Wishing For Spring :: Congrats Wedding Greeting

My spring calendar has started filling up with weddings and bridal showers with the first just days away. I'm looking forward to all the flowers and dresses and girly things - The inspiration behind today's card. 

From my stash, I gathered together all things soft and spring - pastel sequins, floral paper, a doily, gold cording, vellum, handwritten washi tape, and a butterfly wood veneer. 

Washi tape is so easy to bend and fold in order to create beautiful ruffles. A piece was adhered to the vellum behind the stamped sentiment from A Muse Studio. I'm still addicted to the Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz; therefore, the wood veneer was quickly added to the card with a single squeeze of the tool. Just a little machine stitching was added before adhering it to white cardstock. 

I can't wait to give this to the bride-to-be... Or for spring to return to this part of the world. Bring on the flowers and butterflies puh-lease. 

SUPPLIES :: Crate Paper Pretty Party 6x6 Paper Pad / Paper Cut Vellum, White Felt Cardstock / Pink Paislee Patterned Paper / A Muse Studio Doily, Stamp, Sequins, Valentine's Collection Washi Tape / Studio Calico Wood Veneer / Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

TOOLS :: Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher / Brother Sewing Machine / MyStik Permanent Adhesive / Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer

Drill #24 : Button Up This Sketch

Have you seen the exciting Drill over at the SWAT blog? We're challenging you to take this sketch from Page Maps and create a layout with buttons somewhere on the page! 

Here's my take on the sketch: 

I have had these crazy photo booth images from Renegade Craft Fair sitting near my craft table for two summers now just waiting to be scrapped! They're the worst photo booth pictures in history -- which makes them the BEST photo booth pictures in history! 

I added different alpha stickers and chipboard words to create a title that fit well with the theme of the pictures. I decided to use the buttons the same way I would enamel dots or other bling. It was fun to dig into my stash and use them in a creative way! 

SUPPLIES :: Paper Cut White Cardstock, Studio Calico Black Tag, Vintage Buttons, American Crafts Amy Tangerine Cut & Paste Collection, Carta Bella Wildflower Collection

Drill #20 : Feathers

Good morning! It's time for another Saturday with SWAT! For this challenge, we're asking you to use the sketch below from Page Maps, as well as use FEATHERS. 

I started out with some crazy photos taken with my roommate. The feather trend is one of my favorites, because, like arrows and triangles, it's an element that can be incorporated into almost any layout or card theme. 

I chose to use a feather stamp from A Muse Studio. I stamped it with black StazOn onto two patterned papers that coordinated with the layout. I used my fingers to fold the edges, creating some texture, before adhering them to the page. To add just a bit of glam, I added Stickles too! 

For the line on the bottom half of the sketch, I used two strips that I had previously cut off patterned papers. They're the strips along the bottom that hold the barcode and name of paper. These ones had patterns on one side. You would never know that they were meant to be trash! 

The products from this layout are a mixture of November's Studio Calico Scrapbook Kit and Amy Tangerine's Cut & Paste Collection. The tag in the scrapbook kit was a perfect place to add my journaling. I stamped the 'i love this' image onto the top of the tag, also from the kit. 

Thanks for dropping by the blog today and checking out my take on the challenge. Now it's your turn! You have until November 28th to create your own project - using the sketch and feathers - and link it up to the SWAT blog. As always, there's a fun prize up for grabs. I can't wait to see what you create. 

SUPPLIES :: Studio Calico (Cuppa Scrapbooking Kit, Yellow Twine, Mister Huey's), American Crafts (Amy Tangerine Cut & Paste Collection), Tattered Angels (Glimmer Mist), A Muse Studio Stamps, Star Dust Stickles, Paper Cut Vellum

TOOLS :: StazOn Jet Black Ink, A Muse Studio Acrylic Block, Bic Acid Free Writer

Use It Tuesday : Stamping On Layouts

Good morning! It's time for another challenge with Use It Tuesday! Today we're requesting you dig deep into your stash and create something CREATURE themed. My fellow design team members have some great inspiration up on the Use It Tuesday blog - You'll want to make sure to take a look! 

I didn't have any creature-themed stamps or papers in my hoarded supplies, but I did have some recent pictures from the Wildlife Sanctuary here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. My friends and I had a countdown to the arrival of the new wolf cubs and immediately went to see them. When you walked up to the window, they'd stick their nose to the glass. I chose to think they were interested in being our friend over eating us alive. They were so adorable! Here's the layout I created...

As mentioned above, my hoarded items weren't creature themed. But don't worry, I still used hoarded supplies! You'll see I stamped in three different areas of the layout. All of the stamps were from sets I haven't paid much attention to in a long, long time. I dusted them off and was so happy to breathe some new life into them. 

The numbers were a Studio Calico set received in the Planetarium Project Life kits. I don't number the weeks of my PL spreads; therefore, I just set this set aside. Having the numbers symbolize the year was a fun, new way to use them. 

The other two stamps were from Market Street Stamps. Unfortunately, this stamp company has since closed its doors. The 'remember this' sentiment went well above my journaling which was created with my typewriter. After typing it out, I cut the words into strips and adhered it onto the page. The 'cheesin' sentiment was stamped onto a scrap piece of patterned paper. Triangles were cut out of each end to create a banner. I clustered it with washi tape, an arrow die cut, and a few pearls. That sentiment really fits our personalities and this picture. Of course I had to add just a little stitching to a few areas of the page! 

Now it's your turn! I encourage you to grab some of your stamp sets and see if you can add them to your scrapbooking layouts. However, the true challenge for Use It Tuesday is to grab any hoarded supply and USE IT to create a creature themed project. Then link up your project on the Use It Tuesday blog. As always, one lucky participant will be chosen to be a guest designer on an upcoming challenge! I can't wait to see what you create.

SUPPLIES :: American Crafts (Cardstock, Puffy Vinyl Thickers) We R Memory Keepers Forest, Studio Calico (Darling Dear Gems, Planetarium Project Life Kit Stamp), A Muse Studio (Stormy Sky Spray Ink, Pearls), BasicGrey Washi Tape, Market Street Stamps, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

TOOLS :: Silhouette Cameo, Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, CTMH Paper Distresser, A Muse Studio Acrylic Block, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Brother Sewing Machine, Typewriter

Drill #18 : Sketchy Saturday

Good morning! I'm here today with a new drill from S.W.A.T and it's one exciting sketch! There's just a little obstacle - You must also use wood embellishments. 

If you're anything like me, you've got a stash of wood veneers. Pull those out, and get to work! I recently picked up the main scrapbooking kit and add-on from Studio Calico which contained gorgeous heart wood veneers. The rest of the kit matched the colors of my photo, and this layout was born. 

I started with this great wood background and a few layers behind my photo. To recreate the circles in the sketch, I used the Silhouette Cameo to create several sizes from patterned paper. The fun part was arranging them on the background with die cuts, wood veneers, and ink splatters. 

The Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz continues to be one of my favorite tools. It's so easy to attach vellum and die cuts or just add a decorative element. The camera 'die cut' was actually cut from a 12x12 Dear Lizzy paper. 

After adding the stitch marks from the sketch with a black gel pen, the bottom left corner was still "needing something." To recreate the vertical lines in the sketch, I added a piece of BasicGrey washi tape. 

Thank you so much for looking at today's challenge. I'm so excited to see how you take on the Drill. Don't forget to go to S.W.A.T and check out my fellow Design Team Members and link up your own creation. As always, there's a great prize up for grabs! This month Creative Embellishments is our sponsor. 

SUPPLIES :: Studio Calico (Antiquary Scrapbook Kit, Amsterdam Add-On, Mister Huey's Sherbet)  

TOOLS :: Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, Silhouette Cameo, Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, CTMH Paper Distresser, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares

Drill #17 : Fussy Cutting

Good morning! It's time for another Drill with S.W.A.T! For this challenge, we're asking you to get our your precision scissors and FUSSY CUT. As always, there's a prize up for grabs - Make sure to link up your project on the S.W.A.T blog! 

Let me start by saying I LOOOOOVE to fussy cut! Cutting and coloring are calming to me. Paper piecing, using cut outs, and transforming patterned paper is where. it's. at. 

Therefore, I was super psyched for this challenge. I had recently added a floral patterned paper to my stash and knew it needed to be used! You can see the full 12x12 paper by Echo Park here. I cut out a few of the individual flowers and used them as embellishments. 

Adhesive was added only to the center of the flowers, and I used my finger to bend the leaves upward. Love the texture and dimension this adds, along with the slight distressing of the edges. 

I finished off the layout with washi tape, super fun bling, and sticker letters. 

Head over to the S.W.A.T blog to see the other samples from my fellow Design Team members... They have lots of ideas to help you start your own fussy cutting project! 

SUPPLIES :: Echo Park (Flower Garden), Crate Paper (Decor, Maggie Holmes Lovely, Ephemera Pack), American Crafts (Cardstock, Mini Alphas, Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Oatmeal Thickers) Queen & Co (Cotton Candy-Candy Stripes), Studio Calico (Seafoam), Close To My Heart (Arrow Paper Clip)

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, Close To My Heart Paper Distresser, EK Success Cutter Bee Scissors, MyStik Permanent Adhesive

Use It Tuesday :: Friendship

Hello there! It's time for another challenge with Use It Tuesday! Today we're celebrating friendship!

That's right, FRIENDSHIP! Grab all of your hoarded supplies, and create a layout, card, or other project with a friend theme. For the challenge, I created this fun card using random items found on my craft table. I layered a doily, tag, ribbon scraps, and lots of bling! The hoarded items for this challenge? All of them! Can you believe it?!

Now it's your turn! Link up your project to the Use It Tuesday blog by Friday, September 20th for a chance to be a featured guest designer in an upcoming challenge. I can't wait to see what you create! Make sure to let us know the hoarded item(s) you're using this week.

SUPPLIES :: A Muse Studio (Onyx Chevron Ribbon, Latte Pearls, Sugar & Seattle Cardstock), Heidi Swaap Gold Color Shine, StazOn Jet Black Ink, Studio Calico Marks & Co Stamp, Stampin' Up Vintage Verses Stamp, American Crafts Dear Lizzy (5th & Frolic Brads & Large Tags)

TOOLS :: A Muse Studio Acrylic Block, Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, Martha Stewart Score Board

Feather Love

Hello all! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It's Monday, which means I'm at Creations Galore preparing three new Make N Takes for this week. I loved the feathers on one of the cards so much that I had to share it with you today!

The feathers were cut out of American Crafts cardstock with the Silhouette Cameo. You can find the cut files here. Distress Ink was added to the edges and I crinkled the feathers with my fingers for added movement and texture. My favorite part of this card might be the strips of black glitter paper by American Crafts which sadly doesn't show up too well in these photos. It gives just a touch of glam and sparkle, without glitter EVERYWHERE. If you haven't picked up a few sheets of American Crafts POW! paper, you need to!

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to take a note from today's card - live beautifully & dream passionately. 

SUPPLIES :: American Crafts Cardstock & POW! Glitter Paper, Paper Cut White & White Linen Cardstock, Hero Arts Pearls, KaiserCraft Stamps, StazOn Jet Black Ink, Black Soot Distress Ink Pad & Tim Holtz Foam Ink Applicator

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Hot Glue Gun, Silhouette Cameo, Feather Set Cut

Use It Tuesday :: Trends

Happy Tuesday, Paper Crafters! Today, Use It Tuesday is celebrating the hottest trends right now. Let's all admit it, when an item becomes popular, we need lots and lots of them! We want you to look at your stash and use up all of those hoarded items that you picked up because everyone else did!

Make sure to link up your project to the Use It Tuesday blog by noon EST on Friday, September 6th and let us know what hoarded supplies you used! As always, one lucky participant will be randomly chosen to be a featured guest designer in an upcoming challenge. 

Now, let's take a look at the project I came up with for this week's challenge:

Hot trend: Triangles. Must have product: Thickers. Exciting technique: Paper strips on the top or bottom of your layout. 

These are the trends that I decided to incorporate into my layout. I had been hoarding this Dear Lizzy triangle paper for quite a while. I used scraps to add layers and strips to the page. The most hoarded item from this layout is the round dimensional embellishments from Pebbles. I've had them for a few years and just loved looking at them! Ridiculous, right?! The layout really came together after adding a title and a bit of journaling. 

Now it's your turn! Dig into your stash, and USE IT! 

SUPPLIES :: American Crafts (White Puffy Vinyl Thickers, Dear Lizzy Bowtie Boulevard), Pebbles Hip Hip Hooray Stitched Dimensional Stickers, Glitz Design Color Me Happy 8x8 Paper Pad

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Close To My Heart Paper Distresser, Bic Mark-It Ultra Fine Black 

Be You :: Sequins & Splatter

Hello! I'm back today with another card using this gorgeous butterfly stamp from Unity Stamp Company!

Before adding the butterfly, I misted the background and added a few strips of patterned paper scraps. The card base is American Crafts cream cardstock. The sentiment was stamped on the same cardstock and adhered to the card with foam risers. The butterfly was stamped on patterned paper and cut out. To create additional dimension, adhesive was added only to the center fold of the butterfly.

I instantly fell in love with the variety pack of sequins included in this month's Project Life kit from Studio Calico. They were added to the card for additional color and movement!

Thanks for looking!

SUPPLIES ::  Memento Tuxedo Black ink, American Crafts (cardstock, Dear Lizzy Noteworthy paper), My Mind's Eye Perfect paper, Crate Paper Found paper, Unity Stamp Co Be You stamp set, Studio Calico (Mister Huey's Dewey & First Kiss spray inks, Sequins from the Marks & Co Project Life Kit)

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, A Muse Studio Acrylic Block, Close To My Heart Paper Distresser

Drill #14 :: Stickers

If you're looking for the Unscripted Sketches Flashback post, please keep scrolling. Thanks for checking out the blog! 

It's time for a brand new drill from the S.W.A.T blog. Are you ready? Drill #14 asks you to use the sketch below for inspiration AND include stickers in your layout. Now, we're not talking about Thickers, so dig around in that stash and get to work! 

Here's a look at the layout I created for the challenge. I apologize for the super white background... It blends in a bit with the blog background. As you can see, I rotated the sketch to the left (90 degrees counterclockwise) and changed up some of the elements. This is why I love sketches so much. It doesn't look too much like the original sketch by our very own Jennifer, but it truly was inspired by it. Sketches are always a starting point for creativity!

I used a combination of sticker letters and chipboard stickers on this layout. As you can see below, I had to do a little improvising to create an additional "B" for the title. When flipping through the scrapbook, you can't even tell! Rather than a single scalloped border behind the photos, I opted for three strips of patterned paper to really anchor the three photos together. 

I liked how the sketch had two clusters of objects in opposite corners. Therefore, I layered die cuts, chipboard, and bling in opposite corners of my layout. The yellow die cuts were cut from white cardstock using the Silhouette Cameo and then colored with watercolor paints. I backed the arrow sentiment with white scrap paper and added a little doodling to highlight the sentiment. It fit so perfectly with the theme of this page!

My dad was mimicking my nephew's chubby cheeks in this classic photo below. It became the center point for the layout. I wrote a few sentences on paper scraps and added them to the top right corner as journaling. 

Head over to the S.W.A.T blog for more sketch and sticker inspiration. And don't forget to link up your own project by August 28th! To get you motivated, we're giving away a $10 gift card to 3 Scrappy Boys and a Guest Designer spot! I can't wait to see what you create. 

SUPPLIES :: American Crafts (White Cardstock, Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic Mini Alpha Tiles & Chipboard Shapes, Ormolu Made Pennants, Studio Calico (Dew, Fancy Free, Gable), October Afternoon Sunday Dishes, A Muse Studio Winter Sky Mist

TOOLS :: Silhouette Cameo, Circle Hearts Cut File, Chic Tags Arrows Cut File, Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Cutter, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, 0.5 Black Copic Multiliner

On Trend :: Sunbursts

Happy Monday! It's time for another feature with the On Trend team at Practical Scrappers. Today we're looking at the sunburst trend. With summer in full swing, we're seeing this all over! I'm so excited to bring you my take in the form of layout. 

This gorgeous background paper full of clouds was the perfect starting point to document my summer photos. I found a coordinating paper and cut triangles freehand and arranged them onto the page. Embrace imperfection! No need to measure or draw them out first. Just cut. Independently, a single triangle may look weird, but it creates a fun sun as a whole. 

Faux stitching was added with a black pen to the sun rays and the word 'fly' (cut with the Silhouette Cameo). I recently received a kit from Citrus Twist with the stamp I used below the title. This layout came together so quickly with the help of the kit... I highly recommend checking out their site! They have 3 and 6 month subscriptions along with a single trial kit if desired!

Head over to the Practical Scrappers blog to see the beautiful projects using this hot trend! 

SUPPLIES :: Citrus Twist Play Land Main Kit (American Crafts Dear Lizzy Noteworthy, Crate Paper Decor, Maggie Holmes Remember This, Studio Calico Seafoam, My Mind's Eye Perfect) American Crafts Puffy Vinyl Thickers

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStick Permanent Adhesive, Silhouette Cameo, American Crafts Black Basic Pen, StazOn Jet Black ink, A Muse Studio Acrylic Block

Hello My Dear

The finishing touches have been made to my nephew Hunter's baby album, at least in terms of his grand entrance into the world and his first few days. The last layout to be constructed was this one of my sister-in-law's parents meeting Hunter for the first time. 

These square cutouts from Studio Calico were the starting point for the layout. From there, I layered patterned papers and other embellishments in the same color scheme. 

The SMASH Date Stamp from K&Company is one of my most used tools. The open box is perfect for journaling a word in a different color ink. To balance out the amount of red located at the bottom left corner of the layout, I added the word "love" in red pen to the box.

Not much journaling was needed as many of the layouts in this album were from the same event. Therefore, I added the word "grandson" to an arrow die cut from Chic Tags to complete the page.

Thanks for stopping by today!

LAYOUT SUPPLIES
Cardstock: American Crafts
Patterned Paper: Studio Calico (Temple), October Afternoon (Paid In Full), BasicGrey (Fact)
Embellishments: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Buttons & Accents, 5th & Frolic Large Tags), K&Co (SMASH Date Stamps), Chic Tags (Birthday Cake Labels)
Inks: StazOn (Jet Black), Bic Acid-Free Markers

Unscripted Sketches #219 :: First Home

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I'm sharing a new sketch from Unscripted Sketches with you today! 

This week, I rotated the sketch and placed the half circle (doily) on top of the rectangle (vellum). I added a few more rectangles and these cute stamps, embossed in black and colored with Tombow Markers. 

We'd love to take a look at your own creation using this week's sketch as inspiration. Link up at Unscripted Sketches for a little blog love and a chance to be featured in the Top 3. 

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock, Vellum: Paper Cut
Stamps: Peachy Keen Stamps
Inks: Memento (Grey Flannel, Tuxedo Black), VersaMark Watermark, Tombow Markers
Embossing Powder: Ranger (Black Super Fine Detail)