Patriotic LO

IT"S FRIDAY!!!!!!! And it's the first week in July!!! That means that we have a new challenge at Frosted Designs AND we have a new prize package!!!!! This week we are challenging you to use Red, White & Blue and Stars & Stripes on your cards/layouts/projects!!!! Isn't that perfect for the upcoming July 4th holiday?!!! Here is my LO....

This handsome man is my nephew! He recently joined the Army and just finished his Basic Training!! I am sooooo proud of him! He is so dedicated and focused and is doing so well!!!  The words on the LO .... service, excellence, and integrity are the Core Values he was taught during basic. The dog tag says Honor.

I used a variety of papers on this one and I am soooo sorry but I didn't write them all down before cutting off the manufacturers! The stars and dog tag were cut using Stand and Salute and the circles were cut using mini monograms. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the blue paper with stars. I even added a little glimmer mist to the background!!

Now do you want to see what you could win by playing along with us?!!!

Doesn't that look wonderful?!!! Our fabulous designer Debbie has donated this prize for us this month!! Now you need to head on over to Frosted Designs to link your project for a chance to win!! Make sure you become a follower too!!

There are a few other blogs that have a patriotic theme this week so I am going to enter this LO into these challenges:

Fantabulous Cricut

Wee Memories

Cuttlebug Spot

And... I have some good news!! My LO of my husbands birthday won at A Crafty Little Place!! (You can see that LO on my last post!)  They have a new scrapbook sketch up so go check it out and play along!!!

And if that isn't enough good news... check this out!! Our lovely Maven Kim is offering a super fabulous prize for this weeks challenge!! All you have to do is play along!! Head over to Sketches in Thyme to see this weeks sketch..... because you could win this!!!!!

Besides... you won't want to miss what all our super talented Mavens did with this weeks sketch!! There are some serious jaw dropping LOs!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!!! Enjoy the long holiday weekend and be sure to thank the people who fight so hard for us everyday so we can live in a country with the freedoms we have!! We are so blessed!!
Barb  :)

Girls Club

Hello everyone! I am glad to be back from vacation.... I think! It has been one very crazy week and I apologize that I have not been visiting any blogs for the past two weeks. My family went on a cruise over spring break and got back Sunday around midnight and then I just jumped right into life! I had a parent conference first thing (7:30) Monday morning and then spent the evening unpacking, doing laundry and all that comes with getting back! Tuseday was work, then a furniture delivery, followed by a trip to the grocery so that I could take in lunch for the staff at my school (everyone takes one day a year) so I was up until after one cooking and baking and then off to work Wednesday. After work I had to run out and buy my daughter a comforter for her room and then spent then entire evening putting the room together so that it would be ready for her birthday party Friday. Thursday it was off to work again followed by an evening of making decorations and putting together treat bags. In between I tried to clean my house that had about 5 inches of dust everywhere!! I know... I am beginning to sound a little whiny but I wanted you all to know that I really have been incredibly busy and can't wait to stop by and see all the great things you all have been up to!!

Now.. on to the real reason for today's post.... It's FRIDAY... and time for another Frosted Designs challenge!! This week you are challenged to use a tree in a card, layout or project! This was a great challenge for me because I wanted to do something I don't normally do, and that was to create a "scene"... The hard part of this for me was that I kept trying to add in more things. I found that the more I added, the less I liked it... sooo... I took it back to simple. The tree layers were pop dotted and then I cut out some extra circles/flowers to pop dot on top of that! I liked the dimension it gave. The base of the tree was heat embossed for the lines. I included a cute little bird in the tree but passed on the bugs and  butterflies I had originally planned on using. The fence and clouds were put through my cuttlebug to add a little texture. Lauren wrote the words "Girls Club" on the sign herself!! Isnt' it great when your kids can help with their LOs?! I chalked the clouds and fence and then added all the bling I thought I could get away with for this type of page!! I used stickles in several different colors and added a few rhinestones!! Remember... Lauren loves bling!! These picture were taken about two years ago when her older sister, Kristin, was playing in a tennis match. Lauren took her new American Girl twins (Zoe and Chloe) with her to the match, and of course, she had to dress like them!! She had so much fun hanging out and climbing in the tree!!

Now it's your turn!! Try making a project with a tree and then show us your work!! Link up your designs at  Frosted Designs! We would all like to see what you have done!! And while you are there, check out all the amazing things my design sisters have done!!

Supplies used:

Paper: K & Co. DCVW, My Minds Eye

Cricut: Home Decor, Paper Doll Dress Up, Stand & Salute

Stickles: Fruit Punch, Star Dust, Lime Green, Yellow, Cotton Candy

Cuttlebug

And fianlly... say a small prayer for me today... I have ELEVEN 8 year olds spending the night!! It sounded like a good idea when we were planning the party....  :) 

Generations

The wonderful ladies over at Stuck On U Sketches have another amazing sketch this week by Becky Fleck from Page Maps. I used a picture from my grandmothers 93 birthday party! It was a surprise party and believe it or not, it is the ONLY birthday party my grandmother has ever had!!! A side story for you... my mother took my grandma for her very first facial that same week!! Can you believe it?! 93 and so much she still has not done!!

So, in this picture, are both of my sister with my mom and grandma... I know, you may have to look closely, my baby sister looks a LOT like me!! She's a little taller, but people mix us up all the time!! And all of our relatives that I had not seen for years, kept reminding me how much I look like my mother... what do you think?! A little family resemblence?!! heehee!! You will probably be seeing some more LOs in the future from grandma's party because there are a lot more pictures I want to scrap.... I might just have to make a mini album!!

I also tried something new on this LO.... after checking out the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog, I decided to play along there too. The challenge was to make "crackled glass" using heat embossing. I tried this technique on the tag with our names on it and love the way it turned out! It is always fun to try something new!

Supplies used on this LO:

Cricut - Home accents, Stone Script

Embellishements - Prima Flowers, metal accents from Making Memories, Clock from Heidi Swapp

Papers - DCWV Neutral Stack, My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus

Cuttlebug

Various inks and glimmer mist
Clear  and Gold Embossing powders

Thank you to all of you who take the time to comment... I really enjoy your feedback!

Barb

Technique Challenge - Frosted Designs

Well, it's Friday! And that means another challenge at Frosted Designs! This week the challenge was to share a technique. I love this!! I chose to do masking and Glimmer Mist because it seems to be my new thing to play with. I have used it on several LOs lately and love it!! It can give you the distressed, grunge look or the bright and cheery look I used today!! For this LO, I decided to keep the masking design simple so that it would be easy to explain on here!

So... begin by using a mask you have bought (usually plastic) or cut one out with your cricut machine like I did. Personally I like to cut my own because 1. it's cheaper and 2. I can control the shape better. I originally cut my shape so that it would fit on the 12 x 12 paper that I would spray with Glimmer Mist all the way around. However, after spraying it with glimmer mist, I changed my mind (go figure!) and decided I only wanted to color one side of the paper! So, instead of recutting a new piece, I decided to cut and piece together the orginal mask to the new shape I liked! It worked great... it just looks a little silly in the pictures!!  LOL!! So, lay the shape over the part of the paper you want to remain white (or not misted). Be sure to use something to protect your surface such as wax paper or a work mat because the Glimmer Mist will stain!! Once you have your mask where you want it, spray on the glimmer mist. The more you spray, the better the coverage and darker the shade. But be careful, if you spray too much at one time, you start to get big dark dots. If you like that its fine, if not, spray one layer, let dry and then spray again! When you have the color you want, remove your mask. I know some people like to use repositionable tape to hold the mask in place, for one this simple, it is just as easy for me to push down on the mask while spraying... And as a bonus, I get bright colorful fingers!!  heehee!!

Once the mist was dry, I was able to start adding all of the embellishments and pictures that I wanted. I used a glaze pen to draw the purple lines along the border of the pink and white. I thought the white was a little too white so I added a couple spritzes of glimmer mist to the white background... much better!! (I have a really hard time with too much white space... I really need to work on this!!) And when I found the lace I wanted, but it was in the wrong color, I Glimmer Misted that to match the rest of the LO!! I love this stuff!!

The flowers were a new creation for me!! I started out with coffee filters... (talk to any teacher and you will know that you can do just about any kind of art project with a coffee filter!!  I started by cutting the filters into different size circles. I did not want perfectly round circles so I just free handed it. After they were all cut out, I layed them out on wax paper and sprayed them with 3 different colors. I didn't mix colors this time... but I am thinking it would be cool to try next time!! After the circles were dry, I put a drop of glue in the center of two different sized circles, sat the smaller circle on top and pinched from the bottom for just a bit!! Gave it a few more minutes to dry and topped it with a button!! That's it!! Super simple but I really love the way they turned out... I can see all kinds of possibilities with these and they are sooooo cheap to make!! I will certainly be playing around with this more! I also love how sparklely they are. The smaller pictures show the shine a little better!!

A few pointer when working with Glimmer Mist...

1. Use thicker cardstock. I used a thin sheet of cardstock and when I sprayed it, the paper began to "bubble" a bit.... that is why I ended up mounting this LO on a solid sheet of cardstock that was a little more sturdy.

2. Shake the Glimmer Mist really well before EVERY use!

3. Keep the lid on while shaking it.... I didn't and little drops of Glimmer Mist went flying...right onto my light shirt I was wearing!! I hate it when that happens!

Supplies used on this LO

Cricut: Gypsy Wanderings for the title, Accent Essentials for the mask

Papers: DCWV

Cuttlebug

Stickles: Lavender

Glimmer Mist: Key Lime Pie, Bubble Gum, Fully Purple

Beads: my 7 year olds supply!!  :)  Don't tell her!!

Thank you for stopping by and looking! And thank you to all my dear, sweet blog friends who show me so much blog love... your comments always brighten my day!!

The Hunt is On!

Well... I barely got this done on time, but I did get a LO done for this weeks Stuck On U Sketches!! Whew... nothing like waiting until the last minute!

So, over at Stuck On You Sketches, Liz Qualman designed a sketch specifically for this weeks challenge! How fun!! I decided to do a LO from last Easter of my youngest daughter doing the Easter egg hunt! I know... she looks so sweet and innocent... but believe me, you do not want to get between her and a new found Easter egg!! She WILL win!!

I know, I know... this page looks like it was attacked by Stickles... and it was!! LOL!! I decided I wasn't going to chalk or ink any of the edges so I had to use something else!! Actually this is so Lauren... the more sparkles the better!! The Easter eggs were made with printed paper that I embossed with my cuttlebug and then outlined the designs with stickles.... I love the way they turned out!! I just wish the colors showed up better in the photos... they are so much more vibrant in person!

I also did something fun with the title... I used Glossy Accents to cover the letters that I had detailed with a Souffle pen!! Aren't they so cool?!! This is my new favorite product to play with... you will also see it on my Frosted Designs LO that will be posted in the morning!!


Products used:
Paper: My Mind's Eye - Magnolia Stack
Cricut: Storybook, Easter, All Mixed Up, Happily Ever After
Stickles: Lime Green, Star Dust, Cotton Candy, Waterfall, Yellow, Orange Peel
Glossy Accents: Ranger
Misc. gems, flowers, button, and ribbon
Martha Stewart border punch



Thanks for taking the time to look at my LO... and thank you for all the kind words of encouragement all of you leave for me! Barb :)

Family

Well... it's Friday and there is a new challenge over at Frosted Designs. The challenge this week is to use plaid and polka dots in a card/layout/project. And I have to admit... this was a challenge for me! I couldn't seem to get the combination of papers that I was going for, so I ended up altering my yellow polka dot paper. It had big white dots on it and they just weren't working... so I inked them all pink! Much better!! (At least I think so!! heehee!)
The picture is of my family last Easter. And yes... I do realize this is not the best picture of all of us... after all, my son looks like he desperately needs new jeans!! But... it is a picture of ALL of us... not an easy task when you have one living on her own, one away at college and another who thinks his social life is all that matters!!! Yikes! But enough about the fam....

Stop over at Frosted Designs and see what my talented design sisters have created!

Supplies used:
Papers - DCWV Sorbet stack
DCWV Nana's Kid Stack
Prima Flowers
Marha Stewart Glitter
Cuttlebug
Recollections Pearls
Cricut Cartridges: Easter and Home Accents

Thank you so much for stopping by to take a closer look! I would love to hear any comments you have! Barb :)

Our Heaven on Earth

My husband and I were lucky enough to get to go to Maui for our Honeymoon and we instantly fell in love! It is truly the most beautiful place on Earth and we can't get enough of it... I guess that is why we have been there so many times! (There are perks to a husband who travels all the time... those frequent flyer miles really add up!!) We love to stay in Ka'anapali because we have the beautiful island of Lanai in front of us, and the West Maui Mountains behind us! And talk about rainbows... can we say spectacular?!! Anyway, enough of my vacation travels...
The LO started by using the sketch from Stuck On U Sketches. They have another amazing sketch...this week it is from Liz Qualman. And their challenge was not only to use the sketch, but you had to use pink or red... I think I have the pink thing covered!! LOL!! I have had these papers from SEI lying around forever... there were just too pretty to cut! But I finally talked myself into it because they were perfect for my Maui pictures! I love how the background page fades from light to dark... it reminds me of the beautiful sunsets there! This picture was taken on one of our day trips to Hana. If you ever get there, you need to do this!! You will see the most amazing views and the waterfalls are outstanding!!
Once you have been to the Hawaiian Islands, you get to experience the amazing flowers that you will see no where else. And these are no ordinary flowers, they are so extraordinary... which is why I had to make my flowers unique! I love how fun these turned out...like none I have ever made before! :)
And did you check out this butterfly?! I am totally lovin' this! I am sure I will be making many more of these in the future! They were cut from vellum (I seem to be on that kick lately!) and then inked and then I added Stickles. And right before my eyes, the wings started to curl up on their own!! How cool it that?! I couldn't have shaped these any better if I would have tried!! I added a few rhinestones and I was done!! I love how soft and delicate they are... they add to the page without being the focus of it... I love that!! (I am sure I will be going back and adding a few of these to my daughters' baby pages... they just look like they belong there!!) I also did something crazy with this LO... I tried stitching for the first time! And I love it! It's just a little detail but I love the way it adds to the page!! (I didn't however like how long it took to do!! LOL!!)

And the best part is... I can use this LO for all of these challenges:
Stuck On U Sketches - sketch
Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot - stitching (A first for me by the way!)
Practical Scrappers - flowers
Creative Belli Blog - butterflies
Pile It On - butterflies

Supplies Used:
Papers - SEI Mimosa
Cuttlebug
Cricut - Jasmine, Lyrical Letters, and Sentimentals
Various inks, rhinestones and a flower punch

Yes!...to a lifetime together!

My daughter walked into my office today and asked, "Mom, cute LO but why does it say yes?!" Well, the answer is simple. This picture was taken the night my husband proposed to me. We were so much younger then! (Notice the face with no wrinkles!!) LOL! But it was also one of the best nights of my life! He is my best friend and is so very good to me! He spoils me like crazy and I am so blessed to have him as my husband! The perfect picture/memory for a Valentine's LO....

The challenge at Frosted Designs this week was to make a Valentine's LO without using any red or pink. So, I chose to use blues and browns! I also tried some new techniques! If you haven't already, head on over to Frosted Designs to see all the amazing ideas the design team has come up with! And then try some of your own and be sure to share them with us! I love checking out all the creativity and inspiration from the projects submitted each week!

Like I said, I tried a new technique. I recently purchased a set of Glimmer Screens (Garden Lattice) from Tattered Angels and couldn't wait to give it a try! I used a blue sheet of cardstock from the DCWV Christmas Stack. I laid the screen on the bottom left corner and sprayed the paper with Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist. I pretty much covered the entire screen. I gave it a few minutes to dry (it's amazing how quickly it dries!) and then I moved the screen just slightly. (I wanted the print to be a little messy!) Next I sprayed on Sapphire Glimmer Mist, this time leaving it mostly in the bottom left corner. Finally I gave it a coat of Marshmallow Glimmer Mist concentrating mostly on the upper right side of the paper. The pictures don't really show it but it really has a beautiful shimmer to it! I removed the screen and let everything dry. After everything dried, I took my black Souffle pen and started outline the shapes from the stencil. The cool part was the way the pen changed from black to a brown that blended right in! I used an exacto knife to cut along the top of the heart so that I could put the corner of my picture behind it. The picture is layered on top of an old page from a book and some Basic Grey Periphery paper. The dark blue layer was embossed with my cuttlebug and then I sanded it to let the white core show through.

I used the end of my scissors to dig at the center of the heart until I got the paper to tear so that I could insert the heart charm (Making Memories). The rest of the embellishments were some I had around in my stash. The chipboard letters are from colorbok. The flourish at the top of the page is from the Mother's Day Cartridge. I used some Cats Eye chalks in various shades of brown to distress some of the papers.

Thanks for stopping by and looking at my LO! If you have time, I would love to hear any comments you have! Barb

Beginnings...

I was sitting in a meeting the other day... having a super hard time focusing on the topic on hand... and I started doodling! Before I knew it, I had sketched out my next scrapbook LO! Who knew I could sketch?! Heehee!! Anyway... once I had this in my head, I could not wait to actually make the LO! My busy life was not cooperating with me this week so I finally had a chance last night to work on it. I think I finished somewhere around 2 this morning!! Good thing it is Saturday!

This picture is one of the few I have of my parents when they were dating and I absolutely love it! Aren't they cute?! :) I titled it Beginnings because it was the beginning of their new love/life together! They have been married 48 years! WOW! I guess I better start planning that 50th party soon!!

Supplies used:
Paper: K & Company (Marcella) and DCWV (Neutral Stack)
Cricut: Ashlyn's Alphabet for the flourishes
Jasmine for the title (I cut the title 4 times on cardstock and glued together and then cut it out with a patterned piece to glue on top of that! It kind of gave it the 3-D look of cardstock and I liked the way it made it pop from the page.
Flowers: Prima from several packs... all mixed together!
Martha Stewart punches (2 different kinds)
Misc.: Brads, fiber, and pearls
Tattered Angels glitter mist: Coffee shop on the flowers
Color Box Chalks in various colors of brown
Cuttlebug: photo mat
Lots of pop dots under the flowers and flourshes to give it some dimension!
And I even managed to still use stickles on just a few of the flowers!

After I finished I realized this would be perfect for the Practical Scrappers challenge this week which is patterned paper... I used 7 patterns!!

Thanks for taking the time to look at my LO... I would love to hear your comments!
Barb

Cancun

My husband and I were seriously suffering from the winter blues of Indiana last February... so we left for the blue waters of Cancun. This layout was so much fun to do because I totally love the large picture... the one of the lounge chairs under the umbrella! This was our favorite spot to soak up the sun... it was right next to the pool and over looked the incredibly blue waters of Cancun. We would sit and read and just hang out all day long! If you look closely, you can see my husband enjoying the view!

Thank you to the ladies at Stuck on you Sketches for the sketch that was used for this layout! I love the sketches that are chosen each week!

So, on to the details...
Papers are from DCWV - Fun In the Sun
I heat embossed the flourishes on the green background paper (some of the stamps were from Inkadinkado - the other ones I have had forever and don't remember the brand), pop dotted the leaves to give them a little dimension, and layered everything else! I used Cat Eye chalk (Blue Iris) and the flower shaped eyelet is from Making Memories. The other brads and eyelets are misc. ones that were sitting around my office! I also added a bit of twine and sanded the edges of the photos to "roughin" them up a bit.

Cartridges used: Lyrical Letters and Life's a Beach
Cuttlebug was used on the light blue mat behind the photo (which was also sanded).
And of course... I used Cricut Design Studio because I can't use my Expression with out it!

Thanks for looking... would love to hear any comments that you have.