I love this Sweet Face

When you have a kiddo this gorgeous you want to hang their sweet face up for the neighborhood to see… so that’s sort of what I did here!  The new Country Boutique line from Fancy Pants is a neutral-lover’s dream.  It has a subset of papers that are wedding themed but the bulk of the patterns are just awesome everyday prints in grey, white, cream, and black.  Of course I am in love with the shabby painted wood pieces!

The wood pattern reminded me of a fence so I strung up four photos of Owen that were framed with Silhouette-cut polaroids.  The banners are from the coordinating die cut sheet for this line and made this page really easy.

I embellished each banner with coordinating die-cuts, twine, acrylic, and twine. 

I used some Canvas Corp. clothespins on a string of ric rac as the clothes line and tied bits of Fancy Pants trim between the banners. 

I added the title area in the bottom right corner with yet another small banner and more layers of embellishments. 

And the final touch was these sweet little butterflies.  I hand sewed their little flight trail with embroidery floss. 

I love this line.  It is great on its own but also does a great job in a supporting role with other collections too!

A Pretty Party for Pink

I've been scrapping for years for myself and for various design positions and my number one issue has always been with using PINK!  I love all the girly products out there... flowers, pink patterns, ruffles, etc.  But when you have a husband, a son, and three male cats there is hardly ever a chance to scrap with feminine details.  So when my husband and I went for our big anatomy ultrasound with this current baby we were *shocked* an thrilled to hear that she is a girl.  Finally, I get a little PINK!

And this month I got to dive in to girlyness at Right at Home Scrapbooking with the lovely and fresh Pretty Party collection from Crate Paper. I used their June 12x12 sketch:

Instead of using three 4"x6" photos I shrunk mine down and used a wide strip of the pink striped paper as a mat.  I wanted more room for embellishments and my photos have a repeating motif, which doesn't require them to be that big. 

I fussy cut lots of the floral print paper because I just loved the delicacy of these roses!  I used a regular kitchen doily to mask the area under the die cut paper doily.  I like the softness the misted paint gives the wood grain background and the extra pop under the paper makes that area stand out. 

I also added a few button stick pins (so cute!) tied with bits of small velvet ribbon.  This paper just begs for lots of sweet details.

Ok, so I am starting small with the actual amount of pink here.  But bear with me… pink practice makes perfect!

Decorating for the 4th of July

Independence Day is one of those holidays that doesn't always get a lot of attention when it comes to home decor. We have cookouts and fireworks and maybe put out a few extra flags but why not really celebrate the birthday of America in style! I used red, white, and blue patterns from Fancy Pants’ Childish Things and Country Boutique to create this fun and festive 4th of July decorative star. 

For details and instructions on how to create this star decoration head on over to the Fancy Pants blog!

And don’t forget to link up your Picnics and Patriots projects (like this one!) at Paper Issues for a chance at this theme’s awesome prize pack!

Speaking of Declaration…

Have you ever had a new paper collection in front of you and just looked at it, not knowing where to begin?  And then you do that thing where you look through websites or blogs for examples of what others have done with it?  But you get frustrated because it takes forever to find examples amidst everything else??

Yeah. Been there! Done that!

Which is why I think it is BRILLIANT that Pink Paislee put together this amazing idea book for the Declaration collection.  There are 13 fabulous projects with instructions  jam packed into this one FREE downloadable book! No more searching… it’s all in here:

Hello Summer… Hello Smiles!

Echo Park is known for their fun, bright collections and whimsical designs and the Hello Summer line is no exception.  It seems every summer they roll out another collection that inspires me to scrap my most playful photos.  But their cute motifs are also perfect for card accents! 

I used the June card sketch from Right at Home Scrapbooking to inspire this birthday card:

I chose to make mine 5" x 7" instead of square so I would have more room for the awesome umbrella sticker.  Of course the umbrella had to be shielding something so I added the sweet bird and a flower under it. 

I used foam tape to give the umbrella a little dimension and added the brad at the top for texture. I also used foam tape under the sentiment sticker.

And a little twine goes a long way when you wrap it around the card spine a few times.  I just wanted a little extra detail and the bonus is that it shows on the inside of the card too.


These colors and patterns are guaranteed to bring a smile! Thanks for stopping by!

I Do Declare!

Well, Paper Issues declares, that is.  Declares that a NEW theme is up: Picnics and Patriots!

Not only can you view some amazing picnic-y and Independence Day projects but you can win some awesome swag… Pink Paislee’s Declaration collection, which is everything a 4th of July line should be.
My layout for Pink Paislee uses this collection and while it is about the special relationship between father and son, the photo was taken at last year’s Independence Day parade.



My title makes use of some other Pink Paislee goodies from Indigo Bleu, the giant number from London Market, and some ancient glittery alphas. 


How much do we love the chevron print from this line?! So much I had to cut it out and lace it up with twine. 


This collection rocks!  And it can’t be used for so much more that 4th of July themes… so CLEARLY you need to head on over to the Paper Issues blog and link up your Picnics and Patriots projects so you too have a chance to win it.  Do it by July 7th… you know you want to!

Double Dutch Treats

*I apologize for being MIA lately… I took last week off from crafting because this baby is taking her toll on mama and sitting at my desk has become tough on the pelvis! But I am still here!*

It's no secret that I love cupcakes. I love baking them, I love the smallness of them, I love eating them... I pretty much love everything about them.  Sometimes you just want something small to eat (or give!) and cupcakes are petite but perfect!

So when I got the oversized Maya Road bottle cap to play with I thought it looked like just the right size to become an individual cupcake stand. 


The cupcake stand is simply a small candle stick glued to the large bottle cap.  I painted it with acrylic paint and tied a little twine bow.  I embellished the edge of the cap with some crochet trim and the adorable pennant stickers that coordinate with the Double Dutch collection from Lily Bee Design.


Of course every cupcake stand needs a cupcake on it!  But cupcakes also need pretty packaging, don't you think?  I created this cupcake box with my Silhouette and tied it off with some May Arts ribbon.  The little flag is a cut wooden skewer I raided from the kitchen with another couple of stickers to create the flag.

Finally, the card completes this surprise presentation.  A little note of thanks or cheer can only add to the smiles that this cupcake set will bring.  I kept it small and simple. 

Pearl and Ribbon Necklace Tutorial

Next up is a tutorial for a really simple but pretty pearl and ribbon necklace.  This necklace is so fast to make you’ll want to do one in every color of the rainbow.

Supplies:
- about a yard of 1/4” to 3/8” ribbon (I used May Arts 3/8” navy grosgrain)
- embroidery floss that coordinates with your ribbon
- inexpensive pearls of any color from the craft store
- a needle (make sure the eye is big enough for the floss but small enough to pass through your pearls)

- Tie a knot in your floss, leaving a five or six inch tail.  Measure about 10 inches down your length of ribbon and insert your needle in the center.  Add your first pearl:

- Wrap the ribbon halfway around the pearl and insert the needle again.  You’ll get a feel for the exact placement once you do a few. 

- Continue weaving the pearls and ribbon, making sure you don’t leave spaces.

- String pearls this way until the opposite end of the ribbon is about 10” long.  On your last pearl you will need to go back through the ribbon (make a new hole in the ribbon… don’t use the same one you just came out of) and thread the needle back through three pearls.  You can then trim your floss. 

- Remember that tail we left on the starting end of the floss?  Re-thread the tail and do the same as above, inserting it into the first three pearls and trimming. 

- You can then either tie the ends together for a longer necklace that you slip over your head OR you can attach a clasp for a shorter necklace.  That’s it!!  I told you it was easy!

I am a big fan of the nautical navy and white look on this one but you could make it to match anything.  I also think these would be the perfect activity for a crafty teen party.  Ribbon. Pearls.  A little thread…. BADABING!

Thanks for taking a look today!

Ribbon Embellished Newborn Set

I am a bargain shopper.  I use coupons and check clearance racks just for the cheap thrill of getting a steal.  Plus, it feels great to save our family tons of money each year.  So you can imagine my glee when I found a set of three Carter’s white newborn onesies for only $2.37 at Target.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with them… except maybe that they’re very plain.  But I can fix that!!

I added 3/8” May Arts teal velvet ribbon bows to the sleeves, socks, and as accents with the flowers.  The flowers are simple rosettes made from gathering grey velvet ribbon. I topped each rosette with a button to hide the gathers. 

This dusty teal velvet ribbon is pretty much my favorite EVER!  It is just sooooo pretty and soft.  And it looks fabulous with the grey. 

The socks are Carter’s as well, and the hat is part of an inexpensive plain set at Joann’s. All in all this set came in around $5 for the entire thing.  It would make a perfect little present!  (but I’m keeping this one for the little lady)

I love how easy and inexpensive it is to transform plain baby clothes into something sweet with just a little touch of ribbon here and there!  Baby Girl is going to be 100% stylin’. 

A Modern Romantic Ribbon Doily Pillow

What do you do when you are 34 weeks pregnant and are still waiting for your nursery furniture?  You create completely unimportant (but adorable!) accent pillows!

I LOVE a project that looks more complicated than it really is like this one.  I picked up the pillow form, doily, and fabric at Joann’s and the ribbon is 3/8” pink velvet from May Arts.  I am ALL about the velvet!

This little pillow coordinates with the new nursery colors and will sit on a chair.  The vibe of the nursery is “modern romantic”, in pink, black, white, and grey. 

I sewed up the simple cover, inserted the pillow form, and whip stitched the bottom.  The doily has two rows of velvet interwoven.  The outer circle is tied in a bow and for the inner circle I overlapped the ends and left it without a bow. 

I really like the combination of the modern pinstriped grey fabric with the more feminine doily and pink velvet.  The ribbon accent is delicate and girly without being over the top and it is a super easy way to transform a doily into something a little more special!


I can’t wait to see how it looks in the completed room! 

Little Ole Me?!

Hey, look at that!  I am being featured on today’s Best of the Web over at Craft Corners!  Every week they bring us a listing of fun and varied crafty blogs to check out and admire.  I am honored to have been asked to be among such talent!  Welcome, new readers from Craft Corners… make yourselves at home!

Owen’s Art Box

We’re big into “art projects” at our house these days.  Naturally I am leading Owen in mom’s footsteps… we have chalk, markers, paints, crayons, and about a million other instruments of destruction creativity.  The kiddo has been super interested in his chalkboard/art paper easel lately and the tools of his “craft” have been all over the place.  We needed something to corral the chaos!

I used a blank box from the craft store and covered it in the Childish Things collection from Fancy Pants.  The bracket shapes on top, the stars, and the accordion flowers were all cut on my Cameo.

I used a scoring board to create the continuous ruffle around the sides.

Now how long do you think it will take my two and a half year old to completely “distress” this box??  For now it holds markers and crayons and fits perfectly on his easel tray.  Cute and functional!

         

Something New from Fancy Pants!

Oooh, what?! You thought you would have to wait for CHA Summer to see new releases?  Nope!  Fancy Pants is rolling out something new for you *right now* and it is fresh and awfully pretty.

Behold “Time for Spring”:

And it just arrived on my doorstep so you’ll be seeing projects using this line soon!  To see the papers and coordinating embellishments hop on over to the Fancy Pants blog.  You just can’t really see enough on this preview photo… there are hexagons, dots, florals, chevrons, and all kinds of fun patterns.  Check it out!

Hey Honey… Bee

I am forcing myself to not fill this post with cheesy bee puns.  That’s how much I love you guys. 

Paper Issues has a new theme goin’ down until June 9th.  We’re talking about everything hexagons and honey bees because they’re *everywhere* these days.  THIS is a trend I love!

First up from me: a card recently published in CARDS magazine -

The hexagon paper is Pink Paislee’s Mistables with Tattered Angels mist and the bees are misted canvas from Prima. 

And here is a page I did for Pink Paislee using the Nantucket collection (also above)… I especially like the hexagon chipboard!

Oooooh…. just look at all that hexagon goodness!  (we won’t talk about how long it took me to line them up)

If you have some bees and hexes to show off, or if you just want to see more, head on over to Paper Issues.  A few of the design team members have featured projects that you NEED to see and if you comment by the 9th you could win a killer awesome kit of My Mind’s Eye and other goodies.  Yeah, we DO rock!

While you’re there you might as well do a little bit of shopping, too, right? Use the code “SCRAPGOO” for 20% off.