A Different Kind of Memo Board

 I almost didn't share this project, in a strange way, it feels a bit more personal than I usually get here. I made these for me, to remind me, to help me. But, hey, what's the point in having a craft blog if you're not going to share it, so here goes. I'll try to keep my explanation short...but I know I'm going to be long winded today, so feel free to just scroll down to the pictures if you only want to see what I made.
For a while I've been wanting to make a board to tack bible verses on that I come across and want to commit better to memory. I've also thought at time it would be nice to have a prayer board of some kind, because I often leave something out of my prayers. I've also thought it would be nice to have a little place to remind myself to work on things (be patient, speak with gentleness, etc.). These were 3 separate ideas that were in the back of my mind that all came together this weekend. I had 3 framed prints that I didn't much care for anymore. I took the frames from those prints and re-purposed them into 3 pretty yet functional dry erase boards.

My board for writing Bible verses I want to memorize:

Write them on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 7:3)

My board for writing prayer reminders:

Pray Continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

My personal reminder board:

How great the love the Father has lavished on us. That we should be called Children of God! (1 John 3:1)

Here's what they look like on my wall:

The glass acts like a dry erase board. I have small dry erase markers that have an eraser built into the cap and have a magnet attached to them, so they can hang on my refrigerator. The wall where these hang is directly across from my island in my kitchen...a place where I spend a lot of time. The finished size of each frame is 10" x 10". I cut the words from vinyl. To make cleaning easy I cut the words backwards and adhered them to the inside of the frame instead of the outside.

Thanks for stopping by!

December Daily

It's almost December, so I thought I'd share my December Daily Album with all of you. I've never done one before, but I always feel like this time of year goes really fast, so this year I decided to capture some of the craziness that is December in a DD Album.  This concept has been around for quite a while, and I really don’t know who originally came up with it, but here, in my own words is what it’s all about:

A December Daily (DD) is a way to capture the fun, excitement, and craziness that is the month of December with minimal work done in December. The key is to make your base pages (seen below) before December. Then when December rolls around, each day you just need to add journaling and/or a photo or two and any extra embellishments you may want to add. Because this is my first DD, I planned most of my pages out ahead of time so I was able to add some extra theme stickers ahead of time. If you’re not sure what your crazy December will look like, just keep the pages generic and add special touches at a later time.  There does not need to be a photo on every page, sometimes just journaling about an event, tradition, or favorite memory is enough. Pages can be a single page per day or a double page per day (or, like I did, a mix of both).  My DD measures 6″ x 8″, but again, there really is no right size to make it. I decided to use 2 Echo Park Paper Kits (Holly Jolly Christmas, and Christmas Dots and Stripes) combined with lots of twine, buttons, and brads from my stash to create my album.  Below are a few close ups of my favorite base pages, and the last picture is a collage of all the pages in order.

 

 

 One more thing before I'm done today, A Walk Down Memory Lane's 12 Days of Christmas Sale starts Thursday. Check the blog each day to find out the new sale item and see some amazing inspiration:

Bottle Cap Christmas Ornaments

I got this idea in my head to make some Christmas ornaments from the Maya Road 4" Jumbo Bottle Caps (which, coincidentally are 25% off until the end of this month at AWDML). I came up with a few different ones, and I thought I'd post 2 of them today.

First up is one I made for May Arts' Ribbon Challenge.

May Arts sent 4 different ribbons and the challenge was to use those to create something with a Christmas theme. I used the 4 ribbons (the twine for hanging, the green twine on the Christmas tree, the red/brown ribbon that's filling in the bottle cap, and the brown multi-strand twine as the tree trunk). I also added 2 more ribbons from May Arts (the pleated cream for the tree and the black/cream striped for the bow) to complete the ornament.

Next is an ornament I made using Echo Park's Season's Greetings.

Season's Greetings is definitely one of my favorite Christmas collections this year. I rubbed some green Alcohol Ink onto the bottle cap to dull the color a bit. I also added some Stickles, pearls and rhinestones to complete the ornament. The ribbon on this ornament is from May Arts as well.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

This Week

I always love this time of year. I especially love that I get to see my husband more. With Thanksgiving and Christmas, he takes a few days off, and I truly appreciate having him around the house. I'm busy cooking and baking this week, and on either Friday or Saturday we put out all the Christmas decorations. Here's a new one I made this year to add to the stash:

I've steadily been making my way through my Echo Park Season's Greetings Colletion Kit. It's amazing how many projects I have been able to create with this kit and I still have more of it left (right now the count is at 2 home decor projects, 2 Christmas ornaments, 4 Christmas cards, and 1 layout). For extra embellishments I used some May Arts ribbon, Bo Bunny Blitzen Brads, Bo Bunny Blitzen Buttons, and Hero Arts Dots.
I wanted to use this frame to tell the Christmas Story so the text portions are Bible verses that start with Isaiah and end with the Wise Men kneeling before their King.
A few notes about the measurements. The frame size is 11" x 14". I chose that size because I wanted something larger, however I didn't think it through completely. I got home and realized I don't have background paper large enough for that size frame. I realized that I did have kraft wrapping paper somewhere in my house, so I trimmed a piece of that down to 11" x 14", and it worked out just fine. Each individual square is 2.5" x 2.5".

Thanks for stopping by!

Teal and Orange Party Decorations

 This month, Glue Dots® challenged its designers to create teal and orange party decorations. I happen to have Christmas on the brain, so mine are geared toward a teal and orange Christmas party. However I'll explain simple ways to change up the decorations to make them fit for other party situation, too. I have 2 ideas today. First up is a fun centerpiece:

I chose to make mine look like a Christmas ornament, but you could just as easily make yours look like a pumpkin, apple, or even switch out the shape for a star. My finished piece is just about 6" x 6". If you'd like to make one about the same size you'll need:
 

Ultra Thin or Craft Glue Dots®
A way to cut circles (or any other symmetrical shape). I used the Lifestyle Crafts nesting circle cutting dies.
3 - 12" x 12" pieces of paper (I used Authentique Gathering Grow and Together and Little Yellow Bicycle Hellow Fall Bundle-up Blue)
A scoring tool
A topper for your centerpiece (I used Fiskar's Scalloped Sentiments border punch to create an ornament topper).

Cut 12 circles and score them down the middle.

Attach the wrong sides of the circles together from the score line to the curved edge with Ultra Thin or Craft Glue Dots®. Repeat until you have a 12 adhered into a circle.

I cut the bottom of my circle off slightly to create a flat base instead of a rounded edge. Add your topper (ornament topper for an ornament, stem and leaves if you're making an apple or pumpkin).

For my second project I decided to make something that can be hung from a light or the ceiling. Make a dozen or so of these to really add ambiance to your party:

 For this project you'll need
Mini Glue Dots®
18" of orange ribbon per decoration
1 Teal pearl (If you don't have teal pearls, use a white one and color it teal with a Copic Marker)
Glitter paper (I used American Crafts Pow! Glitter Paper)
String to hang your piece from when you've finished.

 Cut your 18" ribbon into 3 - 6" pieces of ribbon. Form a loop with each piece. Adhere together using a Mini Glue Dot®

 Form each loop into an 8 shape by placing a Mini Glue Dot® in the center and pinching together.

 Layer all 3 loops on top of each other, adhering with mini glue dots.

Cut a shape from glitter paper for the center of your ornament. Depending on your theme, you can pick appropriate shapes: hearts for a wedding or baby shower, snowflake for a winter party, flowers for a spring party. Attach the glitter shape to the center of your ornament with a Mini Glue Dot®

 Add a teal pearl to the center of your glitter paper using a Mini Glue Dot. Add string and hang! My boys and I are going to add string and use a snowflake shape in the center and hand them out as Christmas ornaments to our family this year.

Happy party planning!

I wrote this post while participating on the Glue Dots® Design Team.

Stamp School Design Team Call

I am so excited to announce that I will be part of a brand new stamp company opening January 1, 2012 called Stamp School. While Stamp School may be new, it's being opened by Lisa who is the owner of A Walk Down Memory Lane (a paper craft store that has an on-line store and a brick and mortar store location in NW Iowa). Those of you who are regular visitors to my blog may know that I am on her in-store design team and also do the social media for AWDML. I'm thrilled to now be taking on the role of Design Team Coordinator for Stamp School. I have nothing but the highest respect for Lisa and how she runs AWDML, and can't wait to be a part of this new venture. We're looking for a few good stampers to help put the word out about Stamp School and show what these fabulous stamps can do.

The Call:

Here at Stamp School, our Design Team members (aka. Faculty) are an integral part of our lesson plans. Our Faculty members will guide you on your learning experience through our blog, gallery and our YouTube lessons.
We are looking for designers who are passionate about stamping and that would love to showcase our beautiful stamps. We are currently looking for three members to join our Faculty. The first term starts January 1, 2012 and lasts until December 31, 2012.

The call details:
All Design Team applications must be received by December 9, 2011. We will contact Design Team members by December 13, 2011.

What we require from you:
1. You must live in the United States or Canada (sorry, no international applicants at this time)
2. Create six (6) hand stamped cards per month , and one (1) non-card item (tag, gift item, scrapbook page, etc.) to upload to the gallery and Facebook photo album. You will provide photographs only, you keep your cards and projects.
3. Each faculty member is required to post at least one blog post a week on your personal blog.
4. Each faculty member will create one blog post a week on the Stamp School blog.
5. Create one tutorial per month using step-by-step photographs or by video.
6. Participation in Stamp School’s Blog Hops and Challenges including comments on entries.
7. Participate on Stamp School’s Facebook Page.
8. Submit two projects per month to a print magazine publication call.
9. Proudly display our Design Team button on your blog.
10. Submit your projects to a print magazine publication call.
11. Upload your creations to your galleries around the web, linking to StampSchool.com.

What you get from Stamp School:
1. Our newly released stamp sets each month.
2. Two 25 packs of Pop Tones cardstock and two ink pads of Pop Tones ink each month (contingent on meeting your design team requirements for the previous month). * You will get to choose the colors of paper and ink you receive each month.
3. A 30 % discount and free shipping on all purchases at our sister store during your Design Team term (AWDML has over 20,000 products in store!).
4. Compensation for cards and projects that are published in a print magazine during your Design Team term.
5. Recognition on Stamp School’s blog and website.
6. Personalized watermarks for your blog posts.
To apply, send an e-mail to dtcall@stampschool.com with the subject DESIGN TEAM CALL with the following:
1. Photos of three of your favorite stamped cards and one of your favorite non-card stamped projects (these do not need to be new creations, just show us your best work).
2. Your Name, Address, Phone Number, e-mail address.
3. A link to your blog, craft resume (if you have one), and on-line galleries (if you have any).
4. Are you on Facebook or Twitter?
5. How long have you been stamping?
6. How would you describe your style?
7. What makes you stand out from the paper craft crowd (are you Copic Certified, love making tutorial videos, a technique junkie, a whiz at creating unique backgrounds from stamps)?
8. Have you been published (this is not a requirement, we just want to know)?
9. A list of past and current design teams (no previous design team experience required).
10. What is your favorite coloring medium? (Copics, colored pencils, watercoloring, etc)

**You will receive an e-mail within 48 hours confirming our receipt of your application.

Holiday Open House

This upcoming Saturday, November 19, A Walk Down Memory Lane is having a Holiday Open House from 10 am - 1 pm. If you’re looking to add a  handmade touch to your holidays, you should definitely come by.   They’ll have lots of holiday home decor items, layouts, and cards on display to inspire your creativity and help you get your holidays off to a crafty start.

You can also use these few hours to start your Wish List. They’ll help you compile a wish list card, and even call, email or text your gift givers to remind them of a special shopping night coming up in December!

I've been really busy (and having a blast) coming up with what I hope will be inspiring creations for the open house. Here's a sneak peak at just 1 of the many ideas that will be on display:

This is one in a project in a series I'm doing showing how much you can create from 1 collection pack (I used the Echo Park Seasons Greetings Collection Pack). 

Can't wait to see you there!

Lovely Pumpkins

These are photos from way back at the end of September. We had a gorgeous, warm fall day out at the pumpkin patch. This layout focuses on my oldest son's choice of pumpkin. I have to admit, fall is definitely one of may favorite seasons for taking photos.

I fell in love with this paper from Lily Bee when it came into A Walk Down Memory Lane. Since I have a lot of pumpkin patch photos this year and I've already created fall layouts with the fall lines from Jillibean, Bella Blvd, and Bo Bunny, I thought Id try my hand at turning this somewhat frilly line into a boyish pumpkin patch layout.

After a bit of paper layering, some of my favorite border punches, and a few buttons and brads, I came up with a layout I'm pretty happy with.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Paper: Lily Bee Lovely (Charm, Whimsy, Parasol, Trinket)
Accessories: Jillibean Soup Apple Cheddar Card Stock Stickers, MME Lush 2 Brads, Jenni Bowlin Brads (Delicate), Bo Bunny Forever Fall Buttons
Tools: EK Success Deep Edge Punch Circles, Fiskars Give It A Swirl Border Punch

November News

Hello! It's November already, which means there are 2 new featured manufacturers at A Walk Down Memory Lane. November's featured manufacturers are Bo Bunny and Maya Road. That means you receive 25% off on all  Bo Bunny and Maya Road purchases on-line or in the Brick and Mortar store. I had a blast creating with Bo Bunny. I especially fell in love with their new fall line (Forever Fall) and their Christmas Line (Blitzen).  You'll have to keep an eye on the AWDML blog to see what I created with Blitzen later this month, but I can't help but share here a bit of what I created with Forever Fall:

My favorite thing about creating these was making the copper leaves. I created a video tutorial if you'd like to try your hand at making them too. You can find it here on AWDML's YouTube channel.

Thanks for stopping by!

Class on Saturday

Hi everyone! I know I've been so blog negligent lately, and for that I apologize. For my local readers, I just wanted to let you know I'll be teaching my annual Holiday Stack of Cards class this Saturday. The class is filling up fast, so if you'd like to attend, here are the details:

Saturday, November 5, 10 am - 12:30 pm
Spend a few hours getting your holiday cards done. You will make 15 cards (5 each of 3 different cards). Everything will be cut for you, all you need to do is stamp, emboss, die cut, or letterpress and assemble. Experienced card makers can choose to do a double class (you must let us know ahead of time if you'd like this option) and complete 10 each of 3 different cards.
Bring lots of your favorite adhesive for assembling cards.
cost: $20
call AWDML at (712)476-3443 to register.

The picture above is one of  the cards for the class. What I love about this class is that you get a lot of cards made AND you'll hopefully learn something new. The card above uses a great technique for adding glitter to a diecut (that silver die-cut is completely covered in glitter that doesn't shed very much at all). One of the cards is letterpressed, and the other focuses on stamping.

For those of you who aren't local to the area: if you want to know more about making this card, just leave me your e-mail in the comment section and I can send you a supply list (links and all) for making the card.

I can't believe Christmas is less than 2 months away!