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!

Paper Secrets - Sketches with a Twist

One thing I love about PAPER SECRETS is that, not only does it have a sketch challenge twice a month, but each sketch challenge comes with a fun twist.  The April 1st twist was to use ribbon or trim on our layouts (and that's no joke - ha ha!).  This time, our twist was to use something wooden on our layout - perfect for me since I love and have quite a few wooden veneer shapes from Studio Calico, including these sweet bird shapes from the Paper Secrets SHOP that I added to my collection!

 

I do have a quick confession to make - this layout isn't quite finished yet.  What's missing you ask?  Well, I haven't added any journaling yet.  I know that I want journaling; I even know where I want it (right abot the owl and the ribbon) - I just don't know what I want to say yet.  No sweat, I figure it will come to me.  And when it does, I will have have a lovely layout ready to write it on!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I fussy cut and layered until I had just the look I wanted.

I painted each of my wooden veneer shapes with white acrylic paint.  My title letters were cut out from one of my papers from ECHO PARK'S SWEET GIRL COLLECTION and outlined in brown marker to add more definition.

 

That's it for me this Monday morning; however, if you are wanting an additional beginning of the week boost, head over to Paper Secrets and check out the fantastic sketch that inspired my layout!

It's No Joke - I am the Paper Secrets Guest Designer!

It's no secret, I do enjoy playing along with the challenges over at PAPER SECRETS.  So, when the ladies over there asked me to be their April Guest Designer, I was more than happy to say yes!  And when I saw all the wonderful goodies they sent me from their store, I was even more happy that I said yes!  You know me, I research things - that's a large part of what I do for the job that brings in the steady paycheck.  And this is what I found out about Paper Secrets:

1.  They have a very nice selection of the newest collections out there;
2.  If you play along with their challenges, you can win a gift card to their e-store (that's free money);
3.  They have great shipping rates; and - saving my favorite for last...
4.  You can shop in your pajamas and the store is never closed!!!  Yippeee!!!!!

So, what did I get from Paper Secrets this month?  I got the Echo Park Sweet Girl Collection, which I used to create this layout, using the April Sketch and the twist to use ribbon or trim:

 

I LOVE that this collection contains a varied combination of papers, such as these bold graphic chevrons and vintage-y flowers.  With the sketch and all the pretty papers and sticker sheets (and with a little help from my Silhouette and sewing machine), this layout practically put itself together!

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I used this trim that reminded me of a tutu.  It reminds me of Lula's dress-up outfits, so it was perfect for this layout that features her.

I also love the look of doilies added to layouts.  However, to keep my paper from getting overly bulky and weirdly wrinkled from having a chunk of doily tucked under it - I cheat.  I cut the tucked under part off and just tuck the very tip of the remaining portion under the edge my paper.  This gives me the illusion of an extra layer without the additional bulk.

That's it for me today.  Be sure to check back on the 15th, when we will have another sketch reveal!

***NOTE, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE NATURE WALK BLOG HOP, IT IS THE VERY NEXT POST ABOVE - CHECK IT OUT!"

Perfectly Imperfect - Using a Less Than Perfect Photo

Happy Saturday!  I hope you are all having a wonderful day - relaxing, crafting, organizing - whatever you are doing.  I am sharing a layout that, with my busy couple of weeks, I COMPLETELY FORGOT to post!  PAPER SECRETS does a monthly challenge, which includes a great sketch with a twist.  The twist last month - to use banners, which is totally one of my favorite things to do!

 

I found this picture of Hunter that I took a month ago.  She was laying on her bed talking and joking with me. I only took one shot, and it ended up being a little out of focus - but I loved it because it reminded me of a perfect moment with my daughter.  So I decided to use it anyway - a less than perfect picture that I love about my perfectly less than perfect daughter whom I love dearly (clearly taken by a less than perfect mom/photographer!).  I used wonderful PEBBLES papers from the Seen and Noted Collection, which are so bright and cheerful and perfect for a layout about my favorite tween!

My title/journaling was mainly hand written strips of paper which were cut out and outlined in marker. 

 

I machine stitched just about every place possible on this layout - and what I didn't machine stitch, I doodled on.

That's it for me, today.  Be sure to stay tuned as I expect a rare sighting of a Krissy Clark McKee two-page layout to make an appearance next week!

It's Friday, Friday!

It's Friday, and I have been so busy scrapping this week that I haven't had time to blog! So, let's do a little recap of this past week, shall we?

Wednesday was reveal day over at Let's Scrap. Here is the sketch:

And here is what I came up with:

Do you ever have one of those pages that just won't come together no matter what you do? This was one of THOSE pages for me! It inspired me quite a bit - to cuss like a sailor (under my breath) that is. I didn't like any of my ideas, not even one, and kept putting this project to the side so that my thoughts could "simmer" a little bit. I was sure my brain would keep working on this and come up with a brilliant idea even when I was working on something else, but instead I think it was off drinking margaritas on a tropical island because I got NADA from the inspiration department (except a few new phrases that I am pretty sure are anatomically impossible). So, finally, desperation kicked in and I finished my layout with maybe 30 minutes to spare before the deadline! Do I like it? Yes. Is it my best work? No. But it's done and the (mental) constipation is gone, so I feel much better, thank you!

Next, I headed over to Paper Secrets, a site I discovered back in May that has great challenges posted each month. Somehow, it gotted dropped from my favorites bar so I have missed it since the first part of July it looks like. September includes a sketch challenge, and the sketch, which is by Page Maps, takes a more minimalist approach, something I have been loving more and more lately.

Yep, I am going to make you go to the challenge to see the sketch, but here is my take:

I felt completely and totally vindicated for not cleaning all the little bits of paper and odds and ends of my scrap table when I made this layout, because almost every single thing on it came from that pile. Okay, the twine, the button, the mist and the background paper weren't laying around on my table, but everything else was. I just randomly slapped stuff down on my layout and it was done almost before I started it - a first for me! And I LOVE the result - love it!

Last, but not least, is this fun layout I created for Let's Capture Our Memories. Normally, I can take or leave KaiserCraft's papers. But when I saw the Class of '87 Collection, I HAD TO HAVE IT! Maybe because I remember being in school in the 80's or maybe it was all the bright, totally fun graphics on the pages. Either way, I couldn't resist them and made this layout with pics taken of my youngest daughter right after her re-enactment of the no-lockers-tragedy.

You can see that she is cracking up so obviously the lack of lockers has not permanently scarred her! For close-ups, head on over to the LCOM BLOG, and if you remember the 80's and want your own set of school-themed papers from that collection head on over to the LCOM STORE!

Whew! And, that wraps up the week in review! Hope you have a great weekend!