World Card Making Day

Hello there! Happy World Card Making Day! Yes, there's such a thing. You can get more info here, here, and here. Seriously, there are so many giveaways, online parties, and sales going on.

So. Every year, I wait until the week before Christmas to get my holiday cards done. Every. Single. Year. This year, as I made this card, I thought that perhaps I should get the process started now? I could actually stamp the 93 cards I need by Christmas? Right? Maybe. A big maybe. BUT, at least I've got number one done. That's the hard part. I think.

This little card uses two different Technique Tuesday stamps. The Be Jolly set by Teri Anderson and the Jingle All The Way set by Ali Edwards.

The tree and decoration are from the Be Jolly set. The star (cut out and popped up), the stripey base, the sentiment and holly are from the Jingle All The Way set. Love how they work together so nicely. And I love sets which have separate components so they can be stamped in my desired colors. Without having to mask. Because I'm terrible at masking!

Are you creating cards today? Maybe getting scrappy? Whatever you are doing today, thank you for coming by. Hope you have a great weekend!

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Technique Tuesday: Halloween Card

I went to Target the other day, and was smacked with a huge Halloween section. Already picked over. What the heck, peoples! I was never a plan-ahead kind of gal. So cut me some slack. Please.

Well, once I bought Christmas presents in September. I felt hugely accomplished, but not enough to do it again. That aside, I'm seriously worried about my costume for my youngest. And getting the balance of too little vs too much candy to pass out. Last year was our first Halloween in this location, and we didn't have a lot of trick-or-treaters. We found out it was because we live in a neighborhood whose  residents do not celebrate Halloween. I don't like being left with a lot of loot, because let's face it, I will eat it. All!

Anyway. Halloween. Card.

This one was made with this adorable stamp set by Teri Anderson. I created the spiderweb with a resist pen and some clear embossing powder. I think next time I'll try a thinner marker.

stamps: Technique Tuesday Eek / resist marker: Ranger Perfect Medium / embossing powder: Ranger Super Fine Detail in clear / ink: Tsukineko Memento in Tuxedo Black, Clearsnap Colorbox Classic Pigment Ink Cat's Eyes / cardstock: Neenah, Bazzill / alcohol marker: Triart / adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives

I stamped the spider, cut it out, and colored its eyes with an alcohol marker. Then adhered it to the card with pop up dots. Stamped the "eeek!!!" and I was done. Super easy!

Click here for more ideas using this stamp set. Thanks for coming by today!

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Elle's Studio Guest Designer

I'm so honored to be guest designing for Elle's Studio this month. I've been a big fan of their products for a long. Then I met the Elle! And I became an even bigger fan. She's such a kind, and giving person!

This first layout is about the costumes I create for my kids each year. I've tapered off on the sewing quite a bit, since my two oldest said they were too old to dress up. I do miss seeing them going from house to house trick-or-treating. But can I say that I'm also a bit glad that I don't have to make three costumes anymore? Ha! I know... nice mom... I've been trying to convince my youngest to go as the Lorax this year, but he's having none of it. He wants to be a tree, but "not a Truffula tree. Just a normal tree." I guess he was reading my mind...

tags: Elle's Studio Spooky Tales Large Journaling Tags + Spooky Tales Pennants + Spooky Tales Thankful Pennants + Spooky Tales Tidbits / patterned paper: My Mind's Eye / stamps: Hero Arts Basic Lower Case Letters / washi: MT / sewing machine

That Halloween card was perfect for my journaling. I ran it through my printer, and then I couldn't resist adding one googly eye to the O. So Despicable Me minion, no? (Maybe the littlest could be a minion...)

This next layout is all Fall also. It's about one of last visits we took to our favorite pumpkin patch in Philly. It's this amazing, organic farm with the cutest farmer's market.

tags: Elle's Studio Spooky Tales Large Journaling Cards + Hello Summer Lil' Snippets + Summer Lovin' Note Tags / stamp (chevron): Lawn Fawn Interlocking Backdrops / ink: Clearsnap Cat's Eye Pigment Ink / flair button: Ormolu 2-day Hooray Month / sewing machine + typewriter

I used three 4x6 journaling cards as the base for the photos. For two of those, I trimmed around the "tags", and tucked the photos underneath. It creates the look of layers without adding more bulk.

tags: Elle's Studio Summer Lovin' Cutouts + The Sweet Life Note Tags / stamps: Lawn Fawn A Birdie Told Me + Happy Everything / ink: Tsukineko Versafine / markers: Letraset ProMarkers / sewing machine

And I made a card. I cut one of the smaller journaling cards apart to use the pretty stripes. I layered it with another card, and added some adorable Lawn Fawn stamps on top. The chevrons are from one of the cut apart tags. Easy peasy!

Thanks for dropping by. And thanks to Elle's Studio for asking me to guest! Don't forget to drop by their blog for the design team gallery reveal!

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Elle's Studio Blog Hop Winner!

I plugged the numbers into random.org, and it gave me #11.

That would be Erin, who wrote:

Congratulations, Erin! Please email me using the "email" button on the left side of the blog.

Thanks everyone! Have a great weekend! Here in Los Angeles, we are suffering the second Carmageddon. A great excuse to stay home and get crafty.

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Technique Tuesday: Keep Calm and...

Looking for the Elle's Studio giveaway? Click here!

We've all seen those posters, right? Keep Calm and Carry On? And its many other iterations. I must fess up that I have a Keep Calm and Carry On poster. It serves me as a reminder to, well, keep calm. And carry on.

My friend Teri Anderson created the most adorable "Keep Calm and ... " stamps for Technique Tuesday. They are cute and fun and oh so perfect for cards.

I used the Think Beef set to create this card.

stamp: Technique Tuesday Think Beef / ink: Clearsnap Cat's Eye Pigment Ink / cardstock: DMC / adhesive: Glue Arts GlueGliderPro, Scrapbook Adhesives

I stamped the leaves with various shades of brown, green, yellow, and orange. Cut them out, and layered them at the bottom of the Keep Calm stamp. I stamped the acorn, cut that out, and used a pop up dot to give it some lift. Finished the layout with a fly away leaf.

Do go by the Technique Tuesday blog to see other projects made with these new stamps! Thanks for coming by today.

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Today we are celebrating the release of Elle's Studio's two new lines for Autumn and Christmas: Spooky Tales and Be Merry ! They are hitting the stores this week and you can also get them at their website now!


The Spooky Tales line works great for Autumn/Fall AND Halloween! And, the Be Merry  line is perfect for Christmas layouts, cards, and would work great for your December Daily! And, as a bonus, with both lines they've also worked in tons of tags that are perfect for Project life! 


I've been an Elle's Studio fan for a long time, and my favorite Christmas item every year is any item that has numbers! Yes, I am a fan of using numbers in layouts. Check out this year's! So good, right?

I'm also a sucker for anything Halloween and/or Thanksgiving. They are actually my two favorite holidays. My fave Elle's Studio products in this line? The pennants. I think they add just the right amount of fun and whimsy to any project. 

I used both in this layout (just a peek today) about the Halloween costumes I make for my children every year. This layout came together quickly because with Elle's Studio's products, you don't have to hunt down all the perfect embellishments. They ARE the embellishments. Totally simple and awesome. The October gallery will debut on October 1st . 

Yes, that's a googly eye you see.

Now the best part! I get to giveaway two of my favorite items from the new release to one lucky winner! Leave a comment to be entered to win my faves: the Be Merry Numbers and the Spooky Tales Spooky Pennants. I'll draw one winner on Saturday, September 29th, so make sure you check back to see if you've won!

And, don't forget to keep going! There are different prizes and winners at every stop in the hop - you have 13 more chances to WIN:

Elle's Studio

Angela  

Becky 

Diana 

Jill  

Jen 

Jenni

Jennifer

Kay  

Linda  < you are here!

Michelle  

Sophie  

Valerie 

Waleska 


Thank you for dropping by today!

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Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week: Dewey Decimal

Hello again! I'm always a little surprised when I post two days in a row. It seems so miraculous... Ha!

Today is day 3 of Lawn Fawn's Inspiration Week!

My project features one of the two new paper lines: Dewey Decimal. Dewey is a mix of school/office/Fall. I posted about a couple of layouts using this line here and here. This little layout is about my youngest child, who's all boy. But he's also all heart. It balances out very nicely. (Although I could use with a little less hopping on the sofa...)

patterned paper: Lawn Fawn Cataloged + Words Per Minute + Book Fair + Petite Paper Pack / sticker: Lawn Fawn Elements Dewey Decimal / stamps: Lawn Fawn Interlocking Backdrops + Harold's ABC / cardstock: Bazzill / ink: Hero Arts Chalk Ink + Tsukineko Versafine + Clearsnap Cat's Eye Pigment Ink / typewriter + sewing machine

The little flags are cut out of the Book Fair paper. The arrows on the left are from the awesome new set Interlocking Backdrops. And the words are stamped with Harold's ABC.

Thanks for dropping by today! Don't forget to go by Lawn Fawn's blog and leave a comment to win!

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Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week: Fa-la-la

Hello there! Lawn Fawn is having its September Inspiration Week. This means lots of eye candy AND prizes for you!

Monday's focus is on the new paper line Fa-la-la! Click here to see all the products in this line. And as with everything Lawn Fawn, it's super cute!

When I'm stumped design-wise, I usually return to this sketch: 8.5" x 11", photos across the middle, journaling below, patterned paper above. It's clean, it's well balanced, it's effective.

The Christmas tree paper is my favorite and it was perfect for a layout about Christmas trees! This was our tree from last year, in following our tradition of going out and cutting a fresh tree ourselves. There was a huge contrast between what our past tree cutting trips had been, and what they are now. 

patterned paper: Lawn Fawn O Christmas Tree + Joy To The World / stickers: Lawn Fawn Elements Fa-la-la / cardstock: Neenah / font: p22 Typewriter / adhesive: GlueArts

Cold vs warm. Snow vs. sunshine. Hard pine vs. soft pine. Hot chocolate vs. Mexican food. Bundled up vs. T-shirts and shorts. And did I mention the palm trees surrounding the pines? Crazy!

But in the end, it's not about the tree or the weather conditions. It's about what Christmas means to us. And that we can carry from location to location.

The red chevron paper paper is actually the B-side of the brand/upc strip. And the Fa-la-la title is the name of the Elements sticker sheet. I love it when I can use every single piece of scrap!

Don't forget to drop by Lawn Fawn's blog and leave a comment to win. Come back tomorrow for more Lawn Fawn projects. Have a great day!

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Technique Tuesday: Cards

If you are looking for the Elizabeth Dillow's Meaningful Minis giveaway, please click here.

I mostly create layouts, and sometimes cards. But cards have always baffled me. I look through other people's blogs and I am in awe. How do they do that?

I have come to the conclusion that I need to stick to simple. It's what feels most like me. Although that's not to say that I don't want to learn to new techniques. On the contrary, that's one of the most exciting things about stamping. There's so much to learn!

Here are two cards that are simple and pretty darn easy to make. I used Technique Tuesday's latest stamp release.

stamp: Technique Tuesday All My Love by Ali Edwards / card stock: Neenah / inks: ColorBox Classic Pigment Cat's Eyes (various sets) / typewriter

This first one is self-explanatory. It's supposed to look like the printer's registration is off. I used three bright colors to emulate cyan, magenta, and yellow, and stamped them randomly. I tried it once with black (the K of CMYK), but it didn't look as good. As a graphic designer, I'm giving myself the permission to skip K...

stamps: Technique Tuesday Two Steppin' + Sentiment Tabs by Ali Edwards / cardstock: Neenah / inks: Tsukineko Versamark / embossing powder: American Crafts Zing in White / watercolor crayons: Caran D'Ache in Rose, Spring Green, Grass Green, Yellow Green 

This second one took a little more work. But not that much more. And it was fun! I stamped the images with Versamark and embossed them with some white Zing. Then I went to town with Technique Tuesday's watercolor crayons. It's one of those techniques that look like it took a lot of time and effort, but it didn't. A win-win, if you asked me.

Thanks for dropping by today!

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Giveaway: Meaningful Minis

ETA: I've plugged the numbers into random.org, and the winner is Caroline Hackney! Congrats! You are going to love this book.

My friend Elizabeth Dillow has done it again. She has written another book that I love. Her first one is a total classic! This time she takes on mini-albums. Not just ones made to be cute and stacked in a basket. But ones that really mean something. Here's what the Ella site had to say about it:

Whatever you make, make it meaningful.

Elizabeth Dillow applies this philosophy to everything she does, and Meaningful Mini Albums may be the meaningfulest* of them all. She poured her heart and soul into 12 amazing albums (some itty bitty and others merely small) that will inspire you to tell your best stories in creative new ways. And your purchase includes a free video tour of 7 of the 12 albums. (Details on page 2 of your download.)

The beauty of a mini-album is that you can pack BIG memories inside. And these are projects with a clear beginning and end, which means you get to accomplish something grand and set the finished product on the shelf for all the world to see, flip through, and enjoy. Aren't you dying to think mini?

*Yes, we made up a word, but we're in good company. Shakespeare made up words all the time.

I just finished downloading and reading through the book, and it's full of ideas I want to recreate. And this is from someone who's not a mini-album person at all! My first one will be Instagram Favorites (see above). Followed by Family Maps. 

But don't take my word for it. (I am a huge fan of the Reading Rainbow and always wanted to say that. Yes, I'm a dork.) Leave me a comment telling me which is your favorite book of all time (it doesn't have to be scrapbook related), and I'll pick a winner this Friday to win a copy of Elizabeth's book. Remember to leave me your email address or a link back to your blog.

Thanks for dropping by!

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