TPE Challenge #13

Ready to mix something up with us at The Pink Elephant? Well this week it's about circles, scallops & punches/die cuts. One of my punches has just cried "uncle" & petered out on me this week. So I had ;) to go get another. Luckily, Joann's was having a sale on nearly all their scrapping stuff. Yay!!! I love a deal. :) So, I got this great apron punch by Fiskars. I've been wanting to try this one. Luckily TPE had this challenge. So appropriate. Here's my take:

retro, tulle, ephemera, polka dots....

...aqua, gingham, lace, buttons, crepe... no I haven't lost my mind. not yet anyway. just thought i'd share a few of my favorite things :)

PaperBlooms Challenge

Leah has these absolutely gorgeous plates that I'm going to break into her house to get. She teased us with... ahem... showed us these beauties for inspiration this week. I know it will do the same for you. Head on over to PaperBlooms, get inspired, then come show us!

The Pink Elephant Challenge 12

We have a sketch challenge over at The Pink Elephant this week. Our own Carol has given us a really great sketch to work with. Make sure you head over to TPE & check it out along with the DT examples. I know you'll feel that need to play with paper!

My dh is headed to my parent's house in Albuquerque bring home his "baby" (aka his motorcycle) tomorrow. So, I thought I would send him with my mom's Mother's Day card. I love this image because it reminds me of my two little loves. My mom loves me dearly, but her love for my kids is something that I adore watching. She is a wonderful mother. She is a fantastic grandma. So, this one's for you, Mom.




I used an image from Vintage Holiday Crafts
I used Martha Stewart, Melissa Frances & Jennifer Balding/Scraps by Jenn (digi) paper.
Rub On from BasicGrey.
Twill ribbon by Wright's.
Heart by Pressed Petals.
K & Co. rose.

Custom Blog Makeover!

I've gotten so many kind comments on my blog redos. :) I'm kind of scattered that way. I just love messing with all those images & codes. So, if it changes a lot, that's why. Sorry if it is distracting to anyone.

Here are some resources I love for blog secrets:

The Cutest Blog on the Block
Blog Bulk

I thought I would do a blog makeover for someone just for some fun. I will redo your header, background, siggie, and add an image to your sidebar title/your post title. All graphics will be your choice. Just leave a comment & let me know what your favorite blog style is:

Clean & Modern (no fuss no muss)
Scrappy & Happy (LOVE the scrapbook look)
Antique & Distressed (like that old time rock & roll)

or... whatever else might float your boat.

This is open only to Blogger users at this time, thanks :)
I will leave this open until Sunday the 26th @ 11:59pm.

fraises

Isn't that such a pretty word for such a lovely fruit?

I love these strawberries from Martha Stewart crafts.


image from martha stewart crafts

Being a girl of limited means, however, I opted to try to find a way to make my own. Here is my tutorial on making strawberry embellishments.

Ingredients:

~adhesive backed felt in strawberrylicious colors. You don't need the whole sheet, just enough to make some berries. My strips are about 2" x 5.5". You'll want to keep the backing on until you actually use them in your card, layout, etc.

~green felt for leaves. Again, just enough for some caps & leaves if you like.

~embosser with Swiss Dots embossing folder

~scissors & pinking shears (if you wanna get really fancy)

If you don't have adhesive backed felt or an embossing folder, you can still do this, stay tuned until the end.

1. Run your strips through the embosser. It might take a few runs to get the texture you want.


See? Instant strawberry seeds.



2. Get out some scissors & cut out strawberry shapes. It's like a heart, but not such a deep V at the top & a rounded out bottom.



3. Now for some caps. I use non adhesive felt for mine. First cut out a semicircle.



Then, cutting from the flat side up, cut out some leaves. Don't cut all the way through, though, make sure you leave the top intact. It makes it easier to adhere to the strawberry.



Voila! Strawberry!

4. If you'd like some leaves, use pinking shears to cut out leaf shapes.



The image above also shows strawberries made without the adhesive backed felt. Just use regular felt & make your own "seeds". I made these by making itty bitty stitches & French knots as my friend Leah taught me they were called, but you could use beads, seed pearls, maybe even eyelets or brads.

Enjoy!

PaperBlooms Challenge

Happy Earth Day, everyone! In celebration, PaperBlooms wants to see your green side. It's much easier than you think. Look around & create something magnifique with recycled, reclaimed, reused items. Need some inspiration? Head on over to PaperBlooms & check out the green goodness there.

Here's my take:



I picked up a basket of strawberries yesterday at the Commissary for $1.69! WOWZA! Can't beat that! Good thing, too, because Belle is eating them like crazy! Tomorrow, we're headed to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls, TX, to pick them with our homeschool group. So I definitely have berries on the brain. For this challenge, I was especially inspired because this felt is made from recycled materials. Too, I did a little Googling & learned Amy Butler's new Lotus line is made from recycled paper & uses soy based inks. Not that I need anymore reason to by Amy Butler's papers... LOL. The card itself is paperboard (again, cereal box). There is punched Webster Dictionary paper & vintage buttons as well. I know you're eyeing the flowers, right? Those are Leah's PaperBlooms. She has some new yummies in her store so go check it out.

Pink Elephant Challenge 11

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle, 1855

In celebration of Earth Day the folks at The Pink Elephant chose to theme this week's projects after this most important holiday which, frankly, should be everyday. Although I have many supplies that are reclaimed, I wanted to make the entire card "earth friendly" and I actually found that a bit difficult. I do use paperboard from food packaging quite frequently because I hate to throw it out & it's great for cards. So, I did use that. I also used K & Company's paper because they use recycled paper (urg! I just discovered THIS is not recycled, but the Amy Butler paper I have is recycled... sorry!). I used hemp, a renewable resource. I used vintage buttons. The felt was made from recycled materials. The tag was actually on my husband's gear from the Army. I promptly took it to craft with. It was far too cute to throw away. The butterfly was made from plastic packaging from a golf club for my son. I ran it through the Cuttlebug. It worked great. The dictionary page is from an old dictionary. The ribbon was kind of cheating. I got it off an album from the dollar section at Target. I'm reusing, yes?

Go through your house and see how many things YOU can create with. It's really quite surprising how many there are! I loved the challenge & I hope you will join us.

Oh, my stars!

Look at the find I stumbled upon while perusing this great craft site:




I am just drooling over these!!! And there are more! Go here to find a Betsy doll. I can't wait to play with... ahem... create with these.

PaperBlooms Challenge #3

This is my first entry as a DT for PaperBlooms Challenge ! I'm very excited. The DT is so talented & friendly. I'm very blessed to be a part of their team.

This week we have a "Five B Challenge".
1) blooms from your stash
2) bling (what girl doesn't love that?!)
3) butterfly
4) a bit o' brown (or if you're like me, a lotta brown LOL)
5) a sentiment beginning with "b"

Sounds fun, eh? So, go to it & then come show us at PaperBlooms! We'd love to see your work!