Dot & Whimsy

So one day I'm working on a Halloween project and the next day a Christmas project...back and forth and back and forth!  I pulled out a sheet of Bryce and Madeline Halloween stickers that I had purchased a long time ago...thought about giving them to my daughter and then decided 'no way, these are too cute not to put on an album'  But don't feel sorry for Sydnee...she gets plenty of loot!

You can find more photos of this 'lil cutie over at my Dot & Whimsy shop at Etsy :)

And because I'm so far behind on blogging, I haven't shared my other latest album!  I tell ya, I had a toothache after making this one...it is just drenched in sweet candy goodness ♥

One of my wonderful repeat customers has already picked this up for her collection...along with some of my SWEETHEART (bright red, soft pink and creme) crepe paper fringe...her box looked liked Candy Land itself!  She'll be so happy :)

Today is Wednesday Wowsers over at I Heart Ippity blog!  There are always lots of beautiful creations made with Ippity (Unity) brand stamps...plus Heather has tons of stock on hand for purchase.  

Here is my latest card using {The Man} Collection

Super, super quick and easy using my Sizzix die to create the chipboard frame.  I then distressed it with walnut ink, spritzed with a little gold Smooch Spray.  For the shirt, after stamping and cutting it out, I applied it to the card using foam dots.  I then stamped another image and cut the tie out; added it with pop dots. Of course, a piece of paper can't get away from me without being stitched on hee hee hee hee

I'M A CYCLIST! 

This is the news from Little Yellow Bicycle...you may remember in my last post that I mentioned submitting some stuff...well...

So you guessed it...yep, I'm pretty excited! A BIG Congrats to all of the Cyclists and especially to my fellow Nook Gal, Carol Monson.  Can't wait to share my LYB creations with you soon!

I need to scoot over to My Scrapbook Nook and get to workin' on some CARDS for next month's challenges :)  I officially start in my DT capacity there in November (some of us alternate months) and I'm eager to get my hands on their awesome kits ♥

See ya'll!

I knew the moment that I saw her...so prim and proper in her black hat and pigtails...that I wanted to turn her into the sweetest 'lil mini album EV-ER!  Of course I adore anything My Mind's Eye and the Mischievous collection was no exception.  I had also purchased the Haunted collection...so I thought, what the heck!  Combine the two looks together and HOCUS POCUS...you have Prim-Goth :)

So here she is...kind of a Raggedy Ann of witches

Following pages include cute Halloween notions, fun stamped images and places to journal

I have her listed at Dot & Whimsy as we speak.  With the holidays quickly approaching, I'm selling things (especially mini albums) pretty quickly...so if you love her, don't wait long ♥

Now, what to do next?  Ah yes, I have the other new collection from MME...12 Days of Christmas.  It is jolly and bright in cheery colors of turquoise, spring green, bright red and a dusty pink...I love this color combo and buy it up anytime I see it.

Today is WORLD APPRECIATION DAY!  We're celebrating over at The Nook forum with a card challenge.  These ladies can do some amazing things with cards!

Well, today is the last day to get your submission in for the Little Yellow Bicycle Guest DT Call!  Yep, I sent mine in...I know it's a long-shot, but I couldn't resist.  My fellow Paper Issues CT member, Lowri, was featured this last month with her adorable altered pencil container.  Good luck to those who've applied!

Off to get the girl from school, sit at Zach's football practice, take Syd to dance, sit at Tyler's football practice and then pick Syd up from dance...whew, glad they're all within a 2 mile radius LOL

Be back soon!
Shellye

♥ Happy Tuesday ♥

It's been a busy, busy past few days...blog hops, getting acquainted over at The Nook, completing a few Design Team projects, several items made for Dot & Whimsy...and phew, I'm whipped...but lovin' it!

I got my Fall/Halloween goodies out this past week.  One of DH's friends brought me three bundles of corn stalks a couple of months ago...just need to get a scarecrow, some colorful mums and a few pumpkins and I'll be set to decorate the front porch and back patio.  Thank you, God for FALL ♥

Okay, so I'm diverting a bit from my raves of Fall.  As promised yesterday, I have a couple of next things to show you;  all from the Peppermint collection by Crate Paper.  What a load of retro and nostalgic F-U-N.

You can pick up your own Peppermint loot from Your Scrapbook Stash;  Erica always has the best deals and coupon codes for any of your purchases.

Here we go...first up is a card that I created for the Gallery at YSS

Every single thing was from the Peppermint Collection except for the crochet trim, felt snowflake and baker's twine.  I alternated chipboard snowflake rounds with a couple of the domed Sew Brads.  Santa's 'buttons' were cut from the pom pom trim.

This little album is chocked full of goodies...I even staggered the pages to create even more interest. Isn't the snowman the sweetest? I ♥ his smile!

I also scrapbooked a double-page layout from Peppermint, but I'll have to wait and share it once it's been pubbed on YSS Blog :)

I got my newest stamps from I Heart {Ippity} this last week...yay!  Always wanting to set out to do something 'different', I came up with this card, which folds from the top. The flower and "faith" stamps are from the Faith Blooms set by Ippity (Unity Stamp Co.)

I like that it's simple and I like that it's shabby...enough said *wink*

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I'll be back in a few!

Take care

Time to announce my winner from the Paper Issues Blog Hop!

And the winner is.....

Congratulations, Ann!  Just email me at shellye819@aol.com to claim your prize.  In the meantime, you can jump on over to my Etsy shop and pick the three --On The Fringe-- packs of your choice.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by and left some 'love'...I truly appreciate it!

I hope everyone enjoys making the little owl guy sometime soon :)

I'll be back later today or tomorrow to update with some new project pics.

See ya'll soon!

♥ Welcome to the Papered Cottage ♥

Today is the big day. Glad to be in on this wonderful Blog Hop presented by the talented ladies of Paper Issues Creative Team.

**GIVE-A-WAY GIVE-A-WAY**

My prize donation will be THREE skeins of my very popular --On The Fringe-- Handmade Crepe Paper Fringe from Dot & Whimsy I have a huge assortment of colors schemes to choose from...as the winner, you will get to pick your favorite three

I love scrapbooking and card-making, but my true passion is altering stuff :)  So, I will be bringing you a cute, fast and fun little project, Owl Straw Topper just in time for Halloween, Fall or Thanksgiving...this guy is very versatile.

•Scrapbook paper; 2 patterns

•Label punch (2.25"H x 1.5"wide)

•1" round punch

•Two 1/2" round corduroy brads (or any design)

•Two 1/8" round black pom-pom balls

•One piece of candy corn; trimmed to 1/2" long

•Mini tag 

•Jute or twine

Other: scissors, permanent pen, plastic or paper straws, hole punch, fabric glue and permanent adhesive

This is easy, easy, easy :)  

1- Punch paper with label punch

2- Using the hole punch, create two holes 1/8" from the top and bottom of the label punched paper

3- Using the 1" round punch, punch one circle from coordinating paper; cut in half and glue one piece to each side of the label (as shown).

4- Insert the two brads approximately 3/4" from the top; center the brads side-by-side.  Using fabric glue, add the pom poms to the brads (as shown).

5- Cut candy corn to 1/2" in length (or as desired).  Glue just below eyes.

6- Carefully insert straw through holes.  

7- If desired, add a small name tag and attach to the top with jute, ribbon or baker's twine

That's it!  Think of using these for party favors, place-cards or as a package tie-on!

I hope that you enjoy this simple and sweet project; please email me if you have any questions :)

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to leave a comment to be in the drawing for a prize!

It's cloudy and a glorious 64 degrees...ahhhhhh!  But, that's not necessarily the entire reason for the title of my post :)

I try to keep up with all of the 'trends' and 'hot colors' of the season.  Seems like yellow and gray are amongst the hottest color trends this year; if you follow the newest releases in scrapbooking, then you're probably familiar with Authentique's Blissful

I found that the color combination soon began to grow on me so why not make some crepe fringe to match? You can now find --Rain or Shine-- Handmade Crepe Paper Fringe at my Dot & Whimsy Etsy shop!  Colors of marigold, gray and white have been machine-stitched, doubled, machine-stitched again and then carefully handcut to create a fun and festive fringe.

On a BETTER note, tomorrow we are hosting a fantastically fun BLOG HOP at Paper Issues.  

  My prize give-a-way? One winner will receive THREE skeins of --On The Fringe-- Handmade Crepe Paper Fringe!  I have tons of color schemes; you get to pick your very own three :)  What do you do with fringe?  The fringe that I make isn't necessarily the kind that you hang from the rafters;  rather, I created this fringe to outline the tops of baskets and bags, to add a little pizazz to cards and scrapbook pages, or to embellish party hats, clay figurines and prim dolls...there are literally tons of possibilities.  Everyone seems to ♥ ♥ ♥ tha FRINGE!

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I have some more FUN news!  It seems like so many of my Paper Issues, My Scrapbook Nook and Your Scrapbook Stash gals are getting in on  a lot of Design Team action...Doodle Bug, American Crafts, Pebbles...whew!  I'm very excited for ALL of my friends; well-deserved :)

So, for me?  I've been asked to be a Guest Designer at Kraft Outlet.  Oh. My. Goody.  Have you visited? 

This girl LOVES some kraft goodness ♥  It's a staple in my stash.  

My design month will be March 2012...I'm all ready looking forward to it...I will get a head-start by doing a little shopping beforehead LOL

Okay, all!  I will be back tomorrow bright and early to get things going for the Blog Hop!  I hope you stop by...lots of prizes and cool tutorials broken down into Scrapbook/Art Journal, Altered Project (me) and Cards...so whatever your heart desires, we've got you covered :)

...just thought I'd quote Dr. Suess this morning.  But that's how my mind feels right now...think, think, think!  Remember to do this and don't forget to do that.  I thrive on busyness and multi-tasking; maybe it's because I can actually feel my blood pumping, which is a good thing, right? :)  Some people work better under pressure...not saying that I don't look like a crazy woman while I'm at it, but I actually get a kick out of working on a layout while putting on make-up and folding clothes LOL  I keep reminding myself to enjoy these days when our kids are young, healthy and very active...couple that with my own priorities and yes, I have a gloriously full plate ♥ A Senior mom has always taken on the responsibility of coordinating the pre-game feeding of the Varsity football boys; of course I volunteered.  After-all, I've been helping out for the past two years and know the ropes...what foods weigh them down and if you put 200 cupcakes out, 35 boys will find a way to eat them...all.  DH and I also haul the inflatable Bear tunnel and a trailer loaded with portable water coolers to all of the away-games.  Hey, I get there extra-early, take lots of pictures of the boys warming up AND get a great seat!  Top that off with a WIN for the underdog and I'm a super happy momma!  So proud of both of my boys' WINS this week...way to go, guys...you always play like champs and like gentlemen :)

First of all...I made it!  I can't believe it, but I made the My Scrapbook Nook Design Team.  Truly I was stunned...so much talent to choose from and they picked little ole me ☺

Congratulations to these lovely ladies- they have all earned a spot on the Nook Team!
Anna Sigga- Iceland
Carol Monson- USA
Danni Reid-USA
Deanna Misner- USA
Gina Rodgers-Australia
Hilde L Aaslund- Norway
Jaz Lee- Singapore
Jessy Christopher-Malaysia
Katarina Damm-Blomberg- Finland
Kim Moreno-USA
Leah Killian-USA
LG Belarmino- Phillipeans
Lilith Eeckles- Belgium
Lisa Kisch- Canada
Marinette LEFEVRE- France
Nicole Nowosad- Canada
Pamella Brown-USA
Shellye McDaniel-USA
Stacey Michaud- USA

There are many ladies on this team whom I have admired for quite some time; what a dream to be named amongst them.  I'll work on getting their blog links up on my sidebar so you can take a gander at their work :)  Visit us over at The Nook Forum...I'm pretty picky about Forums...this one is AMAZING!

YOUR SCRAPBOOK STASH 
It's layout time!  Oh my goodness, I've had the best time playing with Fancy Pants' OFF TO SCHOOL papers, stickers, glitter cuts and filter papers.  I will have a Stash Fav post on the YSS Blog coming up soon where I share a couple of ideas for using the Filter papers.  In the meantime, here is a layout that I did using the filters as banners...it created its own unique look after each was machine stitched and distressed.

I love the way the banners curl to-and-fro!  I also used a star as a mask and spritzed a little Tattered Angels around it.  I also spritzed with Smooch Spray and a few flecks of butter-cream acrylic paint.

 Patterned paper, rubon stars and filter papers from OFF TO SCHOOL line.

And my very favorite layout that I've completed from...you guessed it, Fancy Pants' Off to School! I took another one of the large Filter papers and folded it in half to resemble a sun...well, half of a sun anyway.

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend!  Thanks for always stopping by and leaving comments...I appreciate them so very much♥

My kids have been back in full swing for three weeks now;  hard to believe that the first six weeks is half-way over...whew!  They're all the "big man (or girl) on campus" this year...a Senior, 8th-grader and 4th-grader.  Big.  One afternoon after picking Syd up, she comments on a girl walking along the sidewalk..."look at that cute little 1st grader"  She talks so big, as though she isn't cute or little herself anymore :)

Okay, ya'll know that I got some fabulous loot from Your Scrapbook Stash last week!  I finished my first project with the Fancy Pants' OFF TO SCHOOL line today.  It went together pretty quickly and was a lot of fun to make.  In my stash, was an acrylic sheet that has the alphabet in brown flocking from top to bottom.  I thought "how cool to use this in between pages...like the acrylic albums of old."  So, I went to cutting!  I actually machine stitched the "School is Cool" sticker on the front

Then, I grabbed a Maya Road scalloped chipboard album (from my stash) and cut the sheets (with an X-Acto knife) into different lengths to create a staggered look

Here are the following pages for you to enjoy

 I'll be back to list a couple of other projects tomorrow!

My Scrapbook Nook will be announcing their new Design Team tomorrow as well...good luck to all of the ladies trying out...it will be an amazing team ♥

Shellye