Watercolor Birthday Card

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My grandmother's birthday is coming up this week, so I wanted to make a card for her. I decided to use some new stamps and some extra bits of paper I had watercolored to create a watercolor birthday card.

I watercolored a lot of paper with Studio Calico's watercolor paints for this project I created for We R Memory Keepers. I kept all of my unused pieces of watercolored paper to use later on some cards. I grabbed one of those pieces for my background here. I used Penny Black's Dandee and Heartfelt stamps to stamp the image in Versamark ink and then heat emboss with white Zing Embossing Powder.

I used a polka dot embossing folder with my Evolution Advanced to create the polka dots on the white card stock in the background. Finally, I added a little shimmer to the polka dots and the center of the dandelion with a clear Wink of Stella marker.

I think the combination of water coloring and embossed stamping makes for a pretty birthday card. 
Thanks for stopping by!

You at 6

I have another layout to share - You at 6 - from when I did my kiddos annual photos this fall.  They grow so fast, and I love capturing who they are at this moment in time. 

It's like Heidi Swapp September Skies was made for my kid's annual photos this year.  When that paper came in, I couldn't believe how well it went with my photos.  Sometimes there's just paper crafting kismet! 

This kid is amazing.  He is goofy and kind, encouraging and energetic.  He loves to play any and every sport, and he still loves to cuddle.  Sometimes he says things that make me wonder what it looks like inside his brain.  This might just be my favorite age yet for him...but I think I say that every year about my kids, because it's just so fun seeing what kind of people they're becoming. 

Thanks for stopping  by, I hope you're having a wonderful week.

You At 8

I've gotten a bit behind on posting my layouts.  Last month I took my kiddos' annual photos.  I loved how their individual photos turned out.  So many fun ones to chose from that seemed to capture their personalities just right. Today I'm sharing a layout called "You at 8" about my oldest.

First of all, I'm not sure when he grew up this much.  Seriously, he's always been a bit of an old soul, but now he doesn't even look like a little kid anymore. 

I used lots of different paper collections on this layout.  I started with Heidi Swapp's September Skies for the base of the layout.  I don't know why, but I just think that light bulb paper is so stinkin' cute!

I love a good paper printed with words, so I also added paper from Pink Paislee's Bella Rouge Collection (it's currently in the AWDML Brick & Mortar store, and should be showing up in the on-line store any day).  The white and blue heart paper is from Studio Calico's Lemon Lush.  I've wanted to use that heart paper forever and finally had the right layout to use it on. 

My embellishments for this layout consisted of a Project Life journaling card, Thickers chipboard alphas, Pebbles washi tape, enamel dots, and some Studio Calico chip shapes.  So, as you can see this layout is a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, all put together to scrap my oldest at 8.

Thanks for stopping by.

At 5

Tuesday I shared a layout of my oldest titled At 7.  Today I'm sharing a similar large photo layout of my youngest.  Here he is at 5.

 Just like my At 7 layout, I used my Cameo to cut "Love this Boy" into the photo.  I slipped some Pebbles Special Delivery paper underneath the cut out words.  I love those itty bitty white hearts on that gray paper. 

I layered the photo on some gold dot vellum from My Mind's Eye, which was then layered on a piece of patterned paper from Crate Paper's Notes & Things. 

 I finished up with some simple chipboard embellishments from Studio Calico.  I love those gold cameras, they're so much fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

At 7

I take annual photos of my kids every year.  A few years ago I started scrapping one of those photos with a list of sorts of what my kid is like at that age.  Last year I decided to scrap the large 8 x 10 of each of my boys that I hang on my wall for this layout...but that meant I had to wait a whole year (until the next year's photos were ready to hang on the wall) to scrap my layout.  To make sure I remembered what my kiddos were like at that age, I jotted down my journaling for the layout last year and put it in a safe place until I needed it.  This week I'm finally ready to scrap those photos.  Here's my oldest at 7.

It was kind of fun to do this layout a year later.  It's amazing to see how much he has changed, and yet how much his personality and core likes have stayed the same.

I used my Silhouette to cut the words out of the photo, and then slipped a little Crate Paper Notes & Things patterned paper behind the cut out area on the photo.  

I finished up the layout by layering on some embellishments from Studio Calico's Essentials collection.  Keeping it simple helped to keep the focus on the photo and the journaling.

That's if for today.  I'll be back later this week to share a similar layout I made with my youngest son's annual photo.

Birthday Gelato Gesso Resist Card

I thought it might be fun to share a little mixed media card tonight.  I don't work with mixed media a lot, but it's so much fun to get my hands messy and play around that I really should do it more!  This is a birthday Gelato gesso resist card that I created.

I started by placing the Studio Calico Inter Circles mask on a piece of card stock. I applied a generous amount of gesso to the card stock using the stencil.  When the gesso dried I added color with my Gelatos.  There's nothing more fun than coloring with those chapsticky crayons!  I used a baby wipe to blend the Gelatos a bit and remove the gelatos from the gesso, creating a resist where it was stenciled on.  Finally I finished it off with one big Tim Holtz Blueprints birthday stamp. If you try to stamp over a gesso resist, make sure to use a permanent, waterproof ink, or your ink will smear and rub off of the gesso treated area.  I used Ranger's Archival ink in brown for my card. 

That's it for me and my card today.  I'm off to wash my hands now! Thanks for stopping by.

Togwotee Snowmobiling Travel Layout

My husband is a snowmobiler, I'm a scrapbooker.  This year he got to snowmobile in Togwotee, WY for the first time, and he kindly sent me some amazing pictures so I could scrap them.  We may have different hobbies, but we certainly can find a way to make them work together. Here's my Togwotee Snowmobiling Travel Layout:

I grabbed Imaginisce's new Perfect vacation collection to scrap this photo.  The tone of the colors seemed to be just right to really make the photo pop.  There's also a really nice gender neutral feel to this collection, and a season neutral feel.  What I mean is you won't be finding any palm trees or sandy beaches in this vacation collection.

These Studio Calico wood veneer pieces are some of my favorite go to embellishments. They come in lots of different shapes, are easy to color (though, I often leave them just plain), and work great on both layouts and cards.

I also mixed in some word stickers and alphas from Simple Stories Urban Traveler Collection.

Do you (or a loved one) have a winter hobby you like to scrap? I'd love to hear all about it, or better yet see it!

Make a Wish

The other day I was walking through A Walk Down Memory Lane, and some wood chevrons from Studio Calico caught my eye.  I decided I needed to use them to create this Make a Wish birthday card.

I paired the chevrons with some orange, teal, and gray paper from Lily Bee. 

 I also picked up some matching label and chit chat stickers. Layering them up with some Pop Up Glue Dots® adds some dimension to the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gelato Birthday Card

I'm sorry for being away from blogging for almost a week! The kids went back to school today, and we were busy fitting in lots of last minute summer fun.  It's been a while since I've shared a card, so how about a fun birthday one.

First of all, I love Gelatos. They're such a fun and different medium to work with, and there are so many ways to use them.  For this one, I simply colored with my Gelatos directly onto my Hero Arts/Studio Calico Starburst stamp.  I misted the stamp with water, and then stamped directly onto my card stock. So simple, and such a great watercolor effect.  I added the center birthday words last, from the W Plus 9 Written on Ribbon stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by! 

New Bulletin Board

I'm pretty excited to share this project that I just finished!  Maybe it's because I got to use both the belt sander and the staple gun, or maybe I'm just happy with how it turned out.
I needed a new bulletin board, so I made this one from an old barn window I picked up.

I'm kicking myself for not taking before photos, but I did think to snap one after I got it all sanded, but before I painted it.

I used a whitewash instead of a straight paint, because I wanted some of the wood grain to show through.
Each pane is filled with a thick piece of cork covered in burlap (I used the staple gun to attach the burlap to the cork).  I wanted to add a little something extra, so on 2 of the panes I used Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio Mist (meaning it's color without shimmer) in Danny Zuko's Denim. I used this fun mask from Studio Calico for the design.

Now I've got to get my husband to hang it on the wall so I can start using it!

1st Birthday Card

My cousin's little girl is turning 1 soon. There's just something extra special about a first birthday, so we picked up a little gift for Miss V, and I needed a nice girly card to go with it. 

 I started with paper from Bella Blvd's Kiss Me collection. I mean, you can never go wrong using Bella Blvd for girlie projects. I used an SRM happy birthday sticker for my sentiment.

Since we're mailing Miss V her Birthday present, I thought a "sending lots of love" theme might be cute for her card. I used a mini envelope from Studio Calico for my hearts. Most of the hearts are attached directly to the card, but I did pop a few up with Pop Up Glue Dots® just for fun.  

Finally, because I used a dark card stock for the base, I added some light colored patterned paper inside to make writing a note easier...and of course I couldn't resist adding a sticker border along the bottom. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Easter Frame

Believe it or not, Easter is not that far off. I'm trying to add a little more seasonal decor to my home, so  I made this:

My favorite details are these little lilies made from Maya Road zipper trim.  

My original goal was to create an Easter lily from sipper trim, but I just couldn't get it to look quite right, so I created this Lily which, I think, looks a bit more like a calla lily.

If you'd like to try making the zipper lily for yourself, here's a little photo tutorial on how I did it.

Cut a 3" strip of zipper trim. Work with the zipper part facing up. 

Place a craft Glue Dot® about 1/4" from the middle on both the left and right sides.

With the zipper lying horizontally, fold both edges down from the center, so the ends are now pointed vertically. Cut the right hand tail of the zipper at an angle.

Wrap the right hand tail up into the left hand tail. Add another Craft Glue Dot® to the left hand tail as you wrap it up and around the right hand tail. Tack the end of the left hand tail down on the back side of the lily with another Craft Glue Dot®.
 

Create the center of the lily by wrapping a Craft Glue Dot® around a stick pin. then wrap about a 3/4" piece of yellow ribbon around the pin. Stick the ribbon wrapped pin into the center of your flower.

Once you get started, these zipper lilies are really easy and fun to make. In fact, I made 4 before deciding I was just going to use 2 on my frame. 

Easter Frame Supplies

Supplies:

Craft Glue Dots®

Mini Glue Dots®

Micro Glue Dots®

Glitz Design Yours Truly Patterned Paper

Navy Card Stock

Maya Road Pleated Trim

Maya Road Zipper Trim

Fiskars Upper Crest Border Punch
Silhouette Machine

Picture Frame (My frame measures 13" x 6")

Thanks for stopping by! 

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

I'm Back with Rug Mugs, Layouts, and Card Kit fun

It always seems that I take on a bit too much from Thanksgiving until New Years. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE every minute of Christmas magic with the kids, and making gifts for those I love, and getting my kids to make gifts for those they love...but some things end up falling by the wayside...and my blog was it. But the holidays are done now, and it's back to business. I thought my first post back should include a few of the fun projects I made during December.

One of the handmade gifts I made for the holidays were Rug Mugs for my kids' teachers and aids. I'm not the best sewer, but with a few phone calls to my mom (who's amazing with a sewing machine) I was able to make 1/2 dozen of these in a few days. I sort of made up my own pattern, but I referenced a lot of tutorials out there on mug rugs.

I also made the above layouts.  I was feeling a little layout lethargic in December. I just felt like I had made every layout before. I didn't feel like anything looked fresh and new, so I decided to really push myself outside my comfort zone. I ended up with the above layouts and am surprisingly really happy with them. You can read all about them and find out more about the papers and embellishments on this blog post here.


Finally, many of you know I really enjoy teaching classes at A Walk Down Memory Lane. This year I get to help out with a new form of class from AWDML, the Card Class in a Box.  Each month I get to make about half of the cards for the class. What I really love about this class in a box, is that people pick up their box or have it shipped to them and get to take the class anytime they want. All cards come with a color photo, step by step instructions, AND the card broken down into a sketch so you can make more cards from the sketch on your own. Myself and another designer make the cards for the kits so you get a variety of styles of cards in 1 class.

 

You can find all of the details including pricing and what to expect every month by clicking here.

AWDML is currently taking subscription sign ups via the phone and in person at the store. You can call AWDML any time at 712-476-3443 from 10 - 5:30 Central Time Monday through Friday. We are at the store from 10 - 1 Central Time on Saturday. 

So that's part of how my December shaped up. I'll be back soon with more fun projects! Thanks for stopping by. 

Featured Manufacturers

Just a quick post today to remind you that this months Featured Manufacturers over at A Walk Down Memory Lane are Woodware USA and Studio Calico. That means you get 25% off of anything made by those companies. Here are a few things I've created with Woodware and Studio Calico:

Paper: Studio Calico Anthology (Aperture), Studio Calico Home front (Dollhouse, Conversation Piece)
Stamp: Woodware Jane’s Script
Accessories: Studio Calico Anthology Fabrips
Tools: Fiskars Scallop Edge Punch, WR Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Paper: Crate Paper School Spirit (Ruler, Pep Rally, Chalk Board)
Stamp: Woodware School Tots
Accessories: Pleated Ribbon By the Yard (Brown), Crate Paper School Spirit Phrases Stickers
Tools: Fiskars Apron Lace Punch, Fiskars Scallop Edge Punch,
Markers: Copic (YG03, R29, E29)

Paper: Studio Calico Anthology, Studio Calico Home Front
Accessories: Studio Calico Anthology Fabrips, Pebbles Candy Dots (Green)
Tools: Fiskars Apron Lace Punch, Fiskars Upper Crest Edge Punch,

Fall Fast Approaching

It appears that Labor Day truly marked the end of summer here in NW Iowa. As soon as the weekend was done the weather turned cool, breezy, and sometimes rainy. However, that cool weather has gotten me in the mood to scrap some old fall photos.
The paper is from Studio Calico, and some of the accents are these cool adhesive backed canvas pieces that SC makes called Fabrips. What I like about the fabric pieces that SC makes is that you can cut them, tear them, and punch them with a paper punch, but you still get a fabric/canvas look when you use them. Very cool! The title letters are from Prima, and the fabric brads are from Bazzill. The scallop border was created with the EK Success Circles Border Punch.