT member, Ryann, that my A Penny for your Thoughts card was featured in the Two Peas Stamp Gallery. Thanks for the heads up, as I would have missed it. I was quite surprised since I thought they only showcased their own designers or contest winners. I took a screen shot to show you as the project has since changed, but it was an honor just to be nominated, I mean, featured. You can see Ryann's circular heart card in the picture too.

Two Peas Stamping Gallery

The Reveal:

My friend Becky was over and mentioned that she hadn't seen this layout before.

What Lurks Beneath? layout

I forget to post projects that I make just for fun rather than for a design team. This was from my family's trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand last summer and we were taking photos in the hotel pool. My dad didn't want to pose underwater so we placed the camera underwater while we stood above the water for the photo.

Pool Photo

The Details:

I wanted to create an underwater scene with strange creatures peering into a ship's porthole.

Raised Porthole and Main Photo

I cut the photo into a circular shape and placed a piece of transparency over it to look like glass. I trimmed a piece of metallic silver cardstock to go around the edge as a metal frame. I used gold accents from Imaginisce Glam-rocks to look like the screws. I popped that up over the background.

Supporting Photos

I printed up three smaller photos of the three of us who actually took underwater photos. I arranged that as a small cluster with a few sea themed stickers.

Title

I interspersed the title with more aquatic stickers and tied the anchor with some baker's twine.

Come by again tomorrow for another PMB reveal.

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: February Kit Reveal + Blog Hop + Giveaway!

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Hop:
Welcome to Paper Made Bakery's February release blog hop! If you've just arrived from Ryann's site, then you came to the right place. If you would like to start from the beginning, please hop on over to Paper Made Bakery's blog. If you are lost, this the blog hop order:

Paper Made Bakery
Stephanie
Savannah
Ryann
Michelle (←you are here)
Lisa
Ashley

Here is my creation for the blog hop, called, "A Penny for your Thoughts."

A Penny for your Thoughts card

The Kit:
I would like to introduce you to Paper Made Bakery's Fresh Baked February kit! I had the pleasure of receiving this kit early and working with the contents. I have to say it was deliciously good!

Paper Made Bakery's February Kit

Everything is perfectly coordinated with the base set of 10 notecards and envelopes. I didn't have to spend time and energy assembling my own materials, but instead could focus on just utilizing them. It actually helped me be more creative. I can't wait to show you my four projects this month! Look for me each Wednesday as each designer has their own day of the week for a reveal.

Unopened Splendor

If you would like to order a kit before they are all snatched up, please visit here.

The Process:

I went to bed one night thinking about what to make from the kit. I woke up with numerous ideas and quickly sketched them out in my notebook. Later I digitally recreated one of them in Adobe Photoshop.

My Card Sketch

I was inspired by the branch in the Avocado Arts stamp set and thought three hanging hearts would be cute for a Valentine's Day card. I stamped the branch on white cardstock, but thought it looked a bit stark. I stippled on some ink using a dry brush and changed up the background color.

Changing the cardstock color

But sometimes an idea takes on a life of its own. I decided to change the hearts into coins. That way, if the recipient doesn't like the card, they would at least have 16¢ in their hands.

Dangling Coins

I wanted a way to attach the coins to the branch so I handstitched lines using the twine that is included in the kit. It is much coarser than stitching with floss, but it gives a more rustic look.

Stitching with Twine

I matched each coin with lyrics from the 1982 Tavares song, "A Penny for your Thoughts" for the sentiment.

Matching Sentiment

The Giveaway:

There is a prize to be given by Paper Made Bakery to one lucky participant. Here are the different ways you can win:

1. Comment on each blog with an original comment. The more you comment, the better chance of winning!

2. Share this hop on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or in an email.

3. Be sure to comment on Paper Made Bakery's Facebook wall and let us know you've shared. Deadline is Sunday, February 5, 2012.

Good luck to all! Your next stop is Lisa's blog.

Thanks for hoppin' by,

These are a Few of my Favorite Things Mini-drawers

2012-02-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:
I altered this set of mini-drawers just for fun. It is around 6 x 6 x 8 inches.

Altered Mini-drawers

The Background:
I was browsing at a yard sale when I spotted this rusty item that someone had used to store screws and bolts.

Original State

I really liked the size and the little drawers and decided to rescue it. I think people who rescue dogs feel the same way, you can see the potential after some rehabilitation.

The Details:

First I sprayed it with some RustOleum white paint, and by "I", I mean Kevin. After it dried, I used Mod Podge and applied on the background pink papers. Then I decorated mostly with Imaginisce's Enchanted collection. Since I was thinking of putting my favorite embellishments in the drawers, I decided to depict scenes from the song, "My Favorite Things", like raindrops of roses and whiskers on kittens.

These are a few of my favorite things

I used a card sketch from Sketch Support as the inspiration for the layout design. I liked the little squares in the sketch and thought that would be cute for each scene depiction.

Card Sketch

For the front, I also decoupaged each drawer and tied some ribbons on the handles.

Front View

On the opposite side of "My Favorite Things", I made a Prince Charming scene with Kevin battling a dragon.

Side View

The 2nd Reveal:

Around this time, my mom asked me to make a card for a wedding she was attending. Since I had the sketch out, I used that plus my pack of Valentine materials and whipped this lil' set up for her. I think the bride like it.

Wedding Card & Envelope

I hope you enjoyed seeing my creations. It was really fun to make these two items. Don't forget, tomorrow is my first reveal for Paper Made Bakery. There will be a Blog Hop plus a giveaway!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

New Design Team - Paper Made Bakery!

2012-01-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:
I just wanted to share that I am now part of Paper Made Bakery's new design team!

The Overview:

Paper Made Bakery is a monthly kit club that focuses on stamping and card making, but you can use it for so much more. The kits are so cute and all the embellishments and papers go so well together that all the guess work is taken out of the equation for you. Here is a peek at this month's fresh baked kit.

Paper Made Bakery's January Kit

The Details:

I will be working with next month's kit, which if you are curious, will be revealed next week on February 2nd along with some fun events on the blog. Be sure to stop by and meet all the other design team members and be amazed by their talent. The design team will be revealing a new project each day, all month long using the same kit, so you will never lack a source for inspiration. Check out PMB on Facebook too, as there lies news of the latest giveaways and announcements.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I can't wait to share with you my new creations each Wednesday in February.

Happy Scrappin',

Imaginisce January Challenge: Snowman Snowglobe Card

2012-01-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:

I've always loved snow globe cards, with that interactive component and movement of the falling snow. I was very happy that I found the perfect opportunity to make a literal snow globe card.

Snowman Snow Globe Card

The Challenge:

I saw that the January challenge at Imaginisce was to make a winter themed project as inspired by this photo.

Inspiration Photo

I really wanted to stick with the blue and white colors, but my Imaginisce winter collection was the Christmas themed Santa's Little Helper, which is primarily red and green. I chose a chipboard sticker that had a blue background, and placed that on a blue background paper from the princess themed Enchanted collection.

3D Snow Globe

The Details:

The snow globe itself is packaging from some Bo Bunny buttons. I placed some white glitter, silver star confetti and blue micro beads inside the packaging for the snow.

I wanted to try a technique I saw online where you stamp and emboss in white onto white cardstock and then mist the paper with the color you want. You then dab off the mist from the embossed areas and the white stamped images remain. That is how I achieved the white snowflakes even after misting over them.

Santa and His Sleigh

To play on the winter theme, I decided to add Santa in his sleigh flying over the snowman scene. They are cut from the a piece of patterned paper also from the Santa's Little Helper collection.

The Inside:

Even though this is a winter themed card, the next major card giving holiday is Valentine's Day, so I really wanted to find a way to turn this into a Valentine's Day card. The chipboard sticker said, "Cold Nose" next to the snowman on the front of the card. On the inside, I cut the same snowman from the patterned paper and popped him up inside the card. I used the heart shaped Glam Rock and adhered it to the snowman. I hand wrote, "Warm Heart" to play on the idiom, "Cold hands, warm heart."

Inside of Card

So the sentiment reads, "Cold nose, warm heart."

Exterior and Interior of Card

Hope you enjoyed my little card. Thanks for stoppin' by.

Happy scrappin',

I Saved the Date! Layout: Little Cousins do Grow Up

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:

For once I had a chance to make a project because I was inspired and just wanted to make a page. Usually I make projects for a design team, challenge, holiday or gift.

My cousin Marrina's Engagement

The Background:

At Christmas, my cousin, Marrina, gave me a save the date magnet for her upcoming nuptials.

Save the Date Magnet

I've known her since she was a baby, so my first thought was to still think of her as a young kid, kind of like this Father of the Bride moment.

My second thoughts were recollections of my then boyfriend, now hubby, Kevin picking up Marrina and her brother up with one hand and tossing them around. (These photos were predigital and had to be scanned from my old fashioned scrapbook, which is kind of like the new Smashbooks.)

After the realization that little kids do grow up and get married, my third thought turned back to scrapbooking and I thought the magnet was super cute and would make a great focus for a layout.

The Details:

Sometimes a layout is really laborious to put together and I'm still not quite satisfied at the end, and other times the stars align in the universe, and all the componets readily comes together. This was one of the latter times. During Christmas dinner Marrina was telling me that her wedding colors were teal and salmon. I had just used Authentique's Gathering collection which were those same colors. I had a few scraps left and it was enough to make a one page layout, even though I didn't have any whole sheets left.

Title & Journaling

I was just reading Sketch Support and really liked the layout sketch of the week (#16). Most of the designers made a Christmas layout, but I thought the ornaments could be transformed into the wicker lanterns in the magnet design.

I handstitched strings to hang the lanterns that I punched from a piece of patterned paper. I even poked holes and stitched through the magnet itself.

Marrina had posted some gorgeous engagement photos on Facebook. If you need a wedding photographer for the L.A. area, I'd highly recommend the one she used, Anna May Lam.

Engagement Photos

I browsed through her photos and chose the more muted ones that matched my distressed papers.

The whole layout came together seamlessly. Here's hoping the wedding planning and marriage is the same. I wish you the best kiddo!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Pages Reveal: Cute Lil' Heart Window Card

2012-01-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

The Assignment:
Part two of my assignment this month at Pages from the Heart, was to make any type of card I wanted using papers from my kit, which was Authentique's "Gathering" collection. I wanted to play with a different type of fold instead of the standard fold. I saw a card a few months back from Kristina's Werner's blog that used the two halves of the negative space to form the whole shape that I thought was totally adorable. I used that idea as the inspiration for my card.

Heart Window Card

Supply List for Card

Featured Collection: Authentiques’s “Gathering” Collection

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Papers: Authentique

Stickers: Authentique

Ink: ColorBox Chalk

Pen: Pentel

Brads: Making Memories

Other: I hand cut out the hearts

The Details:

This card is made from a base piece of 4 x 12" cardstock. I covered it with a strip of 2 x 12" piece of Authentique's patterned paper and a thin piece of coordinating cardstock. I decorated it with a sticker, a die cut and some brads. I only glued half of the die cut sentiment on the front of the card so that it could still open up.

Opened View of Card

The fun part is how you fold this card. Going from one edge to the other, I folded the card at 2", 4", 8" and 10" marks. I drew in half a heart along the 2" and 10" folds and cut it out, which opened into a whole heart because of the fold. You can try using a punch also.

Negative Space Heart

When you fold it back together, the two halves also form a whole heart. This is a quick card to make and you can change it up for other occasions, for example Valentine's Day is coming up. You can also change the shape of the cut out, like into a square and make that a present for a birthday card. The possibilities are endless. I like trying out new shapes and folds for cards, so this was a fun departure from the norm for me.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you much scrappiness in your days,

Last ScrapFIT Reveal: It's the Simple Things

2012-01-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

The Workout:
Here are the guidelines for January's second workout on ScrapFIT.

Workout #60- It’s The Simple Things

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that mean the most! Show us what simple little thing means so very much to you! Is it a picture your child drew, a family heirloom, a special recipe or a book? We are dying to know! Join us for this "simple" workout by linking your creation to Mr. Linky at the bottom of today's post by January 31st.

My Reveal:
I wanted to show that taking time out of the day to stop and spend time with a loved one was one of life's simple pleasures.

Workout #60 - It's the Simple Things

Sometimes you have the photos that match the topic, but this time I had to recreate the moment. Kevin and I took these photos on the front porch using a ladder and the camera's self timer.

The Details:
Since this was about the simple things in life, I decided to also keep the page relatively clean and simple. This was difficult for me and I had to keep stopping myself from adding more elements and using more colors and patterns. I started by using white as the background and not misting that blank canvas or adding larger patterned paper pieces.

Title Block

I used pieces from Pebbles' Happy Go Lucky collection, so everything would look cohesive. For the title, I chose a sticker from the collection for a simpler look, instead of having a long multicolored title made from alphabet stickers that I would normally be inclined to do.

Flower embellishments

I used some flowers from the collection along with some rhinestones that I placed throughout the layout.

Bird embellishments

It still looked a little barren to me at this point, so I cut out some birds from the patterned papers and place them in three different places along with the rhinestones.

I stitched a large heart to anchor all the elements together so it didn't look like squares floating in space.

Journaling

The Prize:
Hope you enjoyed my simple little layout. If you have something you want to document, link your creation to this post on ScrapFIT by January 31st, and you just might win the following collection from this month's sponsor, Boys Rule Scrapbook.

The Sponsor

The Prize

Thanks for stopping by,

Pages Reveal: Thanksgiving in Cabo Layout

2012-01-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:
For this month's assignment from Pages from the Heart, the DT was asked to make a calendar themed single page layout. Instead of putting an actual monthly calendar on my page, I decided to go with a calendar inspired look. I set up my page with a the grid-like design and placed everything inside the mini-boxes: the title, journaling, embellishments and photos.

Calendar Inspired Layout

Supply List for "Thanksgiving in Cabo" Layout

Featured Collection: Authentiques’ “Gathering” Collection

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Papers: Authentique

Stickers: Authentique

Alphabet Stickers: Authentique

Ribbon: May Arts

Floss: DMC

Ink: ColorBox Chalk

Dimensional Glaze: Glossy Accents by Inkssentials

Border Punch: EK Success

Strong Liquid Adhesive: Fabri-Tac by Beacon Adhesives

Other: needle, paper piercer, souvenirs (coins, keychain)

Sketch: Allison Davis

The Details:

I received Authentiques' "Gathering" collection to work with, which was filled with beautiful teals and corals, and revolved around a family theme.

Authentique's Gathering Collection

I spent this past Thanksgiving in Cabo with my dad and my hubby, and I knew this collection's colors and theme would totally match my photos. The sky and waters were so blue, and the sand and rocks had an orange hue. Plus we happened to be wearing the primary colors in the collection - blue, brown and coral. Note to self, next time pick out the collection first and pack my wardrobe to match for easy vacation scrapping afterwards.

Camel Riding in Cabo

I had no idea camels were indigenous to Mexico and I found out the camels were brought from the Sahara region and adapted well to Cabo.

I decided to scrap the entire vacation on one layout since my 2011 album is getting quite full by the end of the year, and also, then I can actually get one project completely done. The mini-boxes in a grid design is perfect for summary layouts, like a year in review page or in this case an entire vacation. I also managed to place some souvenirs I collected into the design. I bought a keychain at a super clean and modern Walmart there. I just took off the latch and chain part and tied a ribbon at the top. I tried my best to spend all my remaining pesos at the airport and ended up with only two coins left, which I knew where they would go.

Souvenirs

I decided to hand stitch the grid lines and I have to admit it took hours. But once you start, you can't go back on a decision. In order to balance out all those stitched lines, I stitched around the main word in the title and I also stitched some French knots for embellishments. I connected the knots with a pen to form a branch to mimic the branches I cut out from a die cut piece in the collection.

Title Block

Using a calendar design made this a very full and very balanced layout. I really enjoyed filling in every box and recording all my memories onto one page.

I had a few scraps leftover and made another page which I will be sharing very shortly.

Take care and I hope you are still striving towards your resolutions,

ScrapFIT Reveal: Love is a Battlefield

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Workout:
This is my last month on ScrapFIT as my term is quickly drawing to a close, and this is my second to last reveal. I have to say I found all the challenges very interesting it made me create things I normally wouldn't have made. Here is the latest challenge as posted today on ScrapFIT:

#59- Be Inspired By The Music!

"I love 80’s music and we are working out with Pat Benatar this week! Her song ‘Love Is A Battlefield ‘ is your inspiration for this workout! I can't wait to see how this makes you move! You can find the lyrics here. Now its your turn to show us how this song makes you move! Link up your layout or card to Mr. Linky by January 31st for a chance to win!"

My Reveal:

I read through the lyrics of the song, watched the video and then read some articles about it. It was very different from what I remembered as a kid when I watched the video back in the early 80s. I didn't have any photos about teenage rebellion, so I went in a different direction.

Workout #59 - War is a Battlefield

My sister sent me these photos of my nephew participating in Jedi training at Disneyland. It is like a mini-show where they choose kids from the audience, let them borrow a Jedi robe and light saber, and teach them some fighting techniques. At the end they battle Darth Vader or Darth Maul.

The Details:

In terms of the challenge, I changed love into war, sorry, and placed a main star in front of the title, so the title actually reads (Star) War is a Battlefield, sorry also for incorrect subject verb agreement but it can't be helped. I cut out a yellow star and layered it on top of a black one for a shadow effect. I then stitched silver embroidery floss around the layered stars to tie in the silver metal star pendant I glued on top. The silver star is from Prima Marketing and looks like a piece of jewelry. It even has the hole for a chain so I tied a piece of ribbon there to make it look more like an embellishment.

Title - (Star) War is a Battlefield

I used a travel themed collection from Imaginisce called Bon Voyage which has a masculine color scheme. Also the compass points in the patterned paper looked like stars to me so I thought it tied in nicely with my theme. Besides the patterned papers, I also utilized the matching die cut sheet. I liked a tiny die cut that said, "Welcome to our land, you are now in" and I added Tomorrow Land which is the location of the Jedi training.

There was also a larger die cut entitled "Day Pass" which was perfect for my journaling block, it reminded me of the entrance pass. I actually made this layout when I was at an all day crop and I was sitting next to my friend Becky who had a tower of brads. One layer had star brads and she graciously gave me some, so the itty bitty gray stars are from her collection. The layout design is based from a sketch from Allison Davis' one page layout sketchbook, but you can find other sketches designed by her here.

The Prize:

The prize for this month's workout is sponsored by Boys Rule Scrapbooks Kits which is a monthly scrapbook kit club for those who love to paper craft boy subjects.

This month's sponsor

The actual prize is pictured below.

The month's prize

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful new year,

My Christmas Cards

2011-12-31T08:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time is Full of Cheer:
This Christmas, I am happy to report that I got my cards made and sent out in time. Now that the recipients have these in their hot little hands, I can share the my cards with you.

Christmas 2011

I actually made these in January about a year ago since I know what it is like in December with all the activities, shopping and merry making that happens during a condensed period. I looked through the Two Peas gallery for inspiration and I liked the style with four quadrants, but by now, I can't remember who to give credit to, sorry.

The Process:
All I remember about making these was that there was a lot of cutting and inking. The card base is a standard 4.25 x 5.5", which I like to use since I have clear envelopes that I mail these in. I cut out rectangles in coordinating patterned papers in 1.75 x 2.25" and I printed a photo in the same size. I also hand drew and cut out the holly leaves. All the pieces were inked in white. I dug out my stamping equipment and stamped a sentiment on one of the rectangles, and heat embossed for some texture. I drew in some stitching lines. I don't like to sew on cards since I don't know if people keep them, so I only sew on layouts as a general rule. I used some liquid pearl dimensional paint to outline the leaves. Lastly I glued everything together and added a 3D embellishment in the center. I used different flowers, layered stickers or buttons so each card came out slightly different. By the time I remembered to take photos, I only had two cards left.

Some variations

I wanted to save one to scrap but I ended up giving out all my cards. Each year I tell myself that I have to make more for next year. I save all the handmade cards and photo cards that I receive. I usually make a layout with a pocket to house them so they will be stored in my 2011 photo album. I feel so bad throwing away cards. Here is a pocket layout I made for birthday cards I received last year. The pictures show just the layout and then with some cards inside.

Inside the Christmas card, I used some digital scrapbooking elements to create a mini page so this is 2D even though it looks like it has brads and a tag.

Inside Sentiment

I hope you had a merry and meaningful Christmas and I wish you the best in the upcoming new year.

Take care,

A Walk in the Park with Nikki Sivils' Collections

2011-12-22T08:00:00.002-08:00

The cards in this post were featured on ScrapStreet Magazine's blog. Further details about how to make these can be found there.

The Background:
My dear ol' Dad was visiting us from Taiwan during his annual Thanksgiving visit. We took him to high tea and to saunter the grounds at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens which replicates gardens from around the world among its numerous offerings. We took some photos in the Chinese Garden, which is ironic since my Dad traveled half way around the world to see a replica of his home style.

Visiting the Chinese Garden at Huntington Library

The Details:

When I was choosing the papers to match my photos at Pages from the Heart, I was drawn to the pastel colors and cute designs in Nikki Sivils' "Summer" collection even though these are technically autumnal photos.

My favorite part of the collection were the lil' cameras so I cut a strip of them and placed them all the way across the center of my page. I wanted to emphasize them further, so I cut out one camera, hand stitched on it, used Glossy accents on the lens and flash and popped it up around the title.

To continue with the hand stitched theme, I used my Sew Easy paper piercer and stitched a scalloped border around the whole layout. To add the final cherry on top, I made some French knots in the white circles on the scalloped border strip.

To tie in the garden theme, I had some tiny handmade paper flowers I purchased in Thailand this summer that I'd been waiting for the right time to use. This layout design was based on a one page sketch by Allison Davis.

The Extras:
When I was done with this layout, I had quite a few pieces of scraps left over which I didn't want to waste. I'll give you a glimpse of my mid-process workspace.

I decided to make some cards with the leftovers. I added two pieces of solid cardstock for the card base, a Nikki Sivils "It's Your Day" birthday sticker sheet and some twine and here are the results.

I always need birthday cards during the year so now I am ready for three occasions. I began with three main strips in the background as my starting point and to make them different, I added a varying 3D birthday themed element.

For my first card, I rolled a rectangular piece of paper into a tube and glued that onto my card as candles. For the flames I used an Imaginisce Glam Rock accented with gold Stickles glitter glue.

For my second card, I put a row of presents across the card in the middle strip.

I tied some twine on a few of the presents and popped them up at differing heights.

For my third card, I made a banner at the top for a festive touch.

I cut the banner pieces from the patterned paper design, glued some twine at the top and popped it up over the sentiment.

This was a really cute collection to work with and it was really easy to mix and match between the two different themed papers.

Take care,

Pages Reveal: Stamped Candle Tutorial

2011-12-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

The Assignment:
The December challenge for followers at Pages from the Heart is to use a stamped image on a project. Instead of stamping on a card or layout, I immediately thought of a stamped candle gift that my sister and I made a few years back for our coworkers. We stamped "The ______ Family" and filled in the blank with the recipient's last name along with a snowman family image. It was a fun way to make personalized gifts. I created a new design for this challenge.

Stamped Candle
Featured Collection: Imaginise's Snag 'em Stamps

Supply List for Candle:
Stamps: Ornaments - Imaginisce's Snag 'em Stamps (Snowy Jo Collection),
Merry Christmas - We R Memory Keepers (Peppermint Twist Collection)
Glitter Pen: Gelly Roll
Ink: Delta (dye based ink)
Other: white or cream candle, white tissue paper, wax paper, heat embossing tool

The Tutorial:
1. Choose which stamps you'd like on your candle. You can use designs, sentiments or names. Stamp the images on a piece of tissue paper. I just dug a piece out from my gift wrapping box. You can use any color ink. I used green and red for Christmas. You can use black ink and then color in the images with markers or watercolor color pencils. I colored in my images with a silver glitter pen since it was just a small area. Tissue paper is very delicate so work carefully and stamp and color more than you need so you can choose the best image. The ink tends to bleed on the paper which is very absorbent.

2. Cut out the images that are to your liking and place them on the candle. I used a tiny bit of adhesive to place the pieces on the candle to make sure the spacing was even. Again, be careful as the tissue can easily rip when you move it around the candle.

3. Now comes the fun or painful part if not done correctly. Cover your images with a piece of wax paper. It is best if you cover the entire candle with wax paper and then hold the paper tightly in place from the opposite end on the excess wax paper. Use your heat embossing tool to heat the stamped images that are covered by the wax paper. You will see the white tissue paper disappear. That is when you know you are done. It only takes a few seconds per heated spot. The wax from the paper melts and covers up your image therefore, embedding it in wax. It gets really hot and can easily burn your fingers so that is why it is important to hold the paper 180 degrees from where you are heating it. Don't hold the paper in place with your fingers close to your image to save paper.

4. When you remove the wax paper, the image is coated in wax and looks and feels like part of the candle and is safe to burn. It is almost like you stamped directly onto the candle.

5. To make it more personalized, you can use alphabet stamps and spell out the recipient's name.

6. To decorate the finished candle, I folded some origami puffy stars symbolic of friendship, and placed it in a ring around the candle. I also threaded two stars along with some glass beads on embroidery floss to tie around the packaging. If you are interested in making some stars, you can see a tutorial here.

7. Here is the finished product gift wrapped in ribbons and cellophane. I made a tag copying the shape of one of the ornament stamps to tie everything together. You can see it in person at Pages from the Heart.

This is a relatively easy project, especially if you streamline the process or work with someone at the same time.

Hope you are getting all your Christmas preparations done.
Wishing you a scrappy dappy Christmas,

Pages Reveal: Secret Lil' Box

2011-12-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

The Reveal:

This is part two of my Pages from the Heart Christmas themed reveal. I made a secret box which can be the present itself, or the packaging for three tiers of little presents. The secret box is in the foreground along with the envelope gift bags from my last post in the background.

Secret Box in Foreground

Supply List for Secret Box

Featured Collection: Santa’s Workshop from Doodlebug Design Inc.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Papers: Doodlebug Design Inc.

Stickers: Doodlebug Design

Alphabet Stickers: Making Memories

Ink: ColorBox Chalk

Glitter Glue: Stickles by Ranger

Scalloped Circle Punches: EK Success

Tutorial: Splitcoaststampers

The Details:

You can open the box to reveal three trays that can house candies and other fun little gifts for the recipient.

Opening to discover the secrets within

The box opens up 180 degrees with both sections remaining attached to each other.

Contents Revealed

I decorated the four sides around the box with scalloped circle punches, stickers and patterned papers. I used a white chalk ink on the edges of the paper to elicit a snowy feel. I made a paper bow for the top. I popped up the scalloped circles using foam tape to add some dimension. Here are the four sides around the box.

There is a written tutorial and a video tutorial in the link under my supply list for Splitcoaststampers' site. I did find the construction of this to be a bit complex and time consuming in order to be precise so everything lines up and folds evenly. If you want something quick and easy, I'd suggest the mini envelope gift bags. If you have more time and want something with more of a wow factor, then choose this project. It is super cute and the recipient can have fun just opening and closing it.

Take care,

Pages Reveal: Mini Gift Bags made from Envelopes

2011-12-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

The Assignment:

This month for Pages from the Heart, the DT members were asked to make two items for Christmas, a present wrapping idea and a present, while incorporating baker's twine. This is my first reveal, a mini gift bag that would work well for items like jewelry or gift cards.

Mini Gift Bags

Supply List for Mini Envelope Gift Bags

Featured Collection: Santa’s Workshop from Doodlebug Design Inc.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Papers: Doodlebug Design Inc.

Stickers: Doodlebug Design

Stamps: We R Memory Keepers

Twine: The Twinery

Ink: ColorBox Chalk, Delta

Glitter Glue: Stickles by Ranger

Decorative Scissors: Fiskars

Other: Buttons, Card Envelopes

The Details:

The main part of this bag is made from a regular sized (A2) card envelope. You can use any sized envelopes that you have lying around, especially if you don't have the card to match anymore. Basically you just seal the envelope, slice off one end, score and fold 3/4" along the other three sides and open them up to make the little baggies. For a more comprehensive tutorial, you can go here. I also made a handle that I attached with glue dots. To decorate the handle, I tied some buttons and origami stars using baker's twine.

Then I decorated the front and back sides of the bags using Doodlebug's Santa's Workshop line which has a lot of cute stickers and tags that are the perfect size for this project. For the baker's twine component, I glued some twine in a circular pattern using Fabri-Tac for the holly berries on the tag that I popped up with foam tape. The cardstock stickers already come pre-glittered and the border stickers really finish out the scene. Here is a front and back view of my snowman gift bag.

This second bag is also made from the same sized envelope as the snowman one, the only difference is I cut the opening along the wider edge. So from the same sized envelope, you can get two different shapes, taller and narrower or shorter and wider. Here is the front and back view of my Santa gift bag.

The snowman and Santa Claus peeking out from the top of the bags are Target gift cards. I got the gift cards first and then made the bags to match the theme of the cards. This was a relatively quick and easy project, and will really add a personal touch when giving a gift card to someone.

A Shout Out:

I have to give a shout out to the UCLA women's volleyball team that will compete in the finals tomorrow against Illinois. The last time they won an NCAA championship was in 1991, when I was a senior in college there. It has been twenty years in the making. Best of luck!

Take care and happy scrappin' & spikin',

ScrapFIT Reveal: Mini-Pics

2011-12-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Workout:
It is time for another scrappy workout! The guidelines for today's workout at ScrapFIT are as follows:

Workout #58- Mini Pics

It seems when something is smaller than normal size, it makes it better or cuter! For this Workout you will need to work with Mini Pictures! They need to be wallet size or smaller – you can have any many or as few as you would like.

You will have until December 31st to link up your layout or project to the Mr Linky for a chance to win! Don't forget about Workout #57 - Word Of The Year - you have until December 31st to enter this Workout as well.

My Reveal:

I love layouts with multiple photos, so I decided to try and see how many I could get away with on one page. So without further ado, let me introduce you to my doggies who graciously posed for this photo spread.

Workout #58: Mini-Pic Layout

The concept behind this was that I've seen a lot of photo templates for sale, especially for digital scrappers. I decided to make my own photo collage using QuarkXPress. Here is a screenshot of what I came up with:

Designing a Photo Collage

I can now change out the photos if I like these measurements for another layout. The photos print out as one giant photo which make it really easy to work with on the page. Usually I have to glue all the little pictures individually and try to get them to line up straight.

The Details:

At this point, I thought the photos looked too grid-like on the page and needed some cute elements to balance it out. I decided to build a doghouse to surround the collage. I used several different Bella Blvd. lines that had the patterns I wanted, like wood grains and stripes to paper piece the doghouse.

I cut strips of striped paper and then tore them into smaller pieces to simulate sawed off planks of wood. Then I used Imaginisce Glam Rocks to look like nail heads.

Wooden planks in the doghouse roof

I raised different elements of the page to make it look more 3D, like the roofline and the doggie door. I also used the door as my title block which I also designed and printed from QuarkXPress.

Doggie door and title block

For the embellishments, I created a scene by cutting out different designs from the patterned papers. I popped up some pieces for a layered look and used Glossy Accents on the dog's eye.

Scenery embellishment cluster

There wasn't a lot of room for journaling since the photos took up most of the space, so I grouped some journaling spots in a cluster and labeled the basics.

Journaling spots

The Prize:

If you like working with mini-pics, then link your creation to today's post for a chance to win another great kit from Paper Lovelies, an online crafting supply site.

Sponsor for this workout's prize

The prize this week will feature the "Old School" collection from Pink Paislee.

The prize for Workout #58

Hope you are getting your crafting and Christmas shopping done.

Thanks for stopping by,

Do You Have What it Takes to be ScrapFIT?

2011-12-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

Repaired bears

Let There be Light:
Yeah electricity! We finally got power back after a week of no cell service, internet or electricity. It felt very primitive and Little House on the Prairie like, trying to get all the chores done before the waning light. It really gave me an appreciation for connectivity and extended daylight. At least I had family members who let me visit their home in the evenings. I don't know how the Amish do this on a daily basis.
The gale force winds were really powerful, besides all the trees and power lines that were knocked over, my wooden hanging bears both had their arms severed and blown away. I had to search for it among the tree branches littering the lawn. My hubby repaired them with wires so they are fine now and can withstand the next attack.

ScrapFIT Design Team Call:

My six month term is rapidly drawing to a close with ScrapFIT and now there is an open call for anyone interested in applying for the new term which will begin in February for another six months. The basic requirement is to turn in two challenges a month. You can read about all the details here on ScrapFIT's blog post. I really enjoyed my time on the team and found the workouts both fun and challenging. The experience really allowed me to utilize my creativity and grow as a scrapper.

Here is a traipse down memory lane to give you an idea of what transpired on the team for me:

Workout #49: Put a Banner on It

Workout #50: Be Inspired by a Book

Workout #51: Salt and Pepper

Workout #52: Sketchy Thursday's sketch

Workout #53: The Journaling Goes Round

Workout #54: It All Adds Up

Workout #55: Christmas Card

Workout #56: Technically Inclined

Workout #57: Word of the Year

If this is something you are interested in, please try applying for the team.

There are still three more reveals so it isn't all over yet for me.
Take care,

ScrapFIT Reveal: Word of the Year

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Workout:
Here are the details to the workout challenge posted today on ScrapFIT's blog:

Workout #57 - Word of the Year

Its almost a new year!!! What single word best describes how you want to embrace the new year? Here is your chance to think about how you want to change, improve, create, define or challenge the new year! Share with us a layout or altered project that showcases your Word Of The Year! I hope you join us in our newest Workout! Simply link your layout to Mr. Linky in today's post by December 31st.

My Reveal:
I was brainstorming words of the year - challenge, create, dream... and finally decided on dare. It seemed more like a command and it encompassed all the other words. I could dare to challenge myself and dare to follow my dreams.

ScrapFIT Workout #57: Word of the Year

I wanted a multi-photo double paged layout that was a summary of the year so I printed out 2.25 x 2.25" pictures from throughout 2011 that were a bit daring and fun. Since they were of varying colors and themes, I printed them in sepia for a more cohesive look. I wanted a sketch that could incorporate 19 photos, so I went with an Allison Davis desgin from Sketch Support.

Two Page Sketch #14

The Details:

Here is a close up of each page:

Left Page

Right Page

The main variation from the sketch was I added vertical banners. I thought that would match my heralding in the new year's theme. I machine stitched around the main banners to give a separation between photos, so they can be viewed in a strip since there was so much going on. Otherwise I kept the photo size and placements basically the same.

Title Block

Since the workout is on a "Word of the Year", I wanted to emphasize my main word, dare. For this layout I used Echo Park's For the Record collection. There is a sticker page of letters and I used the round typewriter keys one and placed them on buttons that matched the colors in the collections. I made a mini-banner, wrapped some baker's twine around that, glued the buttons on top and placed it horizontally to emphasize my main sentiment. "Dare" seemed a bit vague by itself, so I added "to herald in the new year 2012" to finish out the sentiment.

Here are some close up shots:

The Prize:
If you want to scrap your Word of the Year layout, please post it on ScrapFIT's blog for a chance to win an Echo Park "For the Record"scrapbooking kit from Paper Lovelies. That just happened to be the collection I used in today's layout. Paper Lovelies is an online crafting site specializing in monthly scrapbooking kits for only $15.

This month's sponsor

This month's prize

If you find that you don't have the time to make a whole album for a large event like entire year or a long vacation, then just make a summary page with numerous smaller photos almost like a collage page. If you don't have the energy to write an essay with feelings and details, then just make a list of the places or people in the photos. Then you'll feel better for getting something down on paper.

Take care,

A ScrapFIT Giveaway

2011-11-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

ScrapFIT is Giving Back:

During this Thanksgiving season, Sara from ScrapFIT is thankful for all the supporters for her site, and is hosting three giveaways. Just hop on over, leave a comment on today's post for two chances to win, and follow the site for another chance to win a collection of scrappy goodness. There is a total of three collections that she is giving away.

Giveaway Prize

Away from Home

I'll be sharing more crafty projects next week. This week I'm away from my desk as I'm cruising around Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. See you all soon and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Self Portrait near El Arco and a pirate's cave

Take care,

Pages Reveal: Candle Stick Wreath

2011-11-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

The Assignment

It is time for part two of my November reveal with Pages from the Heart, the little scrapbook store with a big heart, or so the motto goes. The assignment this month for the DT was to make something for a holiday celebration and I chose a Thanksgiving centerpiece with pumpkiny goodness.

Paper Pumpkin Centerpiece

When I finished my set of five pumpkins, it still looked a bit incomplete as the centerpiece. I decided to dress up the brass candle sticks that usually reside on my dining room table. I didn't want a permanent decoration in case I change my color scheme or want to decorate for a different holiday. I decided to make a removable wreath that just tied around the candle stick using a strip of ribbon I save from a gift.

The Reveal

Title: Candlestick Wreath

Featured Collection: We R Memory Keepers' Autumn Splendor

Dedicated to: Flower Lovers

Candlestick Wreaths

We R Memory Paper

Supply List:

Patterned Papers: We R Memory Keepers

Wired Ribbon: Kirkland

Stamen: JoAnn Crafts

Ink: ColorBox Chalk

Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks: Imaginisce

Candle Holder: Baldwin

Other: Candle

I wanted to think of another project to use the 6 x 6 paper pad I received and decided to fold some kusudama flowers. This is an ancient Japanese paper model translated as "medicine ball" or "healing sphere" which was traditionally used for incense, but are now decorative. Here are some examples.

Kusudama

I didn't want to make the ball, but liked the flowers so I researched how to fold the origami flowers. I used a kusudama written tutorial from Folding Tree for reference. If you prefer videos, YouTube has some folding tutorials also.

Kusudama Flowers

There are five petals in one bloom. Each petal is made from one piece of 3 x 3 paper. So each sheet of 6 x 6 paper can be cut down to make 4 petals without any wasted material. After folding five petals, I hot glued them together to create one flower. You can vary the papers per flower or use all the same paper as seen above versus below.

5 Petaled Bloom

The Nitty Gritty

Some variations I made were:

I chalked the edges of each mini-sheet of paper.
I added some stamens to the centers of the flowers. These are purchased from the floral section of a craft store. I just hot glued them in the center prior to gluing on the final petal.
I hot glued each finished flower onto a wired ribbon. This way, the flowers are not permanently attached to the candlestick but can be easily taken off if I still want to decorate the candlestick for another holiday, like Christmas.
I tied the ribbon around the candlestick and curled the bottom of the bow.

Other variations and tips:

The paper I used was pretty stiff so I used a bone folder to crease the paper along each fold. But in the end, the flowers seem very durable. If you use a thinner paper, it will be easier to fold, but may not hold up as well over time. So the choice is yours.
You can cut the paper in different sizes to make bigger or smaller blooms.
You can use a border punch or decorative scissors along the edge of the paper before you fold it to change the shape of the petal, like more of a scalloped look.
You can just make one flower for an accent piece on an item, like on a present instead of a bow, on a headband or back of a pen. Or you can make a whole bunch to make the hanging decorative sphere or an actual whole wreath. These are pretty substantial flowers so I wouldn't use them on 2D projects, like a layout. But they pack quite a punch on 3D projects.

Here it is in conjunction with the pumpkin centerpiece from last week.

Completed Centerpiece

Take care and happy scrappin',

A ScrapFIT Reveal: Technically Inclined

2011-11-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Workout
Here are the details to the workout challenge posted today on ScrapFIT's blog:

Workout #56 - Technically Inclined

Oh, how we all love our technical gadgets! Computer, iPods, iPads, Wii, DS, Smart Phone, Digital SLR Camera and soooo many more! What technical gadget do you hold dear to your heart? Show us and tell us why you can't live with out it! You will have until November 30th to link your layout to today's post for a chance to win a kit from Burlap & Buttercups!

My Interpretation

I did have a hard time with this topic, even though I use these items, I don't really feel like celebrating them. Usually I'm frustrated with them and admire the Amish and Luddites. This week we had a lot of trouble with our internet and kept getting dropped. After a lot of trouble shooting and text support, our provider sent several technicians out and one ran a new line to our house due to squirrel damage as the line runs through some trees. Who would have thought that was the source of the problem? Nature and technology collide.

Technically Inclined Layout

The Details
After a lot of brainstorming, I finally settled on an iPad game app. I chose the pet theme purely from a design standpoint as I wanted a cute layout. If I chose just the iPad, I didn't want to scrap a photo of an inanimate object. I did paper piece a white iPad and made that my title block. I put letter stickers on a piece of transparency and popped that up over a mirrored silver paper so make it more like a screen. The letters reflect on the surface below. I used some brads and Glam Rocks for the buttons.

iPad Title Block

For a related embellishment, I made a wifi signal strength icon. I used a felt flower sticker as the base and hand stitched the curved lines for the reception strength.

Wifi Signal Strength

To balance out the embellishments, as I like to have three groupings, I put a cluster of hearts along the main photo. There was blue button on the felt heart sticker, which didn't match, so I colored over it with a violet Copic marker, which actually made it look brown. I hand cut two hearts, one slightly smaller than the other and hand stitched them together along the middle seam, for an accompanying 3D embellishment.

Heart Cluster

The paper collection and metal Glam Rocks are from Imaginisce and the felt stickers are from Pebbles. It is actually from a pack of cat themed stickers (don't tell the doggies), but the colors matched so perfectly so I used them in conjunction with Imaginisce's fall line. I used a single paged sketch from Sketch Support.

Journaling Strips

The Prize

If you are unlike me and really love technology and want to scrap about it, please do so and link your creation by November 30th to today's post on ScrapFIT for a chance to win this gorgeous kit from Burlap & Buttercups.

Burlap & Buttercups' Prize Package

Take care and happy scrappin',

Pages Reveal: Pumpkin Centerpieces

2011-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

November Pages Reveal:

This month for Pages from the Heart, my assignment was to make something for Thanksgiving like a party favor or centerpiece idea. Since I don't give out Thanksgiving party favors, I went with a centerpiece. This is actually only part one of the reveal, there is a second component which will be posted on their blog next week, so I'll can't show the whole thing until then. But you can always stop by the store for a peek.

Pumpkin Centerpiece

The Nitty Gritty:

This project is relatively simple and uses basic supplies. I'm thinking kids could make a version of this too. Even though they look similar, there are actually two different types of pumpkins above.

Supply List for Pumpkins

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Papers: We R Memory Keepers (Autumn Splendor)

Paper Flowers & Brads Set: We R Memory Keepers

Brads: Making Memories

Twine: The Twinery

Ink: ColorBox Chalk

Hot Glue: Imaginisce

Other: Buttons, Glass Votive Holder, Flameless Votive

I was given the 6 x 6 paper pad from We R Memory Keepers to use. The thing to note with paper pads are that the designs are scaled smaller to fit the smaller paper size, it isn't just the 12 x 12 paper cut into four pieces. I usually only use the smaller paper pads for making cards since the designs are adjusted for the smaller working space, but I wanted find another use for them. I cut the papers into half inch strips and created these pumpkins. The four smaller ones are made from this pad, and the largest one is made from one sheet of 12 x 12 paper from the same collection. The length you cut the strips will determine the size of the pumpkin.

We R Memories Paper Pad

The Two Pumpkins:

For the first type of pumpkin, I hot glued some 5 x 1/2 inch strips of paper on a glass votive holder, placed a flameless battery operated candle inside and decorated the outside.

Pumpkin Votives Side View

Pumpkin Votives Top View

For the second type, I punched holes at the top and bottom of the strips, secured it with a brad and spread out the strips into the shape of a sphere, and then decorated the outside with flowers, leaves, tendrils and a stem. These also had two layers of strips - shorter, solid cardstock inside and longer patterned strips for the outside. The solid strips adds some color and fill in the negative space, otherwise the pumpkins look too hollow.

Paper Pumkins

Here is a final photo as a dining room centerpiece.

I hope you'll have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Take care,

An Answer to a Query: Mini-Album

2011-11-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Updates:

Abbey Road Photo

Scrap it with a Song Blog
My friend Becky follows a blog entitled, Scrap it with a Song, which uses songs and lyrics as scrapbooking inspiration. They run monthly challenges and she encouraged me to enter the Abbey Road challenge, where you create a page as inspired by the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover. She knew I already had a layout made which I couldn't believe that she'd remember my old layouts. I got chosen for the monthly Top 3 Picks for the month of October which can be viewed here.

Pages from the Heart

Altered Clock

When I went to turn in an assignment to Pages today (which you can see next month on their blog), the store owner told me a customer wanted to buy the clock I made. I could't believe someone would want to buy my creations. I think they told her to try and make one. The directions can be found here.

Mini Album Tutorial:
I got my first question from a customer wanting to know how to make a mini album I created 6 months ago for the store. I couldn't believe she remembered that project. I am posting my response here if anyone is interested and am good at visualization as I didn't take any photos during the creating process. The patterned papers and stickers are from My Mind's Eye's Fly a Kite collection.

Mini Album Folded Flat

4 x 4 Accordion Mini Album:

Mini Album Opened

1. Start by making the background for your album. Mine was made from a piece of solid orange cardstock. Cut two 4 x 12 inch pieces from the cardstock and fan fold every 4 inches. You should end up with three squares on each piece of paper. Glue the two pieces together, overlapping on one square each, so you end up with a long skinny strip measuring 4 x 20 inches, with 5 square panels.

Inside of a door panel

2. Next you will make three doors that you will glue onto the orange paper. To make the door panels, cut three 4 x 8 inches pieces of paper. Fold two inches along each edge towards the mid line, so you end up with a 4 x 4 inch square with two 2 x 4 inch doors that open outward from the front. I used three different patterned papers from the same collection for the doors.

Three Opened Doors

3. Next, glue the doors onto the background paper. Open your orange paper flat with the 5 squares. Glue one door panel on squares #1, 3 and 5. So it looks like - door, orange square, door, orange square and door. Put the adhesive on the back of the 4 x 4 part of your door panel and not on any of the 2 x 4 sections. When you are done, this is the your basic album.

Pocket panel

4. To take it to another level, make two pockets and glue those on the two remaining orange squares. To make the pockets, cut a piece of patterned paper 2.5 x 4 inches. Fold 1/2 inch behind the paper on three sides (the two shorter sides and one longer side), and glue on the half inch strip onto the orange paper. The fourth side is not glued so you can put a tag into the pocket.

Photo Mat

5. Then decorate to your liking. I used a border punch, twine, buttons, stickers, Glam Rocks, Stickles and cut outs from the patterned papers. Inside the three doors I added photo mats.

You can customize this for many other themes like Christmas right now. You can adjust the sizes to make a larger or smaller album.

Take care,

A ScrapFIT Reveal: 'Tis the Season

2011-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Updates:
Before I get to my ScrapFIT project, here are a few scrappy updates. My work was featured on some different sites recently so I wanted to share the links here.

A Day at the Beach

My Ol' Kentucky Home

Nikki Sivils collection

My "Day at the Beach" layout is in the fall issue of ScrapStreet Magazine under the article, "Feeling Punchy". It has different examples on how people have incorporated their punches into their layouts.

Also in the fall issue of ScrapStreet magazine is another layout entitled, "My Ol' Kentucky Home". This is part of an article entitled, "Basically Buttons". There are lots of examples of how people have incorporated buttons into their layouts.

I worked with a Nikki Sivils collection for some projects with Pages from the heart. After completing the projects for the store, I sent some photos to her blog, and it was showcased here on her site along with other readers' submissions.

ScrapFIT Reveal:
Back to the topic at hand, here are the guidelines for the latest ScrapFIT challenge:

Workout #55 - Tis' The Season

We know Christmas will be here before we know it so let's start spreading ideas for Christmas Cards and Tags! Show us what you're putting in the mail or attaching to a gift this year!

You have until November 31st to link your handmade Christmas Card or Tag up to Mr. Linky in today's post for a change to win!

Here is my version of the assignment. I started out making a shaker snow globe card, but it is actually more of a wall hanging.

Christmas Wallhanging

The Background:

Kevin on Halloween

My husband was eagerly awaiting the iPhone 4s for months and ordered it online. There were some issues with the service so we went into the Apple store the day after the release and it was a madhouse still. I sat on the wooden stool for an hour watching the chaos and I noticed the iPhone 4 cases were selling like hotcakes. People were buying them, immediately placing it on their phone and walking out with a trail of discarded packaging in their wake. I looked at one of the "Uncommon" boxes and thought it was perfect for a shadow box. It had a built in frame with a protruding plastic center.

iPhone 4 case packaging

Even Kevin came by, looked at the packaging, said, "Shaker card" and went back to talk to the AT & T rep. I'm so proud of his scrappy prowess. Thus the Christmas altered iPhone case packaging was born.

The Process:

I started by covering the outer black frame in patterned paper. I used Imaginisce's Santa's Little Helper collection.

I decorated the center of the shadow box with my main image, which is my nephew in a Christmas tree outfit.

Then I poured some white glitter and stars to make it look like snow when you shake the card.

I glued the packaging back together, including the plastic tab at the top to make it suitable for hanging. The actual assemblage was quite easy as I just used the original materials. The longest part was decorating everything and using the tiny 2.5mm Glam Rocks without losing any. I wanted a title, so I made a little tag that dangles at the bottom of the main photo.

I know I can never look at packaging in the same way again.

The Prize:

If you want to participate in this challenge, all you have to do is make your own Christmas card or tag and link it to today's post. Or, you can just take a look to gain some ideas from the design team for your own interest. This month's sponsor is Burlap & Buttercups, a monthly kit club, and you can win this complete kit.

Burlap & Buttercups prize

Take care,

A ScrapFIT Reveal: It All Adds Up

2011-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

ScrapFIT Workout #54:
It is time to flex those muscles and participate in another ScrapFIT workout. This time the rules are as follows:

"Numbers, numbers and more numbers! Let's see a layout or card with lots and lots of numbers. Can you use them in your title? Can you add them as an embellishment? Can you stamp them? YES, you can do all of those and more! Show us how your numbers add up!"

Just link your project using numbers to today's post by October 31st for a chance to win this all inclusive summer photo album kit from The Paper Bakery. (If only I was eligible...)

The Fabulous Prize for this workout

My Interpretation:
I was trying to think of a clever way to use numbers on my layout and nothing was really working for me. I recently bought Pink Paislee's Vintage Vogue line and wanted to use it for this challenge.

Pink Paislee's Vintage Vogue

My favorite aspect of the line, was the cute packet of spool tops. There were twelve spools in a pack, and I started thinking there were twelve numerals on a clock...one thing lead to another...and this little creation was born. I didn't end up making a card or layout as I initially intended, but you never know where the creative process will lead you.

Workout #54: It All Adds Up

The Process:

I started by purchasing the cheapest clock I could find, which was a $6.00 wall clock from Big Lots.

Original Clock

I disassembled the clock and used part of the frame to trace a circle on the patterned paper that would cover the face of the clock.

I placed all the pieces I wanted to use on the face of the clock to make sure it would fit, and not touch the clock hands as it rotates.

I used Mod Podge and glued the paper to the face of the clock. I coated both sides of the paper.

The bronze frame of the clock didn't match my decor, so I repainted clock in with craft paint.

Most of it is in an antique white but I also used accents of lavender, pink and a pale green, which I drew from the colors in the patterned paper.

After the paint and the Mod Podge was dry, I hot glued on the spool tops. The spool tops didn't have any numbers so I placed glittered number stickers on them. I also traced them in white to make the numbers stand out a bit more.

I then decorated the clock with chipboard stickers and gems. Lastly I added the hands and reassembled the clock.

This is what it looks like with everything back in place, including the frame and glass front.

Here are two close up shots.

One of the chipboard stickers in this collection had a clock design, so I placed that in the center of my clock.

I hope you were inspired to change the ordinary into something extraordinary.

If you want to see this in person, it is at Pages from the Heart right now. In a few months, it will be back on my craft room wall.

Take care,

Last Sassy Lil' Sketch Reveal - Ever!

2011-10-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

A Sassy Lil' Send Off

Sassy Lil' Sketches will be closing its virtual doors on October 27th, and this will be the last week of reveals. If you like their sketches, then download them in these last few weeks. If you like the inspiration from the DT, then browse through the gallery. If you want to participate in the sketch challenges, you have until October 23rd to upload your projects. There are 8 separate challenges happening right now, so you have 8 separate chances to win a prize.

Sketch Challenge

Today's reveal at Sassy Lil' sketches is based on the following sketch, Sassy Send Off Sketch #7 (which has been removed since the website is now closed). I stretched out the sketch and made it into a double pager. Instead of so many background squares of patterned papers, I filled the squares with smaller photos, journaling, captions and titles. I also combined some of the squares to get a larger rectangle for longer photos or more journaling space. Here is my interpretation of the sketch:

Siam Cooking School Layout

The Background

When we were in Thailand this summer, we took a local cooking class. The school was located at the teacher's house. We each had our own woks on the patio. We chose an individual menu and prepared a Thai dinner as guided by the instructor. Before we even started cooking, we went to an outdoor market to purchase the fresh ingredients.

The Details

Here is a view of each page:

I popped up some of the flowers on the patterned papers for a 3D effect. I printed captions for some photos on transparencies and interspersed them throughout the layout.

This paper collection had some matching silk flowers and glazed brads, so I utilized the embellishments.

Next to the main title, I printed out the cooking school's name, and made that into a flower to blend the subtitle with the embellishments.

I found a translation in Thai for one of my captions.

This is the journaling block.

I used a bubble themed border punch along the two sides of my photos. Inside the holes I used a clear paint pen so it is actually a puffy bubble. In some of the smaller holes I added some metal Glam Rocks. I stapled on three ribbons for an accent on one side.

Thanks for stopping by,

ScrapFIT Reveal: The Journaling Goes Round

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

ScrapFIT Workout #53:
It is time to get up and get moving, or is it time to sit down and get scrapping? Either way, there is a new workout for the month of October over at ScrapFIT to help you get your creative juices flowing. Here are the details from the challenge site:

#53- The Journaling Goes Round and Round

Its important to add journaling to our layouts so generations after us will know the details and feelings of the pictures. For this Workout I want your journaling to ‘go around’ the outside of something. It can go around the outside of you page, around your photo or even around an embellishment. Show us how you journal around!

Open air markets, vegetable section

The Background:

When we were in Thailand this summer, Kevin really wanted to find some silk Muay Thai kick boxing shorts. When we were shopping around the street vendors, we did find him a pair, and we also picked up a pair for Isaiah. When we returned home, they wore their matching Muay Thai outfits, proceeded to box or rather push, and thus this layout was born. Isaiah actually really enjoyed putting on some boxing gloves and learning to punch. At the end he even attempted some kicking and posed naturally for the camera.

My Reveal:

My Muay Thai Guys

I combined different lines from Bella Blvd., but was drawn to their pet collection, Tail Waggers & Cat Naps and the boy line, Man of the House because of the masculine yet bright colors.

There were some printed words that matched my theme, so I used a section as a word collage. I was surprised that Uncle was on there already, so I highlighted that along with a few others by placing a Glam Rock in front of them. The strip was a stark white while the other colors were a cream base, so I stippled some ink from various stamp pads using a paint brush. This made the white blend in better with the other colors.

I wanted some 3-D embellishments, but didn't buy any that came with the line because those are always the most expensive part of a collection, so I made my own. I punched out various circles, stacked some together and hand stitched around the edges. I left some plain and made some hollow and then layered them.

For the title I used three different sticker styles. To bring the circle motif to the top of the page, I placed the first word inside one circle using tiny stickers, and had a small cluster of circles for the beginning of the title.

To incorporate the challenge guideline of making the journal go around, I printed out my journaling in strips and arranged it around the central photo like a frame, so it looked like part of the design. I find that journal blocks sometimes stand out too much and detract from the layout's artistic merit. But I also want to incorporate the information and thoughts and feelings along with the photos somehow. I thought this challenge was an interesting way to combat that problem for me.

Here is one last look at Isaiah in his Muay Thai splendor.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize:

If you'd like to workout with the rest of the gals over at ScrapFIT, just link your entry to today's post by October 31 to be eligible to win the following kit from The Paper Bakery Kit Club, which is a monthly project based club with detailed instructions.

Happy boxing, or

Happy scrapping,

either way it is a workout...

A Taste of Taiwan Layout

2011-09-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Sketch:
It is time for my reveal with Sassy Lil' Sketches based on their September Week 4 sketch (which has since be removed as they have closed their site).

My Layout:

Chinese Zodiac

During the SoCal Shop Hop, where I went to visit several scrapbooking stores in the area, I came across a pack of Chinese zodiac stickers. I thought the arrangement of the stickers resembled the patterned paper squares in the sketch, so that was the inspiration for the entire layout.

I then picked photos to match the stickers. I was in Taiwan this summer and my Dad took us to a hole in the wall noodle shop that was reminiscent of camp fire cooking that catered to soldiers in training. There was a flag on the wall behind where we were sitting. We happened to be wearing beanies of Taiwan's flag since we had just finished a tour of the Presidential Office Building.

A Taste of Taiwan Layout

The Details:

Here is a look at the title. Instead of banners, I hung a string of lanterns above the title since it fit with my theme better. I moved the title to the top of the page and the journaling to the bottom since I couldn't cover up the stickers like I could background squares.

The Title

Instead of one large vertical photo, I opted to go with three smaller horizontal photos. I stitched around the photo block to mimic the stitching in the patterned paper.

Photo Block

The background paper had a wavy frame printed around the border. I used an exacto knife to cut along the frame so I could insert the other papers I used behind it and keep the design of the frame intact.

Journaling

If you'd like to see the other interpretations by the Sassy Lil' design team or if you'd like to upload your own version of the sketch, please go here.

The Prizes:
If you play along with any of the September sketches, just link your layout to the corresponding post by October 5th, to win a prize from either of this month's sponsors. I saw some of the new releases from Authentique over at Pages from the Heart, and they are gorgeous.

Thanks for reading along,

A Pages from the Heart Reveal - Nikki Sivils Collection

2011-09-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

My Projects:

These are the two projects I made for my reveal this week over at Pages from the Heart.

Two Page Layout of Grant's Farm

Thinking of You card

I was given the fun and colorful family themed collection from Nikki Sivils to work with.

We Are Family Collection

The Two Page Layout:

Title: Who's Stabled in Grant's Farm?

Featured Collection: Nikki Sivils' "We are Family"

Sketch: PageMaps by Becky Fleck

Page Maps by Becky Fleck

Tips:

1. Feel free to change up a sketch according to your own preferences and style. I like having more photos in a layout so I added 2 inches to the length of the photo sections. This gave me the chance to add three more 2 x 2 photos and increase the size of two of the photos on the sketch.

2. To focus in on the solo photo, I machine stitched around the central characters several times and added some twine. I was also going for a lasso look to match my horse theme. The sketch had a scalloped frame which I substituted with the circular stitching, which was actually quite scary to sew directly on the photo.

3. The new Pearl Pens were a quick and easy way to add some dimension and pearls to a page without using messy liquid adhesives or heat. I put a dot at the top of each ruffle. It also mimicked the yellow polka dots printed on the paper.

4. The paper collection had a family theme which didn’t necessarily match my photos, but the colors were perfect. So feel free to use a collection for the patterns or colors even if you aren’t using the theme.

The Card:

I really liked the little houses that are in Nikki Sivils' We are Family collection. But, I ended up not using them in my layout because they were too small and the scale was off as embellishments for a large two page layout. It was the perfect size for a card though, so I designed a card featuring the cute lil' houses.

Title: From Our House to Yours

Project: Make Your Own 3-D Scene

Tips:

1. I started by using part of a patterned paper that had a road and one group of trees. I glimmered misted it in yellow to break up the large expanse of blue.

2. I fussy cut 4 houses, 2 of each design from another section of the patterned paper that contained houses.

3. I glued one house straight on the paper. I popped up the other one of the same house on top of the first one using foam adhesive. This gives kind of a shadow effect. On the windows I added some Glossy Accents to make it look reflective like glass. I added some Pearl Pen on the roof, doorknobs and nail heads to emphasize those aspects of the house and to make them appear 3-D.

4. Further down the road, I repeated the same process with the other 2 houses I cut out. I also cut out some trees to balance out the scene.

5. I connected the sentiment from one house to the other like a telephone line using a black pen. So with the addition of a sticker from the collection it reads, "Hello from our house to yours".

6. I finished off the scene by cutting out some kites and gluing it in the sky near the "Hello" sticker, so the sticker wouldn't look to be floating by itself.

If there isn't the perfect scene on a patterned paper, then just take the various components that a collection has to offer, and create your own. It will be the right size and scale to your project. It will also be much more interesting with the 3-D elements and any extra finishing touches you add to give it your own personal flair.

Hope this information was helpful in your scrappy endeavors,

A New ScrapFIT Reveal + Blog Hop + Giveaways

2011-09-15T01:35:00.000-07:00

The Workout:
Today is the latest reveal with ScrapFit, but there is a slight twist. ScrapFIT has joined with Sketchy Thursdays for Workout #52. Here are the details for this joint venture if you'd like to participate:

Workout #52 Sketch Challenge

Welcome to the ScrapFIT & Sketchy Thursday Blog Hop! We have joined up with Sketch Thursday this week to offer you a really tough workout! You will need to use this sketch from Sketchy Thursday and combined it with our Workout #52 - "F is for Friendship - Friends are the family members we pick out by hand". Lets dedicated this week's layout to a special friend. Since this is a special joint workout there are a few prizes up for grabs!

You can win this Halloween kit from our ScrapFIT sponsor Paper Issues by linking your layout to Mr. Linky on the ScrapFIT blog.

Prize from Paper Issues for your layout

Be sure to visit all of the FITgirls' blogs and comment on their Workout because one lucky random winner that leaves a comment on every FITgirl's blog will be get this prize kit! You can get to each girls blog by clicking on their photo at ScrapFIT.

Prize for commenting during the blog hop

Once you do that be sure to head on over to Sketchy Thursday for a chance at winning a prize from their sponsor and another chance at a prize from commenting on the Design Team's blogs!

This workout will end on Wednesday 9/21 and the winners will be announced on Thursday 9/22. We hope you will play along and remember you still have until the end of the month to play along with Workout #51, the Salt and Pepper one.

My Layout:

Basically there are three opportunities for you to win a prize. You can make a layout based on the sketch and relate your theme to friendship. You can do a blog hop of all the ScrapFIT girls and leave a comment on each of our blog posts. You can also do a blog hop of all the Sketchy Thursday girls and leave a comment on each of their blogs. Without futher ado, here is my reveal:

Workout #52 based on Sketchy Thursday's sketch

When I saw the sunburst pattern in the sketch, I wanted to do something slightly different than recreating a sunset. I wanted to create the sunburst within one photo. I used a landscape photo my husband took this summer from the top of the mountain that we rode up on ATVs in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The scene is actually of a cabbage farm.

Original Photo

I imported it into Photoshop twice, once in black and white and once in color. I layered them on top of one another, and erased sections from the top photo so the bottom photo would show up in the erased portions. That is how I got the rays of color alternating with rays of black and white.

Photoshopped image

The Story:

The title is as such because I was totally terrified of riding an ATV for the first time along the highway. Sometimes we had to pass slow moving trucks around blind turns. We were on a level one ride so there was just a short mountainous section through the rough and bumpy terrain. The couple that went on the level two ride fell off their ATV three times and injured an ankle, so it is a dangerous sport. My family came out relatively unscathed, so I can say it was an interesting experience. Although my reaction after several hours of a jarring ride through the hot sun was to tell my sister, "I'm planning the next vacation." But it did give me this scrapping opportunity though, and for that I am grateful.

Title

Mountain top views

Thanks for stopping by,

August Projects for Pages from the Heart

2011-09-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Pages from the Heart Design Team:

My six month term with Pages from the Heart is quickly drawing to a close. I can't believe my time with this DT has flown by already. Looking back on this experience, I realized I haven't posted any of the items I made for the store here on my blog. Part of the reason for that is by the time my projects are released on Page's blog, all my energy is focused on working on my new assignments for the next month. I'm going to go backwards chronologically and show you my assignments that were displayed in the store. I hope you don't mind seeing oldies but goodies. Isn't Pages the most charming store?

Store owner Kathy and manager Mary Jo

Pages from the Heart scrapbooking store

August Kit:

For August I received a fun and colorful kit to work with - Doodlebug Design's "Birthday Celebration". It comes in two versions, a boy or a girl themed birthday collection. I received the boy collection which is primarily blue. From my kit, I made three items - a single page layout, a gift and a card.

Single Page Layout:

Since I received the boy birthday line, I knew I would have to scrap an Isaiah birthday page.

Isaiah 4th Birthday Layout

The background paper was already very festive, but I wanted some 3D elements so I popped up some hand cut balloons and wrapped the string around the brackets to interact with the title.

I also wrote the journaling on a cloud and popped that on the page so it would blend in with the scene. Isaiah would make this fake pained smile whenever he posed for a picture. I made him a party hat for his picture so it would look like he enjoyed his party, which he did. Behind him, I folded a strip of paper to make a pleated ruffled border.

Whenever I work with a kit, I try to emphasize the product for the store. I received a pack of small brads so I found a way to highlight them. I put a ring of brads around a die cut.

Gift Idea:

When I was working on these projects, it was actually in June, so I was thinking about teacher themed gifts. I was playing with the idea of giving an apple for the teacher, so I thought of giving them a bottle of sparkling apple cider. I made a bottle topper to place over the bottle, so it functions as a decoration and an appreciation card. I hand pieced a red apple and placed it over the Marinelli logo. If you really liked the teacher, you could add an Apple Store gift card along with the cider.

Card:

Lastly I made a birthday or celebration card. I punched out 11 scalloped circles, folded them into thirds, then lined up the triangular pieces around another circle like slices of a pie to make the central flower.

If you want more information, or all three projects on one handy dandy piece of paper, I made a newsletter for the store which you can view here.

August Newsletter (larger pdf version)

Happy Scrappin',

The Lady or The Tiger?

2011-08-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Workout:

Salt N Pepa Workout?

Today is another exciting reveal day at ScrapFIT! There is a new challenge posted every two weeks and you have a month to complete and then enter your own creation. Today's challenge is workout #51: "Salt & Pepper." This has nothing to do with the eighties group, "Salt N Pepa" who will be performing at the L.A. County Fair this summer along with En Vogue. Bring back any sweet 80's memories?

Salt and Pepper actually refers to using black and white as your predominant colors in your card or layout. You can also use one additional color if you so choose. Just link your layout to today's post by September 30th, and you'll have a chance to win a fun FITkit by this month's sponsor, ScrapFIT itself.

This month's prize, a FITkit

My Layout:

I am really excited to show you my interpretation of today's layout.

My Salt & Pepper Layout

When I was thinking about the black and white challenge, I associated it with my Thailand tiger photos. The tiger was black, white and orange (the additional color). I knew those photos of my family in a cage with a full grown 400 lb. tiger would be perfect. If you are interested, the place is called Tiger Kingdom in Maerim, Chiangmai, Thailand.

The Details:
I eliminated all the other colors in the photos,which I found distracting, by changing it into a black and white photo. I wanted the orange to be emphasized, so I reprinted the photo in color, cut out the tiger, and popped it on top of the black and white one. You can't tell in the larger photo, but the tiger looks 3-D in the actual layout. I thought it gave the layout an interesting effect. I also machine stitched around the central photo using a different stitch than the usual straight stitch, and it came out as a scalloped border.

3-D Tiger

Extra Photos

Journaling

I wanted a way to insert more photos, so I built a frame around the main photo using circles. Within the smaller photos I could place more photos, my sub-title and matching patterned papers and embellishments. I also popped up some of the circles for visual interest and to break up the rectangle a bit.

I also wanted to incorporate some souvenirs, so I added the embossed foil bookmarks I purchased in Thailand. They were silver so I rubbed it with some black ink to make the embossings stand out more and to tie it in with the black and white theme.

I placed a long title on top, so the main photo was completely framed in, and it balanced the circles on three sides. I hand stitched some Zs next to the title in lieu of an embellishment there.

Title & Embellishment

I used Bo Bunny's Zoology papers which is a safari themed collection. I stuck to just the parts of the papers that were within my color parameters, since they have multiple colors on one sheet.

The Sketch:
I usually like to base my layouts on a sketch. I decided it was high time I made my own sketch. Here is my first digital version if you would like to use it. My other sketches are messy doodles in my notebook, but good enough for my personal use.

Click here for a pdf version of the sketch

Have a scrappy day,

My Ol' Kentucky Home

2011-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
This is my first of six reveals with Sassy Lil' Sketches. I'll be posting a new layout on the 4th Tuesday of each month, so be on the lookout. Today's layout from the design team is based on a sketch by Cherie Averill.

The Prize:
There is a new layout sketch and two new card sketches released each week, along with DT samples, so be sure to check out Sassy Lil' Sketches if you want some design ideas. If you made your own project based on a sketch, just link it to the bottom of the post for a chance to win some great prizes. There will be two winners chosen each month. Here are the two sponsors for August:

Paper Sponsor

Digital Sponsor

Layouts must be uploaded below by September 5th, 11:59 P.M. EST to be eligible for the August random prize drawing.

My Layout:

August Week 4 Sketch - My Ol' Kentucky Home

Kevin and I visited his family in Kentucky during the week of July 4th this year. I wanted to capture the down home feel of life in the country so I went with a quilt theme. I made a patchwork quilt with diagonal pattern of red-yellow-green-green-yellow-red. For half of the quilt, I choose photos with the color I wanted and enhanced them, and for the other half I used patterned papers. I then machine stitched the squares, hand sewed tiny buttons on each corner and added a border to complete the quilt.

Quilt squares

To tie in the quilt theme to the title, I added some buttons tied with twine for the Os.

My Title

The Variation:

My main variation from the sketch was that I used the background squares for the photos, and I used the one photo space for my journaling. I turned the 4 x 6 photo space into a post card and wrote a note to Kevin's parents in Kentucky as the journaling spot. I made a little postage stamp and stamped a postmark stamp on top of that. I had to research postcard stamp prices since I don't usually send postcards, it is 29 cents.

Sassy Lil' Sketch

My Journaling

The Paper:

I have to say that this is the first time I used anything from Simple Stories, and this collection, "100 Days of Summer" was perfect for the antique look I wanted. One thing that is different about them is that the papers and page protectors come in varying sizes, so you can just slide a picture into a pocket and cut out a title to put in another pocket and not have to scrap anything if you just want a fast page. I just used it like a regular piece of paper because the colors and style matched, but it seems like an interesting idea.

Pages

Page Protectors

Stop by Sassy Lil' Sketch if you get a chance. I hope you are inspired to make some layouts and interpret sketches in your own way.

Take care and happy scrappin',

Be Inspired by a Book Cover

2011-08-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Challenge:
It is time for another ScrapFIT reveal! This week's challenge is to be inspired by the following children's book cover. Since I love children's books, this was right up my alley. You can use just parts of it, the color scheme, the 60s feel, the meaning of the title or the overall design. Just be creative and be inspired!

Inspiration for Workout #50

The Prize:

If you'd like to play along, the prize is the following Summer Twilight sampler pack from Precocious Paper, which has their own blog and Etsy store.

Prize for Workout #50

My Layout:

Here is my interpretation of Workout #50.

My Workout #50

I was inspired by the cityscape on the cover and decided to use photos from my recent trip to St. Louis. I replaced the focal point of the lamp post on the cover with the trademark arch. I used the layout of the cover as my template. I used an antique filter on my photos to unify them in terms of the color scheme and give it a more retro look. Of course, when I saw the two characters on the cover, I wanted to recreate them. I noticed no one else did that on the DT. Why is that?

It was kind of fun to do our own photo shoot with the self timer. Kevin was giving me acting tips like a director. "You are the wide-eyed daughter distracted by what you see during your first trip into the city. I'm the father focused on getting us to our destination on time." It turned out kind of silly, but I think this layout is representative of my style. You should at the other ones from the design team to see all the different interpretations.

Close Ups:

Here are some detailed shots of my layout. I fussy cut some buildings from Crate Paper's Neighborhood collection, and popped them up at different heights to continue the city theme into my title area.

I bought a keychain at St. Louis Arch gift shop, took off the charms and used them on three points in my layout. I cut out some extra clouds and layered them in one corner along with a border sticker. I then journaled briefly there so I wouldn't have to cover up the photos.

This was the title and subtitle.

If you are also inspired by this book cover, then link your layout to the bottom of today's post on ScrapFIT. You have until August 31st to join in Workout #50. Get those creative juices flowing.

Take care,