2011 December Daily & LYB News

I am so excited to say that I made the Little Yellow Bicycle "Paradise" Cycling Team.  I cannot wait to create with their new Winter CHA "Paradise" collection in January.  See the announcement and who else made the team on the Little Yellow Bicycle blog.

I'd also like to show you some of my December Daily mini album.  This is the first year I participated and it won't be the last.  I created it with my Birds of a Feather December kit, which included the album and lots of Fancy Pants & Lily Bee papers and embellies.

Note: the pages do not have dates, photos or all of the embellies on them.  I have taken lots of photos each day so I decided my post-Christmas task will be to go through them all and add them to the album after Christmas, adding additional pages as necessary.

Cover - I painted it red and misted over it with Perfect Pearls Heirloom Gold mist. Once dry, I heat embossed with CTMH Olive Green embossing powder. I put it on heavy because I wanted it looking distressed (aka lumpy). I outlined the numbers with a black sharpie.

The Insides - I kept the photos small since there's so many. Click to enlarge.

There's always a to-do list for the holiday season...

 I'm planning to put a photo where the banner is missing in the photo below.

 

 I misted over a transparency in the photos above and below

 Used my Imaginisce i-top 2.0 and small brad daddies to create this Christmas tree on the tag

 A pocket and mini pages...

 I was going for presents under the tree here

 A little envelope...

 Mini pages and a giant tag

 The stockings were hung...

 The tag above is made from filter flowers that I ripped apart and adhered to glue on the back of a rolodex card.

 Finally, Christmas Day - presents and trees...

Whoo Loves You Baby?

OMG, I just realized I haven't yet posted one of my favorite new layouts yet so I am sharing it with you today. I remember that I was holding it back because I had found these adorable little owl hats and had to get one for my girls and one for my friend, Audrey's, newest addition and I would have probably slipped up and mentioned it.

Both of my girls immediately put their hats on as soon as they arrived so of course I snapped a few shots.  WHOO could not resist this adorable little owl (and the hat too)???

Supplies from Scrapbook Circle Note to Self December 2011 kit: American Crafts Chap Cameron Paper (background), Tab Bits; Jillibean Soup Sweet and Sour - Raisins, Crushed Tomatoes, Die-cut Shapes; October Afternoon Sidewalks - Marbles, Red Light Green Light, Word Stickers, Little Flyers, Basic Grey Indie Pom Poms, Echo Park Happy Days Bottle Caps Paper, Alpha stickers (small alphas); Pink Paislee Wood Shop Sawdust alphas (large alphas). Not in kit - Studio Calico Mr Huey mists.

I just love these Wood Shop alphas by Pink Paislee.  It's thought about leaving them raw but they weren't showing very well on the background paper so I misted them pink to match the hat and then unscrewed the tops off the blue and green misting bottles  lightly touched them to the wood and watched the ink spread in the grain.  The alphas don't come with a question mark so I turned it into a statement and made a kind-of exclamation point out of the hearts. It was an experiment but I'm happy with how they turned out.

I also wanted to use this green circle frame but it's so big that one pattern paper just looked odd and it looked worse to leave it empty so I punched a bunch of strips of paper, layered them and then adhered the green scallop circle over it. I added a sentiment, flower and butterfly to top it off!

Thanks for stopping by today. If you love the Note to Self kit as much as I do, run over to Scrapbook Circle while you can still get one!

xoxo Heather

Easy Last Minute Christmas Treats

I wanted to show you a few little treat bags that are super quick and easy to make and can really dress-up a little token of appreciation you may be giving. We made a few for my daughter to pass out to the people she interacts a lot with at school (nurse who helps her with her medicine, registrar who has taken her under her wing, etc). She also wanted to give them to her teachers so we added one to each of the gifts we had bought for them.

The cool thing is that Imaginisce and Clear Snaps teamed up and did a little product swap so I got to play with several of their products and the Imaginisce Santa's Little Helper line. 
This first treat bag uses the Clear Snaps Smooch Spritz in Ice Rink and Ginger Ale.  I also used their Design Adhesives, which has double sided patterns that you can apply glitter, embossing powder, etc. to.  I used the Winter Frost glitter. Why is glitter so hard to photograph?

For this next project I made a little wrap to go around a Blockbuster gift card and microwaveable popcorn. We gave these to our mailman, my daughter's bus driver, our pest control guy, etc. I used Santa's Little Helper again and then added some bling to it using the Glue Gloss - adhesive on a stick - glitter and the Sparkle Fibers.

I glittered the snowman, birdie hat and peppermints. I added Sparkle Fibers to the ginger bread house in an attempt to make it look like icicles as well as the garland on the trees to go for the tinsel effect.

Thanks for stopping by today. Make sure to hop over to the Imaginisce and Clear Snaps blogs and participate in the blog hop for a chance to win some goodies for yourself.

Optimistic

I originally decided that the word "Optimistic" would be my One Little Word for my oldest daughter in 2012 because we are finally getting answers to things we've been speculating about for years.  The hubby and I are optimistic that we now have direction and can do things to make life easier for her and us.  I'm sure I'll share more about that here on my blog eventually. 

Anywho, the current challenge over at Scrapbook Circle is to create a project about your 2012 goals - be it Project Life, a resolution, your One Little Word, etc. I created this layout  for my One Little Word.

Supplies from Scrapbook Circle Note to Self kit: American Crafts 12x12 Chap "Jim", Jillibean Soup Sweet&Sour Crushed Tomatoes, Jillibean Soup Sweet&Sour 12 X 12 Page of Die Cut Shapes, October Afternoon Sidewalks Word Stickers; Not in kit: Bazzill Grey and Red cardstock, red folk art paint, misc. thread, Black pen .05, Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro

The I Love My Life tab at the top is actually a hidden journaling card that pulls out to reveal my private journaling.

I used bright yellow Thickers for the alphas and used a paint dabber to match them to the mustard yellow in the paper. I added stitching, paint and kept the embellishments to a minimum on purpose.

I just love the typewriter paper so I fussy cut one out and used it as an embellishment since it tied in so well to the documenting goals. Of course, I just realized I wrote her birth year below instead of this year. Whoops, off to fix that.

Don't you just love all the goodies included in this month's kit? Some of it is sold out in stores so head over to Scrapbook Circle and get one for yourself for Christmas!
I have since decided that Optimistic won't just be my word for Rheagan; it will be my OLW in general for so many reasons. Make sure to share your projects with us on the Scrapbook Circle Facebook page by December 28, 2011 for a chance to win the limited edition the Jingle All the Way kit.

Faux Snow Day

We don't see much snow down here in the houston suburbs so we have to improvise.  These photos were taken years ago when my oldest daughter was just 3 (she's 8 now).  Our neighborhood has an annual Chirstmas party and the kids just love that snow is brought in.  It's really chipped ice but no one cares.  We had a great time making tiny snowmen and throwing snowballs aka ice-balls. 

It's super cold here now so I am hoping there's a chance for a bit of snow this year.  fingers crossed!

Supplies: Pink Paislee Snow Day Collection: Cozy Sweater, Fireside, Warm Mittens, Snowball Fight, Frosty papers; Ephemera, Wood Shapes, bitty blocks alphas; Studio Calico Mr Huey white mist, Imaginisce i-top 2.0 and small brad daddy; Martha Stewart punch.

I did a lot of distressing on this layout and tucked in coordinating paper here and there in the exposed areas.  I couldn't resist adding the heart shaped "i love snow" ephemera at the top.  I also misted the wood elements with white mist and added a little paper for added touch.

 A quick shot of my journaling spot and layered elements...

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are staying nice and warm on what appears to be shaping up as a cold winter.

Beautiful Mess & DIY Candy Stocking Stuffers

I have two completely different reveals for you today, which comes with two chances to win some yummy scrappy stuff.

First, my silly little girl loves to get all glammed up in her twirl dresses...yes, the amount of twirl is what she measures her clothes by. Anyway, she was dolled up in her headband-wearing-leopard outfit and I should have known something was up because she was quiet. She called me over to her to show me her "art", proud of it and all. She didn't write on her clothes, walls or carpet so I embraced it and snapped pics of course. This isn't the first time she's created masterpieces on herself and I know it won't be the last!

I used my Scrapbook Circle December kit, Note to Self, and this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch to show of my sweet little beautiful mess that she can be.

Supplies from Scrapbook Circle December kit "Note to Self": Echo Park Happy Days collection: Retro, Bottle Caps, Journaling Cards, Alpha Stickers, Not in kit: Studio Calico Mr Huey mist (white), Imaginisce i-top 2.0, large brad, Zig .05 black pen, Glue Arts Pro Glider
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Here's a few close-ups:

Make sure to play along with us at Sketchy Thursdays for a chance to win some fabulous scrappy goodies!

Did you know? Imaginisce is celebrating Christmas this week so I made a few few stocking suffers with my Santa's Little Helper loot from Imaginisce.

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I cut the paper using my new Cricut Imagine and the Winter Frolic cartridge. The candy cane and tree measure about 6.5" inches tall and the stocking and ornament are about 5.5". To make these I simply cut two of each design, stitched them together leaving an opening to intert the candies and then completed the stitching. They are all funky lumpy because they are packed with as much candy as I could fit. I then adorned them with a bit of bling and trim. Leave a comment on the Imaginisce blog for a chance to win an i-rock sampler pack!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Detachable Ornament Christmas Card

We are celebrating Christmas over on the Imaginisce blog this week. Today we are featuring Christmas cards.  I just love seeing all the DIY holiday wreaths for the front doors and walls, specifically the paper cone wreaths.  I decided to scale that idea down and use it on a card.   Here is the end result:

Supplies: Imaginisce Santa's Helper Pattern Paper, i-top 2.0, 28mm brad, Imaginisce i-rock, Imaginisce red foam adhesive, Martha Stewart punch, Clear Snaps Glue Gloss, Clear Snaps Sparkle Fibers, Doodlebugs Christmas Twine, Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro

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Here's a closer look at the wreath.  See that twine? I made it so that the wreath can be detached from the card and hung on a tree as an ornament!
 

Edited to add: here's how I made it detachable: I cut a large circle for the back of the ornament, adhered it to the back and slid a bobby pen behind the circle and through a little paper loop I added to the card.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Make sure to head over to the Imaginisce blog to see more card inspiration and to enter to win the i-rock sampler giveaway!

Fall Home Decor

Here in the States we are getting ready for Thanksgiving on Thursday and I am so excited to spend a few days with the extended family.  The Imaginisce gang is also celebrating Thanksgiving all week here showing off fun things you can do with the NEW Imaginisce i-top 2.0.

I wanted to make something for the home and I stumbled across some canvases I had bought a few years ago, that were in the attic.  Later that day I was walking the puppy outside and ran across some downed tree limbs and the project just all came together. 

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This is a really easy project to make and you could really take the fundamentals of it and make all sorts of themed designs for any season.  I', already picturing a buttons and brads and such formed into the shape of a Christmas tree, hearts, etc. 

Here's how I made mine:

• Grab a canvas whatever size best suits your project, the space you have on your walls, etc.
• Pull out paint, mists, embossing powders or whatever you would like to use as a background.  You could also keep it white or cover it with paper.  I chose Gesso and mists.
• I applied Gesso liberally because I wanted to add some texture to the canvas aside from the standard canvas texture. I set it aside to dry for about an hour.
• While it's drying, start making your brads using your i-top and paper.  This is a good thing to do while watching a favorite TV show or movie.
• Once dried, I applied my lightest mist first - yellow. I dabbed it off with a paper towel. Then I added my orange and brick red and dabbed it off.  Lastly, I applied the brown and dabbed it off.  The dabbing helped blend it all together but having a bit of mist glops is nice too.
• Step back and look at it.  You may find you want to add more of one color.

• Next I added my tree limb by adhering it with fabri-tac.
• Then, I laid out my brad and badge i-tops so that I could get a visual for what it would look like.  Once I liked the placement of them all I poked them through the canvas.
  

Thanks for stopping by today!  Make sure to head over to the Imaginisce blog and leave a comment over there for your chance to win your own new i-top 2.0!

Oh and do you want to know the best thing about this project?  I gave each of my daughters a canvas and let them go to twon on them with paint.  I am going dedicate a blog post to them and their projects within the next day or two.

She's "fwee" Today!

My baby girl turned 3 at the end of October, which is soo hard to believe!  I was inspired to scrap the photos of her blowing out the candles on her cake by this week's Sketchy Thursdays sketch and the Happy Day collection sent to me by Simple Stories for being their guest designer this month (THANKS for having me). Check out those projects in yesterday's blog post.

Supplies: Simple Stories Happy Day Collection: Let's Party, Flash Cards papers; Signature Elements 2x12 & 4x12 Title Strip Elements, 12x12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers; American Crafts Thickers "Stroll"; Cosmo Cricket Tiny Alphas in red/cream; Kaiser Craft Tiny Alpha Stickers "Toffee Apple"; Mister Hueys Color Mist in Lemonade; homemade blue mist; Shimmerz miniZ "Bed of Roses"; Zig marker in Chocolate; misc. red/white/blue twine; Martha Stewart punch; Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro; small wooden clothespins; misc. thread.

The papers and bits from the Happy Day collection were such a perfect fit, from the colors to the celebration sentiments.  I just love how so much of it is done for you and helps take a bit of the guess work out.  Don't get me wrong, it took me a while to determine which particular papers to use, layering, placement, etc but all in all it came together pretty fast.

To get the paint splatters more "clumpy" than spritzy I unscrewed and removed the spray nozzle from the container.  Then I flicked it with my finger.  It's still an unpredictable pattern but it's usually right where I want it.  To get the circle ring, I sprayed some of the mist into the cap, turned it over and pressed it on the paper.

I had the red, white and blue baker's twine but I really wanted a bit of yellow so I laid it out and then misted it a bit with the yellow.  I love how it came out.

The rest was layering, punching, gathering and stitching. Here's the sketch that inspired my layout above. 

Make sure to head over to Sketchy Thursdays to see the prize that's up for grabs from Lindy's Stamp Gang for playing along this week.  Oh and guess what, we're "off" for Thanksgiving so you have two weeks to play along AND they'll be drawing 2 prize winners instead of 1!!!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Simple Stories Guest Designer

I am soo excited to be guest designing for Simple Stories this month.  I won one of their collections during one of their blog contests right before CHA Winter. Several weeks passed and I never got the any mail from them so after I knew they'd be back from CHA and starting to breath again I wrote a nice reminder email. It really never gets you anywhere but fired up when you're not nice and I knew they had bigger fish to fry than worrying about my little shipment! Through that, I kind of became cyber-friends with Jodi.  After several email exchanges I got a guest designer spot! I sent Jodi my blog link and the rest is history! I guess it does pay off to be nice and now I have a new friend somewhere out there.

They sent me some gorgeous collections to play with and let me just tell you, they think of everything. If you haven't had a chance to play with their goodies yet, I highly recommend it!  Here's a couple of things I created for them. 

I fell in LOVE with you before i met YOU layout

Baby Steps Collection
***No, I am not pregnant, just behind in scrapping some of my preggy photos***

Supplies: Simple Stories Baby Steps Collection: Signature Elements 2x12 Border & 4x12 Title Strip Elements, Designer Cardstock Totally Adorable, Designer Cardstock Sweet Dreams, Designer Cardstock So Precious, Fundamentals Carstock Stickers; Martha Stewart Punch, Bazzill Cream Cardstock, October Afternoon Mini Market alphas in Kraft & Black, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alphas in brown and cream, Zig Marker in Chocolate, Tattered Angels Mist in Tattered Leather, Shimmerz Spritz in Bed of Roses, Misc. thread

Birthday Gift Card Holder Card

Happy Day Collection

Pack the Track Layout

Happy Day Collection

Thanks for stopping by today.  I would love it if you would leave me a comment here of course but it would mean soo much if you would also stop over and comment on the Simple Stories blog!

Oh and I'll be showing you some more layouts made with their Generations line next Tuesday so be sure to stop by again!