Monthly Archives: January 2012

baby love

There is just nothing sweeter than a baby, is there? Those precious days go by so quickly.

Recently I’ve been enjoying going back and reliving some of those moments while I created this sweet baby mini album as a gift for my daughter. If I’m honest, I think that it was mostly a gift to me. The time to enjoy a sweet look back and some creative exploration made me so very happy.


This 4″ canvas album is from Maya Road and you’ll notice from the photos that it’s jam-packed with all kinds of wonderful goodies. The little Vintage Heart Tart Tin is so darling and holds all my embellishments together easily.

As you can see, I just had a blast adding all sorts of wonderful things inside. Want a peek?

Here’s one of the chipboard pages. In this album there are three chipboard pages and three canvas pages. The canvas pages especially were so fun to create with. Paint, ink, die-cutting and stamping were just a few of the techniques.

Today I’m sharing this little album on the Maya Road blog. I hope you’ll stop by for some more peeks into my album.

Happy creating!

stuck on you

Today’s title is a little play on words. Why? Because the cards I have to share are both love notes and also they feature stickers.

I know that stickers have gotten a bad rap in some circles over the past years. They are actually fun and easy to use and you can use them a lot of different ways.

 

This first card focuses on some stickers from the Head Over Heels Mixed Cardstock Stickers sheet. Can you tell that I’ve used four? Two of them are circles and are adhered inside some chipboard circle “frames”. The other two (top left and bottom right) are actually square stickers. I’ve adhered them behind their chipboard circles and then trimmed away the excess. Think outside the box.

Quick Tip: I love using a file set to quickly sand away excess paper when covering chipboard.

Same batch of stickers for this card. I’ve used the little banner stickers to form a border on the card and then adhered two sentiment stickers onto some chipboard to make them pop.

Today on the Lily Bee Blog, we’re have a Mixed Cardstock Stickers Product Focus. I hope you’ll stop by and join us for some great ideas using stickers.

Supplies:

 

Happy creating!

Through the Seasons

I love my guy through all kinds of weather. Through the nasty storms of life and through those sunny balmy times when life just can’t seem to get better. I love him through the good and the bad, the ups and the downs.

We’re a pair.

Always.

Today’s card is inspired by the seasons of life. It’s a sneak peek at the upcoming Wishes & Kind Thoughts stamp set by Avocado Arts with a good mix from four other sets to take me around the year.

I’m also so excited to welcome some new design team members to Avocado Arts! I know you’re going to be inspired! The entire Pit Crew has lots of sneak peeks to share with you today so be sure to stop by…

 

Have a great weekend!

a little love…

Hi! Just popping in to share a couple little love notes with you. Stickers and a 6×6 Tiny Tablet make creating little valentine’s quick and easy. I love quick projects, especially right now.

I’ve been a little missing-in-action from the blog this past week. Sorry about that! It’s not that I have been taking a break but rather, buried under an avalanche of deadlines. This time next week I’ll be done and ready for a break. Actually, I’m ready for that break right now but I guess I’ll just have to wait! Please bear with me over the next little bit. CHA is just around the corner and then I’ll have a ton to share.

Both these card designs are 4.25″ square. I love creating in this size as the square shape is so easy to design with and they still fit into a

Quick Tip: Cut 2-     4.25″ cards from an 8.5 x 11″ cardstock piece. This leaves you with an 2.5 x 8.5 ” scrap. Don’t throw it away. It is perfect for punching out circles and small tags from.

The paper and stickers used in these cards are from the Lily Bee Designs Head Over Heels line. You can also find both these projects on the Lily Bee blog today.

Supplies:

additional supplies: twine, Corrugated Heart by Jillibean Soup

Happy creating!

Swoon

I’m bursting my buttons here with some news I can finally share.

OK, OK…I have to admit…some of the bursting has to do with the fact that I DID enjoy some holiday treats.

I’m beyond excited that this year begins with a new start on a new team. I’ve been an ardent fan of this company since I first discovered and if you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you’ll have seen their product line over and over. I adore my embellishments.

Their by-line is…for the journey of a lifetime. Guessed it yet?

I’m so excited to start my journey with Maya Road! There are also two other new additions to this team that are going to knock to socks off. Check out the Maya Road Blog here.

What’s not to love about a company that makes the most gorgeous, trendy but timeless embellishments? I love mixing them up and many of them are perfect for altering any way you choose.  It’s a creative paradise.

For this card design I’ve mixed together a few of my favorite products for a pretty feminine card design. Pink, grey and kraft make a pretty color combo and added in is a distressed look by adding Distress Crackle Paint or Distress ink to all the edges.

Supplies:

Happy creating!

feeling dotty

I have this thing for polka dots.

What’s not to like?

They are sweet, fun and they never go out of style.

Today I’m in the CLASSroom sharing this card using Ranger Distress Stains. I hope you’ll join me for the full project and step outs.

Happy Friday!

2011…a look back

2011 was an interesting and exciting year in our house. Most things were wonderful…a few experiences I’d just as soon not repeat again. I think every year is like that.

I learned a lot in 2011. Here’s a few…

  • God answers prayer. I spent a lot of time on my knees this year. It’s a good place to be.
  • Middle age isn’t so bad
  • It’s important to buy the right bed and agony if you don’t
  • Sometimes my plans and God’s plans for me don’t line up
  • It’s pretty cool the first time you see your own paper in print
  • That I CAN survive a 22 hour straight drive with four kids
  • How to text…Never thought I’d turn into a texter but having two kids move out, well, it’s an easy way to stay in touch
  • That I adore mini albums
  • I need to slow down and smell the roses
  • I love submitting but I don’t have to do it all
  • Life can change things in a blink
  • I couldn’t ask for a better husband
  • That letting go as children grow up is so hard to do
  • Floods in my craft room are not fun
  • A smile brightens your day
  • Pinterest is totally wonderful and addictive
  • Never say never
  • Good friends are priceless

Last year I shared my top ten favorite projects of the year. I thought I’d do that again for 2011. They are so hard to pick. These are my top ten favorites that I shared on my blog this past year.


While the rest are in no particular order, this first humble recycled cardboard mini album just may be my favorite of the year. I loved being able to get messy and just have fun with it. Lots of ink, lots of paint and tons of random goodies tells the story of me and what I like in 2011.

This banner started off with a Maya Road mini album that I covered with my Picket Fence line paper. It added a touch of spring to my home.

This teensy tiny album made out of playing cards was so crazy fun to create. It means a lot to me as it holds our entire family on it’s eight pages.

Bright colorful and fun with stamping and polka dots.

The crown card sketch was designed for a Paper Crafts sketch design call. I loved making it into a card with all my favorite goodies.

Shabby chic with paint and lots of texture. Not sure you could put it into an envelope but it’s pretty so who cares. 😉

I love creating layouts of my daughter. This layout using my Head Over Heels line talks about what she means to me.

I love the color combo on this card I created for my Mother-in-Law’s 70th birthday. It was inspired by odds and ends left on my desk. I knew there was a reason I don’t like to clean it.

Fabric, stitching  and Maya Road goodies make me smile.

And finally, my favorite scrapbook page because the journaling means so much to me.

So what’s in store for 2012? I’m not too sure! I do have a few things up my sleeve. A new team I’m excited about, a new line to be released this month at CHA and 22 years after the fact…hubby and I are finally going on our “honeymoon”. I’ve set aside creative goals and I’m just going to enjoy creativity.  I’m planning to find a little more balance and take better care of myself. Whatever else happens, I know that God’s plans for me are the best.

Thanks for bearing with me as I reminisce!

Do you take time to look back over the past year? Do you have goals for 2012? I’d love to hear them!

Have a beautiful day!