Monday, February 28, 2011

party on! crafty secrets style!



Hello everyone!

For this month, all the Crafty Secrets Design Team gals were to create something around a party theme. I decided to take the "tea party" route and create something with the new Alice in Wonderland products!




Instead of a layout, I used a hanging drawer wall display I got at a local craft store. The drawer came in a dark brown or white - I was set on the white since it offsets the pastels so well in the Alice Scraps. Each section of this wall hanging measures 4x6, so it was very easy to cut, stain, and adhere since the measurements are already there. I used an adorable collection from Heidi Grace for the patterned paper and American Crafts cardstock for the solid. For two of the photo areas, I cut 4x6 sections from the inside of the Wonderland Tea Creative Scraps.....the hardest part? - deciding which of the many wonderful scenes to use!


For the solid photo mat areas, I stitched a zig zag border to give a little dimension. On the pink photo mat, I stamped the adorable tea pot and teacup from the "Tea With Alice" acrylic stamps in a subtle pink ink. To add a little texture and pop, I used a variety of ribbons, fibers, and fabrics to tie to the drawer handle at the top of the display. Now it is ready for the perfect tea or birthday party photos!



Now you simply must check out all the other extraordinary party projects by the rest of the Design Team....off you go:


xoxo

Friday, February 25, 2011

photo play

Hello my little scrappers!

Well it has been a productive day off in my little studio. I woke up and had some ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls with scrumptious frosting....did my normal online checking in....finished my Graphic 45 fairy album....and played with my camera and a few photos. I've really been loving manipulating colors and adding textures! Here are a few that I played with today as part of a class I am taking....we had a little a little homework and here you can see my before and afters. I can't wait until spring so I can start taking more colorful photos - will it ever come?
(before)

(after)

(before)

(after)



Make sure you tune in Monday for our Crafty Secrets Design Team Challenge!! Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Hugs!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

a little leland lady


When I received the new Farm Fresh Scraps from Crafty Secrets, I just fell in love with their whimsy and charm. Not really being a country girl myself, I was struggling with finding the perfect picture to showcase their bright colors. Then, one night at the library, an amazing woman brought in pictures of her past to show some of our patrons. Donna is our school's secretary and has lived in our small community of Leland her entire life. She enchanted us with her stories of long ago that night....describing our little town like only she can. I asked her if I could use a picture of her with her mother, sister, brother, and family goat to help inspire this layout. I am so happy she agreed. I am very lucky to have Donna in my life and I think I can speak on behalf of the entire community - we all are truly blessed. She is the heart of our little school and I am honored to share a little bit of her with all of you!


Notice my husband's denim jeans are getting a real workout. Try stamping your images on different textures and layering to create a little dimension on your stamped images!


Donna is the first little girl in her line of sibling - isn't she sweet?

Recipe for this layout:
Crafty Secrets - Down on the Farm large acrylic stamp set, Farm Fresh Creative Scraps
Paper - Daisy D
Mailing Metal Tag- Staples
Raffia - Michaels
Vintage Findings: Lace
Colored Pencils - Prismacolor


Wednesday, February 16, 2011

more paper than shoes


Hasn't this winter seemed to last forever? So many storms covering every inch of the country....it's hard to escape it. I am really over winter's kiss and ready to snuggle into spring's embrace. The weather here has also changed for the better....40s this week and maybe even a 50 or two.....so fingers crossed it is right around the corner! We can almost see grass again and gardening catalogs are popping into our mailbox making me ready to see tulips, peonies, daffodils. The good news? Spring will be coming a little bit earlier to my little mailbox and studio...



I was so excited to find out that I will be designing for Anna Fearer - an amazingly talented paper artist. Her specialty? You guessed it - FLOWERS! Beautiful paper blooms in an array of designs, textures, and colors! I cannot wait to adorn my projects with her pretties and share them with you! And you probably already guessed that I am quite the flower addict - so this is just wonderful on so many levels and right up my alley!

The name of her business is "More Paper Than Shoes" - isn't that just a brilliant?! I am sure many of you can relate - I know I can! She had opened a world of flower power with her Etsy shop, personal blog, and her new design team blog. Six artists were selected to showcase her work as part of her new creative team.

Here are just a few of Anna's masterpieces (including the flower above):






Springtime - here we come!

xoxo

Monday, February 14, 2011

happy {heart} day mini


Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I saved this little "Angelic" mini to share with you today. It is 10 total pages made with the Je t'Adore paper collection by Making Memories. If you haven't yet seen this set - it is simply gorgeous! Soft & subtle pinks, creams, and reds - just perfect for all of your Valentine projects. There are many embellies that come with this collection, although I was good and didn't purchase them :o)




The book measures 6x6 and has five pull out tags/photo mats to jot down memories or sneak more pictures. I also tucked two coordinating Je t'Adore envelopes to stash more goodies. A beautiful pale pale pink satin ribbon hugs everything together.





It is starting to feel more and more like spring here in the midwest. I am working on a fairy album that I hope to have ready by next week - sorta fell of the motivation wagon and into a funk but hope to get out soon!

Wishing you and yours an extra special day filled with love!

xoxo

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Crafty Secrets Giveaway & freebies


(click above pic for details)

Valentine's Day is just a day away - time to celebrate Crafty Secrets style! Hop on over to our Crafty Secrets blog to take advantage of an amazing giveaway from Sandy! You can win 2 of the brand spankin' new Love double sided scraps, plus the Cherubs, Cherish, AND Flourishes acrylic stamp sets! Already got 'em? No problem! Get a $72.00 gift certificate instead! You must leave a comment today - winner will be announced February 14th.

Did you notice the beautiful new Love Scraps?! Melt my heart! Soft, shabby, and full of whimsy - just the way I like 'em! They are sooo going to be a staple in my CS stash!

Now for the yummy freebies Sandy has to share with you! Here is an adorable poem she revamped so you can print it on the colored paper of your choice. And she has many other "love" inspired freebies to offer! Just click HERE to download them!


Good Luck!
xoxo

Thursday, February 3, 2011

blizzard of 2011



Well we survived the Blizzard of 2011. I am thinking we personally had about 20 inches or so, but wasn't about to go out and measure! Now I am sitting on the couch enjoying my last few hours of our second snow day, getting ready to finish my book and watch American Idol.



Here are a few pictures from the inside looking out. These were taken right when the storm started around 3:00 pm. The last two pictures show our deck the next morning and what is left to be seen of our fire pit.




Did anyone else get hit by the storm?

Stay warm and safe!
xoxo

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

art blooms


It's the storm of the year out here in rural Illinois. Schools closed early - many won't be open tomorrow. Fingers crossed that I am one of them so I can have a scrappy day in my pjs. I have so many ideas in my little noggin and would really like one so I can play! Tonight though - snuggling is on the menu. With my favorite guy and blanket. We just got Avatar in the mail today - may be an early movie night in the making!



Here is a layout I created using the new Art Blooms acrylic stamps from Crafty Secrets. I decided to use the stamps as my embellishments for this design - just kept stamping different flowers, leaves, butterflies, and stems on scrap pieces of paper. Then I just cut them out and made them POP! So super easy!



Recipe for this layout:
Paper: Websters
Stamps: Crafty Secrets
Ink: Memento
Pearls: Recollections
Vintage: buttons & lace
Glittler: Stickles

Still need to be inspired? Bop on over to Crafty Secrets blog. Sandy is having a great giveaway and has many more beautiful samples for you to see!

Stay warm and safe everyone!