More Flowers!

It seems I am on a bit of a paper flower kick lately. My mother-in-law has spent this week in the hospital. She's also a new paper crafter (I converted her a little under a year ago). I wanted to do a little something for her, so I decided to make a paper bouquet to brighten her room.
The papers are My Mind's Eye's Ohh La La. There are 2 different types of flowers. Both were cut with my Silhouette and have copper wire stems. Since my mother-in-law really enjoys stamping (and is currently trying to build up her stamp collection) I filled the vase with pretty wood mounted stamps instead of filling the vase with rocks or paper. I really love the look of it.
I layered 2 different ribbons on top of each other and then wrapped them around the neck of the vase to give a little extra color pop. I have been looking for the perfect ribbon adhesive FOREVER, and I've finally found it! I have now used Glue Dots® Continuous Glue Line to adhere ribbon to ribbon, ribbon to glass, ribbon to paper, and ribbon to wood. They all stuck like...well, glue!

I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team.

When Old is New

Yesterday, I was showing someone this book I made almost a year ago. I realized it's never been posted on my blog, so I thought I'd quickly share it with you. People were always comparing my boys and trying to remember if the older one looked like the younger one when he was that age, so I made this fun side by side comparison book of their first year:The book is from Kaisercraft, most of the patterned paper is from Basic Grey, the brads and ribbon, and card stock are from Stampin' Up!, the cuts were done with my Silhouette, and the title was sketched with my Silhouette as well.
This upcoming week is going to be a busy one on my blog. Starting Tuesday I'll have the new June Scraptiv!ty kit featured here. It's a great kit, and you're not going to want to miss it!

Moxie Mother's Day

This is Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger this week:I think I need that bag!

I decided to use the color inspiration here to make a Mother's Day card, since we all know what Sunday is!I'm sighing a little because this picture just doesn't do this card justice. I've been having a blast playing with these beautiful butterflies from Jenni Bowlin. All Jeni Bowlin stuff is on sale 25% off at A Walk Down Memory Lane this month (woo hoo!). The paper (isn't it gorgeous???) is October Afternoon Fly a Kite and Thrift Shop. The stamp is from Stampin' Up! and the border is done with Fiskar's Apron Lace punch.
If you want to play along in the Moxie Fab world details be found here.

Birthday Bracelet

My sister celebrated her 30th Birthday at the end of March. After seeing the necklace in this post, she requested I make her something similar in a charm bracelet for her birthday. She also requested I put pictures of her nephews (my boys) in it. Well, I finally finished it and shipped it off today. I made 1 bracelet, but 3 sets of photos/pretty papers to put inside. The charms are double sided, so the photos below show both sides of the charm. Here they are:
Black and white photos with black, white, and gray paper, and a rhinestone accent make this an elegant option.

I used Stickles to add sparkle to the flowers on these charms.

Sepia photos and a pearl accent go well with My Mind's Eye's Ooh La La paper.

I printed the photos at home on photo paper. I had an easier time sizing them that way. I wanted to make sure my sister could handle the photos without smudging them up too badly, so I sprayed a clear coat sealer over the top. The bracelet and charms are from Stampin' Up!'s Simply Adorned line. All of the paper is from My Mind's Eye (Andrea Victoria, Ooh La La, and Pretty Please) .

Oh Dear!

Oh dear, I must apologize, I've gone a whole week without posting. My mom has been visiting, and I've been having so much fun, that it just slipped through the cracks. Well, my mom's gone home now, and I thought I'd post a card. This card was done with images cut with my Silhouette, Sampin' Up! stamps and card stock, and My Mind's Eye patterned paper.
Scraptiv!ty's April kit release is Thursday, so check back here Thursday and Friday and I promise to have lots of new projects both days using the kit. It's one of my favorite kits so far, you won't want to miss it!

A tale of 2 cards

Well, I know I've said it before, but I do like stepping out of my comfort zone to make cards. It helps me grow as a paper crafter, but it's not always ad successful as I'd like it to be. I have 2 cards today. 1 is 100% in my comfort zone and the other is way outside it. 1st up is the not so comfortable card.

This is for Moxie Fab World's Doilies and Lace challenge. Vintage, shabby chic, or whatever you want to call it isn't really my style, but hey, it was fun to give it a try. Most of what you see up there is from my February Scraptiv!ty kit. I cut some of the lace into strips and twisted it up to make the lace flower. Then I used some brown ink to dirty it up a bit. All of my non-kit items came from A Walk Down Memory Lane (AWDML) and include the journaling tag from My Mind's Eye, the pretty stick pins from Jenni Bowlin, the i love you stamp from Heidi Grace, and the Sunburst border punch from Fiskars.

Now up is a card that's 100% in my comfort zone.
This card uses paper from My Mind's Eye Andrea Victoria Collection. The border punch is one of my favorites, Apron Lace by Fiskars. The Happy Birthday stamp is by Cornish Heritage Farms. The rhinestone brads and ribbon are from Stampin' Up!

Stamping Olympics - Love

THIS CARD IS COMPLETELY STAMPED! The background was created using stamps, inks, and embossing powder. I created a similar card for my local scrap store, A Walk Down Memory Lane, using patterned papers. I was inspired to re-create it using stamps instead. The stamps sets are Cornish Heritage Farm's Collage Elements I and The Greeting Farm's Sweet Deal. I stamped images using SU! Chocolate Chip Craft ink, SU! Certainly Celery Craft Ink, and Versamark ink. I then embossed these images with American Crafts clear embossing powder. Finally, I sponged on ink (Ranger Distress Ink Broken China, SU! Bashful Blue, and SU! Certainly Celery). The ink will not stick to the embossed images leaving home made patterned paper.

Stamping Olympics Birthday, and a Perfect Picture

First up is an all stamped birthday card. This is another new set from Unity Stamp Co. that I picked up at A Walk Down Memory Lane this weekend.I have to apologize for all of the bling, but I just couldn't help myself. Plum is such a perfectly girlie color, that I just had to add the Kaisercraft rhinestones. The couch stamp and sentiment are Unity Stamp Co. Comfy Cozy. The couch and background are stamped using stamps from Technique Tuesday's Casablanca set. The card stock is Bazzill Kraft. The ribbon is SU! Elegant Eggplant. The purple inks are SU! Perfect Plum and Pale Plum. The watermark ink is Versamark.
I also had to share with you this great picture from this weekend. I was trying to take a picture of my youngest looking at the ducks at the zoo. My oldest walked in front of the camera right as I was taking the picture. I went to delete the picture thinking it was just going to be of my oldest's jacket, and was happy to find this instead:
I feel a layout in it's future!

Stamping Olympics - Thank You

Well, my crafty weekend was hijacked by a thoughtful husband, a couple of busy boys, and a fun trip to the zoo. I did manage to get 1 card done. I have 2 more ideas bouncing around in my head, so hopefully tomorrow I'll have a little more for you. For this card I was going for a bit of a modern color combo by using Barley Banana, Not Quite Navy, and Going Grey. The card is so much prettier in person, but I guess that's just how it is sometimes. Here's the card:
The background was stamped using Technique Tuesday's Casablanca set. The Frame is attached with foam dimensionals and was stamped using Unity Stamp's A Noteworthy Occasion. The paper, ink and ribbon are all Stampin' Up!

Stamping Olympics - Season's Greetings

Ah, leave it up to the Moxie Fab Blog to give me a challenge I really need. I started out in the paper crafting world as a stamper. Amid all the pretty papers, I often forget that and end up only using my stamps for a greeting, or a focal point set on patterned paper. Moxie Fab Word is having an Olympics of Stamping Challenge. It ends Monday, and you can find all of the details here if you're interested in playing too. I'm really enjoying the call to go back to where I started: stamping, stamping, and more stamping. I'm actually creating backgrounds with my stamps instead of reaching for those pretty papers. So, over the weekend (Monday included, I'm sure), I'll be posting mostly stamped cards as I finish them and get good pictures. First up is a card for the Season's Greetings Category:
At first this card may look simple, but let me tell you it took a bit of time. "Merry Christmas" is a single rubber stamp from Stampin' Up's Teeny Tiny Wishes set that I stamped over and over again. The card is also scored about 3/4" in from the folded edge and adhered, so the card has a sort of bound edge and opens just to the inside of the ribbon. The card stock is also SU! Kraft. The ink is SU! Whisper White and Really Red. The ribbon is ribbon by the yard from my LSS, A Walk Down Memory Lane.

Early Bird Cards

I promised you cards, and today I have 5. Bear with me, I have this broken up into 5 posts, but I'm doing them all at once. I'm going to keep the chit chat short, because this post is going to be long on pictures! All of the cards use the patterned paper and card stock stickers from Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird Paper Crafting Kit. This is the same kit that I used to make yesterday's layout. This kit just makes me want to sew, sew and sew some more, so you'll see lots of stitching. Did you know that Silhouette and Cosmo Cricket have teamed up? Can you say match made in Heaven? This first card uses the Cosmo Cricket dress form image:The center dress form is popped up with foam dimensionals. The corner punch is a squeeze punch by Fiskars. The sentiment is a stamp by SU! (Chic Boutique).

3 Random Projects

Here are 3 random projects I've done recently for you viewing entertainment.
Random project 1:This is a charm and chain from Stampin' Up. The 1" x 1 1/4" charm plus chain cost just under $30 total, and I have to tell you, I'm really pleased with the quality. It opens like a locket. There's glass on both sides, so you could make this a double-sided charm if you wanted too. The glass on the front is beveled and the glass on the back is flat. The beveled glass also gives you a little room for layers and embellishments. I used My Mind's Eye's Ooh La La paper on the inside and added a Kaiser Craft Rhinestone for a little pizazz. I just put it together quickly to match an outfit I was going to wear. What I love the most, is that I can change it up as I please. So easy!

Random Project 2:
This is a frame I did for my sister who works for Make-A-Wish. I think I've mentioned before how much I love that organization and all the people who make MAW such a success. Just a little something for her office. Do you see those little half pearls inside the stars in the background? Well those (and the big pearls) are actually on top of the glass to add a little dimension to the project. The paper is from DCWV's Luxury Stack. "Wish" was cut from vinyl with my Silhouette SD. The star background was also cut with my Silhouette. It's hard to tell, but the layer under the stars is actually a pale shade of blue, not white. Oh, and that frame (mat and all) cost me a whopping $3 at Walmart.

Random project #3:
Did you know Scraptiv!ty post a new sketch on their website every month with 3 different layouts examples? I was one of the layout creators this month, and the above is what I came up with. Are you curious now about what the sketch looks like? Click here and you'll be sent straight to this month's sketch and examples. The paper and buttons are from Fancy Pants. I picked it up at A Walk Down Memory Lane, which just happens to have everything by Fancy Pants on sale this month for 25% off. Oh, and they also have Hero Arts Stamps on sale for 25% off too! Woo, hoo! Those artists at work are my boys, painting away on a canvas.

Inspiration Fun

Every Tuesday one of my favorite blogs, Moxie Fab World, does an inspiration challenge. They call it "Tuesday Trigger." This week's Tuesday Trigger is the following picture:When I saw this photo, I knew had to play along. I also thought I'd try my hand at the style called "clean and simple." I like to play around with different styles, but clean and simple is tough for me. I always see clean and simple cards and love them, but when it comes to creating them, I just want to add 1 more thing, and then another layer, and another pearl, and before you know it, it's neither clean nor simple! I think I nailed it today though. Here's my Tuesday Trigger Clean and Simple Card.
My papers are Stampin' Up!'s Kraft and Bermuda Bay. My white is Bazzill White. The texture on the white card stock gives the card a nice, soft feel. I cut the white pattern with my Silhouette. "for your shower" is part of SU!'s Teeny Tiny Wishes set. The turquoise ink is SU! Bermuda Bay.

Hidaling...?

This month's kit technique over at Scraptiv!ty is called hidaling. Now, I'm pretty sure they made that word up, but it's a great word for the technique of hiding journaling on a scrapbook page. I thought this was a pretty cool idea, and even though it's my month off from designing with the kit, I still wanted to play along. My twist? I did a card with hidaling. Here it is with my "journaling" hidden:
And here it is with the "journaling" revealed:
What do you think? Did I nail it? I think I'm going to have to send this birthday card to a crafty friend who will know to pull the tag out of the envelope! Besides the hidaling, there are a few other techniques used on this card. The stitching was done by hand. The flowers and butterfly were stamped on patterned paper and then cut out. The butterfly was also covered in versamark ink, then sprinkled with heat and stick powder, heated up and sprinkled with glitter (okay, I know that sounds like a lot of work, but from start to finish all of that only took about 60 seconds). If you try your hand at hidaling I'd love to see it! Feel free to link it up in the comments.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper: K & Company Amy Butler Lotus Mat Pad
Envelope and Tag: K & Company Studio K Meadow Pockets & Tags
Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms Collage Elements I
Fiskars Happy Birthday
Glitter: Stampin' Up! Dazzling Diamonds
Punch: Fiskars Apron Lace Punch
Ribbon: Stampin' Up! Old Olive Grosgrain
Rhinestones: Kaisercraft

Very SU! Day

I had a very crafty Christmas, how about you? I got to give hand made gifts to my family (who always appreciate the time that goes into hand made items), and I received some great new gadgets to play with too. I haven't had time yet, but stay tuned, within the next week or so I should be able to show you some creations I've made with the I-top I got for Christmas!!!!!! Now, on to some cards.Today's a very Stampin' Up! day. Everything you see is from SU! unless otherwise noted.This card uses the Praying for you stamp set, eyelet border punch, green grosgrain ribbon, and Little Leaves Sizzlits Die. This card uses one of my all time favorite SU! stamp sets, Baroque Motifs. It also uses gold embossing powder, Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, and 1/2 pearls (Kaisercraft)
A little sneak preview for the week...I'm working on a fun layout using Making Memories Just Chillin', line, my Silhouette, and some very "boy" pictures. When I finish it up, you all will be the first to see it!

Winner Winner!

I know you've all been waiting for this, so without further ado the winner of the give away is:

Rosalee who said...

Very Cool Projects. My favorite is the ornament. TFS
XXX Rosalee

December 15, 2009 8:32 AM

Congrats Rosalee! Send me an e-mail at potaylor@hotmail.com with your address and I will ship your prizes out to you.
Thank you everyone for playing a long. I truly enjoyed reading all of you kind comments. I hope you all found some inspiration along the way.
Today I have a card that uses one of my favorite stamp sets from Stampin' Up! It's called Once Upon a Time. Love it! All of the inks, card stock, embossing powder, etc are from SU! as well. Now off to do some last minute Christmas baking!

A Few Fast Christmas Gifts

First, thank you all for your kind comments! They make me so happy that I just need to add these pretty KaiserCraft rhinestones to the giveaway.Remember it's going on all week, so leaving a comment on this post will enter you a second time for the drawing. The prize now includes a stamp set and the Kaiser Craft rhinestones!

Here's a set of Christmas ornaments I made. Instead of trading cookies with the neighbors, I give them one of these when they bring me home made goodies.
I struggled photographing these, but I think you get the idea. I just accordion folded strips of paper and put them into the ornament, used a rub-on on the outside, and tied a pretty ribbon through the top. Easy and pretty! These are a bit flatter than the classic round glass ornaments. I found these at Michael's.
My 3 year old made the following ornaments this year. Very similar, but more kid friendly:
The ornaments are plastic instead of glass (I found them at Hobby Lobby). They came with white foam balls inside. I put the foam into a plastic bag, added a few drops of ink from Stampin' Up!'s reinkers and let him shake, shake, shake away. He thought "a little glitter" would be good too, however, his version of "a little" was quite a bit! I then taped a rub-on onto the ornament and let him rub like crazy. Taping it on made it so he didn't have to worry about it shifting while he worked. I removed the tape and the rub-on backing when he was done.

The last project is something a friend of mine and I made for our MOPS steering team this year:Everyone got to take one of these beauties home with them from our Christmas party. The terracotta pot was painted red and dressed up with a pretty ribbon. 20 punched out circles form the ball on top. This great Christmas paper is from Crate Paper (one of my new favorite companies!).
I hope you're all having a very crafty Christmas!

6x6, Print and Cut, and a Give Away

As promised, it's Saturday and I'm here with a new post. You might want to get comfortable, it's going to be a little bit of a longer post today. First off, some background on today's project. I started out in the paper crafting world as a card maker. Then, about 3 years ago, I made my first scrapbook. It was a 6"x6" scrapbook, and I loved the ease at which it went together. About a year ago, I made my first 12"x12" scrapbook, and haven't looked back. I fell in love with all the extras you can add to a page that large. Recently I've decided to make a 6x6 scrapbook of Christmas, with a page for each kid every year. I want the book to grow each year with us. So, I've been working on this book and have been really struggling to let my style (which includes a love for lots of layers) show through without overpowering the picture. It's been tough! Here's a page I did from last year's Christmas (I just finished it yesterday) to show you what I mean about trying to find balance. I'm happy with how it turned out, but man did it take me a long time to do something so simple!Now, I'd also like to draw your attention to something pretty cool. As you probably know, I LOVE my Silhouette SD. A very cool feature with this, that I just tried out for the first time is the print and cut feature. You can print a design on your printer and then run it through your Silhouette, so you don't have to cut out each little item. The "1st day of Christmas" and all 3 "Merry Christmas" tags are print and cut images. Here's a close up.
My mind is full of the projects I want to do utilizing this very cool feature!

Last but not least, for today, I have a give away. Just leave a comment on any of my posts between now and next Saturday to be entered to win. You can comment 1 time per post. Comment on multiple posts and you will be entered multiple times. And for the prize? This fun Stampin' Up! Christmas stamp set:

Home Again!

I'm home now from what was an amazing vacation. Thanks for your patience with my blog while I was away. My husband and I got to spend a whole week together in Italy, and it was amazing. Here's one of my favorite pictures from the trip.
We visited Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Rome. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it, we were the ultimate tourists and even took the obligatory pictures of us holding the leaning tower of Pisa up...
I'm planning on scrapping our trip, but we took over 600 photos, so the size of that project is a little more than I want to think about right now. Maybe after the holidays. So instead I have 2 cards, just for fun today. Oh, and did you see that while I was away my blog went up over 1000 hits? Check out my blog on Saturday for a little give away I'll be doing in honor of that mile stone!

Gobble Gobble

That's turkey for Happy Thanksgiving! I have so very much to be thankful for, that I won't bore you with my whole list, but I will say that I'm thankful for the chance to relax with my family, watch some Packer football, and eat a little turkey (okay, maybe more than a little). Here's another thing I'm thankful for, a chance for crafty time to make projects like this:
While this is a bit of a girlie spring version, it also translates nicely to Christmas. In fact, a friend and I have teamed up to make a dozen of these out of Christmas paper. This version takes 20 equal sized paper circles. Just score a triangle onto each circle, fold up the edges, and attach into a ball shape. Slide a wood dowel into the ball and "plant" into a painted clay pot.
Here I used:
Paper: Die Cuts With A View Sweet Stack Card Stack
Ribbon: SU! Rose Red Double Stitch Ribbon
Button: SU! Corduroy button

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!