Dot & Whimsy

Happy Monday! 
I have  a quick and easy tag mini album using the new "Tradition Collection"
  by Authentique Paper and a set of  3X8 Kraft tags by Graphic 45 that were
easily altered for a waterfall style album.

As you can see, I made the cover into a pocket by folding the tag in half and gluing around the 

edges (except for top opening).  I like the way the tag peeking out adds graphic detail and interest.  

The edges of these particular tags were rounded, so I used that as a guide for matching up the ends on the cover.  The consecutive tags were cut an inch larger than the previous to create a waterfall effect. For the spine I punched two holes and then used two 1" rings to hold all of the pages together.  I also corner rounded the cut ends with a punch to keep the design uniform.

The Tradition Collection hosts both a dark red and a lighter red, so it's easy to match up embellishments like these pretty felt poinsettias that I found in the craft aisle at Hobby Lobby.

 As with the reds, you will also see beautiful shades of evergreen and teal mixed in.  This adorable layered Santa can be found at Petaloo.

The Enhancements cut-apart sheets always come in handy when it's time to add a journaling area or photo mat.  And try cutting some of the shapes apart to make a nice background for a sticker or two.



As the pages increased in size I was able to incorporate the larger journal cards.



Another cute foam embellishment by Petaloo!  I dressed him up with a button and one of the small tag stickers.
After adding the rings, I tied on some pretty sheer ribbon by May Arts.

I hope that you've enjoyed my little mini...thanks for stopping by!
Authentique Products Used: Tradition Collection- Ornament Paper; Tinsel Paper; Chimney Paper; Rudolph Paper; Peace Paper; Iconic Paper; Enhancements Paper; Elements Sticker Sheet

Other Products Used: May Arts- Ribbon and Ric Rac Trim; Queen & Co- Twine and Goosebumps rhinestones; Petaloo- Foam Embellishments

As part of our design team assignments this month at 

we were asked to create something special with their beautiful

They come in white, brown and black...I chose brown with

this particular design in mind for the entryway into our home.

I used a mix of "Flower Box" and "Day to Day" Collections for the most part.

To the woodgrain background paper, I layered on a matching top and bottom border.

Using a circle die, I cut a green hill from one of the 6X6 papers.  The space within 

the shadowbox allows you to really build up the embellishments with foam dots and chunky

accents like brads, rhinestones and even ribbon bows.

If you would like to see more ideas on decorating these shadowboxes, just stop

by the Doodlebug Blog all week!  Today we're showcasing the frames along with 

the "Home For the Holidays" Collection.

YAY!  The big day has finally arrived...

is happening today!  First let me share my latest project from

For the cover I tried a couple of different techniques on each side; one side being designed with

 a resist pattern and the other side plain canvas. First, I spritzed the bottom third with 

Heidi Swapp’s Colorshine Citron followed by Seafoam and Blush. Next, I laid the

 Mini Flora 6X6 Stencil over the top and spritzed with Navy Colorshine.

I kept the embellishments to a minimum by first adding a Color Wash Watercolor Tag that was backed 

with a smaller piece of patterned paper and then spritzed lightly with Colorshine Blush and Citron.

 For the Prima Resin Butterflies, I added Navy Colorshine and then dabbed off the excess.

 The Wood Embellishment Leaves were colored with Citron Colorshine. 

The Prima Mixed Media Album works in perfect concert with the Color Shine Collection. 

It was easy to mix the base pages with all of the patterns of paper. Also included in the album 

set are cute cut-out pieces and cardstock stickers that you will see sprinkled throughout this book. 

This was the first chance that I’ve had to try out the Color Wash Clear Stamps and I love them!

 I stamped the background design onto one of the watercolor papers (from the Prima album) with blush

 and seafoam ink pads. I wanted a really crisp sentiment, so it was stamped with a black Staz On ink. 

There were so many amazing pieces to choose from in the Resist Canvas Sticker Collection…

I had a hard time deciding what to use! I found that the resist areas show up better if you add several applications of Colorshine spray. There are four tiny pockets, as well as two larger pockets included

 in the clear page. I cut small strips of paper from the 6X6 Color Wash Paper Pad and then inserted

 them into the pockets. The Color Wash chipboard letters are a perfect addition to the exterior

 of the tiny pockets…just the right size and boy do they stick! 

Spritz, spritz, spritz…whether it’s on resist canvas, resin or wooden embellishments, the Colorshine

 sprays work their magic on just about any surface imaginable. And again, I chose to highlight the four-pocket-areas with chipboard letters backed with beautiful Color Wash patterns. 

I adore the layered Pink Paislee's Cluster Frames!

 I added it here with a little foam to the back, except for the top so that a photo can slide in. 

The final page was simply dressed in a beautiful ombre chipboard word and citron colored butterfly.

 And I mentioned earlier that I experimented with the canvas covers by using different stencils and 

spritzing effects. I like the fact that no matter how I colored the canvas, each side turned out

 unique and fun…you can’t go wrong! 

That's all for my mixed media mini album...now let's get to the 

 The kit includes all NEW product: Bella Blvd (Kiss Me Collection including

double-sided papers and two sticker sheets), 2 Rolls Designer Tape and Cling Stamps;

 Prima Flowers; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist; Crafter's Workshop 6X6 Stencil; May Arts'

turquoise twill ribbon and pink burlap string

And the winner of the giveaway is.....

Congratulations, Patty!  Just reply here on this post or send me an email :)

Thanks to ALL of you who follow my crafty blog posts...I'll have another giveaway soon!

Hugs to you all!

Good Tuesday morning!

I'm happy to share that the announcement of the

is up...congratulations to the new team...I am very excited to be back for another year :)

Some familiar faces and some that I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet...can't wait to meet them all!

Over the next couple of weeks, the new team will be formally introduced 

along with a few of their tryout projects.  In the meantime we will be saying

a fond farewell to the 2012-13 team.

Welcome to Day #1 of the 

 May Arts Ribbon & Faber-Castell Blog Hop!

 http://www.mayarts.com/blog/

**You should be arriving here from Virigina Fynes's Blog**

I have had a few occasions to work with Faber-Castell and each time

I find something new that I love about their products!

With the chalkboard look being all the rage right now, I thought it would be fun to create

a card using black cardstock, a white PITT pen and some burlap twine:

You could also use May Arts' baker's twine for stitching too!

Off White and Red Burlap String;  5/8" Grosgrain Dot Ribbon; Mini Pom Pom Trim

Faber-Castell Products Used:
White PITT Artist Pen and 1.5 Green Metallic Artist Pen

Patterned papers and sticker from Simple Stories' Christmas Documented Collection

Have fun and enjoy the hop!

We're mixing and matching over at the Bella Blvd Blog today!

It's so helpful when a company uses the same color palette throughout their

collections as Bella does.  I can look for a particular pattern of paper from the

Christmas Countdown Collection without having

to worry if the colors will clash with the snowman from Winter Wishes.

I've chosen up to four different collections and put them into one design...it was actually quite fun!

For this card I stayed with the rule of three ... three colors and three focal points (hearts) that created

 the visual triangle. The crochet hearts alone looked a little lonely, so I hand-cut three of the hearts

 from the Chevy Peep paper and sanded around the edges before attaching them.  

 Supplies:Snapshots: Daily Details; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Pickle Juice;

 Daily Chevies: Chevy Peep; Play Date: Chasing Rainbows, Tabs, We Are Family Bookplates; 

Button Market: Fruit Punch; Crochet Hearts: Pickle Juice

 This was a quick card to put together and a great way to use up those scraps!

 When working with an A2 card (4.25 X 5.5) just cut four strips of paper to 1" X 5.25". 

I used a square punch (insert tip of paper in at an angle) to create a banner look for each strip. 

Before adding the Flag, I cut it in half on the diagonal so that it would match up with the point of the star. 

 Supplies:Christmas Countdown: City Sidewalks, Captions; Snapshots: My Point of View, Tabs, Paper Pieces; Play Date: Today is Beautiful; Trick or Treat: Happy Owlween; Flags:Sunshine & Happiness; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pickle Juice

And we're closing in on the 500th Post Giveaway!  

So far I have rounded up goodies from Pink Paislee, Prima, The Crafter's Workshop,

Maya Road, May Arts Ribbon and Authentique Paper...and I'm not done yet :)

 

   **500th POST GIVEAWAY**

Glad to see you again today...at this rate, we'll be at 500 posts pretty quick LOL

  **500th POST GIVEAWAY**

Anyone up for some candy corn this morning?

I have a super sweet trio of the confection up on the 

Here's a little peek for you:

Come on over to the May Arts blog and see how I made this fun decoration :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Bella BUZZZ Newsletter is backkkk!

Here is the direct link so you can have a gander :)

 **500th POST GIVEAWAY**

Happy Monday, friends!  Today is the launch of the newest collection by

And with a launch party that means a giveaway...here are the deets from the DB Blog

and the direct link to today's post:

I'm quite excited to be kicking the launch off with a really cute Advent Chalkboard Tree

I found the wooden (it's nice and thick) tree at Hobby Lobby.  I gave it a quick paint with

a kelly green around the sides and on the back.  After drying, I traced the shape onto the 

"Visions of Sugarplums" paper and cut out. 

For the inset paper, I determined how tall  and wide I would like for the accent paper to be.

I marked the dimensions onto the "Holiday Cheer" Paper and then used a ruler to connect

the marks.  After adding the cut-out to the base paper, I secured it with zig-zag stitching.

I'm in love with the new Sprinkles!  The red Sprinkle gave Santa's nose just the touch

of dimension that he was looking for :)  I also added white Sprinkles to the ends of the 

banner stickers.  I'm also in love with the Mini Bows...perfect for the top of the tree!

So, all week long you'll be able to check out the "Home For the Holiday" creations

and get your name in the hat for this fabulous giveaway of the collection!

Have a terrific week!

Come on over to the May Arts Ribbon Blog and see all of the inspiration

crafted by the designers!  The challenge is also open to May Arts' fans...see more details here:

Here are the ribbons for the challenge:

and a little photo inspiration for  you:

and a tiny little peek at the project that I did for the challenge:

See more today on the May Arts Ribbon Blog!