Back on Track - Creations by AR September Blog Hop

Wow!  Who knew it had been so long since I posted?!  We've been very busy here with Dad out of town for a week, and DD #1 suddenly deciding to join the basketball team.  And we all know what happens when the rest of the family gets busy: Mom gets even busier!  So, today's post should have me back on track (in more ways than one), although I do leave later this morning for Close To My Heart Regional Celebration in St. Louis which will keep me busy for a few days.  (And should also be giving Dad a little payback for a couple of weeks ago!)

So, on to why we're all REALLY here today!  Adela at Creations by AR has created this totally fun Party Train template, and we're sharing our variations with you.  (She also has a Frame It Train Card template to match!)  I have to admit that my first thought for this template was Christmas Train, but since I didn't have "just the right papers", my mind immediately jumped to Circus Train!

So, who else wants to talk their kid into a circus birthday party just so they can make this train? (I do!!)  Can you just see a long line of those little train cars full of bags of treats?!  I'm so in love with this I wish I could have a circus party for myself! Check it out:

I used papers from Imaginisce's Animal Crackers line, and my train engineer is a chipboard Koala Ringmaster.  Since he was self-adhesive, and a bit short, I stuck him to a strip of cardstock that I adhered to the bottom to raise him up a bit. (It's a booster seat, lol!)

I used Versamark ink and the Buttons, Bits, and Bobs stamp set from Close To My Heart to make the designs on the wheels.  Red brads make the centers, then they are adhered with adhesive foam tape.

I added another chipboard sticker to the car, this time a box of popcorn.  Then I popped a bag of popcorn flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans in and tied it closed with coordinating ribbon.  All ready for the circus to come to town! I hope you enjoyed my version of this cute little train.  Be sure to leave a comment by midnight central time on SUNDAY, and you can win your choice of either the party train or 3-D train card template!  Now, be sure to check out all the other designers' projects, and you can have a chance to win on each blog!

Adela Rossol:   http://cbyar.blogspot.com/

Amy Park:   http://tethered2home.com/ 

Julia Aston:  http://www.createwithjulia.blogspot.com

Lisa Somerville:   http://www.lisasomerville.com/

Lori Brown:  YOU ARE HERE!!

Lyn Bernatovich: http://lynspaperpetunia.blogspot.com/

Magdalena Cortez:   http://axesdesigns.blogspot.com/

Patti J. Gilliam: http://www.cherisheachpreciousday.blogspot.com/

Sue Kment:   http://suesstampingstuff.blogspot.com/

Ravishing Ribbon - May Arts DT Call Submission

Today I have an extra special (and extra long) post for you.  I'm submitting to a design team call for the May Arts Ribbon Blog, so I have three fabulous projects and a tutorial today!  I absolutely love ribbon, and the variety of things it can be used for, so it was rather hard to narrow it down to three fabulous uses for this post (but I finally managed).

First up, I have a gorgeous garden party hat.  I started with a "plain Jane" $7 floppy hat from the farm store - you can find a similar one in nearly any discount store I'm sure.  I made magic with a few types of ribbon and a couple of feathers, and this is what I ended up with:

I started by making a hatband from a 3" wide green mesh ribbon, and tied it in an oversize bow.  My big beautiful flower was made in three layers.  First, I made a rolled layer using a 5/8" dark turquoise ribbon and a small Gluber.  For the second layer, I gathered one edge of a 1 1/2" light turquoise ribbon using the longest stitch on my sewing machine and some upholstery thread.  (Upholstery thread is much heavier than sewing thread, and won't break when gathering long lengths of ribbon.)  For the final layer, I pulled out a bit of sheer glittery wire-edged ribbon.  I removed the wire from one side, and gathered the wire on the other side for the center.  I layered everything up, using an additional Gluber, and used a couple of Glue Dots to secure the large beaded button to the center.  I stuck in a couple of feathers (one colored with my Copic Markers) for fun, and I was done.

My hat had its grand debut at my local Woman's Club annual reciprocity meeting.  We met in a lovely mansion, and my hat fit right in!

Next in line is a scrapbook layout, declaring our favorite place for July 4th fun:

I love to use ribbon & fiber on layouts, and layer them up or use them in unexpected ways.

For this layout I chose to use ribbons that coordinate well with the slightly distressed feel of the papers.   I used a 3/8" natural twill, and layered on a 3/16" string/loop trim.  For a little extra pizazz, I added small silver star brads every 2 1/2" - and it has the added benefit of helping the string/loop lay flat!

I added some corrugated stars, which i swiped with white pigment ink, and used more of the string/loop to make them look like shooting stars.  The little snips were easy to cut with my i-magicut ribbon cutter from Imaginisce, and they are easy to adhere to paper using Liquid Glass from Close To My Heart (or Glossy Accents from Ranger).

Products used for this layout:

•  Superhero paper pack, Close To My Heart
•  3/8" natural twill ribbon, May Arts
• 3/16" string/loop trim in red, May Arts
• i-magicut ribbon cutter, Imaginisce
• Milepost Shapes corrugated stars, Close To My Heart
• White Daisy pigment ink pad, Close To My Heart
• Liquid Glass adhesive, Close To My Heart
• ATG Adhesive, 3M Scotch
• Cricut Expression with Country Life and Calligraphy Collection cartridges, Provo Craft
• silver star brads, from my stash
• red metal fasteners (on ends of ribbon), from my stash

My final project is some seasonal home decor.  My regular readers may remember that I have a pretty grapevine tree in my kitchen, and I've been trying to spread out my costs for seasonal decorations by doing it a bit at a time.  With my latest creations, I am now set for Memorial Day through July.

I had purchased the tin star ornaments and Uncle Sam last year, so I recently made two additions.  First, a patriotic banner garland:

I stamped "U", "S", & "A" on 7 sets of three mini pennants ans added some additional stamped designs as well.  Then I made 8 star epoxy shapes using the Epiphany Crafts star Shape Studio tool, and adhered them to 8 of the mini pennants (see below).  I strung the pennants on 15 yards of skinny striped ribbon, starting with a star pennant, then a group of USA pennants, then a star pennant, and so on.   I left several inches between each USA group and the star pennants on either side.

NOTE: If you have only a small area to decorate, this would look really cute in a smaller form!  Just buy one pack of mini pennants, make a single USA group and 2 stars, string them up and hang them just about anywhere.  You'll still have 5 pennants left for another project - Halloween "BOO", anyone?

Products used for the banner garland:

• 15 yards skinny patriotic striped ribbon, from the sewing store
• 3 packs Mini Pennant Banner Canvas Pieces, Maya Road
• Star 25 Shape Studio Tool & matching bubble Caps, Epiphany Crafts
• Super Hero paper pack, Close To My Heart
• 3-in-1 Advance Craft Glue, Beacon Adhesives
• Old World alphabet and American Celebration stamp sets, Close To My Heart
• Cranberry and Moonstruck stamp pads, Close To My Heart

To complete my decorations, I made some patriotic rosettes:

These are really easy to make, and take very few supplies.  All you need is ribbon, needle and upholstery thread or twine, paper punched or cut for the center, and adhesive (I used Beacon 3-in-1, but Glue Dots would also work).  You can experiment using longer lengths of ribbon for fuller rosettes, ribbon instead of twine for hangers, etc.  Different colors make great decorations for Halloween or Christmas, or exchange the hanger for a stem & leaves and you have a flower. Check out my short video below to see how easy they are!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope to see you again soon! 

A Krafty Card for Baby

So, I've been seeing a lot of all-white cards on Pinterest lately.  Super cute, but of course I feel the need to be different... plus, I needed a baby shower card and I wanted a bit of a vintage feel.  I also wanted to add just a bit of color to the monochromatic base.  So... ta-da!

This is a pretty easy technique to do - the trick is just finding embossing folder patterns that work well together.  You can usually do pretty well by choosing one large-size pattern, one medium pattern, and one small pattern.  Also, try to keep the styles similar - I went traditional, but you could also go all modern or all grungy (think Tim Holtz folders). 

Every embossed pattern here is a separate piece of cardstock, layered up.  My focal image is also popped up using foam adhesive tape for added dimension. 

I used a variety of border punches to stack "eyelet" borders along the bottom of the card.  At the top of the stack, I added pale pink ribbon and a bow trimmed with my I-magicut ribbon cutter.

Here's a list of the supplies I used to make this card:



Close To My Heart

• Kraft cardstock 
• Baby Pink cardstock (from Bright Red & Pink pack)
• Mocha Opaques adhesive pearls

Cutters Creek

• I-magicut ribbon cutter
• Kassie's Brocade 5x7 Cuttlebug embossing folder
• Swiss Dots A2 Cuttlebug embossing folder
• ATG adhesive

Other

• Cricut machine and Mother's Day LE mini
• pink ribbon to match CS
• Fiskars border punches, Diamond and Effervescence
• Fiskars embossing border punch, Scalloped Daisy
• Sizzix/Basic Grey embossing folder, Santa Baby

 That's it for today - thanks for stopping by!  I hope to see you again soon.

Uncommon Layout with Authentique, Sketch Support, and Close To My Heart Cricut Cartridge

My 8-year-old daughter Holly is a very unique girl.  Being the middle child, she gets in a lot less trouble than her older sister and younger brother.  But she is by no means a wall flower.  She dresses in crazy outfits, dances and jumps around the room, sings at the top of her lungs (regardless of her sister's opinion of her singing), is a champion litter box scooper, and a frequent hugger.  I came across these pictures that I think her 6-year-old brother took, because I sure don't remember doing it, and I just had to document her unique style & personality.

Be sure to click on the picture to see it in better detail!

I started with a sketch from Sketch Support and papers from the Uncommon line by Authentique.  The script font in the title is from Gypsy Font.  The scrolls, rolled roses, and rest of the title are all from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.  The pink letters in the title were edged using a black marker to better define the edges.  The pom-pom ribbon is also from Close To My Heart, as are all of the stamping inks (and sponge daubers) that I used to sponge the edges of all of my papers, and the tools I used to create the roses.  Cardstocks are all from Bazzill, the leaves are from my stash, and the sparkly gems are all I-rock gems from Imaginisce.   

Quick tip: I used the cuts on the Art Philosophy font as marks to tell me where to adhere the I-rock gems.  In this small 1" size, the cuts themselves are pretty tiny, but I liked the design element.  Also, I used Scor Tape to adhere the lumpy bumpy ribbon, and dimensional Glue Dots to adhere the roses so I could angle them better.

If you'd like to see details on how to make the rolled roses, here's a video you can check out.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I would love to know what you think of my layout and/or video.  I would of course also love to have you as my follower or subscriber if you're so inclined.  Hope to see you back here again soon!

Final Day of White Christmas Week!

Hello and welcome to the final day of White Christmas week!  Don't forget to post on any/all White Christmas posts for a chance to win one of at least two Christmas stamp sets.  I would appreciate it if you are also a follower or email/reader subscriber.  I will draw winners when I return from CHA.

Here's my final card:

 

This simple card uses some Heidi Grace papers from my stash, along with stamps and inks from Close To My Heart, and heat set studs for the i-Rock from Imaginisce.  I used a technique called ghosting to create the stamped image at the bottom of the card.  Simply stamp your design with Versamark ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.  Then sponge ink all around the image.  Finally, lay a scrap of cardstock on top of the embossed image and iron with a clothes iron until the embossing powder all transfers to the scrap cardstock.  Another quick & easy card that looks like so much more!

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope you will continue to visit me!  I'm afraid we got back too late tonight to post any CHA pictures, but there will be some news and goody giveaways coming up - I even managed to take second place in a mixed media challenge contest so there will be a couple of things I don't normally have coming up.  I also have a terrific small paper company that I can't wait to share with you!

Tutorial Tuesday: Custom Stamped Embellishments

Today is another installment of Tutorial Tuesday at the Cutters Creek Design Team blog, and it's my turn to share again!  Be sure to check out the CC blog so you can see all of the great ideas from the other DT members as well.

Welcome to another installment of Tutorial Tuesday!  This month features stamping, and I thought that this week I would share an unexpected combination of products used to make some cute custom dimensional embellishments.  So, we'll be using stamps (of course) and the Imaginisce iBond cordless glue gun with colored glue sticks!

Have you ever looked at colored glue sticks for glue guns and wondered what on earth you would want to use colored glue for?  Today I have just one splendid little answer for you.  Let's make dimensional embellishments!  But first, I have to say that I LOVE the iBond glue gun - the cordless feature makes it so easy to get things done without wondering how the heck to get that cord out of the way.  In fact, I have several other projects I can already think of that I''ll be using this for this year.

Now, rather than ruin the surprise, I'm going to make you wait until after the tutorial steps to see what I've made.  Just check out these steps:

First, you will need a non-stick surface and your iBond loaded with the glue sticks of your choice.  Turn on your iBond and let it rest on the mat.  (Another great feature of the iBond - there's a light at the tip so you ALWAYS know when it's turned on!)

While that's warming up, you will want a few additional items.  Choose a small stamp image, stamping block if acrylic, and ink for your stamp.  You need to ink up your stamp for this process, but most ink will not stay on our stamping surface.  You can just use a clear ink for no color, or Staz On if you want your image colored.  I chose to use a red Staz On for my image, just so it would show up better in the photos.

First step: coil a circle of hot glue slightly larger than your stamp image, making sure your coiled glue lines are touching.  You may want to experiment with the thickness for some different effects.  (I apologize for the odd picture here - it's hard to glue left-handed and take a picture right-handed!)  I tried to keep mine about the thickness of the stream that comes out of the tip.  Colored glue tends to be stiffer than clear, but you should still have plenty of time before it hardens up.

Once your circle is made, quickly ink up your stamp and press it into the hot glue.  Leave the stamp in place for a minute while the glue cools, then you can pull the stamp out of the glue and peel the glue off of the non-stick surface.

You now have two options with your stamped piece: leave it in a circle, as I chose for my card, or trim it down around the image.  A nice thing about using glue is that it trims super easily with a pair of fine-tip scissors.  At left is an example of a trimmed image.  This would look cute at the center of a ribbon bow, or perhaps three in a row on a card front, mounted on circles or squares.  When left whole, these embellishments give the appearance of wax seals, with a lot less fuss.


Now, on to my end product!  I created a card and used my embellishment as an accent piece in my design.

Using a card sketch from the Wishes book and some discontinued papers from my stash, I got to work!  The cute girl stamp image is Cheeky Howdy from The Greeting Farm and the cherries stamp image is from the Kitchen Classic stamp set from Crafty Secrets.  Cheeky Howdy's outfit is paper pieced (see last week's Tutorial Tuesday on the DT blog), and the scalloped mat/frame is from the Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge.  I cut the rosette using Make The Cut software and the Accordion Fold Rosette SVG set from Lettering Delights.  I adhered the stamped glue embellishment to the center using Glossy Accents to ensure it stays put.  As a finishing touch, I added Xmas Red Stickles to the cherries in my girl's hair and the circle cut-outs in the frame.

Fun & Games

I fell in love with the Animal Crackers line from Imaginisce the minute I saw it. We don't really "do" the circus thing, so I had to think what I would use it for in order to justify buying more than a couple of sheets of paper. Then BAM! I remembered some pictures I still hadn't scrapped from almost 6 years ago. They are from our final time attending "Play Day" with my former employer - one of my favorite perks of working there. The kids had a blast, and I'd been waiting for just the right papers to use with them.

I used a sketch from Scrapbook Generation as a start to my layout, changing the title location and adding some extra pictures.  But I may not have added them in the way you think (explaining  the need for sheet protectors that caused the glare on the pictures, lol).  Here you can see my little "trick":

I used a product called Flip-Flaps from Close To My Heart, in a 4 x 6 size, to add additional pictures on top of the ones in the layout design.  Since one of the matted photos is 4 x 4, I trimmed one of the flaps down to fit.  Since it lays sideways on the page, I'm not concerned about it sliding out.

Products used:

• patterned papers and chipboard stickers from Animal Crackers line, Imaginisce
• cardstock in Pear and 4 x 6 Flip-Flaps from Close To My Heart
• sketch book from Scrapbook Generation
• buttons, Zig Memory pen

More Imaginisce-ing

I'm finally getting around to sharing another of my DT submission items for Imaginisce.  Twitterpated is one of my favorite collections of theirs EVER!  My only regret is not buying more of it, lol.  I don't even have a single Snag 'em stamp from this collection!  Regardless, these papers make an awesome layout - here's an Easter LO I did using some of them:

Click on the picture to see it larger.  You know stripes are my favorite, so I had to use them for my base.  The blue is the cloud "back side" of one of the papers.  Not having any stamps, I created my little scene by cutting out images from one of the patterned papers.  And added some bunny ears to my title the same way.  Title and grass are cut with the Cricut, and coordinating cardstock is from Close To My Heart.

I used a large corner rounder for the corners of the cloud paper, and inked all the edges with coordinating stamping ink (CTMH).  I used a punch to punch out the floral photo corners and popped them up with foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added silver Rhinestuds (nail heads) with my I-Rock tool.  Here's a close-up of that bit:

Hopefully, I will be working on Christmas cards later today (finally!).  I have some very pretty older Imaginisce paper I want to use to make some one-offs if I have time.  (I usually make on kind of card, assembly-line style, but I have some singles made already from challenges & such, so I thought it made be fun to make several one-of-a-kind cards instead.)

Until next time...

Imaginisce Blog: Release Party for Garden Party: Box of Tags Tutori...

Just wanted to share this beautiful new release from Imaginisce - AND tell you they're having a fabulous giveaway!

Imaginisce Blog: Release Party for Garden Party: Box of Tags Tutori...: "Today we begin shipping our 'sPriNg' collection, Garden Party. Yes, you heard it...spring! I know it's right before winter and there's..."

Fun with Imaginisce

OK, so I recently submitted to a DT call from Imaginisce.  They haven't notified anyone yet, but the rules didn't say anything about no sharing our work, so...  Here's a fun card I made with Apple Cider papers and a coordinating stamp.

I LOVE the little stamps from Imaginisce.  The best part is that they are simple enough to paper piece - NO coloring!  I did add a little Liquid Glass to his eyes to make them shiny.  This 6x6 card was super simple; just a little paper layering for a cute background for our furry little friend.  The tab at the top was punched with a Stampin' Up! punch.  The orange-y nail heads are adhered with my I-rock tool.

I'll be back tomorrow with another item from my submission.  And make sure to come back on Saturday anytime for the first Cutters Creek blog hop - it's a red & green weekend!

Another Design Team (Fail)

I'm pretty busy this week and not getting much done, so I thought I'd share a recent Design Team submission.  I didn't make it, but I'm sure the contenders were all awesome!  I love the sketchbooks from Scrapbook Generation publishing, and Allison is starting a new blog devoted just to sketches.  That's why they were hunting for a design team.

So, let me share my interpretations of the sketches. (You can visit www.sketchsupport.com for the actual sketches, plus many more.)  First up is a card.  This was a fun sketch, and the best part is you can change Allison's design element shapes to any shape you want.  I changed mine to stars and made a card suitable for graduation or some other accomplishment.

I used recycled plastic packaging over the blue stars, gold DMC floss, iron-on stars adhered with my I-rock heat tool, and various star shapes.  The stars were a combination of punch-outs, chipboard elements, stamped & hand cut, and Cricut cuts.  The green stars are popped up on foam adhesive.  All cardstock, chipboard, stamps, and ink from Close To My Heart.

Next is a single page layout sketch.  I don't do single page layouts much, so I chose to make a title page layout for some Sea World pages.  (This was actually my least favorite item for this call.  I definitely wasn't "feeling it" on this one.)

I used some of my favorite Heidi Grace papers here from the Under the Sea line.  I really hope I'm "over" this line by the time I run out of my stash, because I can't find much from this line left anywhere anymore!

Title was cut with my Cricut.  Bubbles were cut with my Cricut from plastic packaging and highlighted with some paint.  I used the same paint to edge my photos for some definition.  I added some bling with additional smaller "bubbles", I-rock gems in crystal.  Cardstock & ink from Close To My Heart.

Finally, a two-page layout, my favorite way to work!  This was a fun sketch, and while I don't usually do strip journalling I really liked the effect here.  I really enjoyed making this layout, and finally scrapping those pics from my brother's 50th birthday a couple of years ago.

It's not often I get to scrap "adult" pictures anymore, so it was great to know I can still rock a grown-up theme.

Papers are all discontinued Close To My Heart, and all page elements were cut with my Cricut and popped up on foam adhesive (except "the big" is flat on the page).  The gold circles in the party hat pom poms are more iron-ons adhered with my I-rock, man I LOVE that tool!  The self-adhesive pearls on the ends of the striped paper are from Close To My Heart in Mocha.

I currently have one more DT submission out.  I didn't see anything about not sharing things before their decision, so I will likely post those for tomorrow.  It's all Imaginisce goodness, which means you're gonna love it!

Arrr Matey, It's a Pirate Halloween

Check out my post today over on the Cutters Creek blog!  It gives lot of details on this cute layout:

 

Additional items used not listed on the CC blog entry:

• Martha Stewart Drippy Goo punch
• Stampin' Up! Notebook Edge punch
• My Mind's Eye pattern papers from The Spider's Web line (thanks to Kelly Deal @ Flowers to Flourishes for this great paper pack!)
• Daisy D's red polka dot paper from Baby Boy pack
• pirate stamps are from Close To My Heart, discontinued
• I-rock and gold nailheads, Imaginisce

Oh, Croppy Day!

On Saturday, Mandie & I spent the day at a 12-hour fundraiser crop.  With kids home from school today, I'm kind of wishing I was back there again and find myself singing "oh, croppy day" (to the tune of Oh Happy Day - yes, the gospel song) over and over in my head!  I know, I'm odd.  That's OK.

At any rate, it was nice to just spend a lazy day cropping.  I only completed three 2-page layouts, and finished another I had started previously.  The only downside was that I forgot the cord that connects my Gypsy to the Cricut - good thing Mandie had all of her cartridges with her!

I can't share all of my layouts today; a couple of them are for the Cutters Creek blog later this month.  You can look for my Summer flashback this Friday, the 15th, and my pirate Halloween layout next Tuesday, the 19th.  However, I can share the other two.

The first layout is for this week's Cricut Circle blog Think Pink challenge.  This challenge asks us to use at least 3 of the following: Pink, Ruffles, Scallops, Flourishes, Glitter and Jewels.  We also have to use at least two Cricut cuts.  I had some cute pictures of our girls from a few years ago, where they had fallen asleep together in our bed, and I decided to use those.

I met the criteria using pink, a flourish cut, lots of scallops on my chipboard elements, and pink gems.  I used a sketch pattern from the new Magic book from Close To My Heart, and modified it by using chipboard flowers instead of additional pictures.  Patterned papers, chipboard elements, and the large brad in the upper right are all from Basic Grey's Sugared line; cardstock and pink brads are from Close To My Heart; Cricut cuts are both from French Manor; and pink gems are I-rock gems from Imaginisce.

The other layout I completed also uses some older pictures I really needed to get scrapped!  I do have a little journaling to complete - it will go to the left of the main photo under my subtitle.

I used another sketch for this layout, but I can't remember which book it is from.  I used some of my favorite papers on this layout - Beyond the Sea from Heidi Grace - along with some Cardstock from Close To My Heart.  I will warn you that these papers are super hard to find, but I'm working on finding a source for anyone who is interested in them.

My title is cut with the 3 Birds Cricut cartridge (thanks Mandie!) and my scallops and circle are cut with Plantin Schoolbook.  Adhesive gems and pearls are all from CTMH, and the rub-ons used on my subtitle and directly on my main photo are also from the Beyond the Sea line.  (Click on the photo to enlarge and see them better.)

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to stop back here or over on the Cutters Creek blog this Friday and next Tuesday for more scrappy goodness.