March 31 - PBS Projects

I had some projects that were on some PBS shows this year - there will be a clear album I had created on Scrapbook Memories (Episode 1209). I just have to laugh at the supplies and directions since they are obviously NOT for the clear album project shown. And I did a window card in Episode 1204. Unfortunately my PBS station does not carry the show so I don't know if I'll ever get to see them.

I also designed a card similar to this one on the Hands On for Kids show (Episode 1110). I won't post the ingredients and instructions here today since they already list them on the Hands On for Kids site here. But the cards are really fun to make and even though I can't see them on TV, it was cool to find it on their website! If you happen to see either one, can you let me know how it looked? I'd love to hear.

Happy last day of March! :)

March 30 - "A" Page

I really hate it when I get a FABULOUS sheet of patterned paper that I'm in love with both sides. I want to buy two so I don't miss any of the goodness. Well I ran into that when I was working on my cover page (previous post). Then the lightbulb over my head turned on and I thought - DUH. Just use both sides. I need two sides anyway since it is just going into the book. So I just flipped the cover page over and went to work on my "A" page.

"A" Page

Ingredients:

• 6"x6" Pretty in Pink Patterned Paper (Prints Pack Hostess Level 1, Stampin' Up!)
• Pretty in Pink and Kraft cardstock (Stampin' Up!)
  
• Close to Cocoa ink and Stampin' Write pen (Stampin' Up!)
  
• Big Deal alphabet set (Stampin' Up!)
• Scallop Punch (Stampin' Up!)
  
• Pretties Kit (Stampin' Up!)
  

Instructions:

1- Flip your cover page over and stamp your "A" on a strip of kraft cardstock. Write your journaling on the bottom border of that strip then attach it to your page.
2- Trim your photo and mat it with the Pretty in Pink cardstock. With your Stampin' Write marker dot around the edges on the pink mat. Adhere it overlapping your kraft strip on the page then write your caption. In this case it would be your "A" word.
3- Punch a scallop from the Kraft cardstock and dot around the scallop with your Stampin' Write marker. Adhere it to your page then add a flower in the center of the scallop.
4- Insert your finished page in your album!

March 29 - ABC Book Cover Page

I finally started Natalie's ABC Album that I posted back on March 18th. The book I did years ago for Audrey was just a hodgepodge of pages, colors, papers, etc. and there was not a whole lot of organization to it. So this time I wanted to do it a bit different. I decided to use my buddy Natalia's favorite brown and pink.

ABC Book Cover Page

Ingredients:

• 6"x6" Pretty in Pink Patterned Paper (Prints Pack, Hostess Gift - Stampin' Up!)
• Big Deal Alphabet (Stampin' Up!)
• All Scallops Set (Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!)
  
• Pretty in Pink and Kraft cardstock (Stampin' Up!)
  
• Pretties Kit (Stampin' Up!)
• Close to Cocoa ink and Stampin' Write marker (Stampin' Up!)
• Scallop Punch (Stampin' Up!)
• Small Zots and Tape Runner (Therm O Web)
  

Instructions:

1- Print your photo out at a smaller size or crop down a larger photo. Adhere it to a piece of kraft cardstock and trim it down to 5" wide.
2- Write your journaling around the edge of your cardstock. Stamp scalloped stamp on pink cardstock, then punch with scalloped punch.
3- Adhere medium white flower in center of scallop with small zot, then add medium white pearl in the center.
4- Stamp your title at the top, and dot around the title with your Stampin' Write marker.

March 28 - Pencil Bucket

Oh I was in SORE need of a new pencil/pen/scissor holder for my scrap desk. Lucky for me I found these super-cute little buckets at the Target dollar spot this weekend! I can't go to Target without picking up at least one little fun dollar item in that aisle!

The little word tag stickers (I think they are called Word-fetti) are from Making Memories and are one of my absolute favorites - they are printed on a kraft background and will stick anywhere! I mostly use them for journaling, but they are fun for projects like this too.

Pencil Bucket

Ingredients:

• Pink Bucket (Target)
• Rubons (Stampin' Up)
• Rhinestone Circles (Heidi Swapp)
• Wordfetti stickers (Making Memories)

Instructions:

1- Cut out your rub-ons and apply them around the bucket, alternating black and white.
2- Adhere your rhinestone circles - I put pink in the white rub-ons and green in the black rub-ons but you can put whatever colors you want.
3- Add your word stickers - one on the edge of each scalloped rub-on.

And now my pens have a home! :)

March 27 - BFF's Um... Page

Don't know if I ever mentioned how much I am in absolute love with KI Memories Lace Cardstock, but I completely am. This stuff is SO fun to play with! I made this page in less than a half hour - can't beat that! I LOVE that you can have one color on one side and flip it over to have white on the other side. On this page I used both sides of it - now how's that for versatile?

BFF's Um... Page

Ingredients:

• 8 1/2 x 11 Kraft Cardstock
• Bouquet Cosmo Lace Cardstock (KI Memories)
• Pink Bling (unknown)
• Friendly Flowers Stamp Set (Stampin' Up!)
• Schoolbook Serif Alphabet Set (Stampin' Up!)
• Whisper White Craft Ink (Stampin' Up!)
• Basic Black Ink (Stampin' Up!)
• White Signo Pen (Stampin' Up!)
• .08 Black Micron Pen (Sakura)
• Lace Ribbon (Couture Scrapbooking)

Instructions:

1- Stamp your large flower image with basic black along the left side of your page.
2- Cut out a border of flowers from your 12"x12" lace cardstock sheet. You'll get the save the rest for another project in the future! Apply adhesive to the COLOR side. Place it color side down on the left side of your page overlapping your stamped images. Don't worry - they'll show through!
3- Cut out one more large flower and put your adhesive on the back WHITE side. Adhere this over top of one of the large flowers in your border but with the color side showing.
4- Add some rhinestones to the centers of some of your flowers in your border, including the one that has both colors.
5- Add your photo, then adhere your ribbon to the right side of it.
6- Dot around the photo with your Signo pen.
7- Stamp your title with both the white and black ink above your photo.
8- Journal below your photo.

March 26 - Name Frames

No directions today, but this is what I've been working on! I'm going to be doing some local craft shows this coming year with these photo frames - using letters from photos I've taken of some historic Mansfield area signs. I made this one for my friend Jenn who is my craft show partner in crime. :)

I hope to get a website up for them soon, when I do I'll post the link but if you'd like one I'll be adding them to my Etsy store the next few days. If you are local and purchase one I will also send with it a customized card telling you which signs were used to make up your name. Enjoy the weekend and I will be posting more projects tomorrow to get caught up!

March 25 - Family Accordian Frame

I always have extra clear album pages laying around and I love thinking of new ways to put them to use. I love the Pageframe Designs stuff so much and I'm such a pack-rat that there is no way I would throw any of it out. So here's what I did with the latest pages I had left over. This is from one of the smaller albums, but you could honestly use any size pages you wanted for this. And a quick shout out and "THANK YOU" to Suzy who got me these super-fun clear Making Memories die cut shapes from Target that I used on here. Black and silver is my new favorite color combo!

Family Accordian Frame

Ingredients:

• Extra clear album pages (Pageframe Designs)
• Clear die cut shapes (Making Memories)
• Silver elastic cord (Stampin' Up!)
• Transparencies (Hambly ScreenPrints)
• Eyelets (W R Memory Keepers)
• Flowers (Prima)
• Silver chipboard letters (Heidi Swapp)
• Zots (Therm O Web)
• Bind-It-All (Zutter)
  

Instructions:

1- First I flipped two of the pages so that the page holes were at the top. So the order I have them in is PAGE 1 (holes down), PAGE 2 (holes up), PAGE 3 (holes down), PAGE 4 (holes up).
2- Cut holes with the bind it all on the inside sides of the end pages and both sides of the two inside pages.
3- I then took my elastic cord and wound it up the sides lacing the sides together and tied them tight so they wouldn't come undone.
4- I eyeleted flowers in the middle holes of each page, and put just eyelets in the other holes using the Crop A Dile.
5- Then I added my self adhesive clear cut outs, layering my chipboard letters on top.
6- Using Zots I attached my two transparency strips to the BACK of the two pages without the photos.
7- Then I added my photos.

March 24 - Clear Patterned Card

At CHA a month or so ago Pageframe Designs release these clear cards with patterns printed on them - let me tell you these are SO fun to play with. You can whip out the coolest card with lightening speed! You don't need a whole lot of embellishing since the card already has a pattern on it, etc. I plan on doing a clear card class as soon as I get my hands on a larger amount of these so keep an eye out if you'd be interested in taking it.

Clear Patterned Card

Ingredients:

• Clear Card (Pageframe Designs)
• Sugar Coated chipboard letters (Doodlebug Design)
• Patterned Paper (KI Memories)
• Orange cardstock
• Crop-A-Dile and 2 eyelets (W R Memory Keepers)
• Letter stamps & ink (Stampin' Up!)
• White Signo Pen (Stampin' Up!)
• Zots (Therm O Web)
  

Instructions:

1- Peel the protective coating off of the card.
2- Peel the backs off of the chipboard letters and add small Zots to the back. The chipboard letters have adhesive backs, but they are not strong enough to hold onto the card material well enough. The Zots help them stick GOOD. :)
3- Stamp a small strip of cardstock with your name, then adhere it to the card.
4- Punch holes on both sides of the name cardstock strip and add your eyelets with the Crop-A-Dile.
5- Cut your patterned paper to fit on the inside of the card. Write your note, then adhere it to the inside of the card. When closed this will show through a bit so make sure the paper matches the front of your card.

March 23 - Easter Page

HAPPY EASTER!

I hope you are enjoying looking at this blog as I am making stuff to put on it.
I always take SO MANY photos at holidays and I always feel bad if I only include a few on a page after taking so many. Not this time! This was from our 2006 Easter celebrations, and this is a 2-page 24"x12" spread. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter holiday!

Easter Page

Ingredients:

• Twelve horizontal 4"x6" photos.
• Two 12"x12" sheets of cardstock - color doesn't matter, since you are covering them up. So save your pretty colors for another day/project!
  
• 1" x 1" patterned papers - use as many patterns as you like that match well together.
• Pressed Petals Letters
• White Sharpie
• Sewing machine and thread
  

Instructions:

1- Lay your cardstock side by side and arrange your photos on them to cover them up completely. Keep in mind that you will be putting your title and the patterned paper across the middle of the two pages so rearrange them accordingly. Once you get it the way you like it adhere them down.
2- Take your patterned paper pieces and spread them out across your page so they don't cover any important items or people in the photos. Once you get them where you want them adhere them down and sew over them from one side to the other on each of the 12"x12" sheets.
3- Adhere your title letters in the middle of the two pages overlapping these patterned paper pieces you just sewed down.
4- With your white pen write your journaling captions directly on the photos.

March 22 - Large Hanging Star

I have had this "Blessings" sign hanging on the wall by the stairs for years, and the fun little things I had hanging from it had seen better days. So I decided to re-do it. One of my absolute FAVORITE tools (or embellishments...not sure what you would call it) is the silver elastic cord that Stampin' Up! sold in their holiday mini catalog. It's not in the regular catalog so I stocked up, but I certainly hope some day they will include it in the big catalog. I'm on my last roll and I will cry if I run out and can't find more. But that is what this Pageframe Designs star is hanging from.

Large Hanging Star

Ingredients:

• Large Star Shape (Pageframe Designs)
• Kraft cardstock (Stampin' Up!)
• Silver Elastic Cord (Stampin' Up!)
• Eyelets (Stampin' Up!)
• So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (Stampin' Up!)
• Close to Cocoa ink (Stampin' Up!)
• Looks Like Spring Stamp Set (Stampin' Up - retired)
• Crop-A-Dile (W R Memory Keepers)
• Mini Rhinestones
  

Instructions:

1- Trace your star shape onto the cardstock using your acrylic star as the pattern. Cut it out.
2- Roll your jumbo wheel image all over the cardstock star you just made.
3- Attach your photo to the cardstock and trim it to fit the star.
4- Place your star over the top of both the cardstock and photo and punch your eyelet holes using the Crop-a-dile. Clamp down your eyelets.
5- Add Zots on the corners, then if you can see them you can stamp and cut out your flowers and cover them up with those. I also added mini rhinestones in the center of my flowers.
6- String up both sides with your elastic cord and tie in a bow.
7- Hang from your hooks.

March 21 - Friend Mini Book

This past year I never really had much time to tell or show my friends how much I appreciate them, so I'm trying to make up for it now. Can you tell I have a slight (only slight!) addiction to my Bind-It-All? So Couture Scrapbooking just got in their Teresa Collins release from CHA and I'm loving it. These cute little die cut books are SO fun to play with. I made this little book to send to my friend (and SFAM) Becky.

Friend Mini Book

Ingredients:

• Teresa Collins Bella Girl Journal Die Cuts
• Bind-it-All with Pink Binding
• Acrylic Frame (Pageframe Designs)
• "Friendly Flowers" Stamp Set (Stampin' Up!)
• Black Sharpie
• White Signo Pen (Stampin' Up!)
• Rhinestone
• Scalloped Circle Cardstock Sticker (Stampin' Up! - retired)

Instructions:

1- Punch out your pages from the sheet and layer them on top of each other starting with the largest shape on the bottom.
2- Punch the left side of your book with the Bind-It-All.
3- Punch the side of your acrylic shape with the Bind-It-All (you will need to do this separate from the book since it is thicker)
4- Add your binding using the Bind-It-all machine.
5- Stamp your circle through the window of the acrylic frame on the first page of the book.
6- Add your scalloped cardstock circle around your stamped image.
7- Stamp your FRIEND stamp under the frame also on the first cardstock shape.
8- With your black Sharpie dot around the outside of the shape, but not over where your FRIEND stamped image shows through.
9- With your white Signo pen dot around the center of the scalloped cardstock accent.

March 20 - Priceless Layout

I have a Stampin' Up! scrapbook club that meets once a month to create 2 12"x12" scrapbook pages. Let me tell you, we have a blast. So I'm working on this months projects and that's what today's project is - one of the scrap club layouts. I should have a few more kits of this one, if you would want one just let me know.

Priceless Layout

Ingredients:

• Groovy Guava, Always Artichoke & Kraft Cardstock
• Always Artichoke & Close to Cocoa ink
  
• Priceless and Short & Sweet Stamp Sets
• Large Tag Punch
• Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write marker
• Bali Breeze and Spring Fling Designer Series paper
• Silver Elastic Cord
• Mini Bling
• Staple

Instructions:

1- Trim your kraft cardstock to 8 1/2" x 10". Stamp the left side with the large swirl stamp from the Priceless set using Close To Cocoa ink. Mat the Kraft rectangle with your Always Artichoke cardstock

2- Cut a 1 1/2" x 12" strip of the green polka dot paper from the Spring Fling Designer Series set. Mount that on top of your 12" scrap of Always Artichoke.
3- Stamp the polka dotted strip with the round stamp from the Priceless set and stamp the small flower all with Always Artichoke ink. Add small rhinestones to the center of the flowers.
4- Adhere your 3" floral strip from the Bali Breeze Designer Series to the very bottom of your Groovy Guava 12"x12" cardstock.
5- Adhere your Kraft rectangle vertically on the right side, then adhere your green border on the bottom quarter of your page. Leaving room of enough kraft below the border for your journaling.
6- Adhere your photo at an angle on the top portion. Stamp your title below your photo at an angle also. Write your journaling around the sides and top of the photo.
7- Pufhch your tag out of the green polka dot paper and stamp your "Love Ulyou" from the short & sweet set onto the tag.
8- Stamp the heart with Close To Cocoa on the kraft cardstock and cut it out.
9- Tie the elastic cord around the hole in the tag and hold the other end of the Cording under the heart on the left side. Staple in the middle of the heart making sure you are stapling the elastic on as well.
10- Use Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere your tag leaving a little slack in the cording.

Enjoy!

March 19 - Take Out Container

I have a super-sweet friend who sent me a FABULOUS gift this week, and some gifts just call for more than a card sometimes. Her thoughtfulness really brightened my week so I wanted to make her an extra-special Thank You. I had found these cute little clear plastic take-out containers in a package of 6 or 8 (can't remember!) in the gift wrapping section of Target. I put them away in my closet for a rainy day, and am so happy I finally got one out to play around with - they are SO cute!

Take Out Container

Ingredients:

• Clear Take-Out Containers (Target)
• Hershey Kisses
• Big Rhinestones (Frosting, Glitz Designs)
• Little Rhinestones (Heidi Swapp)
• Kraft Grass filler (Target)
• Ribbon (Couture Scrapbooking)
• Rubons (KaiserCraft)
• Super Tape (Therm O Web)
  
• White Pen (Signo, Stampin' Up!)
• Kraft Cardstock (Stampin' Up!)
• Black ink and Thank You stamp (Stampin' Up!)
• Tag Punch (Stampin' Up!)
• CropADile and Eyelet (W R Memory Keepers)

Instructions:

1- Add your large bling Frosting strip to the front and back sides.
2- Add a strip of Super Tape to the back of the ribbon and apply it directly under the bling you just added. Trim edges.
3- Using white pen dot under the ribbon scalloped edge.
4- Apply rubons to the bottom portion of the container.
5- Punch tag out of the kraft cardstock.
6- Stamp your greeting at an angle so both sides of the stamp go off of the tag.
7- Add your strip of small rhinestones at the bottom of the tag.
8- Punch a hole in the top of the tag with your Crop A Dile and attach your eyelet.
9- Ring the keyring around the tag and the handle of the container.
10- Add your grass, then put your Hershey Kisses on top of your grass, then close it up.

March 18 - ABC Album

Today's project is much larger than a one-day project, but I'm excited that I finally got it started. Yesterday I found Audrey's ABC scrapbook up on a shelf in my scrapbook room and we had such a fun time going through it since she hadn't seen it in a while. Even Natalie was loving it, which made me think - where is Nat's?

So I decided to start her album. I had a 6"x6" Stampin' Up! album that I haven't used yet, so I stamped the spine of it and added a ribbon. Then I started my ABC list. I keep it in the album so I can always refer back to it as I make the pages so I don't forget what each letter is. And I ALWAYS write it in pencil because I always end up changing things around and that makes it so much easier.

Natalie just finally started talking a few weeks ago and she has SO many new words for things - I thought this would be the perfect time and way to document all of the things she has been saying. I'm going to try to do the majority of the album with her favorite toys and things to do. I may post some of the pages on here as I get them done, but for now I'm just happy to get a start on it!

ABC Album

Ingredients:

• 6"x6" Album (Stampin' Up!)
• Short Order Alphabet Stamps (Stampin' Up!)
• Rough Edges Mini Alphabet Set (Stampin' Up!)
• Ribbon (Making Memories)
• Black ink (Stazon)

Instructions:

1- Stamp your album title using the Stazon ink on the outside spine of the album.

2- Wrap your ribbon around the cover and tie it in a bow.

March 17 - Binded Clear Tag Album

I had the BEST box show up at my door yesterday! Inside it had a Bind-It-All with some new fun PINK binder wires. I've only used this machine once at a CHA make-n-take, so I was VERY ready to experiment with it! I made a little 4"x3" cardstock book for Audrey to start, then I thought I would try it to see if it would work on a Pageframe.

Well, as you can see on the right - it did! And it worked fabulously! I had to punch each tag in the album separately because of the thickness of it, but I just made sure I lined it up correctly each time and it worked great. Now I have a fun little mini book that I can add my Easter photos to after I take some this weekend. And these fun Making Memories glitter die cuts came from Couture Scrapbooking. I'm instantly sold on just about anything that sparkles, and these were SO fun to use. Plus you get 2 of everything in the package so I can use them again on something else later!

OK, so here are the details! :)
To see the full album just click here.

Binded Clear Tag Album

Ingredients:

• Clear Gift Tags (Pageframe Designs)
• Bind-It-All (Zutter)
• Glitter Die Cuts (Making Memories)
• Bling Flowers (Imaginisce)
• Pearls, Rubons and Big Bling (KaiserCraft)
• White Pen (Signo, Stampin' Up!)
• Crop-a-dile (WRMemory Keepers)
  

Instructions:

1- Using the Bind-It-All, line your first tag up with the bottom of the tag at the bottom of the machine and punch it through. Do the same with the other 3 tags, then also punch the clear flower shape.

2- Dot around your flower shape with a white pen, then place two of the white bling flowers back to back in the center of the clear flower and glue dot them in the center. Attach a center rhinestone on both sides.

3- On the first page attach your "Spring Is Here" tag to the back (but facing through the clear tag) and attach it with an eyelet to the top of the tag. Attach the blue scalloped corners to the front and back of this tag. Add your pearls on top of the front corner.

4- On the second page, add your rubon, then your flower and the rhinestone on top.

5- On the third page add your tag, then overlap it with the bling rectangle. Add the smaller flower in the pack.

6- On the last page just add another tag at the bottom and layer it with bling.

I've been to so many doctor visits this week that I fell behind again (so sorry!) but I'll get caught up FAST and will be posting again daily starting TODAY! So be sure to stop back tomorrow for more fun!

March 16 - Poser Scrapbook Page

I always find it amusing when my scrapbooking style changes dramatically. I have no idea what triggers it, but sometimes I will be in a completely random style, then out of nowhere - the urge to scrap linear hits! Well, can you guess where I am now? The last few pages I have posted have been completely IN-THE-BOX. No idea why, but I'm liking the change!

Well if there is one scrapbook tool that I absolutely cannot live without - it is my extra-fine white water-based Sharpie. So imagine how upset I was when I found out that it is now discontinued. And I left my only remaining one in California at CHA a month ago. *sniff* *sniff* Well, I am happy to announce that I have found a replacement to my dearly beloved white Sharpie - the white Signo pen. It works fabulous on EVERY surface I have tried (which is why I loved my Sharpie so much!) I think you can only order them through Stampin' Up! so if you want one just let me know.

"Poser" Scrapbook Page

Ingredients:

• Kraft cardstock
• Patterned Paper (October Road)
• Felt Letters (American Crafts)
• Flowers (Prima)
• Scallop Punch (Stampin' Up!)
• Rhinestone (KaiserCraft)
• White Signo Pen (Stampin' Up!)

Instructions:

1- Cut 4 coordinating patterns of paper into 3" x 4" rectangles. Attach them in a row across the middle of your page.

2- Trim your photos to ALSO be 3" x 4" rectangles and add them to your page as well directly above or below the patterned rectangles you just added.

3- Add some dots with your white pen on the borders touching the craft background next to your photos.

4- Add the stickers for your title, and journaling below the title.

5- Punch your scalloped circles and adhere them to the center of the second and fourth patterned rectangles. Layer on top of those your flower, then the rhinestone in the center of the flowers.

That's it! Fast and easy page to get your creative juices flowing. Hope you had a great weekend and see you tomorrow!

March 15 - Happy Birthday Tracy! Card

Tracy is one of our buddies over at Couture Scrapbooking who had a birthday on Saturday! So some of the girls made birthday cards for her and posted them in the gallery. Here is my card for Tracy (Happy Birthday Girl!)! :)

For this I just used a small frame shape from Pageframe Designs and the middle part of the card is suspended and hanging from a binder ring. Very simple card but oh so fun to make! You can also write your greeting on the back of the patterned paper.

Birthday Girl Card

Ingredients:

• Clear shape (Pageframe Designs)
• Patterned Paper (Fancy Pants)
• White Signo Pen (Stampin' Up!)
• Rubon (Autumn Leaves)
• Rhinestones (KaiserCraft)
• Crop-A-Dile
• 2 Eyelets
• Elastic or Ribbon

Instructions:

1- Decorate your frame by adding your dots around the edges and punch your hole at the top with the Crop-A-Dile. Add your eyelet to the hole. Add your bling to the corners without the eyelet.

2- Cut your patterned paper to a slightly smaller size than the center of your frame and apply your rubon.

3- Punch a hole in the top corner of your paper and add your other eyelet.

4- Attach your binder ring through both eyelet holes.

5- Finish your card/ornament by adding ribbon or elastic cording to the top for it to hang with.

March 14 - Shadow Box

I have 3 projects ready tonight which will catch me UP with this blog - so here I go - catch me if you can!

I can't remember where I even got this, but I had the funnest time decorating the inside (and outside) of this white shadow box! It now sits on a shelf in my bathroom.

Shadow Box

Ingredients:

• Shadow Box
• Stickers (Sakura)
  
• Souffle and Glaze Pens (Sakura)
• Bling Oval (Heidi Swapp)
• Flower (Prima)
• Stamps and Stazon Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Instructions:

1- First I decorated the outside of the glass by putting the "Sticklers" on (they look like just an outline when you put them on) then I colored them in with the Glaze and Souffle pens and let it dry. The Glaze pens give it a stained glass look once it dries, and the Souffle pens have a more opaque finish.

2- Mat your photos then add them to the background just like you would to a scrapbook page. I used the white background it came with, but you can cut patterned paper to use or whatever you would want to do.

3- The background on this was kind of glossy so I stamped my date, letters and images with black Stazon so it wouldn't smear or bead up.

4- Embellish to your hearts desire, then assemble your finished box and display proudly!

March 13 - Simple Cards

So many times I get caught up in the mindset that cards I make have to be these astoundingly creative masterpieces. Probably because I do more scrapbook pages usually than cards. Pages sit in your album and are enjoyed (hopefully!) year after year by you and your loved ones. And for all I know - the card I just made and set could make it into the dreaded FILE 13 before the day is through. You just never know! So while I still do love really cool, fancy cards - I really need to remember that they don't always need to be that way. SIMPLE IS GOOD!

So last night at the crop I went to (sniff, sniff - I'll miss cropping with you Suzy, Shannon, Joan, Connie, Mary and all of my other regular cropping buddies!) I had a few minutes left before I had to clean my stuff up, so I just put together a card that probably took me about 5 minutes or less.

A Little Birdie Told Me Card

Ingredients:

• Kraft cardstock (Stampin' Up!)
• Ribbon (Making Memories)
• Rubons (Hambly Screenprints)
• Stamps and Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Instructions:

1- Cut and score your cardstock for your card.

2 - Cut a slit the size of your ribbon through BOTH the front and back of your card at the bottomish (yes, that is a word! LOL) right hand side. Use Zots or SuperTape to attach your ribbon to your card on the outside and wrap it around, then pull your two sides through the front and back so the ends come in to the inside of the card. When your card is done you can just tie this into a knot to keep it closed.

3- Add your rubons and stamp your greeting!

Hope you have a FANTASTIC weekend! :)

March 12 - Scrap A Larger Frame

Please don't hate me because I'm posting another frame, but I had so much fun making this. I used to have snowmen all over my downstairs bathroom when I didn't know any better. :) Well, I redid the bathroom and banished all of the snowmen items to the basement. I was down there the other day doing laundry and saw this frame that used to have a snowman picture inside that I had bought at a craft show. So I took it out and scrapped the inside. And a little on the outside. And now I like it much better and it is no longer collecting dust in the basement! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Scrap A Larger Frame

Ingredients:

• Frame of your choice
• Patterned paper (Making Memories)
  
• Cardstock
• Rubons (Stampin' Up!)
  
• Stamps and Ink (Stampin' Up!)
• Large Paper Flower (Bazzill)
• Scallop Punch (Stampin' Up!)
• Glitter Brad (Doodlebug)

Instructions:

1- Start with the outside of the frame by adding your rubons and flowers.

2- Next start with the inside by just using the old picture as your background. Layer your cardstock/paper on top the way you want it.

3 - Add your title.

4- Add your photo.

And that is it! Today's project will be posted a little later tonight, so be sure to check back! Have a GREAT Thursday!

March 11 - Chipboard Magnets

Well, I've been creating - just not blogging, so I'm playing blog catch up today!

What is one of my favorite things to do? Make fun things into magnets! That's hard for a person married to a person who hates clutter on the fridge, but I can usually squeeze a few on there without him noticing.

Now I have had these ProvoCraft chipboard pieces for years now and I love them SO much but I've never been able to use them on a page. So I finally thought - I'll make them into fridge magnets! Did you know that you can make almost ANYTHING you want into a magnet? The hobby stores all sell magnet strips - some flat in a pack and some in a roll, but they are sticky on one end - just peel and stick to whatever you want turned into a magnet and there you go! Now I usually buy the roll because you get more for your buck(s), but the problem with the roll is that when you go to stick them onto something the sticky stuff tends to start coming off and the magnet will curl. It can get pretty pesky. So I would recommend buying the flat strips if that kind of thing bothers you. :) Well, enjoy todays project and post a comment if you make any magnets - I'd love to hear about them/ see them!

Chipboard Magnets

Ingredients:

• Chipboard shape (Provocraft)
  
• Magnet strips
• Rhinestones (Heidi Swapp)
• White Pen (Signo)
• Rubons (7gypsies & My Minds Eye)

Instructions:

1- Take your chipboard piece you are using for your magnet and just decorate it to your liking!

2- Turn your chipboard over and add your magnet strip.

March 10 - Clipper Frame

"Hi. My name is Holly and I am a picture frame addict."
:) Can you tell yet by reading this blog?

My latest choice for addiction are the clipper frames by 7gypsies. Oh my I cannot tell you how much I just LOVE these frames! They are like a clipboard, but with a regular picture frame easel on the back so they stand up like a frame. There is a 5"x7" piece of glass clipped to the front that you slip your photo under.

I'm currently planning a Home Decor workshop where you can come and make a few different (and completely fun) home decor projects to take home and display in your house, and this will be one of them. Keep watching here for more details if you are local. Or if you're not local and would like a kit/instructions keep your eye out here too and I'll let you know where you can get them if they are available. :)

Clipper Frame

Ingredients:

• Clipper Frame by 7gypsies
• Pearls and Rubons by KaiserCraft
• Alpha Stamps by Stampin' Up!

Instructions:

1- Take glass out and flip it over. Apply your rubon to this backside of the glass (that way the rubon won't get chipped off by the clip). TIP - Make sure your rubon is two-sided before you apply it because the back side of your rubon will be what shows through to the front.

2- Slide your photo under the glass, then clip it onto the board.

3- Embellish the outside of the glass and the board with Pearls.

4- Stamp your name/caption on a piece of cardstock and slip inside the bookplate.

And that's it! Really fast and really easy - it doesn't get any better than that!!!

March 9 - Winter Page

I can't believe I've been doing this for over a week now and haven't done a page yet! Well, that's about to change - I did one tonight to share. My biggest inspiration in creating a page is when I have great photos that I'm excited about. Well with 19 inches of snow in our backyard, I got some great photos of the girls playing in it today which inspired this page. Not your typical winter colors, but the papers and embellies matched their coats so well. And speaking of fabulous embellishments - I happen to have the inside scoop that Natalia over at Couture Scrapbooking is getting some really fun and NEW embellishments from an Australian company called KaiserCraft this week, and I used some of them on my page. The journaling and border rubons are theirs, as well as the super cute pearls and colored rhinestone. Oh you are going to LOVE this stuff!

OK, enough talk...enjoy the page!

Winter Page (12"x12")

Ingredients:

• Patterned Paper by Stampin' Up!
• Rubons by KaiserCraft & Basic Grey
  
• Pearls and Rhinestones by KaiserCraft
• Black Sharpie Paint Pen

Instructions:

This is a very simple page - doesn't even have a title.

1- Trim your 3 photos to 4"x4".

2- Trim your patterned paper to six 4"x4" squares.

3- Lay them out the way you want them to look on a piece of cardstock backing then adhere them once you get it to look like you want it to.

4- Add your rubons, then add your pearls and rhinestones on those.

5- Journal in the journaling rubons.

DONE! Talk about a fast page!
Hope you had a great weekend and "see" you tomorrow!

March 7 - Altered Photo Frame

Today's project is a quick one!
This is a smaller frame - 4"x6". Not painted, I bought it black. I usually use a lot more colors than this, so it pushed me out of my box a bit but I do love how it turned out. This makes a fun and fast gift for grandmothers, aunts, etc.

Altered Photo Frame

Ingredients:

• 4"x6" Photo Frame
• Patterned Paper (Kaiser)
  
• White Signo Pen
• Bling (Prima)
  
• Rubons (Stampin' Up!)
• Fabric Flower
• Rhinestone

Instructions:

1 - Cut your patterned paper to the 4"x6" size.

2 - Crop a 4"x6" photo to a smaller size so some of your patterned paper will show around it.

3 - Apply your rubons to your photo (or leave it alone) and adhere it to your paper. Insert your photo and paper into the frame, close it up.

4 - Draw your dots on the frame with the white pen or doodle - whatever works with your frame!

5 - Embellish the outside and display your finished frame!

We're in the midst of a blizzard here, so I'll be creating a bunch tomorrow - be sure to stop back!

March 6 - Photo Flower Vase

I've been having a blast making some fun and funky things for my little Etsy store - which is the inspiration of todays project. I spent the morning creating some fun little mini jars and vases with paper and fabric flowers, and this one has a little clip added so that you can clip a fun little photo to it. And I'm not sure what was more fun - making the flowers or decorating the vases/jars, but this was a blast to make.

Photo Flower Vase

Ingredients:

• 4" tall clear glass jar
• Green wire
• Marbles
• Sheer ribbon (May Arts)
• Rubon (Stampin' Up!)
• White Signo Pen
• Rhinestones
• Scalloped Punch (Stampin' Up!)
• Pixie Pink ink (Stampin' Up!)
• Ginormous Flowers stamp set (Stampin' Up!)
• White Clip (Making Memories)
• Crocheted flower (Fancy Pants Designs)
• Fabric Flowers (Stampin' Up!)
• Zots (Therm O Web)
  

Instructions:

1 - To decorate your vase just fill it with the marbles, apply your rubon, attach a rhinestone in the middle of the rubon with a Zot, then dot around the flower and the rhinestone with the white Signo pen. Tie your sheer ribbon around the top of the jar.

2 - Take your wire and halfway through loop it so that it looks like you are holding an X with the loop at the bottom of the X. Adjust it so one side is longer than the other. Stick it into the jar and move the marbles around so they hold the wire in place.

3 - Make two identical flowers, then cut a 3-D zot halfway up the middle and place the top of your wire in that slit. Sandwich the two flowers together around the Zot/wire.

4 - Repeat step #3 with your bigger flower.

5 - Attach your photo with the clip on the longer wire stem.

Have a great day, enjoy making vases and jars and hope you stop back tomorrow!

March 5 - Life Is Good Card

My today project is a super-quick card with one of my favorite new stamp sets! The patterned paper and stamp set are from the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini catalog.

Life Is Good Card

Ingredients:

• Afternoon Tea patterned paper (SU!)
• She's All That Stamp Set (SU!)
  
• Spunky Spots Jumbo Wheel (SU!)
  
• Whisper White, Black and Soft Sky cardstock (SU!)
• Soft Sky, Black and White craft ink (SU!)
• Ribbon Slide (SU! Hodgepodge Hardware Kit)
• White Signo Pen (SU!)

Instructions:

1 - Stamp black image on white cardstock.

2 - Let dry and add your white dots around the dress and the poodle's collar with the white signo pen.

3 - Roll the jumbo wheel across the card with Soft Sky ink.

4 - Cut a small strip of patterned paper and slide it through the ribbon slide. Adhere it on top of your wheeled image.

5 - Stamp your message on the black cardstock, then adhere the large white rectangle and then the smaller black rectangle on top.

March 4 - Friend Mini Bucket

One of my absolute favorite places in the whole wide world is the Target Dollar Spot aisle at my local Target store! I LOVE the inspirational stuff I find there - I can almost always find something fun and funky to alter or decorate for just $1!

So...today I got out one of these cute little Easter buckets that I got a few weeks ago from there. I will probably end up doing this as one of the projects for a SU! workshop I'm having in a few weeks.

This is a super-fast item to make and you can fill it with just about anything - jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, mini chocolate eggs, whatever looks good!

Friend Mini Bucket

Ingredients:

• Mini pink polka dotted bucket from Target
• Love & Happiness rubons (SU! Sale-a-bration)
• Ginormous Flowers stamp set (Stampin' Up!)
• Pixie Pink ink (Stampin' Up!)
  
• Flower Punch (Stampin' Up!)
• Green felt flowers (Stampin' Up!)
• Rhinestone brads (Pretties Kit, Stampin' Up!)
• Crop-a-dile
  
• White pen

Instructions

1 - Apply your friend rubon to the front of your bucket

2 - Stamp and Punch out your pink flowers, layer your felt flowers on top then stick your brad in the middle. Don't clasp the brad closed yet.

3 - Using your Crop-a-dile, punch two of the small hole setting through your bucket (punches SO easy!)

4 - Stick your bradded flowers through the holes and spread open the clasp in the back (which is in the inside of your bucket)

Told you it was fast! Thanks for visiting and see you tomorrow!

March 3 - Clear Tag Card

My best friend Amy lives clear across the country and I miss her! So I made her a quick card to send her this morning out of one of the new patterned clear tags from Pageframe Designs. Rubons were applied to the front, and a piece of patterned paper was clipped on the back. Then just write your message or note on the back of the piece of patterned paper. Use a 2-sided piece to make things more interesting!

This tag is the perfect size to fit into a normal card envelope, just keep in mind that you may need to add a little more postage to it due to the thickness the clip adds and the weight of the tag.

Clear Tag Card

Ingredients:

• Patterned clear tag by Pageframe Designs
• Patterned Paper by Fancy Pants Designs
• Rubons by Rhonna Farrer for Autumn Leaves
• Clip by Making Memories
  
• Bling
• Ribbon
• White Souffle pen by Sakura
• Small Zots by Therm O Web
  

Instructions:

1 - Cut out and apply your rubon to the front of the tag.

2 - Attach your rhinestones to the front in empty dots with the small Zots.

3 - Use your white pen to put mini dots around the big dots you added the bling to.

4 - Peel the protective coating off of the back of the tag, then clip your patterned paper to the back of the tag.

5 - Add your ribbon and you are finished!

March 2 - Bath & Body FUN

My cousin Lorrie is a manager at a Bath & Body Works, so as you can imagine I have a TON of those little small sized lotions. I could never use them all, but I've been thinking of ways to jazz them up and give them away as gifts and thought that this would be a good day to play around with one. I have a Stampin' Up! workshop coming up in a few weeks and thought this would be a fun thing to include with the hostess gift. Of course you can apply this to just about anything you want like a can of nuts or coffee, just be creative with whatever it is you're altering!

Body Lotion Gift

Ingredients:

• Strip of whisper white cardstock cut into a 5 1/2" x 1 3/4" strip, and a 1/2" strip (SU!)
  
• "It's Beautiful" Jumbo Wheel (SU!)
• "Love & Friendship" Rubons in Brown (from SU! Sale-A-Bration Mini)
• "Friendly Flowers" Stamp Set (SU!, used on tag)
• Stampin' Up! River Rock ink
  
• Super Tape
• Metal Rimmed Tag

Instructions:

1 - Roll the jumbo wheel onto your white cardstock strips with the River Rock ink.

2 - Attach one strip of the Super Tape on the back of each side of the strips. Wrap the larger strip around the bottom part of the lotion bottle, and the small strip around the top.

3 - Add your rubons to the large strip.

4 - Take the ring off of your metal rimmed tag and stamp it. Then place your rubon on top and apply it. Replace your ring.

5 - Tie the ring on to the cap with ribbon, string, whatever looks good with your design.

And that's it! A fun and fast gift!
Hope you have a great Sunday and see you tomorrow. :)

March 1 - Painted Frame Wall Collage

I'm not a big fan of talking about my personal life - I like to keep it just that, personal. Which is why I've never kept up on the blogs I've started. So today I'm starting fresh. Since I no longer have my web design company and no longer work an ungodly amount of hours each day (yay!), I've challenged myself to get into my scrapbook room for at the least a few minutes everyday and MAKE SOMETHING EVERYDAY. Whether it is a bigger project or just a card or embellishment that takes a few minutes, I'm going to do it. It makes me happy to create fun things, so even on my worst days I'll have at least a few minutes of happy! I've started this blog to hopefully inspire you to do the same, and maybe give you some ideas along the way. I won't be talking about my personal life or anything like that on here, only fun creative projects EVERY DAY.

My latest project is a photo frame collage in my dining room. I ran to the grocery for a quick shop the other day and walked in just as they were marking these cheesy looking pictures down 75% off. The photos inside weren't anything to write home about (probably why they were on sale) but the frames they were in definitely had potential. They had all different sizes - even some 12" x 12" frames! So I bought a bunch of different frames and sizes for about $1 or $2 each.

I came home, emptied my dining room wall, and have been painting the frames all eggshell white. Then scrapbooking the insides with my favorite family photos. I've got 3 done so far (left), and will just keep adding more until it looks "done". So far it has been a blast. The header of the blog above has a close up of one of the 12" x 12" frames that are on the wall already. And the one I did yesterday is posted below with the "ingredients" - it was a super-fast frame! If the frame is fancy enough like the frame below you really don't need a whole lot of embellishments, just a good photo and a few extras to jazz it up a little!

There are SO many ways and places to find cheap frames that you can decorate - try checking your local dollar store, or thrift store and garage sales and flea markets would also be a perfect place. Antique frames would obviously be very cool, but they tend to be expensive and I would find it hard to convince myself to do anything destructive to it. Even the cheesiest looking frame can have a COMPLETELY different look to it once it has a fresh coat of paint - then you also have control over what color(s) it becomes. And don't forget to check your basement, attic and closets! You never know what frames you may uncover that you aren't using any more!

You Make Me Happy Painted Frame

Ingredients:

• 8" x 10" Frame
• Making Memories Manila Scrapbook Paint
• Fancy Pants Patterned Paper
• Crocheted Ribbon
• Stampin' Up! Love & Happiness Rubons

Instructions:

1 - Take the back out of your frame and paint the frame with your scrapbook paint. This frame was darker so it took 3 coats of paint. Use as many coats as needed to have the effect you want.

2 - I cut my paper to an 8" x 10" size, and adhered my photo.

3 - Laying the glass on top I then rubbed on my rub-on ON THE TOP of the glass. This gives the frame a cool 3-D effect by creating a little bit of a shadow under the rubon.

4 - I adhered my ribbon at the bottom of my paper and added the rubon caption right under the photo directly on the paper.

5 - Once the frame had completely dried, I assembled it all and hung it on the wall.

See you tomorrow! :)