Welcome Baby Reese

I've been trying very hard the past couple of years to keep up with scrapbooking current memories, focusing more on scrapping the here & now than things from the past but every now and again I go back. Today, I'm going back almost 4 years to document a photo from the day my youngest daughter was born. What an absolutely, tremendous, FABULOUS day!!!

Supplies from my Memorable Seasons August design team kit: Crate Paper Little Bo Peep collection - Jane Paper, Clara Paper, Sophie Paper, Border Sticker Sheet, Alpha Labels Sticker Sheet, Brads, Cardstock 6x12 Phrases, The Twinery twine.

Creative Notes: I created this sketch to use as inspiration. After selecting my feature photo, I hand cut various sized banners from different papers - a great way to use up scraps - and laid them out beside my matted photo. I then layered the paper banners with pre-cut sticker banners, added twine and then topped with buttons and brads. I added a pre-made sticker for the title and a sticker for my daughter's stats and layered them over strips of coordinating papers at the top and bottom of the page.

Journaling includes her name, birth date, weight and length.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Apple for the Teacher Blog Hop

Hi everyone!  It's back to school time for us here in Texas and I'm guessing it is for you too if you have young-ons or of course if you work in the school system. My girls start back tomorrow. Seriously? Where did the summer go? I've been have fun creating layouts, lunch box notes, teacher cards, and minis for one of my daughters, who is going into 3rd grade. Yikes!

Today I'm participating in "An Apple for the Teacher" blog hop with some of the Paper Issues gals. I created this mini album using Little Yellow Bicycle's Makin' the Grade to document all the festivities about my daughter going back to school.

I created this mini using my Silhouette CAMEO and the 'string tie' envelope mini album. I used the Makin' the Grade School Bands paper for the cover and embellished it with the Paper Crafting Kit and Favorite Pieces stickers. The twine loops around the cover and is looped around the rosette to hold it close.

I cut the envelopes out of the same cutting file, pieced them together and then bound them to the mini. I then decorated the inside pages.

The envelopes will hold photos, memorabilia and journaling cards. The journaling cards can serve a dual purpose as lunch or backpack notes, shown below.

Giveaway!

Here's the prize that's up for grabs! I would soo love to win this!!! 

• I'd love to have you follow my blog if you like what you see! 
• Leave a comment on each stop along the hop
• Follow the Paper Issues blog
• Like Paper Issues on Facebook 
• Write down this code - HEATHER - to get a 20% discount each and every time you shop for scrap supplies from the Paper Issues shop. Cassie always has the latest scrap goodies and it's always 20% off with my code, super fast shipping, etc.....

Oh, make sure to link up any school projects you've created to the the Paper Issues blog by September 8 so we can see the projects you've been working on!

Blog Hop 

Paper Issues
Kate

Heather <--That's Me!

Mandy Kay

Leah

Christina Thanks for stopping by today!

Princess Kitty Witch & Bat Treats

Imaginisce is celebrating the release of their 2012 Halloween collection, Monster Mash, this week.  I've been playing with this new collection and created these little goodies. 

This layout today focuses on that moment when kids get home from trick or treating and can't wait to look at what they got. My girls always run in and immediately dump their candy out to ooh and ahh over it. Here's my sweet "princess kitty witch" with all her loot.

I distressed and layered coordinating paper and the journaling spot under my photo to frame it up. I topped off an accordion rosette with a cute little brad perched on a flower, which was punched from the small i-top punch.  The title and witch shoes die cuts are the perfect finish to the page.

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For my second project today, I thought it would be fun to stick with the "treat" theme and wrap up some candy in these cute little wrappers, which I cut with my CAMEO. I used the bat from the Monster Mash die-cuts for the cute face. I think these will be fun to send with my girls to give away to their friends at their school Halloween parties.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

First Day of Kindergarten

I can't believe how fast this summer has flown by. Even more unbelievable is that my daughter is going into 3rd grade. I still remember that first day of school when my little girl was just starting Kindegarten, like it was yesterday. I hadn't scrapped the photos yet so when I got the new Little Yellow Bicycle Makin' the Grade collection, they were the first photos I turned to.

Supplies: Little Yellow Bicycle Makin' the Grade MG-106 Chalkboard Doodles, MG-101 Alpha Block, MG-1100 Tear Out Ticket & Journaling Card Book, MG-140 Cardstock Stickers Fresh Verse, MG-135 Cardstock Stickers Favorite Pieces, MG-304 6x6 Paper Pad; Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Tool Pennant 25, Glue Art Glue Glider Pro adhesive, Tim Holtz Tiny AttacherZig Black Marker .5mm

Creative How-to: Create a collage with your photos. Adhere to the page, leaving a pocket behind the collage for the notebook journaling card. Apply the School Days sticker to the top of the journaling card. Next cut letters from the alpha block paper and pull letters from the cardstock sticker sheet to make the title. Add banners from the journaling cards and favorite pieces pack. Staple them to the layout. Layer an epoxy banner from the Epiphany Shape Studio Pennant tool. 

Journaling reads: I can't believe you're in Kindergarten already. I'm excited about what your future holds but it's bittersweet to see my 1st baby growing up. You're soo excited about school, including getting to ride the bus! You dressed in the cutest 1st day of school outfit. we gave our hugs and kisses and you boarded the school bus like a pro, while tears slowly trickled from my eyes. You excitedly waved at us as the bus pulled away and I knew deep down you'd have a great adventure!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hello my name is Spot

I snapped this photo of my daughter and her dog Spot, while Spot was still a relatively new member of the family.  She's a rescue and we just adore her.  Anywho, there's no big story to share about this photo except that these two girls really adore each other.

Supplies: Scrapbook Circle True Stories August 2012 Kit: American Crafts Shoreline Belmont Shore (35736), Sea Isle (35732), Shoreline Bits - Sand Dollar (85585), Pebbles Sunny Side From Me to You (751282), Fancy Pants Country Boutique Barn Door (1596), Simple Stories Summer Fresh, My Mind's Eye On the Sunny Side decorative brads,  Elle's Studio Summer Lovin' Cutouts, aqua twine.

Creative how-to: I used this week's sketch from Creative Scrappers, sketch #221 as a starting point. First, I flicked some mist splatter on my background paper. I fussy cut the Shoreline fireworks looking paper and then layered the two background papers over it, adding the Hello label (I cut the red checkered washi tape so that I could adhere it over the photo), banners, photo and other embellishments. See the yellow and orange label with the brads? I cut that in half and tucked it under the background paper and then set the other half aside. I cut the banner labels from the Pebbles paper and then layered them on top of each other to make a cascading banner. Note that I had to cut the bottom and middle layer in the middle so that they would show on each side. I added it to the top right corner of the layout using the other half of the yellow and orange label, another banner and brad. Lastly was the journaling card.

Journaling reads: You love your dog, Spot and she adores you! I caught her sneaking in doggie kisses, something she does every chance she gets!"

Thanks for stopping by today. I think there might be ONE kit left over at Scrapbook Circle so I suggest you head over there right away and then stop by the Creative Scrappers blog to see the original sketch and what the rest of the design team did!

Catch a Wave - Little Yellow Bicycle Blog Hop Featuring Epiphany Crafts

Hi everyone! Not sure if you heard but Little Yellow Bicycle and Epiphany Crafts recently teamed up and the designers have been busy creating summertime goodies to share with you.  It's been going on all week on the LYB & EC blogs but today we're doing a little mini blog hop.  See the deets at the end of this post!

I was delighted to open my box from Epiphany Crafts and find the banner tool! I've been itching to play with the tools and I really wanted the banner one specifically. YAY! Here's the layout I did...

Do you see the banners? Nope! I had this photo that I wanted to use of my daughter riding the waves and I really wanted to try to add a sense of motion to the layout.  I played around with the tool a bit and then I grabbed my handy dandy scissors and cut the top part of the banner off at an angle and voila, I had chevrons! I was able to cut large ones and small ones, usually getting two smaller chevrons from one large banner.

I'll be creating some fun layouts using the actual banners very soon and I will be sure to share them here. In the meantime, continue along the blog hop to see what a couple of the other Biker Chicks did. Make sure to leave a comment on all the blogs below to enter to win a Makin' the Grade prize pack! Of course I'd love to have you as my newest follower if you like my style! Just click "Join" in the top right of my blog - I love checking out my followers' blogs too! Now, on with the hop...

Little Yellow Bicycle Biker Chicks Mini Blog Hop

Heather Leopard - you are HERE!

Tania Willis

Jen Chesnick

Little Yellow Bicycle

Many thanks to Epiphany Crafts for letting me play with your cool tools!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Are We There Yet?

We take a family road trip every year to visit my hubby's parents. I love visiting them but the actual trip there and back is 7 hours each way (and that's with minimal stops if we are lucky) so we have to think of a lot of entertaining things to do. We have a great time playing all sorts of games in the car (fortunately/unfortunately, rainbow car colors, alphabet signs, etc) and we create wonderful memories. Then of course, there's the downtime, where the kids watch their movies and the hubby and I get a little peace. So far, these have just been memories but on the trip this year, I actually snapped photos of these activities. The Little Yellow Bicycle Escape collection is perfect for capturing these memories...

Supplies: Little Yellow Bicycle Escape collection: ESC-122 Decorative Edge Cardstock, ESC-103 Destination Dots - Red, ESC-1100 Tear-out Ticket & Journaling Card Book, ESC-195 Dimensional Stickers, ESC-220 Fabric Favorites

Creative How-To:  Cover Destination Dots Red paper with decorative Edge Cardstock so it peeks out behind the postmark edging. Tip: cut the center out of the red background paper and save it for another project. Doodle over the pre-printed banner to give them more definition. Add a doodled fabric cloud with foam dots for dimension. That is the first part of the visual triangle. Next, arrange layers of various sized papers - rectangle, square, tags, journaling spots, distressing ans doodling them along the way. I have 2 journaling spots - one slides in and out behind the upper left hand side and another under the main photo in the bottom half. Add a title (mine is "Good to Go!"), chipboard and banner. 

Journaling: We take a 7-ish hour road trip each year to visit Grand Daddy and Grandmother. Having Strawberry Shortcake & Dora along for the ride sure helped pass the time!

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Joy Ride Kind of Day

I really love Crate Paper! It seems like every single collection is better than the next! I'll admit though that I was on the fence about the newest baby collections but...I do indeed have a lot of baby photos that desperately need to be scrapped so I took the plunge and got as part of my Memorable Seasons kit this month.

When I got it in my hands, my wheels started spinning and I quickly realized it's not just for babies!  This is what I created...

Supplies: Crate Paper Little Bo Peep Matilda paper, Clara paper, alpha labels, phrases, mixed brads, White Bazzill Cardstock, Gears Border cutting file, Silhouette CAMEO

Creative Notes:  Apply liberal amount of paint to background paper (I used my finger). Add enough paint so that it only covers about 1/3 of the page, right in the middle.Cut the gears using a die-cut machine and add different backgrounds to the negative spaces, using coordinating pattern paper. Add your photos on top of the paint and over some of the gears. Include a page anchor at the top right of the page for the names and date. Add a title, tracing around the words that blend in with the paint. Top it off with journaling!

Journaling: We never pass up an opportunity to ride bikes on a gorgeous fall day!

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay tuned for some baby layouts using this collection, coming soon!

Christmas Gifts in July

It's Christmas Cheer release week on the Imaginisce blog this week! I have to say that I am not really fond of walking into stores and seeing Christmas things already up. But I do like to start thinking about my Christmas crafting.  It gets me into the mindset to start my planning. There are a few things I like to start thinking about early - Christmas dress attire for the family and gifts for teachers and neighborhood pals, because we like to give out little treat to them each year. Here's a peek into some of the items I've been working on...

Mistletoe Earrings

I'm always on the hunt for unique, handmade jewelry. These earrings are the perfect accessory for a fun night in on Christmas Eve!

Supplies: Imaginisce Christmas Cheer collection, 3d necklace box by Lori Whitlock (scaled to fit my project), earring holder by Loni Stevens (scaled to fit my project), pine bough by Pebbles in my Pocket (scaled smaller)

I cut them from a pine cone file using my Silhouette CAMEO. I made them my own by using the Imaginisce Magni-top Magnet Earring Kit and a bit of twine to turn them into earrings. I made a coordinating box so that I can give them as a gift.

Christmas Treat Bags

Each year I try to think of something cute to give to the 15 kids who live on our cul-de-sac as well as to the administrative staff at my daughters' schools. This year I am going to give them homemade s'mores kits packaged neatly in this little gift tote.

Supplies: Imaginisce Christmas Cheer collection, party favor wrapper by Lori Whitlock, Imaginisce i-top and small brad, misc ribbon.

I used my CAMEO again to cut the file (by Lori Whitlock) and then I used my i-Punch to punch holes in the inside baggie. I then threaded the ribbon through the baggie and the back of the gift bag, tying it and sealing the edges in a chevron cut using my i-Magicut. 
 
I'm pretty happy, it's only July and I know what we'll be giving out this year! I hope this inspires you to start thinking about your crafty Christmas goodies. Make sure to head over to the Imaginisce blog to enter for a chance to win your own Christmas Cheer collection.

My CHA Sneak Peek Faves...and more to come

Since I'm not at CHA this time around, I thought I post a few of my favorite things that I've seen from the sneaks and from photos my scrappy friends are posting who are there.  Without further ado, here's my running list, in no particular order. I know I will be editing this list as I see more throughout the next couple of days!!!

Echo Pack Everyday Eclectic - love almost everything about this collection.


Echo Par For the Record 2


AC Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go - love each and every bit of this collection.  Here's a few bits:


Lilybee Persnickety


Fancy Pants The Good Life


Studio Calico Yearbook
 

My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing Tangerine, Honey and Bluebell...not so much the Lavendar; and have you seen the washi tape??? 



Pink Paislee Artisan Resist Papers,Chipboard and Elements - here's just a few...

Pink Paislee Portfolio

 Crate Paper On Trend

 Crate Paper Acorn Avenue


 Pebbles Walnut Grove - love all the embellies and majority of the papers


Pebbles Seen & Noted - how cute are these journaling cards and envies?


Jenni Bowlin Wired Feathers - several varieties but I see misting potential with these


Simple Stories Snap Cards - love them all but here's a few:
 

I'd love to see more of what Allison Kreft has up her sleeve


Jillibean Soup alpha beans in 5 new colors!
Elements of Jillibean Soup's Grandma's Lima Bean Soup
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic, Soho Garden
Crafter's Workshop New Masks
Little Yellow Bicycle - hello, they are all great!
Always a fan of Studio Calico Classic Calico
Lilybee Autumn Spice - perfect for a fall kit

I haven't even mentioned all the great holiday collections yet...saving that for another post I think.

More to come...in the meantime, what are your favorites?