My Collection of Webster's Pages

I love Webster's Pages paper. So much, that I can barely stand to use it. The colors and patterns are so beautiful that I find it hard to cover them up or cut the paper.

I've tried telling myself "It's only paper, there is more, there will always be another beautiful pattern to behold." It's starting to work. Slowly.

I just bought two more sheets the other day. Of wedding-themed paper. I have been married for almost 7 years and have not made a single wedding layout. Maybe this new paper will inspire me. That's what I told myself when I stood in line to buy the paper, and $6/yard of their Bloomers trim.

Someday, they will be collector's items and worth so much more than the $1/sheet I paid. Isn't that what happens to all collections?

Addicted to Junking

Do you think it's possible to be addicted to junking? After laying out my recent finds to take a few photos, I'm afraid I'm getting there. Here is the bounty after a day at Antique Alley and a stop at a local antique mall.

I bought a pile of vintage fabrics and old pillowcases - the prints are so feminine and the fabric is so soft. Of course, I found more vintage trims and lace. The old box of cards still has several in it. The old yellow soapdish was just too pretty to pass up. I think I'll use it to hold sequins or beads when I'm working on a project.

And do you see that bag full of old rhinestone-studded beads? Yummy!

This next stash is more vintage lace and trims, a few old rhinestone bits, ephemera, and a flower studded perfume bottle.

Here's a close-up of the perfume bottle.

I bought this book just for the cover art. Deco fairies - delicious!

Lastly, this image is from a recent shopping excursion - in my shed! A few years ago, an elderly couple who lived across the street from us decided to move and they held a big garage sale. She gave me piles and piles of fabric - she had been an interior decorator. Since I got a fancy new sewing machine for Christmas, I've been wanting to get out into my shed and go through the fabric. I finally did this past weekend, and found a bag full of these old trims. What a delightful surprise!

The fabric is now in my craft room. It fills a huge black lawn (trash) bag. Obviously, I need to find a better way to store it, so I'll be looking for something when I head out the flea market this weekend. An addict never stops...

Summer Fun

It is heating up here in TX, and summer is still two months away! I was playing with my Webster's Pages Petite Papers the other day and wanted to make something bright and cheery. Here is the card I came up with.

I layered the background Webster's paper with a scrap of vintage lace and a cutout from Webster's Magical Wishes "I Believe" paper. I adhered this using pop dots to give it more dimension. I created the title using my Dymo label maker and some Webster's alphas. I wish Dymo would make the label tape in brown, because I really needed some for this card. I added the clock face in the title to give it another whimsical touch.

Rock Star Birthday ~ MOSD

Today is my monthly post for Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs. Please go check it out and leave me some love. For this month, I made a birthday card using two Perfectly Shaped Build-A-Book pages and part of a star Intricacy.

I covered the chipboard book pages with scraps of paper and then layered the star Intricacy on the front. I chose chipboard pieces that were different sizes so you could see the interior patterend paper peeking through the front. I joined the two pages using black brads and added a sentiment with my Dymo label maker.

This card is for our Little Brother, Tristan, who thinks he is a rock-star ladies man!

Believe In Miracles

I started this project with the blue ceramic basket. I had intended to make something for Easter for my mom. Once I got started, the project took a different direction.

First, I removed the gingham fabric from the basket and replaced it with vintage blue and white lace. I used Crafty Secret's "Altered Fairies" Creative Scraps for the bird and her crown. I placed her in a nest of recycled packing material and shredding sheet music. I have these little eggs all over my house, so I grabbed a couple to give her a proper nest to watch over.

I made the banner to drape from her "ceiling" because all fairy birds decorate like this.

I added the title "Expect Miracles" to the base of the basket, and that's when I knew this little birdie was destined for my friend Stormy. She and her husband want to have a baby, so what better time to expect miracles.  

Junk Swap

I recently participated in Junk Market Style's junk swap. I was paired with Wanda, who happens to be a primitives dealer at the huge flea market in Canton, TX, which I frequent as often as possible! Here are the goodies that Wanda sent to me.

And there's more:

I love everything! It's like I rummaged through her stuff and picked it all out myself!

Here is the thank you card I included in the box I sent off to Wanda.

I used Webster's Pages Petite Papers, a ZVA Creative rhinestone title, and some vintage lace and ribbon.

Angels Among Us

I made an ATC last week. Well, it actually took me a couple weeks to make. I started it before my Easter vacation and didn't get to finish it until I came back home. This one has layers and layers of stuff.

I started with a Webster's Pages Petite Papers that has their alphas printed on it. I could never think of a reason to use these papers, but it made a great background. I covered this with a vintage prescription image printed on vellum. Next came the little girl's photo, which I painted around with gesso and pink acrylic paint.

She looked like a little angel, so that's what I made her. I added German foil wings and a halo from Stickles. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. The soft flowers in the lower-right under the butterfly were cut from an old birthday card - the kind with soft pastel colors and glitter highlighting all the right places.

I topped the card with a scrap of Jenni Bowlin Lemonade paper, punched with a Martha Stewart border punch, and title from Webster's Pages alphas. The copper lock and corner brackets were from another piece of German foil.

Antiquing in the Country

I am off to Antique Alley today, hoping that the rain holds off and doesn't scare away too many sellers. It's 15 miles of antiques and yard sales between Cleburne and Grandview, TX held twice a year. I've missed just one sale in the last six years because I was out of town. Sometimes I bring my camera, but I seem to miss some of the most unique things. Last year, I saw two girls with two large goats on leashes, like they were going for a walk.

Here are a few photos from last September's hunt.

Great chippy "stuff".

I always buy some vintage lace and trim from this seller.

See this loooong table? It's covered in bags full of trims, flowers, sequins, game pieces, fabric, etc. I always find a few bags of treasures here. This is usually our first stop and I love seeing what she has out.

Before I go, we need a winner! The winner of the travel ephemera pack is...

PhotoDivaJ: Our family is planning a month long trip... A few days in London, then to Tuscany, Italy, for a week with my family, over to Barcelona, Spain to board the Disney Cruise, back to Spain! This is over the course of a month. For now, I'm up to my eyeballs in books, travel arrangements and planning! Is it Summer yet?

Please use the "Contact Us" link to send me your mailing address. I'll get your prize out to you right away. I think we'd ALL like to join you on this trip!

A Little Birdie

You still have time to enter my ephemera prize drawing. Check out this post to enter.

I love checking out the Joli Paquet kits the designers offer a few times a year. I recently bought this little bird kit from Cindy, one of the Joli designers.

Isn't he adorable? I couldn't resist. His little nest of flowers and buttons and whatever else he could find is just so precious. He sits atop a wooden spool decorated with vintage fabric with a beautiful green and turquoise floral print. His party hat is my favorite part! He was easy to make following Cindy's instructions. My only problem is being impatient waiting for the glue to dry!

Here's another view:

Recent Finds

Don't forget to enter my travel ephemera drawing. Go to this post to enter.

I went to a new-to-me flea market last weekend and picked up some treasures, mostly old bottles and some vintage sewing patterns. We also stopped in a couple of antique malls and thrift stores. Here is the bulk of my loot:

I'll alter the bottles for Christmas decorations and maybe a few fairy homes. The hat is covered in old flowers, which will make their way into projects. Since most of them are white, I'll probably tint them with some soft shades of Glimmer Mist. The trims and fabrics will be perfect for spring cards and projects. And those beaded purses were so cheap, I couldn't leave them there! The fur collars will be perfect for some winter and Christmas projects I've been dreaming up.

Here's our little Furgie selecting which purse she'd like to have. She's got great taste! I already used the pink one when we went to see Bon Jovi on Saturday night.

Celebrate

I made a few cards using up some scraps from recent kits. Since I'm always in need of birthday cards, I started with that theme. I went through my stash of vintage postcards to see what looked like a "party." Here is what I came up with.

This card uses Jenni Bowlin and My Mind's Eye "Lush" papers. I simply layered them, added the image, and then added a little stitched sewing patter ruffle below the title.

This card uses the same Jenni Bowlin paper and a piece of Webster's Pages Postcards from Paris Petite Papers. I layered the papers and then stitched a border. I added the chandelier cutout from the same Webster's paper. Another sewing pattern ruffle and title and this one is complete.

Don't forget to enter my ephemera giveaway drawing. Go to this post and leave a comment!

Summer Travel ~ A Giveaway

Well, not of travel. But hopefully something you can use when you scrap those travel pics. I'm giving away a little collection of travel ephemera. Vintage tour book pages, postage stamps from around the world, and a few little trinkets to give a vintage flavor to your projects.

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me where you're traveling to this summer, or someplace you'd like to travel.

You have until Friday, April 16 to enter. I'll draw a name on Saturday, April 17 and post the winner here. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. If I can't get your address to ship your prize, you won't be able to enjoy it!

I'm Still Here!

It's been almost a week since my last post. I went up to NJ and spent some time with my family. We took my niece to Colonial Williamsburg for a nice long Easter weekend. We had great weather, especially when most of our time was spent outside. I've never been to Williamsburg and I really enjoyed it. We also toured a couple of plantations along the James River and visited nearby Yorktown, the site of the end of the American Revolution. It was so historic and beautiful. Here are just a few photos from my trip.

Our walk into Colonial Williamsburg

Touring the Governor's Palace

The Nelson House in Yorktown

Berkeley Plantation Gardens

I also got to spend a little time with this munchkin before I had to head back to TX. She wouldn't stay still or smile for a picture, so I had to snap whatever I could. Here she is picking flowers for Mum Mum.

I have several new projects to share, and I'll have a new giveaway next week. Stay tuned!

Precious Treasures

The collages have been swapped! Here is the project that I made for the Vintage Spring Collage Swap that I hosted.

I used a piece of cardboard for my base and painted it with Distress Crackle Paint in Picket Fence and Antique Linen. The baby image and little bird are from the new Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps. I added butterfly wings and a little nest for this precious little one. The nest is made from some packaging paper and shredded vintage sheet music. I also added some bead "eggs," vintage millinery flowers, and a Prima flower center.

The copper wire hanger is embellished with vintage lace and ribbon and a few sparkly beads. I sprayed a Maya Road chandellier crystal with blue alchohol ink, and then wiped it off. This left a soft blue tint on the crystal. I added a spring poem to the back that I found in an old school book, along with the collage's title "Precious Treasures."

Anthologies Kits and Projects

The Anthologies April kit is now on sale! This kit is so beautiful and I had a lot of fun working with it. Here are the projects I made using this kit.

For this layout, I again used my niece's Easter bunny photo, but for a more traditional project. The pattern on this Prima "Majestic Breeze" paper is so gorgeous. I touched it up a bit with some Stickles on the roses and white Pearl Accents on the background "trellis." The Prima flowers were white, so I sprayed them with Gold and Pearl Glimmer Mist and homemade blue alcohol ink mist to make them match the layout. I stitched the ribbon into loops and then attached it along the side of the photo. Then I tucked the flowers around it.

The photo is mounted on a piece of Prima "Apricot Tree" paper.

"Springtime in Texas" is a double-page layout. I wanted to keep the backgrounds uniform to maintain unity between the two pages. I used solid cardstock from my stash and added the Prima patterned paper, which I tore and distressed. I added white Distress Crackle Paint over both pages.

Here are close-ups of each page. I used the Thickers canvas letters from the kit, and added pink and blue inks and Crystal Stickles to match them to my page. I used more of the Prima flowers, and a cut-out from the Prima "Apricot Tree" paper in the kit.

On the right side of the layout, I used the same techniques and made a ribbon rose out of one of the trims in the kit. Even the vintage sheet music was part of the kit! The items in this kit are just so beautiful and I was able to make them fit my style perfectly!

Here is another layout, featuring my niece playing with bubbles at my parents' house. This is the same photo that I used in a layout with the Creative Treasure kit (on this post), but the look is so different. The only items from my stash on this layout are a couple scraps of masking tape and my Martha Stewart butterfly punch, used to punch out the glittery butterfly (from super sparkly paper, also in the kit).

Finally, I made a simple little Easter card using up some of the scraps from these projects.

The butterfly die cut is in the kit, and I covered it with some of the glittered paper. I bordered this with Stickles (from my stash). I cut out a vintage Easter postcard (from my stash) and layered it on the butterfly, which is adhered to a scrap of the Prima "Apricot Tree" paper. The paper ruffle at the bottom is a scrap of the Prima "Sweets" paper from their Shabby Chic collection.

I had so much fun playing with this kit. The patterns and colors are perfect for spring. What a way to chase away the snow!