Bloom Project and an Announcement

Alright, this frame I created has been posted a few places now (including Crate Paper's blog!!!), so I think it's time I posted it here with a few directions.
This project was truly easy to create, it just takes a little time. The frame measures 12" x 12". I just happened to have an old frame in the right size that wasn't being used. It was black, so I used some Claudine Hellmuth paint to make it white. The background is a 12" x 12" piece of kraft colored card stock. I used my Silhouette to cut the brown outline of the flower and the word "Bloom". For you Silhouette users, the file is Chrysanthemum_CO583_20508. There are only 2 flowers as part of that file (the center and right hand flower), so I copied, pasted, flipped, and shrunk the flower on the right so it became the flower on the left. Then I used 1 piece of every paper from each of Crate Paper's new lines; Restoration, School Spirit, and Snow Day to fill in the petals. I only had small pieces of each of these papers, so I traced and cut each petal by hand (easy, but it does take a bit of time). The tracing and cutting don't need to be exact, because you attach the petals behind the brown outline of the flower, so you don't see the edges of your hand cut petals. I really love how this project turned out, and can't wait to do it again. I think the same technique would look really cool with Christmas ornaments, trees, or one large flower (no stem). If you have any questions about how this was done, please feel free to ask. If you want to see this project in real life, it's on display at A Walk Down Memory Lane in Rock Valley, IA.

Now on to a quick announcement. As some of you may know, I've been on the in store Design Team at A Walk Down Memory Lane for about a year now. Recently Lisa, the owner, asked me to be her Social Media Coordinator for both the physical location and the on-line store. What does that mean? Well, I'll be coordinating posts and hosting giveaways on AWMDL's Facebook Page, I'll be writing a few newsletters for the store, and I'll be posting projects, info, and all sorts of fun stuff on AWDML's blog every day (Monday - Friday). I'm excited to be starting this new position, and hope you'll join me in the fun!

Not quite ready

I'm not quite ready to let summer go just yet, and even though school has started for my oldest, we're still spending plenty of time outside. Here's an ode to outdoor fun:This fun time is framed in Jillibean Soup papers. I'm in love with her corrugated alphas. You can do so much with them. For this layout I stamped on every other letter.Backyard swinging is also brought to you by Jillibean Soup.
The corrugated alphas on this layout have been sprayed with ink mist.Here's to spending a little time hoping summer will last just a bit longer.

Time

Time...it goes quickly, and there just never seems to be enough of it. That's why I was thrilled to have the time back in June to get some professional outdoor photos done of our family. I know that in just a matter of time, my boys will be all grown up, and I'll cherish these photos even more. I also was thrilled to be able to take the time to play with this fabulous sketch for Crate Paper's August Sketch Challeng.

I used Crate Paper's Brook Collection, a little bit of cork, and a new family photo to create this layout:What I love most about this layout is that there is so much texture, from glittered chipboard, to cork to epoxy brads. I also learned that yes, you can uses rub-ons directly on cork. It just takes a little extra rubbing.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my creations today!

Summer Sketch

It's My Mind's Eye sketch time once again. I don't know if it's cheating, but I loved the sketch so much that I actually made 2 layouts. The theme for the sketch this time is summer. My first one uses summer colors and the Breaking Free Collection.
I love hand stitching on layouts, so stitched some water inspired spirals on the background and stitched in the outline of the orange splashes coming out from the photos. It's a little hard to see, but to add something a little different, I popped all the photos up on foam dimensionals.
The second layout is a big step outside my comfort zone. I usually don't do a lot of paper tearing and distressing, but it just seemed to work.I again used My Mind's Eye Breaking Free Collection. The star background was cut using my Silhouette SD. I like to play around with journaling, so on this layout I journaled inside a few of the red stars....and yes the big kid in that photo is my wonderful husband! You have until the end of Thursday to play along if you'd like to, as well. All of the details can be found here on My Mind's Eye's blog.

Quick Cards

I know I've been neglecting you all lately, so here are 2 quick cards to keep you looking.

This one uses Jillibean Soup papers, a Bazzill corduroy button, Fiskars scallop border punch, and Unity Stamp's Noteworthy Occasions. The flower was made using a scallop circle punch.

This one uses Pink Paislee Papers, Fiskars Apron Lace Punch, and a Pink Paislee Brad. The flower was made using quilling.
And remember, you can find all this stuff at A Walk Down Memory Lane for 15% off for the remainder of August!

Just a Peak

I've been so busy...but unfortunately I can't show you what I've been working on until next month. I've been having a blast playing around with some of the new product released at CHA. A Walk Down Memory Lane is showing off all the goodies they ordered for the store at the end of August, and after that party at the store, I'll show you here in blog land some of the yummy creations made for that party. Here's a sneak:and a Peak:of a few things I've been working on.

AWDML has ordered so much new stuff that Lisa has discounted the whole store 15% for the month of August to make room for all the new goodies coming in. Click here to head on over to the store to take advantage of the savings. Here's a card I made using some stuff I picked up on sale (you know, just doing my part to help make room for the new stuff).The circle background is adhesive backed fabric from American Craft. The "BABY" onesies were cut with my Silhouette. The scalloped trim was done with my Fiskars Apron Lace Punch, and the ric rac is truly vintage (it came from a friend of a friend's old sewing stash). Happy crafting!

Road Trip

I thought it would be fun to memorialize my oldest's first road trip. He's almost 4 now, but in the photo, he was just over 2 weeks old. Bella Blvd's Estate Sale papers were just the right feel for this early fall layout.


The decorative strips are Pink Paislee Artisan Tape, and the blue dots are Pebbles Inc Candy Dots.

Texture Card Class Sneak Peek

I'm teaching a Cards with texture class this weekend, Saturday, August 7, at A Walk Down Memory Lane. There's still time to sign up if you're interested in learning how to add texture to your cards by using cork, acrylic, Core'dinations Card Stock, and fabric on your cards. You'll make 4 cards during the class and you'll have the opportunity to learn lots of great tips and tricks for working with these mediums. Class starts at 10:15, but you can reserve your spot now by calling AWDML at (712)476-3443. Here's a little sneak peek of one of the cards you'll create:

If you're dying to have the stamp set from this card, you can get it for 25% off this month at A Walk Down Memory Lane. Unity Stamps is the featured manufacturer this month, so grab all the Unity Stamps you want for 25% off! You can also click here to find sheets of cork, or click here to get that lovely Crate Paper Brook patterned paper.

Blessed

I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a linear scrapper. I've only been scrapping for about 1 1/2 years, so I scrap whatever photos strike my fancy and go with whatever papers I happen to have. It's always a treat when I get to scrap recent photos. These photos were taken just this past July when we were in Wisconsin visiting my parents. They have a great private zoo that we like to hit up every summer. The boys loved watching the fish in the little pond, and I got to click a few great pictures before they started to ham it up with cheesy smiles at the camera.
Everything here is from Bella Blvd's Man of the House Collection. This is a great line for man layouts of all ages, not just boys. The papers are Bits A Bella, Cuff Links, and Wide Tie. I also used the Man of the House Alpha Bits Sticker Sheet. A few detail notes. The original word sticker here said "Lucky To Have Each Other". I decided I wanted to substitute "Blessed" for "Lucky", so I used the alpha stickers on the Alpha Bits sheet to substitute blessed instead. I also used some foam dimensionals to pop the letters up to add a bit of interest. The circles on the paper matting the photos come with a stitched look printed onto them, but I decided to use that as a guide and do some real hand stitching. I did this just to add some more texture and color to the layout. One last trick, if you need a title to pop a bit more (when I added my title I found it blended into the background a bit too much), just take a dark marker and trace around your letters. It's a fast and easy way to make your title stand out!