Playing with Paper Bakery and Dreaming Big

I am up on the Paper Bakery BLOG today with my first layout and tutorial for them using January's Love Potion #9 SCRAPBOOK KIT.  Can you guess what my layout is about?  If you guessed it is about my recent CHA trip (where I got to meet Sarah, the wonderful owner of Paper Bakery) - you would be correct!  But, my layout is about a little more than that, too.  

I was at a crop with two of my friends this past weekend, and we were involved in part of a discussion about the insecurity that seems to go along with scrapbooking, cardmaking, and mixed media - especially when we strive to be on design teams for the manufacturers whose products inspire us.  We allow ourselves to take a hobby or past time that is supposed to make us feel good about ourselves and, instead, we let it become a source of self-doubt.  We wonder what it is that makes someone else's style better than ours and we wrestle with the temptation to copy another style, another idea - in short, somebody else's dream.  And if we take a step back we see - that is crazy.  That is sheer stressful craziness.  And I don't want that.  

So - this layout symbolizes that.  It's a pledge to myself - a pledge that I am going to keep trying to make the dreams I have come true.  But while I am doing that, I am going to keep three things in mind always:

1. I will stay true to myself and I will keep my own style.  I may not know what my style is called (and anyone who does know, PLEASE tell me - I am pretty sure paper-hoarder is not a style!) but I know it is my own and I know it is consistent.  Even if I am the only person who likes what I do, the only thing that matters is that I like what I do!
2. I will only apply to teams or challenges that inspire me.  That means I will not apply to a manufacturer's team if I don't normally buy their products - no matter the temptation, the thought that I might be passing up my one big chance.  That's not making my dream come true; that's becoming a slave to an idea.
3. Most of all, I will enjoy what I do.  I fell in love with scrapbooking because it made me feel happy and creative.  I absolutely refuse to let it be a source of stress!!!

Okay, stepping down off my soapbox!  Back to Paper Bakery - I knew it was the right kit club for me because its collections were filled with items that I had already purchased on my own.  I tend to stick with one or two manufacturers' products when I am working on a project, so it is a refreshing change to have papers and supplies to work with from several different manufacturers at the same time.  And best of all, it's already all coordinated and put together for me!  Look how nicely everything comes together on this layout:

I never would have thought to include vintage-y My Mind's Eye Lost and Found bits and pieces with these papers, but it works!  That's what I like about kit clubs, and especially Paper Bakery - they combine things so that I use them in different ways than I may have on my own.

Oh, one last thing before I go - see that title?  That was created from my own handwriting and then cut out on the Silhouette!  Yep, that title is created from my messy lefty cursive writing.  Want to see how I did it?  Then check out my TUTORIAL on the Paper Bakery Blog!  (It's simple)  Oh, and leave a comment if you like it!

Happy Crafting!!!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR PROJECT AND TUTORIAL

I have a confession to make.  I love Christmas and making Christmas projects, but every year I fail to get them all completed.  I always think I am going to have so much more time than I actually do!  And, I fool myself into believing I can get ____ number of projects done, clean my house from top to bottom, plan activities with my family and friends, bake, wrap gifts, bake some more, put up decorations, bake a little more - whew!  Makes me tired just typing about it.  

This year I decided to get creative and re-purpose a few of those unfinished Christmas projects into, well, non-Christmas ones.  This is my first one.

I had an unused branch cut from one of the bushes in my yard that I spray painted white some time during the first week of December.  It has been sitting in my garage ever since (don't judge).  Christmas may be past but Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and I thought this white branch would be perfect to hang handmade Valentine's ornaments from.  

Of course, I needed Valentine's ornaments and, being the ambitious girl that I am, I created a few simple Silhouette cutting files so I could make 3-D hot air balloons and hearts.  The link to these free cutting files is available at the end of this post.

Three dimensional objects, like these balloons and hearts, are actually very easy to make.  And they look so cute!  I dug into my scrapbook supplies and used the last pieces of paper from one of my all-time favorite lines (seriously must have bought these papers 4 or 5 times when they came out) - PINK PAISLEE'S Daily Junque Collection (from back during their House of Three collaboration).  I also used a little bit of Pink Paislee's Parisian Anthology (also from their House of Three days).  And, just to keep things interesting, I used bits and pieces from the Hey Kid and Color Wash Collections.  They all blended together like they were made for each other!  This is how my project turned out.  Pretty cute, don't you think?

I am going to use this as a centerpiece on my table for the next 6 weeks.

(a little Color Wash mixed with Daily Junque)

(more Color Wash and Daily Junque)

(Parisian Anthology and Hey Kid)

(more Parisian Anthology and Hey Kid)

(Note: my clouds are not 3-D.  They were simply made with my cloud punch.  I glued two pieces together with a piece of twine in the middle.)

Want to see how I made these?  You do?!  Okay - here you go - a little video tutorial made by yours truly:

And here is the LINK to the Silhouette Cutting Files that I created for this project.  These files are free, so all you have to do is download them.

Let me know if you have any questions and, of course, comments are ALWAYS appreciated! 

Happy crafting!

Up Up and Away - Pretty Little Studio

 

You know me, every time I start to throw something away that is torn or broken, the little creative light bulb over my head starts to flash and I realize I have another awesome trash to treasure project just waiting to be completed.  Such was the case with this sad piece of wall decor that had been hanging in my laundry room for so long that the decoupaged paper had begun to peel off.

Into my craft room I went and with the help of my acrylic paints and PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO papers, mostly from the Birthday Cake Collection, I turned a sad, torn wall hanging destined for the trash pile into this:

I loved adding these 3D balloons and think they are worthy of a close-up or two:

Would you like to see how I made this?  For step by step instructions, head over to the Pretty Little Studio BLOG, where I am featured today!  Hope to see you there!!!

Crafting Ireland Issue 11 and a Workshop!

Issue 11 of Crafting Ireland, a wonderful online crafting magazine, is out.  I am so thrilled to be part of the design team and have had a blast making projects along with step-by-step instructions both for the magazine and upcoming blogs, including my Good Wishes Wedding Wreath, seen here.  Want to know why it's called a "Good Wishes" Wedding Wreath?  Want to learn how to make this?  It's easy - just read the magazine by clicking HERE.  You can also check out the blog, which will has some pretty exciting projects to be featured in the near future, by clicking HERE.

Also, did you know Crafting Ireland is holding a free online class via UStream?  Yep!  We are all about keeping up with the digital age and staying in touch with our friends from all parts of the world!    That's right, Crafting Ireland's fee online class is on the 21st of July at 3pm BST on our ustream channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/crafting-ireland.  

In the class Nicole Mullen will show us how to create some mini scrapbook layouts. These layouts are perfect for card makers who want to get into scrapbooking or for scrapbookers who find they are running out of space for bigger layouts! We will also make a desktop flip display stand for the pages so you can show them off wherever you like!

Supply list for the online class
Mini layout pages:*4 sheets of cardboard/chipboard at 13cmx13cm
*10 sheets 6×6 paper cut down to 13x13cm – keep the off cuts!
*This will make 4 double sided pages so you will have 8 pages in total, you can of course make more if you wish!
* Polaroid style photo mats: photos are 7.4 x 7.4 cm and the white card to matt them on is 9.6cm x 8.1cm.
*You will need 8 photos and 8 photo mats
*Adhesives, border punches, trim, score board, duct tape and tools as usual
*Binding rings or ribbon (Binding rings do work the best)
*Crop a dile/eyelet setter and eyelets (optional)
*Hole punch
For the stand:
*1 x Sheet of chipboard 30cm long and 15cm high
*2 x pieces of chipboard 15cm high and 6cm wide
*Duct tape
*Paper or paint to cover it
*Optional – embellishments. I use tissue tape.

Happy Crafting!

Video Tutorial - How to Make a File Folder Accordian Album

Good morning! I am getting ready to run out the door - got a crazy day ahead, but I wanted to show you my video tutorial on how to make a file folder accordian album, which I used to hold my Project Family tags. If the video seems a little disjointed, well...it is. I took a page out of my hubby's book and said, "I don't need no stinking instructions!" prior to making this accordian folder, and I just kind of made it up as I went along. The project turned out well, and the video seems to make sense. My husband even nodded along and said he understood it - but that may have simply meant that he didn't want to film and edit anymore!



For the fun Project Family journaling tags (and to read more about my Project Family), check out my previous entry!

Happy Crafting!

How to Make an Explosion Box - Video Tutorial

This is my first explosion box (using my BOAF December KIT), and it was such an incredibly fun project!!! There may have been a hiccup or two along the way, but everything was easily fixable and the result, I think, was fantastic!

First, here are a few pictures of the box. This is a gift for a friend so none of the tags have pictures or journaling on them.

And, without further ado, here is my video...or should I say videos. Yes, plural. There are two of them because I had to cut it up in two parts to upload to YouTube. Why? Well, YouTube has a ten minute limit per video and...apparently, I talked a lot (even after editing). And I said, "as you can see," waaaayyy to much. In fact, if you want to play a game, you can count how many times I said, "as you can see" and leave me a comment letting me know! But would you also let me know what you think about the project? And maybe whether you have any Christmas projects that you have had fun making?

Here is Part One:


And here is Part Two:

File Folder Mini-Album Tutorial and Blog-Hop News

So, this is my very first ever video tutorial that I did for BIRDS OF A FEATHER. I am sure my videos will get a little more polished, but I am pretty darned happy with this as a first effort! I would love to know what you think! (P.S. - stay tuned all the way through for a sneak peek at my favorite assistant who makes a brief appearance)

And....for my other fun news...I have a special treat for you this weekend! (insert drum roll here)

That's right, this weekend Lori Whitlock and her design team (that includes me!!!) is having our very first design team blog hop! Come join us for some inspiration and a chance to win a $25 gift card to purchase items from loriwhitlock.com. The hop starts at Lori's BLOG, so be sure to head there first. It’s gonna be FUN!