I LOVE ICE CREAM AND...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!  This Friday is even more happier - that's right, I said more happier - because I get to reveal my layout on the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG using the very latest (and my new favoritest) Neapolitan Collection - which just happens to start shipping today!  Seriuosly, this collection falls in the droolworthy category.  There was such a large assortment of cute things to choose from that I wanted to add them all to my layout!  This is what I came up with:

The PLS Neapolitan Collection includes 4x6 journaling cards, including one that had this Ice Cream logo, which was the inspiration for my layout about my sweet eigth grader:

 

Of course, I had to layer things over, under and around it!  And, just for good measure, I sewed on it, too!

 

At first, my layout was simply going to state, "I like Ice Cream and you," which would have been cute and a phrase that certainly fits the Huntress.  But then, I saw word stickers included in the collection.  Many of the phrases were activities that my daughter actually enjoys doing right now, so this layout turned into a current events-themed thing - perfect when paired with her first-day-of-school pic! 

 

I turned the stickers into pennants simply by cutting the ends.  I love finding slightly different ways to use my scrapbooking supplies!

 

And, finally, the one thing that had me jumping up and down and yelling like I had won the grand prize at a county fair raffle - FLAIR!!!  Pretty Little Studio has Flair!  And I luuurrrrrvvvveee flair!  Can I say it again?  Yes, I think I shall.  I.Love.Flair.  I do. I love it. 

 

That's it for me today.  I am off to work for a few hours and then hoping to get in some quality crafting time this weekend!  What about you?  What projects do you have planned???

ALL THINGS WOOD BLOG HOP WITH PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS

 

Welcome to the Practical Scrappers/Paper Secrets Blog Hop! We are so excited to have you here today! This blog hop features the wonderful Ten Things Team from PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS and members from the Design Team at PAPER SECRETS. How did I get included with the Ten Things Team which is full of crafty, innovative ladies?  Well...I think it was an accounting error (I always blame the accounting department whether there actually is one or not!).  Okay, would you believe I know someone in high places?  No?  How about...the dog ate my homework!  Whatever, the reason, I am super happy to be included because ***insert drum roll here*** (typing in my best announcer voice) OUR TOPIC FOR THIS HOP IS A FUN, TRENDY ONE SURE TO CATCH YOUR ATTENTION: WOOD! A - n-n-n-d-d, that's not all!  We have a collection of wood goodies from Paper Secrets to give away (details below).

 

You may not realize this but my husband's latest hobby this past year or two has been carpentry - mainly because I keep finding things on Pinterest that I want him to make for me.  And because he cuts wood ALL the time, our garage is constantly littered with little pieces of wood.  I can either choose to be annoyed that the Hubster still has not learned to clean up after himself.  OR, I can view all the scraps as small gifts that he thoughtfully leaves out for my crafty self.  I choose to believe the latter, which tends to make our relationship a lot less strained (and keeps my blood pressure within reasonable levels)!

 

I recently picked up a small scrap of plywood (thoughtfully left in the garage around, but not actually in, the trash container where a less thoughtful person might have put it).  The wood piece is roughly a 6x6 square.  It was perfect for creating my little piece of ar, which was  super easy to make.  Here's how I did it:

 

I used my left over papers from CRATE PAPER'S 14 Collection. 

I placed my wood piece on the background paper and traced the shape, then cut on the traced lines.

I brushed Mod Podge liberally across the surface of my wood and then placed the paper on top, making sure to press out any bubbles.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out my bird shape. and used Mod Podge to adhere it to my paper.

I used various word stickers and some fabric alphas to create my phrase.

I fussy cut banners out from my papers and placed them in the corners, using more Mod Podge to adhere them.

I Mod Podged my button and plastic piece.

Finally, I coated the top of everything with a thick, even layer of Mod Podge and let it dry.

 

Super easy, right?  Here's a close up of my phrase:

 

Are you feeling inspired for all things wood now?  You are!  Well, then, don't miss out on all the other stops on this blog hop!  Here is the list:

Blog Hop List

Practical Scrappers

Charity Hotrum

Lisa Moen

Jessica Arrant

Kristi Biesel

Stephanie U

Patty Selah

Karen Sessions

Kelly Holfield

Wendy Coffman

Deborah Johnson

Krissy Clark

Rochelle Spears

Kerri Yarus

Lee-Anne Thornton

Leslii Wagner

Kelli Fortier

Kim Ryden

Sue Kithcart

Brenda Ragsdale

Charissa Miller

Christine Meyer

Sarah Clark

 Kelly Jean Guzlas

Paper Secrets

And - that grand prize I was telling you about?  Here it is!!!

What can you do to qualify to win?  It's so simple, even my little Chihuahua could do it:

You can do any or all of the following to get entered:

1) Be a follower at Practical Scrappers

2) Be a follower at the Paper Secrets Blog

3) Like our Practical Scrappers Facebook Page

4) Like the Paper Secrets Facebook Page; and very importantly

5)LEAVE A COMMENT HERE TELLING ME WHICH OF THESE THINGS YOU DID. 

 

Of course, if you also want to tell me whether you like my project or not - well, let's just say it would make my day!  Because it "wood." *smile*

 

You have until 11:59 PM CST on Sunday, August 25th to enter. A winner will be announced early next week!

NATURE WALK CARDS - PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO

Happy Thursday!  The weekend is almost here, and to get you ready for weekend crafting fun projects (not just projects, but crafting fun projects!), I have these three cute, fast, and easy 4x4 all-occasion note cards that just happen to be up on the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO blog today as part of the OOTB challenge.  That's right - I said cute. fast. easy.  With that crafting trifecta, how can you resist?

 

You will have to check out the blog to see this week's inspiration; however, I can tell you it involved the cutest little squirrel ever, which is why these notecards have...you got it, a squirrel!  And, as you can see, Pretty Little Studio's NATURE WALK COLLECTION has just about any kind of squirrel image you could want, such as...

 

The squirrel die cut:

 

 

The squirrel photo frame:

 

And last, but definitely not least, the squirrel banner flag:

 

So, to recap - One crazy awesome collection from Pretty Little Studio.  Three cute, simple, and fast notecards.  The weekend is coming, the weekend is coming!  Need I say more?  I think not! *smile*

 

Go forth and create.  Peace out!

Back to School with Practical Scrappers

Today at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS, we are showing off our back-to-school themed layouts.  This was a great challenge for me because I usually struggle with fall-themed layouts and that includes back-to-school stuff - maybe because it still feels like summer when the temperature gauge keeps steadily hitting 100+ degrees here in Tejasland!

The Huntress actually has one more week left of freedom before school starts, so I decided to do a little journaling and create a quiz reflecting her current likes (and a dislike) and what she hopes to accomplish in school this year. 

Just like a real quiz, the categories are on the front and the answers are on the back.  Want to know the answers to my 8th grader's quiz?  Yeah?  Here you go:

1.  Favorite movie (A: Scott Pilgrim)
2.  Fave T.V. show (A: Adventure Time)
3. Favorite New Song (A: Wow by BtoB)
4. Besties (A: Crystal and Kamber)
5. A fun activity (A: Getting crafty with Pearler Beads)
6. Can't stand (A: It's still brocolli)
7. Fave Foods (A: Pizza and Spaghetti)
8. This year I hope to... (A: get good grades, have nice teachers, and improve my singing)

My journaling tag tucks nicely into a pocket sewn into the back of my photo frame.

I used CRATE PAPER'S Portrait Collection to creat this layout - an older collection, yes, but it contained the "back-to-school" colors I was looking for without being overly "fall-y" or in-your-face back to school.  In other words, just the right papers for my project!  One thing I love about Crate Paper is that their collections always include a page of paper die cuts, which are perfect for creating clusters or titles - like mine! 

 

I also used this SKETCH found at Page Maps to get me jump started.  My layout doesn't look much like the sketch at all - but it got me going and that's all I needed!!!  By the way, Page Maps is having a contest with this sketch right now which is open for another few days - be sure to check it out!

 

That's it for me today.  Before I go, tell me, what kinds of papers do you prefer to use for your back-to-school layouts?  Do you go traditional and use themed collections or do you buck the trend and do your own thing?  I'm curious...

PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO LAYOUTS

As summer begins to transition into fall (at least for points due north of Houston), I am certainly enjoying creating layouts that evoke thoughts of cooler weather and memories of a summer that hasn't quite yet gone by.  What the heck am I talking about, you wonder? W-e-e-l-l-l, I'm not really sure myself, but it does sound kind of Martha Stewartish and fancy for the two layouts I have up for you to see today!  *smile*

First up is this layout, that I created for this week's SKETCH CHALLENGE at Pretty Little Studio.

The idea for this layout came when I stepped out from our wonderfully air-conditioned home into the crazy humidity that is our summer in Texas to take a picture (or five) of the Huntress.  The transition from nice and cold house to hotter-than-Hades and muggy outside created insta-fog on my lens.  I quickly took care of it but not before I took the first picture, which looked somewhat like a soft dreamy memory.  Since all the stores are stocking Halloween and even Christmas (yikes!) stuff, I thought I would create a layout centered around the idea that soon today will be a memory.  Cheesy?  A little.  Maybe.  But when I have such pretty papers to play with, like these from the PLS SAND CASTLE Collection, even cheesy looks good!

 

Did you know that if you play along with the sketch challenge and win, you get a credit to the Pretty Little Studio store?  It's a perfect way to try out a new product (and I guarantee you will love it!)

 

Next up is a layout I created for PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS yesterday as part of the On Trend Team.  We were making layouts with sunbursts, and this was my interpretation.

 

I L.O.V.E. (say the word "love" about 20 more times and that's how much I love it!) Pretty Little Studio's NATURE WALK Collection, especially this PAGE, called Pine Needles.

As you can see, I didn't have to do a lot with it, just cut it up and put it on a blue cardstock background, stitch a little, and then decorate it a little.  Easy peasy and the result is super cute, if I do say so myself.  And I do!

 

Whew!  Two projects revealed.  I am tired now!  And hungry.  So I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your day and wish you Happy Crafting!

 

Nature Walk Pocket Mini

 

I made this sweet little pocket mini album using my Silhouette Cameo and a Silhouette cutting file by Lori Whitlock found HERE.  My inspiration?  It was the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO Nature Walk Collection.  This collection's mix of papers in my favorite patterns and some of the cutest die-cuts and journaling tags I have ever seen had me chomping at the bit to create something that would really showcase them.  And I think this mini fits that bill perfectly.  It's tiny but it makes a B-I-G statement!

See that sweet little "love" tag? It's part of a sheet of stickers that really got the creative part of my brain jump-started.  In my whole conversion of the walk-in closet into my personal scrappy mecca, I came across a box containing quite a few random extra photos I had saved that tied in perfectly with what I call the Nature Walk "word association" stickers.  With my Silhouette doing all the hard work in the actual making of the mini album, all that was left for me was to get out my scissors and glue and start playing! 

I adhered these stickers that extend down from the mini to a sheet of my patterned paper and cut them out.  And since I did NOT have enough forethought to sew the tag onto my mini before I assembled the pocket, I simply sewed across the top of the sticker and glued it to my album page.  It looks like it is sewn to the page, and that is all that matters!

What does the number 10 stand for, you ask?  That is the number our his, mine, ours family has expanded to (not counting the newest generation that has come along).  Luckily, all but two of our birdies have feathered their own little nests and  are self-sufficient - except occasionally when they hear something is being cooked on the grill or in the oven...

 

Here is the tag that features our crazy family of 10:

 

 

But I'm jumping ahead...

 

I love this picture of Hunter from last year's vacation, and I love it even more against a simple white background with my PLS bunting flags accenting the page.  And, yep, there's another word sticker - sewn to the picture and then stapled for good measure! 

 

The journaling tags in the Nature Walk Collection fit perfectly in the pockets of my mini.  Because I was feeling extra creative, I decided to try my hand at making a few journaling tags and embellishing the pre-made ones, too.

 

And, whoo says the back of the tag can't be cute? LOL - see what I did there? Who-whoo.  Yes, I crack myself up.

 

 

My Pretty Little Studio papers cut so well in my Cameo. And, look, there are some more word tags - and the sweetest little deer diecut ever! 

 

 

And speaking of die cuts, I had to find some excuse to use this one on a page...

 

How does a rabbit fit in with football?  Well, ummm, see....when you play football, you have to run incredibly fast with the ball to score a touchdown.  Annnndddd - wait for it - rabbits also run fast.  There you have it - a connection that's as obvious as the nose on your face. Duh!

 

And now that I have cleared the rabbit/football connection up for you, I am out of here for the day!  If you want to see my mini featured at its "official" home - please check out the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG!  And leave a comment letting me know what you think.  I would love to hear from you!

 

Until next time, happy scrapping!!!