Mixed Media Items

Once again, just sharing a few more items in the July issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. This week I have a tag and a couple of ATC's.

The tag was my take on the 4th of July celebration.

And then I have a couple of ATC's. The first one shows lots of inking, stamping, and distressing and the second was simply fun and whimsical.


Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Cards Galore

These are just a few of my favorite cards that were in the July issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

All the stars on this one just made a fun card.

And anything with bling is a contender to be a fave!

This one is my personal favorite! I love how the background turned out and all it took was a few colors of alcohol ink and a piece of glossy cardstock.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Layouts of Tybee

Time once again to share some layouts. All of these were in the July issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. All of the layouts are from a trip to Tybee Island last year.

This one is of my niece who told me in her best grown-up impersonation "Don't take any pictures of me sleeping". What else could I do but get pictures?


This is from one evening where everyone took a walk on the beach and the kids were gathering sea shells.


Lastly, this was from the wedding we attended that weekend. Big thanks to Liz for letting me use her daughter's pictures in my layout. Isn't she adorable? My fave pic is the top one with her just staring at the cake so completely mesmerized.


Hope you've enjoyed these layouts and they bring you some inspiration for your own creations!

Lots of cards

Just sharing a few more of my cards and ATC's that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Altered Clock

Who would have thought that when I started submitting items to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine that I would have been asked to join the staff? And that I would still be there a year and a half later? Of course, I'm lovin' every minute of it and learning so much along the way.

A few months ago I got my hands on a stack of clearance Prima Paintables watercolor papers. One of the sheets was just begging to be turned into a clock. Who was I to say no? LOL So I grabbed my Prismacolor watercolor pencils and my aqua pen and got busy coloring. Next, I painted the frame a dark blue and added some yummy Prima crystals, flowers, and butterfly. Then I just stamped the clock numbers and added the clock mechanism. The one thing that doesn't show up in the picture is the shimmer all the pieces have thanks to a dose of Perfect Pearls.


When I first started working on the clock, my intention was for it to be a Christmas gift. Now that it's finished though, it might just find a permanent home in my scrap room.

More Layouts To Share

This first layout is from a trip to Stone Mountain last summer. As you can see from the pictures, the view from atop the mountain is absolutely amazing.



Little miss Emily sleeping. Even in her sleep she has the cutest little grin on her face.

Flashback to the 70's

Let's take a magic carpet ride on a trip back to the groovy 70's. Both of these layouts are me, the first in 1976 and the second in 1979. Who could forget the shag carpet, gold linoleum, and fake wood paneling?

Cards, cards, and more cards

Thought I would share a few cards with everyone. As I was uploading these, I noticed a similarity - every card has just a touch of bling. OK, some more than a touch, but if it glimmers and shines it certainly can't be a bad thing.









All of these were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. The July issue is up so head on over and take a look!

Summer Tag

Day 10 of Scrapbook News and Review Magazines Summer Tags is completely representative of what summer is like here in the south - H..O..T! There are just a few short steps to make this tag.

Cut cardstock and patterned paper to size. Adhere patterned paper to cardstock and use punch to round the corners.

Using Distress Ink, apply ink over mask.

Stamp images onto watercolor paper and then heat emboss. Color images with watercolor pencils and an aqua pen.

Cut out stamped images. Adhere sun to upper left hand corner and popsicle to lower right hand corner.

Adhere glitter to letters and set aside to dry.

Make holes across the bottom of tag using paper piercer. Attach beads to jump rings then attach jump rings to bottom of tag.

The trick to using jump rings is to open them correctly. The one on the left shows the correct way to open them and the one on the right is the incorrect way. By pulling the sides apart (as in the jump ring on the right), the jump ring will never close properly. The best way to open jump rings is by using two pairs of beading or needle nose pliers. Grasp each side of the jump ring with a pair of pliers and pull one side towards your body and the push the other side backwards away from your body. And to close it, just do the exact opposite by pulling both sides back together.

The completed tag.

Head on over to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine to check out the other nine days of Summer Tags. The gals did a wonderful job!

Weekend Creations

My oldest niece is spending the weekend with me and the first thing she always wants to do is make something. So I let her pick through a few items I had and she decided on the wall plaque. She did almost all the work herself - she picked out the stamp she wanted to use, colored in the image, picked out the patterned paper, painted the wood plaque. The only thing I helped her with was cutting out the stamped image and cutting the patterned paper. I think she is well on her way to being completely hooked on paper crafting. :)



We also went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D yesterday. Definitely worth the money to see this one in theatres. There was a spot near the end that had me in tears and the very end of the movie is so wonderfully sweet. I think next on my to see list is Shrek.

A Few Creations To Share

I'm always anxiously waiting on the next issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine to be posted for two reasons - 1) so I can share my goodies from the prior month and 2) there's always plenty of new projects and articles to look through.

The two layouts are from a friend's wedding last October on Tybee Island. I made both the bride and groom's cakes and apparently the bride had her own ideas on how to cut the cake (notice her hand with the cake knife in a stabbing position).


This layout is from her wedding shower at work. And what a fun drive home it was with a car full of balloons.


This was my fave card for the May issue of the magazine. Bling, butterflies, and flowers - a perfect combination.


The June issue of the magazine has been published so head on over and take a look. If you would like to see my other creations from the May issue, they are all posted on my online gallery here.

Fun Day in Atlanta

The entire day yesterday was spent in Atlanta. First, we went to the Georgia Aquarium. Then we walked next door and went to the World of Coke. The aquarium was awesome. So many creatures that most of us would never see up close and personal if it weren't for exhibits like this. There was an open tank were you could touch small sharks and sting rays. The shark feels like velvet. There were other open areas where you could touch sea anemone and starfish. This is one larger viewing areas. There were manta rays, sharks, giant grouper, and tons of other little fish.


This is from a walk through tunnel where the creatures are literally swimming around you. Amazing close-up views of the animals.


How cute is this guy? The otters were really fun to watch.


Over at the World of Coke, there was tons of Coke memorabilia and we got to taste different drinks from around the world.

Altered Journal

During a recent trip to Michaels, I found several wine journals in the dollar bins. So the journals weren't the prettiest things; personally, all I noticed was a blank canvas.



So, what do you do with a not so pretty journal? Add a bit of paint, some stamps, rub-ons and voila, a very cool altered journal. And super simple to make too.

Start by removing the binding ring so you can work with the top cover by itself. Then, cut a piece of patterned paper to the size of the journal cover. Add a couple layers of paint to give some dimension to the background. Using a dry brush, I first painted on white, let it dry, then added the blue. Stamp the background once the paint is fully dry. Next, adhere the paper to the journal cover with Mod Podge and also add a layer of Mod Podge on top of the patterned paper to seal and protect the paper. Using a Spellbinders die, I cut a piece of patterned paper and added some rub-ons. The last thing is simply to put the book back together.

Start to finish, I think it only took about 90 minutes to complete.



This journal will make a nice addition to a gift set. Maybe add in some small note cards, or even a pen/pencil set.

For a lot more ideas and tutorials, join us at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Fun In The Sun

So I'm finally getting around to scrapping some of the pics from Tybee that were taken back in October. What can I say? I've been busy. :) The papers are Fancy Pants and fit perfectly with the pics, even if the paper is green (ick).



Who knows? Maybe I'll find some time to get the rest of the Tybee pics scrapped.

Layouts For A Friend

So I'm finally finishing an album that I started over a year ago. A friend of mine is trying to get into professional photography and we worked out a deal. She would do newborn pictures of the twins and I would complete an album for her to showcase her pictures. Fourteen months later the album is done! And Lisa if your reading this, I totally love how the beach layout turned out!

Since all of these are for someone else, I made sure to leave plenty of room for journaling. All of the pictures have a story to tell.

One Year Old

Ok, so I'm just a bit behind. They were a year old on February 19 but I just now go the pictures from my sister. I spent the afternoon yesterday with her and all four of the kidlets.

What a difference a year makes though! They have both grown so much.

This is Emily.


And this is Sheyla.


Now compare this to just a year ago. This was taken about three hours after they were delivered. Emily on the left and Sheyla on the right.

Fun With Watercolor Paints

So I tried something completely new and absolutely loved it! Ok, so technically I tried it because a project for Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, but once I finished that project I immediately jumped on another using the same technique. And I just got a package of Queen Kat Designs stamps in the mail that I had ordered. So even more goodies to play with!

Check this out? Isn't that fairy stamp awesome? To me, her face just has a very mischievous look, so it was perfect for my project.



The background was made using watercolor paper and watercolor paints. Super simple, just add a few colors of paints to your paper (be sure it's good and wet, learned that the hard way) and then take some plastic wrap (yes, go raid your pantry now) and crumple it up and place on top of your watercolor paper. Set it aside until completely dry.

While the paper is drying, stamp the fairy on watercolor paper with a waterproof ink. Once the ink is dry, color in the image. One of my fave ways to color images is using Distress Ink pads and an aqua pen brush. It's an easy way to blend the colors together. I also use some Perfect Pearls for lots of added shimmer.

Once your background watercolor paper is dry, adhere the cut out fairy. The white flames where heat embossed then all the sentiments were stamped. Last, pierce a line of holes across the bottom and add the shells.

This was made for a friend to use as a door hanger to hopefully forwarn people of a bad mood. I'm liking it so much she may not get it though!

A Few Cards To Share

Here are just a few of my recent cards that were in the February issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. It's funny, I started off making only cards, gravitated into layouts and did those almost exclusively for awhile, and now it seems like all I do now is cards. Go figure.







And I also want to wish everyone a Happy Easter and hope you are enjoying the weekend. The weather here has been wonderful here this week! Nice warm afternoons and the nights still have a slight chill in the air. I love spring, just wished it lasted longer before the HOT summer days arrive.