Tuesday, April 26, 2011

splash & ride & snow…

{splash}

This layout was on the Pebbles Inc. blog yesterday.

My assignment was to use these super cute layered felt embellishments.

I chose the BEACH set.

splash_layout

I just love the bright colors and the sturdiness of these felt pieces.

I really love the stitching and buttons that have been added to some of them.

I decided to ground them by stitching with white thread around black cardstock squares,

then placing the embellishments on each block.

splash_layout_det1

I love the font of these letter stickers too – they are just fun and whimsical – I love that there are several sizes of each letter included in the set.  (Here they are in BLACK and they are also available in GREEN!!)

splash_layout_det2

I cut this little date piece from one of the journaling cards by Pebbles (you can see them HERE).  I trimmed it, rounded the corners, and then ran it right through my printer to add the month and year.

splash_layout_det3

The Pebbles team is featuring these felt embellishments all week long, so be sure to check out the Pebbles Inc. blog every day this week for more fun ideas! :o)

{ride}

I made this card a while ago, but I don’t think I’ve shared it here on my blog.  Of course, it’s using one of my favorite Cosmo Cricket lines, Upcycle

vintage_bike_card

And look at me – I stamped!  I love this sweet vintage bike image from Hero Arts.

vintage_bike_card_detail1

vintage_bike_card_detail2

{snow}

We woke up to a couple inches of snow (grrrrrr…) – and it’s still lightly snowing.  I’m hoping it clears up and the sun comes out so our soccer game isn’t cancelled.  Brad got our grill moved around to the back yard and all cleaned up over the weekend and we’ve been grilled our dinner every day since  --  I LOVE grilling…so whether the snow stops or not, I’ll be grilling bruschetta chicken for our dinner tonight. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

coloring eggs…

These pictures aren’t from this year (they are from 2008), but this is a layout I created a couple of months ago for an assignment, and then it didn’t get used.  So I thought I’d share it here. :)coloring_eggs_12x12coloring_eggs_detail1coloring_eggs_detail2coloring_eggs_detail3

We had a wonderful Easter weekend – I’ll be sharing more about it soon, but I have a super long list of “to-do’s” today…hope you’re having a wonderful (and productive) Monday too! :o)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Also, I just wanted to mention a great offer from Two Peas in a Bucket right now…

Receive FREE shipping on orders of $30 or more when you use code: SMSFF9. Offer is good on physical product being shipped domestically through May 1, 2011.

It’s a great time to stock up on some of the new product released at the last CHA or to stock up on essentials! 

Friday, April 22, 2011

a super quick slice trick…

I just wanted to share a really quick little tip today.  If you have a SLICE, you probably already know about the “shadow” feature, right?  It allows you to make a little “mat” for the image you cut out.  Kind of like this:

bunny_shadow1

or this:

w_shadow1

BUT, did you know that you can also create little outlined shapes?  Like this:

bunny_shadow2

or this:

w_shadow2

Simply cut the image in whatever size you want.  Then do NOT lift the Slice off the cutting mat.  Switch the cutting option to “shadow” and cut again.  I thought this was kind of a fun way to get even more options from your design cards!

If you are on Facebook, be sure to become a FAN of our SLICE FACEBOOK FAN PAGE so you can be the first to know about new products, project ideas, tips & tricks, and giveaways too! :o)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

family (togetherness)…

This layout was published in the April issue of Scrapbook Trends Magazine…it’s one of my favorites. :o)

family_layout_8x11

I used one of my favorite Cosmo Cricket lines - Togetherness papers & chipboard – love the colors in this line and thought they worked perfectly with the colors we are wearing in our photo (which was taken by the talented Heather D. White).

family_detail1

The clear tags are from Tim Holtz, the clear buttons are from Epiphany Crafts, the date tab is cut from a journaling card by Pebbles (THIS set),

 family_detail2

and I used glossy accents to add some fun clear shine to the clouds. :)

family_detail3 

I can’t believe this photo was taken almost a year ago! 

It’s time for more Spring photos…if only the snow and rain would STOP!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

thanks…

I just wanted to share a quick card today.

abc_thanks_card_23

I just cannot get enough of Cosmo Cricket’s UPCYCLE line – I LOVE it! :o)

The design of this card is based on one of the sketches from Paper Crafts Magazine’s semi-recent

“go to sketches” call…sketch #23.

 abc_thanks_card_detail_23

I thought this might be a cute thank you card for a teacher – with the little strip of ABC sticker on there.

Have a happy Wednesday! :o)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

how to…

It’s my turn to do a “how to Tuesday” post over on the Pebbles, Inc. blog today.  I am sharing a fun little idea for making embellishments to coordinate with ANY line.  It’s pretty easy and I love the results! 

This is what you need:

pebbles_howto_supplies

To make the little embellishments I used on this card:

pebbles_howto_card_completed

For all of the details (and lots more step-by-step photos), visit the Pebbles blog today! :o)

**Don’t forget to leave a comment on my adhesive review HERE for a chance to win a prize package for yourself!  The deadline is tonight at midnight**

supplies2

Papers:

Happy Go Lucky Splendid
Happy Go Lucky Carefree
Happy Go Lucky Delight
Happy Go Lucky Glad
Happy Go Lucky Dandy
Happy Go Lucky Cloud Nine

Monday, April 18, 2011

something in common…

All of these projects have something in common.  Can you guess what it is?

card banner science binder

Give up? 

Here’s a little hint:

SBC_stk-adh001

Go HERE to read my latest Review!

(and see more details of my projects)

Be sure to leave a comment HERE (by midnight EST on Tuesday)

for a chance to win a prize pack from Sticky Thumb!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

sliced bunnies…

ewww…that sounds kind of gross.  But you know I am referring to my making memories SLICE personal cutting machine, right?  anyway…whenever I receive a new SLICE design card, I love plugging it in and then cutting some shapes just to see what they look like – it’s especially fun with the new cards that have layering options.  My newest design card is DILLY DALLY.  I couldn’t wait to start playing!

bunny_card

I cut out one bunny and then cut the “layer” option from a different patterned paper.   I didn’t really love the eye that it cut, but I loved the fluffy tail!  I thought he looked so soft and cuddly that he needed some stitching, so I did that with my sewing machine before I layered the tail on.  bunny_card_detail1

I added some embossed circles to the tail and then popped it on with foam pop dots.  Since I didn’t love the paper eye, I pulled out my Paper Reverie gems and used that for the eye.  I thought my little bunny was so cute, I decided to make him a friend – I used the mirror option to cut another bunny and repeated the process of embellishing.

bunny_card_detail3 

I cut a little butterfly (base and layer) and stitched a trail onto white cardstock – I think he looks sweet flying behind the bunnies. :)

 bunny_card_detail2

It’s super simple, but it was fun to play – and now I have a sweet card to give away to somebunny special! 

(I know – cornball!)

{All of the papers I used are also from the Dilly Dally collection.  You can find the entire line here.}

Have a great weekend! :o)

Monday, April 11, 2011

what i did over the weekend…

1.  We took the kiddos to see HOP.  Pretty cute – I want the soundtrack. :)
hop
2.  We took the kids bowling.  We haven’t been bowling for a long time, so that was fun. (I took the camera, but it was way too dark – and crowded – to even attempt picture taking.)
3.  Swapped photos with a fellow Cosmo Cricket design team member – our post went up on the Cosmo Cricket blog Saturday.  Here’s a peek at the layout I made with Laura’s photos – check out the blog to see the sweet layout she created with pictures of Meagan.

hat_time_detail2 hat_time_detail1
4.  I taught a lesson about birds and bugs, lol.  I love teaching the 3 and 4 year olds every Sunday – and I have a great time putting together little coloring pages, games, and handouts too!  I made this little tag with clipart from lettering delights (they are having a HUGE dollar days sale right now).  I tied it onto a little baggie full of robin’s eggs and gummy worms. :)sunbeams_lesson13a
5.  My computer crashed.  TWICE.  Luckily my little brother was available to help me out.  It’s running – but we’ll definitely be investing in a new computer this week.
6.  Van started leaking something all over the driveway – took it to the shop this morning.  Yay – we also get to invest in a new radiator.
7.  After church yesterday, Seth started crying that his tooth hurt.  He was in a lot of pain.  I called our dentist.  He is out of town (of course) – but luckily his super assistant, Becky, made arrangements with another local dentist for “emergency” care.  Seth and I spent a couple of hours getting to know a new dentist while he got an emergency root canal.
8.  We were supposed to be heading to St. George today…we’ll have to see if the van gets done in time.  I could use some sunshine and a little escape…and the opportunity to NOT invest any more money in things that are not fun!

Friday, April 08, 2011

embossing with the slice…

Did you know you could use your SLICE die-cutting machine to emboss?!?

It’s really easy – you just replace your cutting blades with embossing blades:

And use an embossing mat instead of a glass cutting mat.  You can buy a kit here:

 

If you’re a visual learner (like I am) you’ll want to check out this video on the SLICE website:

slice_emboss_video_link

You can emboss on cardstock, metal sheets, foam, and probably even more! 

Just for fun, here are a few projects I’ve created using the embossing tips:

pr_slice_layoutpr_slice_layout_detail3 mm_sanding_layoutmm_sanding_layout3  mm_slice_embossed_giftbag mm_slice_embossed_giftbag_closeup 

**I really like to lightly sand over the embossed images to make them POP off the page…but it’s not necessary**

If you are on Facebook, be sure to become a FAN of our SLICE FACEBOOK FAN PAGE so you can be the first to know about new products, project ideas, tips & tricks, and giveaways too! :o)

Thursday, April 07, 2011

singin’ in the rain…

That’s the name of the April Studio Calico kit…isn’t that fun?!?  As I mentioned before, Cosmo Cricket created a few exclusive papers and stickers for this month’s kit, so I was given the opportunity to create a few layouts with it!  Lucky me! :o)

 

Here’s the first layout – about Zach’s family birthday party:sc_cc_party_layout_wendysue sc_cc_party_layout_wendysue_detail5

And another layout with pictures of the boys putting together some puzzles earlier this year:

sc_cc_puzzle_layout_wendysue sc_cc_puzzle_layout_wendysue_detail2

You can see the other projects created by the “friends of Cosmo Cricket” here!

I had a lot of fun working with this kit – thanks again to Cosmo Cricket and Studio Calico for the fun opportunity! :o)