Just for Fun!

Hello, friends!  I hope that the first day of November is treating you well so far.  And, if you celebrated Halloween yesterday, then I hope it was fun for you.  Speaking of fun, today I'm going to show you a project that I made just for fun.  Not for any challenge.  Not for any design team work.  Just because I wanted to.  :)

So, you may ask, what are these things?  Do you recognize them?  Perhaps you played with them as a child?

They are paper fortune tellers.  I made a whole bunch of them for a Halloween party that my son had over the weekend.  Actually, the ones that you see in this post are just the leftovers.  I made extras, so that the kids could have a variety of styles and colors from which to choose.

The 6x6" Crate Paper "Pretty Party" pad worked a treat for this project.  The papers are printed on one side but plain white on the other (so that the kids can write in the fortunes), and there is a good mix of "boyish" and "girlish" patterns.  These fortune tellers are quick to make, plus they are lots of fun.  Want to make your own fortune teller?  A simple search will show that instructions and examples abound on the web; there is even a Wikipedia article!

It's always nice to make a "just for fun" project.  I hope that the upcoming weekend will bring some fun, creative time for you.  Have a good one!

A Young Dragon's Journey (T-Tues + CPC + OUAS)

Hi, everyone!  It's once again Tuesday, the day to share a cuppa on Elizabeth's blog.  The temps are getting cold here in Minnesota; we're on the cusp of winter.  To warm myself up the other day, I had a bowl of spicy Thai noodles and a cup of hot coffee at Java Lab, a coffee shop in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul.  And for dessert, I had raspberry mousse, which was almost too pretty to eat.  :)

So, what kind of creative things have you all been working on lately?  As for me, I have a layout to share today.  It was inspired by two sources.  The first bit of inspiration comes from the blog Child's Play Challenges, where the image prompt is the cover of the old Disney movie Pete's Dragon.
 

Image source: http://childsplaychallenges.blogspot.com/2013/10/classic-movie-challenge-petes-dragon.html

My family is so heavily involved in kung fu that when I hear the word "dragon," I think of Chinese dragons.  Dragon imagery figures into kung fu moves a great deal, so I chose to scrapbook some photos of my son testing to qualify for a new kung fu belt.  I also used a lot of green and purple/pink on my page, inspired by the colors of Pete's dragon.

The rest of my inspiration came from Once Upon A...Sketch.  Their prompt this month is the sketch shown above, coupled with the topic "The Journey..."  Instead of writing about a physical journey from Point A to Point B, I filled my journaling with remarks about my son's journey of personal development as he advances through the levels of his kung fu club.

Supplies: purple striped paper from Vintage Street Market; die cut negative circle paper (reused as mask) from Graphic 45; all other paper from October Afternoon; doily from Royal; black alphabet stickers from Doodlebug; orange alphabet stickers from Bella Blvd; all other stickers from October Afternoon; faux brads from Craftwork; chalk from Stampin' Up; ink from Hero Arts; stamps from My Mind's Eye; watercolor paint from Angora; colored pencils from Empire; pen from Zig.

Here are a few detail shots...

Check out those moves!

Lots of circle motifs.

Lots of journaling.

Lots of paint, colored pencil, chalk, and stamping.

Thanks for journeying through this blog post with me!  :)

ETA: this layout was chosen as a "favorite" on the Child's Play Challenges blog.  Hooray!  :)

Guest Designing @ FSFS / Приглашенный дизайнер в блоге FSFS

Hi, everyone!  The last few days have been very busy for me, with the state teachers' convention.  (I'm a teacher by profession.)  It's so nice to relax now and get back to blogging!

Всем привет!  Я была очень занята эти последные дни, посещала учительские семинары.  (Я по професси учительница.)  Очень удобно теперь отдыхать и писать вот этот пост.
 

Supplies / материалы: doily paper & orange lattice paper / бумага со салфетками и бумага с оранжевой решёткой (Crate); flower die cuts /бумажные цветок и листья (Doodlebug); all other paper / все другие бумаги (October Afternoon); large alphabet stickers / большие алфавитные наклейки (Bella Blvd); small alphabet stickers  / маленькие алфавитные наклейки (October Afternoon); ribbons / ленты (Scrapbook Fantasies); thread / ниточки (Singer); pen / ручка (Zig).

This month I have the great opportunity to be the guest designer at From Scrappers~For Scrappers.  The challenge there is to create a project inspired by the Norah Jones song "Everybody Needs a Best Friend."  I made the layout above.  

В этот месяц я имею отличную вожможность стать приглашенным дизайнером в блоге От скапперов-для скрапперов.  Их задание--создать проект с вдохновением из песеньки "Каждому нужен лучший друг" от певицей Нора Джонс.  Моя страничка вверх.

My page is called "Animal Best Friends."  The photos are from the Minnesota Zoo.

Моя страничка называется "Животные лучшие друзья".  Фотки из нашего большого зоопарка.

This challenge runs for two months.  December 13 is the deadline.

Челлендж идёт два месяца.  Последный день 13 декабря.
 

Thank you, October Afternoon, for this lovely poem!  Благодарю фирму October Afternoon за эти красивые стихи!  :)

This challenge is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.  I hope you'll get the chance to participate!

Люди из любой страны могут участвовать в этот челлендж/задание.  Надеюсь, что увижу проект от вас!

Just for Fun: Acorns & Apples (T-Tues & OBW)

Hello again!  Today I have a very light-hearted post.  I want to show you a card that I made just for fun.  I used Doodlebug's cute fall collection, "Happy Harvest," which has been appearing in much of my work these days.  This paper collection seems to mix in with my stash perfectly, revitalizing left overs from last year's fall collections (like that Simple Stories squirrel card).  Gotta love it when that happens.
 

Supplies: patterned papers from Doodlebug Design; journaling card from Simple Stories; alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; glitter glue from Ranger; corner punch from Creative Memories

I put another squirrel on the inside of the card.
 

Additional supplies for card interior: cardstock from Neenah Paper; border sticker from Doodlebug Design; squirrel sticker from Simple Stories; mechanical pencil.

I'm still enjoying all things fall, including apple cider.  This is a different kind than I showed last week.  It's a local brand, and it's so-o-o-o flavorful.

Look at the way the cider gets a golden glow in the morning sunlight.  Yummmmmm!

I'm linking that last photo up to Our Beautiful World, where the theme this week is "chill."  This cider represents both senses of the word: it is a chilled beverage, and I "chillax" when I drink it.  :)

Hope you get some time to chillax today!  Thanks for dropping by my blog.

10 on the 10th: Authentique

Hi, all!  Today's the day for sharing my "10 on the 10th" post for the month.  This time around, I used up a bunch of paper and stickers from my Authentique stash.  I approached this round of stash-reducing with the idea of organizing my paper scraps by color.  As a result, here are the colorful projects that I created.

Green/Blue/Purple Color Scheme

Project 1: fussy-cut leaf paper from Bo Bunny; mini alphabet stickers & all other patterned paper from Authentique; purple cardstock from Wausau Paper; blue cardstock from Bazzill; large alphabet stickers & die cut tabbed cards from October Afternoon; pen from Zig.

Green/Cream Color Scheme

Project 2: large alphabet stickers & dotted paper from October Afternoon; fleur-de-lis paper from Teresa Collins; fussy-cut paper gingerbread man from Basic Grey; sunburst paper from Studio Calico; all other patterned paper from Authentique; cardstock from Wausau Paper; "Holiday Favorites" sticker & notebook sticker from Bella Blvd; all other stickers from Cosmo Cricket; pen from Zig.

Blue/Brown Color Scheme 
(2 projects)

Projects 3 & 4: dotted paper & pale blue paper from Authentique; blue cardstock from Bazzill; patterned kraft cardstock from Neenah Paper; die cuts & all other patterned papers from Doodlebug Design; journaling box & opaque stickers from Simple Stories; transparent stickers from Hambly; ink from Hero Arts; pen from Ranger; vintage twine.

Autumn-Toned Color Scheme

Project 5: previously blogged here.

Red/Blue Color Scheme
(2 projects)

Project 6: all patterned paper & alphabet stickers from Authentique; cardstock from Bazzil; pen from Creative Memories.

Project 7: all patterned paper & stickers from Authentique; faux brads from Craftwork; pens from Zig.

Blue/Pink/Yellow Color Scheme 
(2 projects, very different in style)

Project 8: all patterned paper from Authentique; alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; pink & yellow cardstock from Wausau Paper; blue cardstock from Bazzill; thread from Singer; pen from  Zig; household mini staples.

Project 9: previously blogged here.

My tenth project...

This time I focused on stickers, not paper.  I stenciled on a card using the negative portion from a sheet of round alphabet stickers (the same stickers that I used to spell "Joy").  This card is a bit different, but I like it, and I know just the person to send it to (she likes black)!

Project 10: cardstock from Pulp; stickers from Authentique; die cut from October Afternoon; doily from Royal; stamp from My Mind's Eye; ink from Hero Arts; paint from Angora; chalk from Stampin' Up; assorted colored pencils.

Thanks for taking the time to view my ten stash-busting projects.  Which one was your favorite?  (Mine is "Autumn Walk," because I like the family photos on it.)

Apple Tasting (S365, TCR, T-Tues, OBW)

Supplies: music paper, die cuts, blank labels, number grid paper, & all alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; all other patterned paper from American Crafts; number stickers, flower sticker, & sentiment label from Echo Park; burlap from Canvas Corp.; cardstock from Pulp; faux brads from Craftwork; pen from Creative Memories.

Hi, everyone!  It's a pleasure to be able to take a little break from chores on this Tuesday to share a slice of my life with you.  It's October, and apples are in season!  So, first up I have an apple-related layout (pictured above) to share with you.

Image source: http://sketchbook365.blogspot.com/2013/09/october-sketch-challenge_20.html

I based my page design on the current sketch from Sketchbook 365.

Image source: http://www.thecolorrooms.com/1/post/2013/09/palette-160.html

And my color scheme comes from The Color Room.

My layout commemorates a trip that my family made last year to a heritage orchard.  We attended an apple tasting, and we got to sample all kinds of apples in all kinds of forms.  In my journaling, I noted each family member's favorite: slices of Yellow Transparent apples, canned Malinda apples, and crab apple jelly.

I upcycled the negative portions of different alphabet sticker sheets to add interest to my layout.

Of course, working on this layout made me crave apples.  I satisfied that craving with a cup of apple cider.  I prefer a dark, rich, cloudy apple cider, as you see from the photo.

I made my "Apple Tasting" layout over the weekend, and then I thought I'd be done with apples for awhile.  But yesterday I met a friend for lunch, and I ended up ordering apple pizza.  I never had anything like this before.  My pizza was topped with bleu cheese, crumbled bacon, apple slices, and walnuts.  Yum!

The restaurant where I got my apple pizza (Café 318) is near Lake Minnetonka.  It was such a beautiful day yesterday, and I got a great picture of the deep blue lake, with autumn trees in the background.  I just wanted to share the photo with you before I sign off.  I'll be linking this photo up with Our Beautiful World, where the theme this week is "October."

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Have a great day!

Thanksgiving Card (B71B)

Hello, all!  I'm continuing to enjoy fall to its fullest, and I have a Thanksgiving card to share today.  The card is my entry for the Berry 71 Bleu October Challenge.  This challenge is to make a project that incorporates fall colors, and challenge hostess Marivic provided this wonderfully inspirational mood board.

What I like about this mood board is that it doesn't just feature a few autumn colors (i.e., the typical reds and golds); instead, it has a whole spectrum of fall colors.  I wanted to use that spectrum effect in my card, so I arranged some Doodlebug die cut flowers loosely in rainbow order.  Here's my card:

Supplies: cardstock base from Neenah Paper; burgundy woodgrain paper, tan scalloped border sticker, & flower/leaf die cuts from Doodlebug Design; sentiment stickers from Bella Blvd.

And now I am ready ahead of time with a Thanksgiving card!  It's nice to be ahead of the game for once.  :)

Now, I'm off to enjoy my weekend.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Scrap for Help October Challenge

It's October!  I hope that the new month is treating you well so far.  I want to let you know about this month's new challenge at the Scrap for Help blog.  For the month of October we are incorporating recycled pieces of cork into our projects.

Supplies: ledger paper & fussy-cut leaf paper from Bo-Bunny; vellum from TPC; dotted paper, mini banner paper, scalloped border stickers, & flower die cuts from Doodlebug Design; alphabet stickers (all fonts) from Bella Blvd; Bingo cards & decorative stickers from Simple Stories; ink from Hero Arts; paint from Ranger; pen from Zig; paper clip from Staples.

I made a layout called "Cozy @ Home."  You can find this layout, as well as lots of other inspiration from the S4H design team, on the Scrap for Help blog.

Cork is a very trendy craft material at the moment.  But to follow this trend, you may not even have to spend any money...just make your cork embellishments out of items you have sitting around the house.  Maybe you are ready to upcycle some old cork coasters, some non-skid cork furniture pads, or, the old stand-by, a wine cork.

I used the cork from a bottle of Sutter Home wine.  I actually found this cork on the beach, so it was a complete freebie!

I started my layout by stamping the background with the cork, using black archival ink.  Then I stamped a few more times, using pearlescent paint in an autumnal orange color.

The wine cork made another appearance on my layout later, as I was adding the final embellishments.  I carefully cut the word "Home" from the cork, and I glued the word inside the wreath sticker on my layout.

I look forward to seeing what the S4H participants will do with the challenge this month.  If you feel inspired to play along, you can find all the details on the S4H blog.  Have fun!