My try at flower layering

A short post as my hubby is back from a long business trip. I co-worker wore a great neutral outfit today and I was inspired to make this card. The pattern paper is prima as are the flowers. I think there needs to be another flower between teh small one and the crocheted one though. The sentiment is PTI. The background we sponged along the edges with some beautiful neutral distress ink and then the patterned paper was sprayed with some gold glimmer mist for a little something extra.

A Pretty Little Frame

I've got a pretty little frame for ya'll today. I took a simple (and cheap) frame and attacked it with lots of Prima goodness from YMH. I covered the frame with some Prima paper using Glaudine Hellmuth's Multi-medium. After I did that I went back and forth about sponging on ink or not. I finally decided not to. The next step was to for some bling to act as leaves in a way. I took several swirls and just cut them apart and layed them down where I wanted them. The flowers were colored using some glimmer mist except the cream color one. That came from a flower/butterfly combo. I had used the butterfly on a previous project and haven't known what to do with the flower. Today I took the center bling off and layered my other flower onto it. Now I need to find a quote to go in to for my home :)

Simple Christmas

A simple girl with a simple card for ya'll today. My want to create is being hurt by the lack of time I have. DH is getting ready for a long business trip so I am trying to spend more time with him. I have been doing so much extra stuff lately that for my post this week I wanted to scale things back some and just create some simple. Prima's paper selection is perfect for this as they work just as well alone as they do in an eleborate project. Add just a touch of some bling and the card gets a little dressed up. YMH has a great selection on paper and bling to fit whaterver your theme is too.

Enjoy your day and every moment, whether they are simple or eleborate :)

Always and forever, a honeymoon

I created this layout for a LOAD assignment over at BPS but had ya'll in mind. I used LOTS of prima paper goodies and even some Tattered Angles Glimmer Mist. The picture itself is from our honeymoon to Disneyworld (a place we want to take the boys to in 3-4 years). I have scrapped only ONE other honeymoon picture and though it was high time to scrap another one. I love how this looks in real life as the photo so isn't doing much. The paper is all Prima; however, the piece with the brown scroll work towards the top is really a Prima notecard. I love how perfect it went with the layout, so I just cut the piece I wanted. I sprayed my base of the layout with some TA Glimmer Mist in gold for a subtle effect and then roughed up the edges and sponged some vintage photo along the edges. The title is from WMS and I really like how it seem to fit perfectly.

Yummy, yummy cupcake

Ok, so this cupcake isn't for eating, but it sure can help a sweet tooth. It is a cupcake giftcard holder. Cute, right?! The wrapper is pleated Prima paper. The icing is a combo of white ribbon and white Prima flowers I sprayed with TA's Glimmer Mist to match the pattern paper. I hope to make more of these and I am sure that with practice, perfection will come. I will taking this sweet little thing with me when I meet with someone this Sat (I hope) about selling some of my crafts. Wish me luck :)

On a personal note, my oldest has started Kinder and is loving it. I have started another school year too. I am praying that it goes well for us both, but my biggest prayer is to get out of debt. I hope everyone who has gone back to school/work will have a good one.

Sweet Box

I've got a sweet box to share with ya'll today. I've had this box in mind for several months. In fact, it is inspired by an article I read title "God's Box" In the article, a lady is talking about the discovery of her late mother's box of prayers that had been labeled God's Box. She described how her mother would say prayers, big and little, write them down, and leave them with God. I really like the idea and started thinking that maybe, just maybe, it'll help me leave my problems with God instead of trying to take them back. The box is from Hobby Lobby with the products are mostly Prima. I don't think I'm am finished with it yet as I am trying to decide about putting the name of the box on there or not and about putting feet on it as well.

The first thing I did was paint both the box and lid with white gesso. After that was dry I used some multi-medium to glue down the Prima Sparkling Spring papers. Once dried I used a fan brush to edge all side with some slightly watered-down white paint so the edge of the paper wasn't so harsh and then gave a top protective coat with the same clear, matte multi-medium. The bottom was then complete (more or less) and that left the top. I really wanted to dress that up and even give it a handle. I used a knob from Tim Holtz's Curio Knobs for my handle and lots of Prima goodness for everything else.

I glued a leftover flower from a Live with Prima kit in the lower right corner and then added a sweet and sparkly Prima butterfly over it. To give it some movement I glued the butterfly on with some Helmar's Scrapdots for a angled height. In the upper left corner I first layed down some Prima bling and then layered the large white flower that came with the butterfly. Next, I took another Prima butterfly and layered it with Tattered Angles Chandelier Glitter Glam and water down pink paint. Then, I sprayed some white Prima flowers with some pink glimmer mist and then took my pink paint water and dyed them. Once dried I used Helmar's 450 Quick Dry to glue them down (as I did with the other two flowers) as well with the Prima leaves.

One of my favorite things on this box is the edge of the top. I used some Prima paper to create a box pleated ribbon effect as shown from this LWP show. Once that was done and glued down I added some Prima trim to add to the ribbon look since I wasn't in a sewing mood, lol.

Challenges used:
Stampin' for the Weekend: use your favorite things (love me some Prima goodness and glimmer mist)
There She Goes: Glitter, Glitz, & Bling
Allsorts Challenge: free and easy
Papertake Weekly: anything goes

My "No Mojo" Card

I wish I knew where my mojo has gone as it seems to be taking a vacation more often then I do. What frustrates me even more is that I WANT to create, but as soon as I get in the room I just can't seem to create. I even have ideas floating around in my head, but I just can't seem to get past the ideas. It is very frustrating.

Maybe the stess at my job is getting to me on some level. Maybe it's Spring Fever. Maybe it just my mojo playing a mean joke on me. For those that don't know, I teach 9th graders. I am sure most every one is aware of the education troubles that seem to be spreading around our country. My district is better off than some but still being effected. People are being shifted around or let go and nothing is a done deal until the new school year starts and then we'll be starting this all over again for the next following year. I didn't think I was worried as I've been trying really hard to leave it in God's lap, but maybe on some level I am still worried. At any rate, there are 10 weeks left and I am trying to make them as teachable as possible for my students.

However, ya'll came for the card, lol. Even though my mojo is on yet another vaca, I was able to squeak this little card out for ya'll. It's very simple, and IRL it is pretty (at least according to my DH). The base is white with another white piece cut slightly smaller, embossed with PTI's linen plate (I LOVE this plate), sponged along the edge, and then sprayed with TA's Irridecent Gold Glitter Mist. The two pieces of patterned paper I used is from Prima's Annalle paper pad. The flower is also Prima and is in fact two Prima flowers that I simply layered on top of each other for a subtle color difference between the flower and paper. In fact, they were left over flowers from a Live with Prima class kit I got over at YMH. I even sprayed the flower with the same gold glimmer mist give them a little something extra. The sentiment is from a PTI button set and the banner was cut using PTI's little banner die. Before I glued everything together I sponged the edges with PTI's Chamomile ink from their Vintage Touch duo. I ended up with a simple little card to welcome in Spring (what better way than pastels, white, and a flower).

Challenges used:
Get Sketchy - sketch

Colour Creatre Challenge - pastels

Totally Gorjuss - spring

Stamp Something - spring

Balance Prima style

I am back. It's still upsetting to think that I will never be able to see my uncle again in person when I visit my family there, but I know I will see him the stories we share and the memories I have. We didn't have a service but a celebration of his life. It was amazing to see the police being represented from the surrounding communities as he was a police officer for many years before going to Boeing. He was an Eagle Scout, retired Air Froce and police officer, father, son, uncle, brother and so much more. He and I were the only red heads in the family and for many years when I was much younger people would think I was his daughter. Thank you for ya'lls prayers and thoughts while I was gone.

I wanted to share this project that was posted over at Your Memories Here. My OLW for 2011 is "balance" and I thought it would be nice to have a pretty reminder. The frame was created from a wooden frame that got the edges painted with black paint and the front covered in some yummy Prima paper fround at YMH. The letters were some random chipboard alphas I had that I painted in turquoise and then added a layer of Glossy Accent to make them shiny. I added a black "mat" that was dry brushed with white on the inside to distinquish it from the picture and the black strip was crinkled and then dry brushed with white paint to give it some texture. To balance the word I added several Prima flowers (LOVE these flowers). I used Lilliput Roses - Lemon, Lilliput Roses - Turquoise, Mini Rose - Bright Turquoise, and Mini Rose - Sunrise Yellow. Since the mini flowers come on wire steams I used those steams to add some texture to the flowers and act like leaves. After the flowers were glued down I discovered an opening that looked off in the bunch so I added some Prima half pearls in a creamy yellow to act as filler. LOVED how quick and esay this all came together and now I have a beautiful reminder sitting on my classroom desk as a gentle reminder of my 2011 OLW.

My DH took the picture of me standing againt a black cloth I use for photographing my white projects. I decided I wanted to represent a scale. In PSE I softened the picture and worked each layer to give it a B/W effect while having my turquiose shirt pop just a tad. Then I added the words of what I am trying to find a balance in/with this year. I have this same photo printed, with the definition and a scripture verse added, to my bathroom mirror as a reminder each morning and evening.

I hope to have something for ya'll Friday, but since I just got back and my youngest is not sleeping well at night I can not promise just yet.