Blessings Book {The Twinery}

The Twinery has another inspiring challenge going on...the "In The Round" challenge.

My project may be a little more along the lines of "In The Round...and Round...and Round" because I spiraled my twine to create my circles, but that's what I love about these challenges...they just get your creative juices flowing and allow you to create something fun.

I've created a "Blessings Book" for my newest niece. (I've been blessed with two new nieces born less than two weeks apart.) She's a 1 pound 3 ounce bundle of preciousness and I am thanking God that she has had a relatively gentle transition into the world - even if it was three months earlier than we expected.

The book has a small paper bag as the base and patterned papers for the cover and interior pages. I used The Twinery's Solid Natural twine to bind it all together. I also added a band that simply slides on and off to keep the book pages from spreading out too far when it is not being looked at. The band is decorated with a die cut doily, some circle punched pieces of patterned paper, and then I layered on tiny "dots" of spiraled twine (again using Solid Natural twine). I love the extra texture the twine adds.

You can find all the details about how to join in on The Twinery's In The Round Challenge here.

And if inspiration isn't enough to make you want to join in...how about this awesome prize?

I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural); 
Patterned Paper: Prima Marketing (Songbird - A4 Paper Pad); 
Other: (Paper Bag);
Dies: Papertrey Ink (Parisan Lace Doily Die);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Round N Round Squeeze Punch); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Natural Twine {The Twinery}

Today over on The Twinery's blog we are showcasing the new solid Natural twine.
This twine has SO many possibilities! It is gorgeous plain, but it is also fun to break out those mists and create your own fabulous colored twine.

I wanted to create a project inspired by the beautiful 'au naturel' color of the twine. I've been doing a lot of reading lately, so I thought it would be a great time to create a bookmark:

I love the monochromatic look and think it turned out beautifully!

But, of course, I couldn't just stop there...I had to do a little misting:

My daughter (who is all about color and loves to read) loves this version. 

Any way you use it, the new solid Natural twine adds a fabulous touch to your project!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Natural); 
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream); 
Flower: Prima Marketing (Parisa Aspen White Flower);
Mist: Studio Calico (Mint Julep, Bluegrass);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors);

Scrap Patchwork

Today's card is all sorts of DIY/scrap projects rolled into one:


I used scraps to create the patchwork-style background, created the canvas flower with strips of scrap canvas...and even used the leftover pieces of a larger pre-made pearl flourish that I had used previously on a layout.

The background was fun to make and I had hoped to share a tutorial, but unfortunately somewhere in the middle of a computer crash and a new computer I lost the tutorial step-out photos. :o(

Thanks for stopping by today!


Supplies:
Cardstock: The Paper Company (Kraft);
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Free Bird - Blush 6x6);
Embellishments: Maya Road (Mini Transparency Tickets - White); ZVA Creative (Pearls); Prima Marketing (Sultan Gem);
Canvas: CT Publishing;
String: May Arts (SM17);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Martha Stewart/EK Success (Scoring Board);

Challenge Entry For: Moxie Fab World - The Paper Scraps Challenge {Background created from paper scraps}

Challenge Entry For: Moxie Fab World - The DIY Embellishments Challenge {DIY canvas flower with gem center}

Challenge Entry For: Moxie Fab World - The Don't Throw It Away Challenge {Used end piece/scrap of canvas to create flower and used left over sections from a pre-made pearl flourish}

Houndstooth {Market Street Stamps}

It's time again for the new release sneak peeks from Market Street Stamps and today I am very excited to share with you the newest background stamp in the Market Street Stamps line...

Houndstooth!

Houndstooth is one of the first suggestions I had for a Market Street Stamps background and I am SO excited that it is finally here! I created some fun refrigerator magnets to show it off.
{I love that it is a nice, small size houndstooth - perfect for creating your own embellishments.}

The background was stamped onto plain white cardstock using Grape Jelly and Lulu Lavender Memento inks.


After I stamped the background I just did a little die-cutting and added a few pearls and now we have some great new magnets for the fridge.
{Tip: Add a little removable adhesive to the back of these and they can do double duty as a card embellishment which will then turn into a fun gift for the recipient.}

Be sure to head on over to the Market Street Stamps blog to see what the other designers have created!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (White);
Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Houndstooth);
Ink: Memento (Grape Jelly, Lulu Lavender);
Dies: Spellbinders (Wonderful Wings);
Embellishments: Prima (E Line Pearls - #300647); Queen & Co. (Pearls - Grass Green, Yellow Sunshine, Snowflake);
Other: (Business Card Magnets);

Diffused {Authentique Paper}

{As seen today on the Authentique Paper blog}


Authentique Paper is having another color challenge (starting today) - and here's the card I created using the color palette:


I used "Diffused" from Authentique Paper's Glowing collection for this card and accented it with green cardstock, ribbon, and a little bit of bling to round out the color palette.

Be sure to head on over to the blog to get yourself in on the challenge!


Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (White); Core'dinations (Grassroots);
Patterned Paper: Authentique Paper (Glowing - "Diffused");
Ribbon: May Arts (Ribbon - Green);
Other: Prima (Sultan Gem - Green);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Martha Stewart/EK Success (Scoring Board);

Tweet Heart {The Twinery}

{Posted for the Last Days of Summer Blog Hop}

Ahhh...the last days of summer.
Some folks are sad to see them go - but I am ready to bring on the comfy sweaters and fuzzy blankets!

No matter how you feel about the end of summer, I wanted to share this card with you for my part in the Last Days of Summer Blog Hop:


A cute card in a fabulous color palette finished off with a little touch of The Twinery's Caribbean twine. {I added a bit of ink to the twine to keep with the look and color scheme of the rest of the card.}


Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Caribbean)
Patterned Papers: Lily Bee (This & That 6x6 pad, Happily Lost 6x6 pad);
Cardstock: Bazzill (French Vanilla);
Chipboard: Kraft Outlet;
Die: Spellbinders (Nested Bird);
Embellishments: Maya Road (Trinket Pins); Target Dollar Spot (Pearl); Little Red Cottage - etsy (Lace);
Marker: Copic (BG15);
Pen: Memento (Tuxedo Black);
Ink: Ranger;
Flower: Prima;
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Martha Stewart/EK Success (Scoring Board);

Another Birdie Tag

Like the Birdie Tag I posted earlier, I used cardstock scraps to create this tag.



Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft Outlet (lunch bag kraft); Core'dinations (aqueduct);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. (A Thing of Beauty: Itty Bitty, Tea Time Pattern, Vintage Ledger);
Ink (Chalk): Tsukineko (Jumbo Java, Turquoise Gem);
Twine: The Twinery (Lemondrop);
Dies: Spellbinders (Nested Bird);
Embellishment: Maya Road (Yellow Star Trinketi Pin); Prima (flowers);
Other: Washi tape;

How about that giveaway???

In celebration of hitting 200 followers, I thought I ought to have a little giveaway!


There are some 6x6 sheets of Pink Paislee paper, a fun little taste of some of The Twinery's twine, Prima flowers, Maya Road trinket pins, American Crafts ribbon, Autumn Leaves rubons, Magistical Memories chipboard, die cut doilies, felt embellishments, blue dew drop style stones, and seam binding.

In fact, I thought I ought to give away more than one prize...so I will be giving away *two* prize packs! {The second prize pack is not shown, but is almost identical to this one...just with different chipboard shapes.}


And while I am at it, I think I am going to give away a copy of the May/June 2011 issue of Paper Crafts magazine to a *third* winner...how does that sound?


{You can see my projects on pages 48, 51, and 76!}

To enter:
#1 - Make sure you are a follower. {If you aren't already showing as a follower, just click the "Follow" button in the sidebar.}
#2 - Leave a comment. {Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you!}

The details:
The giveaway will be closed at midnight PST on April 30, 2011 and the winners will be announced sometime the following week.
This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Pat On The Back

Good news today: I got an acceptance e-mail from Paper Crafts magazine!

One of my cards that I submitted was accepted for publication and you should be able to see it this August in the Go-to Sketches for Card Makers Special Issue. {It hits the shelves the day after my birthday!}

This card {one of my many "rejects"} was also created using the same sketch from my card that was accepted {sketch #33} - it looks very, VERY different from the card that was accepted. They are totally different styles but I love them both in their own little ways.
{You can see all the sketches for the call here.}


There is lots of goodness from For The Record {one of the new Echo Park Paper collections}.

Of course I've also added some twine from The Twinery - love that new charcoal color! {I inked it up with some Distress Ink to make it flow better with the colors of the card.}


I got some of my inspiration for this card from the recent Get Daring with Decorative Tape Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I used the Tim Holtz tissue tape to add some ruffles behind the sentiment and beneath the twine.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: (French Vanilla) Bazzill
Patterned paper: (Apron Strings, Noteworthy, Stamp of Approval, Vintage Linen, For the Record collection) Echo Park,
Ink…dye: (Antique Linen) Ranger
Color media…markers, pencils, pens: (Black/Pen. - Medium) Sharpie
Accent: (Nightfall/rhinestones) Queen & Co., (Nostalgic, tissue tape) Tim Holtz, (Artful Collage #523831, flowers) Prima, (Green/rose Leaves #170691) Prima,
Sticker: (Element Stickers, For the Record collection) Echo Park,
Fibers: (Charcoal, twine) The Twinery
Tool: (ruler) Tim Holtz, (scoring board) Martha Stewart, paper trimmer, (Upper Crest Border Punch) Fiskars,
Other: black tulle

Pretty Kitty

Supplies:
Whitman: Vintage Animal Rummy Playing Card "Pretty Kitty"
Prima: Artful Collage Flower
Queen & Co Rhinestones: Nightfall
Maya Road Chipboard from Journaling Scroll keychain
Kraft Outlet: 5x7 card
Georgia Pacific: White Cardstock
Merischino Twine: The Twinery
Pink Paislee: Houndstooth Artisan Tape
Unity Stamp: Vintage Ledger
Distress Ink: Scattered Straw
Distress Ink: Black Soot
Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black

Loves & Kisses

After completing my Eiffel Tower project I couldn't stop dreaming of pink & black projects using the Echo Park "Be Mine" collection and the matching Unity stamps. I thought this picture {taken by Alisha from Alisha Hurt Photography} was the perfect picture to use with these papers and stamps.

I used Black Tuxedo ink from Memento to stamp the images and used an embossing stylus to add some dimension. I layered in some tulle, Prima flowers, Tim Holtz film strip "ribbon" and Maya Road trinket pins and chandelier beads.

Supplies:
Patterned paper: Echo Park Paper Company {Be Mine};
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company {I Adore You}; Unity Stamp Company {With Love};
Ink: Memento {Tuxedo Black};
Embellishments: Maya Road {Trinket Pins}; Maya Road {Chandelier Beads}; Tim Holtz {Film Strip Ribbon}; Prima Marketing {Flowers}; tulle;
Tools: Fiskars {Craft Knife}; Fiskars {Paper Trimmer}; Fiskars {Scissors}; Martha Stewart {Scoring Board}; Loew-Cornell {Embossing Stylus};

Orange & Pink Go Together

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there was a challenge issued to the Fiskateers to join the famous Fiskars color of orange with the awareness color of pink. I decided to take on the challenge, and this is what I came up with.

I used a Kraft Outlet Large Lunch Bag Kraft Blank Note Card as my base and added some papers from Pink Paislee and Echo Park Paper Company. The stamps are all from The Girls' Paperie.


Supplies:
Kraft Outlet Large Lunch Bag Kraft Blank Note Card
Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee, Echo Park Paper Co.
White Cardstock: Georgia Pacific
Stamps: The Girls' Paperie
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Orange Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Vintage Photo)
Embellishments: Prima (flowers), Darice (corsage pins), Wrights (twill tape), Retail, Inc. (flat back pearls), Pink Paislee (Artisan Tape)
Tools: Paper Trimmer, Fiskars Scissors

Tag, You're It!

I am very new into the world of tag making, but when I received the library cards from Kraft Outlet I immediately thought that they would be great for making tags.


For my first tag, I started out by cutting it to the size I wanted and adding some decorative cuts to the corners. Then I inked it up to make it look a little old and worn and used the coffee stain stamp to add a little more character before I stamped the focal image on the tag.


I added twill tying tape, baker's twine, and topped it with a flower made from some fabulous text weight kraft paper.
(Have I mentioned Kraft Outlet's great prices?)

I also made two matching tags (again using the library cards as a base). I stamped the library cards with flowers and leaves in different inks and then cut an additional 2 stamped images to layer on top of the base for some depth. I topped the set of cut out images with a center piece made from some of Kraft Outlet's text weight kraft paper and then finished off the tag with some ribbon and a flattened bottle cap.


I used a stamp to stamp the sentiment on some 1" Round Brown Kraft Labels (and since they are already sticky on the back I just stuck it to the bottle cap).


You might have noticed that the set of tags is sporting a little orange. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Orange Blog Hop! It will start at the Fiskateer Blog and you will hop by some fabulous blogs (including mine) for lots of orange inspiration (and maybe even some giveaways!).

See you then!


Kraft Outlet Supplies (Tag #1):
Library Card
Text Weight Kraft Paper
Twill Tying Tape
Baker's Twine

Other Supplies (Tag #1):
Distress Inks (Tim Holtz)
Black Pigment Ink (Rubber Stampede)
Marshmallow Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Coffee Stain Stamp (Inkadinkado)
3 Children on a Bench Stamp (Prima)
Fiskars Paper Trimmer
Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper - Stub Cut (We R Memory Keepers)

Kraft Outlet Supplies (Tag Set):
Library Cards
Text Weight Kraft Paper
Bottle Caps
1" Round Brown Kraft Labels

Other Supplies (Tag Set):
Petals from Scratch Stamp Set (Fiskars)
Chalk Ink - Yellow Citrus, Tangerine, Pink Pastel (ColorBox)
Chalk Ink - Tea Leaves (VersaMagic Dew Drop by Tsukineko)
Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper - Deco Cut (We R Memory Keepers)
Crop-A-Dile (We R Memory Keepers)
Silver Eyelets
Orange Ribbon
Fiskars Scissors

3 Layouts in 3 Weeks

I recently went through a sort of dry-spell in my crafting.
Things got busy and I didn't make time for it.

Things are still busy, but I demanded (to myself) that I make time for crafting. I've been working on a commissioned scrapbook and I had three layouts that were sort of half finished for quite awhile. I committed myself to finishing the 3 layouts within 3 weeks. I finished the first layout (and posted it here) and now it is time to reveal the final two.

No, the book isn't done - but at least 3 layouts are now complete!


While I was shopping for papers for the book, I saw a die cut paper from Crate Paper called Tickled Pink, and I thought it would be great for the page about this adorable little girl's birth. I was so inspired by the paper that I decided to use the name of the paper for the title of the page as well.


I used my sewing machine to stitch a border around the focus photo and also some accents on the side pages. It is hard to see in the picture, but I think it give the layout a nice finishing touch.


When I was gathering the pictures for the book, Lori (who asked me to scrapbook some pictures from her daughter's baby/toddler times) told me a little bit about each picture or set of pictures so that I could have a background to keep in mind while designing the pages.


Although this Maui page is a very happy one, the story that goes along with it is not quite so happy. Lori ended up sick much of the time that the family was vacationing in Maui and was so sick that she barely got out. I do think these are some great pictures despite Lori feeling so ill.


Sometimes scrapbooks are so wonderful because we can scrap the true emotion of the event...but sometimes scrapping the event a little happier than it might have been can bring out the good memories and leave the not-so-fun moments behind.



Supplies - Tickled Pink Layout:

Papers: Crate Paper
Cardstock: Bazzill, Bazzill Bling
Embellishments: Prima (Flowers), American Crafts (Thickers), Brads (from stash), Machine Stitching
Tools: Paper Trimmer


Supplies - Maui Layout:

Papers: Crate Paper
Cardstock: Bazzill Bling, Bazzill Washboard
Embellishments: Jenni Bowlin (Bliss Bingo Card), Prima (Flowers), Maya Road (Chipboard Letters), Tags (from LSS), Crate Paper (Brads), American Crafts (Photo Turn), Machine Stitching, Twill (from LSS)
Tools: Paper Trimmer, Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife, Mod Podge, Foam Brush

aROUND Robin

There was recently an online crop on the Fiskateer message boards. I was excited to be part of a challenge called "aROUND Robin". The task was to create a round layout in two hours, but the real challenge to it was that each member in the challenge would be "scraplifting" another member's layout - similar to a game of telephone.

I was sent this layout (created by Robin) as my inspiration.



I used the general idea of the layout and rolled it on to it's side and created my layout from that.


My layout was then sent on to the next person in line who created their layout using mine as inspiration (they never saw Robin's original layout). And then the layouts would be passed along in the same way until the last person completed their layout.

This was such a fun challenge!

Sisters

I'm finally getting back to the album that I am making for a friend.

Although the rest of the book will be created with brighter colors, I thought there was a brightness to these "pastel" colors that will work well in the flow of the book.



Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Lettering: American Crafts Thickers
Embellishments: Machine sitiching, Prima Flowers, Prima flower centers (Sultan Collection), brads
Tools: Fiskars scissors, paper trimmer

A new project...

I've started on a new project...a scrapbook for a friend. Right now I am working on pages for about the first year and a half of her daughter's life.

I am so excited to be doing this! {And, for some reason the creative juices seem to flow better when I am not scrapbooking my own family.}

These pages are a bit more "frilly" than I intend the rest of the album to be, but it's an adorable little girl and sometimes girls need a bit of frill {but don't tell my daughter I said that!}.

The album I am working with allows 12 x 12 or 6 x 12 pages. I had never done a 6 x 12 page before, but I am really liking them!


{As always, click on the pictures if you would like to enlarge them a bit.}