Stacy's Paper Crafts

CFK Project: Handmade Christmas Ornaments 6x8 Layout

My layout shares some of the handmade ornaments that I create this past Christmas. At the start of the pandemic I purchased a new printer, an older model Epson Eco Tank printer. It makes printing photos and digital papers at home so easy, and the ink lasts forever! The only cons I've found so far is that I can not print on vellum, or cardstock that is heavier than 80lb. I miss being able to have those capabilities, but it's a trade-off I'll live with because the ink for my super old Canon printer was so ridiculously expensive to print colored documents.

Anyway, my layout is very simple, I used foam tape to pop up some of the photos, added a few gems, pearls, some thickers & stickers, and a little tag for journaling. I really like this 6x8 sized DYI album. I still need to work out how to best photograph double page spreads in pre-assembled albums.

Thanks for looking!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Hi Everyone! I hope you all are well, I know that this conronavirus outbreak has many of us feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I've been trying to keep my mind busy by crafting, spring cleaning, and baking. I've mostly been baking bread but I got a sweet tooth and decided to make some carrot cake, one of my absolute favorite desserts! I used this recipe... Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe. 

 

 

I recently took a free online class called The Layered Page by Kelley Wynne Studios, which is still available by the way for a limited time. It was such a great mixed media class that resulted in a several mini books/art journals/mini albums that I can't wait to create in. I shared some of the inside pages on my Instagram page... here and here.

 

I decided to use one of the books to document what I've been doing to keep busy this Spring, including baking these delicious cupcakes! I used the background image from the For Everything stamp set by Red Rubber Designs to create some additional subtle texture to the background paper. I also stamped the Speckle Background stamp randomly over the background using Versamark ink, and the heat embossed it using super fine white embossing powder.

 

To embellish my layout I used the carrot image from the Pickled Potpourri Designs digital stamp set called Flopsy Bunny. I created a little cluster and then printed them on 80lb. cardstock. I colored the carrots using Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils and then fussy cut them out. I added a flip out panel for my journaling and used some chipboard to pop up the carrots before adhering them to the journaling panel. I tucked my photo next to the carrots, inked the edges of my page using Vintage Photo Archival Distress ink, and used some alphabet stickers & a Tim Holtz sentiment sticker to create the title.

 

 

I used Ranger Distress Collage medium to adhere most items to the page including my journaling block. Unfortunately I didn't realize my ink pen wasn't permanent so it smeared a little and I was too lazy to rewrite it so I left it as is.

 

Thanks so much for looking!

*Supplies:

Pickled Potpourri Designs Digital Stamps: Flopsy Bunny

Red Rubber Designs Stamps: For Everything, & Speckle Background,

Inks: PTI Kraft Ink pad, Ranger Ink Mini Archival Distress ink pads: Vintage Photo, & Versamark Ink pad

Other: Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils, Ranger Ink White Super Fine Embossing powder,, Mono Multi Liquid Glue, Ranger Ink Matte Distress Collage Medium,

DYI mini album created using acrylic paints, Neocolor II crayons, stencils, text & gelli printed papers

 

*Some affiliate links used at no extra cost to you

 

 

Red Rubber Inspirational #144

 
I'm hosting this weeks Red Rubber Inspirational!

This week's theme is Fall Foliage.

I would normally create a fall or Thanksgiving card using this theme, but I decided to take a non-traditional approach and created more of an "any season" themed layout featuring my cat.

I used a leaf from the Luscious Leaves stamp set to create a patterned background for my layout.  I stamped the leaf using brown ink on kraft cardstock.

I then layered three pieces of patterned and matted my photo on top of them using foam tape. I then applied foam tape to adhere the patterned paper and photo mat to the layout.

 

I stamped the "kitty" portion of the title for this layout on a strip of white cardstock using the Distressed Typerwriter Bet stamp set with brown ink. The "sweet" portion of my title was stamped using teal distress ink. I adhered the title strip to my layout using foam tape. I then added three mini gold brads and a wood veneer feather to embellish my layout.

 

I hope that you've been inspired to create a project featuring stamped Fall Foliage and will stop by and check out all of the entries for this week's challenge.

 

 

Luscious Leaves

Distressed Typewriter Bet

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October Counterfeit Kit

I'm so bummed that I didn't get a chance to create a single card for World Card Making Day. Did you get a chance to create? Participate in any fun challenges? I'll have to make up for it this week. 

So it's been a few months since I last created a Counterfeit Kit and I miss it. I find that I create several more projects each month compared to when I do not work with a kit. The Counterfeit Kit inspiration this month is from a Kit Club called Hey Little Magpie. They offered a limited edition kit shown ---> Here. 

I love the polka dots, florals, navy blue, white, pink, washi tape, label stickers, and transparency titles in this kit so I dug around my stash to look for those specific colors and patterns, and filled in the rest of my kit with complementary paper goodies. 

 

 I'll also be adding some twine which is currently MIA in my stash somewhere, some stamps, stamp inks, paints, and maybe some spray mists to my kit this month. Thanks for looking! 

Farewell Two Peas...

I sure you all have heard that Two Peas in a Bucket announced that they are closing. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I got my start in this paper crafting hobby way back in 2001. A friend invited to a Creative Memories party and I had fun but didn't really jump into scrapbooking. The small purchase I made sat for almost a year before I thought about it again. I can't recall how I learned of Two Peas, but after visiting the gallery I was hooked, and that was all she wrote! 

In a few short days the Two Peas in a Bucket website will be taken down. I thought it would be fun to share some of the very first crafting projects I uploaded online. You can click on each photo for a more detailed view.

 

 

This was the very first layout I ever shared. This photo of my son cracks me up! I remember asking him why he wasn't smiling in the picture and he said "I didn't like the man!" I guess he didn't like the photographer for some reason! LOL 

 

 

This was the cover of a Halloween Mini album I created. Remember fun fur? LOL I bet you still have some in your stash! I really had a thing for diecuts and paper punches then... still do! 

 

This was one of the first cards I stamped using unmounted stamps. The image I used is called Sunflower Botanical and is still available from Red Rubber Designs.

 

 

This is also one of my favorite layouts and memories. This was my son's first year of soccer, and my husbands first year of coaching. The kiddos in this group were 4 to 4 1/2 years old and were so fun to watch play... ok well they mostly played in the grass, with rocks, and danced on the field! LOL Their favorite part of the game was the end of the game team huddle... and snacks of course :) 

 

 

 

This was one of my all time fave layouts :) That photo I snapped on a whim and was thrilled when I had it printed. 

 

This little guy was SOOOOOOOOOOO excited about this cake! He wasn't interested in birthday presents until after he got his hands on that cake topper. It was a pretty cool cake :)

 

 

I never thought a layout featuring cicadas could be cute... nonetheless I could live the rest of my life without seeing another one! LOL This layout also highlights my Heidi Swapp chipboard alphabet love. I still have a ton in my stash... I haven't purchased any since 2006, and I use them all the time so that should tell you something! LOL

 

 

One last one. I'm noticing a theme here... yellow t-shirts, that oversized hat, & chipboard alphas! LOL Looking back at these layouts is bitter sweet. My son is now 6 months away from turning 14. I'm not sure how that happened!

I'm so grateful to have discovered this beautiful hobby. I think that most paper crafters would agree that this industry is changing, always changing. One thing that that I hope will remain constant is our need and desire to document our lives.

 

Lot's To Share Today...

I finally got around to photographing the last of my May Counterfeit Kit projects, so this post is going to be short, sweet, & photo heavy. 

 

I got a little carried away with the distress ink on this card, but I like how it turned out. The "Cherished" badge is a Pickled Potpourri Designs image from the Affirmation Badges digital stamp set. I printed it out on white cardstock, used a circle cutter to create a die cut, applied distress ink, and adhered it to the card front using foam tape. 

This layout features a photo of my eldest nephew's first Easter. I'm a little bummed about how the spray mist turned out. I pictured it completely different in my mind! LOL But it's another memory documented so I'm happy about that. 

 

I adore this little bunny :) It's another Pickled Potpourri Designs image from the Adorable Animals digital stamp set. I pulled out my Prismacolor colored pencils to color this image, and outlined it using a gray Copic marker. 

This layout was super easy to put together. I used acrylic paint to color the chipboard alpha and embellished it with some die cut leaves. Aren't those trucks pretty all in a row? One of these days I'm going to hunt down a truck that offers vegetarian & gluten free options. I've heard that there are a few in the city.

And finally, one last card. I'm still loving those tulips from Pickled Potpourri Designs' Flopsy Bunny digital stamp set, it's not just for Easter! I stamped a sentiment from Red Rubber Designs' Sophisticated Sentiments stamp set on a piece of die cut vellum. I heat embossed it using black embossing powder. I love the crisp appearance the embossing powder gives. I colored this image using Copic & ProMarkers.

 Thanks for stopping by today! 

 

 

A CFK layout

So sorry to be MIA. I've been trying to update my blog for almost two weeks now and Typepad has been having all kinds of issues lately.  I've been with them for almost 8 years and have never had so many issues except in the last few months. I hope that they will get their developers on top of what ever is causing these issues. 

Anyway, it's the end of May already, and I had a chance to create several projects using my Counterfeit Kit. I assembled a smaller kit this month because I knew I wouldn't have much time to play, but I surprised myself by how much I was able to create. 

I'll be sharing those projects with you this week... so long as Typepad cooperates. Today I have a layout to share. 

  

My brother recently moved here to Maryland from San Diego, CA and I had a chance to take him to Washington, D.C. for the first time. Although I have lived here for 13 years I haven't spent a lot of time in D.C. so it's always fun to go... especially with someone who's experiencing our nation's capital for the very first time! You can click on the photos to get a close up view.

I cheated a little bit and used some green and beige buttons, green cardstock and a little bit of polka dot patterned paper on this layout, which were not apart of my CFK. I used the pattenred paper to create a couple of tags, and used my Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves dies and the green cardstock to create some die cuts for this layout. 

I also added some distress ink along the edges of the photo mats and layout.  I used a green Gelato and brown Copic mark to recolor the chipboard alphas. My friend Valerie let me borrow her Gelato which was the perfect shade of green! I love how easy it was to recolor the alphas especially using the Gelato!

I applied the Gelato directly to the alpha, smudged it in with my fingers and applied a little water using a water brush. I waited a few minutes and then repeated the process a few more times until I was happy with the color. 

Finally I added a few wood veneer pieces along with the tags that I created, staples, and buttons to embellish this layout. Thanks so much for looking!

 

His Music

My husband is a drummer. He & his brother marched with the Blue Coats in the 80's.

Their father was also a musician and music teacher.

I have no musical talents...well I can sing. The problem is that no one seems to be able to hear the music I sing, in the beautiful way that I hear it. LOL I love music... that should count for something right?

My son also loves music. The difference between he and I is that he really has a talent for it. He started playing the trumpet in 4th grade. He played it again in 5th grade, and then started playing the french horn last year.

I always wanted to learn how to play an instrument but never really had an opportunity to. My husband bought me a keyboard a few years ago, but I haven't had the time or focus to learn how to play it yet. I really had these grand ideas of being able to play like John Legend when I unwrapped it! LOL but I can't read music. I've tried to teach myself but I really need to take a beginners beginning course.

My son has already taught himself how to play several different songs on it. I don't know if he was able to pick up on it so quickly because he knows how to read music, or if he just has a God given talent for playing music. Either way, I love to watch and listen to him play his music.

And one of these days I'll figure out how to journal in a straight line :)

Thanks for looking!

 

Recorded Paper Pack	Basic Grey Hey You Collection	Recorded Alpha Stickers	American Crafts White CS	SU Doily
Silhouette Portrait	Echo Park Heart	Momento London Fog	Tombow	Scotch Adhesive

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New Specks

My son got reading glasses for the first time last year. He was excited about them because he's the only one in our family who didn't need them... until now. Ironically I have to constantly remind him to wear them! LOL I think he looks pretty handsome with glasses.

I used contents from my Counterfeit Kit to complete this layout. I added some black, white, & grey enamel dots. The eyeglass frames were cut from black cardstock using a free cut file from Two Peas in a Bucket. I popped those up with foam tape.

Thanks for looking!

 

A Winter Walk

 

My first layout of the year!

Do you ever get really excited about a layout or project that you just throw it together, photograph it, edit it, and after all of that you realize you made an error? Yep, that'd be me! LOL I usually hand write my journaling, but I decided to type it out for some reason. I really meant to say "The weather during the month of December..." I didn't catch it until I sat down to write this blog post. I could easily go back and correct it, but I'm not going to! LOL I'm embracing the imperfection.

I cut some trees using a Silhouette file. I actually had them in mind for another project, but they worked well with my photos here. I love it when I find multiple uses for my craft supplies.

I used a few veneer stars :) I thought I'd be tired of them after all of the layouts I used them on a couple of months ago, but nope! I'm still loving them.

The patterned paper I used I got from Hobby Lobby during one of their "billion sheets for $1 sales." I rarely buy paper this way any more, but when I do I try to choose neutral patterns and colors. I love the look of this pattern, it almost looks like fabric.

I adhered the photos using pop dots, added some distress ink along the edges of the layout, and added a few splatters of ink. The "December" phrase is from an old Making Memories rub-on set. I can't recall when I bought it, but I know it was more than 6 years ago! It rubbed on like butter. I was really surprised because some of my newer rub-ons are terrible! So bad I stopped buying them really.

Have you purchased any rub-ons recently that you love?

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 

Sweet Boy

This is the last layout I created with my October Counterfeit Kit. 

You can click on the images to enlarge the view. This layout features another photo from my pre-digital camera days. Tim is sitting on his buddy Wally, who is still with us 12yrs later. He still sleeps in Tim's room.

I used a Tim Holtz stencil & Distress Paint to add some texture to the background. I really like the distress paint, it has a great consistency, and I like the fact that it reacts with water. Fun stuff!

Thanks for looking!

 

Happy Sunday!

I have a few more Counterfeit Kit projects to share with you all today.

This blue floral patterned paper really stumped me. I really wanted to use it on a scrapbook layout, but I didn't have any recent photos that would work well with it. I started digging through some photos that I took in early 2000, before I purchased my digital camera, and came across some pictures of my son when he was baby.

I think these photos might have been taken with a disposable camera because they are so blurry. I decided to use them anyway because they have a story to tell, and that drooly smile is definitely scrap worthy! :) The shirt he's wearing is similar in color to the patterned paper so I decided to use them. I managed to add a tiny sliver of that patterned paper! LOL I cut out a few of the flowers, added mini brad to the centers, popped them up on foam tape, and adhered them at the top of the layout.

I used a stamp & Versamark ink to add some texture to the cardstock background. I also fed a thin strip of blue cardstock through my paper crimper and layered that between the two patterned paper prints.

I decided to create a card using a portion of the patterned paper while I had it out.

I keep reaching for that sentiment... I really like the font, and it's one of the stamps in this set that stamps relatively well without any doctoring! LOL

Thanks for stopping by today!

CFK Challenge #3 Grid Designs

Are you ready for another Counterfeit Kit Challenge?

Today's challenge is to create a project using a grid design. You can incorporate the "grid" using elements, photos, or the paper on your project.

Don't laugh... but I literally sat over four hours staring at these photos trying to figure out how I wanted to arrange them. They were 4x6 prints, but after trimming them down some I worked out a layout that I am happy with.

Wegman's opened a new store in my community. I love Wegman's. We have 3-4 other grocery stores in close proximity but I hate their produce. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to produce. Living in San Diego will do that to you. It's not uncommon for me to drive 25+ miles to get fresh produce.

I know it sounds crazy but I love my fresh fruits & veggies :) Now that Wegman's is only a 5 minute drive I'll have more options for fresh seasonal produce. Not only that, they have the BEST gluten free section of all of the grocery stores within 25+ miles from my home. Granted a lot of the offerings are junk foods, but it's great to have options.

Anyway, once I figured out how I wanted to place my photos, I matted them using white cardstock, adhered them to kraft cardstock, and then adhered them to the blue cardstock base using foam tape. I added a few embellishments and some alpha stickers. I've had those alpha stickers in my stash for at least two years, it felt good to finally use them.

I also rediscovered my Making Memories Magnetic Date Stamp set... remember those? I forgot how much I love it. It's another $10 goody I've had in my stash for a good 8+ years.

Thanks for looking!

I hope you'll get a chance to create something for this fun challenge.

CFK Birthday Party Challenge

Hi Everyone!

Today's Counterfeit Kit Club Challenge is all about 

Birthday Parties!

{Photo Credit}

I love those rainbow colors!

I decided to work with the dominant colors in my kit this month...  kraft, pink, light blue, dark blue, & white. This layout showcases photos of Virginia Beach, Virginia, one of my absolute favorite places to be!

 My next project is a card, inspired by the heart place cards in the photo.

I die cut hearts from kraft, pink, & blue cardstock and adhered them to a white cardstock panel.

I then added some mini sequins and popped up the heart panel using foam tape, and then adhered it to the blue cardstock base.

You can check out this Pinterest Collection to select a photo to use as inspiration for your challenge creation. Don't forget to add your creation to the October Linky collection on the CKC Blog.

Three Cuties

This is a photo of my niece and nephew & their friend when they were little. The are all teenagers now. I still don't know how that happened! LOL 

I pulled contents from my Counterfeit Kit to create this layout. I used a  stamp set called Keyboard Uppercase by Close to My Heart to stamp out "three" using Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink. Can I just tell you how much I LOVE this stamp set? I've always been a fan of alphabet stamps, but I'll be honest, they do require a little work to line them up. This stamp set makes creating alphabet stickers so easy, which is how I used them here.

After I stamped each letter, I cut them out. I could have run them through my Xyron sticker machine, but it was just easier for me to use a Zig glue pen. It literally took me less than 2 minutes.

I could have also just stamped directly onto the cardstock because the "block" style lettering makes it easy to line up each letter compared to a traditional alphabet stamp. Do you use alphabet stamps on layouts or cards? Or do you prefer alphabet stickers or die cuts?

I wanted to use black sequins for this layout but I don't have any in my stash, so I used a black Copic marker to color some of the pink ones. I wasn't sure how they would look after they dried but they are perfect! No streaks with solid coloring, and it only took them a few minutes to dry.

Thanks for looking!

 

Another Layout!

Well I surprised myself and was able to whip up another layout using my Counterfeit Kit. It's an 8x8 very clean & simple layout... but it's a layout and it counts! LOL

I pulled out my Dymo lable maker to add the "hello" sentiment, and used my Quickutz Jacqueline font dies to create the "Atlanta" portion of the title using white cardstock; and then I added a little shading to them using a little bit of kraft ink. I added a journaling tag  and tucked it behind the photo.

Over the summer we drove from Maryland to Montgomery, AL for a funeral for my husband's Uncle. This photo was taken as we passed through Atlanta,GA. I drove! Which is crazy, because the last time we drove through Atlanta all I could do is close my eyes and pray... from the back seat! LOL It just seemed like there were SO MANY CARS and they seem to be driving at least 90 MPH! This time around traffic was relatively light, and most people seemed to drive very leisurely. It was a bit strange. It happened to be a beautiful day, so maybe people were just enjoying the sunny drive? I'm not sure, but I'm thankful I got through Atlanta unscathed! LOL 

I hope your week is off to a great start, thanks for looking!

Summit Lake

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend.

Today I'm sharing a layout I created using my Counterfeit Kit.

In the county I live in, 6th graders in public school participate in "Outdoor Education," where they get a chance to go camping a few days with their classmates, teachers, school administrators, and parent volunteers. It's curriculum based, but the kids have a lot of fun.

I sent my son with great reservations. All of a sudden he's developed asthma, and a host of other allergies. We moved to a different county and region here in Maryland about four years ago so that may have something to do with it. I'm not exactly sure.

Anyway, right before he was supposed to go to camp, his allergy test results came back. Basically he's allergic to everything outside except for grass. Summit Lake Camp, where Outdoor Education was held, just so happened be surrounded by nearly everything the poor kid was allergic to!

After talking with his Pediatrician we agreed that we'd let him go, packed with an arsenal of medication & a nebulizer, and if he was absolutely miserable, or if the conditions triggered an asthma attack, I'd just go and pick him up. It's only about an hour and a half from our home.

So he went and had an AWESOME time despite three days of constant itchiness, swollen & bloodshot eyes, and being asked 50 million times if he was ok by friends, other campers, & teachers!

Whenever he looks at the photos he took, he asks if we can go camping there again. He took the photos that are featured here on this layout, including the "self pic" :) with a disposable camera, and without any editing too! Disposable cameras have come a long way!

If you asked him, he'd tell you that he isn't an "outdoorsy" kind of guy, but almost every photo he took at camp were of the camp grounds! LOL He kept telling me how beautiful and peaceful it is there.

BTW, Tim's doing just fine now. His asthma seems to be well controlled now thank God :)

So that's my layout & story. The Alphabet font I used was not included in my kit, and I hated to cheat! LOL But I remembered that I purchased those alphas specifically for this layout so I went ahead and used them. Everything thing else used was included in my original kit.

Thanks so much for looking!

It's Back to School Week...

and so far Tim has had a great week! My son does not like school. He would tell you the best thing about school is Band class, P.E., Lunch... and 2:45pm when the school day is over! LOL Sometimes I wish he loved school, but I've accepted the fact that he just doesn't.

He's so smart and has a different way of thinking about things, which keeps me on my toes! He's taking several advanced classes and is thrilled about playing the French Horn in the Wind Ensemble this year. I'm so proud of him and I'm happy that he has at least one class that he will look forward to going to several times a week.

For the most part I always loved school. I didn't mind most of the work... except for Math. I never did learn to love... or even like Math for that matter! I can add, subtract, multiply, & divide well. But you can forget those ridiculous useless word problems, linear equations, and all the other stuff I have never found a need to use in my adult life... so far! I probably just jinxed myself! LOL

Anyway, with it being back to school week I decided to jump right in and get Tim's "First Day" pic scrapped & into his School scrapbook. If you click on the photos you can enlarge them for a more detailed view.

I'm still using contents from my August Counterfeit Kit. I added a mini paperclip & a button from my stash on this layout. The tag tucked behind the photo on the right side holds a little journaling about the photo.

I also used a lot of foam tape, applied some ink around the journaling card, and distressed the edges of the kraft cardstock base to add texture & depth to my layout.

I'm still loving that gold glitter & those mini wooden veneer stars :) I have a few more projects I'm going to share that I created using my counterfeit kit, but I still have a few sheets of cardstock, and some patterned paper scraps that will be left over. The color scheme & patterns are perfect for Tim's school album so I'm going to add my left overs to my school kit. You might see bits and pieces of them throughout the upcoming year.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

CKC layout #2 Tourist

Hi All today I have another layout to sharing using my CKC Kit.

I used my gold glitter again, but I also added red Stickles to the heart wood veneers. Love those little wooden pieces!

Thanks for looking!

CKC Layout #1

Hi All! I am sooo loving working with a kit. I've already complete two layouts & two cards! I used to subscribe to Self-Addressed back in the day, LOVED that kit club. Unfortunately they aren't around any more.

I once served on a design team for another kit club, sadly the owner had so many issues with receiving materials in a timely manner, her business folded too. She had some great kits!

After that I stopped receiving kits because unfortunately the scrapbook industry tends to cater to girls. It just seemed like all the kit clubs were offering flowery, glittery, kits. There are some designers who can work wonders with those types of materials & themes to create some awesome masculine pages. I was not one of them! LOL The industry has gotten much better in recent years, masculine & gender neutral patterned papers and embellishments are much more accessible compared to 5+ years ago. I may consider joining another kit club again in the future, but for now I'm going to enjoy creating my own kits.

Which leads to today's layout that I put together using inspiration from this month's Counterfit Kit.

I've been challenging myself to use items on my layouts that I typically don't use. I use glitter a lot on cards, and occasionally on layouts. If I use it on a layout it usually has a Christmas or winter theme, but I really wanted to find other ways to use it that would keep the masculine feel of the layout. I think this one is a winner :) You can click each photo to enlarge them.
Over the last year or so there have been several deaths in my family, and it really has made me think more about why I scrapbook.... to share our story. So I've been making more of an effort to journal better. Normally my journaling consists of a date, place, & title... which is usually enough, but I'm working on digging deeper.

I LOVE history, I love reading about the lives of people. I'm that person who often wonders what happened to the people at the end of a movie or book. I find that thinking about the questions that cross my mind when I look at photos of strangers, especially older photos of people who have passed, helps to guide my journaling... and talking to children. Children seem to have a natural way of asking the most honest and meaningful questions.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be sharing creations using my kit all week, I'd love to see something you've created that is inspired by my layout, or a kit you're using.

Chatterbox Challenge

So... do you remember Chatterbox? A long, long... ok well maybe not that long ago, but there used to be a Scrapbook company called Chatterbox who made beautiful patterned papers and lot's of other paper crafting goodies. I loved their patterned paper! They had a signature to their design, you could easily identify it without needing to see the manufacturers label. 

I've been hoarding the last few sheets of my Chatterbox paper for a good 5+ years now! LOL I decided to sit down and actually create something with them. It was so hard to cut into this paper... but I think I may have one or two more sheets somewhere! LOL

I created a 6x8 layout to go in my Sn@p Album. 

I also created a few masculine cards, one for Father's Day & a Congrats card, that would work well for graduation, retirement, promotion, ect. 

Scenic Route is another one of my faves who is no longer around. Some of my current faves are Basic Grey, Simple Stories, Fancy Pants Designs, Echo Park, & Teresa Collins. Who are your favorite patterned paper manufacturers, past or present?

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Other Supplies Used: Chatterbox Patterned Paper, American Crafts Alpha Stickers, Red & Light Blue, Cardstock, green button, Black Journaling Pen

I really like sparkly things on my layouts

 

My son is getting older now. I find myself doing fewer themed layouts for him. I find myself photographing more of the everyday stuff, especially weather lately! LOL I suppose that's a good thing. The upside to that is that I can actually use my shiny, sparkly, pretty papers and embellishments on something other than cards. 

The crop I went to the other day was hosted by a Creative Memories Rep. I typically don't use a lot of CM's products, although I do have some great tools & an adorable tote from them. It's been many, many, many years since I've looked at their papers & embellishments.

They have some different products now compared to when I was first introduced to this company, but I didn't really see anything that I just had to have, except for this adorable Enchanted Epoxy Stickers, the round ones are like glittery enamel dots, so cute and sparkly :)

 

Do you have signature embellishment? I always seem to add buttons, at least one, to my cards & layouts. Not intentionally, it just seems to happen. You can never go wrong with buttons, but I'm going to challenge myself to create something without a button :)  

Thanks for looking! 

My little cherry blossom tree

A pink layout! Now that's something I don't get a chance to create very often. I went to a crop yesterday and created a whopping 3 whole layouts! LOL Well two single paged layouts, and one double. I never really notice how much time I spend crafting when I'm at home, but those 8.5hrs sure did fly by yesterday. 

 

I'm pretty obsessed with butterflies lately... I just can't seem to stay away from them! I recently purchased these larger butterfly stamps from Stampendous Jumbo Butterfly Trio, can't wait to use these in my art journal! 

I used my PTI butterfly die and text stamps, along with some buttons, scrappers floss, mini pearls & rhinestones, foam tape, a little tag from Simple Stories, a staple, and some Making Memories tiny alpha stickers I've had in my stash FOREVER to create this layout. 

If you click on the photos you can get a close view.

Thanks for looking! 

5th Grade

Next year my son will be a "Middle Schooler." I don't feel old enough to have a child who's old enough to go to middle school! LOL I'm pretty excited for him though... and a little bit nervous too. Middle School is so different from elementary school. I think he'll do fine with the transition, but I still worry. I suppose we never really truly stop worrying about our children, even after they are all grown up.  Anyway I've been working on finishing his elementary school scrapbook album. I still have a lot to but I'm getting there. 

I finally pulled out some of the Jillibean Soup Bakers Twine that I won last year sometime. I just can't ever seem to get it to tie correctly and then get it to lay flat the way I want it. I put a glue dot behind the knot and that seems to have helped, hopefully it'll stay put. I also went old school on this layout and used some 7 Gypsies gaffer tape,  some Making Memories alpha rub-ons, and added a dymo sticker label too. So that's one layout down.... 5000000 more to go :) Thanks for looking! 

Happy Double Digits

Supplies--> Paper: Bazzill CS, Simple Stories PP, Alpha stickers: American Crafts & Basic Grey, Other: PTI Double-Ended Banners

My son will be turning 11 years old in November. That just sounds sooooo crazy to me! LOL He's in 5th grade this year, his last year of elementary school. I'm still trying to wrap my mind about what it'll mean to have a middle schooler. 

These photos were from his birthday last year. He was so excited about the "double digits." Last year he was really into Bakugan & Pokemon cards but this year, not so much. Now he's really into Anime & Manga especially. Naruto is one of his favorite shows.  He loves his video games of course,  but he also loves to draw and read. It's amazing how much his interests have changed in a year. 

Anyway I just had to share a little bit about my sweet boy :) This layout features patterned paper from Simple Stories' Destination's Collection and some AC alpha stickers that I've had for a very long time. 

Thanks for looking!

It's PTI Blog Hop Time...

"We want to see your best use of scallops, of any sort, on a project! This can include scalloped borders, offset-scallops, stamped scallops, scalloped mats, scalloped frames, layered scallops, scalloped tags or anything else you can dream up! You can use dies, patterned scissors, or even circle punches in a row to achieve your special look." 

 

I've been a PaperTrey Ink fan from the very beginning but this is my first hop. If you've never participated brace yourself.... I'm sure there will be a LOT of participants sharing their PTI craftiness :) 

I decided to create a layout instead of my usual card. I'm a little sad though. I worked on this the other night and was really happy with how it turned out but when I went to scan it this morning I noticed the ink that I used dried much lighter than it actually is :( If you click to photo you can kinda see the stamping.

I stamped the Kraft cardstock using two of the little houses from the Wonderfully Whimsical stamp set. I created a card a couple of weeks ago using this same technique and stamp set B&W patterned paper It's such a cute set :)

Supplies: Paper: PTI Kraft & White cardstock & Bazzill White Cardstock, Stamps: PTI Wonderfully Whimsical, Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Other: Martha Stewart snowflake punch, mini rhinestones & pearls, rectangle scalloped Nestabilities Dies, Quickutz Alphabet dies, black ink pen. 

Don't forget to check out the blogs of the other participants, you can view all of the links on Nichole's blog  at 10a.m. EST. Thanks for looking :)

1st layout of 2011 :)

I think I figured it out... why I'm more motivated to create a card versus creating a layout. My photography skills are crappy! LOL I seriously feel like my layouts should look like the layouts of my favorite scrappers... who also happen to be amazing photographers. Ridiculous right?! Well this year I'm going to focus on learning how to use my camera in manual mode. I have a Cannon S3IS and it used to take great photos on auto mode but lately I've been having issues with it. The cards I created this week were taken on Manual mode, I have no idea what settings I used, I just fiddled around with it until the colors in the photos "looked right,"  but the picture quality turned out much better!

Wii Wars {8x8 Layout} Paper: Echo Park Basic Grey patterned papers, Bazzill cardstock, Stickers: American Crafts & Making Memories, Other: Buttons & white Scrappers Floss. 

So I'm just going to scrap my photos even if they are a little dark, or blurred, or have strange angles like the ones in this layout because the whole point of  scrapbooking is to capture & document memories, so that's just what I'm going to do! Wii wars have been going strong for about 2yrs now in our household. They get fierce! LOL Video games are one of the ways T & his Dad bond. I'm not a gamer. I like the Wii but I'd much rather play Scrabble or put together a puzzle. Video games is their thing, and I'm sure it's a memory that they'll reflect on and cherish.

Thanks for looking! Hope you're having a great weekend!

DIO Friday: Color Challenge #1

 

Hope you all had a great week! This week's challenge is to create a card, scrapbook layout, mini album, home décor item, or altered art piece using the following colors…

 

You can also use a neutral color such as black or white. I created a scrapbook layout using some photos I took of my son last year. I am not a chronological scrapper, and thank goodness for that because I'd never be caught up! LOL The paper is from TAC's Rustic Chic collection.

Supplies:

_{Paper:               TAC patterned paper& Bazzill cardstock}

_{Other:               Karen Foster & Basic Grey alpha stickers, Palette & Colorbox ink}

My layout is featured on page 61 of the 2009-2010 Angel Company catalog! I am so excited that it was chosen because I wasn't going to send it in. The designers of previous catalogs have been AMAZING and my style is very clean & simple so I just wasn't sure if it would be too simple. Apparently it wasn't 

Today is the first day we can begin placing orders from the new catty. If you need a catty let me know I'd be happy to send you one. They are $5.00 which includes shipping and a $5.00 off coupon when you place an order totalling $30 or more. 

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

We've been celebrating all week over at the Paper Wings website. If you're a TAC demonstrator and you haven't been by to check out the awesome projects & download-able tutorials you're missing out! 

I created a few pages for the occasion (and hope to complete a few more this weekend). 

This one features patterned paper from TAC's Reece & Willoughby paper collections.

This one features patterned paper from TAC's Catelynne paper collection. I love this collection... could you tell?? LOL This is my sister's kitty Ash. He's such a sweet kitty :) I also created a card to go along with this layout as a part of a card-to-crop challenge. 

Have a wonderful NSD & weekend! Thanks for looking :)