monday...Trailmakers April Challenge 2

This is a bittersweet post for me as this is my last post as a Trailmaker DT member since this is my last term as a DT member. However, I do want to share with you my last project. The for the next 2 weeks is to make a rainy day project and this is what I came up with:

I made an umbrella shaped card and a matching purse. For the purse, I used the template from Krisi's Kreations,our April sponsor. She has wonderful templates and svg files for sale as well as digital kits, alphabets and elements at her store. Stop by and check it out for yourself!

I decorated it by embossing a white cardstock and suing it as the background. I added some yellow flower and a few leaves that I cut with my Pazzles. I finished it off by adding a sentiment by My Pink Stamper (our February sponsor), two rhinestones and yellow ribbon for the handles. I also did some faux stitching on the purse to match the umbrella card.


I cut out the umbrella card with my Pazzles Inspiration in white. I used the Indie Girl Collection that I got from the TrailMakers store.I just loved the blues and yellows from this collection and thought it would look wonderful for a rainy day card! I added some yellow flowers, a few rhinestones and a button from the Trailmakers April Kit. I did some faux stitching on the card too. The zig zag lines are actually cut out with my Pazzles using this template by Krisi's Kreations. This zig zag is actually a border file which I shrunk down to make a zig zag stitching to add interest to my card without having to actually sew it! I then went over it with a white pen and voila! Instant stitched lines!

Here is a close up of the card inside the little purse so you can get a better view of them:


I added a quote to the card that I printed using my computer and then shaped as a little banner. The quote reads: "If you want to see the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain."

I can't wait to see what you came up with for your rainy day project! Remember to link it here for a chance to win!

monday...Trailmakers April Challenge 1

Happy Monday everyone! Today I want to tell you about The {Paper} Trailmaker's new challenge-to use their banner as the inspiration for your project! You can use the color, use it as template, or anything else as long as you use it for inspiration!

Here is the banner:


I decided to use it as a template for a set of greeting cards. Because I'm a visual person I actually sketch it up before and this is what I came up with:



and here is my card set complete with a purse to hold them:




and here is an individual card so you can see more detail. I made 4 for this set:


These were very simple to make after I drew up a sketch for them. I used two rectangles of the same pattern paper (Sassafras Indie Girl) and just flipped one over. This is a great way to use double sided paper since most of the time you only get to use one side. You are also guaranteed that they will match! To take it up a notch, I used the wonderful Sassafras borders as my middle layer of paper. It adds such an elegant touch to the card!


I did some faux stitching on the rectangles and distressed the edges. I ran the white base cardstock through my cuttlebug embossing folder to add dimension. I finished it all off with a computer generated sentiment and a little butterfly.

As for the purse card, the template is from Krisi's Kreations.  She is our April sponsor and she has wonderful templates and svg files  for sale as well as digital kits, alphabets and elements at her store.  Stop by and check it out for yourself!


Of course that I needed a pretty container to display my card set. I printed the pdf on white cardstock, cut and folded on the lines. It was really fast to make the purse as Krisi's instructions are easy to follow. I added some embossed cardstock as well as a butterfly on the purse to match the notecards. I finished it off with a pretty yellow ribbon as a handle and added little buttons as embellies.

I can't wait to see your take on this challenge and by all means, feel free to use my sketch based on the badge!

The {Paper} Trailmakers Blog Hop

Welcome to The {Paper} Trailmakers Fun in the Neighborhood Blog Hop!

We are debuting the April Kit with a Neighborhood Blog Hop and you are in for a treat! You should have arrived from Heather T's blog, in which you had an appetizer. Here, you will have drinks but don't worry, they are non-alcoholic! :)

Cherry Fruit Punch (recipe)

Also, in case you get lost, here are all the links!

Trail Makers blog-Start here

First up is our appetizer at Heather T's ...GDT for April

Going for drinks next at Amarilys' (that's me!)

Then we're off to Yara's for some salad

And the main dish at Sandi's

A scrumptious side dish at Karen's

A yummy dessert at Krystle's

An after dinner mint at Krisi's Kreations...Sponsor for April

And ending the evening playing some cards at Tanya's

Then go back to the Trail Makers blog, become a follower (if you aren't already) and tell us what you liked best about the Fun in the Neighborhood Blog Hop for a chance to win an April 2011 The Paper Trail Kit (retail value $35)! That's going to be one lucky winner!

**You have until 11PM EST on Sunday, April 3rd to complete the hop and get your comments posted!

Here is the The {Paper} Trailmakers's April Kit! Isn't wonderful? It's filled with yummy Crate paper and Prima flowers!

April 2011 Kit includes: 8 Crate Paper Neighborhood DS patterned papers, 4 sheets Bazzill cardstock, Crate Paper Neighborhood alpha stickers (12x12), Border stickers, trims, and buttons. Plus, Prima felt embroidered flowers, Prima birds, and a package of Bo Bunny Double Dot Chipboard Swirls and alphabet.

Well, without any further ado, here is my debut layout using Crate paper and inspired by my drink:


supplies-cardstock: Bazzill, Core-Dinations; patterned paper: Crate Paper Neighborhood Collection from the Trailmaker's April Kit; chipboard: Thickers; buttons: Crate; ink: Tim Holtz Vintage Photo; punch: Martha Stewart; glitter: Glimmer Mist (Frost, Olive Green, Suede), Stickles (Diamond); pens: Copics, Sharpie; other: handmade flowers and leaves, Line It Up: Templates v. 1 file (zig zag) from Krisy's Kreations, floss, 3D paint

Let me tell you, this new Crate paper collection is absolutely beautiful! I used the blue side of the paper since I was doing an outdoor layout but wanted to use some of the brighter colorful side as well. My compromise? Use a strip of yellow lace-like strip and add it to my layout.


I water distressed it to give it some texture and make it look more like lace. You can see it right under my photos.

I also made a banner out of the white banner strip. I simply used my shaped scissors and carefully cut around the triangle to make the edge. I hand sewed some floss on top to finish off the banner and used one of this collections' gorgeous button as a midpoint to add interest to the banner.

For the background, I glimmer misted in different colors to achieve an outdoorsy feel to the paper. I then distressed the edges and matted this paper on black cardstock to make it stand out. I used the circle from the drink as my inspiration for this layout. I traced the circle using my plate (yes, I still do that) and punched around it with a Martha Stewart corner punch to achieve this effect. I learned this technique some months ago and I don't remember where I learned it from but I know that Lisa has a good video tutorial for it. Anyway, I distressed the inside of the circle and applied 3D paint for added texture and interest. I wanted to use some posies on my layout, just like the ones on the drink but I didn't have any. Therefore, I designed and cut my own using my Pazzles Inspiration.


I chalked the centers of the flowers with yellow and added some brown lines inside. I finished it off with some stickles around the edges to give it some bling. Love the way these turned out! Finally, I scattered the rest of the Crate buttons around the flowers to add dimension and finish off the cluster. If you look closely, you will see a zig zag line going through the left side of my picture as well as on top of my right picture. Well, these 'zig zag' lines are actually border templates by our April Sponsor, Krisi' Kreation.

She sells wonderful digi page kits, alphabets, and word art as well as svg files for cards, flowers, borders, etc. You do not have to be a digi scrapper to use her templates.

As I said before the zig zag is actually a border file (click the picture on the right to go to it) which I shrunk down to make a zig zag stitching to add interest to my layout without having to actually sew on my pictures!



Well, now that you are done with drinks, go on to Yara's for some salad!

monday...Trailmakers March Challenge 2

I had the privilege this month to come up with a sketch for The {Paper} Trailmakers second March challenge.
Here is the sketch:



and here is my take on it:

Supplies: cardstock: Best Creations; patterned paper: Colorbok; Graphic 45-Once Upon a Sprintime; chipboard: Thickers; flowers: Prima, Recollections; ink: Tim Holts Vintage Photo; pens: Sharpie; glitter glue: Stickles; other: ribbon, 3D paint, doily

I fuzzy cut the inside of the wonderful Graphic 45 12"x12" paper, distressed and inked the edges, and stickled the flowers, leaves, bunnies and fairy. I kept the circle from the sketch by adding a white doily that I found in the dollar store. I omitted the horizontal strips of paper from the sketch because I didn't wanted to cover the pretty Graphic 45 paper. Plus the paper is busy enough that you don't need a horizontal element.


I used a Recollections flower from my stash and a Prima rose, ribbon and tag from the kit to make the cluster in the bottom right side of the layout. Remember that if a sketch has flowers as embellies you do not need to use flowers in your layout. It just means that you should have embellishments of some sort in there. I finished this corner off with some handmade pearl bling using 3D paint.


Finally, I added some pretty butterflies in the top left corner to balance the layout.

If you like this sketch, come and play with us at The {Paper} Trailmakers this month! You have until the end of this month to upload our creations to the Mr. Link on the blog. I can't wait to see what you all do using this sketch!

sunday...Trailmakers sketch challenge

Happy Sunday everyone! Today I want to tell you about The {Paper} Trailmakers's second biweekly challenge which happens to be a sketch designed by me! If you like this sketch, use it and play along with us for the chance to win a $15 gift certificate to the store.

Come back tomorrow to see my take on my own sketch using The {Paper} Trailmaker's March Kit!

thursday...Trailmakers glossy accent tutorial

Back at the beginning of the month when I showed you my debut layout for The {Paper} Trailmakers March Kit, I told you that I was working on a tutorial using glossy accents. Well, the wait is over as here it is.

This tutorial is quick and easy but has wonderful effects!

Supplies:

• Glossy Accents
• Tim Holtz Clear Fragments (or anything clear for that matter)
• Image, clip art or pattern paper

Step 1. Apply a thick layer of Glossy Accents to one side of the clear fragment, making sure that to cover all the surface. Do NOT shake your Glossy Accents or you will get bubbles.


Step 2. Carefully attach the clear fragment to the image that you chose. Make sure that it's either the same size or a bit bigger. Some of the Glossy Accent will come out. This is normal. Let it dry for a few minutes or hours, depending on the size of your clear fragment.


Step 3. Once it's dry, cut out the excess paper and you are done! Attach to any project for a neat and different embellie which gives your project great dimension!

and here is my finished layout again so you can now see the fragment:


Hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial! Can't wait to see what you make with your Glossy Accents!

monday...Trailmakers March Challenge 1

Can you believe that it's March already? I certainly can't! To celebrate the 3rd month of the year, we over at The {Paper} Trailmakers have a fun challenge for you!

To celebrate our 3rd month of the year, our first challenge will be all about 3's!! The challenge will be an anything goes except you must include these 3 things:
1. If you submit a layout - you must use 3 photos. If you submit a card - make 3 different ones. If you do an altered project - it must be 3-D!
2. Use 3 different papers. (can be cardstock, patterned paper, or a combination)
3. Use the number 3 somewhere on your project. Can be in the title - the journaling- anywhere and in any way - can be the number itself or can be spelled out.

So, having said this, here is my layout for this challenge:

Supplies: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Graphic 45; chipboard: Thickers; flowers: Prima; glitter: Glimmer Mist, Stickles; ink: ColorBox; tools: Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Baby Face Alphabet, Tim Holtz Paper Distresser; punch: Martha Stewart; other: handmade flowers, handmade white thickers, 3D paint

I used two pattern papers and one cream cardstock, all from the kit and of course, and my three pictures. I went with a more subtle look for this layout and concentrated on the soft pastels colors of the Graphic 45 paper.


I did some more fuzzy cutting (I love these flowers!) and even made my own flowers following Gabrielle's tutorial! I stickles the cut outs, fairy and Prima roses with Diamond stickles to add some shine to the layout. I used some 3D paint in white to give the layout a touch of elegance (white 3D paint reminds me of pearls).


Finally, to satisfy the number 3 in the title or journaling, I added the quote "it takes 17 muscles to smile & 43 muscles to frown". The word smile I made using the yummy yellow and pink Thickers that come in the March Kit and the rest of the quote I made using my Cuttlebug and some glittery foam. It's so easy and cheap to make these yourself!


Finally, this is a close up of the top right corner. I also handmade the larger pink flower and used Glossy Accents, a clear button and an image from the pattern paper to make the center of the flower.

TIP: Take some time and hand stitch on your button-your layout will look more professional if you do!

I can't wait to see what you create for this fun challenge! Here is the link for when you are ready to share your project with us over at The {Paper} Trailmakers!

tuesday...Trailmakers March Kit Debut

This month I had the privilege to work with Graphic 45 new Sprintime line and let me tell you, it's absolutely stunning in real life! The Trailmaker March Kit featured this line and is filled with yummy flowers, ribbon and bling! Don't miss your chance to get and use this it's full of yummy Graphic 45 papers, of course, flowers, and embellies and as soon as I saw the paper I knew which pictures I wanted to use them with.

I took these pictures last Spring when I hand-raised about 10 monarch caterpillars and released them into the world a few days later when they emerged of their cocoon. It was a beautiful thing to see!

Supplies: cardstock: Bazzill, DCWV; patterned paper: Graphic 45; embellishments: Tim Holtz fragments; Chipboard: Thickers; Flowers: Prima; Ink: Ranger; Stamp: Prima; Glitter: Stickles, Glimmer Mist; Pens: Sharpie; Adhesive: Diamond glaze, Glossy Accents; Other: Heart doily, floss, 3D paint

I made my own die cut paper with the green Graphic 45 paper and stitched the green Bazzill cardstock to the paper with green floss.

I did some fuzzy cutting and cut out some flowers from one of the Graphic 45 papers and used them as my embellies. I layered some of them to give them dimension and then I used some clear stickles for added bling. I love the punch of colors that these flowers provide!


I added a small heart doily that I got on clearance after the valentine's day sale. It was red so glimmer misted it and inked it with brown ink to make it match more.


Finally, I made a charm using a Tim Holtz fragment from my stash and a stamp cut out from the Graphic 45 paper. I'll have a tutorial up on how to do this soon! I finished it off with my title, Beauty, using the Thickers included in the March Kit from Trailmakers.

Thank you for stopping by today and don't forget to check out the rest of the DTs debut layout!

monday...trailmakers love song challenge

"Endless Love" by Lionel Ritchie is one of my favorite songs! So it was only fitting that I used it as the title for my layout for the Trailmakers Challenge -to use the song, or part of the song, in your layout.

Here's my layout:

Supplies: cardstock: Gemstones; patterned paper: Pink Paislee, DCWV; embellishments: Jenni Bowlin Studio Buttons; Prima butterfly; flowers: Prima; ink: Tim Holtz; stamps: My Pink Stamper

I cut up the Pink Paislee die cut, distressed it a bit on the edges and used two pieced of it in this layout. I also glimmer misted it to give it some bling! I used a white cardstock as my base which I further layered it unto a black and white My Mind's Eye sheet of paper that I had in my stash. I wanted to keep the background as neutral as possible to make the picture and the red die cut the focus of the layout. I distressed and inked a left over piece of Pink Paislee paper from the The Paper Trail February Kit which had some pinks and greens and fit perfectly there to add some colors to balance the red die cut paper.


I actually used two stamps by My Pink Stamper, our February sponsor, to make the small saying (Love you) next to the Prima flower. Because the stamps are clear, I was able to stamp the word 'you' and then the word 'love' on top to make the new phrase 'love you'.


I handmade my own flourishes using my own tutorial but instead of using the 3D paint directly on the layout, I used a transparency and cut it after it was dry.

I'll leave you with one more close up picture of my layout:


Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! I appreciate it!

monday...trailmakers recipe challenge

Well, today is my first post over at TrailMakers Challenge Blog! If you haven't checked out the new challenge, I recommend you do because it's so much fun!



We also have a new sponsor for the month of February! My Pink Stamper will be sponsoring us this month and throughout the month you will see the how the DT used My Pink Stamper's stamps in all the projects and layouts featured this month.





I just LOVE recipe challenges! They are one of my favorite challenges and isn't the February Kit just to die for!? I had so much fun playing with the yummy papers by Pink Paislee.
Here is my layout for the LOVE LETTERS recipe challenge:


Supplies-cardstock: Bazzill (from my stash); patterned paper: all Pink Paislee from the Trailmakers February Kit; embellishments: Pink Paislee metal badges from the Trailmakers February Kit; flowers: Prima flowers from the Trailmakers February Kit; Chipboard: Thickers (from my stash); ribbon: white and yellow ribbon from the Trailmakers February Kit; ink: Tim Holtz (from my stash); pens: Sharpie (from my stash); stamp: My Pink Stamper-Everyday Life; other: 3D paint, leaves, pink ribbon, glimmer mist, Diamond stickles, butterfly and bling all from my stash

For this challenge I chose to include Lace in the form of a doily paper. I cut up the die cut lacy paper that comes with the kit and used the smaller doily. I used a bit of glimmer mist to give it a little shine.


A distressed Tag which even though its hidden, you can still tell it's there because I used one of those yummy Pink Paislee metal badges that also come in the kit along with a piece of the beautiful soft yellow and white Ribbon, also from the kit.


Finally, I used one of the Stamp sentiments from our sponsor this month, My Pink Stamper, called Everyday Life. The sentiment reads "Bloom where planted" and I thought it went perfectly with my picture in a tropical garden!


Here are two more close ups of my project:



Aren't these badges by Pink Paislee absolutely gorgeous!? I used most of them in this layout alone!

Have a wonderful day!