The LINEUP

The inspiration for this layout was a picture taken by a bridesmaid during a photo shoot on my sons wedding day. The guys were all "lined up" in front of the city museum & this image was caught! My son (the groom )is the one with the green vest, and next to him is my hubby-his best man!!! It made my hubby so proud when my son asked him to be his best man! anyhow....
I really wanted to pull the colors in the photo into the layout, so I started with the richest black card stock I could find. It was Bazzill's eclipse...it is really a rich dark black! I then started the process of picking out papers.. and the BasicGrey Boxer collection had these patterned papers! I cut two circles from these papers using my Fiskar's circle templates, added eyelets to the back one & was ready to start!

The photo & all paper edges were distressed with 2 colors- Distress black soot first, then Distress peeled paint. The butterfly was an image from a clip art program that was printed on Grafix computer printable transparent plastic. I then adhered it to the green paper used in layout & cut. I distressed the edges, stickled the top surface with lime green & black diamond & placed it layout with foam squares under the wings to give it a lift.

The flowers were made with my Big Shot using the same papers used in layout. I also used a retro punch for the smaller layer. All layers were distressed & edges were stickled with lime green. A brad was added to hold it all together & act as flower center! Small Maya road chip butterflies were added to fill those empty spaces!!

The large Fancy Pants flourishes were inked with the peeled paint first, then with the black soot. I added gems to highlight the large flourish. Smaller flowers were made & placed along the large flourish. The little deco edging is card stock cut with a Cuttlebug die on my Big shot.

This was so enjoyable to do! I wanted to keep the feel of the photo in the layout! I hope I achieved that!

Thanks so much for taking a look! I really appreciate it!

My New Fav #2 "ENELOOPS"

I really must share these with you! They are the BEST rechargeable batteries EVER!! Many of us have point & click cameras that suck the energy out of batteries at lightning speed, and always are low at the wrong time. Before my vacation in Oct I did a huge amount of research on rechargeables & hands down these are the best!! They are made by Sanyo & come in all types (AAA, AA, C etc). They are not your normal rechargeables...but a step above.I have never seen these in the store, however they are available online. I am head over heals about these batteries! I am going to provide you a link to Amazon.com for them, primarily because it has so many reviews & you can see others feel the same way I do. Out of 534 reviews , 433 gave them the highest 5 star rating. Also you can see the wide variety of combo packs that are available. Mine came with a travel charger & love it. I know that these are available overseas, as a friend of mine recently purchased them in Germany. Check the link out! be sure to scroll down to read all the great tech info available on the site! You will love em! Plus they are great for your Wii :D

ENELOOPS

Thanks for visiting my blog!!

Havin Fun in the Photo Booth!

The inspiration for this layout was a trip to the mall with my hubby, son & daughter in law that resulted in 4 adults ending up in a photo booth! We had just finished dinner at the Cheesecake Factory & decided to climb in! The photo booth was on wheels & WAS moving!! It was funny! Plus the pics came out this beautiful color!! I guess it knew I had the Basic Grey Urban Prairie papers in mind!!! The background card stock it Bazzil sunshine yellow, it works beautifully with the Urban Prairie line.

I inked all paper edges with Distress black soot & Distress broken china. The broken china is one of my fav blue inks..it works with many shades of blue. The Fancy Pants flourish was also inked with the black soot. I really wanted the flourish to "hold" the pics, and be a big part of the layout. The letters are Thickers ...open & use. Gotta love them! I also made two size flowers. The smaller ones were scattered throughout the layout, and did not have the silk flower base that I used for the large one. I highlighted the petals with yellow & turquoise Stickles I covered the chips stars with the same paper as used in layout. I distressed it with the broken china blue first & then lightly with the black soot. I outlined in an irregular way to just make the stars stand out a bit. I then matted & distressed the mini pics.

The large bloom is made from layered card stock & Prima silk. I made the layers with my Big Shot, & the small Retro punch! I had so much fun with this layout. The photo is poor quality, but what a fun memory!!

Thanks for taking a look!

Erase Away!

I want to share with you 2 types of erasers that are a must have for every paper crafter! The first is an artists kneaded eraser. It can be softened by "kneading" to any shape or size. it has somewhat of a Silly Putty texture... mine usually ends up in a ball shape! It is used for lifting off pencil marks and residue. It does not destroy the paper or card stock & leaves no eraser mark behind. Just lightly touch over the area! It can be found in the art department usually with the charcoal & sketching pencils. I love this eraser!

The second is eraser is an adhesive eraser. This eraser does exactly what it says... erases adhesive. I know many time I have went to far with the tape runner, or my Tombow glue has pooled from behind the flourishes I am always putting on my layouts. Just gently erase the adhesive tape, or the dried liquid glue with this & it removes the glue like magic!! It will not tear the paper when done with a light touch, although I have really rubbed it and still had good results! I have even been able to remove adhesive from a photo without damage.Both of these erasers can be found for under 2.00 each! It has saved many a layout for me!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Double Trouble

The inspiration for this layout is picture of me & my sweet niece! Get the 2 of us together & look out! We sure have fun! This was made using the very recognizable Basic Grey Ambrosia papers! I needed to add some color to the dreary winter days & these papers were made to order!
I used Bazzil black card stock as a contrast to these beautiful papers. I cut a circle from one printed paper & used a Fiskars border punch for the second printed paper. I usually use a couple different prints when working with solid background. I then distressed them with Tim Holtz black soot distress ink & Adirondack terra cotta ink.

The Fancy Pants flourishes were inked with Staz-on pitch black ink &. The border chipboard is from the Cosmo Cricket blackboard collection. It comes already black & really saves time. I think it would be beautiful in a Wedding Album.

The butterflies were cut with Cutterbee detail scissors from papers also included in the Ambrosia packet. I made layered flowers with 2 different Sizzix dies & the good old retro punch. They were distressed with the terra cotta & black soot ink. I added a bit of cinnamon Stickles to highlight a bit.

The title is Basic Grey's Middle set, inked with the Staz- on black ink. More Cosmo Cricket blackboard was placed around the pic. I also added touches of bling throughout the layout! I really enjoyed working on this! The bright paper colors & my beautiful niece made for a fun afternoon! Thanks so much for taking a look! I appreciate it!!

My New Fav #1

I decided to start sharing with you some of my currents "favs"! I will try to post weekly my latest fav! It seems I change my mind that often! So here is my New Fav #1Clear overlays are starting to appear everywhere! They are quick, easy & mistake proof for those of us who are a bit sloppy with rub-on's!! I found this fabulous pack of clear cut shapes from Little Yellow Bicycle. The pack has 40 pieces in it aprox 2.5 to 3 inches in size! The variety is great with around 2-3 each piece. It has everything from clock faces to flourishes! Love em!
I did use this in my lo " I heart my Sweet Sister ( on the photo). I know I will use these in the future!

The next group of clear overlays are from 7 gypsies. It is part of their artist trading card line. They measure aprox 2.5 x3.5. The packet has 2 each of 10 different patterns . They are perfect for ATC's, cards , and layouts! They are very good quality, they have no scratches that you find on some overlays. Plus they have beautiful prints & patterns! I think you will find these products are great for all your paper crafting needs!

Thanks for taking a look at my new fav!!!

I *Heart* My Sister

The inspiration for this layout is my sweet sister! She is my best friend & the world is a better place because she is in it!
It is made primarily from the My Creative Scrapbook Jan add on kit, featuring Webster's Pages. These are beautiful papers that do the work for you! Just add a pic & you are set!

My bloom was made by layering a Petaloo (aqua & dark red) with paper flowers made with my Big Shot. I distressed the edges of the petals with Adirondack pool ink & vintage paper Distress Ink. After layering I distressed some small satin flowers & attached with a brad as my flower center! Maya road chip butterflies inked with Adirondack cranberry ink were placed throughout the layout.

A chip heart was covered with paper used layout. (covering chip technique).I distressed the edges & added a satin flower. The lettering is Basic Grey Wilma- inked with Adirondack bottle green ink.

The large flourish is from Fancy Pants. I used the pool ink to cover the flourish. Vintage photo & bottle green was used to distress. The pretty leaf vine trim was adhered & satin flowers were attached. I added some Prima, say it with crystals bling to accent the curves. The journaling overlay on the pic is from My Little Yellow Bicycle Clear cut shapes.

Another bit of leaf vine trim was placed around the photo. This was distressed with the pool ink. I made a floral/scalloped mat with a Fiskars border punch.

Such fun materials to work with! The Websters Pages papers are soooo fun to use!

Thanks for taking a look! You know that I appreciate it!

"TWICE BLESSED"

The inspiration for this layout is my sweet- great nephew & niece! Their mom had very difficult pregnancies & our family truly has been blessed twice!
The papers are "Websters Pages" & are from the yummmmmy add on kit at My Creative Scrapbook ...and are they ever pretty! The entire layout was made from the kit with exception of my solid background Bazzil card stock.

The "ring" was cut using my Fiskars circle cutter. I punched the flowers form card stock using the Paper Shapers Retro punch. I distressed all flower edges with Tim Holtz Distress fired brick & the Adirondack Espresso ink. ( the expresso ink is one of my favorite brown inks!! love it!!) I then placed 1 flower petal behind the ring, all the way around. Alternating burgandy & cinnamon stickles were added as flower centers. Rub-on's were added to the photo & a couple flowers were added to rub on's!

The photo was double matted & scalloped printed paper edges made with the "threading water" punch were placed under the pic. I also made a scalloped border strip using same method.All edges were distressed with fired brick & espresso ink.

The bloom was easy! A Prima silk flower was separated & paper layers were added . The music paper is from "October afternoon". I will be buying more of it!!

Finally a butterfly was cut from the patterned paper, and place on a inked Maya Road chip butterfly! All edges were distressed! I make my butterfly antenna's. My hubby plays guitar & I save his strings when he changes them! They are made from the thin end of the string & are made black with the good ole "sharpie" marker!!

I had fun with this layout! Warm rich colors!!

Thanks so much for taking a look!! I really appreciate it!!

"OMA"

The inspiration for this layout is a photo of my mom & son! We lived in Germany for 4 years when my son was 9-13. He grasped the language & culture with vigor and some of the best years of his youth was his years in Germany! He started calling his grandma "Oma", just like his German friends ! This photo was taken in Nov 07. Nick is 26 & my mom is 85 in the photo!
I used the wonderful kit from My Creative Scrapbook. It is the " My Minds Eye" , Laundry line collection! Wow, what beautiful papers! I originally planned to use a color pic, But the papers screamed sepia tone!!

I distressed all paper edges with Tim Holtz "worn lipstick" & "vintage photo" distress ink. The bird on branch is a rub on from the same collection as the papers. To give it more of an embellie effect, I placed it on card stock & cut it out leaving about 1/4 inch edge. I then distress the edges. I added a cluster of petal pink liquid pearls as a berry effect!

The blooms are from Petaloo. They are glittery & layered. I separated the layers & added flowers made with my Big Shot- using card stock also used in the layout. Next I distressed all petals, layered & added the heart brad as the flower center.

The letters are Basic Grey's Bon Bon, raw chip. The flourishes are form Bo Bunny, gift of love collection. They were inked with the Tim Holtz worn lipstick & Adirondack watermelon. I did distress them a bit with the vintage photo ink. I highlighted with the liquid pearls.

The scalloped edged mat is was made from the collection card stock, using a "threading water" punch! The blue floral embellie in corner of pic was cut from the same paper. Both were distressed.. love that worn lipstick ink!!

I really enjoyed doing this layout!

Thanks for taking a look at my blog! I appreciate it!

ADORABLE

The inspiration for this layout is my ADORABLE niece Anna. You may have seen her in layouts before, and you will see her in the future! This was done using the January My Creative Scrapbook kit. It featured the "Laundry Line" of papers from "My Minds Eye". Wow what beautiful papers to work with! It was also for a sketch challenge based on the sketch by Liz Qualman. (click for sketch) I usually have a hard time with sketches.. but this was fun! Thanks Liz.

The papers were cut around the circles to add some dimension. I also added eyelets to the circles. The edges of my cut work was distressed with Tim Holtz worn lipstick ink. It seemed to bring out the pink in the papers.

The adhesive chipboard borders are also from the Laundry Line collection. I cut one & placed it around the photo. I noticed one said "adorable" on the border... thus my title! The flourishes & lettering are from Bo Bunny- a Gift of Love collection. They were inked with the worn lipstick ink & Adirondack watermelon ink.
I used a Paper Shapers Retro punch for the small flowers. I added eyelets centers to go with the eyelets I placed in the circles. These flowers were also distressed with the worn lipstick ink.
I used a large chip flower from the Laundry Line as a base of my bloom. I then added layers made from the printed papers using my Big Shot. A brad was added as the flower center to go with the eyelets! I also distressed all flower edges with the worn lipstick ink.

Finally I added the beautiful Prima bling!

This was fun to do!

I want to thank you for taking a look!

Those Crazy Punch Sizes!

I just love the Marvy Uchida punches, however I have noticed they have some really crazy, confusing size names! Is a Mega punch larger than a Jumbo? What about the Gigantic Mega Large? If that were not confusing enough you then have the 1 3/8 inch versus the 1 1/2 size! Well, I found this on the Marvy website & want to share it! It is a single page, printable, guide to the the Marvy punches with images the actual size of their punches!! I loved this! Especially for purchasing online when you can not see the size of the punch! So here is the link! Just scroll down to the printable pdf file after you enter the site! I hope you find this helpful!
http://www.marvy.com/product_details.aspx?ProductID=118

Thanks for stopping by! :)

1916

The inspiration for this layout is a photo of my Grandma that I found in a box of older pics. The only information I have about the photo was the date which was wrote on the back... 1916.
I used My Minds Eye, Wild Asparagus printed paper along with Bazzil solid card stock. I altered the photo to a sepia/brown & distressed all edges of the photo paper with Tim Holtz Distress- aged mahogany & walnut stain. I decided that I wanted to "pull" the colors in the printed paper, so I used both inks on all distressing in the lay out.

The Fiskars "threading water" scallop punch was used to make scalloped mat under photo. This too was distressed with both inks. My blooms were made with my Big Shot, using paper layers, inked & put together with a vintage look button. I then added some an altered gem for the center & Burgundy Stickles to highlight.

The large chip flourish is from Fancy Pants & was inked using the Distress Aged Mahogany.

The jewels/gems that are in the layout were originally clear. I used the Ranger Cranberry alcohol ink- to color the gems. I also used the Ranger Latte & Raisin alcohol ink on the metal vintage tags, to give them a more distressed look. They are made by Sticko & were originally very copper in color. I covered raw chip photo corners the with the same background paper & placed on photo.

The timepiece is a rub on by Imaginisce. I punched 2 scallops circles, distressed them both & simply adhered timepiece. I then set the timepiece in the flourish!

This was an enjoyable layout to do! Once again I distressed almost every item used on the layout!

Thanks so much for taking a look :D