Scrappin' Around the Clock

Sketch-y Friday

2012-01-27T06:40:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

Can you believe January is drawing to a close! Has yours flown by? Tomorrow I am fortunate and thankful to be heading to CHA with ScrapMuch?, i cannot wait to see all the new scrappy goodness releases! How lucky am I!

Here is your weekly sketch!

Keep popping in, even though I will be away, I will have new posts coming up on the blog.

Have a great day!
Laura
xoxo

Funshine

2012-01-26T05:43:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

I have a quick share for you today, I created this layout at a ScrapMuch? crop earlier this month, I finally got around to taking some pictures so that I can share it.

These pictures were taken poolside up north at the park where our trailer is.

This sun was cut from a patterned paper.

The title is created by combining a rub on and a thicker letter.

Layering a rub on, a die cut and flowers creates a summery embellishment cluster.

Thanks so much for visiting!
Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Shaped Cards

2012-01-25T05:22:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

Shaped cards are so pretty, and I know you can buy the bases but then you don't get to really choose a colour that coordinates with your pattern paper. So for today's tutorial I wanted to show you an easy way to make shaped cards.

As always gather your materials...

I am going to make 2 cards, one using a butterfly die and one using a label die. They are about 4 x 4 inches. Why not make two at once, everything is out and ready to go, if you use scraps from the same collection you even have matching papers our and ready.

For each I have chosen a cards base slightly larger than the die.

Now run each die and card base through your die cutting machine.

The only thing you have to make sure to do is lower the top folded edge of your card base about a 1/2 inch below the top of the die. Like so......

You will end up with this....

Here is another view point for you......

Next, cut out a full die cut the same size and shape as your card in any paper you would like.

Adhere these to the fronts of your card bases. so the cards now look like this.

Now embellish as desired.

Here is a look at the other card.

There you have it! Quick, easy and cute!

Thanks for popping by!

Laura
xoxo

luv u

2012-01-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

We are back from our trip and I have been spending a fair bit of time editing our photos. Editing videos is next on my list but I am procrastinating because I am not very adept at it! lol So instead of doing that< I took a few photos of some layouts.... some I can't share right now, you will have to wait until February 1st for the big reveal!

But, I did want to share this layout .....

I could scrapbook this face any day of the week. How do you feel about using pink on a boy's layout? I really don't mind it, in fact I sometimes love it. I think it really depends on the picture and the theme. The colours in these papers really pick up the colours of his sweet little mouth. The background paper with all the hearts cut out of it was left over from another project, as i was about to throw it out, an idea hit me and I saved it for this page.

Thank you for popping in to see what I have been creating!
Laura

Sketch-y Friday

2012-01-20T06:38:00.000-05:00

Hall all!

Happy Friday, and sketch day!

Enjoy! And thanks for checking in with me!

Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - using those negative die cuts

2012-01-18T06:06:00.002-05:00

Hello!

Happy Wednesday! Are you ready for your tip of the week? Today I am going to show you what to do with the piece of paper you have left after you make a die cut.

You know we all like to make die cuts to doll up our projects, with hand crank machines or the electrical ones. Well, if you plan things right you can use the reverse or negative image as well!

This is a basic die cut image, from my Cuttlebug.

Now, I know you know how to use these... like this on a card or other type of project.

But what if you use the negative part as well? Just be a little more careful with the piece of paper you are making your die cut from... taking care where to place the die before cutting.

And then you can make something like this card, using the negative space to let the patterned paper show through. Of course you could always use a piece of paper with even more negative images on it.

Cute, right? And easy too! For every card you are making die cuts for, you can potentially make two cards. Or better yet, for every page layout you make die cuts for, you can use the negative image along with your scraps to make a card!

This card was made for my Mom, I hope she has it by now, I mailed it off in advance as we are enjoying the sunshine (I hope) in Cuba right now! Happy Birthday Mom!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!
Laura
xoxo

Happy Birthday Ian!

2012-01-15T06:27:00.001-05:00

Hello all!

Today is my husband's birthday and hopefully as you are reading this we have arrived safe and sound with our children in tow, in Cuba., where we decided to celebrate his 50th. You can't ask for a better gift than some R & R in the sunshine!

But I did want to share the cards that I made for him.....

This first one, I made while with my card making friends. Our friend Mary taught us this technique, isn't it fun? And perfect for this occasion!

I also made him another card.... this one was inspired from his love for fishing (and because we have been thinking about our trailer up north a lot lately).

I thought this sentiment was fitting, too!

Happy Birthday Ian, I love you to the core.

Laura
xoxo

Sketch-y Friday, some cards and a trip!

2012-01-13T06:25:00.040-05:00

Hi all!

I am super excited today! Tomorrow my hubby, my three boys and myself are traveling to Cuba! We are going to celebrate my hubby's 50th birthday there! We also have several friends coming as well, so that will make it extra fun and extra memorable. But the best part is, this is the first time we have managed to get all 3 of our boys away with us at the same time, since forever.... ever since we adopted out youngest, our big boys have had jobs, and school commitments that have precluded us from all going on vacation together, so this is beyond exciting! This is also our first tropical vacation, other than Disney we haven't traveled outside of Canada, we didn't even have a honeymoon. So this trip is very BIG for us!

Anyway.... I'm guessing you didn't stop by for my babbling! Here is your weekly sketch.....

I also have a few cards to share.....

Once a month or so, I get together with a group of ladies to make cards. Typically we each create 2 cards and bring the 'ingredients' for the other 4 of us to create these cards. So at the end of the night, we all go home with 10 cards. The best part is we are able to teach each other a tip or technique, too!

We are getting together tonight, and these are the two cards that I am sharing....

As you can see this is a clear card, featuring spring greens and blues (are you as ready for spring as I am?) . The front features a Spellbinder scalloped rectangle with one of the sides but straight to line up with the edge of the card. I used PTI stamps and butterfly die as well as some random embellishments from my stash. i don't know if you can tell but in the centre of the butterfly in the word 'dream' I traced over this with a glitter pen to add a bit of punch to it.

This Valentine card features some Jillibean patterned paper, a CTMH key, heart and sentiment stamp, a felt flower cut with a MFT die, a canvas Spellbinders scalloped heart, a dollar store doily and an Epiphany epoxy embellishment.

I also want to share this card that I created for a previous card club get together....

I really wanted to use pink on a holiday card. The background pink cardstock has been embossed with a Cuttlebug snowflake folder,then I cut a piece of cork with a Spellbinder label die and then cut a Sizzix snowflake in centre. The bling is made with my Epiphany. Some bakers twine by MME and an American Crafts rub on sentiment (love these) wrap it all up.

Keep popping by, I have crafty stuff scheduled for you during the week I am away!

Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Embedded Die Cut Shapes

2012-01-11T05:35:00.000-05:00

Hello there!

Okay, I must say I don't really know what this is called, so that is what I am calling it! lol I learned this technique from my card making friend, Diane (thanks girl!). And it's too fun not to share.

Start out by gathering your supplies, you will need an embossing folder with a small all over pattern, a small die and a supply of papers.

After die cutting your shapes, adhere them onto your background paper (I'm make a card in this example) and place the whole thing in the embossing folder and emboss as usual. (Sorry about he fuzzy picture.)

This is what you will end up with.

Here is a little close up. Cool eh? It looks like it's all one sheet of paper!

Next, for my card I adhered this whole piece to a card base and embellished it.

Finished product.

Now, I made this card for my friend Jenn! Happy Birthday, Jenn. I hope you have a great day (week/month/year!).

And thank you all for popping in to see what I have been up to!
Happy Crafting!
Laura
xoxo

Butterfly Thank you card

2012-01-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hi there

I found this card on my desk and realized that I had forgotten to share it, so you get to check it out now....

I seem to recall being inspired from an issue of Papercrafts but it has been so long since I made it and should have posted it, that I do not recall the details. Sorry.

papers: Jillibean
rubons: CTMH, American Crafts
Pearls: Kaisercraft
button: misc.

Thanks for popping in!
Laura

Sketch-y Friday

2012-01-06T06:19:00.001-05:00

Hello!

Wow, we are almost through our first week in January! Tomorrow I will be at the big sale and crop that ScrapMuch? is hosting, you can read about it here. I am looking forward to scrapping, getting a deal or two (who am I kidding, I'm sure I will buy more that two things!) and I am looking forward to seeing all of my scrappy friends again!

Here is your weekly sketch...

Have a great weekend!
Laura
xoxo

Playing along with Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger

2012-01-05T19:40:00.002-05:00

Hello all!

When I saw this week's Tuesday Trigger over at the Moxie Fab World blog, I knew I just had to play along. Here is the inspiration photo.....

Don't you just love this quilt with the numbers in all sorts of fun, vibrant colours ?

It took a couple of hours for an idea to hit me but this is what I cam e up with....

I used my Cricut to cut out numbers from a variety of cardstock colours in 1 inch and 1.5 inch sizes. Once they were adhered to a white cardstock, I ran it through my Cuttlebug using an embossing folder with a fairly small pattern. i love how it makes the card look quilted, just like the Trigger inspiration photo! It also makes the numbers look like they are embedded right into the background. I carried on the numbers theme with a large foam 5, figuring this would make a sweet kids birthday card.

Thank you for popping by!
Laura
xoxo

Motley Crew

2012-01-05T05:23:00.000-05:00

Hi friends!

I thought I'd share a photo of my Motley Crew, taken on Christmas day.

From left to right - my hubby Ian, our Olde English Bulldogge Mollie (nope she is not a Boxer), our eldest Chris (22), our youngest Timmy (8), our middle boy Jon (20) and Me.

Thanks for humouring me,
Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday -Hand Stitched Title

2012-01-04T05:33:00.000-05:00

Hi there,

I have been meaning to share this technique for a while now, but i guess better late than never works here! Actually, it's not a bad time as this makes a 'wintery' sort of title, as it looks a little like yarn or darning. Which to me feels like a winter sort of fiber.

Let's gather our supplies.....

You will need, a piece of cardstock in the colour of your choosing, pencil, paper piercer, large eyed needle, embroidery floss or baker's twine, and a white eraser.

Start off by writing your title, sentiment, initials on the cardstock. Try doing it lightly, mine is a little dark for the benefit of the camera.

Next pierce around your title, you will want to make your holes closer together on curvier parts of the letters.

Now go ahead and stitch in whatever method you like. I like to go ahead 2 holes on top and back 1 hole on the reverse, to get a nice full embroidery line. If you need to dot and "i" or "j", simply go up the hole, tie a knot or two and go back down the same hole (this is called a french knot, if you care).

Now go back and removed any pencil lines that didn't get covered.

And voila, a title... you can frame it or put it on a tag, whatever you like.

I recommend doing your first few onto tags or a scrap piece of cardstock that you can matt and mount, as opposed to right onto your card or layout. Until you get really confident at it.

That's it, it's that easy. And a nice change from what we normally use! Go ahead and give it a whirl.

Thanks for stopping in today!
Laura
xoxo

Playing along with ScrapMuch?'s Colour Challenge

2012-01-03T06:12:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

There is a new monthly colour challenge being launched over at ScrapMuch?.

Today the first challenge was launched. We are to create a project, of any type, with these colours.

I created this card as a sample.....

Why don't you pop on over to their blog and join in on the fun!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Laura
xoxo

He {hearts} fishin'

2012-01-02T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hi friends!

Yesterday I spent the day in my pj's doing a little creating. I made a few cards to share with my card club friends ( I will share them next week) and I created this layout....

Thanks for popping in! Hope you get some play time, too!
Laura
xoxo

January Reveal

2012-01-01T06:04:00.004-05:00

Hello and Happy 2012!

It seems almost surreal that 2011 is done and gone! It was such a busy year year and full of change for us, that it doesn't quite seem like it should be over. Here is to a great 2012 for all!

For this month's reveal, I was given Jillibean Soup's Christmas Eve Chowder to play with as well as a plethora of MME baker's twine. I do really love this collection, though it is a little outside my Christmas comfort zone, with the pinks and blues in the line. I am more of a red and gold Christmas gal myself! But seeing as it is so cute, I was looking forward to working with it.

My first layout documents a tradition of going for hot chocolate after we cut down our Christmas Tree.

Frothy Fun

This layout is fairly simple, so I wanted to make sure my embellishments help to depict my theme. I cut out a little mug with my Cricut to highlight the hot chocolate theme, and added some Liquid Applique to represent the whipped cream. Whipped cream always make hot chocolate more festive! Glittery snowflakes and little handmade flags doll up the upper corner of the layout and a coating of Glossy Accents enhance the alpha stickers. Some blanket stitching is also winter reminiscent.

Snow Day

Why is it that a snow day makes the day extra special? It seems to bring out the kid in all of us, we drop everything to shovel and play in the snow with our kids. Definitely a day worth documenting!

Using pop dots to layer die cut embellishments, lots of stitching and a variety of pattern paper layers, as well as some glittery snow hanging above my photo add lots of texture to my layout.

I also added glitter here and there to the snowflakes on my base / background paper by placing glue dots to the centre of the snowflakes and sprinkling them with glitter. A fun and easy way to doll up the page. Some of these snow flakes even got a little more attention as I stitched snowflakes over top of the snowflakes with MME baker's twine.

Santa Paws

When I found out a couple of weeks ago that our local SPCA, was offering a photo session with Santa for pets (humans welcome too) with proceeds going to benefit the shelter, I knew we had to take our Mollie to have her photo done. As it turns out it was a double bonus, since Timmy at 8.5 feels he is now too old to have his picture taken with Santa (boo) although he does still believe so I am thankful for that.

For this layout I really wanted to focus on the Christmas tree, as that is one of my favourite things about the holidays.... I love Christmas Trees! I stitched a tree with MME baker's twine and made the trunk out of Jillibean stickers. Some punch circles with added glitter adorn my tree. And some little hand cut trees embellish another area of the layout.

I also wanted to make a birthday card, showing first of all how versatile this paper collection is and secondly giving a bit of a nod to all of our friends and family members with wintery birthday. Using the Jillibean stickers and a American Crafts rub-on to create my wintery birthday sentiment as well as the addition of a punched snowflake reinforce my theme.

It turns out that I really enjoyed this collection and couldn't stop playing with it! So I kept on going!

Have you noticed the big "Subway Art" trend lately? It's graphic and beautiful and goes with almost any decor theme. You can buy real vintage pieces like this one, that hung in a NewYork subway in the mid 1900's.....

I would love to own one of these. They come in all shapes and sizes and are offered as reproductions or originals.

You can also find this type of 'subway art', newer trendier types that depict family rules or mantras, available in a multitude of themes.

Well I decided to create one of my own to hang up at our house for New Year's, have a look....

It is pretty simple to do. Just list some words or phrases that reflect on your theme and stack them up in your Word program on your computer changing up the fonts and colours so that the phrases are all about the same width.

A simple banner and layered die cuts embellish my framed piece.

And that's it! Thank you for stopping by my blog to see what I have been creating this past month!

Laura
xoxo

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T06:15:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a joyful and Happy New Year!

Laura

xoxo

Sketch-y Friday

2011-12-30T06:17:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

I hope Santa was good to you and you are all enjoying the holidays. Are you managing to get any crafty time in?

Here is your weekly sketch....

Happy New Year!

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Another use for your decorative corner punches

2011-12-28T05:56:00.002-05:00

Hi all!

It's Wednesday and I am here with another tip for you! If you are like me you probably have a huge cache of punches.... border punches, shape punches, corner punches, around the page punches..... and the list goes on! Recently I came across a post on Little Yellow Bicycle's blog, showing another way to use the corner punch. You know the ones that coordinate with the border punches to punch all the way around a sheet of card stock. Well, I knew I just had to share this great tip!

As always, start of with gathering your supplies....

You will need a circle (size of your choosing) of paper, and your corner punch of choice.

Now make your first punch, like so.

I know it's hard to tell in the photo but look really closely (or enlarge the picture) and you will notice that start the next punch by overlapping the edge of the previous punch. Continue your way around the paper in this same manner. When you come to the last bit, you may have to overlap a little more or a little less depending on your spacing and circle size.

You can do this with any size of circle, here are a few examples for you.

You will probably want to play with this with scrap paper for a bit, and don't worry about being a perfectionist. You may have one section slightly wonky (technical term) that's okay, as by the time you use this piece of your project, it is unlikely the piece will show in it's entirety.... that's what embellishments are for, right?

Anyway, it's super easy and a great way to add some fun to your page.

Thanks for popping in!
Laura
xoxo

Sewing Reveal

2011-12-27T05:40:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

Do you remember way, way back in September when I was doing a bunch of sewing? Well the little window treatment I made for my bathroom finally got installed and I wanted to share the finished project. It is nothing fancy, since I can't use a pattern or sew anything other than a somewhat straight line, but it's cute and fits in well with the decor.

Thanks for stopping by!
Laura
xoxo

Happy Holidays

2011-12-24T06:11:00.000-05:00

Hello!

From my home to yours I wish you a very happy holiday season in all that you celebrate and wish for!


photo credit - The Graphic Fairy

Laura
xoxo

Sketch-y Friday

2011-12-23T05:35:00.000-05:00

Hello!

It's Friday again! And almost the holidays, do you have some time off? Will you be squeezing in some scrappy time? I hope so, and I hope I will to.

Here is your sketch of the week....

Thanks for popping in!

Enjoy your holidays.
Laura
xoxo

A little festive gift

2011-12-22T06:04:00.001-05:00

Hi there!

I just wanted to share a simple little gift I put together for a few girlfirends.

I whipped up some candy cane white chocolate bark. (Melt 2 packages of white chocolate chips and spread onto a waxed paper lined baking sheet, then sprinkle about 1 cup of candy canes on top.) Then I filled some cute little mason jars with the bark.

Next, I layered some simple white fabric that I trimmed with pinking sheers, with some red ribbon, a glittery die cut snowflake and some buttons and bling.

Pretty and yummy! And if you needed to an easy to do last minute gift!

Thanks for popping by!
Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Another Christmas Ornament

2011-12-21T05:49:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

I know Christmas is only a few days away, but this tutorial is so easy you can make a few of these in plenty of time to hang on your tree!

First, gather your supplies....

A plastic ornament form (or Styrofoam ball), Modge Podge, a foam paint brush, strips of pattern paper of your choice. I am using some Teresa Collins Christmas line.

I cut my patterned paper into x 6 strips. In hindsight I should have cut them a little narrower as this paper is so wonderfully thick, this would have allowed them to form around my ornament a little better. But, it is what it is.
Start by applying a layer of Modge Podge to a section of your ball at a time adding the strips of pattern paper as you work your way around the ornament.

Now add a top coat of Modge Podge and let it dry.

After adding a second layer of Modge Podge I sprinkled on some glitter while it was still wet.

Last, embellish as you see fit! It's that easy!

Now, adorn your tree!

Thanks for stopping by!
Laura
xoxo

Just Gutsta Scrap

2011-12-20T06:36:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

I wanted to let you all know about a day crop that I will be attending on February 25th, it's a great scrappy day out and a great cause.... raising funds and awareness for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.

Here is a flyer, with the deets......

For more information, check here.

Thanks for popping in!
Laura
xoxo

It's About Time!

2011-12-19T05:44:00.001-05:00

Hi all!

Yup, It's about time that I got around to posting the layouts that I created last month at the ScrapMuch? fall retreat!

This MME line seemed to go quite nicely with these football pics of my little guy. Love the magazine styling of this photo and the little trading card, too!

Do you use pink on boy pages? Why not, they are cute too right? It does depend on the photo, but this photo was a great choice when I felt in the mood to play with a little pink! He's so cute!

When i created this layout, I didn't have any photos in mind.... I just wanted to play with a bit of this Fancy Pants line! Once I got home I came across these photos in my un-scrapped basket and thought they worked perfectly. Timmy was so happy he won a little blue dog at the fish pond of the Fall Fair!

Not very productive, eh? Well I did make 18 Christmas cards, though they were kind of mass produced so it doesn't really say much! I also taught a card class and spent a whole lot of time socializing! Good times!

If you haven't tried a scrapbook retreat weekend you really should give it a whirl, it's a lot of fun! Check out the ScrapMuch? blog for details on their spring retreat coming up in March!

Thanks for checking in!
Laura
xoxo

A winner (or two)

2011-12-18T10:23:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

Boy are we ever getting close to the big day, my little guy is getting more excited with each turn of the countdown calendar! We are now a week away, and things are looking pretty good here. Though, as I snuggled into bed late last night (or early this morning) I did remember that I forgot to grab one little thing. So I guess that will be my mission for this week, as well as wrapping up just a couple of things that were finally ready to be picked up this weekend. My baking is all done, except for one thing that I need to bake Thursday morning. That is a good feeling! Now I just need to order the prime rib for our Holiday Feast (we don't do turkey, though we will do a stuffed capon at some point during the holidays).

Wow, look at me rambling! I hope you are just about ready for your celebrations, too! But I wanted to pop in and announce the prize winners.... yup, I said winners I decided to send out one extra little prize as well since it is the holidays after all!

The first winner is Lalo, and the second is Christa! Congratulations ladies you can email me here with your addresses and I will get your prizes in the mail this week!

Thank you to everyone that played along!
Laura
xoxo

One of those days, and a card!

2011-12-18T06:38:00.003-05:00

Hi all!

My eldest son carrying my sister on his back, and my youngest son on his foot on your left and my nephew on his foot on your right.

Is your family like mine? Do you have these whack job moments at your house? Please tell me I am not alone! You can see I stopped laughing long enough to get the camera!

I also have a card to share today. Yesterday we attended a birthday party for our friend's sweet little girl, Ally, who turned 5! I made this card for her using some of the Jillibean Christmas line. I know it doesn't look Christams at all!

The little girl in this stamped image is holding a shamrock.... but I switched it up to make it look like she is hold a flower with a gift tag.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Have a good one!
Laura
xoxo

Napkin Rings and Stocking Monograms

2011-12-17T05:33:00.001-05:00

hi there!

It occurred to me that I haven't shared these little napkin rings that I made using up the last of my MME burlap.....

In my home, I have decorated with a black, goldish yellow and rustic decor... so these little rings with the burlap wraps, black felt scalloped circles and gold buttons are perfect.

I also want to share some monograms I made for our stockings. While we were fostering, we didn't know which or how many children would be with us during the holidays. So even though I had several matching stockings, i kept the 'personalizing' of the stockings pretty simple and temporary. I wrote everyone's name on some pretty cream ribbon with a gold paint pen. That way the stocking all coordinated but were easy enough to change the next year when we had different children with us.

This year, now that we are retried from fostering, I decided it was time to do something a little more permanent for us and our pooch. This is what I came up with.

I had some heavier weight acrylic 12 x 12 sheets on hand and cut them down to 3 * 3, then I corner chomped the edges with my 'stub' chomper. On top of that I layered a 2.75 x 5.75 piece of snowflake acetate from Making Memories (I've had this for a couple of years now) the gold snowflakes were perfect. Next I glittered some larger chipboard letters using spray adhesive.

Gold ribbon, a Bazzill button gem and some jingle bells finish it all off.

We are fortunate that we all have unique initials or this could get a little tricky! I can't wait to see them all lined up and hung from our mantle!

Thanks for checking in!
Laura
xoxo

Sketch-y Friday

2011-12-16T06:08:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

And Happy Friday! Hope you enjoy today's sketch!

Laura
xoxo

More Christmas Gift Wraps

2011-12-15T05:45:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I am back today with a part two! Or rather another share based on yesterdays gift wrap ideas.

I made these two little boxes to stash some gift cards in, just to make them a little less obvious.....

The boxes themselves are really simple. Cut two sheets of cardstock down to 6.5 x 8 inches, and score at the 1 inch line on all four sides. snip one of the corner score line and adhere to create a corner. Repeat for second piece of cardstock to create lid.

I had a piece of 12 x 12 Jillibean patterned paper that was damaged on one side and along one edge. I cut two 5 x 12 pieces from it and border punched along the top and bottom, This was a great use for a damaged piece of paper and it wrapped perfectly around my little handmade box.

Next comes the fun bit, embellishing. I added a few scraps of Jillibean paper to the front and layered a snowflake I die cut from glittery paper that I found at Michael's, a button and another tag from last week's tutorial.

Thanks for popping by!
Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Christmas Gift Wraps

2011-12-14T05:43:00.003-05:00

Hello blog friends!

Happy Wednesday. For today`s tip, I am going to show a couple of quick and easy ways to to wrap a few gifts and use some left over scrappy stuff in the process.

For my first little gift wrap tip, I started with a little hand made bag, the tutorial is here, like this....

Next I added a scrap of Jillibean patterned paper as a base.

Then I added a snowflake that I die cut from felt, some punched cardstock, a punched circle and a button with a little twine. And tied on a tag that I made using last week`s Wednesday tutorial with a little bit of seam binding I got from my online friend, Dee.

It literally only took a couple of minutes, especially if you keep a little pile of scraps and off cuts when you are creating cards and layouts, you can just pick through your pile to find the perfect pieces. Bet you can`t guess what is inside! I`ll give you a hint, it is for my son who loves computers.

For my next wrap idea, I pulled out this 12 x 12 piece of patterned paper. I`ve had it for years (really), bought it on clearance because I thought it was so pretty, both the colours and the theme. But hadn`t ever remembered to use it. When I was creating this tutorial I knew this one off piece of paper that had been kicking around forever would be perfect.

I substituted this paper for wrapping paper. Added a scalloped heart that I die cut from some Jillibean paper, and a vellum reindeer that was in my Christmas scrappy box, leftover from a few seasons ago. As well, as a couple of buttons tied with twine and another tag from last week,

Again super quick and easy and nothing was new, except the tags created for this year. I think it will look really cute under my tree. Do you have any guesses as to what this gift is? Hint, this son is a music lover.

And last but not least, I always keep a few of these plain kraft and / or white gift bags in my bag of tricks. They decorate up quick and easy to suit any occasion or gender. I added a sheet of 6 x 6 Jillibean paper that was leftover from my card pad, as well as a 6 inch wide piece that was punched using a border punch. The felt tree and floss are from CTMH and the button has been kicking around my stash for goodness knows how long. I added a tag from last week's tutorial (handy aren't they?) tied on with a ribbon but decided my tag need a tag friend so I cut one with the Cricut and added some piercing and a a little snowflake stamp.

Again, this was quick and easy, requiring little thought. You know, these type of projects are great to do after you finish creating a bunch of cards or a few layouts with the same papers. Before you stow away or throw away your scraps or off cuts, make a few gift wraps. Your goodies won't go to waste and your packages will look beautiful!

This year my goal is to make due without buying any new wrapping of any kind. I have a couple of various rolls of wrapping paper leftover from the last couple of years, so between that and making a few wraps I shouldn't need to buy anything. Not even bows, I am a sucker for big beautiful bows, but this year they will stay at the store and I will find another way to make my gifts look festive.

Thanks for popping in today!
Laura
xoxo

A few more Christmas Cards

2011-12-13T05:41:00.089-05:00

Hi there

I pulled out some old MME "I Believe" papers from my Christmas scrappy box and set about making some cards using the scraps from some layouts that I created last year.

papers, ribbon, die cuts - MME

cardstock - American Crafts

papers, ribbon, die cuts - MME

cardstock - American Crafts felt - CTMH
letter stickers, gems - misc

papers, ribbon - MME

cardstock - American Crafts
acrylic shape - mlyb
button - misc.

papers, ribbon - MME

cardstock - American Crafts
snowflake bling - prima
gems - misc.

papers, die cuts - MME

cardstock - American Crafts

papers, ribbon, die cuts - MME

cardstock - American Crafts
chipcoard snowflake - CTMH
letter stickers - misc

papers, ribbon - MME

cardstock - American Crafts gems - misc
chipcoard snowflake - CTMH
letter stickers - misc
glitter -recollections

papers, ribbon, die cuts - MME

cardstock - American Crafts sentiment sticker - misc

papers, ribbon - MME

cardstock, embossing powder- misc
stamp -CTMH

papers - MME
chipboard, ribbon, buttons, floss - CTMH
rubons - American Crafts
Stickles - Ranger

papers - MME
rubons - American Crafts
acrylic reindeer - mlyb
gems - misc

papers - MME
doily, letter stickers - misc
gem - Kaisercraft

papers, ribbon, die cuts, brad - MME
sentiment sticker - misc

papers, ribbon, die cuts, brad - MME
gems, sentiment sticeker- misc

papers, die cuts - MME
gem - Kaisercraft
twine - Martha Stewart

papers, ribbon - MME
alpha stickers, button, gems, tooth picks - misc.
chipboard snowflake, snowman pieces stamp, pearl paint, prisma glitter - CTMH
die cut snowman - Cricut

Okay, this last one is Jillibean, Not MME.... but it was still in the old Christmas stuff bin....

papers - Jillibean
stamp - American Crafts
Liquid applique, button - misc
chipboard snowflake - CTMH
twine - Martha Stewart

And that's all for now! Thanks for stopping in!
Laura
xoxo

A gift set

2011-12-12T05:20:00.002-05:00

Hi there!

I wanted to make a little gift set for an elderly lady, that was a good friend to my late mother in law. I thought I would create a few cards for her to have on hand for when the need arises. I knew I wanted to use fairly generic papers and to create without a theme. That way she can simply write her message inside for what ever the occasion.

This is what I came up with......

This card is based on sketch 216 from Mojo Monday, I used a card I created last month for the sketch blog as my inspiration for this card.

This card was based on another card that I designed, I liked the way it turned out using Christmas papers so I thought I recreate it.

This card I designed fairly simple, so that I could feature a rather large embellishment.

This card is also a recreation of one of my own designs.

Next, I embellished a box with coordinating papers and embellishments, to tuck all of the cards into..

papers-MME
ribbon- CTMH, misc.
pearls- Kaisercraft
felts shapes - CTMH
flowers - Bazzill
mini spool - Maya Road
floss - CTMH
buttons - misc.

Thank you for stopping by to see what I have been creating,
Laura
xoxo

More Teresa Collins Cards

2011-12-11T06:07:00.017-05:00

Hi there!

I have a few more cards to share with you. I used some more of my 6 x 6 card pad.

A 5.5 x 6.5 inch card.

A 4.5 x 4.5 inch card.

A 4.5 x 5.5 inch card.

papers, brads- Teresa Collins
card stock - American Crafts
ribbon - Maya Road
twine- Martha Stewart

Alpha sticker - Misc. and America Crafts
pearls, gems - Kaisercraft
crocheted poinsettia - me!
button - misc.
acrylic poinsettia - mlyb

Thank you for checking in with me!
Laura
xoxo

Christmas Blog Candy

2011-12-10T06:26:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

Is your December flying by, too? It is such a fun whirlwind time of year and I am so looking forward to having my family home with me for a few days! But until then, it's business as usual with a few extra holiday sort of jobs thrown in for good measure!

I thought I'd offer up some blog candy, though it's not a festive sort of prize.

All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment, before midnight on December 17th! Easy right? All commenters will be entered into a draw.

Good luck! and thanks for popping by!
Laura

xoxo

Sketch-y Friday

2011-12-09T05:24:00.000-05:00

Hell all!

It's that time of the week again! Here is your Friday sketch.

Thanks for checking in with me today!
Laura
xoxo

Reindeer Food

2011-12-08T06:09:00.003-05:00

Hi all!

I thought I'd share one of our family's holiday traditions with you. Each Christmas Eve we sprinkle 'Reindeer Food" to help guide the reindeer (and thus Santa) to our home. The food sparkles and glistens when the street lights and holiday lights shine onto it.

To make the food, combine raw oats and glitter (if you are concerned about the glitter being ingested by animals in your neighbourhood you can always substitute red or green sugar sprinkles). I also add a bit of table salt... it's sparkly too and melts the ice / snow when we sprinkle it on the drive way. We do not want Santa to slip! Make enough to fill the jar or baggie of your choice. It's easy and cheap enough to make one for each of your children. Once your jars are full (this is a great way to recycle a small jar) you can decorate the outside.

My little guy, Timmy, and I made one for him and one for his cousin, Jake.

We wrapped the jars with a strip of reindeer paper by Teresa Collins ( I am getting a lot of mileage from one 6 X 6 pad, if you've been following along ;) ). Then using the Cricut, we cut out little tags and reindeer and layered them with some more patterned paper. These little reindeer really needed big bling noses and googly eyes, right?

We added a little more patterned paper to the tops of the jars and then some glittery red Thickers to personalize the jars with the boys' initial.

Cute, right?

These are a fun and easy craft to make with your kiddies during December, which is a memory in and of itself. But you have the added bonus of using it on the eve of the 24th to create another memory. Don't forget to take your cameras out with you!

Save the jars for next year and you'll just have to add more Reindeer Food, The kids will get a big kick out of pulling 'their' jars out of the holiday decorations year after year.

Thanks for stopping into see what I am up to!

Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Christmas Tags

2011-12-07T05:23:00.001-05:00

Hi there!

Before I get to the tip of the week, I want to send out birthday wishes to my second born, and our "first last baby" {until we decided to add to our family 12 years later ;) }. It's funny how we have a special little spot in our hearts for our last babies, how we hold onto that babyhood for just a little longer thinking it will be the very last time we get to snuggle with that baby smell and cuddle with those little warm bodies. Do you know what I mean?

Well that "first last baby' of mine is 20 years old today! and I am so very much looking forward to celebrating with him tonight! We are heading out for Thai food! (Well after our flu shots, gotta take care of business first, right?)

Here is the card that I made for him....

There is a little pocket on the inside to tuck in some cash.

Happy birthday, Jon, we love you and hope your year ahead is full of adventure and achievements.

Now onto the tutorial. Today I thought I would do a little tutorial share on Christmas Tags. The other day when I set about to make my Tags, I wanted to be sure to make them quick and easy, as well as fairly simple.

So first, I gathered some supplies......

You will need, some scraps of paper but into tag shapes ( I used the Cricut, but you could use a Cuttledbug as well), a simple small stamp, Versamark, embossing powder, and an ink pad to coordinate with your embossing powder.

Now, stamp your image onto your tag with Versamark ( I know it's hard to see but it is on the photo). You can stamp a couple at a time.

Now add the embossing powder. Once the powder is on, you can let them sit until you are done stamping and putting powder on the rest of your tags and heat set them all at once.

The last step is to ink the edges with a coordinating ink. Quick and easy right?

Here is a sample of some I make in gold.

And silver.

And red. For this tag, I punched out a 2 inch circle with a punch and then used a hole punch to make a ribbon hole. So even if you don't have a Cricut or Cuttledbug you can still create sweet tags. You could also simply cut out rectangles and add a hole punch.

Would this be fun to do with a few girlfriends? You could each bring one stamp and embossing powder colour and then share. Over a glass of wine you could make a few dozen tags and have some girl time too!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I have been up to!

Laura
xoxo

Believe

2011-12-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hi there!

I am back to share another card created with my Teresa Collins 6 x 6 paper pad....

I made this card with my youngest son in mind. I thought he'd love the reindeer. I kept the card fairly simple with just two patterns and one coordinating solid.

A die cut felt snowflake, covered in glitter and layered with a die cut felt scalloped circle and a pretty brad. A quick stamped sentiment... easy peasy, and oh so cute!

Thank you so much for stopping by again today, I truly appreciate it.

Laura
xoxo

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-05T05:43:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

I've been playing with my Teresa Collins' Christmas Home 6 x 6 paper pad again, and made a half dozen of these holiday cards......

I started out with a 4.25 x 5.5" tent card and used a Hero Arts back ground stamp to create an embossed poinsettia image. Then I added a patterned paper on top with a circular 'window' cut out to frame my embossed image. Of course, bling is always a good thing, so I added some to the centre of the poinsettias.

Then I created a layered poinsettia using my Cricut and some cardstock the same colour as my embossing powder, and then I punched some leaves out of another patterned paper. Some Stickles and a pretty brad finished it off.

Using a variety of patterned papers, I created 2 of each colour, making 6 quick cards.

Lastly I added a stamped sentiment onto a hand cut little flag.

Thanks for popping by today!

Laura
xoxo

Sketch-y Friday

2011-12-02T05:40:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

This week I created a two page sketch for your crafty pleasure!

Enjoy! And thanks for popping in!
Laura
xoxo

December Reveal

2011-12-01T05:21:00.001-05:00

Hello all!

Can you believe it is December already? The busy season is upon us and I for one am looking forward to it!

This month, the ladies at ScrapMuch? gave me the new Teresa Collins 'Christmas Home' collection to play with, along with some great glittery red Thickers by American Crafts. I am in love with this collection, it is so elegant and versatile... several of the papers are great for non-holiday themed projects as well!

This is the first thing I created with this collection, a little countdown calendar....

I simply decorated the front of this press board piece with some papers and embellishments from the kit and added a little dollar store doily. I also snipped the prongs off of the brad that sported a green gem stone, and adhered it onto a small magnet. There is a small piece of metal under the green patterned paper and doily.

Using this sheet of patterned paper, I cut out all of the numbers to create my countdown tags. (Sorry for the crappy photo, it appears I got some adhesive on the lens of my camera!) I added a little envelope to the back of the piece to store the extra numbers.

Next, I created this layout. This picture of my littlest guy was taken a few years ago, and I love it!

I matted my photo onto white cardstock because it has a dark background and the papers are fairly dark and pattern heavy. I love how rich and elegant the designs of these papers are. Using an over sized mat allowed me to also mat my title and add a bit of stitching for some fun detail.

This collection included a wide assortment of fun embellishments, from stickers to bling, to ribbons and chipboard and more.

Then I created this layout....

If this were a 'real' ornament in the photo is would for sure be a favourite, but it is simply a picture of my son Photoshopped onto a picture of an ornament. Oh well, I think it's pretty anyway!

I added a doily and some Prima bling to this layout.

I also created these flowers using a MFT die.

And this strip of ornaments was punched form the glittery paper that goes with this collection. Love it!!

Next up is this layout featuring a Christmas Eve tradition at our house....

A fairly simple single page layout featuring three photos. I like that this dark snowflake paper mimics the snowy night shown in the photo. A sticker banner, some buttons and brads and journaling strips. It doesn't get much easier!

The journaling describes our tradition of sprinkling 'Reindeer food' each Christmas Eve, to help the reindeer guide Santa to our house.

The title combines part of a patterned paper and a little die cut tag, to read 'December traditions'.

I also created this card....

I kept the design fairly simple, to let the fun embellishments really stand out. The red glittery snowflake is punched from the sheet of red glittery paper. The red tulle is super fun! And the red and white 'quatrefoil' paper is my absolute favourite in this pack. Likely something to do with a big quatrefoil kick I am on right now and being on the hunt for black and white quatrefoil draperies for my dining and living rooms!

And lastly, I created this December Planner...

The patterned chipboard book covers are part of this collection, and would of course make a very sweet Christmas 8 x8 album. However, I thought I'd do something a little different with them. If you know me, you know that I am a huge list maker and that I have lists for everything. So I thought I'd combine my love of Christmas and my love of lists together and create a Christmas to do list book.

The first page features a stamped calendar so I can note any events we are attending as well as "to do's" that are time sensitive.

The next page I created to jot down things that need to be done, there is a date column as well as a column to check off completed items... a great way to see at a glance what still needs to be done. Hopefully this will help me achieve my goal of a fairly quiet week, leading up to the 25th.

This is a decorative divider page. I used this chipboard element to help demonstrate that this section is for holiday home decorating.

I created this master list of decorating we usually do, so that we can stay on top of it.

Another decorative divider page, for my naughty and nice gift shopping list!

On these pages I can list each person that we buy gifts for, their sizes etc. and some ideas of what to get them. I can add to this list all year long, as people mention something that they might like. Then when the holidays roll around I have a jumping off point for my shopping.

This is my master list, quickly outlining everyone we buy for and checking off when they have been taken care of. This way I can see at a glance who is done and who still needs to have a gift purchased/made for them.

Another divider page, for cards that I send out.

These pagers list not only who I send a card to, but I can also add who sends us one, that way if I update it this year, I won't forget anyone next year. It also lets me set a goal of a date to send out the cards and reminds me to pick up stamps and lets me know just how many cards I need to make in the first place.

The last divider page for holiday baking.

I can quickly print out as many of these pages as I need, to help me keep tabs on what I will be baking, how much and when and also what ingredients I may need to pick up before hand. The last few Christmas' I have kept the baking to only 5 or 6 different things. Just doing the family favourites so that we don't overindulge or have too many treats left over.

And this is the inside of the back over, with a cute little pocket to hold receipts, etc.

Can you tell this collection thoroughly inspired me? And in case you missed it, I also used this collection to create a couple of tutorials, like the paper ornament on November 16th and the treat holder card on November 23rd. Check them out if you haven't already.

And once again thanks for stopping by the blog today to see what I have been up to, I know this is a long post and I really appreciate you taking the time to have a look!

Laura
xoxo

Tips and Techniques Wednesday - Another Gift Card Holder

2011-11-30T05:59:00.001-05:00

Hi there!

Happy Wednesday and thanks for stopping in to see my tip of the week! This week I have another gift card holder to share with you.... can't have too many of these with the holidays coming up, right?

First off, start with a 5.5" x 8.5" piece of cardstock. Then create a decorative edge on one of the 5.5" ends, using a punch or die.

Then score along the 8.5" length at 1 1/4".

And at 5".

Now fold along the score lines, Your card will sit like so.....

Add adhesive to the inside area, on the 1 1/4" fold, along the outside edges. Sounds confusing? Check out the photo!

See, you made a pocket! Perfect spot to tuck in a gift card!

Now it's time to fancy it up. Cover the pocket with patterned paper.

Add more patterned paper to the top flap. You can use one pattern or two and repeat some of the paper you have previously used.

I added some glitter, too. I've been on a glitter kick lately. Why not, sparkly goes with the holidays, right?

Next, I used some of these dime sized velcro circles that I picked up from the dollar store.

Add one the the under side of the top flap and another to the front of the pocket, so that the two line up.

Here is a look at the conpleted outside with a few embellishments added.

And the finished inside.

Easy, right? Are you going to try one? Go for it!

Thanks again for stopping tin to see what I am up to!
Laura
xoxo

Happy Birthday Elaine!

2011-11-29T05:54:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

I have another birthday card to share today... it's been a busy month!

Love these papers by MME, they are so sweet.

A little felt and ribbon by CTMH, that goes just perfectly with these papers.

Thanks for popping in today! And Elaine, have a great day.... hope you get spoiled!

Laura
xoxo

Teresa Colllins Christmas Cards

2011-11-28T06:12:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

Are you as infatuated with the Teresa Collins Christmas collection as I am? It just makes me want to create!

Here are a couple of cards that I made the other day, using the 6 x 6 paper pad. I lifted my own designs, using some cards that I created for a card class as inspiration.

The doily is cut with a MFT die, and I coloured the pearls black with Copic #110.

Rub-ons are from American Crafts and flaky glitter is Martha Stewart.

I can't wait to make more cards with this paper pad!

Thanks for checking out what I have been up to!
Laura
xoxo

A card for Mojo Monday 216

2011-11-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I used the weekly sketch posted at Mojo Monday to create a christmas card last night. The sketch was super cute and since I was running out of inpsiration for my cards, i decided to give it a whirl....

I just wish the sun was shining when I tried to photograph it today!
thanks for popping in!
Laura
xoxo

Sketch-y Friday

2011-11-25T06:14:00.001-05:00

Hello and Happy Friday All!

It's sketch day, so here it is!

... so, let me know what you think.... am I giving you the kind of sketches you are looking for? Can I create something specific for you? Do you want to use more or less photos, bigger or smaller photos? Do you have a particular idea in mind? I'm up for the challenge, so leave me a comment and let me know!

Thanks for popping in today, I really appreciate it!
Laura
xoxo