Altered Photo Canvas

I was the featured Guest Designer yesterday on the Craft Warehouse blog. I did a tutorial on how to make this pretty photo canvas. Check it out here....Cara's Canvas Tutorial

Thanks for looking!:)

My Final Craft Warehouse Project

So sad that my term is ending on the Craft Warehouse Design Team. It has been an awesome year and such a great opportunity! Here are photos of my final projects:

Even though this Altered Canvas was probably the biggest challenge for me, I'm probably most happy with this one. I turned the black clothespin into a dragonfly and used it as my "i". We got to use some fun burlap and canvas pieces from Canvas Corp. And I really loved using the Tim Holtz Kraft Resist paper to stamp my letters on!

 For this layout, I used the 4th of July kit from Echo Park. 

 For this layout I used a Disney theme kit from EK Success, washi tape from Queen & Coi. and baker's twine from We R Memory Keepers. Oh...and if you're thinking "those don't look like your kids"...you're right! (a huge THANKS to fellow Design Team member Mendi Yoshikawa for letting me use a photo of her cute daughters with Minnie for this assignment!).

3 Simple (Stories) Birthday Cards

I just did a feature for the Craft Warehouse blog-3 cards in 30 minutes! These are the 3 cards I made. Head over to the CW blog to see my tutorial with step-by-step instructions on how to make all three.

Some Simple (Stories) Projects to Share...

I just recently made three new projects for Craft Warehouse with the new "Fabulous" line from Simple Stories. I've never used Simple Stories before, but I loved working with it...it truly was simplicity at it's best!

This first project is a divided page protector layout...my friend Amy took these photos of Ellie right after she turned 4! I 

The paper, stickers and transparency (used on bottom right) are all from Simple Stories. The divided page protector is from Doodlebug. I also used some Scotch foam tape on some of the stickers to give them dimension, and a circle punch.

Here's my Designer's Choice layout (we could basically do whatever we wanted)...and had to use the alphas and some ribbon.

Patterned paper and stickers from Simple Stories

Kraft cardstock, alphas and ribbons from American Crafts

White flower from Petaloo

Circle punches and foam tape

And lastly, here's a card I created:

It was really simple...I just used a die cut from Simple Stories along with a punched circle of the coordinating patterned paper, and attached a couple stickers (with foam tape), and added some bling (from My Mind's Eye) on a kraft cardstock base. 

Simple Stories has some great new lines...you should check them out!

Craft Warehouse "Crate Paper" Assignment

This is my third assignment for the Craft Warehouse Design Team. This time we used Crate Paper's Farmhouse Collection...a really cute fall line. Here's the layout I made...

it was a great way to showcase a few of the photos from our recent trip to one of the local apple orchards. 

Then we also needed to make a plaque using some vinyl lettering. My friend Erica gave me the awesome idea to use the lettering as a stencil and try a crackle technique on the plaque. 

I started out by painting the plain wooden plaque a cream color (with Delta Ceramacoat Acrylic Paint). Then I used the vinyl "HOME" lettering that Craft Warehouse sent me. Next I applied the Delta Crackle Medium, and then a coat of brown acrylic paint. After it dried I pulled up the vinyl letter and viola....

I've never done crackling before, but it was easy, and I'm really happy with the way the plaque turned out.

Again...all the papers, die cuts, stickers, buttons and brads are from Crate Paper. I had never made these cute simple flowers before, but I just used varied sizes of circles, scrunched them up for some dimension and layered them (on couple of the pieces I cut out a few notches). So easy and so cute...now I can't wait to try this on cards and layouts. The leaves were also hand cut from the patterned paper and scrunched. 

My 2nd Design Team Assignment

As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that kept me super busy last week was working on the 2nd design team assignment for Craft Warehouse. For this assignment they sent us a box of goodies from Jillibean Soup (2 BRAND new collections) and asked us to make a fall card and layout, and a set of 4 Christmas cards (one photo card, one gift card holder, one simple (easy-to-make) card, and one more elaborate card. 

I really enjoyed this assignment, as I love the Jillibean paper and it's more "cutesy" style. 

Here's what I came up with...

My Fall Layout...I love this photo of Ellie that my friend Anissa (AH Photography here in Boise) took. I knew it would be the perfect photo to use for this fall page.

Patterned paper, die cuts, labels and corrugated alphas (Jillibean Soup-Apple Cheddar Soup Collection), Cardstock and Twine (American Crafts)

Photo Corner Punch (Stampin' Up)

Corner Rounder, Foam Tape

 Some close-up views...

My Fall Card

Patterned Paper and Die Cut (Jillibean Soup-Apple Cheddar Soup Collection)

Stamp (Pebbles Inc-"Hello")

Twine, Foam Tape

My Photo Card

Patterned Paper and Die Cuts (Jillibean Soup-Christmas Eve Chowder collection)

Cardstock (Bazzill Basics)

Foam Mounting Tape

My Gift Card Holder

Patterned Paper, Die Cuts and Label (Jillibean Soup-Christmas Eve Chowder collection)

Cardstock (American Crafts)

Corner Rounder, 1/2 " Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch

Mini Glue Dots, Foam Tape

My Simple Card

Patterned Paper and Label (Jillibean Soup-Christmas Eve Chowder collection)

Cardstock and Twine (American Crafts)

1-1/4" Circle Punch, Foam Tape

My Elaborate Card

Patterned Paper and Die Cut (Jillibean Soup-Christmas Eve Chowder collection)

Blue Patterned Paper (Jillibean Soup-Apple Cheddar Soup collection)

Cardstock (Bazzill Basics)

Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts-Doily Lace Edge Punch)

Ribbon and Twine (American Crafts)

Corner Rounders-small and large

Buttons, Mini Glue Dots, Foam Tape

 In this photo you can see in more detail how I made the "snow" from the border punch.

I really had a lot of fun creating all these...hope you enjoy them also!

Craft Warehouse First Assignment-Layout #2

Here's my final project for this assignment. I created this on Friday night when I went scrapping to a local store with some friends. Thank you Erica, Bekkie and Steph for your help and input!  

This again is made with the new Authentique "Journey" collection. We were told we had to use at least 2 patterned papers, at least 2 paper embellishments (I used the bracket tag for my title...it originally said Brave Boy, so I cut out a new middle of cream cardstock and used Authentique stickers to create my title...I also used the little round "dream" tag), to use Glimmer Mist (mine was blue--and it didn't match exactly, so I used it just lightly to spritz my butterfly) and finally to use the "Resist Chipboard"--love the pattern, but since I don't have a die-cut machine, I just cut it straight--and when I tried spraying it blue, it did not match the other papers, so I didn't use it that way)

*NOTE: My friend Anissa Hayes from AH Photography took the photos.

I really enjoyed making the butterfly out of the patterned paper below...

It's definitely a beautiful line of paper...it also comes in a pink line (Uncommon) and a yellow line (Blissful). I think Craft Warehouse is the only store carrying it so far.

Craft Warehouse First Assignment-Card

Here's a photo of the card I made (with the same Authentique papers & paper embellishments I used for the layout I posted earlier), plus I used a stamp (the heart with the little flowers) from Unity Stamp Company.  It is stamped with the VersaFine Onyx Black ink---LOVE this pad...it helps with the detail so much...I want it in other colors now!). I colored in the image with colored pencils and mineral spirits (Gamsol). The darker blue flower and the heart are "fussy cut" from the Authentique patterned paper.

 I decided to keep it pretty simple (not a lot of embellishments other than the faux pearl bling)...and I'm happy with how it turned out! 

Here's a close-up of how I colored the heart...

Tomorrow I'll post my last layout for you....

My First Craft Warehouse Assignment-Layout #1

I told you I would share the results of using the photos from the "disaster" photo session (see previous blog post) with Ellie. I used them on one of my layouts for the Craft Warehouse design team (my very first assignment). 

This was made with a new line of papers and embellishments from a brand new company called Authentique. This is not my typical style...but I really liked the colors and patterns, and really had fun making my projects, and trying something new!

I enjoyed making these "box" flowers. I got the idea from a Creating Keepsakes special edition called "Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks"-Fabulous Flowers. They took some time to figure out...but I really like the way the circular style compliments the circle photos on the layout.

I also had to make another layout and a card. I will share those with you later...

Craft Warehouse Design Team-It's Official!

YAY-I'm officially on the Craft Warehouse 2011 Design Team now! They've just posted the new team's profiles and photo slide shows...you can check it out at the CW Design Team Page. And that means that I can now show you my entries. We had to submit 2 layouts, 2 cards and 1 "project". Here are photos of my winning entries:

I love this photo of Ellie and her good friend Gabi! I used a bunch of different manufacturer's patterned paper on this one, American Crafts foam Thickers for the title and assorted buttons from my stash. I love the pleated ribbon (I just used mini glue dots to make the pleats)! 

I used K & Co's (Carolyn Gavin) Greenhouse line for this one, plus some felt flowers that my sweet MIL made for me with her Cuttlebug and flower dies. The title was made with my Cricut (Street Signs cartridge) and so was the little "sunshine" tab (I just used the "left-over" scrap and put some PP behind to show through, and I stamped the "you are"). The brads are from Lasting Impressions. And I used the new spray bottles from Close to My Heart and an ink refill to make the ink splotches (you could probably also use a darker Glimmer Mist to get the same kind of effect).  

This card was made with Kraft cardstock and assorted brands of patterned paper. I used my Cricut for the letters (I did the same thing for the "Happy" tab that I did for the "sunshine" tab in the above layout). I used a little flower punch to make the flowers and some bling from My Mind's Eye for the centers. I added some white ric-rac from my stash. 

This card was made with white CS and assorted brands of patterned paper. The gem swirls are from Colorbok (Target) and the green bling is from My Mind's Eye. I used a scalloped border punch for the strips of PP along the bottom. The Happy Birthday stamp is from PaperTreyInk. 

This one is my favorite! I have it displayed proudly in my craft room! The photos make me smile (amazing how quickly kids grow up, huh?). And I know...Ellie isn't quite six, but I needed a photo! As for a supply list...ugh (where do I start?). The printer's tray I purchased at Craft Warehouse.  I cut all the numbers and letters with my Cricut (Street Signs again---I only own this one cartridge, so it's getting lots of use!). Again...lots of different brands of PP. For the "ONE" block- the tree diecut is from My Mind's Eye and I added the orange brads, and the cloud was made with my MIL's Cuttlebug (thanks Carol!). I made the sun with a circle punch (and added Diamond Glaze) and hand-cut the "rays". For "TWO"--the butterflies are from K&Co. and I added bling from My Mind's Eye. The gem swirl is from Colorbok. For "THREE"-I handmade the pinwheels and attached a brad (Lasting Impressions) to each middle. I used toothpicks for the handles. For "FOUR"-I handmade the rosettes (there's great online tutorials online on how to make these!), punched out the circle centers, and added some bling. For "FIVE"-I used a punch-out chipboard banner from My Mind's Eye (Fine and Dandy line) and added MME bling too. For "SIX"-I used a punch for the hearts and then added Diamond Glaze for some shine. Then added a few buttons with floss. 

Craft Warehouse's "Your Story" Layout Challenge

As part of the Craft Warehouse Blog Party this past weekend, we were challenged by Laura Cook to create a layout about ourselves. I have NEVER done this before, as I'm not a big fan of being in front of a camera (I much prefer to be behind it). But what did appeal to me about this challenge is that I thought it would be nice for Ellie (especially years from now) to know a little bit about me at this time in my life (as my scrapbooks will eventually be passed on to her). So here's the result:

First I want to thank my friend, Anissa Hayes (AH Photography) for taking my photo (you're awesome Anissa!)--she took it because I needed a head-shot for the Craft Warehouse Design Team page, and it worked out great for this layout too! My layout was also inspired from a layout in "52 Scrapbooking Challenges" by Elsie Flannigan. I loved her use of bright strips of ribbon and patterned paper as her entire background, and I wanted to try it. I just used strips of ribbon and paper from my "scraps" stash (a great way to use them up!)...and I added flowers by Making Memories (pink and blue) and Prima (orange polka dot) and a brad from Making Memories. The photo corner punch is from Stampin' Up. If you've never done a page like this I really encourage you to...it's kinda fun thinking of all the different things you love! 

A Craft Warehouse Scraplift Challenge

This weekend, I really enjoyed participating in Craft Warehouse's Blog Party.  One of the challenges was to use Elizabeth's layout and "scraplift" it (use her idea, but make it your own on a layout). Here's Elizabeth's layout:

And here's what I came up with:

Scraplifting is one of my specialties...so I had a lot of fun with this! On this layout I mainly used Cosmo Cricket's Girl Friday paper line (except for the green plaid paper which is from Echo Park). The ticket is from My Mind's Eye, the ribbon from May Arts, the circle edger punch from EK Success, and the buttons from my stash:o) including some from Doodlebug. 

There's still time to participate in the challenges and have a chance to win prizes. You just need to post your work--per the instructions on the blog before midnight PST on Tuesday night (the 24th). 

And if you're reading this after the fact...there's still some great inspirational ideas...so check it out!

Join Me for Craft Warehouse's Blog Party!

First, I am very excited to announce that I've been invited to be part of Craft Warehouse's 2011 Scrapbook Design Team. I entered the contest about a month ago, and got a phone call on May 5th saying I'd been chosen. I'm really honored, as I know there were many talented scrapbookers who entered. 

So, if you're not familiar with Craft Warehouse...they have 8 stores throughout Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Their stores offer a great scrapbooking department, but also have great jewelry/beading, framing, and fabric/sewing departments...as well as cute home decor items, fun games and great crafts for kids. It's one of my favorite places to visit!

Anyway, this weekend (Friday, May 20th through Sunday, May 22nd) some of their current (2010) design team is helping to host their first ever Blog Party. I'll be participating throughout the weekend, and I hope you'll join me! Click on this link: Craft Warehouse Blog to join in the fun...they'll be challenges (that you can participate in through Tuesday, May 24th at midnight) and prizes. One of the easiest ways to be a part is to post a comment on the Photography Challenge (you'll then be entered into that prize drawing). But if you ALSO participate in the other challenges and provide a link to your submission (there's rules and instructions on the blog), you will be entered for that specific challenge's prize drawing too. Plus the challenges will be really fun, and maybe even motivate to try something new that you've never tried before!