Mother

I truly had a wonderful day of scrapping yesterday!  I had so much fun seeing what the challenges were and participating in many of them.  I showed you a couple, but you would have been on overload had I shared them all!  On thing that Stacy Julian said in her opening video for the Big Picture Classes Creative Crop was that scrapbooking is "fantabulous memory-making coolness."  Don't you agree?  Gosh, I love all that I have learned from her!

The last project I made yesterday was actually a Mother's Day gift for my mother.  I had the pieces out all day, and I just kept thinking about how I wanted to put it together.  This is what I came up with...

I purchased this shadow box frame at Michael's a couple of years ago.  It has a brown tone to it, so I knew I wanted to use Buzz & Bumble paper.  I cut two sheets of flowers from the Artiste cartridge, and sponged them with yummy creme brulee ink before I rolled them.  Once I had them on the frame, I really had fun adding this and that - butterflies (from the Artiste and Art Philosophy), cocoa buttons, trinket pins, bling gems, dark chocolate striped grosgrain, and some little wooden bees.  I like the way it turned out, so I hope my mother likes it!

This is going into a few challenges:

• Cut it Up - Mother's Day
• StuckOnUSketches Die-cut Challenge -  The word Mother
• Pile it On - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you have a most blessed Sunday!

Pin It

Avonlea Beauty

I don't know what it is about this time year, but I always start digging through my stash to see what treasures I can find.  I start thinking about how blessed I am to be a paper crafter and that I need to use things up - most likely so that I can buy more!!

Well I found this unique shaped box in my "big box of stuff," and I decided to cover it with Avonlea.

I started out by painting the edges of the bare wood with grey acrylic paint.  I used Liquid Glass for the rest of the project (I really should have stock in Liquid Glass!).  It works well for adhering paper to wood surfaces, and it worked extremely well to bond the pieces together.    From there, I was able to decorate this in whatever way I wanted!

Avonlea lends itself well to a vintage look, so of course that called for rolled flowers from the Artiste cartridge and loads of bling!  This would be pretty to hold cards, mini albums (I am always looking for a place for those!), or letters.

What have you found in your "big box of stuff" lately?  Thanks for visiting, and I hope you  have a blessed day!

Pin It

Notes

This was delivered to my sister today, so I can finally show you what I made her for her birthday.  I have wanted to make a memo board cookie sheet for so long!  She has a nice craft room, so I thought this might sit perfectly in there for her.

Of course, I used some Dotty.  I know you have seen a lot of projects from Dotty, but one package of this paper can go a long way!  It's so bright and cheery - and easy choice of paper for gift giving.  I love the dark chocolate striped ribbon with the Dotty paper.  I picked up this note pad in the dollar bin items at Target that were 75% off.  Always look there - you never know what you might find for 25 cents!

I especially wanted to give this to Linda because she helps organize a craft fair at her church before Christmas.  All of the craft items are donated so that 100% of the money can go to the church needs.  I was thinking that these would be a nice addition to the craft fair so I'll be making some more of these for them to sell.  Just think of how unique each one can be!

Off to bed now.  I am spending the afternoon out and about with Shane tomorrow and looking forward to it!

Gifties

I am at my weekend scrapbook retreat now, so I can show you these little gifties that I made for my sisters and nieces.  I am also entering this into The Cricut Creative Cutter Room challenge for Valentine's Day.  Have you visited there yet?  It's a great way to showcase your skills using your Cricut!

I found these petri dishes at Target in the dollar section.  They were two in a package for $1.00, so I bought loads of them (surely you understand!).  I used Roxie paper, and I cut circles and flowers with the AP cartridge.  Oh so easy and fun!  I never get tired of rolling flowers.  I filled them with Dove chocolate and thought the girls could use them on their craft desks.  The letters are the Eclectic Dimensional Elements Alphabets, and I sponged them with black.  The are pre-embossed (cool!), so the prints resist the ink.

Back to my weekend!

Photo Tray

I have had these done for a couple of weeks, but I couldn't show you until I gave it to my sister.  In fact, I made these for two of my sisters, so they received them this morning when I saw them at a craft boutique.  It was such a nice boutique with lots of wonderful handmade items.  I had a hard time narrowing down my purchases!  Right now I am sitting here in my heavy knit slippers.  If you have every had these heavy, handmade slippers, you know just how happy and toasty my feet are right now!  In the days to come, I will show you some of my other purchases!

Now getting back to the gifts I gave my sisters.  They is the 7Gypsies 6x6 photo tray.

Of course, I had to fill them with all kinds of CTMH goodness!  Do you remember when people used to line their shelves with beautiful lace edges?  That's the look I was going for by adding the border strips above the small squares.    Some great paper and a few embellishments and these gifts were done!

Items that can be found on my website:
X7143B Sonoma Paper Packet
Z1487 Pewter Mini Medleys (I used the corners and cut a frame in half)
Z1635 Heirloom Asst
Z1466 Bling Asst
Z1333 Mocha Gems
Z1126 Colonial White Designer Ribbon
Z1682 Notable Alphabet Dimensional Elements

Enjoy Life Every Day

I have had this journal from Pinecone Press in my stash for about a year.  I got it on clearance somewhere for about $2.00, and it has six double-sided pocket pages.  I have been working on some personal goals, and I wanted something pretty to keep everything in. 
I pulled out the rest of my CTMH Veranda paper and stickease.  When the new Idea Book is released on August 1st, I know there are going to be some more favorite papers, but I have really enjoyed working with Veranda.  It's just so pretty!  I added some CTMH paper flowers and ribbon along with some random gems.  I covered the front and back covers with Martha Stewart decoupage.  This is my favorite because the lid has a brush attached.  No messy clean-up!  I even decoupaged the flowers and stickease so that this book will stand up to some wear.

I am entering this in the Shopping Our Stash challenge.  (Thanks Marg!)

Hope you are having a great day today!

Once Upon a Springtime

Every week in February I have been posting an idea for home decor at the Sassy Lil Sketches forum.  Have you joined yet?  There are some fun people over there - and some of the best smilies for posting!!

Anyway, I created this next project because I am really tired of the snow.  We had another 14" earlier this week, and the driving was horrendous.  I am just so anxious for spring this year!  Last time I was at Archiver's I picked up a few sheets of Graphic45's new Once Upon a Springtime.  I had a coffee can in my recycling craft box, so I went to work with that as the base.  Here's what I came up with:

Don't you love those colors?  They are just so pretty and spring-y!  I made the shreds by cutting 1/16" strips from one of the sheets of paper.  I put buttons in the center of the pinwheels for a little accent.  Not much to this, but I sure like the feeling it gives!

Love Potion Memory Works Express Kit

I have been anxiously waiting to show you some projects from the February Memory Works Express Kit Love Potion.  This kit is FULL of yumminess from Making Memories, Fancy Pants, October Afternoon, and much more!  It is fabulous, and I hope the projects I am showing today will inspire you!

I used the Walnut Cream cardstock and Pink Paislee Pretty Lace for the first layout. I conserve paper by cutting out the base portion that is covered with patterned paper, so I had enough paper to mat my picture and die-cut the phrase "love." By cutting the Pretty Lace paper down, I had enough left to cut all my circles.

Fancy Pants Love Birds is such a fun collection! When I saw those flowers and birdhouses, I couldn't help but cut some of them out for this layout. The letters are the backside of one of the sheets, so it was easy to cut them out and give this layout a title. Take a close look at the birdhouse area. Those are are elements that are included in the kit. I've used sequins in a couple of places, and I thought they were a fun addition!

This is such an easy gift! I cut the flowers with a Tim Holtz die and then painted them with Ranger distress paint in clear rock candy. If you don't have that product, get a hold of your consultant to purchase some! When it dries, it gives you the wonderful ability to curl the petals. I stacked a gem and button to create the center.

I didn't want to forget the guys! This is just a 4-pack of root beer. It only took one sheet of paper (Farm Fresh October Afternoon) to cover the box and make it just a little more special. The stickers are not in the kit, but are Fancy Pants Happy Together and can be found in the MW catalog.

Next week, I am going to bring you some cards using the Express Kit and a tutorial for something that is really trendy right now. I'll see you then!!

Memory Works items used: Love Potion Express Kit; Crate Restoration Stickers and Chipboard; Ranger Clear Rock Candy Distress Paint; Fancy Pants Happy Together Stickers. Bo Bunny Mam-Razzi Buttons; American Crafts Chestnut Memory Marker; American Crafts Dimensional Dots Adhesive; Mini Glue Dots; Tombow Mono Dots Roller
Other items and and tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles; Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die; Bazzill Paper Flower; Slice Words & Expression Design Card; Jute; Candle

Altered Tin Challenge!

I just posted a new challenge over at Sketches for You, and I'd love if you played along!  The challenge this month is to alter a tin.  You can purchase a tin at your local craft store or (and this is my favorite way to get a tin), you can wash any empty tin that had food, mints - whatever - in it and alter that!  Here's the first tin I want to show you:

I don't remember what this round tin was from, but it was in my "recycle" box! I inked it up with alcohol ink - wild plum and lettuce. I stamped the top with one of my favorite Melody Ross stamps. (If you stamp on alcohol ink, I've found Staz-On to work best.) I added some flowers, ribbon, and a hat pin - and it's done! Easy peasy and finished in less than 30 minutes.

Here's another example:

This is an empty Starbuck's mocha powder tin. It was just too perfect to throw away! I covered it with beautiful paper from Nepal. A little ribbon and a charm - another easy project in less than 30 minutes!

I challenge you to work with your supplies and cover a tin. I'll tell you a little bit about adhesives. I usually use super tape (red roll) to adhere paper. Then I cover with some sort of decoupage medium. I think Martha Stewart has a great decoupage and sealer and I use it often. However I also like paper Mod Podge. It's nice to finish off your projects with a sealer so that they are protected.

I'd like you to load your projects right in the post on Sketches for You, so that I have easy access to them. I am really excited about this prize for this challenge!!

I am going to randomly select a winner to receive a $10 gift certificate to The Cutting Cafe. The Cutting Cafe has amazing images and templates that work for cards, scrapbook pages and altered items. The winner will be able to select what they want - and $10 will go very far!!

This challenge runs through the whole month of September. you must have your project loaded by September 30th at 11:59 pm CST. I can't wait to see what you'll come up with!!

Well, Here I Am!

Lest you think I fell off the face of the earth (!), I thought I'd better post finally this week. It has been a full - and very enjoyable - week!

I made a couple of things in the last week that I thought I would share with you. This first picture is a little 3x3 notecard box. Isn't it cute?! Such an easy pattern, and I needed a couple little gifties for people. So I thought this little box filled with little gift enclosure cards was perfect. Now for those of you with a keen eye, I actually colored a little bit on an image. I added some color to my Little Diva card with CTMH markers.

Did I ever tell you how much I love CTMH's Level 1 kits? I LOVE those pre-printed layouts just for weeks like this. When I don't have much time, I can still put together a beautiful 2-page layout. This family (even the furry kids) truly are my greatest blessings!

I will have some days off coming up, so I am looking forward to crafting more and sharing more in the week to come!

Around the House - Wrapping Paper

I hope you all are having a good weekend! Today the high is supposed to be 0 degrees here in our neck of the woods. The windchill is going to be 10 to 20 degrees BELOW zero. BRRRRR!!!! I have to work this afternoon, but Jerry is heading out to ice fish. What a crazy man I married!!

On to my project. Everything But the Kitchen Sink wanted us to use wrapping paper this week in our artwork. I used this lovely handmade paper from Nepal that I purchased at the Paper Source. We have a store in Uptown Minneapolis that I frequent, but you can also purchase from them online.

Anyway, I covered an empty Starbuck's mocha powder tin. SO easy!! Very little embellishment - ribbons from the Paper Source, and a MM charm. I intend to leave it "bare" like this until I use it as a gift. I won't want to put much on it, though, as the paper must be the highlight. Maybe just a tag with the intention or the recipient's name. And I think I'll take it into a store to find a matching Prima flower.

You just never know what you might come up with with all those empty canisters around your house!

Bo Bunny Button Challenge Candy Tin

We emptied a tin of General Foods International Coffee the other day, and I couldn't bare to throw the tin away. What a perfect container for little things around the house, a gift card, or to stash a small-sized gift.
I took out some Bo Bunny Tis the Season for the button challenge because I like how this particular paper could be out all year round. Along with that, I used CTMH craft buttons and waxy flax, Petaloo paper flowers, CTMH cranberry ribbon, and CTMH flower dimensional elements.

Such a cute little container! I filled it with some Lindt dark chocolate truffles (definitely my weakness when it comes to chocolate). It can sit practically anywhere in the house because of it's convenient size. This one will most likely find a home right on my baker's rack in the kitchen.

I use tins for a lot of gifts, and I am always asked what I use to hold the paper to the tin. You know there are a few different ways to cover a tin. I love Martha Stewart's decoupage glue. It comes in a rectangular bottle and has a brush in the lid. That really contains the mess of work with adhesive. Another product I use often for tins and paper projects is CTMH Bonding Memories adhesive. For this small tin, I used Terrifically Tacky tape. That holds really well, and also works fabulously for adhering ribbon.

Next time you come across an interesting tin, stash it away and play with it. You never know what you might come up with!

Easy Christmas Gift

Ar you looking forward to a quick and easy Christmas gift?

I made this treat jar for Jerry's grandmother. I used paper, bling, flowers, and ribbon for the jar. So simple, and yet so nice for making the perfect gift.

Terrifically Tacky Tape works well for adding paper to glass. You can put whatever phrase you want on the front according to your gift. Just think, what a nice way to make a coffee bean jar! Soup mixes, cookie mixes, candy, nuts (for the guys).

I think this is a fun way to show some love during a holiday or other occasion!

Music Box

I made this music box 2 years ago for my mother-in-law for Christmas. It is 4x4 and plays the Christmas Song. I can't remember what company makes this box, but I picked it up at Archiver's. I used Everlasting paper from CTMH (so lovely!) and I made an accordion scrapbook to go inside. What a nice way to store Chrsitmas memories!!

When I had taken the picture, the Liquid Glass wasn't quite dry on the rose, but that truly did the rose a nice look!

For a Very Special Girl

My lovely niece, Lacey, moved away from home a little bit ago. She is not too far, but far enough. She is working and will be starting college soon. I learned from my sister this morning that she has not received any mail yet. Oh my! Immediately I sat down to create this journal/notebook for her. I thought it might be a nice pick-me-up when days are a little tougher. Plus, i don't know a girl yet that doesn't like to write - whether it's lists, thoughts, or just our names, we like to write!

For this journal, I used sugar-coated MME paper. I covered the front, back, and inside covers. I have a bunch of random gerbera daisies, and I thought this one was a good match. The chipboard flower, message, and rub-ons are matching pieces from MME. The ribbons are random from my stash. These are so fun and easy to make - really! I have found that I like CTMH's Bonding Memories the best for adhering paper to the composition book. And I've tried a lot of different adhesives on these! When it comes to the big things, I use CTMH's Liquid Glass as an adhesive. That really holds well!

Enjoy - off to create some more!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired #41

Yippee! I love the Cuttlebug Challenge this week! It is altered items from recycled items. I think I've mentioned numerous times how much I like altering. So much fun!

My husband will bring home unused quart-size paint cans for me every now and again that they are going to throw out (one of the perks of being married to an auto body painter). I've got them stacking up, so here was a perfect opportunity. I simply clean it out really good and went to decorating.

This fun paper is from a K & Company pad. Oh, it's so cute! I took a piece that has a movie theater theme. By the way, this project only took one sheet of paper! I cut some circle with my nesties. I ran the one through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder right away. That ended up on the top of the can. I stamped the other three before running them through the Cuttlebug. The tickets were a part of the paper that I cut out and stamped. I popped up the front tags with some dots to give the can dimension. A little ribbon and a doorknob on top finished off the can.

We went to Target tonight and my husband bought peanuts to fill the can. I am quite certain this will sit on his table by his chair!

Altered Rolodex

This is a rotary file that made for my niece for her birthday. She graduated high school this year and is moving away from home. I wanted her to have a place to store all of her numbers and addresses, but that would look pretty on her desk as well. It was so easy to complete!

I used the Silhoutte Creative Basics packet, cranberry grosgrain, black designer ribbon, and colonial white grosgrain. The stamps used are Typewriter Keys and Soul Mate word puzzle.

So much fun to give to her!

If you need one of the empty rolodexes to design yourself, let me know! I can offer you my remainders at a very good cost!