quilt card

Got this idea from Kristi on The Best Things In Life are Piink on her youtube video about using 6x6 paper pads in card making.  I didn't have the quilt die so I found a quilt image just like that on google, traced it into my Silhouette software and after a bit of "tweaking" I came up with a cut file so that the corners cut as squares and the triangles cover both sections and the center area cuts as one pieces.  Using a die you have a ton of tiny pieces and have to back the card with adhesive strips (it show what I mean in her video).  My way I only have 4 triangles, 4 squares, one center pieces and one black overlay.  Anyway.  I then make a label piece from a Silhouette file, printed the happy birthday on the white part, added it to the card with brads and added a silk flower to the center.  I really like this card.

Quick Birthday Cards

Quick birthday card. Got the inspiration (or totally stolen) from a video by Christina Griffiths on youtube https://youtu.be/IvV_bcIqzM8. I don't have a background stamp that I liked for this so I embossed it with an embossing folder from the paper studio, 'Blocks & angles' and then rubbed Tim Holtz Distress ink spiced marmalade over the raised parts. I stamped happy birthday wrapped black and white bakers twine and added three homemade enamel dots. Quick yet still cute.

The pink & yellow card I made with patterned paper and a button.  I accidentally cut the angle the wrong way but oh well.  Also, I don't have a picture but I made envelopes lined with the embossed and the patterned papers to match the cards.  Nice to have a batch of ready to go cards.

Flowers & bows

I have spent the day watching videos and making flowers and bows.  This first one is my absolute favorite!  Thank you Tmika!

Tmika Miller (scrapdaworld on Youtube) Prima/Recollections Flower Dupe Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6p-KSYYSf4

 For this blue rose I used the cutting cafe's flower file.  It comes in 4 sizes.  I used 2 sizes.  I personally like the look of the flower better using two smaller flowers for the center and three larger ones for the remainder of the flowers.  So I used the 2nd larges for the 3 and one size smaller for the centers.  I think they look more proportionate that way.

Flower cut file from the Cutting Cafe
http://thecuttingcafe.typepad.com/the_cutting_cafe/2014/02/paper-flower-template-and-cutting-file.html

From Silhouette Bow file by Amy Robison Design ID #53138

 I made these bows out of cheap Colorbok paper from Walmart which is about copy paper weight so I added a layer of mod podge and glitter to stiffen them and give them some glimmer.

From tutorial by Tmika Miller (scrapdaworld on youtube)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeqLuMmIvOQ&feature=em-subs_digest

 These are cute but I don't like the way the card stock wrinkled.  I may try these again with a better weight card stock.  Also, on closer inspection of the recollections flowers that these are duped from, it looks like the top layer is three petals and the next layer is 4 petals and the last 2 are 5 petals.  I may redo these using that formula and see if I like them better.  I do love making flowers though.  I have no idea what I will do with them all but I love them.

tiny flowers

I was working on altering dominoes (post to follow at a later date) and needed a tiny flower since I was altering mini dominoes.  I have made these flowers before but never teeny tiny.  So, I made several sizes ranging from normal to 3/8".  Yes, 3/8"!  That is a tiny flower to make but I love how all sizes turned out.  I went a bit heavy on the glitter but I ask you...can you EVER have too much glitter?  LOL

Pocket Letter from Arkansas

I signed up for a swap group for Pocket Letters for state swaps.  The idea is you partner with a person from each state in the US and send them Arkansas themed Pocket letters and get one from their state.  So far, I have gotten one from Virginia and one from Missouri.  I sent one to California but never got one back.  This one is going to the lady from Missouri that sent me one.  Most of my Arkansas PPLs are similar.  I "tweek" each one I make.  Each card has info on the back regarding the picture on the front.  The fiddle is the state instrument, the mockingbird is the state bird the back of the flag card explains the reason behind the white stars.  The center pocket is a shaker of sorts with glitter to represent diamonds with a diamond I cut on my Silhouette Cameo out of white card stock and vellum since Arkansas has the only diamond mine in the US where you can go find your own diamonds.  The apple blossom is the state flower, the White-tailed deer is the State mammal, the Southern Pine is the state tree and in Faulk County there supposedly resides a Big Foot creature referred to as the Boggy Creek Monster.  The back of the PPL is typical with trinkets and things.  I made an Arkansas State Seal bottle cap charm to hang off the PPL with a globe dangling off of it.

My attempt at scrapdaworld heart clothespins

Here is a link to Tamika's video on her altered heart clothespins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-K5Jvcvy40

Mine are cute but hers are out of this world adorable.

Here are hers:  

And here are mine:

Clay bows for scrapbooking / journalling

 I bought this little silicone bow mold off eBay

...And this clay from Walmart..

Put some on paperclips.

And made these adorable bows!

First Day of College layout

My craft room has been in such disarray for so long that I have been unable to scrapbook. I finally used this long break to tidy it up (for the most part). I needed to scrap these photos of my youngest on her first day of college. I did struggle with it. I backed the patterned paper (Authentique Classic Beauty Collection - Beauty Four) from the November 2015 'Ain't no sunshine' kit with the yellow card stock from the kit. I liked it but it was missing something. I had the pink washi from the kit out for under the photos and the top of the tag and decided to add it to the top and bottom and I felt that was the touch it needed. Then I had trapped spaces and things here and there to fix but in the end I was happy with it.

Oh, I outlined all the layering papers with black ink. I tried to be all Tracy Banks and do it freehand. Nope! She is a goddess at that. I couldn't keep my pen on the paper, in anything close to a straight line. So, I gave up and used a ruler. Maybe I will practice and get better.

I punched a 1" circle out of the yellow card stock (I gutted it before using it to back the patterned paper} and stamped the date on it and put it in the lens of the acrylic camera.

Most everything on this layout was from the Scraptastic Club November 2015 'Ain't No Sunshine Kit' but the acrylic hearts and things were from a sale bag of wood veneers and things from Scraptastic and the flower on the right was from a swap at the Yahoo Scrap-a-holic anonymous group and a couple of things were from my stash.