Silly Pocket Tag Cards h

My life has been pretty hectic the last couple months, leaving very little "me," i.e. craft time. Crafting isn't just a hobby for me, it is also a source of income and more importantly, a therapeutic activity which my mind finds solace in the act of doing. So, going without has a profound and multifaceted effect; my supplies go unused, my talents are not utilized for the good of my wallet, and my creative urges go unsatisfied, leaving me restless and distracted by my desire to MAKE.
I have two upcoming excuses, er, opportunities to Have to do just that; an upcoming Yoda themed birthday painting party for a boy turning 8-and 15 of his friends!- & the Key Peninsula Cooperative Preschool ' s  now annual CraftWithAnna cardmaking fundraiser at Blend, February 10th at 6pm.
I thought it would be fun to share the 6 cards I designed for the event and tell you how I made them, in case you are looking for some inspiration or just want to know, "how'd she do that?"

My first card to share starts with a white card base. To this I've added a pink doily, offset and adhered to the top of the card in the left corner. The placement does not matter, but the bottom will get covered up so leave a fair amount sticking up.
On a red tag I layered a pink square stamped with red hearts. Through the punched hole at the tag top I tied a bit of red Silly String.
Next I ran my tape runner all along the edge and down the middle of a strip of dark red cardstock. I cut about a forearms length of that same red Silly String from Queen & Co.  I got it at convention a few years back. It's stretchy and shiny and oh so fun to use! When I wrapped the string around, I made sure to keep both ends tight against a gluey area, then I ran some more adhesive over those ends, for good measure. Before I placed this wrapped piece on my card base, I slipped that tag in behind.  Another way to say this would be that I made a paper doily, tag, twine sandwich. .. anyway there is a lot of texture going on here.
You could easily replace the Silly String with any kind of fiber; bakers twine comes immediately to my mind. How about you, what's your go-to string of choice? Do you make your tags or buy them pre cut, tie in a knot or tie in a bow- you know I wanna know, comment below :-)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Paper Bag Mini Albums

Oh my word, did I ever have an exhilarating time at this weekend's Woman's Wellness Retreat, hosted by the YMCA at local Key Center neighbor Camp Seymour. Along with various camp counselor-led activities like the climbing wall, archery, boating, and a ropes challenge course, there were camper/instructor-led courses on topics like creating your own makeup, bath bombs, henna paste, neck warmer/coolers... and of course, two opportunity for campers to CraftWithAnna!

I met women who attended guided meditations on non-traditional prayer, as well as ladies who learned information about how to "Make Change Stick," which, it turned out, was not the class I envisioned as I had read, Make A Change Stick lol. #Makers want to make change sticks! There was a book club discussion led by my cabin mate Scarlett on The Orphan Train. I got to know a vivacious lefty during what turned out to be an epically tall game of Jenga!
Now, about a month ago I led the teens at the Red Barn Youth Center through an easy to do project that is so customizable, it can be made for any occasion- and on the cheap! It's a class my friend DF developed, and she had even donated all of the class contents for the kids to use how they would. Of course, no two booklets were alike :-) I am always inspired by the creativity that is shown, and also by the amount of product they are able to cram onto small surfaces.
These books measure 6x6" and are made from paper lunch sacks. Yes, paper lunch sacks! By adding a few patterned papers and pieces of cardstock, these ordinary household items become unique memory keepers. I knew they would be the perfect project to teach at this weekend's Retreat... and it turned out to be an extremely enjoyed class for both myself as the teacher and for the students who took  time out from the great outdoors to make with me.
I saw a cat book made by a dog lover (?!), an album that was intended as a graduation gift, a "Kirk book" (turns out it was not an ode to Star Trek; Kirk was a meaningful marriage recipient), and even one or two that were for what I had in mind- camp memory keepers! To finish off our paper stash and kit contents, we even made some greeting cards that could be sent to loved ones we thought of while making our goodies... be still my heart!
Now, I've learned a few things in the course of my teaching career; first off, I should not drink wine before crafting with others if I plan to teach them how to do something :-) That wasn't a problem this weekend! Another lesson is that, if I start to make the same project at the same time as my students, I get kinda grumpy about helping others... and that is just not cool! So, during my classes I mostly walk around encouraging others and trying to be helpful when I sense someone not embracing their inner craft goddess. Plus, I get such a kick out of seeing what other's make, and I would miss that if I was all wrapped up in my own creation.
BUT, the next morning, I had the (brilliant) idea to collect a few cardstock momentos from campers whose company I enjoyed immensely. Paper momentos that I can now use to create my own unique- to- my- experience mini album- JOY! Double joy actually, with the potential for a soon third; reading those comments after my return home filled my heart with appreciative happy. The comments were truly touching, personal, and boosted my spirits- I will treasure the reading again and again. Once I've bonded paper to lunch sack myself, I can include those cards in the folds of my pages.

Towards the end of my appointed teaching time, I quickly ran through some simple ways to use leftover embellishments and trimmed off papers to make some greeting cards that could be sent out the old fashioned way- through the postal mail. Once I have my version complete, I'll do the same thing and send thank you's out to my new friends who shared their contact information :-)
To anyone reading this who I might have met this weekend, as well as my faithful blog readers~ thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!

New Beginnings

A few weeks ago I decided to rummage through my embellishment storage space and see what the heck was in there. I keep a large amount of stickers available in Cropper Hopper pocketed plastic files, and those are housed in an even bigger clear plastic box. I think it used to be a drawer!
Well, behind the files full of stickers is where I keep my ready made kits. It's also where I store the kits I've received in the mail from EmbellishKits.com So the box is a store-all, which generally speaking in the world of craft storage means I had no idea what all was in there, hence the clean up and refresh for my mind.
There were a lot of partially used kits that I'm no longer needing. I sorted a lot of small and medium sized scraps into their respective drawers and then stared at the mountains of paper piled all around me. I got up to put them away and then sat right back down to create some new combinations. Cause why put it away when I can store it differently!?
One of the fun parts of this project was remembering how Rainie would play with my scrap papers as a toddler. She would come up with these amazing color or pattern combos, and I always marveled at that ability because I was not as experienced with pattern mixing as I've let myself become since. I channeled her enthusiasm for just playing with the papers, but I also kept in mind some of the styles I'll be creating cards for in the next few months.
That led me to creating small kits of tiny bits and pieces that I can use at my next crop. Now there are roughly six little cards waiting to be made; I'll just need some card stock backs and, when you are surrounded by women who don't know how to leave the paper at home, I'm sure I will have a solution for that figured out even if I forget somehow to bring it myself.
Speaking of forgetting, don't ask me where these kits are today... between then and now I've taught three classes and attended a different crop as well, so my things are pretty willy-nilly right now, even though things look tidy. It's a good thing I regularly clean up my desk or I may not have found the laptop!

So tell me friends, do you prefer to sit down with a kit, or a pre planned project? Or is it more your style to just grab and go at random in the midst of a creative whirlwind... there is definitely a happy crafty feeling that comes with both. I do enjoy using a prepared kit because it means I'm traveling with less product. (Translates: room for more, but different products to be brought!) It can feel a bit constrictive though, depending on the materials in the kit. Sometimes I can't figure out what the heck I was thinking when I added such-and-such to the bag. But that same constrictive feeling can stem from an overabundance of choices as well, so like I said, there are pros and cons to both.
I guess as long as we are making something, even if it is just a kit, there's a good reason to play with paper huh? Happy crafting!

 

A Lesson In Best Intentions

I'm surely not the only person associated with this blog who fails sometimes to live up to our full potential. Not that I'm not super amazing, no friend, that fact does not escape my self assessment; I simply mean that there are many opportunities where I set out to fulfill a vision and fall short.

Take this beautiful card I found while scrolling my inbox. Artist Jennifer Bloomquist of Stampin' Up shared this awesome design which uses the impact of a black matted inset stamped piece layered over four strips of washi tape in different designs. Oh Great, I thought to myself when I saw it. This will be so easy to duplicate, was the continued thought as I quickly located my cardstock, a few stamps, a Close To My Heart ink in Slate, and my treasured tin of tape.
Sitting down at the table with my paper trimmer, gathered supplies and some spare time, my excitement and joy at just the right level of craft-productivity, and this simple but striking design, I imagined sets of four cards in assorted greetings that I could market in the upcoming months. I could even make some Christmas cards!
Or... not.

A simple strategy for mass production: a box of scrap papers + stickers+ bling = awesome!

Do any of these cards look even remotely like the very duplicate-able design I had before me? I didn't think so either! I ended up making 8 cards in one go- nothing to scoff about. But, there is not a singe piece of tape to be found. not one bit of matting. I did manage to get some cardstock in there as the card bases, and amazingly enough there is even some stamping! But friends, you see what I meant at the beginning of this post about not living up to my potential- no set of four similar cards can be made from this grouping lol.
There are a few silver linings to this short lived cloud of dismay; my scrap box is a little lighter! I used quite a few pieces of chipboard! There are some very old stickers that are finally out of my stash in this photo! And, best of all, I was able to Make Something! As I mentioned before, I even did some stamping, which is a tendency that escapes my creative impulses lately.

Another little cherry on this cupcake of intention is that my father-in-law purchased most of these for distribution on the East Coast. Just thinking of that is enough to make me smile- and want to sit down for another session of production. I fully intend to follow my papers as they lead me though the beautiful process of layering pretty on pattern with a side of sentiment. And in that, I will most assuredly not fail... I think lol.


#ScarfSelfie!

Thanks for joining me today as I muse my way down to Oregon for a three generation road trip of celebration over my mom's last radiation treatment for Breast Cancer. If you haven't heard, it's Breast Cancer Awareness month and you ought to get a mammogram. I had my first medically induced super squeeze at the beginning of the year following my mom's diagnosis. It was an opportunity to put myself in the shoes- or in this case, the bras- of those I know who have had the unexpected reading come back of "further investigation necessary." As in, I needed to go back for further scans, followed by a biopsy of found calcium deposits, followed by a weekend of wondering what the results are, and a few weeks of limited arm movements.  Hmpf. A lot of worry but also a new appreciation for what my family and friends dealing with the disruption of cancer go through, and the renewed understanding that everyday should be lived to it's fullest!
 Today is World Cardmaking day to boot- hmmm, I wonder what we'll be doing tonight !? Check out the social media links on the right and you can see some of most candid camera moments showing up on my Instagram feed.
Happy Crafting! 

Birthday Card Bonanza

Just had to share these coordinating birthday cards my family created this morning. My cousins son is celebrating his ninth birthday at a football themed party this afternoon. With a couple dollars tucked inside, I'm sure he'll appreciate these even more :-)

Not every family has the time or desire to get scrappy so early in the morning, but my girls and I have no such restriction ideas. Dad, on the other hand, is not so generally inclined. I was happily listening as he misinterpreted my prompt to assist Rainier with her desire to draw a wolf... help her, I reminded him when I saw his hunched form and tightly clutched penciling! She and I were pleasantly surprised by the outcome. He thinks it looks part coyote, but we say, it's 100% awesome!
Her card at top left is turned out so great- I love her use of the sticker at the bottom, the tilt of the vellum birthday cake, and washi tape border with twined buttons layered at the top. Rainie has learned how to interpret the designs of cards she likes pictured in magazines... a great skill for getting past that sometimes monumental task of deciding, What To Make? How many times have we let that question stump us huh?
For my card with the purple background, I turned to a design I use often- that look of a polaroid photo through matting.  I then had the amusing idea to place a square of matted football print paper over a background image of one of those persons. By mounting that scrap in the place of a belly, I was able to tie in with my sentiment inside about not knowing what the future will bring when we hold our children within. This card is for Lil B's mom and dad; I think the parents need to be honored for their dedication to their children as opposed to the kids getting a prize for staying alive another year lol. Both can be considered feats of accomplishment though, of course!
Now we're off to pick up my grandma, who the kids call GG- great grandma :-) She's really excited to join us for the festivities. Getting older, giving up her car, becoming more forgetful... as we celebrate the advncement in age for one member of our family, we remember that she is traveling cautiously but continuously down the other end of that road we call Life. We cherish the times we can spend with each other so much, I know this day ahead will contain fits giggling, barely contained joy, and a lot of hand holding hopefully.
Enjoy your day of Labor free loving!

Sunny Sunday

Sunday was bright and sunny at our house this week, I had a lot of time to play with the kids, who have been obsessed with gelato of late. In the afternoon Ray took Rainier out to work with him and Sunday and spent a lovely couple of hours crafting on the floor- can you spy what we created together? Watch for some dang awesome developments in my rise towards CraftDiva SuperStardom....

But first, yesterday I posted this (slanted) pic of a beautiful monochromatic scrapbook page I made at the end of Sunday. Using some pieces from the S.E.I. Alpine collection, I also mixed in some Creative Memories paper- after 10+years these thin, double sided, 11.5x12" sheets are still hard for me to use because they are so pretty! But paired with the beauty captured in these photos... a winning combo, and the short side inspired the square of color inside that gold cardstock mat.

See how I layered embellishments to bring focus around the page in a visual triangle? And that I included journaling before I put the page away in my album?! Lately I've been working on my classes for the cruises I'm offering next year, and those embellishment cluster tricks I've learned over the years are being set to paper- literally! If you struggle with journaling, you're not alone; I've found that if I don't put my pen to print soon after the page is complete, the space I've allocated will likely remain blank. No Bueno!
 

If you missed the review videos created for EmbellishKits.com this month, you can click here and the playlist should start up for you. Thanks for popping by!

It's April Card Share Time!

You can read all about and see all the details for the cards featured in the video link above in this post. I've been making away; aside from this collection and the bonus projects, I created about 20 more cards last week. Between store sales, custom orders, fundraising cards, preparing for the retreats I'm teaching at, and these videos, I barely had time to squeeze in this beautiful layout... but that's just the type of challenge I enjoy!


 Be sure to subscribe to my CraftWithAnna YouTube channel. You'll see all my videos show up on your watch list as they are published. Can I get a whoop whoop!

I'll post more pictures of this layout and some close ups of those gorgeous clusters tomorrow. Sign up to follow my blog and I will send you an email when I post. As always, I thank you for stopping by and watching!



P.S. Leave a comment below regarding your favorite card... there's no prize, I just love the feedback lol.

April EmbellishKits.com Card Kit Completed and the Best Ever Bonus Projects!

Limitless Creative Optins enclosed
in the April 2015 card kit from EmbellishKits.com

 Oh Boy, when I opened my package from Shelby at Embellish It! and saw the April Kit Club inside, my heart skipped a beat at the amount of Spring colored happiness contained within. As I showed in this month's Review, the Wild Berry Jubilee collection from My Mind's Eye features a mix of soft coral reds, bright fuchsia pink, juniper and lime greens against a startling black.
Bold tribal patterns and delicate florals offer a contrast that I found easy to mix and match, and it wasn't long before all eight cards in my EmbellishKits.com April 2015 Card Kit were complete. The hardest part was not keeping them all as art! I could easily imagine a few of them in small black frames highlighting my entryway.

Today- Best Day Ever
Birthay

Let's start with card number one, "Today- Best Day Ever." As you could see in the video, there were definitely some die cuts that would change the look and sentiment of this card with minimal effort. And, if you make a boo-boo when following directions, a little washi can go a long way!

Graffiti Floral
Thank You

Next up was a card that I took a few more liberties with. The graffiti paper used in the "Graffiti Floral" card was speaking to my scrapbooking side. So many of the sentiments echoed the memories I brought back from my recent trip to Tenamaxtlan, Mexico. If you've been following along on my blog, or care to go back and read my musings, you'll now that my father accompanied  me and showed me a lot of the surrounding area, including different plots of cattle grazing land he owns. As I searched through the die cut ephemera pack included with this kit for those large tropical flowers, I happened upon those photo frames. One is empty and the other shows a prairie- like scene that was perfect for this thank you card I ended up creating.  I have found that men do enjoy receiving cards, but you know how a stoic man reacts when a little emotion is thrown at them, so I chose the slightly distressed soft coral solid to contrast with the Bazzil black cardstock base and tribal border. Now that "sweet" little die cut sentiment just blends right in. Don't you love how the black shows through behind the flowers, too? I continued the contrasting theme inside as well by using my white gel pen to express my gratefulness at such an emotionally impacting trip south.

Hello
Card for a Friend

On a brighter note, I've begun sending my cards via text and facebook messenger images! Sometimes you just want to say "Hello," and this 6x6" turquoise blue Bazzil backed card is a super-sized way to do so.
Take a closer look at that strip of green and you'll realize it's a little translucent. That's because it's not made with the suggested strip of paper, it's the same washi tape I used in the review video! Click on the word "washi" in the search column to the right for more ways to use this cool tool.
Since I'd used that "beautiful" die cut on my TeneMeme card, I chose the tribal diamond strip instead. A little snip on one side makes this small piece appear to stretch across the entire card front now. I put some foam adhesive under the hello square for some extra pop against that busy background. But I didn't stop there... oh no, I brought the party to the inside too! A card this big can be a little intimidating to fill, and this side piece will nicely contain a moderate amount of wording and still cover the card space.

So Cute
Birthday

You know, I used to write for an awesome magazine called DieCutCrazy, and working with all these die cuts, pulling them in and out of the package, and trying to keep all those tiny pieces together was making me feel a little reminiscent of those days, so I decided to go all out and create my own card front filling design based on the example photo for card number four, "So Cute."
It may be a little difficult for you to find my card at the bottom left here, just click on any of the images here on my blog and they will appear in a larger window. Go ahead, click and come back. Or, read, and then click, and then come back lol.
I used 15+ pieces! As if all that pattern wasn't busy enough, I added a sprinkle of green glitter ink splatters too. It was really liberating, playing with the shapes, and once I had my basic grid down, layering the hearts, circles, and that lovely flower on the top put me in such a festive mood that I decided this card could be for a birthday, or maybe for a gardener's baby!

Oh My
Thank You/Hello

I already shared a bit about my trip to Mexico, but maybe you didn't go and read that the reason for my trip was to visit my nearly 97 year old grandmother, Balvina. I have always wanted to see her again (last time was literally a life time ago- mine!) but it was mi Tia Natividad who sent me my grandmother's love in letter form so many times over the last couple of years. I know that she and her son read a lot of my postings here, but she needs a special thank you card. I grounded the typewriter on a piece of woodgrain washi tape, selected an Anna-appropriate sentiment and made it appear to be coming from the paper spool. My baker's twine travelled up to the top right and is also layered on a strip of leftover floral print. The addition of an airplane motif flair badge from Queen & Co. to card number 5, "Oh My!" makes this the perfect way to send a story of happiness and my thanks for her encouragement. The stickers, twine, and buttons you see embellishing these cards all came in this month's kit as well!
 Did you know that I have a second video cardmaking tutorial for this month's kit? Click on the Mr. and Mrs. card here and a new window will pop up for your viewing pleasure. On a side note/afterthought, this would be a great card for a Mr. & Mr. or Mrs. & Mrs. too :-) You know, I could have used that "Love" rub for the inside greeting on this card, but instead, it went on another project!
As I mentioned in the video, I try not to measure as much as possible when I'm in "the zone." I have to admit there are times when a ruler does come in handy, though, like when you are planning to use one piece of paper multiple ways. The first card and this card share that paint brush stroked background, and the instruction sheets included with each of embellish it's! kits contain all those hand cutting guides to let us know precisely where to cut. Score!



Card number seven, "You + Me," is so cute, the only change I made was to the orientation, from portrait to landscape. Well, I guess that wasn't the ONLY thing different, I also added those rub on heart shapes and an enamel dot to bring the focus to the sentiment. Here's a fun trick you can try; add some depth to your circular die cuts by punching the middle out and adding a pop dot to the back. POW! Now that's a blue ribbon embellishment!
By the time I got to the last card for this kit, I was feeling so much of that bright and cheery fun from all that color. This set of brightly colored greetings wouldn't be complete without a congratulatory "Awesome!" After all, what comes along before the traditional summer wedding season? Graduations!
These multi-colored shapes remind me of the Volcom logo, so I geared this card towards a skate boarding teen. If you're ever in a creative rut, try visualizing a stereotypical recipient or viewer, and then work on incorporating elements that that imaginary person would enjoy.
 Isn't this card rad, man? The rub on really does most of the work for me, it even included ink splatters, so my fingers stayed clean. Our full-color example shows the same button and black twine combo popping against all those angles in the background. I substituted an trimming of the turquoise blue Bazzill cardstock in place of the black triangles print, add some enamel dots in an assortment of the same colors shown in the background, and then dug into my alphabet stash for the canvas u, R, and the smooth white asterisk thicker. Then I messaged it over to a friend I made on my cruise last month, because, new friends are Awesome!
I'm going to make a judgment call here and say that this blog post didn't take long enough to load... in other words, here are some more pictures!
 

With just a few additional patterns pulled from my extensive paper stash, I used a lot of my left over kit pieces to capture the visual flavors of that family reunion I had just experienced. As mentioned above, the graffiti print paper held  many sentiments I could use, "on this day" for the morning my sister, grandmother, and I enjoyed prepping lunch together. It may have been a once in a life time opportunity (but I sure hope not)! "Having A Blast" for the afternoon my father and I watched a volcano erupt before our matching brown cattle-ropin' eyes. "Remember the Good Times" for another first- mi Tio Gonzalo y mi Tia Carmen embracing in la concina de mi abuela. And "You are the Best" for a gorgeous close up of my grandmother's ancient, wizened face.  She really was as sweet as could be!
Pocket pages can be a fun way to enclose a lot of pictures in just a pages. I have found that if I photo collage a few groupings, I can get an entire weeks worth of memories captured in just a few moments. But of course, coordinated papers and embellishments like the ones in this month's card kit from embellish it! make it all very easy as well.  Thanks for joining me for this month's card share post from the April 2015 card kit from EmbellishKits.com.
Watch the video version, and subscribe here on the blog if you're not doing so already...It's always a joy for me to have you stopping by to CraftWithAnna!

Best Spring Card Kit Video Review is Here!

Happy Easter Blessings to you and my hopes that with all those dressed-up family photos you've taken today, some creative applications will evolve. Searching for just the right colors to go with this season? How about Sherbert Pink, Soft Coral Red, and Juniper...you'll find all the vibrancy of Spring and Summer are contained in the sophisticated My Mind's Eye Jubilee collection assembled for the April 2015 EmbellishKits.com card kit. Let me show you what's included, and then we can craft up a card together!
You can subscribe here on my site for an email version of my blog posts delivered as I send them. I've got a few more spring flings in the making; another card making tutorial for this kit, the card share of the 8 finished cards, and of course, you'll see what happens to all those leftovers!
Thanks for stopping by, now head over to EmbellishOnline.com and get some embellies to compliment todays wardrobe choices!

Hello, Baby! Feeling Lucky?

EmbellishKits.com February 2015 Card Kit Review and CraftWithAnna Tutorial

Greetings Crafters!

What a whirlwind of craftivity I've been in since returning from my vacation/research trip onboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. In case you hadn't been following along, I went for a one week cruise with my best friend at the end of February. We each paid a little extra through our travel agents, Gail and Cheri over at CruiseOne to have crop space in the conference room onboard with one of our favorite teachers from Creating Keepsakes Conventions of the past, Shelby Dredge of Embellish It!  

You may remember, I had the opportunity to interview Shelby for the August edition of DieCutCrazy, a digital magazine whose back issues are now available free through the Apple store. As many classes as I have taken from her and cool tricks I have learned over the years, I was thrilled to spend a week with the other 90 or so crafters who enjoy her projects as well. So many beautiful memories, and even better, terrific relationships formed with my fellow cruisers.

I'm beyond excited to announce that each month, I'll be showcasing the new kits offered from EmbellishKits.com. There are many hot products included in each release, and I'll be sure to include a quick tutorial, as well as showing my finished projects and even a few bonus creations made from the leftover supplies (there are always a lot of those). 

You'll want to head over to my YouTube channel and click the subscribe button (if you haven't already)- now you'll have my latest videos posted directly to your watch feed!

Below are the 8 cards I completed from the contents of the EmbellishKits.com February 2015 Card Kit. Each of their kits contain complete cutting and assembly instructions, those gorgeous quality papers we love, embellishments, and all the cardstock bases and custom envelopes to inspire you to create card collections that you will love to give away. Heck, sometimes I even put mine in a little frame on the mantel for a while... so go ahead and show off: you certainly have my permission!


#1 "Baby Love," and #5 "You & Me Baby"

The best part about the kits for me, aside from all that delicious product, is that the complete instructions for each card are included with full color detail pictures, so I can hop around from card to card completing them as the desire strikes me. Knowing that some of my cards will end up in the shop for sale, I was able to change the designs by simply alternating the patterns or elements- super easy!

First off, let me show you my versions of the large, 5x7 card, number One, "Baby Love," and the 6x6 "You & Me Baby" card with the blue Bazzill base. While many of the same suggested elements appear, you'll notice I added a few more chipboard pieces and fussy cut images to my little hearts desire.

#2 "Hello Baby"

Next up is my this darling little elephant saying, "Hello Baby." Again, by simply choosing an alternate 3x4 card from the kit and that chipboard friend, my card takes on a new look that was so simple, I can't wait to duplicate it!

Now, we all know how fast babies grow. One moment they are a twinkle in our eye and the next thing you know they are thier own person! No matter what stage of life, we care for them with "Love Beyond Measure," which is the theme of card number three in this kit. See how I changed the design from landscape to portrait? And that I used a smaller chipboard heart, and turned the stick pin on it's side. The addition of another fussy cut pennant added to the expressed sentiment and brought in some of that lovely pastel turquoise. The adhesive backed satin scallop trim can be used as a whimsical banner, and home for another enamel dot. Bling bling, baby!



#4 "Baby" Banner

Speaking of banners, don't you just love when the paper does all the work for you? The six by six papers included with this kit make mixing and matching all these patterns a breeze. For this card, I actually just used the piece I had cut for the bottom; one piece of paper, two patterns= one crafty masterpiece! Whoa, that was a little to close to doing math for me to feel comfortable haha.



Something I had no trouble with? Reaching into my seldom used stash of baby themed embellishments to add a little more flair to the bottom of the card. This would have been the perfect place to add a sentiment sticker or even Baby's name! Shelby's idea of wrapping a bit of the included baker's twine and layering the chipboard flower elements is one of the reason's I've always enjoyed her classes... sure, it's a simple trick, but it's one I'll actually remember!

#6 "Love You To the Moon"
& #7 "Hello Baby W/Duck"

 Now for two of my favorite cards in this collection, #6 "Love You To the Moon," and #7, "Hello Baby w/Duck." Aren't they precious?

Again, you can see that I've taken a few liberties with the designs. A few placement differences on our Moon card simply bring the focus to one side and saved me a little fussy cutting. Between elmental-color-matching ruler patterned strips cut from a six by six piece, my little Duck is smelling the tulips atop a distress ink watercolor background.

That's another valuable, unadvertised element included in these kits; they are packed full of Inspiration! Do you identify with a go-with-what-feels-good craft-itude, or are you more apt to read and re-read directions before committing to the cut? No matter your style, you'll be making something... BONUS!




Leftover's Galore!

Created this before I even got off the ship :-)

Let's jump ahead to my bonus projects for this kit! Remember how I mentioned the scores of left over's there would be after this collection's completion? As you can see, I've got lot's more patterned papers to play with, plenty of enamel dots, and some large chipboard elements that will be great for more card making, or even ...some scrapbooking!


Time for the Bonus Round

This simple card used a few fussy cut pieces from the six by six pad, including a little of that ruler print I adore. Shelby's trick for tying a bit of ribbon around the flag is mimiced by knotting what's left of the grey polka dot grosgrain and using a glue dot instead of tying it. Wow, that was easy!

Last but not least by any means, is our featured card for this month's video preview, "Expecting You." Created in a matter of moments, little details like the organza ribbon around the chipboard flag make this a wow card big enough for multiple signatures inside. Can we say, office party (or baby shower, or just big handwriting lol)?

Thanks again for stopping by and playing with me today!

You can preview February 2015 Card kit from EmbellishOnline in the video below. Shopping for your must-have card kit is easy and only a click away at EmbellishKits.com.
  

And just in case you missed the linked picture at the top of the post-

Color inspiration

A pretty card for a new client came together rather quickly- it's amazing what one can make from the bits and pieces left on the workspace! The tiny scrap of floral printed paper on the left was the inspiration for my colored scraps on this card... as you can see, inspiration can be interpreted as loosely as desired when it comes to my crafting world!
The part to focus on is being able to create based on anything- important to remember when looking at other artist's offerings and being tempted to compare skill levels or products available. Think about what you're envious of; what do you admire about another's gallery? Then collect some product and create something about it!
So, back to my scrap bucket: a previously misted muted purple with Thank You stamped randomly, first and second generation, amongst the droplets. That pink heavy weight cardstock? Old Creative Memories sticker packaging from, you guessed it, that cold foil batik leaf sticker! A bit of teal with holding a jewel from a broken necklace twined on, and my favorite silver Sharpie to accent the grey card base edges.
Go take a look at one of your most used workspace. See anything that, well, goes together? Throw it on a card or alongside some pictures from this week and just Get Crafty! Feeling the need to introduce new products into the mix? Head over for a free make and take at the Michael's store in Gig Harbor this afternoon, Saturday Jan. 10th from 1:30-3:00 pm. I'll be demoing DIY Valentine's for the 12th Man in your life... Go Hawks!

JYC 2014 Album Prep Payout

The stars at night...
my Artsy Super Star, Radient Rainie!

This year I signed up for Shimelle.com's Journal Your Christmas class. The daily prompts allowed me to explore Christmas memories throughout the season and also provided some really intriguing photo-taking challenges.
 I figured early in the month that I'd be doing a lot of writing, but more than that, I'd be doing a lot of Christmas card making. Which I did! Well, not so much the writing, but definitely a lot of cards were made and sold which was really invigorating for me. Every day there was also a short video showing a 3x4 card being dressed up for the season, and I enjoyed watching and using the ideas on a few of those cards I made, as well as in creating little mini masterpieces with the girls.

I knew in the past that it has taken almost an entire album to contain just the one month of December's scrap worthy photos, so early in the process I chose an album and then after about five-ten prompts I added patterned papers, project life cards, and embellishments that fit the seasonal theme. I figured it would be easy to maintain a consistent theme throughout the entire album with this base to build on, plus I just like to build kits without pictures for a challenge occasionally. I used the prefilled sleeves that came with the album, added pocket pages as well, and kept everything for the season's recordings in there, adding mementos as they came across my desk.

Now, the title of the class does include the word Journal, which has never been something I've really enjoyed doing in my albums- I'm more of a record happenings daily on a calendar person than a record feelings type of person. So while I thought a lot about the ideas presented, what I ended up doing was more about talking to other people, sharing my own traditions and anecdotes, while learning more about my friends and family through their own story telling.

Photo Prompt: Through the Window

Some of my favorites; Hearing about the little boy who got a bike but didn't know it until he was completely disappointed about not having found one under the tree (it was in the backyard)! The little girl who was shocked to receive a paint by number set from her parents (she thought they were oblivious to her artful inclinations). My friend whose dad took her and her sister to get their ears pierced on a whim while their mom shopped the other side of the mall. Sharing my own story of being up on stage in preschool and being so mesmerized by my granddads shiny bald head glowing under the lights that I forgot to follow my classmates into the wings!

Photo Prompt: Add Sparkle

So, not having written most of the storytelling down as it came my way, how HAS my album benefit from this class? Well, for one thing, I've been able to take some really cool pictures throughout the month that I may not have thought to try otherwise, like this amazing picture of my mom and Sunday in a restaurant before dinner. Tried out a few new apps and created really cool effects on otherwise terrifically seasonal photos. I'm thinking more about stories that I've told over the years and how they all impact how I enjoy the sights and sounds and the whirl of Christmas cardmaking around this time of year... and the awesome bonus is that I'll have access to this class for many years to come and can continue to visit the prompts and tell those stories that make the background for my families traditions.

Thanks for joining me today, I wish you and your family all the best of the Holiday season, and the best hopes for a happy, healthy, scrappy New Year!

Let It Rain!

Do you have a theme song? I mean, is there a song that has been playing throughout your life that seems to come on the radio at just the right time, the lyrics of which echo parts of your life experiences? You know, the one that no matter what, you will be singing out loud the words too... ya, you know you're thinking of it right now!

Sometime within the last year I was on Shimelle.com and either read a post or watched a video of her talking about visiting the David Bowie exhibit at her local museum. Apparently he had saved so much of his early scribbling and assorted paraphernalia over his (50 year?) career that it needs exhibition status. Shimelle challenged us to scrapbook based on a song, or an artist that we really felt a connection with.

First song to come to mind? Prince and the Revolution's, Purple Rain.

 Yup, I'm a tried and true fan of THE Prince. Raised to want to fling my panties on stage even before I knew why anyone would be interested in doing something like that! Side note- I often wondered which day of the week pair I'd have thrown...

So, did I want to scrapbook about "maybe I'm just like my mother?" or "maybe I'm just like my father?" "Why do doves cry?" NO! I wanted to fit this song to the fun pictures I'd taken of my family picking plums over at my moms house last summer.

Purple rain, get it? lol, 'cause if you've ever had plum trees, or just fruit trees for that matter, you know that the ground is apt to get messy once the blossoms turn into those natural fruit gems.

I gathered many different shades of purple, my favorite color naturally, and then I envisioned lots of frilly looking cream colored paper reminiscent of those popular flouncy blouses men wore in the eighties. Honestly, what was up with the pirate look?! And even more honestly, were any of the men in your life wearing blouses? lol I only had eyes for Prince. I mean, when he showed up at the concert I saw two years ago wearing a caftan (of all the headwear he could have chosen!) with what I'm guessing was a cape- now that is a real man, folks!

The page on the left hand side was actually a pre-made deal, complete with torn paper layers, paper pieced multi-colored border, and sewing. I wanted to mimic that look on the right hand side and it turned out I had just enough shades of paper to work with. I love the way they look side by side, and although I added it after these photos were taken, I also added some stitching with my sewing machine to the bottom of the right hand side page as well. Ended up moving my sewing machine into an even more prominent location in my craft area, so we'll see if that helps me to use it as much as I desire too.

My best friend had met me for some scrapbooking and catching up at Michael's Saturday, and brought me like, the entire October Afternoon Witch Hazel line, including two sticker sheets! What a pal, huh? I wanted to try and incorporate something from that mass of goodness, and found the music notes border sticker to fit my theme perfectly. Not sure what the song actually is, but who cares right? I also made a witch into a garden fairy by adding a crown sticker over her pointy hat :-) I used some of the tab stickers for a four-photo flip up so I could include even more photos, and added a lot of my friend's washi tape in layers around the layout too.

When I think of Prince, I also think of Diamonds and Pearls- as embellishments! but, while neither of those items was seeming to be the right accessory, I did include the quote, "More Precious Than Pearls"- perfect for describing the bounty that God provides us each harvest, as well as the joy of feel watching my beautiful daughters, spending time with my family and enjoying the same activities I grew up doing. Certainly a precious enough idea to capture.

One last thought on scrapbooking: what about scrapping those terribly unflattering photos... my thought is, include them anyway lol! These pictures of Ray certainly don't capture him at his most handsome-est, but they are funny and I love how much Sunday looks like him in the photos we took. I used that little witch sticker to write out, "Is this Organic?" and then wrote in, "Was that from Safeway?!" The plum he's eating is freshly picked from the tree, but the quotes are a little inside joke that goes back to my step dad trying to pass non-organic food off on us by saying, it came from Safeway!

So what's your theme song, friend? Leave a comment below, and come back this Friday, August 15th, for a birthday blog hop sponsored by DieCutCrazy! Eric from the Paper Wizard will be giving away an uber-fun layout kit to one lucky hopper! 

Anatomy of a Late Night Scrap Sesh

Late at night when the kids are in bed, I like to have Ray select a few photos for some "Scrapbook Starts." That's my little nickname for these pages I start and don't usually complete right away. You'll notice these examples are pretty basic... they'll be spruced up sometime today, but here's a peek into my late night creative process!

I generally start with the photo itself. Thinking of a basic title, or the story I want the photo to tell helps me get into the mood to gather my supplies. The chosen photo or story may also influence the colors or theme of papers I'm shopping my stash for. It really helps to take the photo to the paper stored in our craft room; you can pretty easily tell what "goes" (and doesn't ) by holding the photo up to a few selections. There can be surprise pairings of patterns that emerge as my creative engines begin to turn over!

Next, I reach for add-ons like stickers or die cuts that I may have thought of while looking at the photo or searching for a background. The way I have my embellishments stored makes this a really easy thought to page process. Check out this tour of my craft room for a glimpse at one of the ways I've had my space organized. I look for either matching colors, a theme that fits, a phrase to use as a title, or maybe just something shiny that needs to be used.

I recently overhauled my die cut storage system, and along with my August Product of the Month Challenge and wanting to use more of my old stuff up this year, I'm hereby announcing that my product of the month will be... Die Cuts! On August 15th my fellow contributors to DieCutCrazy and I will be hosting another Blog Hop, so watch for that! Last night I got into my circa 2009 Storytellers collections and chose this "Delightful" set that went well with the photos and papers I'd chosen. The great thing about their die cuts is that they already look layered and embellished, so sprucing them up is not actually needed, but very easy to do. See how I layered photo corners over those already on the background patterned paper above? And in the layout below, I simply added paper flowers, and used my exact-o knife to cut out a small part of the design to layer on top for added dimension. There were more than enough pieces to spread across two pages that will go side by side in my album, so I put the extras into a new kit, made from papers I'd thought of using but didn't. I  mean, why put them away when I can use them for another late night crop session?! 

So sometimes, on simple pages like those two, I can add a few finishing touches that bring them nearly to "enter the album" stage. Touches like the brads in the centers of the flowers, or the hand drawn blackberry vines with custom blended ink splatter berries. Touches like the eyelets on those punched circles, or inking the edges to make the white core disappear.

On the page to the right, I chose a package of Glitz Design's cardstock stickers to embellish my layout. You can see the page is still lacking- nothing is holding the banner together, there is no title or journaling, and frankly, it's hard to tell what the story behind my holding a large gun with a gleeful smile is. And guess what, it's totally okay that the page is incomplete! I fully intend to go back in and put those finishing touches on sometime today or later this week.

In the meantime, I may think of a much better title (although, "Annie Get Your Gun" will be hard tobeat), I may change the angle of the story I want to tell, or add variegated yarn instead of black twine as I intended... the choices are all still there, but I can make them in the my actual craft room,during daylight hours easier than late in front of the tv, on a card table set up by the sofa at night. On the other hand, I sometimes find that I'm really okay with how it looks and I just add a quick dash of fiber and journaling to get it in the album pronto. These simple pages add a different visual element to albums that can almost become monotonous in all their embellishments and details. As long as those pictures are getting printed and/or our stories are being told, there's no "wrong" way to scrapbook!

So theres a peek into my late night creative process... now you know why I'm posting photos of my work to facebook at 12:23 am! Let me know, how do you maximize your creative energy? Do you have a little routine that makes it easier to craft in a jiffy? Leave a comment below, mark your calendar for August 15th's DieCutCrazy blog hop, and as always, thanks for reading!