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Hello 2016!!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year!  Obviously, I have taken some time off over the last year from blogging.  In late 2014 I decided to leave Scrap-Mart and take a different direction.  I was offered a position with a new company as an Office Manager.  I will say it took me longer to get used to working 40+ hours a week again.  But, I'm settled in and ready to get back to my crafting!

Here's a layout I created of Shelby at a retreat I attended back in November.



This layout came together rather quickly.  I started with some layered pieces of Stampin Up! cardstock and added 2 3x4 pocket page cards and a pocket.  Then, I printed the pic with my Selphy (my BEST purchase of 2015!!).  The scallop border was actually created by using a 2" circle punch and trimming the circles down.  I added some hand journaling, something I'm trying to incorporate more into my projects, and finished it off with a few sticker embellishments.

Here's a closer view of some of the detail...



I love the glitter on the top card!  We had an unfortunate incident that ended up with my baby girl's head getting shaved.  So I took her to get her ears pierced (again!) and this pic was taken just after she got them.

So, do you guys have any crafty resolutions for 2016?  For me, I just want to create!  Even though I remained on the design team for Want2Scrap last year I don't feel like I really got to create.  So that is my goal.  No specific numbers or projects.  Just be crafty!

Getting Organized

I don't know about you but I am not always the best at staying organized. Especially when I finish a project. I was browsing Pinterest a while back and found THIS post about organizing scraps.  Here is what my scrap bin looked like at the time...

And yes that is a layout WITH pics on it inside.  Sigh.  I am not a slob, I promise.  lol  It is just that sometimes, in the midst of work and kids and travel I just don't keep up with my scrap room the way I should!  I immediately unloaded this bin and went to trimming, just like in the article.  I trimmed all larger pieces to 6x6.  And everything smaller than that went in the trash.  Yes, the trash.  I know, I could have saved it to make cards or die cut or whatever, but that is what got me in this situation to begin with.  I happened to have a basket on hand like the ones she used in the post.  So I pulled it out, cut down chipboard pieces for my dividers then used the SCRAPS and punches to cut tabs and color dots.  Here's the finished product...

Isn't it beautiful?!  You might be shocked to learn that this was done back in like April 2014 and as of today (November 30, 2014) it is still in tact and being used, properly!  I have pulled some pieces out and used them, and I have added to it too.  I have caved and kept smaller scraps of papers I really, really liked so that I can use them to make some cards.  And I tucked all my Thickers and alpha stickers in the very back.  This sits right on top of my embellishment drawers at my work space for easy access.  Here's a closer view...

Everytime I cut a piece of 12x12 paper, I trim the scraps and add them to the basket.  I have been guilty of leaving a pile and trimming after multiple projects.  But, for now, I am happy that I have managed to keep this going for almost a year.  My plan is to take a day and work through the scraps and make a bunch of cards up at once...basics like Thank You, Get Well, etc.

Do you have a special way to store your scraps?

 

Altered Printers Tray

I had seen an awesome altered Printers Tray WAY back in like 2010 and I knew I wanted to make one for our oldest's baseball pics from through the years. I finally picked up a Printers Tray and dug out all the pics and would you believe that the pics sat in the tray on a shelf in my scrap room for TWO years before I actually completed the project?! I could make all kids of excuses for why it took so long, but I'll spare you that. I am happy to say that it IS now complete and I LOVE how it turned out! Way better than what I thought or maybe expected.

   























I had some patterned paper I purchased WAY back at Hobby Lobby.  I cut them into 3x4 rectangles and decided placement of the paper and photos.  Next, I gathered my embellishments.  My sweet friend, Susie  is on the design team for Paper House Productions.  She introduced me to their products and sent me home with some to play with too!  I absolutely LOVE their Canvas Stickers.  In addition to having those to play with Susie also gave me a sheet of their Baseball Cardstock Stickers.  I cut the Home Run, 28 and batter silhouette with my Making Memories Slice Machine and the Sports Design Card.  I added a few of the Prima Sports Flair Badges that I had picked up from Nicole Petersen Designs at one of the shows I worked and a few Dress It Up Buttons I am sure I have had like forever!  Here are a few closeups of the embellishments...

I did add some dimensional adhesive under the cardstock stickers in the center photo, but as you can see, the Canvas Stickers are very dimensional on their own.  And here's one last peek...

From this view you can also see that I added dimensional adhesive under the 28.  I think this is my favorite project of 2014.

Final Mail Art Project

Here is my final mail art project. It was really fun to receive the projects each month. You never knew exactly when they would arrive and it never failed to put a smile on my face when I opened the mailbox.

My last mail art project went to my dear friend Joyce. I wanted to make something special for her that she could hang or display in her craft room.

I started out with a chipboard shape from my stash, but you could easily use a page from one of Want2Scrap’s Chipboard albums…the Grand Album Series would work especially well for this project.  I covered the chipboard piece with the polka dot side of Quick Quotes Dream Big patterned paper then I cut a 3.5″ wide strip of the striped side of Sheer Joy and adhered it to the center.  Once the adhesive was set I trimmed the edges of the paper around the chipboard.  Next, I chose my quote from the Sentiments Quote Bundle Pack and adhered it at a slight angle on the left side, leaving just enough room to add my Want2Scrap Frilly Flourish Swirl on the right.  I added a mixture of green and pink Mulberry Paper Flowersto finish it off.  Here’s a close-up view of the embellishments…

The edge of all the papers were inked with new chalk inks by Quick Quotes…Orange Slice and Caribbean Blue.  After it was all assembled, I covered the entire piece with two coats of Mod Podge so that it would be easy to dust off and keep clean.

Joyce notified me that even though this was mailed by itself with NO envelope that it arrived safely to her in GA!

Katie 

July Mail Art Project

I had this grand idea of creating something patriotic for the July project. I envisioned am American Flag and perhaps even an eagle. Each month as we receive our projects, we would email the group to show them off. Well, I received an email and the beautiful project being shared was strikingly similar to the one I had planned. I didn't want to send a project that was too similar...even though just the basic idea was the same...so I thought and thought. Then, I decided to pay a little homage to my home state of Texas. Anyone who knows me knows that even though I left the great state at the of 19, and I am much older than that now ;), I still consider myself a Texan. Yes, I realize that everyone except fellow Texans think that is irrational, but that is besides the point. Anyway, on to the Mail Art...

As I did with all of the other folders, I began by covering the entire piece with Gesso by DecoArt and allowing it to completely dry.  Then I pained the front of the folder with red, white and blue acrylic paint.  I printed out the sheet music I found online and adhered it with Mod Podge.  The little Texas stamp in the lower right corner was something I purchased over 2 years ago at a stamp show in Grapevine, TX.  I was soooooo excited to have found it and still had not used it.  So after stamping the image, I colored it with my Copics then fussy cut around the image and adhered it.  Do you see the little bluebonnets?  Those are the Texas State flower.  They were created with Flower Soft and wire, a technique I learned at the stamp show when I purchased the stamps.  The wagon wheel, boots and hat were cut with my Making Memories Slice machine...that 'ole thing is still kickin' and is one of my favorite tools to use still.  Then I wrapped some twine into a lasso and looped it around the boots and added a twine bow to the Bluebonnets.  I just painted the inside top of the folder white then stamped it with the barbed wire stamp (all the folders are sealed shut on the sides to create a pocket so we only needed to finish off the top visible section).  Here's a peek at the back...

For the back, I used my DecoArt acrylic paints and simply painted the Lone Star Flag.  I used my Spellbinders Stars Nestabilities to cut the star.  I thought it would be fun to cut out our current states for the address labels.  Please excuse the black spots, I snapped this pic after I had them addressed.

I absolutely LOVE the way this folder turned out.  Even though it was extremely simple, it was one of my favorites that I made...was difficult to let go of.  Come by on Friday to see the final Mail Art project...it is NOT a folder!!!  ;)

Katie

June Mail Art ProJuneject

It was May and it was already getting HOT.  With May comes the end of the school year, summer, and with summer comes vacation! While we don't have a real beach here in OK I couldn't help but think of the beach when I was conjuring up designs for June's project.

This mail art swap really brought out my desire to try new techniques and experiment with mixed media.  This time, I started by painting my sky.  I was trying to capture the sunset over the ocean.  After getting the sky to an acceptable point, I moved onto the water.  Before I painted, I added some DecoArt dimensional paste.  After adding the blue paint, I added some white to the tops of some of the "waves" created with the paste to give a whitecap effect.  For the sand, I adhered some Canvas Corp cork paper.  I used an old Heidi Swapp stamp for the destination and the summertime and June are rubons.  The sail boat, crab, sandcastle, umbrella and sandpail were all cut with my Making Memories Slice and the shells were leftover from a Button Farm sample kit.  Here's a peek at the waves created with the dimensional paste...

You can see all the added texture and detail using the past added!  And here's a peek at the back...

I used Mod Podge to adhere all the papers then added two coats all over both the front and back to project the elements.