Well I have been designing for the Down A Dirt Road Scrapbooking Creative Team for 7 months now.... I completed my 6 month term and was asked if I would like to continue on with the Team. I jumped to say yes as it was so nice to pour my creativity into such a great team and it is local-ish to me...lol!
I realize that I have neglected my blogging and will be trying to keep up once I get caught up. We have so many great challenges and kits that we work with each month that it is time I start to share those with you all!
So let's go back to the beginning and I will share with you some of the great projects that I worked on...
For April I received Bo Bunny Timepiece collection with many extras. I had some input into what paper collections I like this month and I had bought a mini album that was part of the Bo Bunny line so it was my first choice in the paper collections.
When I bought the mini album it was one that I wanted to use for a memory album for my grandfather. He passed away when I was 8 and I don't have a lot of keepsakes from our time together and his life in general so I decided that it was important to start to document the memories I have to keep those so my children may one day get a little insight into my life and his as well. This was a very personal project for me and in trying to copy the photos for this album I have not yet added them yet...but like the album it is a precious reminded that time is necessary and not to be rushed...
To see more of this album check out my May Arts DT Call post.
Throughoutt the month the team members and I would post challenges and I wanted to share a few of them and my projects for them.
Jackie posted a challenge to celebrate the Pony Express...
To celebrate the Pony Express I would like to see you create a layout or card containing an envelope and a stamp. The stamp can be just a piece of cardstock cut with "stamp" scissors.
Tracy posted a Creative Title Challenge.
This months Creative Titles challenge is to get your title from a song lyrics or a song title.
Next Alicia posted a great Mix and Match challenge.
My challenge this week is a simple one. I want you to mix and match patterned papers from a minimum of 2 different companies...
We have more challenges that you can check out on the forum and participate in the current ones. I had a lot of fun in the month of April and it was one that had the Easter Mini Challenge too! I hope to see you stop by and say Hi over at the Down A Dirt Road Scrapbooking Forum!
I have loved the Close To My Heart Mini Banners since I set eyes on them but until recently I had not touched my package...and then we had Dotty paper...My creative juices were flowing again and I had an idea...
I wanted to make two banners that were very different from one another so I set out to find two words that would fit within the 10 pieces... Baby and Family... perfect!
Here is a great video from Close To My Heart featuring the mini banner...Enjoy and check out my projects below.
Are you inspired yet?
I will start with the Baby Mini Banner...
Although the days of babies is over for me...until I have grandchildren or more friends and family have them... I love making items for babies because they are so pretty and you have so much room to interpret and embellish...(my favorite thing...lol!)
So here it goes...I used the Dotty For You paper so I will be adding this to my projects for the Heart 2 Heart Challenge ~ Polka Dots and Stripes...
I picked two patterns of chipboard pendents to use and kept the other 6 pieces for the other banner. I selected to use the polka dotted sides of the paper and opted to use the Lagoon and Pear sheets.
I started with cutting out the pendants (without the use of my cricut...how I never thought of that...lol!) and adhered it to the chipboard piece. I stamped the BABY using the {Token Alphabet} and added some cute little bugs from {A Little Buzz} I used my water color pencils and colored the dragonfly. I used Liquid Glass to add dimension and shine to the tail... and 3 Bitty Pearls to the B...
I cut out and adhered the pear dotty piece and stamped my A...added the Bitty Pearls. I colored the owls and button, added Liquid Glass to the Button and the owls' beaks and eyes...I love the dimension that Liquid Glass gives to a project and the shine is fabulous...
One this banner I added this super cute lady bug and now I thought about adding the Liquid Glass to the lady bug's dots but instead decided to add it to the shell omitting the dots to give her a beautiful shell that would make any lady bug out there jealous...
I fell in love with this cute little dotty butterfly... Completely colored and Liquid Glass added to the dots gives these wings some great texture and shine. I added a button again and Liquid Glass to it and you can see the great shine it gets...
Well now we have seen all the parts alone, now on to the complete project!
I strung it together using some White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon and it is perfect for a door hanger or to decorate some nursery wall...
I had said that I wanted to make two and so here is the next one...
I used the Florentine paper and the remaining pendant pieces...
I decided to use the more muted sided of the Pemberley paper to give this banner a rustic feel. I used the {Posterboard Alphabet} for the title and used Brown Bag cardstock for the title. I stamped them out in Cocoa Ink and misted them with the Tsukineko Walnut Ink Antiquing sprays in Java and Eucalyptus. I used a sponge and gently rubbed the inks into the cardstock to create a beautiful deep and leather-like look to the letters...With a few Mocha Opaque Pearls to each letter and a added a beautiful resin flower from the Bouquet Assortment.
I distressed each of the pendants using my Close To My Heart Distressing Kit and gently sanded each of the edges. I think it just added a little more of a rustic feel and look to the project. Now you may have noticed that this banner comes with jump rings and I have not used any of them on either of these projects...let me explain why...
I find them to bend easily and slip open easily so I opt not to use them on many projects. This being my 4th time creating banners (I will post the other two in the future...) I have tried the jump rings and found that when transporting the banners and displaying them my banners would sometimes fall apart, so I have tried to find creative ways to form these banners...For this one I opted to use some brown satin ribbon I purchased from Michaels and ties some bows and this is the finished project...
Well I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and that you will look at the other projects over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges...
Well with dance ending this weekend I now feel like there is more time to create! Yay! I have been busy creating with Dotty For You paper...which means more posts...
Starting Monday I will be posting a series of one page layouts that are the same layout done using different paper or techniques to show you how you can take one layout design and use it in the same album to keep some consistency but not have it look like a total duplicate.
Now I had lots of fun designing these pages and hope that you will too! I will be using such tools as the ruler and embroidery thread from Close To My Heart, the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, embossing powder and craft heater...
To give you a teaser I will post a quick picture of the first layout...
Well I was always told that patience is a virtue...but...when you are waiting for your Close To My Heart order to arrive, if you are like me...it is not an easy task...
I was so sad when Easter had arrived and my order had not arrived as this only meant that I was going to be waiting another 5 days...how was I going to survive...
Well... incase you hadn't realized, I did survive and managed to find a few other projects to keep myself busy while I waited...
So without further ado...
Here are my first projects I have created with this awesome paper pack.
Love this paper? So do I! There are three ways you can get this paper pack from Close To My Heart
Between April 17th and May 31st place a $35 order with me or on my website and add this paper pack for only $5!
Host a gathering (at your home or on-line) of $400 or more between April 17th and May 31st and get this paper pack for FREE!
Join the club :) Become part of my fabulous team and get all the benefits of club membership plus the opportunity to grow a business starting now and until May 31st and get this paper pack for FREE! You can find more information about joining the club here or sign up here
Check out this video for some great samples using this fabulous paper pack!
I made my New Years Resolution to live inspired this year and I have been inspired today! I have been looking around on the web and came across a blog that really spoke to me today. I happened upon this blog by chance and believe that inspiration speaks!
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THIS POST first then enter.... winks.........
As a Blogger I get emails regularly, but
here and there I get emails that are very touching to me or speak to
me. This one is ONE OF THEM. Beverly from Brownies to Rwanda
emailed me. She told me how she found my blog and that she loved so
many things, and was going to start with my crock pot creamy chicken
noodle soup. Beverly went on to ask me if I would be interested in
hosting a giveaway?
I was inspired from then on....I read a little story of a family wanting to adopt a little girl if that should happen from Rwanda. They design custom jewelry and donate money to Rwanda and the orphans there. I don't read many stories that truly touch a person but you can feel the love this family has from the story they tell.
Please check out Beverly's Blog and follow it. Then go and check out her FB page ETC Jewelry.
I would also encourage you to check out her Jewelry Site, there are so many beautiful items...I have my favorite...
Most of all please live inspired and share this story with others!
I have been trying to improve my scrapbooking skills. A must for a paper crafter! So I have been entering sketchy challenges on Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine website. Each month they post a sketch and you create a page that is your interpretation of thier sketch. I entered one layout in November and it was exciting to have it published for others to view online. I however didn't use a Canadian Manufacturer so was unable to have an oppertunity to have my layout published in the magazine starting in 2012 :(
With this new knowledge I was armed and ready. I went on the search for canadian manufacturer products that I loved. I found Harmonie. It is a company founded in 1914 in Montreal. I loved their stamps as they too came in an acrylic version or wood mounted too. I loved that they were something that I knew I would be able to use and that some of their products were made from recycled paper or fibers. I found many items I would have loved to add to my craft room, but, I settled for just a few. I ordered a zebra stamp. It will be used as my trademark on all layouts and cards...
I also loved this beautiful koi fish stamp. I hope to practice with my copics in the new year...here's hoping I'm not too bad with Copics or it's back to watercolor pencils I go!
Now I love Zebra but also love Damask. I will buy Damask anythig any chance I get so when I found this beautiful stamp set I had to have it. My middle daughter gets so excited each time she see's anything Damask and tells whom ever she is with... Mom will love this it is damask...(I know I am raising crafty kids when...lol!)
Now I am normally pretty good at visualizing sizes but when I read 5" x 7", I somehow thought about 3" x 4"...So, when I picked this stamp set out of the box, I was surprised and my vision of using it a journalling tag was crushed...
Not really so small....oops! Beautiful though!
I also found that their paper was awesome and so I ordered some of that as well. I didn't know if it was going to be really thin or cardstock weight so I picked 5 patterns I liked and got 5 sheets each. Well it is beautiful cardstock weight paper and the colors are fabulous! Definately a great buy!!! Two of the papers were double sided and the other three were single sided but all were awesome quality!
Front side page 1
Back side page 1
Front side page 2
Back side page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Now that I had my canadian manufacturer issue fixed I went and checked out the December Sketchy challenge.
With the sketch in mind I went to work I decided on paper and then picked out all the other aspects of my page. I am not good with scalloped edge scissors being lefty and all so I tend to shy away from them so I choose to avoid them and opt for a rounded cornered look instead. I also added things that I have been working with on other projects like square mesh and added that into the design of the page. I incorporated my zebra stamp and can't wait for people to notice it...
Planning the layout...
Switched it up...
Closer look at it and needed something else...
Oh yeah... some glossy letters and a trademark zebra stamp...Perfect!
Hope that this gives you a little inspiration to get out your paper and join me in these monthly sketchy challenges!
