quick, run...don't walk!

OK seriously! If I were you, I'd run and grab one of the June kits by Jenni Bowlin. This one is my favorite kit of hers to date. EVER. Love it!!

In this kit is the brand new PLAY DATE line of 12 x 12" papers by Jenni Bowlin and the mini papers from this collection...also an exclusive paper, exclusive yellow sticker letters (yellow is so hot), and an exclusive die cut star that were made just for this kit, along with lots more.

The kits go up for sale today here. So far I've done a few cards.

On the first card, I used one of the mini papers, the star die cut and printed the saying at the top with my computer. I used the back of some of the Jenni Bowlin Core' dinations cardstock for a "debossed" look. (The cardstock isn't in the kit or the red button, but everything else is.)

Next, I really adored that big yellow butterfly rub on in the kit, so I decided to make a card out of it. I applied it to a folded piece of transparency and then cut around it for a butterfly shape, making sure to leave the top of the wings on the fold, so I don't cut the card apart.
Then I added a piece of the die cut paper edge on the inside of the card and layered 2 butterfly stickers. I thought it would be a fun birthday card. You can add as many banner stickers as you need to spell out the age of the recipient. (Big red button not in kit.)

I really wanted to use one of the new Play Date journaling cards on a card, so again on this next card, I used a folded transparency, added a doily from my stash and then the journaling card over the top. The little family ticket prompted me to add a little "family" of butterflies! :)

Love these gems from the kit, so I added one to the ribbon with a glue dot.

Another journaling card used here. I thought the numbers one would be perfect for a birthday card. Isn't that bulls-eye paper fun? Gosh that would be fun on a page about my favorite store. Target! Or perfect for boy pages of all kinds!

The alpha stamps are from my stash and they are EK Success - I purchased them here.

Visit the gallery for more ideas with the kit! And on the 10th, we'll have more projects with the kit to show you then also.

Danielle

Cocoa Daisy June kit reveal...

This month I was honored to be asked by Cocoa Daisy to design with their June kit, and I have to say I loved it sooooo much! I also got one of the add-ons called Water Cooler that had some 7 Gypsies ephemera, ribbons, Tim Holtz buttons, 3 packs of Basic Grey sticker letters, etc. The kits will be up for sale on the 1st here in their store!

The first layout I made is of my husband and I. We were dancing at a wedding when these pictures were taken! I printed out "love" on my computer and cut it out to add to the title. The large flowers are ones that I made with yarn from my stash (if you want the directions, click here for a quick, easy technique with no crocheting involved.) Added the Pink Paislee pleated ribbon (black) from the kit under the faux crocheted flowers.

I also made a flower from one of the 7 Gypsies rubber bands (the red flower at the bottom). This was no easy task, as I discovered that you can't use hot glue on rubber (or lots of other kinds of glue). Nothing sticks. So I actually had to hand-stitch it as I folded the "petals" under. I was bound and determined to make a flower out of that thing! P.S. Aren't the Tim Holtz buttons gorgeous? Love them!

Next up is a card made with a small oval embroidery hoop from my stash. Something different! Again, more yummy Tim Holtz buttons from the add-on. I used my heart punch to create a little banner. You could also put, "hang in there" as a sentiment with your banner. I love how the little embroidery hoops sort of serve as a shadow box when you back them with paper. You could put all kinds of things inside on the little "shelf" - like a little rattle for a baby card - etc. Here I just used some dimensional buttons to dress up the bottom and a sentiment printed out from my computer.

This tag was created with one of the 7 Gypsies book covers in the kit (there are two)! The other one was used on the True Love layout under the title.

Do you see the white graph rub on? It comes in a big square, but I cut a leaf shape from it before adding it to my tag. Don't be afraid to cut your rub ons into unique shapes!

Did I mention how much I love the houndstooth paper by Pink Paislee? :) I seemed to have used it a lot. On this card, I ran a running stitch along the ribbon, scrunched it up, tied the ends and kind of used it as a little banner on my card. I punched a heart in the paper and then popped it up with pop dots on another circle for dimension.

Last is a dad page ... this kit is perfect for Father's Day pages! I cut the banner paper up and turned the pennants into stars on my page. Added a little bit of machine stitching over the top. 

So there is the Cocoa Daisy kit...so much you can do with it for summer, Father's Day, etc! I can't wait to see what the team did with theirs!

Danielle

Thursday's trend: handmade gifts...

It seems like more and more of us scrapbookers are always looking for nice gifts that we can make with our growing stash of scrapbooking supplies. So today I've come up with a little box of cards to give someone as a gift...maybe for a teacher to say thank you (filled with thank you cards that they can give at the end of the year?) My mom and my mother-in-law are always asking for handmade cards from me that they can give to friends and family, so I like to put a little box of cards together for them. Or if you have a scrapbooking friend who likes to make cards, you can fill it with some yummy Pink Paislee supplies-brads, Artisan tape, cork buttons- like I did here, and they can put their own cards together! All it takes is a couple of pieces of paper to create the actual box!

For the base of the box, you will cut a piece of paper 8" x 8". Score in 1 and 1/2" on each side. Fold on the scored lines (arrows). Cut on the dotted lines. Fold the 4 corner flaps in. Adhere the 4 corners to the inside.

The box top is very similar. You will cut the patterned paper 8" x 8" again. However, when scoring, score 1 and 1/8" in from each side instead of 1 and 1/2". Fold on the scored lines. Cut on the dotted lines. Adhere it together just like you did with the box bottom. If you want to punch a design on the bottom edges of the box top, do so before you adhere the sides together. I punched a scallop in mine.

You can leave the inside open to hold larger cards. Or you can create little dividers to hold gifts and little trinkets on the side. To create the dividers inside:

1. Large horizontal divider: cut a piece of patterned paper 5 1/4" x 7" long. Score at 3 1/2", 4 1/2" and 5 1/2". Fold so that the middle score is up and the other 2 scores are down. Adhere. Set inside box.

2. Small vertical divider: cut a piece of patterned paper 7 1/4" x 1 3/4". Score at 2 1/2", 3 1/2" and 4 1/2". Fold the same way as the first one with the center score up to create the divider. Adhere and set inside box.

(Set the small vertical divider over the top of the large horizontal divider.)

I used a mix of Pink Paislee's Queen Bee line here, along with some Artisan Tape and Artisan Swirls and the Expressions Ambrose Alphabet. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Tattered wings...

Just wanted to pop in and show you one of my all-time favorite cards. It was published in the February issue of Cards Magazine, along with 2 others (but this one is my fave!). It was made with Melissa Frances products - including their rub ons, resin frame, chipboard butterfly, paper and pearls. The ribbon is Prima.

I just discovered that I am a cover girl for the March issue of Cards Magazine! My first! Did you know you can download the issues now? It is quite inexpensive...just click the drop-down menu to receive the discount when viewing that issue.

I haven't been submitting much lately due to lack of time. If you have been thinking about submitting your work to the magazines, please try! It's fun to see your work in print. I get a lot of questions from people wanting tips on submitting. Make sure you take a crisp, bright photo to submit, and in the e-mail add your name/contact information, supplies that you used on the card and a description of how to make the card. Add any unique techniques you used or tips that readers can learn from! Magazines typically work 6 months in advance, so currently are looking for Christmas/holiday items. Give it a go!

I'll be back soon with lots of new projects!

Growing old together...

Saturday, my husband and I celebrated our 11th anniversary! There have been lots of bumps along the way, but I have to say that we compliment each other pretty well. He's strong and decisive, I'm soft and indecisive. He's confident and doesn't let anything get in his way. I'm very wishy-washy. But I see the good in everything. I think I help him see the positive side in things as well, while he keeps me strong and makes me more confident. We both love quietness. We are both home bodies. While we are very opposite in some ways, we are very alike in other ways. I will admit, it took us several years to see eye-to-eye. It just did. It wasn't perfect at the beginning. Marriage is tough. It's not easy. But we both had parents who stayed together and are still together after 40 years, who are great role models. I hope we can do the same for our children. XO

P.S. My 4 year old took this picture of us this weekend. Not the best angle (hello double chin!), but I'm glad we have a photo of us on our anniversary! :)

More sneaks...

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. A lot has been going on lately, it seems. Life gets in the way of scrapbooking sometimes! Taylor had strep throat and was home a few days, she gets that a lot. I hope they take her tonsils out soon. Also was babysitting and doing yard work. We bought a gazebo and some new patio furniture. The weather has been awesome, and it has been refreshing to be outside more lately!

Taylor and I had a super day at the Bronx Zoo yesterday in New York City. Taylor's 4th grade class (and a BUNCH of other schools) went there yesterday for a field trip. It's normally a 3 hour ride, but took us about 4 hours to get there with one quick stop. We loaded the bus at 5:45 am. Yes, it was an extremely long day, but worth it! The zoo is so large, we didn't have time to see and do everything, but we had fun and the weather was just right yesterday! I posted some pics on my facebook page if you would like to see a few!

Have you heard of a kit club called Cocoa Daisy? I was asked to be their guest designer this month...and LOVED the kits. Truly. Loved them so much I didn't want to cut into it! But I managed to ~ after a few days of staring at it ~ and will be able to share my things on the 25th! Here are some sneaks:

This weekend is supposed to be nice and sunny here, well today and tomorrow anyway. Tomorrow my husband and I celebrate our 11th anniversary. Can't believe it's been 11 years. But, we both agree that we love each other more now than we ever have. Of course, we've gone through tough times here and there like any couple....but through that, you learn and change and grow. Together. He keeps me grounded when I have all my crazy ideas! :) After being together that long, you grow a deep appreciation for each other. Or a lot of hatred. ha, Just kidding! I will have to see if I can get some pictures of us this weekend. Have a good one!

Danielle

Yarn winner...

Sorry for the delay in posting the winner for the yarn give-away! Here she is.............. 

Random Integer Generator 

Here are your random numbers: 26  

Timestamp: 2010-05-15 15:02:00 UTC

Daniela said...

What a great idea!! I will have to try it.

May 11, 2010 7:29 PM

 Congrats, Daniela!!  Please contact me with your mailing addy!

Five product Friday...

It's raining here again in New York, so for my "Take 5 Friday" project at the Pink Paislee blog, I wanted to do something bright and colorful, reminding me that summer is on it's way. (I hope!) This is my niece enjoying the slip-n-slide!

To make this page, I used only 5 Pink Paislee products: 3 papers from the 365 Degrees line, the 365 Degrees die cuts, and the Expressions alphabet in Cherry. It was fun to challenge myself to only using 5 things! I hope this inspires you to grab your summer photos and get scrappin'. :) :) :)
XO
Danielle

Sunny disposition...

Good morning, all, I hope you are having a sunny day where you are! I wanted to pop in and quickly share one more page that I made with the May Jenni Bowlin kit. The kits are sold out, but you can visit this link to sign up for a membership if you wish!

My daughter Kati has such a sunny disposition, she's truly always happy and smiling and so content. Always. I'm very blessed to have her in my life! She's truly a god-send!

Today she may not be too happy with me, however. In about an hour, we are going to her pediatrician's office to get her Kindergarten physical and immunizations. :) However, I'm not ready to let her go to school yet!! So glad I have a few more months with her at home. I love her to the moon and back!!




I appreciate you stopping by today! Have a wonderful, sunny, happy day. XO

Danielle

Faux-chet crocheted flower tutorial for you.

Hello! Today I had a few minutes to get my tutorial together for you on how to make these "faux" crocheted flowers. I don't know how to crochet, but I LOVE the look of the crocheted flowers, and I don't want to spend a fortune buying them. So, I came up with a fun technique to make my own.  I taught these in my Reflections class...you can see a yellow one I made HERE on my mini album.

Here's how!

First, you'll need to gather some supplies. You'll need any sort of yarn, white cardstock, scissors, tape, glue and a circle punch (1" or 2"). I used Helmar's wet glue, but you can use anything that sticks quickly. Even a hot glue gun would work fine.

Step 1: Cut 3 pieces of yarn. If you'd like to make a 1" flower, cut 3 pieces of yarn that are about 12"-14" each. You'll want them all the same size. If you'd like to make a larger 2" flower, cut 3 pieces of yarn that are 24" or so. You can experiment to see exactly how much you need. I just eye-ball it and if the pieces are too long, I cut it off at the very end.

Tie the 3 pieces together in a knot at one end. Tape the end down to your work surface.

Step 2:  Braid the entire length of yarn. If you are not sure how to braid, see this link HERE.

Step 3: After braiding all the way to the end, tie the end in a knot. Trim excess yarn.

Step 4: Punch a circle from white cardstock. This will be your flower base. Here I've used a 2" circle. Apply some glue in the center. Start with one end of your braid in the center. Wrap around in circular motion. Continue wrapping the braid until you get to the end.

Step 5: At the end of the braid, you can tuck the end under the flower base and glue. If you have any white cardstock sticking out like I have here, just trim it off with your scissors. Finish by adding a pretty button in the center!

I'd love to do another give-away! I picked up a few fun colors of yarn today! So I will put a little goodie bag together for one lucky blog reader. Just leave a comment here if you would like to be entered, and I'll choose someone on Friday to send some goodies to. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by,
Danielle

She weebles and she wobbles...

Hi all! This month Tattered Angels is doing a blog exchange with My Little Shoebox, so I have a few new projects to share!

On the first layout, I used the Regal Fonts chipboard sprayed with Silver Sugar Glimmer Mist to house my journaling and a small photo. The swirl stamp is Screen Prints Regal Classic Accents Stamps by Tattered Angels also. All paper is My Little Shoebox, as well as the pink sticker letters and die cut borders. I love these colors and wanted the pink in the photos to stand out, so I chose the Silver Sugar as a subtle accent for the frames. Isn’t she cute?  This is my friend’s daughter, and I watch her a couple of days a week. She is just learning to walk and it’s adorable to watch her!

Thank you to Jennifer Priest for these awesome stick pins! I met her in California and she was so sweet to share some of these with me!

Next up is a card. I used My Little Shoebox grid paper for the background and a doily from the baking section at the craft store. I sprayed the Regal Fonts chipboard with Sunshine Glimmer Mist and used a “bliss” stamp from the Large Heart Stamp Set (Tattered Angels), stamped right onto the doily. The ribbon was seam binding that I bought on-line in a big roll and I sprayed those with Sweet Clover and Juniper Glimmer Mists.

And one more card…I used Delphinium Glimmer Mist over a Glimmer Screen from the Garden Iron Works line sprayed onto white cardstock. The stamps are from the Travel Set, ink is Perfect Plum by Stampin’ Up! The chipboard is from the Regal Glimmer Chips set. (all Tattered Angels) I painted the chipboard white and added some brown chalk around the edges. I made my own ribbon flower by running a stitch along the edge of the ribbon, then pulling on it tight to scrunch it up into a circular shape, then added a button to the center.

I think that layout is my new favorite layout!! I captured so many sweet photos of her the other day. Stephanie C., if you are reading this, I have a CD of photos for you from the other day! I think you'll love them.

Enjoy your evening and I'll be back soon with the "faux-chet" crocheted flower tutorial!
Danielle

A little bit about my Reflections trip...

I made it back from the Reflections event in California late Monday evening. Boy, was I exhausted after being gone for 5 days ~ but in a totally good way! Seems like you always need a vacation from your vacation! It was everything I had hoped and more. The event was so much fun, so much work, but I loved every minute of it, and Karen and Susan really put their hearts and souls into making every detail amazing. I had the best teacher assistant, Ly, she was awesome. Our first class was a little hairy, but after that I think we managed to get right on track to how we wanted to present the material and Ly was wonderful - so much help, loved her! I am super shy in real life, I think everyone who met me can attest to that, but I think they had fun with the project and techniques. lol When I created the mini album, I really wanted to teach some new ideas and things that nobody had done before, so one of the things I came up with was a new kind of "crocheted" flowers (lovingly we called them "faux-chet"). I'll be posting how to make these soon. Here is the mini that we made. And you can see ALL of the rest of the inside photos HERE in my 2peas gallery.

One of the highlights of my trip was getting to meet everyone and my roomie, Katie Watson. She is the sweetest, most down-to-earth person. Very genuine and the kind of friend who would do anything for you! I'm glad we got to room together and get to know each other. I also was also able to meet Kelly Goree and hang out with her - she's a blast. Here we are checking out Newport Beach one day. (I apologize for the quality of the photo, I took my daughter's camera along on my trip! Katie is on the left, Kelly-center, me -right)

A beautiful palm tree...loooooved them. I wish we had them in New York!

The hotel's amenities were unbelievable. If you ever get a chance to go to a Reflections event, you should. There were 3 pools (2 heated), 16 tennis courts, bikes to rent, golfing, etc. Lots, lots more...

View from our terrace, overlooking the tennis courts:

One of my classes hard at work:

On Saturday, my good friend Shonna and I were able to go to Balboa Island and do some touristing.

And on Sunday, I was able to meet up with another great friend of mine, Tiffany, who lives there in Long Beach. They took me to dinner on the Pier and we saw a beautiful sunset over the ocean. I miss her a lot. We met when our hubbies were in the Air Force and if you have been in the military, you know how close you can get to those who don't have any family around. Unfortunately, I forgot to get pictures of her and her family on Sunday when we met up! :(

This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me...so I was very honored to be asked to participate with all of the other amazing scrapbook designers. Thank you, Reflections!!

Danielle