R.I.P

I created this layout for the second October Challenge at Better Living Through Scrapbooking. Head on over, take a look at the challenge criteria, and get entered for the monthly prize!

This layout has my oldest niece as she was just finishing her makeup. The picture was a bit blurry, but oddly enough, the blur really fits with the Halloween theme.



I found a really fun way to distress this layout: bleach! Who would have thought. I just took a paint brush, dipped it into bleach, and then splattered the bleach onto the layout. Then I took my heat gun and ran it over the spots of bleach to speed up the bleaching process. A very simple technique that adds a lot of visual interest to a layout.

Another thing I really love on this page is the headstones. I simply diecut them using my Cuttlebug and a die. Then I covered them entirely with black Stickles and once the Stickles were dry I inked around the edges with silver and pearl alcohol inks. It really gives an aged look!

Happy Fall

It’s finally starting to feel a bit like fall here in the south, so I figured a fall inspired card was in order.

I took a piece of Tim Holtz patterned paper and inked up the edges really well. Next I tore a strip of Core’dinations cardstock and crumpled it into a ball. Once I was sure it was wrinkled, I flattened out the paper and then inked it up. The ink will highlight the wrinkles add a bit of depth to the card.


Next I added a couple of Basically Bare gears, once that was plain chipboard and the other was corrugated. The largest, I inked with a bright orange ink from Clearsnap and then randomly sprinkled bits of embossing powder. I purposely overheated the embossing powder to a point where it bubbled just a add another bit of texture. Just be careful not to burn the chipboard. Next I inked the corrugated gear with Smooch Spritz, which gave it a nice metallic finish. Lastly I stamped and colored a pumpkin and added it on top of the gears.

Lil' Munchkins

It seems like it's been forever since I posted, but I know it's only been a couple of weeks. Life has been uber crazy but hopefully things will be back on track soon. Anyway, I have a couple layouts to share that were in the July issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

The first one up clearly shows the moodiness of a two year old. Laughing one minute, crying the next.


The second layout I have affectionately called the Meme Monster! :) We were playing tickle and she looked so adorable reaching over my sister.


Both of these layout are fairly clean and simple, which seems to my style right now. Who knows what style I'll be in the mood for tomorrow!

Tickles

Have you noticed I seem to have a never ending supply of pictures of the munchkins? I think most of us do. I try to scrap them soon after they are taken so the day and events are still fresh in my mind.

I chose to keep the colors of the layout and embellishments in the same colors as those in the picture (of course using lots of pink :) ).


All three of the hearts are Basically Bare canvas. Love, love, love the canvas! Did I mention I love the canvas embellishments? :) They take color amazingly well. I inked them all using Liquitex acrylic ink that was thinned with a bit of water. Once they were dry, I chose to give each of them a different treatment. One I stamped on, one I added little drops of Ranger's Enamel Accents, and the largest heart I sewed on letter beads. All completely different techniques and yet the canvas is up to the job!

Mixed Media Items

Welcome to my latest post! Today I'm bringing you a couple of items that were in the August issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

If you haven't tried your hand at making inchies or ATC's, I have to ask what's holding you back. They're a fun way to get creative and try out new techniques. And since they are small projects, you won't waste a lot of product if you decide you don't like the technique.

With this set of inchies, I stamped the background with stamps from The Rubber Cafe. Once they were stamped, I ran each of them through my Cuttlebug using different embossing folders. The last step was to add some Grungeboard covered in Perfect Pearls and a bit of Stickles.


For the ATC, I layered on several different stamped images and several different colors of Distress Inks to create the background. Then I cut out a vintage schoolgirl image and then stamped the pen images. Quick and easy.


Thanks for stopping in today!

Cards On Parade

It's time once again to share a couple of cards that were in the August issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

First up is my card title Dream, which uses three fun items - glitter, a border punch, and an acrylic butterfly. All layered together to make a wonderful card.


Next on tap is an adorable circle card. Simply cut a circle using a 5 inch circle cutter, layer on the bird sticker, then lastly add a couple of flowers. Easy.


What fun products have you had a chance to play with lately?

Layers of Paper

It's time once again to share a couple of items that were in the July issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Fist up is a wonderful card using one of my favorite items - transparencies! They are super versatile and can be layered on top of patterned paper to create a unique look.


Next up is a set of inchies. I simple cut thin strips of patterned paper and adhered then at an angle on a 1 inch piece of cardstock. Add in a bit of ink, twine, and some buttons and you're done.


Now that you've seen a couple of my recent projects, what have you created?

Family Fun

The entire family got together one day in May for a birthday celebration and one of the munchkins grabbed my iPod. Little did I know that it would keep them entertained for hours. Who would have thought that music trivia apps would be so entertaining? Even the two year olds were playing along. Of course, this provided the perfect opportunity for a picture. It’s not too often that everyone is sitting still and in the same spot.


This layout features LOTS of yummy embellishments from Basically Bare! The canvas heart was inked with Distress Inks and then the dots were made with Enamel Accents. The acrylic heart was completely covered with Stickles. And the little bird was made by pealing a layer off the corrugated chipboard and then adding Distress Ink. Lastly, the canvas flowers were added and colored using Distress Inks also.

Forever...With Love

Looking back over the last few items I've created, I've noticed a trend - incorporating black into the finished item. So of course, this card is no exception. I just love the contrast that black has to the pink used on this card! It gives the card that "pop" that it needs.


Better yet, this was a fairly quick card to create. I simply layered some Echo Park patterned paper, added a couple stickers, and then added the floral trim. For the last embellishments, I took a Basically Bare acrylic heart and lightly inked around the edges with StazOn and then layered a felt dress form on top. I chose to leave the dress form bare since the white was a nice contrast against the black.

Have a good day everyone!

School Memories

The first challenge of the month is up at Better Living Through Scrapbooking. Head on over, take a look, and create a layout to get entered for the monthly drawing.This challenge was all about school photos. Well, I didn't have have any of my photos from elementary school (they're all at my Mom's house.) However, I have plenty of pictures from my Senior year. Just looking at these pictures just reminds me of 1) how much hair I had back then, 2) how long it took to get that teased look, and 3) how much hairspray it took to make sure my hair wouldn’t fall. Big hair, those were the days. :)

Since this challenge has me thinking back to my high school days, I have to ask this - What is one of your fondest memories from your Senior year in high school?

Dress Card

It's time to share a few cards that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. I absolutely love how this card turned out! It's such the girly girl card!

The skirt was super simple to create. I just took a half circle and created pleats then added a bit of tulle on top. Layer on a few pearls and a glittered butterfly and the look is complete.



What little girl wouldn't love to receive this card?

Fun with Inks

Life has been so busy I've almost completely forgotten about my blog. Hopefully soon things will settle back into a normal pace. But for now I have a couple of cards to share that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

My first card was created by stamping on cardstock with Ranger's Perfect Medium and them brushing Perfect Pearls over the stamped areas. Then I simply inked the background and added a few butterflies.


My second card was made by stamping a piece of fabric with a grid stamp and then randomly spraying the fabric with Adirondack Color Wash spray. Once the fabric was dry, I adhered it to a card base and added my embellishments.


Both of these are fun and quick cards.

A Wise Owl

Most of the schools here have finally started back, so I figured what could be better to make right now than a quick card for either a teacher or even for a child as a reward for good grades (maybe even tuck a few dollars into that card, lol).

Did you notice I said a quick card? From start to finish, it only took about 40 minutes to make, which is quick for me.

The grid on the background was made using my ScorPal. Then, I inked around the edges and over the grid lines. Next I added a flourish stamp, a strip of patterned paper, and the chipboard letters.


Now, on to the cutest part of the card. I took one of the Basically Bare chipboard owls and covered it entirely with patterned paper and then inked it up. Next, I added the googly eyes. Lastly, I cut an apple from cardstock using my Cricut and attached it to the owl.

Until next time, keep creating!

Wall Decoration

I'm back with you again today with another Basically Bare project and this time it's something a bit different for me, wall art. It's always a good thing to crawl out of your comfort zone, and that's just what I did. :)

I started with a wooden heart, covered it with some gorgeous Webster's Pages paper, sanded the paper to create a worn look, then added a bit of ink to distress it further.

Next, I added a bit of vintage lace and Prima flower that had been inked a bit.

And then I was on to the really fun part, adding my Basically Bare dress form and wings!


First, I heat embossed the dress form, slowly building up the embossing powder until I had 4-5 layers. Once that had cooled completely, I ran the dress form through my Cuttlebug for a bit of dry embossing. Do you see all that wonderful texture?

Lastly, I took a set of felt wings, covered them with adhesive and then dipped them in glitter. Everything is better with a bit of shimmer.



Thanks for stopping by today!

Pretty In Pink

Today I have a layout that incorporates several of my favorites items: a clean and simple style of layout, pink, and or course canvas! I've used the Basically Bare canvas pennants to create a simple page border.


And the border couldn't have been easier to create. In a small jar or bowl, I took a couple dropper fulls of Liquitex liquid ink, added in a bit of water to dilute the color a bit, and just painted the mixture over the canvas banners until they were thoroughly saturated. Once they were dry, I used Ranger's Enamel Accents to create the edging.

Thanks for stopping by!

Laoyouts Featuring Fabric Pieces

Time again to share a couple of layouts that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. Both of these layouts have one thing in common, the use of fabric, felt, lace, or ribbon and fibers. Using fabrics is quickly becoming one of my fave things to incorporate into a layout.

This layout of the munchkins at the Tybee Island Pirate Fest last year was made using mostly canvas (the background and rolled flowers) with a few bits of lace and fibers.


The second layout was made using a felt vine and a vintage piece of lace doily.



Bring in textile pieces into your pages is a fun, and beautiful, way to bring lots of color and texture into your scrapping.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Media Projects

Time to share a couple more projects that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Fist up is a fun tag. I took a piece of tissue paper and stamped randomly over the entire piece with a travel text stamp. Next I adhered the tissue paper to a piece of cardstock, painted then entire piece with several color of watercolor paint, and then added a piece of netting. Super simple so far. Then I printed the hot air balloon on transparency and then covered it with Stickles. Once the Stickles were dry, the hot air balloon was attached to the tag, a few triangle shaped beads were added, and lastly the sentiment was added.


And lastly is an ATC using one of favorite mediums, Glass Bead Gel made by Liquitex. And again, this was super easy to create. The fairy and sentiment were stamped onto a heavy weight watercolor paper. Regular cardstock will buckle under the weight of the Glass Bead Gel. The background was colored with several shades of watercolor paints and set aside to dry. Once the watercolors are dry, cover then entire ATC with Glass Bead Gel and set aside to dry, which will most likely take 24 hours. The gel dries clear (unless you add color pigment to it) so you can see everything under it. I LOVE how this turned out! Sort of reminds me of a snow globe that's been shaken and everything is floating.


I hope you've enjoyed your visit today and maybe even picked up a trick or two to try out on your own projects.

Butterfly Cards

Time again to share a few cards that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

As I was uploading these cards, I noticed they all have butterflies punched from my Martha Stewart punch. Odd that I didn't notice this pattern before. But then again it is one of my fave punches.


Something else I've notice more of in my projects is the use of fabrics, lace, and tulle. All very fun to work with and they give projects a nice texture and depth.


One thing that is a constant throughout all my projects is the use of bling, whether it be with glitter, Stickles, Perfect Pearls, or gems. And this last card is no exception. The blue background was made entirely with Perfect Pearls, which gives a wonderful shimmer to anything it touches.



On a side note, my blog giveaway is still ongoing and you have until 08-01-11 at 8:00 AM EST to get entered. Check out my prior blog post for all the details and to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!

Canvas Pennant Flower Tutorial

Today I have a simple flower tutorial that packs a lot of punch. I was working with the large canvas pennants a few weeks ago and they were sort of fanned out on my table and I had a light bulb moment. Why not turn them into a flower? So I did and loved the result!

Step 1 - Start with eight of the large canvas pennants.


Step 2 - Using your ink sprays, use several colors and thoroughly saturate each of the canvas pennants. I used Ranger's Adirondack Color Wash. At this point, you have a couple of options. If you want a bold, striking color, set the pennants aside to dry. If you want a more muted, faded look, take the pennants to your sink and give them a quick rinse. The ones in the picture below have been rinsed.


Step 3 - Take the right hand point of the pennant and fold it to the left. Take your finger and slightly crease the fold line. The canvas will hold the crease so there's no need for adhesive. Continue this process for all eight of the pennants.


Step 4 - Cut out an approximate two inch circle. It does not have to be exact as it will be completely covered. Using a hot glue gun, start layering and adhering the pennants to the circle. I found a hot glue gun was the was the easiest way to go since it dries so quickly.


Step 5 - Once all the pennants are adhered, you should have something similar to this.


Step 6 - Adhere a layering or netting or tulle using the hot glue gun. I used a four inch circle of netting that was just cut by hand. I didn't feel the need to have an exact circle. The unevenness of the circle just adds to the distressed feel of the flower.


Step 7 - Ink up two of the Basically Bare Basics Felt Flowers. I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze for the base color and Ranger Distress Ink to add a bit contrast.


Step 8 - Using a hot glue gun, attach the two felt flowers. While the hot glue is still hot and pliable, take the eraser end of a pencil the press down in the middle of the flower and hold for a few seconds until the glue sets up. This will make the petals stand up.


Step 9 - Add a flower center and voila, the flower is complete.


The finished flower using the larger pennants is approximately five inches. If you were to use the small canvas pennants, the finished flower would be approximately three inches. Or you could layer the small pennants on top of the large pennants. So many different options!

Have fun with your embellishments and let your imagination run wild. You just never know where it might lead you.

Distressed Hearts

I'm back today showing a fun way to distress the Basically Embellies Acrylic Hearts. But first, let's start from the beginning with the card background.

Using craft cardstock, spritz with a couple different colors of Smooch sprays. Once the cardstock is completely dry, ink a star background stamp with Perfect Medium and stamp the entire piece of cardstock. Working quickly while the Perfect Medium is still wet, use a small paint brush and apply gold Perfect Pearls over the stamped areas.

Set the cardstock aside because now it's time to work on the hearts.


Painting on acrylic pieces can be tricky as the surface is super smooth and there's nothing for the paint to grab onto. However, there are a few tricks to work around this problem. First, I took a piece of sandpaper and roughed up the top surface of the hearts and then painted on a thin layer of Liquitex Clear Gesso. The gesso will create a rough surface for the paint to grab on to. Next, I applied a layer of Ranger Distress Crackle Paint and waited (not so patiently) for that to dry. Once the paint was dry, I applied a thin coat of Liquitex Gel Medium, which will seal in the paint so it won't chip off. As an added bonus, the gel medium provides a smooth finish layer which allowed me to stamp on top of the cracked surface.

So until next time, keep thinking outside the box. Just because things aren't supposed to work together, like paint and acrylic, doesn't mean it's not possible.