Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Alice in Wonderland - Halloween 2014

It's been awhile since I've been on the blog. We had a summer full of wonderful memories and sudden heartbreak. We enjoyed a road trip visiting family along the way, then two weeks after our return Stan's dad passed away suddenly. We were so thankful to have had a wonderful visit with him just weeks before. In the midst of so much loss, it reminds me again to treasure every moment we have.


Here I am only trying to describe the enormous emotions which cannot be described. And the strongest emotion was that life was as precious as it was puzzling. It was an ecstacy because it was an adventure; it was an adventure because it was an opportunity. The goodness of the fairy tale was not affected by the fact that there might be more dragons than princesses; it was good to be in a fairy tale. The test of all happiness is gratitude; and I felt grateful, though I hardly knew to whom. Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs? We thank people for birthday presents of cigars and slippers. Can I thank no one for the birthday present of birth?
-G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (1908)

With all of that in mind, I thought I'd share our photos of Halloween. The kids, along with some friends, have been planning their costumes since June. My amazing friend, Heather, is a thrift store wonder-worker. She refashioned several bridesmaid dresses, along with several other pieces to make these rock star costumes. I was only responsible for the Elizabethan playing card whisk collar, and the hair and makeup. 

Here's to treasuring the little moments we have with our families!


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Monday, September 8, 2014

Sewing Layers

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Hello again! Lately I've noticed lots of sewn strips and layers in my collection of lovely paper crafting pins on Pinterest. Sewing the layers to projects gives them some texture with the added bonus of keeping them affixed to your layout forever! 

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As with all of my projects, I lay the layers in their general location and move them around until I am satisfied with the look. I typed out a favorite quote with our old typewriter, then cut it into strips. Next I sewed some ordinary crepe paper into a ruffle on my sewing machine, then sewed each element onto the layout individually. After each layer was sewn, I ran my finger along each edge to give it a little extra dimension. Finally I added the photos, some stickers and a few sequins to finish it off. 

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"Be Kind" layout supplies:
Glitz Designs "Brightside" patterned papers: Butterflies, Bits & Pieces
Glitz Designs "Carpe Diem" patterned paper: Brocade
Glitz Designs "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Designs "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Designs "All Dolled Up" washi - cherries
other: cardstock, vellum, sequins, crepe paper, heart punch

Friday, August 29, 2014

Top Dog Guest Designer: Insta-Love Mini Album & Giveaway


Hello friends! I had the opportunity to pair up with Top Dog Dies as a Guest Designer this week. Top Dog Dies is a new online store that offers their own brand of wafer-thin and steel-rule dies, along with dies from brands you already know, including Little B, Lawn Fawn, Taylored Expressions, Savvy Stamps and Cheery Lynn Designs. Top Dog Dies is also the leading U.S. retailer for Tattered Lace, a new line of intricate dies designed by British designer Stephanie Weightman. 

I created this sweet little mini album with the Top Dog's Camera Die and Camera Finishers Set, as well as a cheery little card you can check out on the Top Dog blog. At seven inches across the camera die was perfectly sized to make an album with my Instagram prints. I cut the center out of a four inch doily to mimic the lens, then layered each page with paper, ribbon, wash tape, doilies and tulle to accent the photos. 

Be sure to enter the Top Dog Dies guest designer giveaway by Sunday, August 31 for a chance to win a $50 shopping spree at Top Dog Dies!


Insta-Love Mini Album

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The Details


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**Be sure to enter the Top Dog Dies guest designer giveaway by Sunday, August 31 for a chance to win a $50 shopping spree at Top Dog Dies!**



Friday, August 15, 2014

Little Moments - Little Vignettes

Happy Friday Glitz friends! For this week's Sparkle & Shine feature I decided to do a layout with four little vignettes mixing and matching embellishments from four gorgeous Glitz lines. A while back we took a few photos in front of an old aqua colored building we came across on the waterfront. 


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The striking background in the photos was a natural fit with the colors in the "Felicity" and "Brightside" so I used the 6x6 paper pads from both lines to ground the photos on the white background. I  sifted through my supplies and gathered stickers, Whatnots and rhinestones from four lines that complimented the photos. 

Once I'd gathered my coordinating supplies I created four mini vignettes and placed them in a grid pattern on my background cardstock. I stitched on a couple butterflies punched from vellum and added a decorative stitch around two edges.

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"You're my Sweetheart" layout supplies:
Glitz Design "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Felicity" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Felicity" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Black & White" Whatnots
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" puffy words sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" giant rhinestones
Glitz Design Washi Tape - silver
other: cardstock, vellum, baker's twine, butterfly punch

Saturday, August 2, 2014

The Little Things - Mini Album

Hello again! One of my favorite things about making mini albums is how quickly they come together. I especially enjoy mini albums with a variety of page shapes and materials. With a distinct texture or shape as the base, the first step in the creative process has already been done for you. 

Another aspect that adds to my mini album love is that they are perfectly sized for my abundance of cell phone photos. A couple times a year I have my cell phone photos printed just to be sure I don't lose any memories in some accident with my phone involving water, sudden impact or a computer glitch. With my stack of phone photos and Glitz goodies in hand, here is what I created.


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"Enjoy the Little Things" mini album supplies:
Glitz Design "Brightside" papers: Butterflies, Chunky Chevron, Bits & Pieces
Glitz Design "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Felicity" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Titles & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Black & White" Puffy Words sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Giant Rhinestones
Glitz Design washi tape - tiny hearts
other: mini album, vellum, tulle, ribbon, punches, brads

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