Dot & Whimsy

Thursday afternoon greetings!

I'm up today with 

at Imaginisce Blog

This week's worth of ideas from the other Design Team 

members have been tremendous...isn't it amazing to realize

what we're inspired by in our day-to-day environment?

I created this 8.5x11 layout using the canvas print (below)

as my inspiration piece.  I love the look of collage art, so I took

that portion and adapted it to my layout.

 I used the reverse patterns from Imaginisce's HELLO CUPCAKE and 

MAKIN' WAVES papers.  To keep in proportion with the inspo piece,

I went with a 5x7 photo and various printed fonts from my computer for 

the journal strips.

And while we're at it, Imaginisce is previewing their newest 

Halloween line called

Isn't MONSTER MASH totally adorable?!? See it ALL right here!

We'll start sharing projects with you soon.

Up next week...CHRISTMAS in JULY with 

CHRISTMAS CHEER!

Thanks for droppin' by to see me!

Time to do a little hoppin' with 

today...are you ready?

These are all New Releases...I only had time to create

three projects for the hop, so be sure to check out the other 

Design Team's blogs to see lots more!

You should be here from the lovely Ms. Robyn's Blog

Okay, let's get started with a little Bella Blvd.

I love Bella...the whimsical designs always make me smile :)

I had a bit of coveted Bella Blvd scraps left, so I used those on 

both cards...I think that they help to capture the whimsy Bella spirit!

Next up is a Susan K Weckesser design "Le Mason"

With the collage craze, this stamp is perfect!  

After stamping the image onto several different patterns of Authentique Paper, 

I hand-cut the pieces and began layering...some with foam dots and others I just

glued directly to the main piece.  I then cut a couple of mounds of grass

and nestled the house in between the two layers. 

Time to hop on over to the very talented Shemaine Smith's Blog!

Enjoy!

You know it!

You know that I LOVE Christmas and that I get 

started with all things Christmas in July.  Yep, they totally

stole the "Christmas in July" concept from ME!

hahahaha

As promised, here are the FESTIVE projects that I crafted

for the AUTHENTIQUE PAPER booth at CHA.

These were so super-simple to make...I whipped up five of these within a hour.

First, adhere the two 8" strips to the piece of cardstock...this is your center.

Begin adding your 9" strips, then the 10.5" strips, etc. around the center; stapling or gluing

so that the ends match up on top and bottom.

I added a bit of scrap paper to cover up where all of the ends met.

Hole punch; add desired string at the top for hanging.  

Embellish as desired!

 

Finally, I have a little 'rosette' tree centerpiece that I made by 

graduating the sizes of my rosettes. 

In connecting the 'branches' to form the tree, I took a toilet paper roll 

and cut to 1/2" widths and covered with FESTIVE paper.  Using a strong, quick

drying glue, I then attached the rosettes and allowed to dry overnight.  

I had the best time embellishing with holly leaves, red pom poms, punched 

snowflakes and cardstock stickers from FESTIVE!

Visit the AUTHENTIQUE PAPER Blog...it's Christmas in July all 

week long and the projects are simply amazing :)
www.authentiquepaper.com

Welcome!

I've been trying to get to this blog all.day.long.

It's amazing how quickly time can get away from you.

Well, it's partly my fault as I just can't steer myself away from all of 

the CHA Sneak Peeks on Facebook & the internet.

I'm excited to be sharing the projects that I made for the 

 I have photos of the new lines posted here

but be sure to check out Simple Stories Blog to take a gander

at each and every sheet, up-close-and-personal :)

 First, let's start with a couple of things that I made using the HARVEST LANE Collection. 

 I purchased this vintagey-mod framed cork-board at Kirkland's Home Store.

  I love the bright turquoise and it matches perfectly with the blue hue in HARVEST LANE.

As you can see, I chose papers that could be used throughout the year.  

I simply tacked on photos of my kids, which can be changed out as desired. 

 I used various heart-shaped stickers from the Fundamental Cardstock Sticker sheet, 

sanded around the edges and then attached them to the tops of flat tacks.

 To create the banner at the top, I used a 2" scalloped circle that I folded in half and over

 a strand of baker's twine.  I tied on a few wooden buttons and generous gingham bows at the ends. 

 A few flowers from the Fundamental Cardstock Stickers were placed here and there.

Here are a couple of quick and easy cards that I made with HARVEST LANE.

  The beauty of Simple Stories' designs is that you don't have to add much fruh-fruh 

to achieve beautiful results!

Now for some HANDMADE HOLIDAY...what a treat this collection is.

  If you love homespun, country-inspired Christmases, then you will adore Handmade Holiday.  

When I laid my eyes on the Countdown Cardstock Stickers, I knew immediately that

 I wanted to do an Advent Calendar!

 To make this extra-sturdy, I sandwiched a sheet of chipboard between the two

 cardstock papers and machine stitched around the perimeter. 

 I used a couple of fun svg files to create the holly leaves and title. 

The berries were made by using a 1/2" round punch. I had fun embellishing the

 calendar with the sweet stickers from HANDMADE HOLIDAY, 

as well as felt snowflakes, buttons and a bit of pretty lace trim from my stash :) 

 Be sure to brush on a bit of baby powder to the backs of your

 Countdown Cardstock Stickers before attaching them to the calendar with a brad. 

 At the end of each day, the dates can be gently pulled from the calendar.

Lastly, I had the assistance of my daughter who helped to pick out the buttons that 

I hand-stitched to the front of this fun and whimsical card

Whew!  I know that's a lot to take in, but can't you tell how much I LOVE

Simple Stories :)

If you'll visit today's blog post, I have listed the full ingredients for each project.

I had intentions of doing a tutorial for the Advent Calendar, but I'm a little short on

time tonight.  If you have any questions about it, or any of the other items, just 

send me an email...I'd love to hear from you!

Tomorrow I will bring a couple of FESTIVE items from Authentique Paper

Have a wonderful night!

Welcome to the 

You should be arriving here from Rose's Happy Place!

There is some vinyl being given away, so stop by the 

EAD Designs Blog too!

I just ordered a whole lot of washi tape from 

Freckled Fawn (via Paper Issues) and stuck them into

a small plain glass jar.  It desperately needed some jazzing up.

I decided to dress up a large CHALK IT TAG with a cut-out heart

that I embellished with Thickers.  I used a non-permanent tape so that I can

remove the heart if I ever decide to change the ingredients of the jar

(or in case my washi outgrows my jar...which is the most likely scenario!) 

And you could surely write on these CHALK IT tags with 

chalk pens or chalk itself...perfect for organizing anything in your home

or office.  A huge assortment can be found at EAD Designs!

Thanks for dropping in...time now for the talented Amy Tsuruta!

Have a wonderful week!

I can't believe that I've had this sweet little

mini album made up for a week now and am just

getting around to share it!  I have it listed at 

I've had intentions of using the Farmhouse Collection by

October Afternoon for some time...here is what I did with it 

and the new set of scalloped dies from Lifestyle Crafts :)

I had a lot of fun making this one...well, I have a lot of fun making minis period!

This isn't the greatest segue, but aren't you excited about all

of the NEW RELEASES coming out this month?!? 
As you probably know, CHA is this week and we're in for a
scrappy, stampy and crafty overload...I'm so ready!

Here are a few that I'm lovin':

TAKE A HIKE by Simple Stories



HANDMADE HOLIDAY by Simple Stories


HARVEST LANE by Simple Stories

 Now, aren't these G-R-E-A-T?
This next week I will be sharing some of my projects with not
only Simple Stories New Releases, but with Authentique Paper and next week, Imaginisce :)

It's July, which means I'm getting geared up for crafting those
FALL and CHRISTMAS related items...what better way to
spend these dog-days-of-summer!
See you tomorow for the EAD Blog Hop!

 I'm excited to be bringing another installment to the

series at Authentique Paper Blog.

I think that it's in our nature to preserve, 

restore and recycle. 

It pains me to throw away something that could still 

serve a purpose.

Case in point:  CD sleeves.

When we first bought our 'dino' computer (you know the ones

 with the 2 foot unsightly tower) in 2000, it came with a 

huge binder full of kid-related CDs...

Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street Workshops, etc.

Over time, the CDs became scratched beyond repair, 

broken or magically disappeared...this left me with a binder full

 of empty plastic sleeves!

So glad that I didn't throw them out...

here's what I did...

CAREFREE THEMED

Pinterest Recipe & Idea Keeper 

  CD sleeves to the inside.