Wednesday, May 29, 2013

summer sticker cards…

I shared these projects recently on the Echo Park blog HERE.

Have you ever fallen in love with a sheet of fun stickers and bought them on the spot without considering how you might use them? I am guilty of doing this, but I always figure out a way to use my favorite ones as soon as possible. I sure loved the clothesline and tree stickers on the "Perfect Summer" sticker sheet, and I couldn't wait to put them to use.

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I decided to use my favorite stickers to create a scene on a card. I used some foam dots to raise up the clothesline sticker for just a bit of subtle dimension. I also added bits and pieces of other stickers and embellishments to complete the scene.

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If you haven’t used foam dots before, you should give them a try – I love the tiny bit of subtle dimension they add.  I ended up really liking the previous card design, so I used a second tree sticker to create a similar scene on a circle-shaped card. This time, however, I used the banner sticker to emulate the clothesline sticker in the first card.


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Arranging stickers on cards (or layouts) to create a scene is a fun way to use up your favorite stickers!

Be sure to check out the Echo Park blog daily for ideas and inspiration!  And speaking of Echo Park…there’s something exciting just around the corner:

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We're so excited to be partnering with our sister company Carta Bella Paper this summer as our Design Teams combine their efforts to bring you the latest and greatest in summer paper crafting ideas. Each Tuesday from June through August, we'll share a special "Summer Camp" post both here and on the Carta Bella blog that includes a project and a FREE project instruction PDF, which you can download at your leisure. Watch for bonus contests, special chats, prizes and more posted on both blogs throughout the summer months. Mark your calendars for a summer of creative fun. With projects designed for both kids and adults, it's going to be a creatively-charged summer!

I’ll be sharing some fun ideas this summer, along with my fellow design team members – I hope you’ll join us for summer camp! :)

Thursday, May 23, 2013

8 questions, 1 answer…

One of the most common questions I am asked about my scrapbooking projects revolves around my hand-written journaling.  Over the last couple of days I’ve received a total of 8 e-mails with various versions of the same question. 

It’s a simple one and it’s basically this:  “What’s your favorite pen to journal with?”

The answer is simple too.  American Crafts Precision Pen – black, .03.

I’ve been using the Precision Pens for years – probably over 10.  Ever since the first time I tried one – the .03 is my “go-to” size, but sometimes I use the .01 or the .05, depending on how much journaling I have to include and how much space I have. :)

And while I prefer black, they are also available in multi-colors!

As always, please let me know if you have any other questions about my projects! :)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

while we’re on the subject…

…of Mother’s Day (even though we celebrated it a while ago)…here’s one more mother’s day layout I created for a Pebbles design team assignment.  It was featured on the Pebbles blog here. :)

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Yes, it’s an older photo (from 2006) – the same day as the photo in the layout I shared yesterday.  Not my favorite photos…but two of my favorite kiddos – and that trumps vanity every single time. ;)

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

the truth…

…about why this photo wasn’t scrapped years ago…

{I shared this project on the doodlebug blog recently and thought I’d add it to my personal blog as well…}

"I've had this photo from Mother's Day 2006 just sitting in my photo album. I was hesitant to scrapbook it...because I guess I'm vain. ;) I know I do not look great in this photo. I look like I hadn't had time to get my hair colored in months. I look pale. I look exhausted. I was. Plain and Simple. But look at those cute kids! I love them so much and I am so grateful for them. And because of that, I chose to set aside my vanity and create a page to celebrate each of them and the opportunity I get each year to celebrate the blessing it is to be their mother - I am so blessed to have them in my life each and every day! :)

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And while I had all of my fun “flower box” supplies out, I created this little gift bag topper too!

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{you can click on the images for more information and/or to purchase!}

Monday, May 20, 2013

star banner tutorial…


Hi there!  I thought it was time to add this step-by-step tutorial here on my personal blog.  I created it almost a year ago for Doodlebug and I shared a little peek on my personal blog – but I have been getting dozens of clicks from Pinterest and I’m sure they are from my fellow crafty peeps looking for the tutorial – so here it is!  Let me know if you have any questions – and please come back again for more fun paper crafting projects!


I am excited to share this fun (and easy) project you can whip up in an hour or less and it will make your home feel extra festive.  I made my banner for the 4th of July, but it would work for many occasions depending on which papers you choose to use.

  Here are the papers I used:

 
I used the "b" side of pretty poinsettias, baby boy alphababies, and cool camo.  I also pulled out some ladybug, gray, and bubble blue glittered candy dots paper.  You can mix & match whichever papers you like best. 
 
I used a Silhouette Cameo to cut my stars. 
 
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You could, of course, hand-cut large stars, but I’d definitely recommend investing in a Silhouette Cameo if you don’t already have one. I use mine ALL. THE. TIME!  Go ahead and cut stars from each paper:
 
 

Repeat this process for however many stars you want to create.  (I did six)

The next super useful tool you want to use is a scoring board.  My favorite is this basic large unit by Scor-Pal.  You can see it HERE.

After your stars are cut out, score them all from point to valley:

 
It's easier to score the stars with a score board, but you can simply fold each star if you don't have access to a score board or tool.

Now you need to fold the stars - the points are the hills and the valleys are the valleys.

 
 
   Repeat for all of the stars:

And here's the trick to keep the stars from folding down flat - squirt a puddle of hot glue right in the middle of each star on the back.

Now punch holes in all of the stars - make sure one of the points is straight UP and punch the left and right points.

My favorite tool for hole punching is the Crop-a-Dile (available here).


Decide on a pattern.  I wanted red, gray, blue, red, gray, blue - with the glitter dots divided by the other papers:


Now grab your doodle twine in coordinating colors and start tying the stars together.

 

Once everything is tied together, go ahead and hang up your super patriotic star banner!


If you're looking even more inspiring 4th of July projects, please check out my inspiration board on Pinterest (here)! 

Enjoy making your own banner and thanks again for stopping by! :)