Just Chill

December is a crazy and chaotic time of year for most everyone, but that's especially true in our household. Not only do we have all the usual holiday hoopla, but also 2 kids' birthdays (within 10 days of each other) to plan and celebrate, as well as the company Christmas party. Unfortunately, that means my scrapbooking and paper crafting pretty much goes on hiatus until January.

I do have a fun little card to share, though...and it's got a "cool" message, too!

This snowman shaped card was made with the giant snowman sticker from the Frosted collection by Reminisce, along with a word sticker that I made into the sign he's holding. It's hard to tell in the photo, but these stickers are glittered and sparkly...a perfect look for a frosty little snowman! I also added some snowflake stickers, as well as a few buttons, a ribbon "scarf", and a gem-centered flower for his hat to dress him up a bit and give him some dimension and interest. The giant snowman sticker made it easy to create this shaped card...I just adhered the sticker to a folded piece of white cardstock, then cut around the snowman, leaving his hat connected at the fold.

This card would be great for someone (like me) who could use a reminder to take a step back amid the holiday stress and madness and "Just Chill." Hmm...maybe I'll keep him for awhile. :)

Wishing you and yours a cool holiday season!

Falling for Fall?

OK, so I'm not a big fan of cooler weather...I much prefer the warm and sunny days of summer. But, there are definitely some things that I really enjoy about Fall...the leaves changing colors...cozy sweaters...comfort foods...football season!...hayrides at the pumpkin patch...and of course, Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Here's a card I have to share that's full of Fall inspiration.

I cut circles from a variety of patterned papers, inked the edges, then arranged them in a flower shape. I like how the circle of buttons adds a fun and dimensional element to the card. I also love the warm Fall colors on the patterned papers, all of which are from the Shades of Autumn collection by Reminisce.

So, while Autumn may not be my favorite season, but how can you not like a time of year that's full of such inspiring colors and textures? I have to admit that I may be falling for Fall a little...but my true love is still Summer!



No Tricks, Just Treats

Well, it's almost time for Halloween, but no tricks here...just treats! These treats come in the form of sharing some Halloween-themed projects for your scrapping and paper crafting inspiration!

First up is a project literally designed for treats...a little treat container that would be perfect for gifting some sweets to your favorite boys and "ghouls."

This simple project starts out by covering a canister-type container (I re-purposed a peanut can) with Halloween-themed patterned papers. Then, tie a ribbon around the canister into a button-topped bow, and embellish the top with punches and stickers. I used patterned papers and stickers from the Haunted collection by Reminisce. I also used Reminisce's Glitter Factory papers for the scalloped circle and for matting the "No Tricks/Just Treats" stickers. If you haven't tried these papers, let me say...they are awesome! If you like glitter, you will adore these papers! They add lots of sparkle to projects, and best of all, NO mess...the glitter does not flake off at all.

I also have a couple more projects using Reminisce's Haunted collection. My "Haunted Mansion" layout is about one of my family's favorite attractions at Disney World.

I used lots of texture and embellishments that symbolize different parts of The Haunted Mansion, like the demon-eyes wallpaper ("peeling" from the background), the floating candleabra, and the frames like those that surround the ghostly portraits on the Mansion walls. I even included a hidden Mickey on the layout...can you spot it? (It's very tiny!).

The Haunted collection by Reminisce was also perfect for creating this Halloween "BOO" banner.

I used also used some fun trim, purple and black tulle, ribbon, and more of the Glitter Factory papers, as well as some printed chipboard letters.

Hope you enjoy these treats (almost) as much as the sweet candy kind. (I have to admit, though, chocolate is pretty hard to beat!) Happy Haunting!

Wine and {the big} cheese

Well, it seems that I have failed miserably at my attempt to keep a regular blog. Only three posts in and already it's been over a month since my last post...yikes! I will have to try and do a better job!

So, in an effort to make up for the lack of posts over the past few weeks, I'm going to share 2 projects today. In honor of my wedding anniversary earlier this month (17 years!!!), I'm sharing a Wine Lovers Gift Set, which would make a perfect anniversary gift...or just a great gift for any wine lover out there.

I painted a wooden tray and some wooden discs for the coasters. I used a metallic copper paint which gave it kind of a nice rich-but-rustic look. I then covered the tray and coasters with patterned paper. I used papers from the Wrath of Grapes collection by Reminisce, which were just perfect for this project. You can see the entire Wrath of Grapes collection here.

I found a copper bucket to use with this gift set, which was ideal for holding the wine bottle. I simply tied an olive green ribbon around it, added a tag that I made, and filled it with paper shreds.

I even ventured outside the papercrafting realm to dabble a bit with wire and beads on this project...which is how I made the wine charms.

They were actually pretty easy to make! I started with a small metal-rimmed circle tag, sanding and painting the edges with the copper metallic paint. When dry, I added a circle cut from patterned paper to each side of the tag. I used a small hole punch to make the hole in the top and attached a jump ring. Next, I made a circle shape with copper wire, threaded on the beads and tag, then formed 2 small loops at each end of the wire for connecting it around a wine glass stem. Voila! Custom made wine glass charms! These make great little gifts and are such a fun, easy project to do. Plus, you can customize them to suit any style or occasion by changing the colors and theme.

The next project I have to share is a layout...it's an "oldie" but a goodie. It features my daughter at age 2 (she's now 7!) snuggling with a stuffed version of "the big cheese" himself - Mickey Mouse.

Although I have been known to create layouts in a variety of different styles, this one is more clean and simple than I usually do. It's really very graphic looking, except for the hand-stitched border across the bottom of the layout which gives it a bit of a homespun touch.

Something I think is interesting: This layout was created a VERY LOOOOONG time ago, yet the hand-stitching trend became popular again recently. Now, there are all kinds of templates you can buy to help you put hand-stitched designs on your page. Since I made this layout before those were available, though, I did it the old fashioned way. I drew my design freehand (attempting to replicate the design on my daughter's sleeve in the photo) with a pencil, then pierced evenly spaced holes along the lines of the design. After stitching the design with embroidery floss in a straight stitch, I erased any visible pencil marks. I also added some tiny punched hearts to the design for a finishing touch. I like to think I was ahead of the curve on the hand-stitched embellishing, but I'm sure someone else beat me to the punch (no pun intended!) even back then.

I really do think it's interesting how trends come back in style again...whether it's clothing fashions or scrapbooking. When I was younger, I remember looking at old pictures of my mom and her sisters and thinking how silly those bell-bottom pants looked...I swore I would never wear anything like that! And guess what is hanging in my closet now? A variety of jeans and slacks with bell-bottoms...although now they're called "flared" or "boot-cut" styles. Same thing with my scrapbooking tools. Awhile back I thought about getting rid of my punches and decorative scissors. Now, I find myself reaching for my punches and deco scissors more and more. And my most recent scrapbooking tool purchases? Border punches...the modern generation of decorative cutting tools. In other words, the new-and-improved "deco scissors."

I think it's great to be finding a use for my old tools again. The only bad thing is, with all these trends cycling back around, I don't know how in the world I'm going to convince myself to ever get rid of anything! Paperkins, anyone? (You never know, they just might make a comeback!)

Back to school (already?)

I can't believe the kids are back in school already and summer is over! Well, summer's not really over, but summer vacation is! My kiddos started school last week, and they are already getting settled into the new routine. Luckily for me, they actually like school, so it's not too much of a struggle.

In honor of Back to School time, I've got a little school-themed project to share.

I started with a plain hinged wooden box. I painted the whole thing with black paint, then covered it with patterned papers and arranged a bunch of stickers on the lid. This School Supply Box would be perfect for storing supplies at school or at home, or it would make a great gift for that special teacher in your life...fill it with traditional classroom supplies, or get creative and make it more of a "teacher's survival kit" filled with aspirin, hand sanitizer, and chocolate! Here's a view of the inside of the School Supply Box:

All the papers and stickers are from the Making the Grade collection by Reminisce. By the way, Reminisce recently released a 2010 version of the Making the Grade collection:

You can get a closer look at all the products in the Making the Grade 2010 collection here. And you can see some projects created by the Reminisce Design Team with these products on the Reminisce blog here.

Good luck with all your school projects...paper crafting and otherwise!

Hello, world!

Well, I've finally done it...I have officially joined the blogging world!

The blog may still need a few tweaks here and there, but it's up and running! Now I have a little spot where I can share my adventures in scrapbooking and paper crafting. Hopefully, this blog will help to inspire you...or maybe at least put a smile on your face! :)

Speaking of smiles, check out the smile on my daughter's face in this layout:

Doesn't she look like she's in absolute heaven? She really loves the beach! Too bad we live in landlocked Indiana and don't get to the beach very often. It makes our time spent at the beach that much more special, though. Memories like this put a smile on my face. Here's hoping you find something that makes you smile today!