Dot & Whimsy

Hello!  I'm trying to play catch-up on my blogging and I wanted to start

 with a couple of sweet summer-themed cards using the brand new 

"Summer Vibes" Collection  from 

and adorable dies from Top Dog Dies!

First up is a "Fun Summertime" card featuring the cutest hippo:

I've used the Top Dog Dies Hippo Die Set TC112 and the grey woodgrain paper found in the 6X6 paper pad to create the hippo. 

I chalked around the edge of the face and body with a darker grey and black chalk.  For the feet I used a black watercolor pencil.  The cheeks were also given blush with pink chalk.  I cut one of the "O" sticker letters in half to make the mouth.  And the chipboard sunglasses are a perfect fit!

I made the card a 5X7 size to accommodate the large die-cut title.  The sides of the title were embellished with die-cut and chipboard flowers with enamel dot centers.

Next up is a layered card featuring waves and sand using Top Dog Dies Water Die Set:

At the top of the card I used the sunburst clear overlay and placed it on top of the multi dot paper.  The waves were die cut from the blue floral and bits of solid blue paper that I found throughout the 6X6 paper pad. 

All of the layers were pieces together to form a 5" square so that it could be added to the 5.5" yellow woodgrain mat.  One of the Top Dog Dies Mini Tags TC044 was cut from a solid paper and a clear sticker attached to the center.

Foam adhesive was placed just along the top edge of each layer, with the bottom edge simply glued in place.  I finished the card by embellishing with enamel dots and Bradz.

Simple Stories Products:

Summer Vibes-

Hello!  I was up on the Bella Blvd Blog yesterday with 

with my first Bella Blvd-Illustrated Faith assignment

. Even before I was asked to join the creative team, I had in mind to

 make a "Prayer Request" journal just for Facebook. A day doesn't go by that

 I don't have a handful of Facebook friends asking for prayer or a story in

 my newsfeed that grips my heart.

 For my project I have taken a spiral bound journal that was actually a freebie that

my hubby came home with. You can find many types of inexpensive journals and

 notebooks in most dollar stores, so I hope you'll be inspired to make your own!

 First, I cut the Color Chaos down just a bit smaller than the album cover. 

I used a Xyron Creative Station to adhere it in place. A strip of washi tape was

 placed along the side where the patterned paper meets the linen binding

 on the notebook.

 Next, I cut down one of the journal stickers and embellished it with sticker 

pieces from the Illustrated Faith Collection, as well as Enamel Dots and ribbon 

from my stash. Now I have a place to jot down all of the prayer requests...

I don't want to forget a single one!

 Supplies:
Illustrated Faith: Label It stickers, Mini Mint to Be stickers, Fold It stickers,

I'm beginning a new journey, while revisiting an old friend!

I was extremely excited at the offer to join the 

side of the Illustrated Faith Creative Team!

Having been with Bella Blvd as a card and altered designer

for a couple of years, I jumped at the chance to be a part of this new

endeavor that Stephanie and the Bella team was embarking upon.

While I do plan on sharing artwork in my own journaling bible, for

now I will be showing some other ideas for using the beautiful 

products: cards, altered books/journals, home decor, etc.

Here is a peek at what I'm working on:

 

I will be sharing my newest project at the Bella Blvd Blog next

Tuesday, so please come over and take a look :)

The Illustrated Faith team has been introduced on the blog

and they have some amazing peeks of their artwork!

Happy Friday!
I wanted to let y'all know that I have a FREE project download up at

This sweet chipboard plaque was created with the Jack & Jill-Girl Collection!

And visit around...there are so many cute PDF project ideas that are FREE to you :)

Recently I shared two cards focusing on washi tape at

Washi tape brings a fun, slick texture and can add a quick pop of pattern and color 

to a plain cardstock.  For today’s cards I’m sharing a couple of my favorite ways to

 use these tapes on cards!

As shown with the first card, I love to use dies along with the washi tape to

 create a one-of-a-kind embellishment.

To start, I cut a scrap piece of white cardstock just a bit larger than the die shape.  

Pieces of tape were adhered to the paper and then die-cut.

The other umbrella components were die-cut from various 6X6 “I Love Sunshine”

 papers.  Strips of decorative border sticker were added to the top and bottom 

of the card and the design left fairly clean-and-simple.

 For the second card I implemented a brick-laying pattern using two different 

washi tape designs and a 3.5”X4.75” cardstock paper.

Start at any area at the top of the paper and place a small strip of tape at a

 diagonal angle.  Place the second strip of tape so that the end matches up with

 the end of the first strip.

 Continue with the pattern until the desired look has been achieved.

A matching set of flip flops (chipboard sticker) was placed at the bottom, along

 with a sentiment sticker and a couple of flowers.  Again, a quick and simple

 card to brighten someone’s day!

Products:
I Love Sunshine
ILS86003 Pinwheel Afternoon
ILS86005 Sandy Toes
ILS86008 Sun Beams
ILS86014 Element Sticker Sheet
ILS86015 Alpha Sticker Sheet
ILS86022 6x12 Chipboard
ILS86023 6x6 Paper Pad
ILS86026 Decorative Tape - Flip Flops
ILS86027 Decorative Tape – Dots
ILS86032 Summer Days Die Set

Jack and Jill Girl:
JJG81028 Enamel Dots

Petaloo and Marion Smith Designs

have teamed up this week for a 

Here is a peek at my project that's up today!

Hint: it's a different take on an "explosion box" card for the grad ;)

 See LOTS more photos and how I put it together on the Petaloo Blog

Come by the Petaloo Blog all this week and leave a comment for your

chance at an amazing prize pack!

Hello, hello!  I'm sharing a couple of Father's Day cards 

over at the Basic Grey Blog

Delight dad with a tropical themed card this Father’s Day!

 With a few mini alphabet stickers, a computer and printer, you can customize 

the “South Pacific” collection into any type of fun card.

This first card was inspired by the beautiful “hello there” sticker featuring a

 colorful bird in teal and pink.  My guys love pink, so I went even further with the 

color by adding a mat and hibiscus sticker in the same color.

 The sentiment sticker was layered onto a larger journal sticker with foam adhesive.

  I used the palm tree as an accent to the leaf above the bird and then added the

 flower with a small piece of foam adhesive.

 To the bottom left side, one of the tab stickers was attached.  I used some of the

 black alpha stickers to spell out “dad”, followed by a couple of aqua Candy Dots.

 Whisk dad away into relaxation with this next card!  After preparing the base

 papers using patterns from the 6×6 paper pad, I added the large foliage

 sticker with foam adhesive.

The airplane sticker was nestled on top of the foliage, along with the sentiment 

sticker and a veneer arrow that I cut apart and then glued into place.

I printed the sentiment with my printer and the “Great Vibes” font.  The sentiment 

was cut out the same width as the arrow sticker and attached with adhesive.  Three 

small navy Candy Dots were placed at the end of the strip to hide the rough edges

 and make a smooth transition.

Have fun making some colorful Father’s Day cards with the gorgeous

 “South Pacific” Collection!

See more ideas at blog.basicgrey.com

Summer is just around the corner and now is a great time to begin those 

 home décor projects to help ring in the sunny days ahead.  So grab the new

 “I Love Sunshine” Collection and let’s get started!

 First, I selected the Bird cutting file from the Silhouette Design Store.  

The design coordinates with the “I Love Sunshine” Collection.  I cut the bird’s body

 (cut twice for a front and back) to measure approximately 10”W X 8”H, while

 keeping the remaining components to scale.  These pieces were cut from

 various 6X6 “I Love Sunshine” papers.

 This next step is optional, but I wanted the hanger to be as sturdy as possible.

  Cut a piece of poly batting (thick felt or chipboard can be used also) just a bit 

smaller than the body.  The back piece of the body was coated with adhesive

 and then the batting was pressed into place.

The outer edge of the bird, the wings, tail feather pieces and belly were all

 inked with Versa Magic “Turquoise Gem”.  All of the pieces were glued into place, 

with the exception of the left wing, sticker banner and chipboard stickers. 

 The bird front was attached to the top of the batting with a dab of fabric glue 

 and then machine-stitched around the edge with a straight stitching.

 The center of the eyes, banner sticker, beak and left wing were attached with

 foam adhesive.  The banner sticker’s end was tucked under the wing and

 draped across the chest.  The chipboard stickers were clustered together

 and the centers of the pinwheels were embellished with enamel dots.

 A large bow was made from a piece of 1.5” grosgrain ribbon and attached to the top.

  One of the chipboard buttons was used as an embellishment for the center of the bow.

 

Two small holes were punched at the top left and right of the bird’s head. 

 A piece of heavy gauged wire was strung through to create the hanger.  

Add the bird to a wreath or hang alone to great your Summer guests!

If you love this project, be sure to PIN it!!

PRODUCTS:
Bird Cutting File
ILS86008 Sun Beams PaperILS86009 Summer Memories PaperILS86014 Element Sticker SheetILS86022 6x12 ChipboardILS86023 6x6 Paper Pad

Jack and Jill-
JJG81028 Enamel Dots

Hi there, friends!  I'm up today at the 

with a sweet "Welcome Baby" basket brimming with paper flowers

 and baby's info; such a wonderful keepsake for a new mom!

For this project I have used the "Enchanted Collection"...it's ideal for any of

 those little girl projects, even to welcome baby.  The wooden box is one that

 I found at Michael's and measures approximately 4.25"W X 5.5"H X 2"D.  I traced

 the front and back of the box onto a piece of the "Rose" Simple Basic paper and

 then cut out.  Adhesive was applied with the Xyron Creative Station and attached to box.

To the front, one of the printed sides of the 3X4 SN@P! cards was edged in green

 ric rac and embellished with a sentiment cloud from the Bits & Pieces pack. 

 A butterfly was attached to a pixie stick straw and attached with a glue dot.

From the 6X6 paper pad, blooms were punched using the Floriana punch by McGill. 

Two blooms were layered together and then attached to a paper straw.  Floral

 foam was inserted into the box and the flowers arranged in a staggered fashion.  

The baby info was printed off using my home printer and then cut into strips and

 glued to the straws.  Various Bradz, Bits & Pieces and chipboard 

stickers were added to the centers of the blooms.

The sides of the box were covered with strips cut from 6X6 paper and satin bows

 were glued to the sides.

This would also make an adorable centerpiece for a baby shower or a nursery decoration!

Products:

Enchanted Collection- 

My patio door will be all decked out with this colorful Summer

wreath that I made with the "Beach Party" Mini Collection by

Paper wreaths come in all shapes and styles and today I’m sharing my version 

of a fun “Hello Summer” wreath that will brighten an entry way or covered door

 during the Summer months! I started with a 7” wire wreath base and twelve 12” 

strips cut from two patterned papers (total of 24 strips) from the “Beach Party”

 Mini Collection.  The strips were cut 1” wide.

 The strips were folded in half with the center of the fold placed over the inner ring

 of the wreath.  The top flap of the strip was inserted back through the outer ring

 and glued in place to the back flap.

A circle of chipboard and solid red paper were cut to be a bit larger than the center

 opening of the wreath.  The two pieces were glued together and then attached to

 the back of the wreath.  A journal card was cut-out and attached to the center

 of the circle with foam adhesive.

To add even more fun (and to hide the bottom metal ring), strips of 5/8” grosgrain

 ribbon were knotted or tied into bows around the perimeter.  Approximately 4 yards

 of the navy ribbon was used to make the bows and 2 yards each of the red and

orange ribbon were used to make the knotted pieces.

A large eyelet was set into the top paper strip and a piece of white string was

 knotted through for a hanger. Now it's all ready for displaying and greeting guests!

Supplies:
Beach Party Mini CollectionAnything Goes- Red/Lt Pink PaperBundle of Joy Boy- Enamel Dots

See more project ideas on the Echo Park Paper Blog!

Begin by making the base pages.  Start with the Set of Frames from the

 Silhouette Design Store. The largest scallop frame and the ric-rac style frame were

 used and cut from Carta Bella’s Linen cardstock.  The pages graduated in size from 

 4.5”X4.5” for the cover and 6.5”X6.5” for the back page.  Two of the same shape were

 cut and then adhered together to form a sturdier page.

A scalloped mat was cut for the front cover using the Scallop Nesting Dies and then

 layered with stickers from the Birthday Girl Alpha and Element Sticker Sheets.

This particular album is a flip-up style album, so keep that in mind when planning

 out the embellishments and paper’s pattern direction.  Off-set embellishments

 (especially if foam adhesive has been used) so that the pages will rest neatly

 against one another.

 Mix in enamel dots and decorative brads from other collections to dress up the pages.

Because of the smaller design scale, the 6X6 Paper Pad pages are just 

perfect for mini albums!

Products: