Killam Creative

You're The Tops!

2012-02-28T08:59:00.002-05:00

Hat pins, stick pins, pretty sparkly baubles. So many of us have a feminine side that thrives on a wee bit 'o bling, right? For me, it's bracelets and brooches. I have a small collection of vintage rhinestone bracelets that I love to wear and a monster rhinestone sunburst brooch I bought from a street vendor in New York. It is a winter staple on my sweaters. Oh, the sparkles!

So, you know my Etsy shop scrapbook and stick pins, right?

Welll, Etsy seller Nekoda, from the It's A Girl Thing Shoppe makes adorable tutu dresses and couture mini top hats. I'm tickled to show you what she's doing with my sparkly little stick pins:

Aren't these the cutest hats? They are 5" - 7" high and come with built-in hair clips. I love them!

Thanks for visiting today. Hope you have a great day!

Cheers,
Susan

Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition

2012-02-25T21:50:00.000-05:00

Hello crafty friends! As you might know, the Graphic 45 folks are holding a design team call. As I am smitten with their papers I just have to throw my hat in the ring! In this post I am showing brand new Graphic 45 projects (I've been busy!) as well as one or two you've already seen. So grab a cuppa and walk with me through the beauty that is Graphic 45.

My first projects are greeting cards made with An ABC Primer and a combination of Renaissance Faire and Curtain Call.

An ABC Primer

Renaissance Faire and Curtain Call

The next two projects are re-purposed tins - one from Altoids and the other is the bottom half of a gift card tin. The Christmas (Altoids) tin includes paper from Christmas Emporium and was made for a vintage Christmas-themed swap on Craftster.org.

This shadowbox tin was made with the fanciful Once Upon a Springtime papers.

Next is the little calendar that hangs right above my work space. She's made with Fashionista Le Fleur paper.

My favorite flower is a red poppy and even though this red sweetheart isn't really a poppy I'm imagining she is (just because I can!). This 5"x7" canvas was made using beautiful Botanicabella.

My final project is a 6"x7" album made with the gorgeous Tropical Travelogue line. Oh how I love this collection!

Pages 2 and 3:

Pages 4 and 5:

Pages 6 and 7:

Back cover:

Wow, seven projects in all! Thanks so much for following along with me. I know this was an image-heavy post, but you know how important details are to me.

Next Friday, March 2nd, the Graphic 45 team will announce their Top 30 applicants from the hundreds I think they will receive. Competition is fierce and the crafty skills "out there" are quite impressive. After that announcement the Top 30 have a few weeks to get 3 projects in the hands of the G45 team for some down and dirty inspection. We all know that our projects always seem to be better in person than in photos, right? Can you imagine a conference room bursting with all those fabulous submissions? Oh, to be a fly on those walls!

I've got fingers crossed for luck that I will make it to the final round. I'm already noodling away at ideas for new projects. I can't help it - these papers are so inspiring! Maybe they can be final round submissions. A girl can hope, right? *wink* Wish me luck!

Cheers,
Susan

WOYWW 142

2012-02-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

Hiya! I'm so happy today because the FedEx guy brought a package from my wholesaler that I didn't expect until Thursday. Now I have the Tropical Travelogue die cuts for the album I started yesterday. Phew! I'm pushing up against a deadline and now I gained a day. Yay!

I started pulling out embellies for this album and remembered it's "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?" So, this is it! A bunch of tropical colors and dreams of the beach. Ahhh. It's reaching 60 degrees today and almost 70 tomorrow. It's downright balmy in Maryland!

Happy day to you. Come join us at Julia's Stamping Ground for a peek at work spaces all over the world!

Cheers,
Susan

A Lovely Pair!

2012-02-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

Hello folks! I hope you are having a fantastic start to your weekend. I'm not sure, but I think Husband just talked me into repainting the family room tomorrow. My head is still spinning a bit. Of course, I'm the "painter" of the family so you know who will be doing the bulk of the work... The ceilings are ridiculously high. Ugh.

Anyway, I'm here to show you a bit of my goings-on for the past week. For a set of twins I needed a set of similar cards. Simple style was important as was pastel coloring. I think I'm pushing the edge of pastels...

These papers are from the much-beloved Basic Grey Curio 6x6 pad. I've been saving these designs for the right projects and am happy to be able to combine these favorites! The flowers are from Prima and the stamens added by me. I'm not sure how it looks on your monitor, but the flowers really do complement the background papers. It looks a bit funny on my screen, but in person they all work well. :) The birds are from a great K&Co. die cut pack called "Flora & Fauna". (There's one bird per pack.)

Here's a side view to see dimension. The birds edges were rounded under and it was attached to the white layer with 1/16" foam dots. The white layer is popped up on 1/8" dots.

That's it for me tonight! Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a productive weekend! Next week I'll show you some Graphic 45 projects I've been working on. Fun!

Cheers,
Susan

WOYWW - 141

2012-02-15T12:04:00.001-05:00

Hiya crafty peeps - it's "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?" so I've got a peek for you. It's been ages since I played along and I'm glad I remembered. It's late in the day, though! I'm working on a birdie card under the Hateful Replacement Light*. Last night I cleaned up from one project and started this birdie, so the desk is visible and my little Posh Trash Bin is empty. Have no fear, I'll cover up all that surface area by dinnertime!

*My old style of clamp-on Ott Light died last week. It was discontinued ages ago and I'm not ready to shell out Big Bucks for a new one. I just need to find a regular old clamp-on and stick the Ott bulb in it - that'll teach 'em! *ahem*

Not much new to show you. I have a few things in the works but they're for another day. Oh, wait! I can give you another sneak peek at the altered Altoid tin project. It's finished and on it's way to England! I didn't end up using that Dracula sneak I gave you last week-ish...

How's that for a dagger through the heart (heh, on the heels of Valentine's Day). At least it's a sparkly dagger!

Ok, if you want to rifle through loads of other desks, check out Julia's blog HERE!

Cheers,
Susan

Studio Tour (Image heavy!)

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi there friends!

I recently changed the studio up and did a little reorganizing. Wanna see?

Here's a walk around the room first. I really need to see what I have or I will forget I have it. I love these metal racks!

From the doorway

On the right there are sections for flower jars, vintage bits and bobs and Sizzix and embossing. The bins have embellishments and crystals, and the bottom shelf is jewelry related.

The middle section is all about papers. The 12x12 stacking bins came from a close-out sale at my mother-in-law's local scrapbook shop. The bins hold either favorite paper pads or paper lines, and there are about 60 small pads. I don't have a problem, really...

The small rack holds a Clip-It-Up and the white wall ribbon rack is from Making Memories. I have a love/hate relationship with ribbon, or rather the storage of it. Below is my new system, which seems to work.

After the Making Memories wall rack is a window, then this baker's rack. It holds most of my liquids/wet stuff. The vintage two-tiered stamp stand holds ink blending tools - a fantastic find off Ebay for $15.

Next is my work table. It's 36" x 60" and another incredible find - this time off Craigslist. :) The pile on the left seems like a mess, but it's perfect for me. The vintage scale was used by Grandma to weigh my father-in-law when he was a wee lad. How sweet! The sewing machine drawers were salvaged from a machine I bought at an estate sale and used as a table for a few years. Once Grandma's came to us, I sold my old one on Craigslist (without drawers). The scissors and such are on a glass lazy susan found at Tuesday Morning.

On the wall shelves are swap items, cards from friends and a few things I've made; including my first tag which has been repinned on Pinterest over one hundred times. (I stopped counting the emails...)

Behind the door is a shoe rack that holds wood mounted stamps and paper punches.

Below the desk is an Iris rack with stuff... seldom-used clear stamps, stamping supplies, adhesives and bins with assorted themed embellishments.

And the closet. You don't get to see in there since ~~you'd probably want to gouge out your eyes~~ it's far from organized. *sigh* There's a slightly smaller metal rack and tons of built-in shelves, but none of it makes sense yet. One day it will be a shipping station... The little wood table still needs a paint job and knobs - it holds overflow adhesives and Stickles as well as hot glue supplies and a shipping scale.

(More details after this jump...)

One thing you'll notice is that most everything is set up to carry to my work table, whether it's a basket full of Stickles, paint, colored pencils or metal embellishments. The only thing I really don't move is the Sizzix die cutter. I bring the dies to my work table but do the cutting right where the die cutter sits.

I am in love with these Darice bins from the craft stores. Each compartment has a curved bottom so it's easy to remove small items. I use these bins for all kinds of small embellishments, charms as well as crystals, beads and findings for my pins.

I use a Clip-It-Up for embellishments and flowers (above) and baskets for larger embellishments (below). Out of sight really means "out of mind" for me, so having everything so visible helps a lot!

Ahhh, paper. I love it so. I've cleared out my collection to papers I actually want and will use, or willingly hoard just to ooh and ahhh over.

Bazzill is my favorite solid card stock. I really don't have enough, but this will have to do. :) I wanted to show you how I handle scraps - see how there are two labels for each color group? One is on a pocket that holds scraps of each color group, the other is just a separator. If I need a smaller bit of paper I always look in the scrap pockets first.

There are about a million ways to store ribbons in blogland, right? I think I've finally found the best way for me. I mostly use crochet lace and seam binding, but I do use other ribbons and want them on hand. This rack originally had the dowels and I put all the ribbon spools on like a good girl. That didn't work for a variety of reasons so I pulled everything off and it stayed mostly empty for months, except for the plastic jars and bottom dowel. The jars have always been useful for small scraps as well as all the seam binding. I added the dowel on the bottom and use Clip-It-Up clips with the plastic protectors for the crochet.

I bought a few of these small rectangular plastic bins at Bed, Bath and Beyond to test out color coordinating. So far, it's pretty useful. I need more to sort all the ribbons and laces hidden in the closet, but this is what they look like in action:

Pretty cool, huh? If I want pink, all I do is grab the pink bin and bring it to my work surface. The ribbons are loosely bound with a rubber band, just enough to hold together but not to tight to add marks.

The last thing is cling stamp storage. These books are from Hobby Lobby and hold all my Tim Holtz stamps as well as a few other cling stamps and rubber stamps.I found heavyweight clear plastic to make my own pages but haven't done it yet. There are a lot more cling stamps under the work table that need a home.

Wow, I think that's it. If you have any questions shoot me an email or comment here. Thanks for visiting me in the studio today!

Cheers,
Susan

G45's Botanicabella and Tuesday Morning sale alert!

2012-02-08T10:25:00.001-05:00

Hiya crafty cohorts!

If you're a Tim Holtz fan and have a Tuesday Morning shop around, there's a TH weekend special starting Friday, February 10. My local opens at 10 and you better believe I'll be there before to stake my claim on whatever they have to offer. Or, at least I'll look! (They'll also have Martha Stewart and K&Co.)

Today I'd like to share a project made using Graphic 45's Botanicabella line. I've been hemming and hawing (do people still say that?) over using it for a while and finally found the right project. I don't know if I've ever told you, but a red poppy is my favorite flower. This isn't quite a poppy, but it gave me inspiration non-the-less.

It's a 5x7 canvas that started out as a card. Once I decided to use the lettering, I had to go bigger than my normal 5 1/2" card (since I don't have smaller letters). I think it was a good decision. :) The paper is wrapped around the edges and the back is finished with another design. I haven't decided if I want to use a ribbon to hang or just add a sawtooth hanger on the back. I almost want to just leave it alone so it can s1t on a shelf in peace. :)

As you can probably tell, the flower samples are popped off the canvas. I used 1/8" dots for the big pieces and 1/16" dots for the red flower and stamp.

The letters are from TH Mixed Minis grungeboard set. I threw them all in a little baggie and dripped caramel alcohol ink in to stain them brown. Once dried, I covered the tops with Vintage Photo Distress Stickles.

The butterflies are from the same sheet as the red flower. I cut them out, inked the edges, used Diamond Stickles on the light bits and covered it all with Glossy Accents.

The Dusty Attic ferns were colored using Peeled Paint Distress Stain.

The antennae are made from black craft wire. I dip small (around 1") snips into white glue and hang upside down until they dry. Once dried I dip into glossy black paint. I usually do a bunch of them at a time to have them on hand.

Thanks for stopping in today and see you next time!

Cheers,
Susan

{Etsy Shop} More Stick Pins Soon (and a swap teaser)

2012-01-31T14:42:00.000-05:00

Hiya crafty collectors! For those of you collecting stick pins, I've made a bunch more and will have them in the shop over the next day. It's been a long time since a restock and I appreciate all the emails. There are 22 new styles, and I'm editing photos and listing today and tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek:

Otherwise, I'm working on another altered Altoid tin that I can't give you any info on in case my "Wicked Vices Altered Tin Swap" partner is lurking about. Here's a link to our swap gallery if you want to take a peek at what has already been received. (Just for the record, shipping deadline is February 15 and those early finishers are just overachievers.) *ahem*

OK, OK... here's a little teaser... (Really little - his head is about an inch tall!)

Now I must run to the grocery store so I can feed my husband and get back to important work! :)

Cheers,
Susan

Painted Ladies

2012-01-28T13:46:00.000-05:00

Hello crafty friends! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. I spent the last few days tooling around with my sister in Washington, DC. It was crazy warm - perfect to walk around in (I won't tell you about the wind, though). We found a few old treasures, but the best part was getting together - it's been a year and a half!

Today I want to share a card featuring painted chipboard butterflies. I used Jacquard Lumiere acrylic paints, and Ranger's Liquid Pearls and Stickles. The antennae are made from craft wire.

And here's a detail from the inside:

I really love the rich colors of Prima's "Fairy Flora" paper line! The vine is from a Cheery Lynn metal die, called "Fanciful Flourish".

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

Baby Boy Mini Album

2012-01-23T14:34:00.002-05:00

Hiya crafty friends!

This weekend I traveled up to PA (outside Philadelphia) to a dear friends baby shower. There were 6 years between our visits, and it was so good to see her! I gave her a keepsake album and I want to share it with you today.

That Tim Holtz bird and cage die has gotten a lot of use over the last year! I do love it and can't wait for his new dies to come out over the next few weeks. :) I saw the phrase on Pinterest, in the form of a huge vinyl sticker over a baby crib. I just love it!

The chipboard album is just shy of 6x6, and I included photo corners for each mat.

The paper is 12x12 and 6x6 My Mind's Eye Portobello Road, from the (in)famously glittered "Lost and Found" line. I used silver Stickles over all the factory-glittered bits to seal them in. It made the glitter lines taller on the pages, but the alternative was to ignore it and have Stacy swear under her breath each time she picked the book up.

The banners are all made from the sticky, prepackaged chipboard letter banners from the PR line. I like the thickness but not the letters, so I stuck them on the backs of random scraps and cut them out. I used a needle to thread twine through the corners and finished with the tops of pearl brads. They're all popped up on 1/16" foam dots. The birds are coated with Glossy Accents for a little pop! on the page.

That's it for now! Thanks for visiting today.

Cheers,
Susan

Ribbon Organization, Anyone?

2012-01-16T14:17:00.001-05:00

Hiya crafty folks! I turned the studio upside down this weekend and am trying to put it back together. This organizational bug bites me a couple times a year; sometimes it's over little things, sometimes over big. This weekend was big.

One problem I've never been able to solve is ribbon and lace storage. There's so much in bins, boxes and jars! Today I found this gorgeousness, thanks to a Google "ribbon organization" image search. It's so fabulous I had to share!

It's on a 2008 Making Memories blog post about organization - click to see each studio and loads of ideas! The shelf is 6" deep and perfect for the ribbon jars I already use. I have a perfect space behind a door for a narrower version of this - I wonder if Husband would be willing to make it for me? I would be SO HAPPY!

I'll post photos of the studio when it's done (without the as-yet-unmade shelves, of course). I'm pretty happy with many my organizational ideas these days and could use your help on others. :) Tonight Husband is installing a couple of wall shelves for project display (mostly awesome swaps and stuff I can't give up) as well as the Making Memories Embellishment Center thingy.

How do you organize your ribbons?

Cheers,
Susan

Be My Shabby Valentine

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya crafty friends! I know, I know... you're in shock to see two posts from me in as many days. I'll give you a moment to gather yourself. {tick tock tick tock}

Now, down to business. I have two, count 'em TWO Valentine's greetings to share with you today. I'm all over the shabby and pink with these and definitely need to get wicked on my next project (hint hint) to balance it all out. Phew!

Have a great day!

Cheers,
Susan

A Little Something

2012-01-11T21:52:00.003-05:00

Hi crafty folks! I've finally rolled myself back to the computer after all the holiday excess. :) I hope you had a great holiday and the new year is treating you well!

Today I'm sharing a little whatsit I included in Christmas gifts I sent to my fabulous sister. She is a few years older than me and an incredible artist. Over the last couple of years we've become close, and she inspires me daily. I made this to tuck on a shelf in her studio to remind her what she does for me.

The base is an old Scrabble tile tray covered in gorgeous Graphic 45 paper. The Scrabble tiles were sanded on the edges and inked. I glued the tiles together using Glossy Accents. The back flourish is Dusty Attic and the pearls are from a Viva Decor pearl pen. It's the first time I tried the pearl pen -- I like it for the most part, but it won't replace flatback pearls for me.

Thanks for visiting!

Cheers,
Susan

Santa's Elf Updated!

2011-12-19T15:49:00.001-05:00

I collect ornament kits from The Cracker Box. I'm making this one as a gift. :) Shhh... the receiver might be reading... *wink*

I hope everyone is enjoying a happy holiday season.

Cheers,
Susan
***********************
OK - here it is January 11th and I'm finally getting around to sharing finished photos of the beautiful Cracker Box kit ornament. I gave it to my brother and his new wife for Christmas!


Finished with stand


Detail of the main decoration, repeated on the other side

I love these kits but they take so much time to make. I logged 10 hours with this one, and the most intricate one I've made took 22 hours. I never keep them - they are always made as wedding gifts. As much as I respect the time and thought that goes into a wedding registry, I ignore it and make a keepsake instead. :)

Cheers!

12 Tags of Christmas, Tag 1 (Finished)

2011-12-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

Hiya folks! Phew, it's been too long since I wrote here *and* sat in my studio. I was all set to play along with Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas - I even started my version of the first one! Then life got in the way and I haven't been back to assemble Tag 1 or try any of the others. I've been watching as he uploads a new one each day and some techniques I love and will definitely try.

I wanted to share bits of my Tag 1. I don't have any of the supplies he used so I improvised, which is really the point of all of this. Use whatcha got on the cool techniques he shows!

Edit Jan 12th: And here's the finished tag! My husband and brother-in-law exchanged donations to favorite charities instead of gifts. I made a certificate and wrapped it up with this tag for his Christmas.

Here's a link to Tim's Day 1 tag.

I used a Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder on Co'ordinations paper. The grungeboard noel letters are were painted silver then covered in German glass glitter. The pinecones are real - just painted and glittered. The foliage is a combination of Sizzix Sizzlits, a Bigz die and punches. I used different color greens and touched with white paint and rock candy Stickles. I still need to touch the edges with brown ink and curl them so they're not so flat. I'm considering more swirls to use with the "noel". I'd cut from grungepaper and cover in the same glass glitter. And I still have to make the baubles. :) I'll show the finished tag soon!

If you want to see some real 12 Tags magic, visit Shelly Hickox. She blows me away with every project!

So, anyway, I'm still around! Ha! The family is coming in for an early Christmas this weekend and it's smooth sailing (a/k/a studio time) for me after. [Edit Jan 12th: if only that ended up being true!] I hope your days are festive and fun!

Cheers,
Susan

Vintage Christmas Altered Altoid Tin

2011-12-03T19:39:00.001-05:00

Hiya folks! You might know I like to haunt the halls over at Craftster.org. I joined a Vintage Christmas Altered Altoid Tin swap and here's what I made:

The tin is perched atop a wood candlestick from the craft store. I painted it black then swooshed a little gold here and there. The knob at the top got the same treatment. The Santa image is from Graphic 45's Christmas Emporium. The 8x8 pack is chock-full of gorgeousness!

There are three layers including the base one with the fireplace. then Santa with kids and the last layer is just the kids. Two of the stockings are layered, also.

This little sign covered a bump created when I had to add a teeny tiny nail to hold the tin to the paper. I thought my mighty glue would work, but it pulled away enough to make me nervous, so the nail went in after the tin was finished. Of course I couldn't find one with a perfectly flat head!

The back is also G45, including the "special delivery" tag and little postage stamps. I know my swap partner received the today but I won't get mine until Monday. She's wicked talented so I'll be sure to show you hers too!

Cheers,
Susan

Mini Christmas Tags

2011-12-01T11:00:00.001-05:00

Hiya folks! In honor of today's start of Tim Holtz's annual 12 Tags of Christmas frenzy, I want to share a couple of tags I made last weekend. They are small - 4.5" x about 2.5", and three are inspired by tags from his 2010 collection.

I made them as free gifts for shopping in my Etsy store on Small Business Saturday. The wonderful customer who received these has been very kind to me throughout the year and I think I gave her more than she bargained for... in a good way!

I had a lot of fun with these, using scads of Tim Holtz and Ranger stuff I've either not used before or used in new ways. The only one not inspired by the 12 Tags is the blue "Snow". I had the letters from a different project and paired with white embossed TH snowflake stamps. The cut-out flakes are from a Cricut cartridge - maybe from Joys of the Season since that's the only Christmas one I have. Oh, and the rosette is a 1/2" x 12" strip of paper scored at 1/4" intervals. Easy do-it-yourself!

If you're not familiar with Tim or his tags, check out his blog - today is day 1 of the 2011 tags, and if it's any indication of what's to come, I might just play along. They are great for learning new techniques and you definitely don't have to use his products. At the bottom of his posts you can see where other people have uploaded their versions of his tag. It's fun to see the inspiration!

Cheers,
Susan

Small Business Saturday - November 26th!

2011-11-22T11:07:00.001-05:00

Hiya folks! Small Business Saturday is November 26th and I'm having special promotions in my Etsy shops!

You will receive a free set of handmade holiday gift tags made in my vintage style with every purchase in my Killam Creative mixed media & greeting card Etsy shop.

A silver chainmaille bracelet purchase from Killam Creative/Studio will include a coordinating pair of silver earrings *plus* you can use coupon code NOV2011 in this shop for an additional 10% off!

Thanks for visiting!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: A Final Thank You

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi folks - as you probably know by now, Kimm and I have made the tough decision to stop the challenges and retire the design team. There were a lot of factors that went into this decision and as hard as it is to say goodbye, we believe it was the right one.

Today I want to send out a cornucopia filled with "thank you's". I owe a lot of my creative growth to this team and our challenge participants. I don't think I would have stretched (or been pushed!) in so many different directions without all of you. Thank you!

Gini - I give you credit for inspiring me to broaden my horizons and not always default to a character stamp on my cards. I love coloring my Magnolia stamps, but I also really appreciate the beauty of die cuts using Spellbinders and others. You are a whiz with the dies and I always look forward to your next project. And any time I rough up edges of my layers I think of you. You are the Queen of Distressed Edges!

Patricia - I've always been amazed at your talent with the Tear Bears and Critters and now you're wowing me with the Beary Sweet Designs cutting files. You have a great eye and a wonderful spirit, and I cherish the friendship that has developed outside of the team.

Jamie - You have inspired me over and over that there is way more "out there" than cards. Your 3D projects are amazing and I love seeing your family in scrapbook layouts. I can't believe how much your kids have grown while this team has been together!

Lori - Your designs are always beautiful! I'm so glad you were able to join us and sad that our time together was so short. I look forward to keeping up with your blog and being inspired by you!

Thanks so much to Elise, our beautiful former teammate and to our wonderful guest designers Brenda and Debbie. Wow, I look at these 7 names and see 7 very different styles. I've taken a "stroll" through each of our posts and really can't get over how lucky I've been to have such a talented team.

Kimm - We've had a great run here, haven't we? Thank you for allowing us to offer these challenges every month and giving out great prizes. You have been very generous to me and the girls, and I am grateful. I look forward to continuing the friendship that started years ago when I discovered tear bears and you were so generous with your time.

Challenge participants and blog followers - THANK YOU! It's been wonderful to visit your blogs and see your projects based on our challenges. With all my heart I appreciate your continued support of our challenges and The Beary Scrap.

Card Recipe

Paper: My Mind's Eye Lost & Found "Breeze" 6x6 pad; Bazzill card stock
Medium: Ranger Seasonal Distress Ink "Gathered Twigs"; Glossy Accents
Embellishments: Ivory seam binding distressed with a little Gathered Twigs ink & water; flowers, etc from stash
Adhesive: 1/4" Scor-Tape

There is still plenty of time to enter "Your Beary Best" in our challenge. You could win a $30 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

Etsy Greetings: Holiday Traditions Blog Hop

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! As some of you might know from reading this blog, I am part of a wonderful, supportive team on Etsy called "Etsy Greetings". We are a diverse group of greeting card makers, and in our shops you will find styles from elegant to funky. We are clean & simple, layered, highly embellished, letterpress and pop-up. On our greetings you'll see our beautiful photography and hand-drawn art as well and gorgeous graphic designs. Many of us are bloggers and we wanted to share a little more than just our cards with you, so...

Welcome to the Etsy Greetings Team Holiday Traditions Blog Hop! The hop starts at the team blog, where you'll find a complete list of participants. Start there or jump right in here!

This hop is all about sharing all sorts of holiday traditions found in our homes, on our plates and in our hearts. Sit back, relax and take a stroll though our traditions. Along the way you'll find poignant stories, yummy recipes and great holiday printables. There's no time limit so feel free to browse our blogs - maybe you'll find a new tradition to start with your family.

The tradition I want to share is cookies. There was a time when we didn't have a lot of extra cash for Christmas gifts, so we "splurged" on a whole lot of baking supplies and made cookies in lieu of traditional store-bought gifts. I was ambitious and took on 15 different recipes, most of which I'd never tried before.

We were living in an 800 sq ft. apartment in Baltimore. The kitchen had room to move around but the only real counter space was a 24x36-inch butcher block island-on-wheels we had in the center. When I think about it now I'm amazed at how much I accomplished on that island. All of the cooling happened on the dining room table, which was also my husband's pizzelle-making station.

Our families and friends were thrilled to receive our handmade goodies that year. I didn't know it then, but the cookie tradition was born. In the 14 years since, not one holiday season had passed without hearing this: "You're going to make cookies this year, right?"

Over the years I have added new recipes and retired others. There were a few that just weren't worth the effort (oh, the pinwheels!) and new flavors I wanted to try. I remember every cookie I made that first year and still have all the recipes. Today I want to share my absolute favorite cookie recipe: World Peace Cookies. They have the perfect combination of salty and sweet that really tickles my tastebuds! It's a recipe from Dorie Greenspan and has been all over the internet for many years. You might recognize them as Korova Cookies, too.

World Peace Cookies

(Click "read more" for action photos and the recipe!)

Since you can't be here to sample, I am including loads of action photos. :) I hope to tempt you to try something new or even to make your own tried-and-true tonight!

Gather your ingredients!

Sift together flour, baking soda, cocoa (nice "age" on the sifter!)

Sifting in action!

Ready to put it all together!

Mixed together gently!

Rolled onto a work surface; divided in half.

OK, not exactly in half, but it works!

Rolled, wrapped and ready to refrigerate.

Resist the urge to bite... cut into 1/2" slices with a sharp knife.

Is it too early to drool?

12 minute timer went off - *now* it's time to drool!

Oh yes, you'll need the milk!

World Peace Cookies

by Dorie Greenspan

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 stick plus 3 TBSP (11 TBSP) unsalted butter, at room temp.

• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

1.Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

2.Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

3.Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

4.Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting Ready to Bake:

5.Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

6.Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

7.Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature. Makes about 36 cookies.

Thanks for joining the Etsy Greetings Team Holiday Traditions blog hop. Now please click on the right arrow to take you to our next holiday tradition!

TBS DT: A Vintage Christmas

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I hope you are finding time to join The Beary Scrap Design Team & Challenge blog's month-long November challenge. We want to see Your Beary Best!

Today I have a card to share using Authentique's "Wonder" 6x6 paper pad. I received a Beary Scrap package last Thursday and immediately had to dig into this paper. Love the colors and the vintage feel!

All of the patterned paper is from the pad. In addition, I used green and french vanilla Bazzill card stocks. The sparkle comes from Stickles in Star Dust and Candy Cane, and I added Kaisercraft yellow pearls to the flower. The seam binding is Sage and Ivory - I color-distressed the ivory seam binding by dabbing it onto Bundled Sage and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The center piece was cut from a cool postcard-themed sheet and painted with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.


Inside (a little washed-out from the sun)

Thanks for visiting today! Please join our "Your Beary Best" challenge - you could win a $30 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

Birdcage Mini Album

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya folks! So I wanted to try my hand at a mini album and worked on this off and on for many weeks. I've finally finished it! I absolutely adore it and wish I had a little girl or niece to give it to (instead, it's in my Etsy shop). There are a lot of photos - click on each one to view the full size!

The base of this album is Prima Build-A-Book acrylic album. I really like that the pages are nice and sturdy (vs. paper bag albums). All of the papers are from Echo Park's Victoria Gardens line. I used both the 12x12 sheets and pages from the 6x6 pad.

Here is a look at pages 2 and 3 with photo and journaling tags in place (top). Almost all of the tags are sewn on each side, and many have embellishments. The album includes enough self-adhesive photo corners to put one photo on each tag.

Here are pages 2 and 3 with the backs of the tags showing. The journaling tag on the top left is meant for an album title or other identifying info so the photo shows the lines on the tag front.

Pages 4 and 5 with tags in place. See the beady baubles hanging on the green tag on the left?

Here are the backs of tags on pages 4 and 5. The "You" tag is plain on the reverse side, without sewn edges.

Page 6 doesn't have pull-out tags but it does have a large space for photos. Page 7 has 3 tags - I had a lot of fun with the text on the Echo Park papers throughout the album.

Pages 6 and 7 showing the reverse side of tags on page 7.

The back cover

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

A Custom Thank You Card

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya folks! As you might know, I have an Etsy shop where I sell my cards, stick pins and mixed media art. I am fortunate to have wonderful customers who visit my shop often. Every once in a while I am asked to customize a greeting card. This is one of those cards.

I've used the My Mind's Eye Portobello Road papers over and over. It's quite possibly my favorite line! My lovely customer Lynn purchased a card weeks ago and framed it. Last week she contacted me to make a "thank you" card for a special person in her life. She wanted something similar to the framed card that would be appropriate for a male.

There is an extraordinary amount of layering going on here! I just couldn't stop. :) What I want to share the most is the grasses on the right. That is a Dusty Attic laser cut on which I painted a luminescent white acrylic then dabbed on a light bluish-green. Over top I layered Ranger's Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. I love the effect!

I used a combination of 12x12 sheets and pages from the 6x6 pad. The blue plaid and the birds on front are both 12x12.

For all the embellishment I do on many of my cards, I'm really struck by gorgeous, simple cards. It's a rare occasion for me to make one of those. :)

Thanks for visiting today.

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: We Wish You A Merry Christmas

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya crafty friends! Over at The Beary Scrap DT & Challenge blog we're a few days into our month-long challenge and I'm so impressed with all the entries so far! You are definitely showing us "Your Beary Best" and we appreciate it!

Today I have a simple Christmas card made with My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas.

I used one of the die-cut embellishments from the 12 x 12 kit and put a green layer behind it. The card base is the same green, so it's a nice little accent. I spritzed the poinsetta with Glimmer Mist and it's a lot more subtle in person! So is the Glossy Accents over the red "Christmas" and bits on the die cut embellishment. My camera was picking up all kinds of light today!

I used a bit of green seam binding behind the flower and Kaisercraft pearls in the corner. The stick pin is one of my Killam Creatables, and since looking at this photo I've decided to add a second pin. That one looks lonely!

Thanks so much for visiting today! Our "Your Beary Best" challenge runs ALL MONTH with a $30 gift voucher as the prize. Won't you show us your beary best?

Cheers,
Susan

Dia De Los Muertos Birthday

2011-11-03T01:24:00.000-04:00

Hiya bloggers! As promised, here are two of my most recent projects. The first project I want to share is a mixed media piece made for my sister's birthday. Her birthday is November 2nd, which is also a part of Dia De Los Meurtos festivities - and she's a big fan. I had a lot of fun with this!

I like all the skellies, but the singing one on the far right cracks me up! I made all the "lanterns" with bead and bits, and scoured my backyard for sticks that would bend just right. The grass is shrubbery greens I found in the model train section of the craft store. It's really cool stuff and I can't wait to use it again.

The second project is a "chunky Halloween house" I made for my sister. I used Pink Paislee's Hocus Pocus paper - love this line!

This is the front - click the photo to see more detail. It's about 7" tall. The skeleton is 3 layers: background, full-oval cameo and the skeleton on top. The fly is also dimensional with little raised wings. The crystals are all Swarovski flatbacks.

And here's the back. The background is from a 12x12 sheet and the cut-out frame is from a 6x6 of the same design.

If you want to see a small sampling of her art, go to CalliopeDesignStudio, her Etsy shop. You can also find her on Craftster.org - her user name is "cackle" and she makes incredible art!

Thanks for stopping by today. I'm going back to Christmas cards now. Have a swell day!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Tilda Has A Crush

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya crafty friends! Hope your weekend was spectacular. I know a couple of us on The Beary Scrap design team got hit with snow. Ack! Luckily, I only had rain and howling winds. Appropriate for today's festivities, right?

Many folks are observing the High Holy Day of Chocolate, otherwise known as Halloween. The sad thing about all of this is no matter what costume you wear, all those gooey, drippy, melty, crunchy calories will still find your hips!

For my last Double or Nothing challenge project, I decided to use two Magnolia stamps. Poor Edwin is so caught up in his lights that he doesn't suspect Tildas ambush behind the tree! She's sweet on him. Aww...

The tree is made from a lot of single punches of a Martha Stewart branch punch. It's been a few years since I've made this type of tree and forgot how much I love the dimension. Neat, huh? The papers are from the My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas 6x6 pad. I colored our little friends with Prismacolor pencils and Stickles... loads of Stickles! I used Waterfall, Candy Cane, Yellow, Crystal, Star Dust and Lavender.

Thanks so much for visiting today! There's still a wee bit of time to enterour challenge. You could win a $20 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap. Good luck!

By the way, have you seen the gorgeous new Tim Holtz Seasonal Distress Inks?

The Beary Scrap will soon have this 3-pack of Fall colors *and* the Winter pack. We don't know the colors for the Winter pack yet, but I'll bet they will be beautiful! There's a limited supply, so be sure to keep an eye out!

***
In other news, it should be a busy week here at the Killam Creative blog. I have a few things to show you on Thursday, one of which is a cool "chunky Halloween house" I made for an extra-special swap on Craftster. My ability to post about it depends on when she receives it, which *should* be Wednesday.

I have also finished this acrylic album. The pages in that post have been reworked a bit for a more polished look. I took a passel photos today and if everything came out well, I'll be able to post here and add to my Etsy shop. I started the album on a whim and learned a lot along the way. I look forward to making a few more since I already have supplies for them, but it will be a limited run. :)

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Double Santas

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello hello crafty friends! It's another Monday and my first post with the Beary Scrap Design Team's new "Double or Nothing" challenge. I'm really hoping to see a "double, double, toil and trouble" entry... I'll leave that to everyone else, though. I've moved on to Christmas! I have loads of Halloween under my belt this year and am past ready for the red and green. :)

I've used the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas - both the 12x12 collection pack and the 6x6 paper pad. I was able to double up three times - so cool! I used two types of ribbon - crochet and velvet ric-rac; two different cardstock die-cuts from the 12x12 collection pack; and, two layers of Santa, and two beaded pins from my own Killam Creatables collection. Fun!

I really wanted to showcase this wonderfully traditional Santa on this page from the 6x6 pad. I used one full page and cut his second layer from the second page in the pack. His beard is colored in with Frosted Lace Stickles, coat and hat trim covered with a snowy effect from the craft store, and his belt and boots are painted with Glossy Accents.

Edges are inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and sewn with my trusty Singer. The Santa layer and die-cuts are raised up a bit with Glue Dots. Pearls are Kaisercraft Latte.

Thanks for visiting today! Our current "Double or Nothing" Challenge goes on through October 31st. All the details are HERE - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there crafty folks! This week the Beary Scrap design team is continuing with whatever strikes our fancy, since it's a challenge Free for All!

I'm having loads of fun with my chunky Halloween houses - there's a village now! This week's house is made using Authentique's Glowing paper. Sadly, I didn't realize it was sold out in the shop and I don't have another project to inspire you. I hope this can give you an idea or two anyway. :) There are tons of available 6x6 pads to choose from!

It's a simple house, really... with a big, hairy occupant. (No, I'm not talking about Aunt Hilda, the poor dear...)The spider web was "painted" with Glossy Accents, as was the spider body (which was then covered with a Swarovski crystal). I covered the chimney with a scrap of the same paper left over from another project, so the right wall has a spider, also. This was a fun project and I'm really looking forward to a Christmas village!

Thanks for visiting today! Our Free for All / Anything Goes challenge continues through Friday the 14th. Come join us - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: There's a cure for what ails you...

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hi crafty folks! Welcome to October. Here in Maryland October blew in on a brisk wind. It's oh-so-cold right now, and the sun doesn't even have the decency to push away the clouds. Over in the UK our friends are experiencing a record-breaking heat wave. C'mon Mother Nature, get it together! This week also rings in a new challenge. At The Beary Scrap Challenge blog, we're putting our monthly sketch challenges on hold for a while and replacing them with fun theme-based challenges similar to the ones we always do on the 15th of the month. What better way to celebrate than to have a crafty

Free For (F)All!

Haha! Yes, I do think I'm funny. My little play on words makes me giggle. :)

Now, let's set aside all this fun and frivolity and get down to business. This week I have a little bit of spooky art to share with you. I'm participating in a "Chunky Halloween House" swap over at Craftster and this is one of my houses.

The skeleton was stamped on the My Mind's Eye Haunted "Halloween Checklist" paper and another was stamped on a separate piece of paper to cut out. Honestly, I'm pretty proud of this cutting. I have a lot of patience for this kind of fussy cutting in general, but the ribs on this guy really had me taking deep breaths. I decided before I started that I would try it only once. If I cut through or made a boo boo I couldn't fix or hide, I would not start another one. I'm happy with the results and really glad I had that patience.

Once he was cut out and all the edges were colored with a brown marker, I patted him on my Distress Ink embossing pad and sprinkled with clear embossing powder.

The vintage apothecary labels were printed on the computer and the edges were inked. The "A cure for what ails" letters were individually stamped and covered with Glossy Accents. The back is pretty simple - with more of the MME Haunted "Raven" paper and a fun pharmacy label with my info on it. The font was a free download (found ages ago...) called "Traveling_Typewriter".

Thanks so much for visiting today! Our Free For (F)All! challenge goes through midnight EST October 14th. Come join us - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Project Recipe

Image: TH Skeleton Stamp, vintage apothecary labels from Just Something I Made and Graphics Fairy
Paper: My Mind's Eye Haunted "Raven" and "Halloween Checklist"
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo; Glossy Accents; Ranger Distress Embossing Ink; Stampendous clear embossing powder
Embellishments: Dresden trim, black ribbon and TH tape from stash

Cheers,
Susan

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello and happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. The Husband and I went to a crab feast Sunday. Love love love the taste of Maryland blue crab but don't feel the same about crab picking.

This week the Beary Scrap design team is showing a few more samples for our current "Happy Fall Y'All" challenge. This has been a fun one for us! In this final stretch, the DT's extra "challenge" is to add glitter to our projects. Oh yea, this is a stretch! Haha - just kidding! Really, the challenge should have been to abstain from the glitter.... hmm... that gives me an idea for future challenges. *grin*

I'm still on my Halloween kick. This week I pulled out the My Mind's Eye Haunted papers with the delicious velvety texture.

The bat lady illustration is from the magical internet. I truly appreciate sites like The Graphics Fairy which share vintage and antique images. The flocked background is MME's "Harlequin" paper and the while swirl layer is found on the B-side of "Halloween Checklist". [Yes, I'm showing my age...]. Other layers are made from Bazzill Basics.

The bat background was stamped with Distress Ink in Black Soot, then each bat was covered with Rock Candy Stickles. This is one of those cards that looks much better in person - the bats are pretty cool if I do say so myself! *ahem* I used a blend of Dusty Concord and Black Soot Distress Inks on the edges, then sewed them together. All embellishments are from my stash, including really cool web ribbon that Patricia sent as a RAK last year. I've been hoarding it with 12" left for the next project!

Thanks for visiting today! You still have a ton of time to enter your fall-themed project in our challenge. You could win $20 from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Halloween Kitty

2011-09-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya crafty folks! Happy Monday to you. i don't know about *your* neck o' the woods, but Autumn has arrive here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the States. Along with this blissful season comes fruit flies. *sigh* But we won't talk about that...

This week the Beary Scrap design team is sharing samples using our new theme challenge "Happy Fall Y'All!" We're adding a little extra challenge to use buttons on our projects. I'm not a button user, I'm a button hoarder. I love vintage buttons and managed to force myself to use three vintage glass beauties.

The paper is Authentique's Blissful 6x6 layered on Bazzill Basics orange and ivory. The vintage image is printed on textured paper and enhanced with Glossy Accents on the wording and Rock Candy Distress Stickles on a bit of the pumpkin. Sorry it's not easily seen in these photos; the sun was setting and working against me. The black rhinestone swirl (ooh, could that be a kitty tail?) is Prima Say it in Crystals Black.

Luckily for my vintage button fetish, I have three cards of these black beauties. : )

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you get a chance to enter our Fall-themed challenge before September 30th. There's plenty of time to play with us!

Cheers,
Susan

Etsy Greetings Team Card Swap

2011-09-16T11:09:00.001-04:00

Card swap favorite

Hiya crafty bloggers! Today I want to share a little fun we're having at the Etsy Greetings Team. We're a group of over 100 Etsy greeting card sellers who get together online and share advice on selling, buying and sometimes life in general. It's a great group of individuals from all over the world!

Unless we buy each other's cards, we don't get to see what's out there beyond the computer screen. A group of us got together and decided to swap cards just for the fun of it. Lucky me - I'm the swap coordinator and everyone is sending me packages of lovely handmade goodness! It's been like Christmas over the last few weeks. Check this out:

25 Etsy shops sent cards - can you believe it?

I'm waiting for one more package to arrive and then I get to sort and send back to the participants. Each shop sent 5 or 10 cards and will receive the same amount in return, but from all different shops. I signed up for 5 so I made five and get to pick 5 from other shops. Oh, the decisions will be difficult!

Here are the five I made:

I wanted to make cards that could be sent through the mail in standard envelopes rather than my non-standard boxes. I've been sitting on the DCWV Mariposa paper stack for months, just waiting for the right project to come along. This was it.

The stack includes 2 of each sheet, so I was able to layer the butterflies for a little 3D effect. The antennae are made from black jewelry wire. The card fronts are layered and sewn, and the insides are blank. I haven't weighed them yet, but I hope they can be mailed with a single stamp.

I absolutely adore these and will be sorry to see them go. The one featured at the top of this post is my favorite. Luckily the papers are still available in stores... I just might have to get more to make my own. *grin*

If you would like to know more about our team, check out our blog. Every day a new card is featured and you'll find a list of member bloggers on the right side! If you'd like to know all of our shops and join our merry band, this page has the low down. And any time you're browsing around Etsy you can find an assortment of our offerings by typing etsygreetingsteam in the search bar.

Thanks for visiting today, and thanks to all my Etsy Greetings Team friends - your cards will be in the mail soon!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Snake-Oil Salesman on Halloween (Updated Photo)

2011-09-12T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi folks! Happy Monday to you. I hope you had a nice weekend. Husband and I took a train up to NewYork to see a Broadway show. I love New York and all the hustle and bustle. I'm not going to take up your crafty time talking about the 9/11 anniversary, but I want to share one little experience with you.

As we sat in Penn Station to come home Sunday morning we could hear a pipe and drum band marching by outside. It was 8:35am and up until that moment the Amtrak station was full of the normal buzz. One by one, I could see the recognition of that sound dawn on my fellow travelers. I don't believe there is a sound more profound than a bagpipe, and a band can tear at the fibers of your heart while celebrating life, love and liberty. (Ok, I'm Scottish... can you tell?) The train station fell silent for a bit as we listened. It was a rare, truly poignant moment.

So this week the Beary Scrap design team is wrapping up our September sketch challenge and introducing an oh-so-timely theme challenge. As a way to spice up our final sketch samples Gini, Patricia and I are including our favorite embellishments. How easy is that?

[Update: I added the black swirls.]

I've used 3 favorites on today's card: lace, sewing and decorative pins! Haha - why chose just one when there are so many? The papers are from Authentique's "Glowing" 6x6 pad, and the image is one of my favorite vintage finds. The skeleton is a bit of a snake-oil salesman, isn't he? I have a whole collection of these Antikamnia Chemical Company calendar images (in full-color; black & white seemed perfect for this card, though). They really are quite amazing!

Card Recipe

Image - vintage Antikamnia Calendar skeleton printed twice and layered
Paper - Authentique's Glowing 6x6 pad; Bazzill Basics in orange and black; Canson Mi-Tiente white
Medium - Ranger Distress Ink in Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo; Ranger Stickles in Black Diamond
Embellishments - Prima Say It In Crystals Borders Black; handmade decorative pin set; lace and flowers from stash
Tools/Adhesives -border punch; corner punch; Scor-Pal; Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac

Thanks so much for visiting today! There is still plenty of time to get your September sketch challenge project entered (by midnight EDT Wednesday) - you might win a $20 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Spooky September Sketch

2011-09-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello hello my pretties... It's Monday and time for another project from me! Happy Labor Day to all my US friends. I hope you can relax today!

This week the design team is continuing with samples --and perhaps a little inspiration! -- for our brand spankin' new Beary Sweet sketch challenge. I got a little witchy with Authentique's "Glowing" 6x6 pad.

I used 4 different designs from the pack, including the polka dot spider. I stamped the sentiment onto scraps created by one of the layers. The stamps are individual letters that I laid out askew for a fun, messy effect. Actually, that's a lot about this that's distressing, including the chewed edges, sewing lines all over the place and pulled edges of the lace and tulle.

I have to give big props to Lori for inspiring me to make my own rosette for the very first time! Her card last week featured a rosette and I whined a bit about not having a rosette die. She pshaw'd me and showed me the way with a strip of paper and a handy dandy Scor-Pal. We don't need no stinkin' rosette dies! Thanks, Lori! We'll share a tutorial on it soon. :)

I was thinking of just using "tea party" and reveling in the double entendre, but decided to steer it in a less *ahem* political direction. The off-white threads behind the top text is a bit of cheese cloth.

Inside includes a ton of space for a spooky sentiment as well as more lace and a fun diamond pattern design from the stack.

Card Recipe

Image: vintage image found online and spiced up for a lush print
Paper: Authentique "Glowing" 6x6 paper pad; vintage witches printed on ivory Canson Mi-Tiente paper (I love the texture for vintage images); Bazzill basics in black and orange; Rosette is made from a random strip of paper found in my stash
Medium: Stickles Diamond on spider; Ranger Distress Ink in black and vintage photo on edges
Embellishments: Hand made rosette; Kaisercraft black pearls; lace, cheese cloth and mirrored bird from stash
Adhesives: Scor-Tape and Fabri-Tac

Thanks so much for visiting today! We'd love to see what you can create using our September sketch - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Mini Album Pages

2011-08-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hi folks! I'm rushing to schedule this TBS design team post on Saturday before we lose power due to Hurricane Irene. I'll get photos up and hopefully will be able to talk a little about my project, but I can't guarantee good details yet. I hoped to have all my mini album pages completed for this post, but the earthquake and this darn hurricane rearranged my week.

For our Tic-Tac-Toe challenge I used lace - embossing - pearl. Here are the first two pages:

Each page has pull-out photo tags with journaling space

Page 2


Tags on the left show front and back; On the right is the center tag for name and\or occasion info

Page 3

Tags show front and back;
I used the collection's journaling cards on the back

Card Recipe
Paper - Echo Park Victoria Gardens, including the fabulous sheet journaling cards
Embellishments - Prima Build-A-Book; Seam Binding in Ivory and Lemonade; Pink Rosette ribbon; miscellaneous lace and flower from stash
Medium - Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo; Ranger Ink Blending Tool; Stickles Star Dust
Adhesive - Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac

I'll come back with more details later. There are still a few days to join our Tic-Tac-Toe challenge - won't you come play? You could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Mini Album (Cover)

2011-08-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hello crafty friends! This week the Beary Scrap design team continues with our Tic-Tac-Toe challenge samples. This has been the most fun!

For the longest time I eyed up the Prima Build-A-Book albums (40% off right now!) and wondered if I should take one on. Could I do it? Would I have the patience to complete all the pages? I didn't know... until one day I decided to take the plunge. I could do it! Why not? I'm a crafty sort of gal, right? It's only 8 surfaces to design and cover, and I had confidence.

I received it and it sat on a shelf for weeks. I told myself I didn't have the right paper collection for it. Really, I was chickening out. Haha! Luckily, Echo Park's Victoria Gardens came along and I knew it was the perfect collection to use on this album.

For this challenge I've used lace, dry embossing and pearls. I have the cover completed and the inside pages will follow in the next few weeks. I'm so happy that I've finally started this album and am ready to plan another one. Can you believe it?

If you saw my message on The Beary Scrap Facebook page last week, you might recognize the teal flower. I used the Retro punches to punch out 3 large and medium flowers, spritzed with water and scrunched up. After they dried a little I carefully opened them back up and glued the layers together. Once they dried completely, the tips were tinged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and Star Dust Stickles. It's not bad for a first try *wink*. I think I'll work on lighter card stock and use more Distress Inks to color them in.There are so many possibilities! The large Retro punch is currently out-of-stock, but you can easily achieve the same kind of results with the medium and large Daisy punches. The daisy's pointy tips would work perfectly - have fun with it!

The "Today I wish you..." banner is from the Victoria Gardens Elements Stickers sheet. I cut it out -backing and all- and used Scor-Tape on the left and right edges to elevate it over the crochet lace.

Card Recipe

Paper - Echo Park Victoria Gardens: Rose Garden, Garden Trellis on the left edge; Garden Pond for the bird cage; Delightful Doilies for the bird and wing. I also used Bazzil Basics off-white inside the birdcage, which is where you will find my dry embossing
Medium - Glossy Accents on the bird cage; Stickles Star Dust (just about everywhere); Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo on the edges
Embellishment - Prima Build-A-Book; EP Victoria Gardens Elements Stickers; Ivory seam binding; lace, flowers pearls from stash; Stick pin and charms are made by me.
Tools & Adhesives - Medium and large Retro punches; Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you will consider joining our Tic-Tac-Toe challenge - check out all the fun 3-in-a-row combinations you could use on your project:

Click the pic for all the challenge details!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Fluttering Butterflies

2011-08-15T01:22:00.000-04:00

Hello crafty folks! It's Monday and that means I get to share another Beary Scrap design team project with you. A new challenge starts today where we all get to play Tic-Tac-Toe and choose three in a row!

I've made a tag (oh how I love tags!) using the Tim Holtz Tag & Bookplate die. The beautiful paper is Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden, and my challenge row is "lace-distress-glitter". I wanted to showcase the birdcage and bird on the paper, so I built around them. There is a bit of distressed lace on the bottom (spritzed with Glimmer Mist). I age-distressed the edges of my tag with Vintage Photo ink and the flowers and butterfly spots are glittered with Stickles Star Dust. The Prima vine is tinged with Tattered Rose Distress ink and touched with Stickles Star Dust. The butterflies are cut from one of the PP Butterfly Garden pages, and the hanger is made from apricot seam binding.


Click to make me bigger!

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you can be inspired with all our projects this week to challenge yourself to a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. You could win a $20 voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Just Buzzing By!

2011-08-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello hello, and a hearty "Happy Monday" to everyone! This week the Beary Scrap design team is sharing more samples and hopefully a little inspiration on ways to use our Beary Sweet sketch in our current challenge. It goes on through Midnight, Sunday the 14th. I hope you find time to join us!

For my project this week, I've revisited my old friend, the easel card. I adore this style and can't believe its been months. As you can tell, I've been buzzz-y with the new Echo Park Country Drive papers.

Card Recipe

Stamp: Magnolia
Paper: Echo Park "Country Drive" Leafy Tree Top - this 12x12 paper has smaller versions of some designs on the flip side; Bazzill Basics
Wet Medium: Copic for skin and cheeks; Prismacolor Pencils blended with with OMS; Stickles Star Dust, Diamond; Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo; Glossy Accents on the honey jar
Embellishments: Prima Trellis Rose in Lemon Creme; Prima Fairytale Roses in Buttercup; Mulberry paper roses - 16mm white; handmade bee charm stick pin; rhinestones from stash
Adhesives: 1/4" Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac

Thanks for visiting today, and see you at the Beary Sweet sketch challenge!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Fairy Sweet August Sketch

2011-08-01T00:00:00.003-04:00

Hello Hello! It's Monday *and* the first of the month so I have the new Beary Sweet Sketch Challenge to share with you.

I used the lovely and fun Echo Park Country Drive papers and the Belles 'n Whistles "Fairy Flight" stamp. Isn't she adorable? I used both a 12x12 solid pink design and a smaller 6x6 floral design found on a 12x12 "Sundress" sheet. The white layer behind the sweet fairy is from the 12x12 "Journaling Cards" sheet.

Card Recipe

Stamp: Belles 'n Whistles "Fairy Flight"
Paper: Echo Park Country Drive: Sundress, Petunia Raspberry and Journaling Cards
Medium: Copic markers for skin tones; Stickles Star Dust and Fruit Punch (my new favorite color!); Faber-Castell watercolor pencils
Embellishments: White Mulberry paper roses; Decorative stick pin from my Etsy shop; From stash: all other flowers, lace, pink ribbon, laser cuts
Adhesives and Tools: Brush2O Water Barrel Pen (used with watercolor pencils); 1/4" Scor-Tape; 3D Dots - 1/8" and 1/16"; Fabri-Tac; silicone

Thanks for visiting today! Please check out the challenge and enter by Midnight, August 14th. You could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap - good luck!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Pretty In Pink

2011-07-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hi folks! This week the Beary Scrap design team is showing more samples for our Beary Sweet "Closet Inspiration" challenge. I've been a little worried about my *ahem* dullness-on-hangers, but guess what I found in my closet? Pink! A pink sweater with a cream strip down the sleeve, to be exact. It's a favorite although I can't imagine donning a sweater these days!

Anyway, here's what came of my pink and cream inspiration:

I used Stickles and Glossy Accents on the hand to make it pop.

Card Bits

Stamp - Magnolia Tilda with Umbrella
Paper - My Mind's Eye Be Mine 6x6 stack; Bazzill Basics
Medium - Copics for skin: E000, E00, E11, R20; Prismacolor with OMS; Ranger Stickles in Fruit Punch, Star Dust, Icicle; Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo
Embellishments - Pearls; My Mind's Eye Market Street rhinestone brad; crochet lace and flowers from stash
Adhesives - Scor-Tape; Glue Dots; Fabri-Tac; silicone
Tools - Ranger Ink Blending Tool; EK Success Empressor; sewing machine

Thanks so much for stopping in today! There's plenty of time to get your "Closet Inspiration" challenge project linked up HERE! You could win a $20 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap. Good luck, and i hope you have a great week!

Cheers,
Susan

The Witching Hour

2011-07-24T14:19:00.002-04:00

Boo! Eek! It's the witching hour and little girls should be snuggled under the covers and fast asleep. Although this little one is wide awake as the spirits escape into the night!

I've been working on this off and on throughout the week. I like the end result but know I need a lot more experience with collage work. I don't think it will include a lot of cardboard, though. Have I told you about my cardboard/newprint/kraft paper phobia? The texture... oh, the texture freaks me out! This was a challenge for me folks. *grin*

The base of this wicked and weird collage is corrugated cardboard, on which I layered an embossed scrap of kraft paper, a grungeboard rickety house and the man on the moon. Why is he smiling? Or is that a smirk... hmm.

There are a lot of Tim Holtz products here: halloween stamp, Regal Flourishes embossing folder, Rickety House die used on Grungeboard and Grungeboard numbers (covered in Black Soot Distress ink refill then dried with a heat gun - the effect is cool). I've also used the small game spinners as clock hands, Vintage Photo Distress Ink on edges and Rock Candy Distress Stickles to highlight the embossing. The little girl and moon are vintage images, and the acetate clock face is Heidi Swapp (I think... or maybe Jenni Bowlin?).

I painted the cardboard with matte ivory acrylic paint and then distressed with sanding paper and ink. The Rickety House was painted in glossy black acrylic - I would have used matte if I had it, but, y'know.

That's it for the details, I think. Oh! The branch is a leftover Prima vine, the smoke coming from the chimney is peacock feather and the gauze is natural cheese cloth.

Challenges, Please

Simon Says Stamp and Show (7/24) - Show some embossing
Grungy Monday #16 (7/24) - Use Grungeboard
The Stamp Man #27 (7/29) - Anything by T!m (Holtz)

Thanks for visiting!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Closet Inspiration

2011-07-18T00:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday to all my crafty friends! This week the Beary Scrap design team is showing you new inspiration for our current "Find Inspiration In Your Closet" challenge. When I stood in my closet I was struck by how... er ... boring my wardrobe is these days. I wear a lot of black and khaki and don't go in for the fun and funky detailing you see on a lot of fashion these days. (Oh boy do I sound old!) In lieu of the fancy stuff and avoiding the flowery knickers in my girly drawer (for your sake, really), I decided to love all over my purple and green plaid linen bathrobe. Hey! It's not as dorky as it sounds!

Click for a bigger view!

I adore Prima floral papers and was happy to find a few that coordinate with the ol' cover-up. :) The bird and cage were made using a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die. The bird from a scrap of Prima paper and the cage from really thin cherry wood paper.

Card Recipe

Paper: Prima 6x6 paper stack - Fairy Flora; Bazzill Basics; cherry wood paper for the cage
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Victorian Velvet, Vintage Photo, Bundled Sage; Stickles in Picket Fence and Star Dust
Embellishments: White Mulberry Paper Roses colored with Distress Inks; Seam Binding; die cut branches; crochet lace from stash
Adhesives: Fabri-Tac; 3D Glue Dots in 1/8" and 1/16"

Thanks for visiting today! Please join our current challenge - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Happy Birthday

2011-07-11T00:07:00.004-04:00

Hey there crafty folks! I hope you had a great weekend. This week the Beary Scrap design team is showing more samples for our current Sketch Challenge & Blog Candy. On Thursday our next Guest Designer is sharing her first project with us. I can't wait to see what Lori Leng of Pinkcloud Scrappers will show us first! At the end of the week Jamie will usher in a new challenge and we will announce our winners on Sunday the 17th. We have a busy week in store for you!

I've gone whimsical and cute for this week's project. I knew I wanted to color my new Balloon Kaylee stamp and went poking through my papers to find a good match. Lo and behold I found the cutest My Mind's Eye Alphabet Soup papers. I forgot I had them!

Click the pic for a larger view

I combined 2 lines from My Mind's Eye - Alphabet Soup for the papers and Tickled Pink for the ric-rac and brad inside the big flower. I love how these 2 lines coordinate!

Kaylee is layered and I'm still decided whether to use Star Dust Stickles on either the headband or balloon. It seems needed up there, but I'm not sure which to do. What do you think?

Oh, and the "Happy Birthday" stamp included with Kaylee will go on the inside panel.It's just, um, not quite finished. :)

Challenges, Please

Some Odd Girl (7/13) - Bright and Blinding (Er... I'd say this is vibrant, but maybe not blinding...)

Card Recipe

Stamp: Some Odd Girl's Kaylee
Paper: Bazzill Basics (50% clearance!); My Mind's Eye Alphabet Soup (Girl) - Sunny Stripes, Lovely
Medium: Copic for skin (E000, E00, E11); Prismacolor with OMS; Glimmer Mist; Stickles - Fruit Punch around the edges, Stardust on flowers and Kaylee; Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo blended with Spun Sugar on the striped layer, Broken China on the heart layer.
Embellishments: My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy Tickled Pink Trim; Fine & Dandy Tickled Pink Decorative Brads (flower center); "Leandro Blue" seam binding behind Bazzill tulle; 16mm & 10mm Mulberry paper roses - 16mm white is spritzed with Clover Glimmer Mist; Killam Creatables Decorative Pins; crochet flower from stash
Adhesives: 1/4" Scor-Tape; 3D Dots; silicone

Click to go to the challenge!

Blog Candy!

That's it for me! I hope to see you at our challenge, going on through Thursday night!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Sketch and Christmas in July

2011-07-04T00:17:00.002-04:00

Hello crafty friends! I hope all our American readers are having fabulous Independence Day celebrations. Today we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. July 4, 1776 was a monumental day in the history of the newly formed United States of America. Today we celebrate with parties, fireworks and pools. It's one big birthday party for the nation. Happy birthday!

So, with that said... at The Beary Scrap we're in the midst of our July Sketch Challenge. The design team is shaking it up a bit by adding a Christmas in July theme to our projects. Notice how that happens to go with our Christmas in July blog candy? Hey, we planned it right!

Of course, I'm ignoring the fact that I'm posting a Christmas card on July 4th... but can't red and green be considered national colors, too? *grin*

This is Magnolia's "Tilda with Fir" and happens to be the stamp included with our challenge blog candy. Isn't she adorable? This is a pretty simple card made with papers that really seemed to do the designing work for me. They are from a Webster's Pages 6x6 pack. See the background paper? I used the front of the stack for this layer. Underneath the plaid layer is the "petit papers" logo - it's like getting an extra sheet in an already fabulous paper pad!

Card Recipe

Stamp: Magnolia - check out the Christmas selection here. It's all on sale!
Paper: Bazzill Basics; Webster's Pages "Waiting for Santa/Sweet Season" 6x6 pad
Medium: Copics for skin (E000, E00, E01); Prismacolor pencils with OMS; Ranger Distress ink in Vintage Photo; Stickles in Diamond and Distress Stickles in Frosted Lace (on the white roses)
Embellishements: Ivory Seam Binding; Mulberry Paper Roses in 20mm and 10mm; Killam Creatables beaded pin set; crochet flower from Willowfolk on Etsy; all others from stash
Adhesives: Scor-Tape; 3D Glue Dots in 1/8" and 1/16"; Fabri-tac

Thanks so much for visiting today! Please join our Beary Sweet Sketch Challenge - all entries are eligible to win our blog candy as well as the $20 gift voucher! It goes on through July 14th - I hope to see *your* fun projects!

Cheers,
Susan

Happy 4th and an Etsy sale!

2011-07-02T23:36:00.002-04:00

Hi folks - hope everyone is having a fun weekend so far! As I type this I can hear fireworks going off at the ball park. So much fun!

Just a quick note that I have a bunch of new decorative pin sets and stick pins in my Etsy shop. This weekend you can use coupon code JULY10 for 10% off your order.

Happy weekend!

TBS DT: Travelin' Teddy

2011-06-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

Hi there crafty friends! Happy Monday to you. Before I chat up this week's project, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Guest Designer Brenda, who posted her last project this past Saturday. Sweetie, thank you so much for bringing such fun projects to our challenges. You and I have very different styles yet I learned something new from you almost every week over the last 3 months. It's been amazing to see what you design, and I am completely honest when I say you've taught me to think differently. Thanks Brenda!

This week the design team is continuing with our DIY embellishments to go along with our Do It Yourself Embellishment challenge. Seeing all the different embellishments by the design team last week was very inspiring to me!

For today's project I decided to make a mulberry paper "Tear Bear" as my DIY. It's been a looong time for me - at least a year! You may not know this, but Tear Bears are what brought me to The Beary Scrap in the first place. I was a novice bear maker and our very own Kimm was incredibly patient while I learned. I peppered her with a million questions and she answered every one of them with kindness. These days the Beary Sweet Designs acrylic patterns make it *so easy* to whip up a Tear Bear, and the written instructions HERE are brilliant.

I used the Tattered Teddy pattern on this card. Since Tattered Teddy came out, I've been playing around with the idea of making him slouch against a dress form die cut on a very shabby chic styled card. It turned out that my dress form die is too small for Teddy, so I went in a different direction with this project. (One day I will do it, but with the Baby Bear pattern instead.)

Here's Travelin' Teddy, working his way around the globe!

Card Recipe

Paper: Prima 6x6 pad - Botanical; Mulberry paper in "Caramel" and "White"; Bazzill Basics; suitcase printed on textured Canson Mi-Tiente paper
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo
Embellishments: Beary Sweet Designs Tattered Teddy acrylic pattern; Mulberry Paper 16mm white roses and rose buds; Tim Holtz Filmstrip Ribbon; Kaisercraft pearls; lace, pink flower, charms, ribbon from stash
Tools: Complete Tear Bear Making Kit; Honey Bee scissors; Scor-Pal; sewing machine
Adhesives: 1/4" Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac; 1/8" and 1/16" 3D Dots

Thanks for visiting today! Our DIY Embellishment challenge goes on through Thursday night - come play with us! You could win a $20 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap! Thursday is also the last day for Guest Designer Debbie. *sob* It's been a thrill to have both Debbie and Brenda with us for the last 3 months. I can't believe it's almost over. Ladies, thanks for all your wonderfully inspiring projects!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: DIY Crinoline Flower

2011-06-20T10:44:00.004-04:00

Hello crafty friends! This week The Beary Scrap design team is continuing with Do It Yourself Embellishment samples to go along with our current challenge. I've been a fan of crinoline flowers seen here and there and decided to try it myself! Thanks to my blogging buddy Linda Caughlin, the Funkie Junkie, for offering crinoline for sale, 'cause my local fabric store doesn't. :)

Click for a bigger, better view!

I used Tim Holtz/Sizzix Tattered Florals die and cut three medium flowers and 2 of the smallest flowers on the die. I pressed one of each flower size into a Spun Sugar Distress Ink pad, and the others were spritzed with Glimmer Mist. It has a pink-ish brown-ish color and was perfect for the vintage look. I used a heat tool and tweezers to dry each flower then poked a hole in the centers. The flower "pollen" is a button from the My Mind's Eye Market Street button set.

The tag is cut using the Tim Holtz Tag & Bookplate die. I used the Madison Avenue Dress Shop Glitter paper. Ages ago I cut out the dress form from this paper but never used the rest of it. Luckily I cut close enough to the form that I was able to use the sewing machine image as a design element on this tag, weeks later. Yay for pack rats!

As I was finishing this, I knew I'd make another one that would fix things I didn't like. Unfortunately I didn't plan any of the design except the dress form and crinoline flower. The sewing came late and the corseting after that. Unfortunately I had already added a back panel to cover the sewing bits so the corseting is visible on back.

The stamp in the upper corner is from the Tim Holtz Haberdashery set, and should be embossed instead of flat. I like the image there, but not it's flatness.

The twine on the faux spool is from the Madison Avenue collection, and the needle from my stash. And here's the rest of the story:

Card Recipe

Paper - My Mind's Eye Madison Avenue: "Pretty" Dress Shop Glitter; "Cherish" Pintuck on the back; dress form and faux thread spool are cut from Madison Ave's "Girlfriends" Lovely Glittered Paper
Medium - Ranger Distress Ink's Vintage Photo layered over Spun Sugar in the edges, and Spun Sugar on the flower layers; Glimmer Mist
Embellishments - My Mind's Eye Madison Avenue: "Happily Ever After" Trim on the thread spool and rhinestone buttons Kaisercraft Pearls in Latte; Baby Pink Seam Binding on the corseting, and both Baby Pink and Ivory as the tag's hanger; lace, eyelets and needle charm from stash
Tools - Tim Holtz Alterations Sizzix dies: Tattered Florals, Tag & Bookplate and Sewing Room die
Adhesives - 1/4" Scor-Tape; 1/8" 3D Dots; Fabri-Tac

Thanks so much for stopping by today. The design team will be showing all sorts of cool DIY embellishments all week, and hopefully we can inspire you to join our Beary Sweet "DIY Embellishment" Challenge. It's going on now through June 30th - come play with us!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: For The Birds

2011-06-13T00:51:00.001-04:00

Hiya crafty friends! I hope you had a great weekend. We got rained out at a local minor league baseball game. It was a shame since the game had serious promise (1st- and 3rd-placed teams in the league). Anyway... I can hear your yawns, so I'll get on with my BSC #27 sketch sample. You still have a little time to get crackin' on an entry of your own and have a great chance to win a $20 gift voucher for The Beary Scrap! This sketch proved to be a bit challenging for some folks - are *you* up to the challenge?

For this project I relied on my My Mind's Eye Portobello Road paper and embellishment collection. I threw in a little Bazzill brown, distress ink and an assortment of adhesives. Seriously! All four of My Mind's Eye's Lost and Found collections are like one-stop-shopping for cardmakers!

Card Recipe

Paper - Bazzill; My Mind's Eye Portobello Road - various patterned sheets, including "Buddies" Perfect Glitter Paper and "Family" First Class Glitter Paper
Medium - Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo; hairspray to seal glitter to paper
Embellishments - Portobello Road "Buddies" Decorative Trim and brads (sold out). Crepe paper flower is discarded crepe from another Portobello Road trim kit.
Adhesives - Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac; 3D Dots 1/8"; 3D Dots - 1/16"
Tools - Scor-Pal; Honey Bee Scissors; Ranger Blending Tool

I hope this can inspire you to join our Beary Sweet Sketch challenge - you have until Midnight tomorrow (Tuesday) to come and play!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: June Sketch

2011-06-06T00:03:00.004-04:00

Hello crafty friends! It's another Monday - oh, how does the weekend go so fast? It was a beautiful one here, and we took advantage and trimmed trees and weeded. I hated the work but love the results!

This week the Beary Scrap design team is showing samples using our current Beary Sweet Sketch Challenge. We're adding a little extra element to our projects in the form of seam binding.

Here's my take on the sketch. I wasn't sure about the sketch at first, but fell in love with it as I pulled the Bo Bunny Vicky B papers together. There are so many wonderful designs in this 6x6 paper stack that I had no problem at all. I adore these colors!

I used the wooden dragonfly from Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden collection (currently sold out in the store - sorry!). I gave it a base coat of pearly white and pink acrylic paints and then painted the body and part of the wings with glue, then sprinkled copper German Glass Glitter. On the wing tips I used the German Glass Glitter in white, with an itty bitty bit of Star Dust Stickles on the very ends.

The pink brads are from My Mind's Eye Madison Ave and the green swirl brad in the flower is from the We R Memory Keepers "Inspiration" Eyelet & Snap set.

The mulberry paper roses were spritzed with a light green Glimmer Mist and touched with Star Dust Stickles. The crocheted flower is an Etsy find from an awesome seller called Willowfolk and the decorative pins are from my new Killam Creatables line (available on Etsy!).

Card Recipe

Paper - Bo Bunny "Vicky B" 6x6 paper pad; Bazzill Basics Walnut, Lime, Orange, Off-white
Medium - Meyer Imports German Glass Glitter in Copper and White; Ranger Distress Ink in Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo; Ranger Stickles in Lime Green, Frosted Lace, Star Dust (at the very end of the wing tips), Antique Bronze; Glimmer Mist in a light green
Embellishments - Pink Paislee's wood dragonfly; Mulberry paper roses; Ivory seam binding; We R Memory Keepers "Inspiration" Eyelet & Snap set; Killam Creatables Decorative Pins
Tools - Ranger Blending Tool; Scor-Pal
Adhesives - 1/4" Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac; 1/16" Glue Dots

Thanks for visiting today. I really hope you can join our Beary Sweet Sketch Challenge, going on now through June 14th. Come play with us and you could win a $20 gift voucher!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Mischievous Fairy!

2011-05-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

Hello hello! It's Memorial Day here in the US, and I hope with all my heart that everyone takes a moment to celebrate and remember those who fought the good fight. Thank you all.

This week Gini and I are wrapping up our current Beary Sweet "Nature" Challenge before Patricia kicks off a new sketch challenge on Wednesday. Can you believe June is almost here?!

I can't seem to break away from butterflies during my nature-themed projects, and this last one is no different. :) This time, it seems the fairy has released the butterflies from captivity!

Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden line is the name of the game on this Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix die cut tag. I've used Butterfly Garden for both the tag itself and the cut-out butterflies. The fairy was cut from the "Botanical Garden" sheet.

The Butterfly Garden wood cage (currently sold out - check back for more) was colored with Tattered Rose Distress Ink and then randomly dotted with the same color Distress Stickles. I was very inspired by Guest DT Debbie and her pink glittered cage of 2 weeks ago!

I added Star Dust Stickles to all the wings and mulberry paper flowers, and used Frosted Lace Stickles on the rose for a little glitter without all the glamour.

Card Recipe

Paper - Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden "Butterfly Wings" and "Botanical Garden" 12x12 sheets
Medium -Ranger Distress Ink in Tattered Rose and Vintage Photo; Ranger Stickles in Star Dust and Frosted Lace, and Distress Stickles in Tattered Rose.
Embellishment -Sage seam binding; hand cut butterflies and fairy from the Butterfly Garden sheets; Pink Paislee wood cage; Mulberry Paper Roses; assorted pearls; decorative pins from my collection
Adhesive -Fabri-Tac
Tools - Tim Holtz Alterations "Tag & Bookplate Die"; Honeybee Scissors for precision cutting

Thanks for visiting today! You shave until midnight EST tomorrow to enter your Nature-inspired project into our Beary Sweet Challenge. You could win a $20 voucher to The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

Introducing Killam Creatables Decorative Pin Sets

2011-05-25T02:11:00.004-04:00

Hello hello dear crafty friends! So many folks have emailed about the pin sets I use on my cards that I decided it's time to share. I now have decorative pin sets available in my Etsy shop. :)

Since Memorial Day weekend is coming up, everything in the shop is 10% off - use coupon code MEMORIAL10! Be sure to read the shop announcement at the top - I'll be frantically working on new pin sets (as long as I don't get distracted by bright, shiny things!) and will gladly combine shipping on multiple orders through Monday (but won't ship combined orders until Tuesday, of course.)

Beads are glass - either lampwork, glass or faceted crystal. All of these pins are 2" long with flat ends (not pointy). I find that length is perfect to tuck behind a flower or ribbon arrangement on my cards. Here are some examples:

I'll continue to add new sets, including OOAK lampwork beads, fun dangles and larger stick pins and sets. I can even customize a "Killam Creatables" set for you if you wish!

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Nature's Flutters

2011-05-23T00:00:00.011-04:00

Hello hello and happy Monday to you! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I had a birthday... and it was good. *wink*

So, this is Week 2 of our Beary Sweet Nature Challenge, where you can enter any project that you think conjures up "nature" in your noggin. As a bonus challenge to the design team, we have to include a charm in our project. Easy enough!

Kimm just got this fun filmstrip ribbon into the store, and I decided to use that as my jumping-off point. Here's what happened when it all landed:

Card Recipe

Paper: Bo Bunny Gabrielle 6x6 pad; Bazzill Basics Lily Pad and Walnut
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Walnut Stain; Stickles Star Dust and Patina; Ranger Glossy Accents as a top layer on the bitty butterflies; Irridescent acrylic paints on the Pink Paislee wood butterfly
Embellishments: Tiny butterflies cut from a sheet in the Gabrielle paper pad with homemade wire antennae; Tim Holtz Idea-ology film strip ribbon (available soon in the store!); Pearls; Assorted Prima flowers; Hand made decorative stick pins; crochet lace from stash
Adhesive: 1/4" Scor-Tape; 3D Dots - 1/8" black
Tools: Scor-Pal (check out the Scor-Pal Mini!); Ranger Blending Tool; sewing machine

Thanks for visiting today! Come back all week for more great design team samples of our Nature theme. I hope you can enter our Beary Sweet Nature challenge, too. You could win a $20 voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Nature Challenge

2011-05-16T00:28:00.003-04:00

Hello hello! I hope you had a great weekend. Rain threatened but the skies never opened up here, and Sunday afternoon ended up gorgeous. I love spring!

Yesterday we launched our newest Beary Sweet Challenge with a theme of "Nature". I've pulled a few flowers and the butterfly came along - how much more nature can one get? The embossed area in the center is for a photo that slides right in the top.This is for a friend to give as a gift - how nice!

This is part of a set for a friend to give to a bride and her mother. You can see the first "card frame" on last week's post HERE. By the way, if you saw it last week in it's not-quite-finished stage, check it out now. It's finished and so much better! *grin*

Card Recipe

Paper - Prima 6x6 pack - Fairy Flora
Medium - Ranger Distress Ink in Walnut Stain; Stickles Star Dust
Embellishments - 10mm white mulberry rose and other mulberry flowers from my stash; The butterfly is cut from a Prima Vine; Kaisercraft Pearls; lace from stash
Adhesives - Scor-Tape in 1/4" and 1/8"; 3D Dots in 1/16" and 1/8"
Tools - Scor-Pal; Ranger Ink Blending Tool

Thanks for stopping in today. There are 2 weeks to enter your Nature-inspired project in our challenge - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap! See you there!

Cheers,
Susan

Steampunk Altered Matchbox

2011-05-12T12:44:00.000-04:00

Hiya! I've been playing around with another swap over at Craftster.org. This time we took a perfectly normal little 32-count matchbox (found at a dollar store in 10-packs) and turned it into something cool. There are a ton of neat ones posted in this thread. You can see the cool leather suitcase my swap partner sent me HERE (page 39, about halfway down the page).

So, my swap partner is a Steampunk fan so I went with it. I used the fabulous easel style to stand my fairy gentleman up.

The black & gold paper is Japanese washi paper I found at the Craft Fantastic booth at a jewelry show last month. This paper is absolutely delicious! I bought a bunch in floral designs and I'm not sure if I can use it or just crouch in the corner and pet it. My lovelies.... *ahem*

All of the metal bits (except the chain) are assorted Tim Holtz pieces. The acrylic clock face might be 7 Gypsies or Heidi Swapp... can't remember off-hand.

The gold paper inside the drawer is recycled from a Christmas card envelope. I *knew* there would be a use for it one day!

The monocle is a jump ring filled with Glossy Accents. His wings are a vintage image found online. I printed it out and covered with Glossy Accents, dried and then used my trusty black Marvy marker to ink the edges. I used gold embroidery thread to attach the chain to the gentleman's coat.

As a finishing touch I covered the backs with black card stock.

This is the pile of goodies I stuffed into the drawer before sending off to my partner.

That's it for me today! Thanks for visiting - see you soon!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: May Sketch - Framed

2011-05-09T00:00:00.007-04:00

Hello hello and happy Monday to you! We're smack dab in the middle of our May sketch challenge and the design team is bringing more samples to tickle your fancy and get your creative juices flowing. This week we're adding a little extra design team challenge - embossing.

My project is sorta kinda still in the works. We had house guests this weekend and they were way too much fun to steal away for a little crafty time. *wink* Sooo, here's the front of a future easel card. A friend wants a set of frame cards as gifts for a wedding shower. One for the bride and one for the bride's mom. How nice!

The wedding colors include a teal-ish blue, so I went with the deliciously muted tones of papers from the Prima Botanical 6x6 stack. The lace-covered frame has an opening at the top for the photo.

My embossing was done with folders - the dots give the blank "pre-photo" area a little interest, and the embossed swirl above the flower mirror the pearly swirls.

It's hard to see in this photo, but the easel panel on the bottom has the same swirl embossing as the front.

Card Recipe

Paper: Prima Botanical 6x6 stack; Bazzill Basics Truffle and Avalanche
Medium: Distress Ink in Vintage Photo; Distress Stickles in Star Dust
Embellishments: (3)Kaisercraft Pearls in Snow; Flower, lace, pearl swirls from stash
Adhesive: Scor-tape; EK Success 3D Foam Dots in 1/8" and 1/16"

Thanks for visiting - check back all week for great samples from our design team! There's still time to enter your project using our Beary Sweet sketch - you could win a $20 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Tilda Jumps for Joy!

2011-05-02T00:00:00.008-04:00

Hello crafty friends! It's Monday after a busy gardening weekend, which means I'm feeling achy but good after all that weeding. Phew! Who knew some weeds just don't die over the winter? I've got this wicked grassy stuff that sends out runners and .... oh my, you don't need to hear about my herb bed woes. Let's take a look at this week's Beary Scrap Design Team card, then! *So* much more fun.

We have a new sketch challenge for you, and I was inspired to color up a Magnolia stamp. I *know*! It's been a long time, but Tilda doesn't seem to be bothered - she's jumping for joy!

I layered her up and used copious amounts of Star Dust Stickles. The papers are the fun and springy Old World Cabbage Stew from Jillibean Soup. The butterflies are vintage images printed and cut out - I added wire antennae and Stickles for a little more detail. The pins are homemade.

Our Beary Sweet Sketch challenge goes on through May 14 - we'd love to see your entries based on this sketch. C'mon over and play!

Card Recipe

Stamp - Magnolia
Paper - Jillibean Soup Old World Cabbage Stew; Bazzill Basics in Mud Pie and Guacamole
Medium - Copic for skin tones; Prismacolor pencils blended with OMS for the rest of Tilda; Stickles Star Dust; Distress Ink in Vintage Photo on the paper and flower edges
Embellishments - 16mm Mulberry Paper Rose (white); Kaisercraft Pearls in snow; all others from stash
Tools - Scor-Pal; Ranger Blending Tool; Honey Bee Scissors; trusty sewing machine
Adhesives - Scor-Tape 1/4"; Fabri-Tac; EK Success 3D Dots 1/8"

Challenges, Please [Wow! I haven't been able to enter so many in AGES! Thanks for your consideration!]

The Artistic Stamper (5/31) - Lovely Ladies and Gorgeous Girls
Magnolia Down Under #94 (5/7) - Lace and ribbon
Magnolia Stamp Lovers (5/7) - Flowers
Totally Tilda #21 (5/7) - Paper Piecing
Totally Gorjuss #78 (5/6) - 1-2-3 [1 - Neglected Magnolia, happy to see ink!; 2 - handmade stick pins; 3 - pretty pearls]
If The Shoe Fits #77 (5/5) - Things with Wings
Stamp Something (5/5) - Things with Wings
Fussy and Fancy (5/5) - Springtime [See how happy Tilda is for Spring flowers?]

Thanks for visiting me today! I hope you enjoyed my Tilda, too.

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Wings & Insects Week!

2011-04-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

Hello crafty friends! I hope you had a beautiful weekend. We're in the final week for our Beary Sweet Challenge using a "Wings" theme. We have some great entries and hope to see yours, too. You could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

This week the design team is adding an insect to our winged projects. This ought to be fun!

I've made another tag - oh how I love working on this small "canvas"! The Basic Grey Capella line is quite delicious, and I've chosen this vine design as my "jumping off point". This design is sold out but you can find a similar one with BG's Figaro paper - check it out!

Even though this tag isn't a "busy" one, it's full of technique. The bird and cage were cut with Tim Holtz "Caged Bird" die using grungepaper. I colored the paper with Vintage Photo Distress Stain - if you don't have that one hand you can use brown Bazzill card stock!

My next step was to stamp all over the cage with the text stamp from My Mind's Eye/Portobello Road "Boy" stamp set. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink and stamped a couple of times to cover the cage. Once that was done I covered all the cage "wires" with Glossy Accents and set aside to dry.

While that dried I looked through my BG Cappella stash for a good bird paper. I decided this one worked well with the little flower "eye" and the swoosh would make a great wing. I used a Kaisercraft black pearl for the eye and gussied up the wing and eye with Star Dust Stickles. Oh, and I layered a little Vintage Photo and Weathered Wood Distress Ink on the edges.

I used the FABULOUS Empressor tool to round my bird's edges and give him a little volume. All you have to do is lay the item (bird, flower, etc) on a piece of foam and make little circles with the Empressor all along the edges so they curl up. It works great with flowers "right side up" and I turned my bird upside down to make his little body stick out. I used to use vintage glass swizzle sticks and paint brush handles and find this tool so much smoother. It's a must-have!

The rose vine is made of Mulberry Paper Roses and leaves from my stash. I inked them with Tattered Rose and used the same color Stickles. Once dry I jus would them around the outside edge of the cage. I love how this vine mimics the vine-y pattern on the tag background.

My insect is a little bumble bee on a homemade stick pin. The seam binding (now in stock!) is Latte and oh-so-luscious. I can't wait to get my crafty little hands on all the wonderful colors!

Card Recipe

Paper: Basic Grey Cappella
Medium: Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose and Weathered Wood; Glossy Accents; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Stickles in Star Dust; Distress Stickles in Tattered Rose
Embellishments: Mulberry Paper Roses; Seam Binding in Latte; Kaisercraft Pearl in black; all others from stash
Tools: Tim Holtz Alterations Tag & Bookplate die; My Mind's Eye/Lost and Found/Portobello Road "Boy" stamp set; Journaling Genie Empressor tool
Adhesives: Fabri-Tac on the vine side of the cage and bird wing; 1/8" Scor-Tape on the right side of cage; silicone under the bird for the 3D effect

Thanks so much for visiting today. We all really hope to see your entries on our "Wings" challenge, going on now through Saturday night!

Cheers,

Susan

TBS DT: Butterfly Wings

2011-04-18T00:00:00.020-04:00

Hey there crafty folks! I hope you had a great weekend. Can you believe it's Monday already? *sheesh* This week at The Beary Scrap Design Team & Challenge Blog we're fluttering around with a "Wings" theme. As you know, our Beary Sweet challenge is going on right now with the very same "Wings" theme! What a coincidence... :)

Last week Patricia used Colorbox chalk ink on her Pink Paislee butterfly wood shape with great success. For my project today I decided to get out the acrylic paints and see what would happen.

Click to make bigger!

Hee hee, I can't say I totally love it, but it's not bad. I painted the russet color then used a dry brush to swish the lighter, orange-y color on the center parts. The swirls are made from Ranger's Liquid Pearls and a not-so-steady hand. Honestly, I can't draw a stick figure standing straight. *sigh*

The paper is Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden 12x12 sheet of "Flower Blooms". I cut is specifically to show the bumble bee and clock along the right edge. One of the things I really like about these decorated 12x12's is how I can pick and choose what section to use. The inside layers are also from the same sheet, but different sections and different 'scenes'. I'll add photos of the inside once it's completed. As the card came together I ended up putting the seam binding/calendar grouping on the right instead of the planned left corner. It covered the bumble bee but made more sense with the other elements.

The Beary Scrap will have loads of seam binding on the shelves soon - I can't wait for all the yummy colors! It's all wrapped up with a button from My Mind's Eye/Lost & Found/Madison Avenue. The pin is made from my supplies. I spritzed some of the mulberry roses with Vanilla Breeze Glimmer Mist. The grungeboard swirls were colored with distress stain and then spritzed with the same Glimmer Mist.

The calendar is a digital print and interchangeable with other months - I didn't attach it because I'm not sure how it will be used. I'm partial to May, though, since I celebrate my birthday all month.

You think I'm kidding, don't you?

I wanted to show you the layering that can be done with Distress inks and a Ranger Blending Tool. Here's a photo of the three blending stages:

Click for a larger version

Ok, maybe it's really only two stages! First I used green Peeled Paint on the edge and toward the middle a little, then used Vintage Photo on the edge only. Adding the Vintage Photo gives it a little more depth and a vintage feel!

Card Recipe

Paper: Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden 12x12 - Flower Blooms and Botanical Gardens (pink middle layer); Bazzill Basics
Medium: Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose; Glimmer Mist Vanilla Breeze; Distress Stickles in Peeled Paint; Stickles Star Dust; acrylic paint; Distress Stain Vintage Photo
Embellishments: Button from MME Madison Avenue; Mulberry Paper Roses; seam binding (in the store soon!); Kaisercraft Pearls
Adhesives: 1/4" Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac
Tools: Scor-Pal; Ranger Blending Tool; Honey Bee Scissors

That's it for me. Thanks for visiting today, and remember to enter your "Wings" project in our challenge HERE by April 30th. Good luck!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: April Sketch with Pastels

2011-04-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hello hello! Happy Monday to you. This week the design team is showing more variations of our Beary Sweet April Sketch challenge. It's such a fun, easy one! We're adding a little extra challenge to each other to add pastel colors in our projects.

I'm still on my bird kick, so here's another version of a bird 'n cage. Funny little note - the *last* thing I feel about life is "caged in", yet I continue to play with the concept. At least the bird on this card is outside the wires!

My papers are from the Prima Fairy Flora 6x6 pad. There is quite a selection of Prima pads in the store now, and they are *all* delicious!

Card Recipe

Paper: Prima Fairy Flora 6x6 pad; Bazzill Basics
Medium: Distress Ink in Pumice, Tattered Rose and Weathered Wood
Embellishments: Prima Vines; Kaisercraft Pearls in Snow; Seam Binding (in the store soon!); others from stash
Tools: Scor-Pal; Blending Tool
Adhesives: Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac; Glue Dots 1/16"

So that's it for me - thanks for visiting! There are still a few days to whip up a project and enter into our BSC #23 challenge. You could win a $20 gift voucher!

Cheers,
Susan

GM #2: What Color is the Wind?

2011-04-09T14:54:00.005-04:00

Thanks so much to the great folks at Allsorts for choosing this for their Top 5 "Anything But A Square" challenge!

Click to see all the winners!

Hello hello! I'm here with this week's Grungy Monday challenge over at Studio L3. It was actually donedonedone Thursday, but I've been mucking about with the Beadfest show in Philadelphia, so this is the first chance I've had to post. Heh, better than last week when I posted 1 hour before the challenge closed. Ha!

Anyway, we were tasked to use a Ranger technique demonstrated by Tim Holtz HERE (it's a video tutorial). It's all about using Distress Ink with Studio Multi Medium to create this cool color resist effect.

To start my design, I reviewed the TH dies I have and decided to use the Tattered Leaves. I found the calender strip unused in my paper bits and went with an Autumn theme. I suppose if I had Spring months this would look completely different!

(Click to enlarge)

I made a foam stamp from TH Tattered Leaves dies and stamped with the medium. Once that was dry I used Distress Ink in to color the page around the leaves, and wiped the ink off the leaves themselves with a damp paper towel. I don't have that specific medium so I used something else then covered it with Rock Candy Distress Stickles. I like the effect, even if it was to cover up the other stuff. *wink*

What's this about the wind, you ask? I wanted the grungeboard swirl to represent the wind and spent a lot of time debating the color of wind. Weathered Wood Distress stain won out! I spritzed it with Pearl Glimmer Mist once dry. One other detail to share: The lace is vintage tatting I scored at an antique shop. Cool, huh?

Challenges, Please

Grungy Monday #2 (4/10): Distress Ink and Multi Medium
Allsorts #98 (4/15): Anything But A Square
Gingersnap Creations #96 (4/24): 3rd Annual Copper, Ginger or Rust
Simon Says Stamp and Show (4/10): Anything But A Card

Thanks for visiting! If you want to learn more about this Tim Holtz guy, check out his site HERE!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: April Sketch for Connie

2011-04-04T00:00:00.011-04:00

Thanks so much to the Creative Belli design team for choosing this card as one of their fabulous Belles of the Belli for the "Think Seamstress" challenge.

Heartfelt thanks also go out to the fabby girls at If the Shoe Fits... Scrap It! for making this card one of their Top 3 for the Sew Crazy challenge.

Hello crafty friends! Here we are in another month, a new week and a sparkly new sketch challenge at the Beary Scrap DT & Challenge blog! It's a simple sketch but you know me - I went and complicated the whole thing with floof and stuff all over the front of my card! Ooh, speaking of floof - check out the mohair crochet flower. Isn't it divine? Check out the oh-so-talented willowfolk on Etsy for floofy goodness of your very own!

I *promise* you that the sketch is there! Luckily the inside panel reflects the clean and simple version...

I made this card for Connie's birthday.... Oh, you don't know Connie? Neither do I, actually. A lovely local lady requested the card for a friend right after she received one of my designs for her own birthday. How nice is that?

I used Basic Grey's Capella papers - remember that line? It's so easy to get caught up in the "new" and lose sight of what is already on hand. Every month Kimm gets new paper lines into the store and I ooh-n-ahh over it. Very quickly the gotta have it - gotta use it now now now feeling sets in and last month's lovelies get pushed aside.

Not anymore! At least, not for right now. I poked around my TBS bins and found the beautiful Basic Grey Capella line and all those warm fuzzies came rushing back. It was like an old friend reaching out for a much-needed hug... too much? *ahem* I'll move on.

Here's the whole kit and caboodle:

Challenges, Please!

Bunny Zoe #10 (4/10) - Birthday with Lots of Pearls
Creative Belli (4/11) - Sewing (and seam binding!)
Allsorts #97 (4/8) - Bloomin' Blossoms
Paper Romance #44 (4/6) - Bling
Paper Sundaes #63 (4/9) - Spring Blossoms
If The Shoe Fits #73 (4/7) - Sew Crazy
Inspiration Emporium #1 (4/30) - Use Fragments

Card Recipe

Paper: Basic Grey Capella in 12x12 pages and 6x6 pad; Bazzill Basics Mud Pie and Adobe, with French Vanilla on the envelope
Medium: Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose and Bundled Sage; Stickles Star Dust and Tattered Rose
Embellishments: Seam Binding Ribbon - coming soon to The Beary Scrap!; Basic Grey Cappella Stitched Brads (crocheted flower center); mulberry paper flowers; all others from stash
Adhesives: Fabri-Tac; Scor-Tape; Glossy Accents - layered between clear plastic charm and "Happy Birthday Connie"
Tools: Scor-Pal; Ranger Ink Blending Tool; Honey Bee Non-Stick Scissors; sewing machine

That's it for my sketch sample. Please go HERE to our sketch challenge and join in the fun - you could win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

GM #1: This Card Describes Me to a T

2011-04-03T21:04:00.004-04:00

Hello crafty friends! So there's this brand spankin' new challenge for those of us who like to dabble in The Grunge. It's called Grungy Monday and it's run by none other than the lovely Linda of Studio L3 fame. It's all about being inspired by Tim Holtz - whether it's a technique or product, each week Linda throws down the gauntlet and challenges us to be inspired.

For Grungy Monday the First, we were sent to this Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas 2008 post to inspect the techniques. Here's what I did with the masking technique and a Perfect Pearls concoction as well as wet embossing.

The Queen of Last Minute. Oh yea, that's me. Here' it is Sunday night and the challenge closes in one hour. Queen of Last Minute? Who, me?

I used purple Perfect Pearls spritz on the crown mask (and wide crochet ribbon), and the wet embossing for the pen nibs stamp was done with Versafine black ink and clear detail embossing powder. Here's a somewhat better photo of the pen nibs. I painted them with a little mixture of Perfect Pearls and water, but the purple is faint.

Ok, I'm going to post and rush over to enter the challenge. I'll come back to waffle on about this card more in a bit.

Challenges, Please!

Grungy Monday #1 (4/3) - Tim Holtz Techniques
The Stamp Man #19 (4/7 ) - Anything Tim
The Artistic Stamper (4/30) - Build It Up with Layers (stamped image is pen nibs)

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Quick Spring Tag

2011-03-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hi there and happy spring! Depending on where you live you might have gotten a surprise spring snow over the weekend. What was up with that? Sunday morning we woke up to a couple of inches of the fluffy white stuff, but it was all gone by the afternoon.

This week the design team is showing more projects using our current Spring challenge theme. We've added ribbons to our projects for a little extra oomph. At the end of the week Senior DT Jamie and Brenda, our very first Guest Designer will introduce our April sketch challenge. Yay!

I made a quick tag using our new Tim Holtz dies: Tag & Bookplates and Tattered Florals, and Graphic 45's "Once Upon A Springtime".

This really was a quick project - it took just about 2 hours, which is record time for me! The flower was made by cutting the Tattered Floral shapes twice and offsetting each size so the space between the petals doesn't show. I cut the largest flower down by about a half-inch. The petals are rounded with the awesome Empressor tool. To the edges I randomly added a combination of Star Dust and Crystal Stickles with my fingertip.

The little fairy tag was pulled from the Once Upon A Springtime "Tags" die-cut 12x12 page - loads of cool embellishments on that sheet! I cut an extra wing and added a little Stickles to the wing, crown and sceptre for a little bling.

Card Recipe

Paper: Graphic 45 Once Upon A Springtime
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Walnut Stain, Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage; Glimmer Mist in Pearl; Stickles in Diamond, Star Dust and Crystal
Embellishments: G45 Springtime Tag; Kaisercraft Pearls in snow; May Arts lace; seam binding ribbon and pearly branch from stash
Tools: Tim Holtz Alterations Tag & Bookplate die and Tattered Florals die, Journaling Genie Empressor; Sizzix branch die from stash
Adhesive: Fabri-Tac

Thanks for visiting today. There's still plenty of time to join our Beary Sweet Spring Challenge and Birthday Bash. It's going on until March 31 - you could win one of 5 fabulous birthday prizes!

Cheers,
Susan

Happy Birthday Patsy!

2011-03-26T23:07:00.010-04:00

Hey there crafty friends! I want to share a card I made for a local gentleman to give to his wife. All he wanted was "Happy Birthday Patsy" and the rest was up to me. ::squee:: I love that kind of custom order!

Anyway, this color scheme was inspired by the delicious Webster's Pages paper found in the Nature's Storybook 6x6 collection.

(Click for larger view)

I used the Tim Holtz bird cage die and a Sizzix Sizzlits die for the leaves. The butterflies and bird are layered from the WP paper. I hand wrapped the rice pearls and used Rub-n-Buff on the W(onderful) tag to make it antiqued silver (from it's original gold).

This is a very busy card! Honestly, it looks much better in person than on this photograph. Oh, and "Happy Birthday Patty" was printed on my computer and adhered to the Tim Holtz clear tag with Glossy Accents. The butterfly antennae were made from wire. I think that's all. :)

Challenges, Please!

Shabby Tea Room #54 (3/27) - "Bingo" - Lace, flowers, heat embossing (music notes on the birdcage)
Simon Says Stamp and Show (3/27) - "Show a Word" - my word is "Wonderful"
Wild Orchid #19 (3/27) - "Dieing to Punch it Out" - branch, cage and bird are die cuts
The Stamp Man #19 (4/7) - "Anything Tim" (Tim Holtz products used: Caged Bird die, Wonderful tag, memo pin, charm clip, fragment charm and loads of jump rings. :)
Bunny Zoe's Crafts #10 (4/10) - "Happy Birthday with lots of pearls" - 5 freshwater pearls hand wired on the cage

I hope you are having a creative day!

Cheers,
Susan

Oh-So-"Wicked Circus" Altered Altoid Tin

2011-03-24T10:58:00.001-04:00

Hiya folks! So I'm hanging out at Craftster.org and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over some really cool craftiness. They have organized swaps all the time and I decided to take the plunge and participate in one. Ok, ok, so my fabulously talented sister might have had something to do with it. If not for her, I wouldn't have the nerve to play along. Thanks, big sis!

Anyway, the swap was to alter an Altoids tin using a "Wicked Circus" theme. My swap partner has received hers so I can post it here now.

The "Alexander" letters, crystal ball and skeleton hand are all layered.

Inside is a fortune telling wheel and the mystic's lair

I found a dollhouse table and cut to fit with a jeweler's saw. The crystal ball is an antique marble. No matter how much I worked it, I couldn't get Madame Zora's sign to hang straight.

Madame Zora is a fan of Alexander and has a poster hidden behind the curtain.

Kinda wicked, huh? I've got another one in the works with a vintage clown theme and I'll show it to you soon. Thanks for visiting!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: German Glass Glitter Tutorial

2011-03-21T00:06:00.001-04:00

Hello crafty friends! Well, can you feel it? Ahhh, the sun is getting warmer and burning off the chill in the air. Can you hear it? The trickling sounds of melting snow up north and the trees bursting into leafy song down south. Can you see it? Daffodils, crocus, hyacinth all wearing their spring finery.

I'm in Maryland, smack dab in the middle of all the seasonal changes. The lawn at my in-laws in southern North Carolina has already been mowed twice, mine is starting to "green up" and dear Kimm up in northern Pennsylvania still has mounds of snow. Still, yesterday was the first official day of Spring 2011. Yay!

Before I get into this tutorial, I want to remind you of The Beary Scrap's current challenge - make a project using a Spring theme, enter it into the challenge and you're automatically entered into our Birthday Bash giveaway! We've got 5 prizes to give away to our challenge players - check out all the details HERE.

German Glass Glitter Tutorial

Today I'm sharing a how-to on our German glass glitter, along with my newest spring-themed card.

I couldn't resist Echo Park's Springtime paper collection. How sweet is this?! I knew I wanted to bling out blank chipboard letters, and just *had* to cut out the sweet little trees. Add a few puffy white clouds et voila! -- an easy, springy card!

I love altering the blank letters - either chipboard or grungeboard. Here's my first step today - drip Ranger Alcohol ink on the letters to let them soak it up and dry. The ink matches the glass glitter I'll be using, and will blend right in if I have any thin spots.

Now that my letters are dry I assemble my supplies.

• Meyer Imports German Glass Glitter in Lime-Green
• Glue - any white glue will do
• Tweezer Bee Precision tweezers
• Pointy instrument - any kind will do - it's to use as a teeny tiny extra finger for moving wet gluey, glittery things around
• Tidy Tray or large piece of paper that you can make into a funnel to pour unused glitter back into the bag

Now that you've assembled your supplies, bring out the bling! Add a thin layer of glue to the entire surface, keeping it off the sides (if you get it on the sides you can use the pointy thing to wipe it out - it's handy!).

Next, plop the letter down into the little pile of glitter on your Tidy Tray or paper work surface and give it a little smush all over to work the glitter all over the exposed glue. Lift it up with your tweezers and give your tweezer hand a tap or two to let go of the loose glitter pieces.

Here's a quick view of the tree glittering action - I used a pointy thing (an embossing tool) to dab glue onto the leaves, then smushed the tree into the pile of leafy, glittery goodness. :)

The last step is clean-up! Pull the plug off the tray and pour the glitter back into the bag. It's helpful to use a cup to hold the bag up.

Ok, so that's just like using the plain old plastic glitter, right? Yes! You definitely have to have your sensible cap on and take care with the glitter - it *is* glass, after all. It's best not to brush it off your work surface with your hand. It will do more damage to your table surface than your hand! After the glue has been sitting for a while but not quite dry, I use my fingers to push the glitter down and smooth edges as needed. Once it's bone dry I brush my fingers over to dislodge any stragglers. I haven't had any problems with this kind of handling *at all*.

What's the payoff for using German glass glitter over plastic glitter? Sparkle and bling! It shines and reflects light unlike any other glitter and is beautiful! Thanks for reading this tutorial. I hope it inspires you to give our German glass glitter a try - you won't regret it!

Card Recipe

Paper - Echo Park Springtime; Bazzill Basics - 50% off!
Embellishments - Meyer Imports German Glass Glitter; Trees and clouds cut from EP Springtime "Spring Border Strips" 12x12 paper; letters are TH grungeboard; lace and ribbon from stash
Medium - Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Lettuce; Distress Ink in Broken China, Bundled Sage and Dusty Concord; Stickles in Fruit Punch, Waterfall, Yellow for tree flowers
Adhesive - Scor-Tape; 3-D Dots; Fabri-Tac; Ranger Matte Accents
Tools - Scor-Pal; Honey Bee scissors; Tweezer Bee tweezers

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Oh La La!

2011-03-14T00:00:00.003-04:00

Hello hello! Happy Monday to you all. I'm here with one more sample from our Beary Sweet sketch challenge, which ends tonight. We've had a great turnout for our 1st birthday so far! Thanks to everyone playing along in our challenge. Remember that your challenge entry gets you a "ticket" in our "2 Challenges - 3 Chances - 5 Prizes" party - check out all the details here!

This card is made using papers from My Mind's Eye Madison Avenue and embellishments from both Madison Avenue (button) and Union Square (Eiffel Tower). The rosette ribbon and crochet ribbon add-on are both May Arts. Check out all the fun rosette ribbon colors here! Kimm has the crocheted ribbon in stock - shoot her an email for pricing. Oh, the crocheted ribbon is cut in half lengthwise - I love how it adds a little detail to the rosettes!

Card Recipe

Paper: My Mind's Eye/Lost & Found/Madison Avenue; Bazzill Basics brown
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Pumice Stone; Stickles Star Dust on butterfly wings
Embellishments: Madison Avenue button; Union Square Eiffel Tower chipboard; Prima pearl and rhinestone flourish; May Arts rosette ribbon and lace; charm and seam binding from stash
Adhesives: Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac; Glue Dots 1/2"
Tools: Scor-Pal; MS butterfly punches

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

Altered Ancestors Wrap Up - Finally!

2011-03-13T00:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here are the last 3 pages of my Altered Ancestor project. For details and to see the first 8 pages, check out these posts:

Altered Ancestors Part 1
Altered Ancestors Part 2

Quickly: these are 4"x4" and the left side is blank for binding. This has been an incredible project for me and I'm so glad I participated. I shipped them all out to our swap coordinator Thursday and I miss them! Part of me can't believe they're gone and I'll never see them again. I poured my heart into each and every one of those little pages!

Sunny Disposition

Heart on her Sleeve

The Cure

There's a lot going on in that last one, eh? It's a whip in her hand... or is it a riding crop? We'll never know! Oh, and the silver pin in her hat says "secrets".

Cheers,

Susan

WOYWW 92

2011-03-09T09:54:00.002-05:00

Ooh, it's Wednesday once again which mean I have to keep in real with what's happening in the studio. I missed the last 2 weeks of WOYWW because I blinked and the days turned into Thursdays. Wow, does the time fly!

"What's WOYWW?", you wask. Why, it's What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday, you wascally wabbit! Come play with us at Julia's and take a poke around others' desks - it's fun!

This is the last of my little pages swap project. I ca't wait to ship 'em off. At the rate I'm going I'll be lucky if they get to California by the deadline. *sheesh* I think I'll have to bribe my Swap Mom with chocolates. :)

I put this green mat down when I noticed that glue takes the finish off my table. The color is really throwing me off, though! I think I have a gray one around somewhere. That would be better, no? :)

It's bad. I can't show you the floor on the other side of the chair - it's even worse. I have a house guest coming this weekend so I have to bring out the shovel.

Cheers and happy WOYWW!
Susan

TBS DT: Thank You!

2011-03-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello and happy Monday to you! Over at the TBS Design Team & Challenge Blog we're starting the second week of our March Birthday Bash party. I'm not exactly sure *where* last week went, but here we are today. :) This week the design team is showing more samples from our current sketch challenge *and* showing YOU a little love. In honor of all our readers and challenge players we're sending you a big ol' Thank You. Each of our projects this week are made with our store and design team friends in mind.

I used My Mind's Eye Portobello Road papers on each layer as well as for the flower petals. The bird is cut from a 12x12 paper in the collection. The letters were dabbed onto a Weathered Wood ink pad until covered. After the ink dried I covered the letters in Rock Candy Distress Stickles. The flower is made from layers of Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die cuts. I used 2 of each size, shortening the petals on the biggest flowers. The flower technique is from Anna Fearer of More Paper Than Shoes. It's not a bad flower for my first try, right? If you look too closely (haha) you'll see that my smallest flowers are a little off-center. Oops! I used Weathered Wood ink and Stickles in Frosted Lace and Star Dust to accent the flowers.

Card Recipe

Paper: My Mind's Eye Portobello Road; Bazzill Basics
Medium: Distress ink in Tea Stain and Weathered Wood ;Stickles Frosted Lace and Star Dust;
Embellishments: Portobello Road; mini letters, lace and clear glass spray from stash; Flower made from an Anna Fearer tutorial
Adhesives: Inkssentials Matte Accents; Fabri-Tac; Scor-Tape; 1/2" Glue Dots; silicone
Tools: Cutter Bee scissors; Cutter Bee tweezers; Scor-Pal

Thanks so much for visiting. Have a great day!

Cheers,

Susan

Altered Ancestors Book Swap, Part 2

2011-03-03T10:52:00.004-05:00

Hi bloggers! I want share the next batch of little fat book swap pages. I've now completed 8 of the 11 and am feeling the mailing deadline looming down on me. Hee hee. Click here to see the first 4 if you missed 'em.

Muse

I'll admit this lovely lady isn't very altered. She has a crystal on her dress and a butterfly on her shoulder. I rubbed gold Ranger alcohol ink Mixative on the TH word tag. I was inspired by the very talented Laura Carson on this page.

Paris

I love this page! I set out to find an ancestor who evokes "travel" just so I could use this paper. The Paris ticket and "oh la la" were printed at home.

Hustler

You have to watch out for this con artist - she'll take the shirt off your back!

Drama Queen

"The theater, the theater. What happened to the theater?" This is a line Danny Kaye says in White Christmas. It's my least favorite part of my *most* favorite movie. Funny. The crown is a TH stamp that was embossed and cut out. "Art" is made of grungeboard from the Mixed Minis set. Using tweezers I rubbed the letters in a pool of Bundled Sage distress reinker. Impatiently I used a heat gun to dry with interesting results. The liquid evaporated, leaving a cool texture behind - almost like flocking. I'm going to play around with it some more. I finished the letters with Rock Candy distress paint (although next time I will use Glossy Accents since the crackle is minimum on the little letters. Live and learn!)

So, for a little recap: Over at the All Things Tim Yahoo group I'm in an Altered Ancestors Little Fat Book swap. There are over 20 players and each of us makes 11 pages to send off to our swap coordinator. She then randomly picks pages to bind into little fat books and sends to the players. I don't even know if my book will include any of my own pages!

Each page is 4"x4" and the left side is for the binding rings. The photos were printed on a satin photo paper (just what I had on hand) and cut out. I rounded them for a little dimension and used a silicone as glue so they're all raised off the page a little. The pages are grunge paper with TH card stock attached on the front and back.

There they are! I have a few more days to finish up the last 3, then they get mailed off. This has been a huge project for me and I'll be happy when it's done. Yay!

Cheers,

Susan

TBS DT: Happy Birthday

2011-02-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Hello hello! It's Monday and the day I get to ~~tell you about my boring weekend~~ ring in the new week with my favorite crafty ladies and DT teamies. I'm being a big tease today and showing you a birthday card. Why, you ask? Because at The Beary Scrap Design Team and Challenge blog, we're celebrating our 1st birthday starting tomorrow. The party goes on all month long and you're going to love it!

I've used Echo Park's "For The Record" papers and embellishments. The "Noteworthy" top is from the Noteworthy 12x12 paper, chock full of a fabulous assortment of smaller embellishment pieces. I cut the typewriter sticker close to the design (leaving the backing on) and inked the edges to give it a little dimension (and hide the white backing paper).

I used Cuttlebug "Script" and "Dots" embossing folders and inked all around the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The "Happy Birthday" strip was printed on my computer in a cool type font.

Card Recipe

Paper: Bazzill Basics (50% off!) Black and Vanilla; Echo Park's For the Record - Vintage Linen, Picket Fence, Newsprint
Medium: Ranger Distress Ink in Walnut Stain
Embellishments: Typewriter from the For The Record Elements Stickers sheet; lace and brads from stash
Adhesive: Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac; Glue Dots
Tools: Scor-Pal; Ranger Blending Tool; Cuttlebug embossing folders

One more piece of news: Our Guest Designer call is going on for one more week! Please go here for all the details. There is still plenty of time to make a project based on our sketch, so get crafty for your chance to join us for a 3-month Guest Designer term!

Cheers,
Susan

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #90

2011-02-23T12:20:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday and WOYW-day! Want to play and peek at desks all over the world? Join us at Chez Dunnit! We're all keeping it real.

Shocked! I was shocked when I saw my table today. (It's not really that bad... I'm just a drama queen!) See, I left it like this in the wee hours Monday and didn't return. Perhaps I even ran screaming from the room... I dunno - I blocked it from my mind. If you've been here on any of my other WOYWW posts you know I need order to be creative. Yea, I know that goes against the grain but it's how I roll. I need space around me and clutter clouds my creativity. (Sounds hoity toity, but isn't, really.) Anyway, here it is with mostly one project taking up all the space. Wowza!

It's all about my 11-page Alter Ancestors Little Fat Book Swap pages. In the bottom right corner you can see 4 completed ones, and the rest of the table has ancestors in various states of undress. The blog post below this one has close-ups of the 4. Oh, and the left corner holds my camera project - I'm taking an old camera apart to see what's inside. Lot's of fun little bits! I need a micro screwdriver to finish and take the lens apart, though. That's for another day!

In other WOYWWs I was asked about this pin cushion. I got it from Husband's grandmother and I think it might have been made by his grandfather. Or both, I don't know. The back has a little pocket for stick pin clutches - see the inset. The base is just wood with blocks for feet. Luckily the trim covers the feet. :) I think this would be very simple to make.

So, that's it for today's WOYWW. Happy day to you and thanks for visiting!

Cheers,
Susan

Altered Ancestors Book Swap, Part 1

2011-02-22T12:02:00.001-05:00

Hello blogging friends! I'm really excited to share a project with you, or at least parts of it. Over at the All Things Tim Yahoo group I'm in an Altered Ancestors Little Fat Book swap. There are over 20 players and each of us makes 11 pages to send off to our swap coordinator. She then randomly picks pages to bind into little fat books and sends to the players. I don't even know if my book will include any of my own pages!

Here are 4 of my pages - still have 7 to go, but they're in various states of unfinished-ness. *ahem* The idea is to use Tim Holtz products and alter old photographs.

At the Train Station

I love this one. The stamped image is a New York Central train schedule (or something like that). The pocket watch is made from Tim's Type Charms and a tiny clock face cut from one of his Lost & Found papers.

Bird's Nest

When I saw this image I immediately though her hair could host a nest. I futzed with a few different nest materials and eventually settled on this May Arts netting in two colors. The eggs are a vintage image covered in Glossy Accents. On this page the bird and paper are TH.

Angel

Such a little angel! I picked this paper then set out to find an image to work with it. There are tons of public domain vintage images online, but I fell in love with this little one. Her wings are made from elements found in the Mixed Mini's grungeboard pack. I painted first with pearl Lumiere paint then used a small paint brush dabbed on a Peeled Paint Distress Ink pad to sweep along the top half of the wing. I then added Rusty Hinge Distress Ink on the top 1/3 of the wing. I love the effect!

The "cloud" is vintage tatting and the Mixed Mini's grungeboard letters are colored first with a mustard-y alcohol ink then covered in German glass glitter.

Use Your Imagination

This on is my second favorite... or maybe my first. I don't know! The wings are printed on Cryogen Irridescent paper and are sparkly in person. I used TH tissue tape and cut little letters from the Lost & Found paper pad.

So, the pages are 4"x4" and the left side is for the binding rings. The photos were printed on a satin photo paper (just what I had on hand) and cut out. I rounded them for a little dimension and used a silicone as glue so they're all raised off the page a little. The pages are grunge paper with TH card stock attached on the front and back. I'll show how I did the (very boring) back sides when I post more pages.

Thanks for visiting and reading this novel! If you're new 'round these parts be warned: I'm wordy and waffle a lot. If you are a regular visitor you're probably thinking you clicked on the wrong blog. What you're seeing is me growing as a mixed media artist. I hope you like! No worries, though - I'll still continue with my frou-frou vintage and Magnolias. I couldn't be "here" without them!

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-02-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello dear friends and happy Monday! This week the Beary Scrappy Gals are continuing to show samples using our current challenge theme. We're adding a little extra, too!

Winter Blues with Sparkle

Lately I've been focusing on embellishments that match the paper line. On my last two cards I used elements cut out from the 12x12 papers. For this card I looked no further than the wonderfully coordinating embellishment packs made for Bo Bunny's Midnight Frost line.

This was a quick card - everything fell into place at lighting speed. With these fabulous chipboard embellishments I was able to add my sparkle (with a little extra thanks to Stickles on the swoosh) easily. Both the blue ribbon and white lace are Midnight Frost Wraps - see the sparkle on the lace? Yea, it came like that! Yay!

On the inside I plan to use a sentiment along the lines of "Baby it's cold outside... let's snuggle". Hmm, sounds kind of silly when I write it out... any suggestions on better wording?

I used Crystal Stickles on the swooshes to enhance their sparkliness. They were already this green-y color but I kicked it up a notch. No enhancement necessary on the "Brr" - it's great as is!

The base card stock is Bazzill Basics - have you seen that all Bazzill is on clearance at The Beary Scrap? 50% to move it all out and make room for new and exciting STUFF!

Don't forget we still have our Guest Designer Call going on through March 5th. We know you're all busy making projects using our GD sketch and we can't wait to see 'em!

Cheers,
Susan

Birdsong Tag

2011-02-19T11:45:00.001-05:00

Hello friends! I hope you are having a beautiful weekend. We're quite windy here but the sun is shining!

Today I want to share a tag. It's my second one, and I can definitely see more in my crafty future. :) I love the femininity and color combination.

The bird is from a Tim Holtz die, the music is TH tissue tape, swirls and fabric flower are Prima. The metal flower is also Tim Holtz, on which I used Ellen Hutson's enamel metal embellishment technique for the February challenge.

The paper is from a DCWV stack called Be Mine I bought before Valentines Day *last* year. It was pulled from my huge destash pile when I discovered it had the perfect paper for the tag base. If I don't get rid of this stuff soon it'll all end up back in circulation (but never get used). Ha!

Challenges, Please

Ellen Hutson's CLASSroom (2/20) - Choose a technique
Simon Says Stamp & Show (2/20) - Show a tag

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

Share The Mojo

2011-02-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

So, the lovely Allison of Stampin' When I Can has a cool blog. Not only is she fun to read, she's *all* about sharing with her readers all the great stuff she's found around the Internets. She has a great list of current challenges as well as links to a bunch of free sites - CDV, digital images, cutter.

My favorite feature of Allison's blog is her Blogs To Discover section. In my early blogging days I pored over that list to find inspiration in the big, busy paper crafting world. I *still* find great new blogs through Allison, even though I feel like I've "seen it all" some days. *grin*

She doesn't know me from Adam. I don't know if I ever commented, or I certainly haven't in a long time. The other day she entered our sketch challenge at The Beary Scrap and I commented on her entry to thank her. Of course, the kind and polite lady that she is came to visit me and ended up sharing my Fairy Wings card (below) on her new blog called Share the Mojo.

Share the Mojo is a great site! It's brand new and has all kinds of inspiration and eye candy in one place. It's wonderful to see so many styles! The best thing about it is you can share the mojo, too! All you have to do is add a link to any project using the Inlinkz gadget. It's not a contest; there are no prizes. You don't even have to leave your name. All you need to do is share.

Thanks Allison.

Cheers,
Susan

TBS DT: Fairy Wings

2011-02-14T09:08:00.004-05:00

Hello hello! I hope you had a great weekend and have a lovely Monday. It's February 14th, and a TV ad says Valentine's Day is a "day to celebrate us". As the DT Coordinator for The Beary Scrap, I'd like to take a minute to celebrate *you*: our readers and challenge participants and Beary Scrap store customers. Thanks so much for visiting us everyday to have a peek at our newest challenge inspiration. Thank you for playing in our challenges and shopping in "our" store. Kimm, Gini, Patricia, Jamie and I dearly love being on this team and creating for you. We appreciate every comment you leave on our blog and the lively discussions at our Facebook page. Really, you are very much a part of us. Let's celebrate! ::happy dance::

{big virtual hugs}

Speaking of us, have you seen our Guest Designer call? It's going on through March 5; we are looking for 4 Guest Designers - come check it out!

On to my sketch sample. Today is the last day to enter the sketch challenge. Yes, I am the caboose!

This is made almost entirely from Graphic 45's Once Upon A Springtime. I edged the layers with Distress Walnut Stain ink using the Ranger Blending Tool. I added Stickles to edges, the center image and the flower centers. Kaisercraft pearls are up in the corner and finish off the flower centers. I cut the pink flowers from a sheet found in the 8x8 paper pad (the leftovers from the layer between the solid card stock and the green flower design).

I used the same edge rounding technique found in a tutorial here; this time the rounding is done mostly on the front of the image instead of the back.

Here you can see the Stickles on the fairy and butterfly wings, as well as the flowers and egg. For the wings, I just swept the Stickles applicator out to create delicate lines. It's OK if you put too much on - just wipe of *quickly* and try again.

I really like the versatility of this paper - there are pages with postcard designs like I've used above as well as a 12x12 sheet chock full of card stock embellishments. The papers, both in full-size and an 8x8 pad are stunning. I'm sure I'll be cutting and layering fairies and butterflies (and even a frog prince!) on another card soon.

Challenges, Please

Color Dare #96 (2/15) - Bashful Peachy Greens
Our Creative Corner (2/18) - Cut It Out
Charisma Cardz #6 (2/16) - Mythical/Fantasy

Card Recipe

Paper: Graphic 45 Once Upon A Springtime 8x8 paper pad; Bazzill Basics in Ivy
Medium: Distress Ink in Walnut Stain; Stickles in Star Dust, Lime Green and Frosted Lace (on the egg)
Embellishments: Flowers cut from Graphic 45 paper; Kaisercraft Pearls in Snow; ribbon and pearl sprigs from stash
Adhesives: Scor-Tape; Glue Dots; Fabri-Tac
Tools: Scor-Pal; Cutterbee scissors

Thanks for visiting today! There's still a wee bit of time to get crafty with our sketch challenge. Come check out our Guest Designer call - we are looking for all talent levels!

Cheers,
Susan

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #88

2011-02-09T00:43:00.000-05:00

Whew! How prepared am I? It's the wee hours and I'm photographed and uploaded for What's On You Workdesk? Wednesday. I can't believe it! Here's the state of affairs right now:

I'm all hot and heavy on an Altered Ancestors Little Fat Book swap. I'm having a blast pulling my "instant ancestors" together. I can't wait to see my pages, much less the finished book that will be sent back to me with one of my pages and a bunch made by fellow swappers!

Here are the very beginnings of the three pages I'm focusing on right now (11 pages total). They will get loads more embellishment, including as much T!m Holtz product as I can squeeze on. Get this - the pages are 4"x4" and the active embellishment area is actually 2.5" wide to account for binding on the left side. That blank strip on the bottom right page is my guide so I don't go into the binding area (it's not attached). Talk about small canvas! I can't wait to show you what I'm going to do with that dear (innocent) lady... it makes me giggle just thinking about it. :)

Handy dandy T!m Holtz embellishment storage. I was so happy to put it all into this container - the packaging takes up so much space!

So anyway, that's it for now. If you want to play along and have a snoop around work spaces all over the world, check out the Queen of Snoop right here!

Thanks for visiting! Last week I did much better visiting other WOYWWers, but still didn't make it through to all 150+. It seems I've joined a quickly growing movement!

Cheers,
Susan