Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!

ETA: This card appeared in the July, 2013, issue of Scrap n' Art.

Independence Day is coming up next week, and I'm celebrating by playing along with the Red, White, and Blue challenge at Shopping Our Stash.  I've made a card, which you see pictured below.

Supplies: patterned paper (Authentique), large alphabet stickers [used as stencils] (October Afternoon), small alphabet stickers (Lily Bee Design), paint (Liquid Pearls by Ranger), cardstock "brad" (Candi by Craftwork Cards), ink (Tsukineko).

The strip of paper with the Latin Proverb on it is the brand identification strip from the bottom of a sheet of Authentique paper.  It was fun to incorporate this strip--which would normally be a throwaway item--into the design of my card.  

I used the negative parts of letter stickers to spell out "USA."  Once again, I was able to reuse a "throwaway" item on this card.

I have explained my stenciling technique in a previous post, which you can see here.  In that old post, I used Stickles, but for my USA card, I used Liquid Pearls.  The trick to getting a satiny sheen on the letters is to apply the Liquid Pearls with a paintbrush and make sure that all your brush strokes go in the same direction.  Remove the stencils as soon as you have painted a letter; if you leave the stencils on, the Liquid Pearls will act like glue as it dries, permanently adhering the stencils to your project.  To make the removal of the stencils easier, you can leave one corner turned up (as you see in the photo above), thereby making a "handle' that you can gently pull when you remove the stencil.

I also squirted a few dabs of Liquid Pearls directly onto the paper, to create pearl-like accents.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to see my card today.  If you'll be celebrating on the Fourth of July, then I wish you a Happy Independence Day!

 

Over the Rainbow

I have a quick, fun layout to share with you today.  It's called "D. I. Y. Rainbow," and the photos are from a Wizard of Oz exhibit that our local Children's Museum hosted a couple years ago. 

Supplies: cardstock (Wausau Paper), patterned paper (Authentique), large alphabet stickers (October Afternoon), mini alphabet stickers (Lily Bee Design), decorative stickers (Simple Stories).

To emphasize the "rainbow" theme, I mixed and matched a variety of October Afternoon stickers from my stash to spell out my title.  I also included images of the sun and a cloud--necessary ingredients for a rainbow.  Finally, I arranged some of my embellishments in long, thin, layers that are reminiscent of the stripes in a rainbow.

To keep the page from getting too overwhelmed with color, I used white Lily Bee mini alphas to spell out my subtitle.  All four of Lily Bee's early 2012 releases have included these oh-so-useful white mini alphas, which is great in my opinion.

I'm entering this layout in two challenges: Catered Crop, where the theme is rainbows, and Shopping Our Stash, where the theme is stickers.  I love these sorts of challenges--the themes are so general that they allow for really creative interpretations.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Hope you day is filled with sunshine and rainbows!

Scrapping with Household Items

I've had a good flow of creative ideas going lately, where one project has naturally led to the next...and today is no exception.

In my last post, I wrote about using household items--postage stamps--to embellish a mini album.  For today's post, I'll be showing you another project that I made with the help of household items.  This time my project is a layout, and I made it with the help of a humble dinner plate and a stapler.

Supplies: patterned paper, die-cuts, and alphabet stickers all by Lily Bee Design; label sticker by Jillibean Soup; border sticker by Doodlebug Design; ink by Clearsnap; twine by Crystal Palace (Panda Superwash).

I only make single-photo pages when I want to showcase a photo that I really, really, REALLY love.  This snapshot of my son and husband is one of those beloved photos.  To give the photo the attention it deserves, I designed my page with clusters of embellishment that lead the eye around the page.  It's sort of the design equivalent of drawing a big circle around the photo.  In fact, I drove this idea home by using a big semicircle as a backdrop.  Furthermore,  I fashioned some of my embellishment clusters vaguely in the form of arrows, in order to direct viewers' eyes exactly where I want them to go.  (Yeah, subtlety is not my strong suit, LOL.)

Some scrappers have fancy circle scissors or die-cutting machines that they use to create perfect circles.  Me?  I just trace around plates or other round objects to form my circles.  I always keep one plastic dinner plate in my scrap room for just this purpose, plus I keep a second plastic dinner plate in my crop bag at all times.

One of the visual "arrows" I created was made by folding down the top, right-hand corner of the layout.  I stapled it in place with a regular office stapler.  For some reason, I've been a little obsessed with using staples on my craft projects lately.  I'm sure you'll be seeing this technique used a lot on my blog in the near future.  Oh, and I should mention that I did not use a full sheet of 12x12" paper to back this layout; I just used a little scrap behind the folded-over corner.  Waste not, want not--that's my motto!

That's it for today's share.  Thanks for stopping by my blog, and have a great weekend!

Sputnik Mini Album

Supplies: mini album kit, additional patterned paper, stickers, and buttons all by October Afternoon; white acrylic paint by Deco Art; pearlescent paint and glitter glue by Ranger; twine by Crystal Palace (Panda Superwash); chipboard stars by DCWV; rhinestones by Petaloo; upcycled items: used postage stamps.

As I mentioned last month, I want to spotlight some outer-space-related projects on my blog.  Since I'm still in a Russian mood after my last post, I thought that today I'd show you the Sputnik album that you see pictured above.  "Sputnik" is one of my son's nicknames, and I created this album to celebrate some sweet moments from his toddler years.  I made the album with an October Afternoon chipboard mini album kit, but I added my own personal touches, including painting, computer-printed journaling, vintage Soviet and American space-related postage stamps, and other fun embellishments.  There are only six pages in this mini (including the front and back covers), so I'll walk you through the whole album in this post.

You already saw the front cover of the album at the top of this page.  Here is a close-up of my painting technique.  I mixed white acrylic paint with turquoise Stickles, then brushed a few coats of this mixture over the album cover.  To finish the look, I squirted a little more of the Stickles directly onto the album cover, then used a paintbrush to work the glitter into the painted layers.

Here is the first inside page of the book.  My journaling reads: "When Americans hear the word "Sputnik," they usually think of the Soviet Sputnik (Спутник) satellites from the 1950's.  While the Russian word "sputnik" can mean satellite, its other meaning is "fellow traveler."  Some translators also render the word as "companion," or even "side-kick."  Since little A. is our constant companion, "Sputnik" is one of his nicknames.

Here is the second page.  The caption reads: "constant companion."

The caption on this page reads: "li'l sidekick."

Here, the caption reads: "fellow traveller through life."

The back cover of the album bears the message: "We love you, little Sputnik.  Love, Daddy and Mommy."

I thought I'd close with this photo of the fun little the embellishment cluster from the front of the album.  Hope you've enjoyed this journey through my spaceship album!

Guest Designer at Scrap Melody / Приглашенный дизайнер Мелодий скрапа (bilingual)

Not long ago, I discovered a unique Russian blog called Scrap Melody.  Scrap Melody is running a marathon of music-related challenges, and I was thrilled when I was invited to be a guest designer for the fourth leg of the marathon.  The theme is folk music!

Несколько времени назад я нашла уникальный блог по названию Мелодии скрапа.  Там идёт музыкальный марафон, и я была так рада, когда меня пригласили стать приглашенным дизайнером для четвёртого этапа марафона.  Тема этого этапа--народная песня!

When I think about traditional American folk songs, Laura Ingalls Wilder immediately springs to mind.  While it's true that she is a writer, not a musician, Laura included in her books the words to many songs that her father used to sing.  For my layout, I chose to focus on the song "Golden Years."

Когда думаю о традиционой, народной музыке США, сразу приходит в ум работы Лауры Инголлс Уайлдер.  Правильно, она не музыкант, а писательница.  Но Лаура в своих книгах часто писала слова к песням, которые её папа пел, когда она была девочкой.  Я выбрала темой своей странички песню "Золотые годы". 

Supplies / материалы: dark patterned paper / тёмная бумага (Bo Bunny), notebook-style paper / блокнотная бумага (7 Gypsies), music paper / музыкальная бумага (October Afternoon), other papers / другие бумаги (Lily Bee Design), paper ruler / бумажная линейка (October Afternoon), die-cuts / бумажные формы (My Mind's Eye), label sticker / этикетка (October Afternoon), mini alphabet stickers / мини буквы (Crate Paper), large alphabet stickers / большие буквы (October Afternoon), circular stickers / круглые наклейки (Bo Bunny Press), thread / ниточки (DMC), ink / чернила (Tsukineko), glitter glue / блеск (Stickles by Ranger), pen / ручка (Zig).

My journaling reads: "Just as the old folk songs says, 'Golden years are passing by, these happy golden years.'  I'm so glad that we've spent these years together."

Я на страничке написала: "Как говорится в старой народной песне, "Золотые годы проходят, ах эти счастливые золотые годы!"  Я так рада, что проводим эти годы вместе с тобой".

This is a romantic page, with a photo of my husband and myself on our fourteenth wedding anniversary.

Эта страничка романтичная.  На снимке--мы с мужем, когда мы отметили 14ую годовщину.

Of course, I had to include a "golden" accent on my layout.

Конечно, есть на моей страничке золотое украшение.

I made my own pattern for the treble clef.

Я сама сделала узор скрипичного ключа.

I also did a bit of old-fashioned cross-stitching.

И я вышивала крестом, в старомодном стиле.

And now, I invite you to play along with this challenge.  Use a folk song (in any language) to create any type of project--a layout, a card, or an off-the-page project.  Best of luck to you!  And, as they say at Scrap Melody, may your soul always sing!

Теперь, я вас приглашаю участвовать в челлендже.  Выберите народную песню (на любом языке) и создайте любой скрап-проект--страничку, открытку или скрап-объект.  Желаю удачи!  И, как всегда говорят на сайте Мелодий скрапа, пусть у вас душа поёт всегда!

My Mind's Eye--Early June Challenge

Supplies: all papers, rub-ons, and stickers by My Mind's Eye; Tim Holtz Distress Stain by Ranger; Liquid Pearls paint by Ranger; vintage twine.

I decided to try my hand at the latest My Mind's Eye challenge, which is simply to incorporate fussy-cutting into a project.  I made a layout entitled "Bloom" (pictured above) about my family's visit to the local arboretum last summer, and I ended up doing tons of fussy-cutting.  I love this technique, because it allows me to create unique embellishments just by cutting into paper that I already have.  It's a creative way to use up supplies both old and new.

I made the multi-colored banner, which you see above my title letters, by fussy-cutting hexagons from the "Follow Your Heart--Be Amazing" 6x6" mini pad.  I folded each hexagon in half and draped it over the twine.  The doily backing the title letters is also fussy-cut, this time from a 12x12" piece of paper from the "Follow Your Heart--Be Happy" line.

As you see from the photo above, I also cut a few more "Follow Your Heart--Be Amazing" mini hexagons to use as page accents, as well as a red mini doily from the "Stella and Rose" collection.

The zig-zags pictured above are fussy-cut from a 6x6" "Stella and Rose-Gertie" sheet.

The process of cutting the zig-zags generated some little triangles.  Not one to waste scraps, I used these to make a little banner beneath my title letters.

The journaling spot and and scalloped border are both cut from a 12x12" sheet of "Miss Caroline--Fiddlesticks" paper.  The tiny pink bird that is sitting on the "Never Forget Today" sticker comes from MME's "Fine and Dandy" collection.

I accented one column of scallops with dabs of Ranger Liquid Pearls paint in the color "White Opal."

I also accented of some of my papers with droplets and swipes of Tim Holtz's Distress Stain in the color "Victorian Velvet," which is a shade of pink that coordinates beautifully with the "Miss Caroline--Fiddlesticks" line.

This was a fun layout to make, and I surprised myself with how many different My Mind's Eye lines I was able to use.  My title stickers come from the old "So Sophie" range, and my papers and other embellishments come from "Miss Caroline," "Follow Your Heart", "Stella and Rose," and "Fine and Dandy."  I hope you've enjoyed my MME tour de force.  Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Strawberry Season

Tangy...luscious...sweet...  There is nothing like the taste of a home-grown strawberry, is there?  I picked the first berries from our garden earlier this week.  There they are, in the photo above.  There were only four, but what they lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality.

Supplies: die-cut definition card (October Afternoon), green dotted paper (Jillibean Soup), all other papers (October Afternoon), tulle ribbons (Wyla), large alphabet stickers and round strawberry sticker (October Afternoon), mini alphabet stickers (Lily Bee Design), label sticker (Jillibean Soup), rectangular strawberry sticker (Lily Bee Design), corner punch (Creative Memories), ink (Clearsnap).

Speaking of strawberries, I have a strawberry-themed card to share with you today.  You can see it in the photo above.  The sentiment on it reads: "For a Berry Sweet Friend."

I cut the scalloped border along the left-hand side of the card by hand.  The photo above shows you how I did it.  This is one of my favorite ways to use double-sided patterned paper.

The strawberry theme continues on the inside of the card.  I'll leave you with a snapshot of that.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Additional supplies for inside of card: recipe card die-cut, patterned papers, and stickers all by October Afternoon; ink by Clearsnap.

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

I have the good fortune to be published for the second month in a row in Scrap n' Art e-zine.  This month Scrap n' Art features a "June Brides" theme, and the issue is jam-packed with all sorts of wedding-related creative projects.  My contribution to the issue is a layout about the day my husband and I got married.  

You'll have to take a look at Scrap n' Art to see my wedding layout.  However, today I have a different, unpublished, page to share here on my blog.  It's about a bridal shower, so it's a bit related to the theme of weddings.

Supplies: patterned paper (October Afternoon), doily stickers (Cosmo Cricket), large red alphabet stickers (My Mind's Eye), all other stickers (October Afternoon), reused product packaging (Prima), pen (Zig).

This layout commemorates a shower that two of my aunts threw for me.

I wanted to incorporate the invitation into my page design, so I housed it in a pocket behind my focal photo.

I had too many other photos from the shower to fit comfortably onto a single layout.  So, I tucked the rest of the photos into the pocket as well (behind the invitation).  They are all together and easy to access, but the page does not look too cluttered.

How did I make a pocket deep enough to hold a stack of photos?  I used lots and lots of foam adhesive.  It was fun to make such a dimensional page.  In this photo you can also see how I used foam between stickers to create a dimensional flower accent.

I don't actually have any weddings to attend this month, but I'm still excited for June.  It marks the beginning of summer, one of my favorite seasons.  I hope that it will be a good month for all of you, as well!  Thanks for visiting my blog today.