CSI Case File #34 - CHA and Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Happy Sunday! 

I am back from my business trip and am SO jet-lagged.  It is actually 3:00 am and I can't sleep, so I thought I'd blog a bit.  :)

On Friday, the new Case File was revealed over at CSI.  The month continues with another beachy theme challenge with a fantastic color palette.  Let's get to it, shall we?

And Michelle's wonderful coordinates.

I pulled out some wonderful, Crate Paper - 'Pretty Party' for my layout as it seemed a perfect match.

My evidence includes:

1.  Use Wet Medium - Spray Mist
2.  Use Birds
3.  Use Stripes
4.  Use a Wave shape - my scalloped borders are wave shaped

For my testimony, I journaled the 5 W's about my trip to Summer CHA.

Make sure and stop by CSI and check out the complete reveal.  Also, CSI is having a DT Call.  Here are the details.

The CSI DT is a true blessing and it is the most diverse, friendly, and challenging Design Team I have ever been on.  If you are at all interested, please send in your application.  All styles are encouraged.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who commented to win my 5 FAVE SUPPLY GIVEAWAY!

The winner is.... Lisa's Creative Niche.

Please email your shipping details to adogslife13@hotmail.com and I'll get your package out to you ASAP!

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to seeing y'all in Blog Land this week!

Home Sweet Home....

Happy Wednesday everyone!  I'm up on the LMT Blog today with a extra sized tag using fabric tape as wallpaper. Say what?? Did I say wallpaper? Yup, you heard me right! :)

I love creating these extra sized tags. They are like mini canvases and are different than cards or layouts. I really enjoy pulling out bits and pieces from my stash and some Love My Tapes tapes to create these little happy pieces of fun!

I wanted to create a mini Living Room scene on my tag, so I started with the background. I created an old cracked wall look by using spray mist and a crackle stencil to create the background of the tag.

Using the Brown Striped fabric tape, I created a wallpaper look on the bottom of the card and added a sticker to create a wallpaper border.

To complete the mini living room scene, I pulled out some leftover chipboard and die cut pieces from Crate Paper's Farmhouse collection and adhered in place. Viola! And it's done!

Super Fun, huh?  Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  Have a great week!

CSI - Case File #33, 'Streets of SLC'

Happy Friday everyone!  And you know what that means!  Another super FAB Case File over at CSI.

I love the colors on this one.  It reminds me of the East Coast and all of the fabulous Lighthouse standing watch.

Without further adieu...

And my take on the this weeks challenge.

My evidence includes:
1.  Wood/Woodgrain - chipboard fence
2.  Liquid medium - spray mist
3.  Clouds - in my photo
4.  White background
5.  Triangles - I created a visual triangle with my 3 clusters of die cuts

And for my testimony, I wrote about three facts of Utah (Salt Lake City).

Utah Fun Facts
·         Scenes of Aspen Grove and Sundance (Robert Redford's resort) were shot for Redford's film “A River Runs Through It” using the Heber Valley Railroad's Number 75 steam engine.
·         Vernal, Utah has an interesting claim to fame: The Bank of Vernal, built in 1919, is the world's only bank constructed from bricks sent by post. When Vernal bricklayers shopped around, they found out that shipping bricks via the U.S. Postal System was far cheaper than transporting them from Salt Lake City.
·         Several northern Utah towns have outdated (and rather strange) laws still on the books. For instance, it is illegal to enter a Kaysville convenience store after dark without identification; women may not swear in Logan; throwing a snowball in Provo will incur a $50 fine; and in Salt Lake City, it is illegal to walk down the street carrying a violin concealed in a paper bag.

That is all for today.  I leave tonight for yet another work trip to Asia.  I'll see y'all in a week! 

Fly The Friendly Skies Tutorial... Citrus Twist Kits

CLICK HERE FOR THE CITRUS TWIST GIVEAWAY(S)!

Hello, Hello!

Today, I'd like to share a tutorial that I created for Citrus Twist kit club.  I will walk thru the steps I used to create this layout.  (I created this layout with the August kit)

I love to create layouts and projects with scraps, a piece of cardstock, and my favorite punch.  I'll walk you through my design process for this layout and share some of my design 'tips'.

One of my favorite techniques is to punch, or die-cut several times (with the same punch or die) on a piece of cardstock, layering scraps underneath.  This is such a simple and fast way to create a background that is both unique and fun.

To start, I punched 9 stars on a piece of white cardstock.  I misted the punched cardstock sheet, with the intention of using the 'blue side' for my layout.  When I flipped the punched sheet over, I liked the white side better, with hints of blue, misted around each star.

I then gathered up my scrap pieces of patterned paper and adhered them to my cardstock background so they would appear beneath the punched star shape.

I stitched a grid over each star and splattered Mr. Huey spray on top of the stars.

I layered several strips of scrap paper on both the top and bottom of my page and stitched in place.

I misted three of the white cardstock punched stars, turned them over to reveal the slightly misted edge an adhered them to my page.  I added my photo and title.

To finish my layout, I stamped 'Destination' and 'Bon Voyage' with the Citrus Twist branded sentiment stamp across my page.  LOVE THIS STAMP! 

I hope you enjoyed my design process and try a punched grid for your next layout!  Thank you for stopping by.

Christmas in August???

CLICK HERE FOR THE CITRUS TWIST GIVEAWAY(S)!

Whew, another week has almost flown by!  Where does time go?

Today, I have a layout on the MME blog for their August Challenge #2.  We were challenged to use our new Holiday Paper for a non-Holiday layout!  This was a great challenge and I really enjoyed using the traditional, for the non-traditional.  It made me think 'outside the box' and create something fun!

Admit it....we all do it.  New Holiday collections get released and we buy up every last piece.  We create adorable Holiday projects, layouts, and cards, but yet we still have product left.  What should I do with it, you ask?  Just use it I say!  Just because the paper has snowflakes or cute little snowmen, doesn't mean you can't use it for a holiday project. 

Here are some ways I like to use Holiday collections for non-traditional projects.

1.  For holiday papers with typical holiday themes, cut them up!  Cut them into smaller sized pieces where the themed design isn't so obvious.  In my layout, I cut the snowflake paper into smaller pieces with my die-cut machine and adhered them to my page with pop dots.  Also, using Holiday paper with basic designs, such as dots and stripes can be used for any project.

2.  Hide Holiday words on embellishments.  For my layout, I love the 'Christmas Memories' chipboard banner, but I obviously didn't want the word Christmas.  So I hide the undesired word under my photo and you would never know it was a Holiday embellishment.  You can also do this with tags or die-cuts that contain holiday words or phrases.  Layer and hide the words.

3.  Mix up individual letters from phases or words to create your own, unique saying.  A great site to help you create new words is 'Scrabble Cheat'.  You enter the letters you have and possible words will be provided.  For example, you can enter the letters 'Merrychristmas' and you would get multiple words from those letters.  You can also use individual letters for unique meanings.  In my layout, I used the 'T' and  'S' from the 'Merry Christmas' stickers for initials of the people in the photo. 

4.  And who says red and green are for Christmas only.  These 2 colors look great together, so just use them!

I hope you enjoyed my ideas for using your Holiday theme papers and embellishments in non-traditional ways.  I can't wait to see what you create!  Thanks for stopping by.

MME Enamel Dots - Love these little things....and some scrappy news!

CLICK HERE FOR THE CITRUS TWIST KIT GIVEAWAY(S)!

Hola and Happy Tuesday! 

Yesterday, I was up on the MME blog with a layout using the new MME Enamel Dots.  Have you seen these things yet?  They are so amazing and such a great twist on your typical rhinestones and bling.  LOVE.THEM!

When I first saw these, I immediately thought of the typical uses for these, such as centers of flowers and for small little embellishment clusters.  But as I started playing around with them, I thought of another idea....using them as a border.  When using them in quantity, they become a strong visual element and have a fresh and new look to borders typical created from paper.  

 To create the background on my layout, I layered three styles of decorative tape in a large chevron pattern. { I love to use decorative tape this way.  :)}  Before I placed my enamel dots on my page, I wanted to  move them around to find the best position.  So I cut the enamel dots (including the plastic packaging) into strips, so I could move them in various spots on my layout before adhering them.

To finish my layout, I added  a chipboard banner and layered sticker banner to the top of the page, several label stickers and my title.  It was a really simple and easy layout, but by adding the enamel dots it made it a fun and fresh new design.

I would love to hear your ideas for using Enamel Dots.   

And one more thing before you go today.  I have a bit of happy news!  I am published in my first ever Creating Keepsakes.  I am featured in the Annual 'Top 10' Section.  WOO HOO!!  The magazine hit the stands today.  I am so excited about this and can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Here is a link to the issue (if interested)  ...

http://www.scrapandpapershop.com/product/creative-keepsakes-september-october-2012 

I hope you have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Citrus Twist Sunday Sketch (yup, it's Monday) :)

CLICK HERE FOR THE CITRUS TWIST KIT GIVEAWAY(S)!

Happy Monday everyone!

Every Sunday, Citrus Twist reveals a new sketch. Participants have a chance to win a $5 Citrus Twist Gift Certificate.  This week, they are using my layout and sketch for the challenge. 

Here is the Sunday sketch.  (this is the FIRST sketch I ever created - hence the hand written format)  :)

And my layout.  I loved cutting the American Crafts index tabs in half to create my banner.  Fun, isn't it?

Citrus Twist kit are encouraged, but any product/supplies can be used for the sketch challenge!  I can't wait to see what you create!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by!  I greatly appreciate your comments and support!

Citrus Twist Guest Designer, Yup, it's me! :)

Happy Sunday to all my crafty friends. I have an exciting post today and I hope you will join in the fun!

If you have been following my sneaky peeks, you have seen that I am the Guest Designer over at Citrus Twist this month. They are a new kit club with fun, colorful, and EXCLUSIVE products in each one of their monthly kits.

Make sure to hop on over to Citrus Twist after you’ve finished reading my post to see the full reveal for August. I will only be sharing a few of my projects today, so you'll have to check back to see the rest.

When I opened my August kit – ‘Tropical Heat’, I was immediately blown away by the color and fun little embellishments. This kit was full of oranges and navy blues – two of my favorite colors! My favorite thing about the kit is the exclusive Citrus Twist stamp set. Love.This.Stamp. I am a sucker for anything star related and the stamp set has the cutest little stars. {insert happy face}

Let’s get to the projects, shall we?

"Pure Sweetness"
(see the little stars? - love these)

"Every girl like me"

"You are simply unforgettable" card

"I miss you" card



Isn’t this kit A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.??

Okay, so are you ready for some free stuff? We all love free goodies, don’t we? I have not only one giveaway, but two.

GIVEAWAY ONE

You’ve seen how awesome this kit is. Exclusive Stamp Sets, Exclusive Journaling Cards, Exclusive Handcrafted Vintage items plus embellishment add-ons and pattered paper add-ons that coordinate with the main kit, really stretching your scrapbooking and crafting possibilities!

To celebrate, owner Trina Craig is offering you, my followers, a special deal for kit subscribers this month. When you start your subscription this month, she will throw in a free patterned paper add-on to ship with your August kit at no additional charge to you. All you need to do is pop on over to visit Citrus Twist, and subscribe for 3- or 6- months. Then email Trina at CitrusTwistKits@yahoo.com, and let her know that you are one of my followers and you want her special offer! How cool is that?



But the fun doesn’t stop there.

GIVEAWAY TWO
When Trina introduces her Guest Designers, she asks us several questions as part of the reveal. One of her questions was the following:

If you went on a Mediterranean cruise, what 5 of your favorite scrapbooking items would you want to have with you? (besides your camera and photos)

Fun question, huh? Really makes you really about your crafty supplies.

Here was my reply:
Gesso
Mini Stapler
A bottle of spray mist
A roll of washi tape
6x6 pad of patterned paper

Wanna know the method to my madness? :)

Gesso – Multiple Uses. It can help you re-color anything. It can act as ‘glue’. It can add texture. And it just fun to get messy!

Mini Stapler – It can attach paper, embellishments, twine, etc. You can create patterns and designs with it too. Lastly, it just looks cool!

Spray Mist – Who doesn’t love spray mist? It can help you re-color ANYTHING! It can be used to ‘ground’ your layout and can help you create your own, unique background.

A Roll of Washi Tape – You can create your own embellishments. It can ‘stick things down’. It can be used for little pops of color and texture. It can also be used to stick a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign up on your door while you are on your cruise. :)

A 6x6 pad of patterned paper - So many uses, so little time. See above.

So you ask…where is she going with all of this? This is where….

I L.O.V.E.D. the idea of the ‘FAVE FIVE’ so much, that I thought it would be really fun to do a little giveaway.

A GIVEAWAY OF MY FIVE FAVORITE SUPPLIES! The giveaway will include: Gesso, Mini Stapler, Spray Mist, Washi Tape, and a 6x6 Pad of Patterned Paper. (Paper and Washi Tape generously donated by Trina, so give her a huge THANK YOU!)

Here are the details:

1. If you are a follower, leave a comment below telling me what your 5 favorite supplies are.

2. If you are not a follower, become one, and leave a comment below telling me what your 5 favorite supplies are.

3. Open to all International Followers.

The comment period will be open until August 19th. I will be out of town for work, so I will randomly pick a winner when I return on the 26th. (One comment per person please)

Whew…that was a whole lotta writing and reading! Thank you for sticking with me till the end.

Hop on over to Citrus Twist and check out the August Kit reveal. And don’t forget to leave a comment below for the FAVE FIVE giveaway.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a terrific week!