Pebbles Family Ties Layout: So Cute!

You always can tell when I am working on magazine submissions...there is a total lull on my blog!  The good news (I guess) is that they don't all get picked up so then my blog picks up again!  Today I am going to share another one of my design team projects with you that I created for The Scrapbooking Studio.  I won't gush again about how much I love this line from Pebbles :)

    Maybe I will gush a little about how much I love this little guy :).  My sweet little Bo is probably the most challenging baby I've had but man he is a mama's boy and those adoring eyes make up for the exhaustion :).  I don't work with a lot of 8 X 10 photos...but this one was too good not to blow up.  I continue to be on a bit of a doodling kick and did a lot of it on this one.  The hardest thing for me about doodling is that sometimes you make a little mistake and there's no turning back.  But as my hubby says "that's what makes it crafty!"  

Supplies Used:

All Patterned Paper is from Pebbles

Stickers from Pebbles & SRM Stickers

Wood Hexagons from Studio Calico

Black Pen from American Crafts

Die Cutting from Silhouette Cameo

Twine from The Twinery

Little Yellow Bicycle "Just Because" Card

I realized I haven't shared this card here yet!  I shared it on facebook and then forgot to get over here!

I made this card as a feature on Practical Scrappers to showcase the laser chipboard pieces from 

Gina's Designs.

I painted the filigree frame and heart white and then paired those up with goodies from the "Just Because" line from Little Yellow Bicycle.  I adore the combination of the red, aqua, and gray!  They definitely hit a homerun with this line...I still have more projects to share that use it!

Supplies Used:

Chipboard from Gina's Designs

Paper, Stickers, Pin from Little Yellow Bicycle

Pebbles Family Ties: Family Tree

I fell in love with the "Family Ties" line from Pebbles the moment I saw it.  But this particular sheet with the family tree look had me a little stumped.  That is until I counted the spaces on it and realized there was just enough on there for all my kids and there cousins!  Woot!  Family Tree here I come...now how to give it some dimension and make it pop.

I fully intended to do a canvas...I even bought four of them.  But I had this box sitting around that had this cute green pattern on it and when I set the sheet down it really brought out the colors...so I am using this sturdy old box!

The spots for pictures on this were actually ovals and although they looked cute I still wanted that shape to show some.  So I opted to punch out 1 1/4" circles of the my kiddos and offset those with foam tape on each oval.  I had one oval leftover which made the perfect location for my "cousins" chipboard from Bella Blvd.  I then got out my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Tool that makes small epoxy circles and Epiphany Crafts Button Studio Flower maker and went to town with complimentary colors. I opted for solid colored papers simply because I didn't want too much going on.  I added those throughout the tree as well as some little trimmed fabric leaves.  I also added some white doodled stitches to leaves and the trunk.  

I had a little space at the bottom of the box to add something.  I knew I didn't want words..there was already enough words.  I also didn't want to distract from the cute kiddos.  I opted to just add three more epoxy flower buttons and a little bit of twine.  

My kiddos were pretty excited to go thru and name each cousin!

Supplies Used:

Paper: Pebbles

Epoxy buttons and circles: Epiphany Crafts

Twine: The Twinery

Letters: American Crafts

Gems: Queen & Co.

Teresa Collins: He Said She Said Cards

Today I thought I would share the cards that I made using Teresa Collins' new "He Said She Said" line. I created these as samples for The Scrapbooking Studio. This was one of those lines that just screamed "make a card with me."  I love when I can look at a line and get a feel on where I am going with it!  

 I made this one second and mostly I made it because I wanted to make something with a mustache...I had never done that before!  My husband laughed when he saw this...

Supplies Used:

Everything is Teresa Collins except

Gems are from Queen & Co.

Twine is a random old supply

"Just Because" Little Yellow Bicycle Card Class

I am so excited that my February card class at The Scrapbooking Studio has sold out!  So now it's time to start sharing my March card class.  I designed this one using pieces from the "Just Because" line from Little Yellow Bicycle.  Once again they have hit a homerun with this line!  It took me less than two hours to design the class because it goes together soooooo nicely!  Here's the four cards for the class.

After I took the cards into the store as samples I had to pick up some more pieces from the line because I knew I wasn't done playing yet...Stay tuned :)

Teresa Collins: Tell Your Story Layout

So I was lucky enough to win all the patterned papers and some stickers from the "Tell Your Story" line at the Teresa Collins class the other night.  I have been admiring that line for a while but hadn't taken the plunge and bought it.  I have to say that she really does an amazing job with putting out lines with great and unique color combinations.  This layout also utilizes some new Thickers and some chipboard pieces from Gina's Designs.  Even with the cutting on my Cameo this layout came together in less than an hour...love it when that happens!  One of the messages I took home the other night from the Teresa Collins class was putting things down to your kids in your journaling.  My little Lucy has had some challenges lately and I decided it would be therapeutic for me to document that - so I definitely journaled!  Hopefully someday we will look back at this together and be proud of getting thru it all in one piece!

Supplies Used:

Paper & Stickers from Teresa Collins

Brads by ???

Chipboard by Gina's Designs

Thickers by American Crafts

Pearls by Queen & Company

Kleenex Pillow box

As soon as I saw the pillow boxes from SRM Stickers I had the idea to put kleenex in them.  My hubby is a Pastor and regularly visits people throughout the week who are either ill or unable to get out a lot because of their age.  They often have dietary restrictions so sending along food is not always an option.  I am always on the lookout for a fresh, cheery idea that I could send along.  Alas, pillow boxes...I thought they could make the perfect little gift for one of our sick shut-ins that my hubby so often visits!  Here is the first (of many to come) that I created!

For as many SRM Stickers as I own, I apparently do not own any Get Well ones.  So I went with a "Special Delivery" one from a baby sheet. I also used some from their We've Got Your Borders and Valentines by the Dozen.

 I added a "Sending Prayers" sentiment to the end of the box...that was a tough little bugger to photograph!  I thought that added a nice little touch for when they open it up.

Ribbon, twine, and a polaroid frame were all an added touch.  I barely needed any patterned paper because the kleenex itself had a cute design on it!

Supplies Used:

Stickers by SRM Stickers

Polaroid frame by Little Yellow Bicycle

Twine by The Twinery

Ribbon by The Paper Studio

Patterned Paper by SEI

Teresa Collins "He Said She Said" and little Bo

I am attending a Teresa Collins class tomorrow night at The Scrapbooking Studio and am super excited!  I recently played with her new line "He Said She Said" and had soooooo much fun with it! I have several projects from that line to share but here is the first one (which also happens to be my favorite!)

Now if you are a regular follower here you know this is a little out of my norm for creations.  I had so much fun just playing on this one!  I used a cut file from Kinsey Wilson which you can find on her blog here.  I originally saw this cut file on Danielle's post on Practical Scrappers and loved it.  Thankfully she shared her source with me! I machine stitched on the arrow lines and cut out and inked words and popped dots and all kinds of fun stuff!  I love the way that the arrows draw your eyes right in to the picture of Bo.  My favorite thing about this line is that she had a nice pop of orange in it.  

Echo Park Paper "Love Story" Layouts

I have had so much fun playing with the Love Story line this month.  It has vibrant, bright colors that are perfect for me!  Here's the two layouts I created and you can find hanging up at The Scrapbooking Studio in Bloomington, IL!

 As you can see on both of these I had some fun with my white Signo pen again :) Love to use that thing to doodle and for these it was doodling ruffles!  This layout is of Bo and it felt a little weird to be doing so much pink on a boy layout!

I have seen a lot of people doing the double photo thing where they are layered like this.  I had two copies of this photo so I decided to give it a whirl.  It's kind of a fun, whimsical touch.  I also used my Silhouette Cameo for the "love" in the title.  I am sooooo loving my Cameo.  

Supplies Used:

Ribbon: American Crafts

Twine: The Twinery

Stickers: Echo Park & SRM Stickers

Pearls: Queen & Co.

Pen: Uniball Signo

Cardstock: American Crafts

Patterned Paper: Echo Park

Brads: Echo Park

I'll be back again with more design team work for the store...I got to do a bonus round this month and can't wait to share that!

My next class!

My next class at The Scrapbooking Studio will be a card class in the evening on Friday, February 22nd.  We will be using patterend papers to give a quilted look to cards as well as playing with some fun folding techniques and dry embossing!  If you are in the area we'd love to have you join us!  The class is $18 and you can RSVP at (309)585-0489

Mitered Edges Tutorial

I love mitered edges!  And after being asked several times how I do them I thought it was time to make a little tutorial up.  For my layout today I used the border strips that come at the bottom of patterned papers from several different companies.  Mine today are from American Crafts, Pebbles, and Studio Calico.

You can make this work with any width of strips...I've done it with much larger ones than you see here.  First off you need to line up your strips to form a right angle.  They should be overlapping each other.

Then use your scissors to trim from the inside of the angle to the outer corner.

And that is basically it!  Now you just line them up together and adhere them down.  I do this for all four pieces before I attach them just to make sure everything is lining up!

If you are interested in checking out a couple other layout I have done this on, you can find one feautring Bella Blvd here and one featuring Echo Park here.

Supplies Used:

Stickers from SRM Stickers & Pebbles

Paper from American Crafts, Studio Calico, & Pebbles

Flowers from Maya Road

Super Cooper: A Two Page Layout

I have been having fun playing with two page layouts!  This one I went for a different color scheme of teal, yellow, orange, and navy.  It was based on a sketch from Creating Keepsakes.  Washi Tape has been a staple of mine lately and you can see I used it a whole lot on this layout to highlight different pictures.

Supplies Used:

Stickers by Momenta, SRM Stickers, Little Yellow Bicycle

Washi Tape: Bella Blvd

Paper: Pebbles, Echo Park, Colorbok

Border: SEI

Twine: The Twinery

Wood: Studio Calico

Calm Down Glitter Tube

My precious five year old daughter has a hot temper.  We have been trying to find ways to help her calm down and I had seen ideas on pinterest of different calm down bottles.  The idea is that they shake up the bottle and then watch the glitter settle down and it is supposed to have a calming effect.  A lot of the ingredients were not things I had on hand and frankly I have enough craft stuff on hand that I should be able to assemble just about anything.  So I set out to create my own from my stash and here's what I came up with.

I used a tube from SRM Stickers.  If you click here you can see their different tubes...I actually used the very first one on the page (not too skinny, not too short, just right!).  If you have a local scrapbook store they may also be available there as I got mine at The Scrapbooking Studio.  

I used a half bottle of red stickles (glitter glue is supposed to work the same but I didn't have any).  I then added water to about 3/4 full.  I added about 1/2 a package of Martha Stewart glitter (probably about 1 Tablespoon worth).  Now here's what I learned with my experimenting...using the same color glitter glue and glitter makes a much prettier (and less chaotic) tube.  Add small amounts....shake it up and see if it is settling as you'd like (I wanted mine to take at least 5 minutes to settle) or if you want more glitter.  It's always easy to add more but you don't want to have to start fresh :)  I added crazy glue to the top of the tube where the lid  was going to go and also to the inside of the rim of the cap to ensure no leaking and that she wouldn't be able to get it off.  So far it has worked perfectly.  Now for some close ups...

I decorated the top with a trimmed SRM Sticker, bakers twine, and a gem.  This works for a five year old but depending on the age you are creating this for you may need to go more simple.

I thought it was important to include stickers on it that said "I Love You" as a reminder to her that even in the heat of the moment she is definitely loved.  I added some heart and scallop borders as well.  Again these are all from SRM Stickers in their "We've got your border" series which you can find here.

This is what the tube looks like all shook up.  Isn't it pretty?  So far she likes it and has used it.  In face she asked last night if I could make her one to take to school too :)

Valentine Canvas

Oh I am so so excited to share one of my most recent design team projects with you!    I had the idea in my mind to create a Valentine canvas for my kids that could have a pocket on it and I could put treats in it.  When SRM Stickers released their new Glassine Bags and The Scrapbooking Studio had them on hand...it got the wheels spinning!  This is the most fun I have ever had creating an altered project!

Do you see it?  That lovely, fun, glassine bag that I just turned into a heart!  And bonus - it is filled up with suckers!

Yum!  As you can see I also ran the glassine bag thru my Cuttlebug to emboss it.

Here's what it looks like without the suckers...so many fun goodies could fit in here!  Pixie sticks, candy sticks, fun straws, smarties...again, YUM!  And how about the gorgeous stickers from SRM Stickers and Echo Park!  The paper is from the "Love Story" line by Echo Park.  Now how about some pictures to show you how I turned a rectangle bag into a heart and still kept it usable.

 First you need to fold over the bottom corners to create an angled bottom.  The angle starts about half way down the bag. The folds should be onto the backside of your bag.

This is what it looks like from the front.

 The you will lightly fold it in half, don't crease it or do anything permanent. You just need this for your guideline.

 Then trim the top part to look like half a heart.  

Unfold and Voila!  You have a usable glassine bag that now looks like a heart.  Because I attached mine to a canvas I didn't worry about how the back looked.  If you want the back of yours to be seen you could use some cute washi tape over the folds and it would work fabulously!

Thanks for popping by to see this fun project!

Little Yellow Bicycle Winterings

If you are popping in from Little Yellow Bicycle, here is the link to my Winterings Class Post.  Thanks so much for coming by if you follow me or leave me a comment I will be sure to visit you too!  And if you live anywhere near Bloomington or Moline, IL you need to get acquainted with The Scrapbooking Studio...it is the BEST local scrapbooking store you can find!

God Bless You Card

I think I may officially have an addiction to doodling...seriously ever since I got my fabulous uniball white pen I can't stop!  I made this card for a couple different submissions but it didn't get picked up.  That is okay because then I have a card that I personally LOVE to share with y'all!  All the paper is from Amy Tan and it is fussy cut.  I popped up the flowers with some foam tape.  The stripes are from some chevron striped paper.  I cut between each stripe and then rolled them up with a pencil.  It was an experiment, just to try something new and different.  And that my friends is my favorite thing about making cards....experimenting :) My sentiment is...of course none other than SRM Stickers!

Happy Birthday Card

I was so excited to receive an email saying that I had a card picked up for the July/August issue of Paper Crafts Magazine!  This card is another one that I had sent in for their sketch challenge.  It combines a lot of my favorite things:  Washi Tape (by Bella Blvd!), Bella Blvd Letter Stickers, and SRM Stickers!  It obviously didn't get picked up but it still makes me Happy :)

Seen & Noted Layout by Pebbles

I don't think I shared this layout yet...

I've been on a multiple photo layout kick so it is weird to look at one from a whole month ago that has just one photo :).  Love this beautiful line from Pebbles and the subtitle from SRM Stickers!  Lucy and Grandpa love each other so much and it totally shows in this photo!

December CARDS Magazine Publications

It's always fun to finally share these with you!  Here's the two cards I had featured in the December issue.

 This one was for Rub-Ons.  It uses a lot of different product from Piggy Tales, Amy Tan, Momenta, and Bella Blvd!  I knew as soon as I got done with I loved it!  Lots of vibrant colors and edgy design make me happy!

This one was for punches.  Those little tiny hearts up top are punched out from Amy Tan patterned paper!  I cam e up with that idea way late one night when I couldn't sleep.  Everything on here is from Amy Tan except the sentiment (Little Yellow Bicycle)

I checked these ones out in print and they did an amazing (as always) job of photographing them!

Blog Hop Winner

Hey Ange!  You are the winner of my goodies...shoot me an email at practicalscrappers@gmail.com!