Tuesday, March 31, 2009

ScrapLovers Reveals Part 1

This month, for ScrapLovers, I played with new products from two different manufacturers.  The first of them was the new lines from Glitz Designs.  You can find these in the ScrapLovers store here.  I used their papers, letters and fabulous rub-on's.  Here are a couple layouts:

These papers are from the "Sparrow" collection.

These papers are from the "Gigi" collection.  And I love their grid rub-on.  The Vintage Wings rub-on's are awesome too!!!  

Journaling on "Changes" layout reads:

Changes I have noticed since Eryn has arrived:
1)  I am getting less sleep (duh).  2)  Hayden used to really be a “Momma’s Boy.”  He would cling to me and always run to me when he needed something.  Now he has changed…he runs to Austin, he clings to Austin.  I think this is probably good for their relationship…I always wanted them to be best friends.  But I do kinda miss my momma’s boy.  3)  Austin has been acting out.  He is having some behavioral issues at school: talking to friends and not listening to the teacher.  And he used to be so quiet and well-behaved (at school).  4)  The boys just want to sit and play the wii…they no longer try to get me to play with them or go outside with them.   5)  I just want to stay home.  I don’t like going anywhere…too much work (tugging around three kids!) J.

Monday, March 30, 2009

SC Sketch 136

Yep...Monday again.  :)  Here's the sketch I posted today over at Scrapbook Challenges:


(Digital Flowers--Emily Powers, "Owl Love U Forever" kit)

And here is what some of the SC girls did with the sketch...

Sookie Francisco--

Let us know if you use the sketch!  We'd love to see what you do.  :)

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sin

Note to self:
Sin will always over-promise and under-deliver.  

At least this has certainly been true in my life.  Everytime I give in to sin, I end up kicking myself later thinking "I sinned for that!!!"  Is it ever worth it?  No.  

A Digital Layout

Thought I would post a digital layout that I made.  I made it for Erica Hernandez's challenge on her blog.  


Credits: Paper--Erica Hernandez: retroACTIVE Paper Pack, Elements--Erica Hernandez: Feeling Bookish Elements and Feeling Bookish Bookish II Tabs, Tags and Tickets (all downloaded at www.twopeasinabucket.com). Frame--Erica Hernandez: Martha(downloaded at www.twopeasinabucket.com). Also used Glitter Rhinestones--Emily Powers: Blossom (downloaded at www.memorymakersmagazine.com), Stitching--Katie Pertiet: Drawn Stitches (downloaded at www.designerdigitals.com), Letters--Mindy Terasawa: Crazy Beautiful (downloaded at www.designerdigitals.com), Computer Font--CK Classical (disc).

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Today is the Day!!!


Can I just start off by saying how cool this is!  I love how so many people are involved in such a fun event!  :)  If you have never checked out Unity before, check them out!  (They are by far my favorite stamp company).  If you didn't start at Angela's blog, go back and start here. There is a long list of blogs to visit today, so I will make this quick.

Here's my project to show you.  It uses Unity's March Kit of the Month.  

I had some of these leftover from stamp sets:

And I thought I would use them to create a mini album.  :)








And I will leave you with my favorite quote (we have it on the wall in our bedroom).  

"Love is not something you look for,
Love is something you become."  (Langley)

Now hop on over to Randi's blog.




Supplies for my "Family of 5" Mini Album:
Wooden Pieces--Unity Stamp Company, Stamps--Unity Stamp Company, Papers--My Little Shoebox, Ink and Embossing Powder--Stampin' Up!, Chipboard Letters--Basic Grey, Letter Stickers--My Little Shoebox, Glitter Paint--Stickles, Ribbon--Maya Road, White Pen--Souffle.

Friday, March 27, 2009

GCD Studios layouts

I made a couple new layouts this week using GCD Studios papers.  They are having a design team call right now.  But you only have until tomorrow to submit for it.  Good luck to all who apply.

These layouts use a variety of their lines...I mixed and matched.  :)  


What do you think?  Good enough to submit for the DT call?  I don't really think I have a chance at making it.  Not because I don't think I am good enough...I think I would be great at it (not trying to sound cocky...sorry), but because there is SO MUCH talent out there in the scrapbooking world that it is hard to break into the industry more.  Too much awesome competition.  :)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Technique Thursday

Second post for today.  :)  

Today was my turn over at ScrapLovers to post a new technique.  I must admit, I love it when I have to do this.  I love stretching my creativity and trying to come up with new things to try.  

I have a box full of transparencies that I use for many different things in scrapbooking. I once discovered a new technique. On my transparencies there is a rough side and a smooth side. If I want to print on a transparency I need to print on the rough side, because if I print on the smooth side the image will rub off. Which actually led me to what I call "stamping with transparencies."

I opened a digital scrapbook page (from Marks Paper Company) and printed it on my transparency. I printed it on the smooth (wrong) side. Then I laid it on top of some chipboard and rubbed. The ink transfered from the transparency to the chipboard. It's almost a distressed stamping look. It's a very easy technique. 
 You can also do it on papers, it doesn't have to be on chipboard. 


And here is a card I made using my stamped chipboard.  :)

Sorry for the bad picture of the card.  It is blizzarding here and I can't go outside to take my picture like I usually do.  

Hope you try this technique...it is fun!  :)  

Supplies for Card:
Papers--GCD Studios, Digital Paper--Marks Paper Company (downloaded at their site), Chipboard Bird--Scenic Route, Stamp (Thank you)--Scarlet Lime, Ink and Embossing Powder--Stampin' Up!, Various embellishments are unknown (flower, gem, trim).  

A Hybrid Project

So I have been playing with some digital kits lately.  I made some new layouts, which I will share later, but I really wanted to share this project with you.  I have been wanting to make a sign for my studio for quite a while that says "Caution: Creativity is Messy."  Seriously, it's been on my to-do list for like a year.  :)  Well, I finally got around to it.

I started by making a 9 x 7 piece of paper in photoshop that included two sheets of digital paper and the typing "caution" over and over again.  Printed it and got out my awesome scalloped frame from Say It With Letters.  


I ended up cutting the center part out so I could place a layer in between the two parts.  I added some mess to it with glimmer mist.  Found some ribbon that I took off a box of bath products I received at Christmas time (nothing like recycling), and then added my saying.  Super easy.  


Now I am off to hang it.  :)  

Supplies
Digital Papers and elements: Marks Paper Company (downloaded at their site). Letter stickers--Sassafras Lass. Wooden Frame--Say It With Letters.  Ribbon--unknown.  Staples.  

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Spring Canvas at AMR

I was honored to be asked to post a class for All Moments Remembered (AMR). My class went up yesterday. :) I'm glad people are liking it. Here is what I posted...

(you can click on any of the photos to view them bigger)

I like to work with canvases. I love incorporating papers and embellishments on to my canvas to create a work of art. Something that is fun to do is to create a scene. This Christmas I made a Christmas canvas to hang, now I have done one for Spring. I will most likely do a canvas for each season and then just swap them out throughout the year. J
Here’s what the final project looks like:



I’ll break it down in several steps for you.
I started with an 11 x 14 canvas. Of course, you can use any size though.

PAINTING
My fist step was to paint it. I like to include at least two colors on my canvas. In this case I choose green and pink. I also used a glitter paint. J Gotta love that glitter. I just painted with vertical strokes. I don’t worry about getting it all covered well. I use acrylic paint, and I love Making Memories paints.
I started with the green:
Then I added a little bit of pink.

Remember if you add too much of a second color, you can always paint over it again with the first color. That is the beauty of working with paint.
Then I added some glitter. This picture is VERY glittery, it doesn’t look like this much in real life. J

Then I started playing with my patterned papers. I kept my concept a little bit quirky and didn’t worry about things being perfect.
MY HILLS
I took a piece of paper from My Little Shoebox that was shaped in a scalloped circle. I cut it in two.

I wanted something fun and unique for the hills, so I cut strips of another piece of paper and layered them on my scalloped circle pieces. I poked holes through each one with my paper piercer so I could stitch through the strips.
I actually stitched through these before I adhered them to the canvas. I then positioned and adhered them to the canvas and cut off the excess.
ADHESIVE
Now there are SO many kinds of adhesive out there. And many types will work on paper and canvas. I have tried my regular Tombow Mono Adhesive, but that will end up having the paper come off the canvas. I use Mod Podge on my altered items but have not tried it on canvas so I cannot tell you how well it works, but I imagine that it would work fine too. What I use, simply because I used it once and know it works well with this kind of project, is that double sided red tape. You can buy it in a lot of different places from several different brands. They all seem to work the same. You just peel off the red backing and you have a secure double-sided tape.

MY HOUSE
I was looking through my paper that I was using and was very inspired by a house on a specific piece of patterned paper and decided to make my house like it. (Paper by My Little Shoebox)
So, using my exacto knife, I cut pieces of patterned paper to piece together to make my house. I cut my rectangle for the house and my roof. I did this simply by eyeing my design as I cut. Like the rest of my project, they are not perfect…but it is part of it’s originality. You could always create your design on the computer and print it out to use as a guide as you cut your pieces. Then I cut my little windows. I cut rectangles and then just cut the inside parts out leaving a line through the middle like a window.

I wanted to add a piece of me on my canvas. I always do this, usually I either add little photos (through windows, in the center of flowers, etc.) or I include something to represent each person in our family (like my fall family portrait). This time I choose to add some photos in the windows. They are very small. They were about 1” x .75”. I print my own photos at home so this was easy for me to do.
And I really liked how the scalloped lines on the roof from my inspiration piece were, so I added the same. I used white cardstock and my Quickutz Revolution to cut the scalloped borders. However, you could do this with prepackaged borders or simply by using decorative edge scissors. I put them on my roof and the cut off the excess.
Those are the main pieces of my work. I added various other things, including more paper, gems, buttons, 3D glitter paint and additional stitching, to create my finished look. Note: for the stitching I just stitched through the canvas which is very easy to do. Just remember that you have wood on the back, so it is easier to have stitching where the wood is not. J
And there you have it.
Here are some close-up's:




Some other samples of canvas work I have done:

Monday, March 23, 2009

SC Sketch 135

Well, it's Monday once again, and yes...I have a new sketch for you.  :)  


(Flower from Emily Powers--Owl Love You Forever digital scrapbooking kit)

And here are some samples from the SC girls...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Blessed


I am feeling so extremely blessed lately.  And not just because I finally have a girl, but because of my entire family!  I have a wonderful husband whom I love dearly.  I have two AWESOME boys who I couldn't love more.  And now I have sweet Eryn.  And even more then that, we are all healthy and well (minus the occasional cold or virus), we have a nice home, friends and family in our life...I have a good life!!!

I want to hold on to this feeling.  :)  

I made this (picture above) to hang on the wall in our bedroom.  I will hang it right next to our wedding photo.  That way every time I see it I will remember how blessed I am.  I love how I didn't fill all of the background, but just a portion of it.  The wooden heart frame is from Say It With Letters.  I LOVE them!  I have many more projects to complete with Say It With Letters products.  :)  The papers are from GCD Studios.  

Thanks for checking it out and have a fabulous day!  

Supplies for "Blessed" wall art:
Wooden Heart--Say It With Letters, Papers--GCD Studios, Foam Letters--American Crafts, Paint--Making Memories, Trinkets (lock and key)--Maya Road, Ribbon--Stampin' Up!, Lace--unknown.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Hip Hop Hangover

I always find so much inspiration from Unity's Hip Hop Thursdays. I love looking through all the blogs and seeing all the projects made with Unity stamps. So of course, I pulled out my stamps to play along. I haven't received my March Kit of the Month yet, but I hadn't had a chance to play with my February KOTM so that is what I used today!

I also used my new "Girl Friday" papers from Cosmo Cricket. These are so cute! And they definitely put you in the mood for spring. :)

Ok...on to my work...

This is a layout that I made. I wanted to get the story down while it was fresh in my mind.


Here are some close up's:





I really like how this turned out. I did end up having to cover up some of my stamping. :( But the story was really want I wanted to record and I just needed the room. In addition to the February KOTM, I used the "Monarchical Flourish Frame" stamp from Unity.

Journaling reads:

"When we went to the hospital to have Eryn it was in the middle of the night. We called Bonnie to come pick up the boys, but because everything happened so quickly I was worried that Kelby would have to take the boys out so I could deliver. But thankfully Bonnie showed up just in time. But the boys did see that I was in pain and they were worried. They returned several times to visit while we were still in the hospital. I was surprised by their reactions to Eryn. I thought that Austin would handle it well and be very helpful, while Hayden would have a difficult time adjusting to not being the baby anymore. But Hayden immediately loved Eryn. He wanted to hold her, feed her and touch her. Austin, on the other hand, seemed scared of her. He refused to hold her. He was more concerned about me."

I also made a couple cards for challenges on the Unity Hip Hop forum yesterday...here those are:



Supplies for "Meeting Eryn":
Papers--Cosmo Cricket, Stamps--Unity Stamp Company, Ink and Embossing Powder--Stampin' Up, Fabric--SSI, Lace Butterfly--unknown, Foam Letters--American Crafts, Sticker Letters--Adornit, Thread--DMC, Ribbon--Westers, Felt Border--Creative Imaginations, Gems--The Paper Studio, Cardstock (for journaling)--Xerox, Computer Program--Microsoft Word, Font--Cambria.

Supplies for top card:
Cardstock--Xerox, Papers--Cosmo Cricket, DCWV, and Basic Grey, Stamps--Unity Stamp Company, Ink and Emboss Powder--Stampin' Up!, Rub-On's--Bo Bunny, Chipboard Fence--Maya Road, Gems--The Paper Studio, Glitter Paint--Scribbles.

Supplies for bottom card:
Papers--Cosmo Cricket, Cardstock--Xerox, Stamps--Unity Stamp Company, Ink, Markers and Emboss Powder--Stampin' Up!, Ribbon--American Crafts, Thread--DMC.