What's on your desk?

It's been a bit since my last post.  Just got crazy with all the new projects.  My apologies to all.  I thought I would do a quick post today and a longer one latter this week.

 People always ask me "what's on your desk?"   How do you answer that one?  There is always a pile on my desk.  Nice, neat, orderly piles.  I can pick anything you want out of the pile.  However, to the idle bystander it probably looks like a mess.  What do you think?

 I told you!  Looks like a complete mess doesn't it?  Trust me.  It is orderly chaos!    See,  there is a bin with mixed media supplies for a class.  There is the new washi tape holder I made.  Then there is the cute planner I finished.  And some new things I have not put away.

 A view to the back of the desk shows my seam binding that I am working with now.  The huge tea mug.....gotta have my juice!  That pile?  It too is for a mixed media class.  Guess I better put it in the bin too.

 This is the cover of the planner from the last photo.  I just absolutely love this!  It came together so quickly and just holds my imagination captive.  The inside is filled with quotes that I like and of course my calendar.

 Thought I would give you a better look at the washi stand I made.  There is not a lot of room for the We R Memory Keepers bowl washi holder so I made a tall one!  It hold 3 sizes of washi rolls and has built in tear strips.  I saved several foil boxes and tore the metal tear strips from them to re-use on this.  I love it.

The back is just a hinged piece that ties closed at the top.  Easy access to add more washi tape!  I need to see it to use it so this allows me to see what I have.

So.  That's what is on my desk today.  What's on yours?

Sampler Project

As I posted the other day, the sampler at Scrapp n' Savvy was this weekend.  We take 2 days and hold 7 classes to introduce our customers to the projects that each instructor is teaching for the next 3 months.  We also make an awesome project!

I wanted to share my project with you.

Each student was given a Clear Scraps acrylic piece that has the word family cut out.  It measures 7"x24".  We then taught them how to apply alcohol inks to achieve different looks.  I was amazed how different everyone's looked even though most used the same colors as the main sample.  I chose to make mine in blue colors to go into our beachhouse.   I used pool, sky blue , and pearl alcohol inks.   You can see the pattern I achieved in the second photo.  The project came with a brown piece of Bazzill cardstock to place behind the acrylic.  Again I was amazed how changing the color of paper behind the acrylic changed the look of the project.  

I chose to frame my acrylic in a rustic wood frame which has burlap on the base of the inside of the frame.  I added burlap flowers, shells, and driftwood pieces to complete my look.

Acrylic is so versatile and easy to use.  Clear scraps has so many different designs too.  I hope you like it.  Enjoy the day.

By the Sea

Good morning everyone!  After a fantastic rain storm last night it is going to be a wonderful day!  Cool, crisp and blue sky.

This weekend is the Sampler at Scrapp n' Savvy.  This is always a fun filled event.  Good people, great fun.  If you are in the area, please stop by.  If you can't make it, visit the website to see all the wonderful goodies the teachers have created for you.

I thought I would share a quick picture of one of my mini album classes for this month.

 This not so mini album (it measures in at 8 x 8) is made using the Graphic 45 By The Sea paper collection.  Inside it is full of wonderful goodness with plenty of space for all your summer/beach photos.    I have added fishing net, shells and driftwood from my wanderings on the beach, and some handstamped ribbons to finish this out.  This is just a teaser; check back for more pics as the class gets closer (it's at the end of April).

Hopefully this week I will add one more post of some fun I have been creating.  I have been working on a planner that is covered in mixed media techniques.  Hope to post a pic by Tuesday so please check back.

Until then, enjoy this glorious weekend!

Oh Lucky Day!

Oh how lucky I am!  I have children of all ages so my Spring Break fun gets spread out over 2 whole weeks!  Yep.  My younger 3 have it this week and my college kids are here next week.  Blessed.  That's all I can say.

But speaking of how lucky I am....Monday March 17 I will be teaching a class on my Oh Lucky Day mini album.  This is a compact bundle of joy.  I can't even begin to tell you how many pics it will hold!

It is just perfect to hold 4 x 6 pics with very little trimming.  This is made with Fancy Pants Oh lucky day paper collection and the colors are so fun; not too pastel; not too bright.  I love the prints.  Anyway, it makes me happy!

So, if you are in town and want to join in on the fun, please visit Scrapp n' Savvy to sign up!

Hope you are as blessed as I!  Have a grand week.

Everybody needs a little love

Have you ever had "one of those" days?  Things just don't seem to go right?  Yeah, me too.  I just had one of those!  I have a solution though.  Many years ago I had a self affirmation journal.  I would write down things that were positive affirmations, stick in things I found that were positive, and basically anything that made me feel good about me.  I think it's time to do it again!

A little background....recently I made a mini album for a class at Scrapp n' Savvy that used Fancy Pants paper collection called Happy Go Lucky.  It is such a fun paper line; lovely colors and patterns throughout.  Oh, and the extras that go with it are such fun!  I liked the paper so much that I bought extras.  Fast forward to yesterday....I decided that I would use this paper to make my affirmation book.

Would you like to see it?

 Aren't the papers and colors adorable?  All of the little bows on the button sheet made me think of a kite.  I designed and printed the center oval on my Cameo (just love it still!)

 Each page and small tags for those little sayings and lots of pockets and places for other affirmations.

 This is one of my favorite pages.  I used chicken wire and hung mini tags from it.  I can clip other thing on or even tie them on with twine.

 The green polka dot envelope is from the collection.  I added a binding to it to make it a page.  Also, on the left side page I used an old dictionary page and highlighted the word "positive".

 Thought I would fill the banner with words that are positive.

 See the yellow mat on the right side page?  It is really a fold-out booklet.  Perfect for more happy thoughts.

 Pockets and tags.  All part of the collection.

The back is covered in one of my favorite pieces from the collection.

Every girl needs to know they are special.  Sometimes having it written makes it stronger.  I hope you are inspired to make your own even if it is just a moleskin journal you can write positive things in.  Make it yours and make it happy.  Just remember - start the day with a smile and it will last all day long!

Be happy!

It's more than "just a pretty little sticker"!

Have you ever seen the Elizabeth Craft Design stickers?  Aren't they wonderful?  I was introduced to these pretty little things a while back during a card making class and I got hooked instantly!  I have purchased quite a few since taking that class.  And the glitter.  And a bunch of Copic markers to color them with.  And some more glitter.

Ah.  I think you see where I am headed here.  I really, really like them!  So when Elizabeth Craft Designs opened a Design Team call I was thrilled.  You see, there is so much more to Elizabeth Craft than just those pretty little stickers.  They have a whole line of fabulous micro fine glitters including the original highlight glitter.  And sometime last year she added thin dies to the line up!  Boy are those adorable!  So many choices.  And in case you haven't heard, this year Karen Burniston joined Elizabeth Craft to bring her wonderful pop it up dies!  Wow!

If you haven't checked out Elizabeth Craft Designs lately you need to.  Visit their site at Elizabeth Craft Designs.

Would you like to see the fun projects I submitted for the DT Call?  Hope so.  I had to submit 4 projects.  Anything I wanted to.  And believe me it was a hard decision.  I went back and pulled a few of the projects I had completed for my personal use.  Then I made a couple new ones too.  Grab a cup of tea and take a look:

This is a fun layout featuring my youngest on his first trip to the pumpkin patch.  I used the fall leaves stickers and a watercolor technique to color them.  I also used the pumpkin die cut.  I love how the dies have so many pieces to layer.  It really gives dimension.  I, of course, used my Gelatos to color and add some zing around the page!  Close-ups follow.

A little mixed media board!  You know I couldn't resist!  This has so many layers.  Paint, ink, mulberry paper, tissue paper, and of course the stickers used in a bit of a different way.  Colored with watercolors and Gelatos.

This is one of my favorite sayings!

This is the original technique I learned that hooked me!  Using highlight glitter on double sided tape and an outline sticker I then colored the image with Copic markers.  It is definitely a crowd pleaser!  Everytime I give a card with this on it the recipient oh's and ah's!

I made this necklace using an outline sticker with the highlight glitter again.  It is adhered to an Ideology butterfly and pen nib.  Glitter embellishes the edges and coordinating beads accent the whole piece.  I love wearing it because it brings a little bit of Spring to our dreary wintertime!

That is my DT submission.  I hope you liked seeing my projects but I hope Elizabeth Craft Designs did too!  Leave me a comment and tell me what you liked.

Be inspired today!  Thanks for stopping by.

A little more Valentine inspiration

Just thought I would share a few more of the Valentine cards I have made.  Maybe a little inspiration for you?  Hope so.  Enjoy!

A side look at the one above.  It is a bit fussier inside.

I am absolutely in love with these arrows from Maya Road!

Again, with the arrow!

And opened to reveal a banner!

And my personal favorite right now:

Made with G45 papers (using only the Valentine sheet).  And of course I used my Cameo to get the perfect sized cut outs for the right and left flaps.  Love it!

I hope you enjoyed the pics.  Enjoy your weekend!