Saturday, July 26, 2014

Summer bookmarks {samantha walker}

Today on the Samantha Walker blog I'm sharing summertime bookmarks using the Summer Lovin' collection from Carta Bella by Samantha Walker.


Head on over to the blog if you're interested in learning more about how I made these. 


Have a great weekend! I hope you have a chance to dig into a great book and sit in the sunshine at some point.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Challenge #12 | Die Cuts {avery elle}


Happy Friday and welcome to another challenge for the AEI♥U Challenge blog. This week we are working with dies and die cuts. 

I made two cards, one where I showcased the negative of the die and another where I used the positive cuts.


I have always loved the layered look, and using die cuts is one way to make the layers the focus of your card. In this case, I have a clean, simple geometric card using one shape layered in different sizes.


One of the most eye-catching parts of this card is how many layers of paper there are on the front of the card — I just love the side view.



For this second card, I didn't share it on the Avery Elle blog because it is already popped in the mail and on its way to someone who needs some sunshine and smiles. This is where I used the positive cuts from the die I used in the card above. Nothing goes to waste.


I love the simple look for a card that is sending a hug and words of support.


Supplies: Die: Rounded Diamonds Elle-mentsThanks A Bunch Clear Stamps

I hope you'll get a chance to play along with us. What a great excuse to break out the dies!

Avery Elle stamps or their free digital stamps must be used in each entry. You may enter as many times as you wish, but they must be posted to the InLinkz tool separately. Please enter a new, not previously posted project that fits the challenge theme.  Your project must fit the theme to be eligible to win. The winner will not be chosen randomly.  We will be looking for entries that include great use of color, design & creativity. You have until 12:01 AM (PT) on Sunday, August 3rd to enter.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, August 7th at 6:00 AM (Pacific Time) on the Avery Elle Challenge Blog.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

ThermOWeb week {fancy pants}


This week, the gals over at the Fancy Pants blog are sharing work using ThermOWeb adhesives with Fancy Pants collections. 

The best test for any adhesive is a multi-texture project. Can you get paper to stick to canvas? To burlap? With they hold well when layered? Well, ThermOWeb worked great for my burlap twine wreath with paper detailing! I so am pleased with how it turned out.


To make this wreath, I started with a flat circle wreath you can find at nearly every craft store. I then used the iCraft Adhesive in the 1/2 inch size to hold the burlap twine onto the wreath. I placed it in strips all along the one side of the wreath, allowing it to hold the twine in place better than if I had no
adhesive or even a wet-apply adhesive.


Once the twine was wrapped around, I cut some flowers from Me-ology collection papers using a studio file from Lori Whitlock and my Cameo. I used three different sizes and three different patterned papers to add dimension and texture to the layering.


To apply the flowers to the wreath, I used the ZOTS 3D singles. They worked wonderfully! And they are forgiving, too, so I was able to move flowers around and change my mind as I worked without fear of ruining the project.

I then began to add in some of the die cut pieces from the Me-ology collection. In some places, I used the Sticky Tape Runner when I didn't want the dimension of the ZOTS 3D, like with the buttons or the flair.


The best part is that this wreath has been hanging on my door for a week or so now, with a dog and boy running in and out and nothing has fallen off. I'd say that the project was a success with a test like that!

Fancy Pants Designs collection used: Me-ology

Friday, July 18, 2014

Christmas Cheer {bella blvd}


What a great week on the Bella Blvd blog! We've shared Tiny Tots, Hello Autumn, Halloween Magic and now today  … Christmas Cheer. This is the final day for the week of reveals for the newest collections. Here is the card I made with Christmas Cheer.


Santa and his little helper deer are the stars of the new Christmas Cheer collection from Bella Blvd. Their cute characters paired with classic green and red colors makes this collection a must-have for holiday cards and gift tags.
 

Supplies: Christmas Cheer: (Pattern paper: Jingle All The Way, Daily Details Christmas Cheer), Treasures & Text, Paper Pieces Die Cuts

Make sure to check the Bella Blvd blog today for that giveaway I've been mentioning. You won't want to miss your chance.

Thank you for visiting all week long to see what I made with the latest Bella Blvd collections. They new lines are so fun — I am thrilled to have had the chance to play around with them.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Hello Autumn {bella blvd}


The gals on the Bella Blvd blog are sharing more of the newest collections. Today we are sharing Hello Autumn projects. Here is the card that I made with the collection.


The Hello Autumn collection is a bold fall collection with whimsical owls, unexpected botanicals and rich coordinating blue colors that really compliment the orange and tan colors. I instantly adored the owls and had to make them the focal point on this card.


My son laughed out loud at the owl pun on the 2x3 card that can be found on the Daily Details paper — even saying, "OWL… get it?" lol.

Supplies: Hello Autumn: (Pattern paper: Falling into Fall, Daily Details Hello Autumn), Paper Pieces Die Cuts, Treasures & Text

Make sure to keep your eye for a giveaway on the Bella Blvd blog this week to celebrate the new collections. You won't want to miss it. 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Tiny Tots {bella blvd}


This week the girls over at the Bella Blvd blog are sharing their work with the newest collections. Today is a day for sharing Tiny Tots projects.

Here is the layout I made using Tiny Tots for my not-so-tiny boy.


If you had the same reaction I did to the Tiny Tots collection it was, "I wish my kid was younger!" I adore the little creatures and fun colors in this collection and knew I would just have to use it anyways. Here is how I made these amazing papers and embellishments work for my 8 year old.


If you have school-aged children, the bright primary colors work really well for their school activities pages. There are multiple B-sides with an alphabet on them, and the words are even useful for the older age. I used this collection for my son's last day of school pictures and I love how it turned out.


Supplies: Tiny Tots: (Pattern paper: Love to Learn, Flashcards, Alphabet Soup), Treasures & Text, Trinkets, Paper Pieces Die Cuts.

Make sure to keep Bella Blvd on your radar this week. I'm sure you will have a chance to win some of the new goodies by the end of the week. Just sayin'…

Saturday, July 12, 2014

July sketch challenge {scrapbook circle}


Yesterday on Scrapbook Circle, I shared the latest sketch challenge. I also announced that we have decided to open up the sketch challenge to any participant and not just those using the Scrapbook Circle kits. 

I had started the sketch challenge at SC to inspire subscribers to get motivated to use their kit each month. Well, the sketches are being pinned and used by others (and we love that!), so now anyone who plays along by the deadline is eligible to win the prize. 


Here is my page and below is the sketch for this month's sketch challenge. I used the July Kit, Our Adventure, to make my page. These colors went perfectly with some of my son's baseball pictures.  


This month's sketch challenge random winner will get this Crate Paper prize pack. Head on over to the Scrapbook Circle blog to see what others on the team made and for details on how to enter the sketch challenge. 


Thanks for much for stopping here today. Have a great weekend!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Challenge #11 | One Word {avery elle}


Happy Friday and welcome to another challenge for the AEI♥U Challenge blog. This week our cards showcase only one word. 


So many of the best sentiments have more than one word, so this was a little bit more challenging than you think. I considered cutting some of my sentiments into pieces, but then my eyes landed on this "bravo" script word. 

Such a perfect sentiment said only with one word. 


The burst and circle were added using H2O Twinkling gold sparkling watercolors from Luminarte. I love the shimmer when I use them — a great way to add extra sparkle to your stamping.

The background is also watercolored on water color paper, and the wood chip stars have been colored in with a Sakura glitter pen. Lots of shimmer on this card!

Supplies: Storybook stampsStorybook Elle-ments diesOh Happy Day stamps 

I hope you'll get a chance to play along with us this time! It's only one word … 

Avery Elle stamps or their free digital stamps must be used in each entry. You may enter as many times as you wish, but they must be posted to the InLinkz tool separately. Please enter a new, not previously posted project that fits the challenge theme.  Your project must fit the theme to be eligible to win. The winner will not be chosen randomly.  We will be looking for entries that include great use of color, design & creativity. You have until 12:01 AM (PT) on Sunday, July 20th to enter.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, July 24th at 6:00 AM (Pacific Time) on the Avery Elle Challenge Blog.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Samantha Walker Creative Crafters Team Blog Hop {summer}

Welcome to the Samantha Walker Creative Crafters Team Blog Hop! You should have come to my blog from Cristal (Pinky) Hobbs' blog. To catch all of the fun from the beginning, visit Samantha Walker's blog first.

This month's lucky winner will receive a Spellbinders Shapeabilities Expandable Patterns Die Fancy Lattice.

...and be eligible for the free SVG/Silhouette file for this month. Be sure to look extra closely at Step #4 below to learn how you can get this FREE SVG and Silhouette Studio file:



To enter, just leave a comment on Samantha's blog during Wednesday 7/9 until Sunday 7/13. The winner will be announced on Samantha's Facebook page on Monday 7/14.

For additional entries:
1. Receive an additional entry for commenting on each of the other blogs in the blog hop.
2. Go here and follow Samantha Walker's blog. 
3. Follow her on Facebook.
4. Sign up for an e-mail subscription to Samantha's blog and you will automatically receive a link to a free SVG cutting file that you can download and use on your personal electronic cutter. If you are already a subscriber, just enter in your information in the secure form on Samantha's blog!  The free files will be e-mailed early next week!


To receive the additional entries and get the free files, mention in your comment on Samantha's blog that you have done so! 

Now for this month's theme: Summer


For this month's hop project, I made two cards using Samantha Walker's Summer Lovin' collection from Carta Bella. I love the summer patterns and colors, and I couldn't resist playing around with the 2x3 cards and stickers to make these. 


Cards like these would be great for inviting a few family members and friends over for a BBQ or pool party. They would also make great thank you cards after spending a fun summer day at a friend's house.



Keep hopping along with us for more summer inspiration! Your next stop on the hop is Cathy Harper  ... Click on the image below to keep on hopping!


Thanks for hopping along with us this month! 


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Warriors {scrapbook circle}


The July kit from Scrapbook Circle is called Our Adventure, and that alone makes it perfect for documenting the photos from the boy's baseball adventures. 

My 8 year old is in county travel league baseball, which means we play and practice all year long. There is always baseball on his schedule. He loves to play — we love to watch him play. It makes for a great summer!


I love the custom Scrapbook Circle stamps in the kit this month. You can see how I used the "celebrate" stamp on this layout. The large script word is perfect for cards and layouts. 


The Elle's Studio paper called Say Cheese was fun to cut up and stack like polaroids for this page. I saved more than half of the sheet (already hoarding it…). 

If you are in the market for a new kit (or kit club), check out Scrapbook Circle! This is a great month to get a kit. 

Thanks for stopping here today!

Monday, July 7, 2014

To Die For {fancy pants}


Today on the Fancy Pants blog I am sharing my work with die cutting — both pre-cut and also machine cut. 

And since I was using the Everyday Circus collection, I thought it only fitting to document the start of summer vacation. For those of you with little ones under foot again for the summer break, you know what I mean — these days can be a circus!


For this layout, I machine cut a large title that acts to anchor the three photo elements on the page. 

Both the "hello" and the "summer vacation" are welded words, meaning that they are connected in as many points as possible and don't require individual application of the letters. When using your dies for lettering, this is always helpful and a time saver.


I also used the pre-cut dies in the ephemera pack. These little die cut pieces are the perfect extra touch to the page. They add dimension and playfulness to the layout.


Supplies: Fancy Pants Designs (Everyday Circus)

Thanks for stopping by here to see my layout. I had fun making this one and hope you also got some ideas for using your die cut machine for lettering as well as layering the ephemera in the Everyday Circus collection.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Our Adventure {scrapbook circle}


It's July, and we have a new kit for you at Scrapbook Circle! The Our Adventure July kit is live and ready for you. 


Crate Paper, Echo Park and Studio Calico round out this bold and colorful kit. The Scrapbook Circle exclusives are particularly fun this month, too. 

Here is a sneak peek of what I have for you next week as part of my reveal using the kit. 


Have a wonderful weekend! If you have a chance to swing by Scrapbook Circle, pick up the Our Adventure kit for yourself. You'll love having it for your summer memories.