Almost a Box

Almost built! This is the box (missing the final side) that will become a Disney piggy bank/ vintage suitcase. I am using foam board at the recommendation of the boyfriend. Apparently chipboard wasn't sturdy enough for him! LOL So far this has been a slow process. I have no pattern, no measurements, etc. Basically I have been flying by seat of my pants and loving every minute of it! By the end of today I am hoping to get the other side on, covered and then start altering the patina. I am aiming for the look of aged leather and aged hardware.

Stay tuned, there is lots more to come!

On the Horizon

Whew! It has been a crazy, CRAZY few weeks! The good news is that I can now completely focus on what I love the most, CRAFTING! 


It started last weekend when the Scrapbook Expo was in town. I spent all day Saturday there checking things out and shopping up a storm. I found some amazing stamps from The Rubber Cafe, lots of trim from Tall Mouse and lots of other goodies from various other vendors. I would recommend that if Scrapbook Expo is in your area you check it out!


Today I did another trip to my local scrapbook store and loaded up on paper. I have been DYING to work with Graphic 45 collections! On my list was Olde Curiosity Shop, A Ladies Diary, and Kraft Reflections. Unfortunately the shop did not have any in a 12x12 pack so I had to piece together Olde Curiosity Shop (I hope I have them all) and was only able to get a few Kraft Reflections(that I will order online). As for A Ladies Diary, I was able to get the 8x8 pad which is perfect because I envision tags and gorgeous cards! I also stocked up on scor-tape because I use it for everything!


Now that I am stocked up, its on to the projects. I have so many swirling in my brain its nuts! First I am going to make a Disney suitcase that will double as a mini album holder and a piggy bank. Then I want to make another album in a box for my sister who is in LOVE with the Olde Curiosity Shop collection. After those two I am thinking its time to finish some UFOs (unfinished objects), of which I have a bunch! There is a Halloween mini, my Tim Holtz
Destination Unknown mini, and about 300 pictures that need layouts. I also want to organize a card swap, possibly a tag swap, and get my holiday cards going. WHEW, Im tired just thinking about it! 


SO KEEP CHECKING IN! I will post pictures of during and after of the projects and PLEASE leave comments. I am dying to hear feedback from you guys! 

Hello Doggie Card

Here is my latest creation! I made this for my sister, who like me, is a dog lover. All of the paper is from my stash and the stamp set is from the current Close to My Heart catalog.


The card base is cream. The dark brown and reddish orange are layered and sized to show about an 1/8 border on all sides. The dog is stamped on another piece of cream in brown Stazon. I then colored it with Bic Mark It permanent markers. To get some of the lightness around the mouth and ears, I went over the permanent marker with the Copic blending marker to leach out some of the color. Before I glued the red/orange piece down, I wrapped it with hemp twine and tied the knot. Then with pop dots, I popped up the thought cloud over the twine for some dimension.


Here is a great tip to get started using permanent markers to color your stamped images. Start out using the Bic Mark Its ( I got mine at Wal-Mart) and just purchase the Copic blending marker. Experiment with shading and lighting areas and see what you come up with. Thats what I did here and I am thrilled with the results!

Enjoy and I hope this inspires you to get some markers and see what you come up with!

Americana Card

Here is my final card for the 4th. To begin, I made a cream card base then covered it with the navy star paper which is from Jo Anns in their by the sheet bins. I then cut the cream strip that runs down the middle and hand stiched with embroidery thread the zig zag  strips in red. The red star print is from the Bo Bunny LIbery Collection. Then I stamped another cream piece with a firework stamp in red and navy blue and embossed them with clear detail powder. The flag is also a stamp on cream cardstock, cut out and then covered with coordinating glitter glue. The red scallop strip is cream with red spray ink. The frame is navy blue and tied with the same twine I stitched in.

Out of all that I made this is my favorite( and took the longest)!

Have a wonderful 4th!

USA Card

Here is the second card I created for the 4th of July. Because it doesnt say 4th of July specifically it could also be used for anything patriotic. This uses the Bo Bunny Liberty collection as well as navy cardstock from my stash. With my Cricut I cut out the letters and the stars. White card stock is the base and then I inked the red and blue pieces with Close to My Heart inks. I then added corrosponding glitter glue to the stars and Glossy Accents to the letters so they would stand out.



For the inside I cut a square piece of cream and inked it in red. The stamp is by Studio G. To get the multi colors in one stamping, I inked the colors onto the stamp sections using my sponge daubers.



I hope you enjoy and it inspires you to get creative for the summer holiday!

Patriotic Card

This is one of three patriotic 4th of July cards I made this year. This one is using the Bo Bunny Liberty collection and stamps from Close to My Heart and Studio G. There is also embossing on the front centiment although it doesn't show in the photo.

Mothers Day Project

This past month has been amazing! I was able to spend 12 days at home in California and was able to meet my nephew for the first time. Let me just say he is the most wonderful little baby ever!!! Since I was home and it  just happened to be Mothers Day, I made my mom this adorable mini album in a box. I love it because you really get to showcase the papers with the box construction and it provides a great home decor piece. This looks wonderful on a coffee table or displayed on a book case. As an added bonus, it keep the photos stored away from dust and light.



Above is a side view of the box and lid.



When you take the lid off, you see the paper bag mini album inside. If you look closely you will see that the right side of the box is only attached to the base of the box.



Because the side is not attached, it allows the spine of the album to lay flat with the base of the box. This gives you the illusion of  a book and allows you to
 flip through the album easily.
I must give credit to Kathryn at Life on the Scrap Beach (http://thescrapbeach.blogspot.com/) for creating this wonderful project and making the pattern available for purchase. The paper collection and embellishments I used were K & Co and the paper bags are the Celebrate It brand from Michaels. The solid card stock was just out of my stash. The Live, Laugh, Love stamp is from the current Close to My Heart Catalog.