Love Is in the Air

I managed to make just a few Valentine crafts this year, including this card that I sent to a special Valentine.

I started with bright pink felt for the background and layered on fabric and lace scraps and a sheet music printed fiber paper.

The images are from Graphic 45 - the Sweet Sentiments and A Place in Time collections.

I typed a sentiment on my vintage typewriter and added glitter to all the flowers.
 
I hope your Valentine is thinking sweet thoughts of you on Friday!
 
 

Merry Christmas

I have one last Christmas decoration to share with you as I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

I'll be taking some time off to celebrate Christmas with  my family, but I'll be back in the new year to share the gifts I made for Christmas.

I've had this vintage ornament box in my stash for a while, waiting for the right inspiration for a small Christmas shadowbox.

First, I had to construct a bottom for the box (I only had the top). I adhered Jenni Bowlin paper to the box, that matched the colors and pattern on the box front perfectly. Then I cut out the children from another sheet of Jenni Bowlin paper (these are both from the Holiday 2011 collection) and adhered them onto a piece of chunky foam. I added a tinsel garland and strung vintage ornaments.

On the front, I adhered a sentiment and Santa image, both from Graphic 45 collections from seasons past.
 
Have a merry, happy, festive, special, and spectacular Christmas!
 
  

Boo!

I feel like I've been working on Halloween projects for months, and I don't even have half the cards and projects finished that I want to.

I made this card using paper from Graphic 45, Making Memories, and some scraps in my stash. The bottle stamp is from Graphic 45.

Unfortunately, I can't remember where I got that great image. I think it may have been leftover from another project kit.
 

Another Baby

My scrappy friend Diana and her husband are expecting their first baby! I made a card to congratulate them on the happy occasion.

I am still in love with the Graphic 45 Little Darlings collection. I have never seen a baby collection that fits my style so perfectly. On this card, the green bow patterned paper, vintage image, and carriage stamp are from Graphic 45. The two journaling cards and flowers are from Prima.
 

Welcome Babies

Our good friends are expecting their first babies in a few months - twin girls. As they await the girls' arrival, I prepared them to capture their favorite photos and memories.

I love the new Little Darlings collection from Graphic 45. I used it to make the card and the memory album.

For the card, I also used new Prima paper and flowers, as well as a new Graphic 45 stamp.

Here is the cover of the mini album:

And here is a look at some of the inside pages.

I used a Maya Road binder album as the base and covered the pages with the gorgeous Graphic 45 paper. I also added a few other pages for interest - chipboard shapes and envelopes.

For embellishments, I added vintage lace trims, Prima flowers, and some vintage baby images.

I have a few old baby albums, including one from my husband's great-grandmother. I scanned the images and edited to use as embellishments.

 

I made a pocket on this page using one of the vintage images.

 

Mom and Dad can tuck notes to their daughters in the envelopes. This one is embellished with an image from one of my dad's baby cards.

 

I can't wait to see the beautiful photos they fill the album with.

  

Holiday Magic

As soon as I put my Halloween craft supplies away, I started making Christmas decorations. I found a large Maya Road bottle cap in my stash, and decided it was perfect for an ornament. I traced and cut out the background paper from a sheet of Bo Bunny paper. After adhering it to the inside of the bottle cap, I added mica flakes and a border of gold Stickles.

Then I added the Webster's Pages trim around the perimeter. The Santa is cut from a piece of Graphic 45 paper. I added a bleached bottle brush tree and then embellished it with mica flakes, Stickles, pearls, rhinestones, and an old mercury glass bead at the top.



I added some snow for the deer to stand in and a chandelier drop and rhinestone bead to the bottom.

School Girl

I can finally share the card I had published in the September CARDS magazine.

I used patterned paper and crochet trim from Graphic 45. The other papers are vintage. I added an Elle's Studio journaling square, an apple button, and other trims. The focal point is the darling school girl, cut from a vintage sewing pattern envelope. I used 3D adhesive to adhere her on top of all the layers.

The Magic of Oz

For Halloween, my niece is going to be Daphne from Scooby Doo. She has a list of Halloween costumes for the next ten years, which include Mary Poppins, Dorothy, Ariel, and just about every princess Disney ever thought up, including Tinkerbell. Her favorite movies to watch right now are Mary Poppins and The Wizard of Oz. I bought some of the fabulous Graphic 45 Magic of Oz papers and got busy putting together a paper bag album.

It's still a work in progress, as I haven't had a chance to really dress up all the pages yet. But I'll show you what I've got so far (as it may NEVER actually get completed).

Here is the cover:

And a few of my favorite pages inside. I wasn't picky about which story I followed - I used images from the movie, an old book, and the Graphic 45 papers.

Since it's a paper bag album, it must have tags tucked in the pockets.

I used an image of L. Frank Baum on this tag.

I used images from my book on these tags:



Everything seems like it needs more bling, to match the spectacle of the yellow bring road, the ruby slippers, the Emerald City, and all that magic.

I remember being a kid and watching The Wizard of Oz on TV, and loving the part when Dorothy walks into Munchkinland. I think this is my niece's favorite part, too. And she asks all kinds of questions - What was under that house? Why are the munchkins scared? How did Dorothy get those shoes? She's so full of awe and wonder. It will be sad when she outgrows it all.

 

Happy Mail!

I won a few blog contests, and received one of my boxes from the Speckled Egg's Petite Inspiration Flea Market box swap.

First up, I won a One World One Heart blog party prize from Lynn Stevens. I received this fabulous one of a kind pendant she made from an old spoon. It came in this beautiful stamped canvas envelope she made.

I also won a Valentine's Day prize from The Scrappy Tree. These mini cards were made by my sweet friend Diana. They are perfect for writing little love notes.

Also from The Scrappy Tree, I won the Create a Heart for Hope challenge and received these fabulous products from Graphic45 - two paper pads, trims, mini book, and cork embellishments. Thanks ladies!

And then yesterday, I received my first box for the Flea Market swap from Michele. She decorated the matchbox with a great vintage style and then filled it (almost over-flowing!) with all of this great stuff! I don't know how she managed to squeeze so much into such a small box. I should have her pack my suitcases when I travel!

It was a great week filled with wonderful happy mail! Thanks ladies for making my mid-afternoons brighter!

Halloween Cards for Kids

I sent a little goodie package to a friend's kids and wanted to include Halloween cards appropriate for them. I didn't want anything too spooky, so I used the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland images for the cards.

I started with Halloween patterned paper, layered and stitched, and then added the images and further embellished with ribbon and labels from my Dymo.

This card uses an image from a sheet of Halloween die cuts, and a little tag from the Halloween in Wonderland collection.

A little ruffled crepe paper and vintage velvet ribbon finish off this card.