Christmas Ornament Tutorial

As promised, here is part two of my Christmas Tutorial. As an added bonus, the entire project was made by my 12 year old niece Taylor. So for those of you out there with children, this is a great way for your children to help with the Christmas crafting. And with a little help from Mom, this project can be made by younger children also.

Gather all supplies.


Print and cut out template.


Trace birds onto back of patterned paper. Be sure that the birds are facing opposite directions as they will sandwiched together in a later step.


Carefully cut out the birds. Tip: If working with a younger child, this would be a step the parents would need to complete.


Apply adhesive to the backs of the birds.


Sandwich the two pieces together.


Apply ink to the edges of the bird.


Accordion fold a 6in doily.


Unfold doily and add desired ink color.


Cut a 1in horizontal line where you want to place the wings. Refold the doily and insert through cut until halfway through.


Unfold doily so it mimics wings.


Apply a thin line of quick drying glue to the innermost edge of the left side of the doily and adhere to the innermost edge of the right side.


Add a half pearl to each side of the bird for an eye and it's ready for gift giving or even adding to packages as decoration.



Crafting with the young ones in the family is a great way to get in that much needed quality time, plus it keeps little hands busy for hours.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Tag Tutorial

Scrapbook News and Review Magazine is in the midst of their 12 Days of Christmas Tags and yesterday was my day to share a tag with everyone! I hope you enjoy the tag!

Begin by gathering all necessary supplies so they are close at hand.


Cut cardstock and patterned paper to 3 1/8 by 6 1/14 in.


Punch a border across the length of the cardstock.


Adhere the cardstock to the patterned paper.


Stamp Santa image in lower left corner.


Ink entire tag using multiple shades of red and green. Then using distressing tools, slightly distress both the top and sides of the tag.


Mask off the area where the Santa image is stamped and stamp over the entire tag with a script stamp.


Round the top two corners using a corner punch. Add the rub-on sentiment and pearls, spritz with a mini-mister filled with water and gold perfect pearls, add ribbon and the tag is complete.


Stop on my at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and see what else the magazine has in store!

And don't forget to stop by my blog tomorrow for another Christmas tutorial.

Chain Stitch with Felt Flowers Tutorial

This card, and the stitching tutorial, were included in the October issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and now I can finally share it here.


Creating the chain stitch
Step One: Bring the needle up from the back.


Step Two: Take the needle down to the back in the same spot where it was brought up.



Step Three: Leave a slight loop when taking the needle to the back.


Step Four: Bring the needle back up to the front approximately 1/3 in up from the loop.


Step Five: Bring the needle through the loop.


Step Six: Pull the thread taught but not too tight as it will cause the fabric to pucker. Then take the needle back down and continue making the chain.


Step Seven: To end the chain, take the needle down on the outside of the loop. This will secure the last loop.

Hope you've enjoyed the tutorial and maybe you'll be inspired to pull out a needle and thread and give it a try!

SNR Holiday Sampler Issue

Are you ready for oodles and oodles of Christmas projects and ideas? Keep your eyes posted! The Holiday Sampler issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine will be released tonight.

And if you don't have a subscription, what are you waiting for?

Cards, cards, cards

Thought I would share a couple of my cards that were in the September issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

The first is a fave because of the black and red color contrast. And guess where I found those wonderful flowers? In the fabric section of the craft store. It definitely pays to step out of the scrapbook section when shopping for supplies!


And the second is a fave because of the fairy image. I have become hooked on fairies lately. She really is adorable.



I hope I've inspired a bit of creativity in each of you.

A New Found Love - ATC's

Time once again to share a few recent creations that were in the September issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

I've recently become addicted to making ATC's. At a size of 2 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in, they are super quick to make and a good change from making full size layouts.

This one is definitely a fave. I simply used leftover clear packaging for the ATC base and colored the background with alcohol inks. Once the ink has dried, flip the ATC over and stamp your desired images. Lastly, I added a few drops of enamel accents and the ATC is complete.

The second ATC was made using glossy card stock and the background was inked with distress inks. Once the background was dry, I stamped the flame image with embossing ink, covered with embossing powder, and heated until the embossing powder was melted. The last step is to add the crystal accents and the ATC is complete.
Like I said, ATC's are a fun and quick way to let your creativity fly but not use up a lot of time.

Hope you've enjoyed these creations. Now go create something!

Recent Layouts

Just thought I would take a few minutes to share a couple of layouts that were in the September issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

I laughed when I noticed the kids playing on the cats scratching post. Who would have thought it would go from a cat tree to being a baby tree? LOL

And this one is of Sheyla from Christmas last year. Someone, coughTaylorcough, decided it was a good idea to put her in that massive box filled with packing peanuts. What else are big sisters good for?

Hope you've enjoyed these layouts and maybe, just maybe, they'll inspire a bit of creativity for each of you.

Scrapbook News & Review Sneak Peeks

The October issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine is being release this afternoon and I thought I'd share a couple of layouts as a sneak peek. Shhhh, just don't tell the bosses:)

This is a layout of my nephew's 8th birthday a few weeks ago. Somehow, not saying how 'cause I had absolutely nothing to do with it :), his face was planted directly in the middle of his cake.


Is this not the cutest layout? Her face is so precious! This layout is by staffer Irit Shalom.


And there is sooooo much more to see in the October issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine! Digital and traditional layouts, cards, mixed media items, articles galore. So head on over and take a look!

One Spooky Night

The munchkins are home with bags full of candy. And how cute are these guys? A pair of bumble bees, a Jedi knight, and a witch in training who thinks she's too old to dress up.

This is Emily with all her curls and ringlets.


Then there's chubby little Sheyla.


Then we have all four of the munchkins together.


And I'm loving this one with Sheyla sticking her tongue out.


Here's wishing everyone a spooktacular night!

Just a few more of my favorite items that were in the August issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

The first item to show is an altered home decor piece. Wouldn't this look amazing on display on a mantel or shelf? And super simple to create! Simply take two pieces of grungeboard, ink both pieces, and sew both the bottom left and right sides together. Be sure to leave to the top open so you can add items inside of the pocket. Next add lace, flowers, and ribbon for hanging. The bird was cut from a thin piece of metal and then embossed using an embossing stylus. Now just add desired ink color to the bird and attach to the heart. Simple.


Next is an arch shaped card. Such a simple card but I love the red.


Lastly a simple layered card. I purposely kept this one simple to let the cute stamped image shine.


Thanks for stopping by!

Fairies, Fairies, and More Fairies

This was a set of items that was in the August issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. I LOVE how they turned out! Both of the fairy stamps are from QKD.

How cute is this! And perfect for a gift too. One of the best parts is that you can use a dry erase marker on middle pane of glass and can customize the note to fit the recipient.


This was made as a mini card and I just love the pops of red!


And this last card just shows off the fun and sexy side of the stamp.



Hope you've enjoyed your visit!

Savannah/Tybee Island/Pirate Festival

What a fun weekend! Pirates and wenches everywhere, live music all day and all night, and loads of other entertainment for the kids and adults. Then there was the dolphin tour and trip to the top of the Tybee Lighthouse with an amazing view. And don't forget the food at The Crab Shack and The Lady and Sons, YUM! And we ended the trip with a walk down River Street and a stop at The Candy Kitchen.

The vidoes are from the dolphin tour. They are such beautiful creatures and to watch them play and roam in their natural environment was amazing!

Cards on Parade

These are some of my favorite cards that were in the August issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Isn't that deer the cutest thing? It's one of my finds from Sideshow Stamps.


And how could you not love bling? Anything with bling makes it to my faves list.


And let's not forget about my pirate kitty. Both the kitty and the compass stamps are QKD.



Thanks for stopping in!

ATCs and Inchies

These are some of my favorite items that were in the August issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Totally love how this one turned out! The background turned out just how I wanted (which is rare) and the mermaid is just adorable (it's a QKD stamp if you're interested).


Isn't that fairy just the cutest? I got hooked on Sideshow Stamps and the fairy is one of my faves.


Inchies are a bit new for me. Such a small space to work with is a challenge. The butterflies and bling make this one of my faves.


Another set of inchies. The background on this set was fun. Just blend a few colors of alcohol inks and voila!


Thanks for looking!