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Fabric Florals on a Budget...

 

There's a real possibility that I might be behind on the times, but when I saw how people were crafting these glorious fabric florals, I thought there had to be an easier way to make them rather than sewing or adhering them with a big ol' gluber. I've seen them adhered while rolled as well and let me tell you, that just looks like a lot of work - more than I'm willing to take on at this point. So, what's the magic to making these babies without breaking the bank or having to thread a fine needle? It's not rocket science, though nor is it perfect..but, it works and it's super cheap!! {not applicable in some situations like jewelry making}

 

So, I'm sitting in my kitchen this evening with a quarter yard of fabric and thought I'd give the flower making thing a whirl since the fabric was already in front of me. I tore at it along the grain {about a inch-in-a-half or so) and rolled it into a swirl. In my attempt to figure out how to keep it together, it dawned on me that a big circular mound of tacky glue and cardstock might be an option. In estimating the size of the flower, I applied a large circular area of glue on top the cardstock. I then placed the flower directly on top the glue and within a few minutes and a manipulative move or two, the flower dried in place. Lastly, I took the scissors out and cut around the flower  {extremely close to the fabric} so that the paper disappeared from the front.

The end product is a paper-backed rolled fabric flower - adhere it to whatever you like! 

I love this cheap option!! Yeah! Feel free to pass it along...

And now for other news - I got my hair cut today {I'll post a pic later!}! I know, none too exciting, but the much improved news is that I'm running back for a hair color change in five weeks!! What color might I be going? Well, it won't be all that dramatic, but it should still be fun! I'm opting for extra blond highlights in front and dark dusty blond in back - crazy!!! I'm so ready for change though...a new Spring wardrobe would be nice too, but that'll have to wait 'til later. Laugh. In sharing this, I'm curious to find out what sort of change'(s) you're trying on this Spring? {Minus the house cleaning and gardening that'll be required if to resuscitate ourselves from what turned out to be an unbearable Winter!!} What will you be doing for yourself to get ready for the warmer months ahead? I'd love to hear what your plans are!!  Share, share, share. ~CM

Inspiring Quilts & Pretty Stamps

I'm super crazy about quilts again. Blame it on Pinterest. There are so many lovely quilts over there and the colors are divine!! I almost want to take to collecting fabric again but I know better than to do so. It would spell serious "trouble" for me!! Laugh. The last thing I need right now is more "stuff"!! I think I'll just admire from afar and maybe even sneak in a patchwork or two on a layout from time to time. Paper is particularly wonderful like fabric because like fabric, it can be patchworked any which way - no rules, just fun! Plus, quilting has almost come the way of paper these days..every where I turn, there's a patchwork display of some kind in the scrapbooking world. What about you, have you seen patchy-stuff out there too? How about a link? Speaking of links, I've websites to share from each of the quilt artist's shown above:

1. Fussy Cut   

2. Blue Elephant Stitches  

3. Little Miss Shabby  

4. Red Pepper Quilts

 

And now onto a completely different subject - how about these little lovelies from Papertrey Ink? I almost don't want to open them because they're so beautiful from inside the packaging and the packaging itself is it's own work of art. It reminds me a window box display, really. But I suppose the whole point of my purchasing the stamps is to make use of them and not let them sit inside the box all by their lonesome. Plus, the stamp set is acquainted with a clear CD case and stamp diagram for storing the stamps safely and conveniently. Must take advantage of this nice feature!!

 

One of the things I hadn't known about Papertrey Ink (I'm behind on the times!) is that many of their stamps have matching die-cut shapes that sell directly alongside them. They're also fairly priced and unique to Papertrey. I purchased the matching die-cut for this stamp set {Mat Stack 3 Collection} and already can't wait to combine the two! Of the projects I've seen thus far created from them, they're sure to be a spectacular pair! There's numerous possibilities with this shape..maybe it'll have to be it's own separate tutorial at some point - you think?

 

It was Dawn McVey that pointed me in the direction of these via her informative, breath-taking blog that I simply love to pieces. She recently sent me a thank-you card and I've been meaning to photograph it because it's of a delicious turquoise color and I'm crazy about turquoise!! Anyway, little did I know that Papertrey sold buttons! Again, where have I been all this time? Laugh. So, I'm so very happy to have them in my possession. I bought a stockpile of them while selecting my favorite colors in the process; Bright Pink, Olivine, Light Olivine & Turquoise. 

They provide you a nice little assortment..enough to appease this gal! They've already been stashed away too inside my color coordinated button drawers - them babies are officially full! I should start crafting more with buttons - I'm just totally clueless as to what to do with them besides gluing them to flowers and paper. :P

 

And finally, I caved and added these to my die-cut stash!! Imagine these done up with fabric or tissue paper or an intermix of different materials - think I'll begin using these on the current assignment I have sitting on my desk that's awaiting a visit. They're most ideal for Spring & Summer! Still haven't tired of flowers..don't think I ever will either. I've always been a flower-kind-of-gal {within certain limits}. 

I shall leave you with that and prepare myself for the end of the day! Do thanks for joining me you guys and also, you're organization tips were oh so helpful..keep them coming if you have'em! I've already found one solution; Eric's closet from ages ago..I've been afraid to clean it out even though it shares the same space as my studio area. I think it's time to filter through it and let some things go. I might even consider painting it if all goes well..we'll see. It'll be a toughie. ~CM

Scrapbook Hoarder Faces Truth...

I've a major problem...I've too much stuff and not enough space to store it all! Maybe some of you can relate to what I'm saying here. You run out and collect hoards of product only to return home to find that you're without ample room to store your items. Forgoing the whole "where am I going to put it all" issue, you end up creating piles of stuff in various spots around your studio and eventually, you reach a point of no return.  Six months later, your floors are covered, your drawers are full and your desk is dominated by storage devices and baseless clutter!! Some ten years later, you're buried alive and you don't even scrapbook anymore. The battle has been lost.

I'm so there and seeking options...I've an empty room upstairs that's nearly twice as large as my current space, but the idea of hanging out up there at eleven at night doesn't appeal to me. I also could easily remove the bed across from my desk 'cause I don't use it that often anyway, but it's great for lazy nights on the computer and tv watching. Maybe a comfy chair would suffice...

And if your curious to find out what my desk actually looks like right now..and if there is actual clutter..um, here it is. 

Look closely folks!! The desk is overtaken by storage impliments!! And the plastic drawer bin next to my chair is breaking under it's own weight 'cause it's housing Crate's last million releases!! Laugh. Ok, not a million..but you get my point. Also, immediately to the left of my desk are two Ikea box shelves that once looked semi-organized..they're now hosting not just my usual bins, but vertical product presentations - stuff is leaning against stuff via vertical piles!! It's turned disastrous...I've no choice but to resolve it soon.

In mentioning my major work studio issues, I'm seeking your advice..what would you ultimately do in this position and how are you currently handling your scrapbook stash? Believe it or not, I regularly filter through my stuffand don't nearly bring home product like I used to (budget constraints). I'm thinking there has to be another solution out there that I'm missing the boat on - maybe I should just rent a portable storage container and have it sit in the driveway..that'll take care of the problem!! Then again, those things can be pretty gosh darn expensive and unattractive. I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures though...

 

And now for the "stuff portion" of today's post (ironic, isn't it?)

I treated myself this week. Actually, I had a gift certificate to spare and it was a biggie!! With it, I caught up on a couple of collections I've been eyeing lately...including these gorgeous papers and stickers from The Girls Paperie . The colors remind me a lot of Heather Bailey's fabrics..love'em!! 

 

Anna Griffin was another must-have!! Her papers are always so elegantly done and rarely go out of style! The alpha stickers are from Bella Blvd. (fave alpha sticker from Winter). 

 

What are you thinking about these from Prima? At $3.99, I'm game!! All the way! :) Too pretty. They're available as a warm palette (shown) and cool palette. 

 

More peeks...and if you're not yet aware, Target has restocked their scrapbook section! They've a couple new K & Companies collections in stock {Easter/Baby/Wedding}

 

Mom is far from being a chef, but every now and then I get the urge to cook something delicious! Following the direction (minus the frosting application process - laugh) of a couple online recipes, we orchestrated brownie cupcakes with caramel/salt buttercream frosting. Sadly, mom wasn't able to nibble on the cupcake part of the dessert (chocolate and me don't play well together) , but the buttercream sure was tasty!! I could of literally sat with the whole bowl of buttercream and nibbled on it all day(thankfully, I didn't!)..it was heavenly. If curious about the recipes, visit these websites: HERE & HERE.

 And if anyone has tips on how to avoid brownie cupcakes from collapsing in the oven, I'm totally up to hearing them!! I had to bake these babies twice because the first ones hadn't turned out as expected. I switched recipes and thankfully, the second set turned out ok...

Hope the weekend is going well for you! I've a few things to finish before retiring..it's been a very busy day :)

Inspire then Crate...

I've been hatching out a special project behind the scenes this week and it'll show up on Crate's blog today as part of their monthly feature, "Inspire then Crate". I know, cute name, right?! They're creative with words over there - I'm not that witty, but wish I was! Laugh. Anyway, I would love for you to see the project and post!! Stop by and say, "Hello!" See you over there! ~ Christine M.

A is for Art + Color Question

I swear it must be the warm weather..if fifty degrees is considered warm I suppose. In Minnesota, after four months of zero degree weather, fifty degrees feels like a sweltering ninety!! I'm being totally serious here..if you're not in the midwest or having to endure cold Winters every year, then fifty degrees probably isn't your taste, but for the rest of us folks, it's what we re anticipate every March. Finally, the snow is almost gone and we've rays of sunshine ahead - I'm stoked! 

Even though the flu plagued me this weekend, I still squeezed in a layout...it's about time, don't you think? Just when you thought I'd about retire from the layout thing. Laugh. Never!! This latest one is definitely a new direction for me..again, it's blazingly alive with color! It's also on the minimalist side, though it still encapsulates ample detail and loads of layers. Can't go without. 

Color has really been speaking to me lately. Bright Bold Color. We're not talking the kind of friendly color you run into on a daily basis here..think school born highlighters and 1970's fabrics! Seriously bright and to pair it off, a deep neutral or natural woodgrain that tends to tone it down some. I wish and pray that we see more of these kinds of colors next release {Summer CHA}. They're already sprinkled throughout magazines and fashionable online websites, so I imagine it's only a matter of time before they show their way through into the scrap industry. How do you feel about bright colors? Love'em ? Don't care for'em? Do share...

Pinterest is my sole inspiration thus far. The idea of layered circles came from a pillow spotted on Pinterest a few weeks ago. I logged it onto one of my boards and then pulled it up on Friday when I started scrapbooking the layout. Laptops are extra convenient that way :) Just set it on the desk and it's ready to go!

The circles were punched from both 1" and 1.25" circle punches. I created them sort of randomly from twenty or so different patterned papers and cardstock. I chose the papers prior to starting the layout, so I had a predisposed color palette ready to go before beginning the circles. 

In producing the circles, I sanded them with a wide nail file and curled up their edges. I then carefully adhered them together in a uniform order on top a 12" x 12" sheet of Vanilla cardstock.

 

After setting up the circles, I took a long rectangular sheet of transparency {an actual die-cut transparency page from Fancy Pants}, sprayed it with a thin coat of White Chalkboard Mist and then layered it over a thin strip of Hambly Turquoise transparency and a Vanilla floral border. To keep the transparency in place, I stapled it in three separate places. I also tucked in some other things beneath it, including a large floral sticker {American Crafts} and journaling card {Pink Paislee}. 

Transparency is kind of a fun, unique material in that it consists of a whole 'nother level of opportunity.  You can throw stuff beneath it and on stop of it, which gives you two layers to play with at the same time! The overall appearance is 3-D like as it's difficult to tell the top and bottom apart from each other. I love that and it's probably why I'm attuned to using transparency frequently. 

 

I clearly recall when Sassfras put out their very first chipboard elements a couple years ago. This chipboard frame came from one of their very first sets - still have quite a few at my disposal. This particular frame is backed with a smidgen of woodgrain pattern paper {Basic Grey : Life of the Party}, a wanna-be vintage die-cut {K & Company : Life's Journey} and an "Everyday Art" rub-on {Hambly}.

 

Believe it or not, this is nearly a five layer butterfly! Who ever said there was a limit to the number of layers one could use for creating hypnotically cool butterflies? This butterfly series is a rather simple set-up actually - it's just a matter of finding enough butterflies to pull it off! The bottom most butterfly here is obvious - ol' Heidi Swapp! Not sure it's even in production anymore, though you might be able to find some at a local discount store. The pink felt butterfly is also Heidi's and beneath it is a medium size butterfly from American Crafts. The top two pieces comprise a misc. small size heart and mini felt flower {Making Memories : Flutter}. 

 

Never forget the small additions! A small pretty flower accented with a sticker helps draw the eye upward to create a sort of balance between the top and bottom of my layout. If I hadn't of placed it there, the bottom would of probably felt pretty heavy and the top, empty. The lil' guy goes a long ways in helping me out here! 

 Again, tell me what you think of the colors you guys! I'm interested in finding out if anyone else out there is thinken' "Bold" right now in preparation for Summer...

 

So, I begged Ethan to smile for mommy, but this was about as close as I got to getting a smile out of him. He has my camera habit down pat and will look upon me annoyingly the minute he sees it. You could say that my timing isn't always that great either..so I'm partly to blame. Laugh. After uploading these latest images of Ethan though, I couldn't believe what I saw - A Grown Boy!! His personality is following suit too..he's acting all grown up and independent these days!! I'm a super proud momma!! This Summer we're thinking about signing him up for his first round of sports; soccer.  Not sure if he'll enjoy partaking in a field sport at this point, but hey, it's worth a shot, right?! Plus, it's healthy for him to be active and with the amount of energy he's been containing all Winter long, Soccer will be a great release! It'll be an excuse for him to run around and make new friends too! :)

 Wowza! This was a vastly large update!! Thank's for sticking with me if you made it this far...and if you didn't, I'll assume you at least hearted the photos before leaving :) Have a lovely day y'all!

Catering to the flu this weekend...

and feeling like it's never going to end. Laugh. Rumor had it that there was a virus plaguing our community this week and just when I thought I was going to dodge it, it found me and is consuming me to the point at which I'm begging it'll last only twenty-four hours!! It's literally that bad. And it's timing couldn't of been worse as I was in the middle of dinner with a friend tonight that I absolutely adore and was having a really good time doing something fun for myself. The point at which I felt "crummy", I knew it'd be best to get home as quickly as possible...though I hadn't really forecasted for "this"!! I then set-up for my folks to watch Ethan over night and lets just say they weren't too happy about the timing of my ailment either. Laugh. As my friend would say, "Such is Life!" :(

Pretty Lil' Things :: Two

I've returned, but this time around, I'm finally ready to debut more beautiful projects from the "All Pretty Things" box! Last week, I'd received a couple of items in the mail from a few very generous and talented craft artists. Earlier this week, I spent some time photographing their work in preparation for this week's "Pretty lil' Things" post. I thoroughly enjoyed the process too. Their creations made it extremely enjoyable for myself to stand behind the lens to capture various angles and views of details unlike my own and I love that. What I love even more though is sitting down to review the images firsthand via a monitor. I'm sure you've been there several times with your own images - on screen, and after some tweaking in photoshop or lightroom, you get to really see what encompasses a beautiful piece like that above, which is first in line to show today! The artist's name is Charlene Cundy...

I've still a soft spot for butterflies. Charlene must of known because her tag houses a quaint, delicate butterfly. It's simple elegance is so sweet. And I love how she's embellished it just slightly with three varying sized pearls. It's classic. Thank-you Char for sharing!

 

And it did fit perfectly Bonnie! Smile. Bonnie Bauer crafted a lace wrapped tag with lots of glitter, a journal card, two butterflies {one hidden} and a rose/twine combination. She tells me that her current specialty is altered items and minis and that she's just begun a new blog! Good luck on your journey Bonnie and thank-you!  

 

And now onto the last...

And finally, the very last for this week, is from Jennifer Chapin - it's a tag duo of sorts! Actually, the front is made a cutely decorated kraft paper bag and within it, is a similar style manila tag that's also embellished to the "t". There are so many aspects about this tag that I really like including it's vintage aspiring color palette {Echo Park} and zig-zag stitched edging {which is perfect!} Jen worked up such a lovely tag for this feature it's right at home in the box :) Thank-you Jen!

 This concludes "Pretty lil" Things" for today my friends! Happy St.Patrick's Day to you! Time to craft the day away at my desk and maybe finish up some last minute work related projects...we'll see. 

 

A Crate Paper Giveaway Announcement

Just chiming in this morning to inform you of a St. Patty's Day giveaway at the Crate Paper blog that I'd contributed a card towards today! Yes, I actually made a card folks! Laugh. It's not too bad either and I had quite the time while creating it as I'm fully card inept to the 100th degree - no kidding! This latest card though is a definite keeper..I've placed it within eyesight of my desk for peeking at from time to time. I love that it's of a simple design - something I don't normally do. It's out of the ordinary for me and because of this, I'm ultimately happy with it I suppose. To see the remainder of the card, visit Crate Paper's blog...I'll update with "Pretty Little Things" in a short while..see you soon!

The Last of the Exchange + Transparency

Good Mornen'! I'm off to a not so great start this am - go figure! Laugh. Just when I thought I had everything required to gather together a brand new post for you, it turns out I'm without a few essentials to make it happen! This doesn't necessarily come as a huge surprise to me because I'm always in a rush to get out the door in the morning. Poor Ethan must think we're running a marathon each time we leave 'cause mom is always late to start the day. And then on top of that, I forget half the things I need! I seriously should consider putting up a sign on the door to my garage that says, "Did you forget anything?" Maybe then I'd been more prepared for the task at hand - that being updating this place with a "Pretty Lil' Things" feature. It'll go up tomorrow instead...

I'm relishing the time I've had this week away from school..sadly, it's going by way to fast. Earlier this week, I found some time to finish Tara Anderson's lovely box of handmade contents and vintage notions. Now I've plans to hold onto it 'til she's ready to partake in the exchange. The beautiful package above is the last of the items to be included in her package. I altered it quite a bit since it's first showing. Laugh. It's amazing how quickly I'm able to convert a design to the point at which it's no longer recognizable. When I used to teach classes, students used to routinely say to me,"What's the point of adding this or that 'cause we're just going to cover it up later on anyway?!" Well, I never said there was a rhyme or reason to my creative madness, but apparently, my irrational layering of elements has a purpose of some sort - if it didn't, my work wouldn't look the way it does! If you look at the package above and compare it's preview in the previous post, you'll totally see what I'm talking about!! Collage can occasionally be a less-than predictable process, but that's what makes it error-proof and enjoyable. 

You're probably going to think I'm a major dork here, but I inquired with Fancy Pants to see if they had anymore of their transparency die-cuts available since they're no longer obtainable on the retail market. Sure enough, they did - all four of them!! They arrived yesterday along with a couple of other beautiful items from Fancy Pants for an upcoming article I've to debut a lil' later on at Scrapbook and Cards Today. You may be wondering why I'm fascinated with transparency still and I've a good answer for you! The reflective and glossy nature of the material is highly attractive when incorporated within the confines of non-transparency materials - it also serves as a magnifying glass for everything that sits beneath it. Layered with pattern paper, rub-ons, stamped images, and misting spray, transparency takes on a whole new life of it's own - there's just so much you can do with it! I'm beyond ecstatic that FP was able to locate the die-cuts for me..and now I can't wait to create with them - so very cool! 

I'm about to hit up the Container Store before the appliance guy shows up to fix my dryer..yes, it's been that kind of week you guys! Laugh. I'll return tomorrow with a second edition of Pretty Lil' Things!! Take Care!

A tailored & tidy box for a friend...

Since only accommodating nine credits this semester, there's been ample space in my schedule for more cultivating activities that are more to my liking such as scrapbooking. So, with the little bit of extra free time on my hands, I've been accomplishing an increased number of side projects not normally typical in this girl's crazy everyday life. For example, the collaborative exchange that I've been working on this last week is amazingly close to being finished. I've been told to hang on to it though 'til Tara has finished her box of goods. Normally, I'm the last in line to get anything done, so I'm shockingly surprised to be ahead on the project - this sort of thing never happens to me! Laugh. In waiting to ship the items to Tara, I thought it'd be kind of fun to bring them here for a wider audience to savor for the time being. I took out my camera this afternoon and grabbed a couple shots of the loveliness. In sharing, I'd like to credit Katie Watson's Red/Turquoise Pinterest image for inspiring the project's color palette..is there really any other color palette out there that is capable of stopping a creative soul in their footsteps like that of Red & Turquoise? Personally, I can't get enough of either colors, though together, they're divine! Need I say more...

 

Remember them cute kraft bags I brought home from Michael's a couple weeks ago? Well, I've put them to creative use again, though instead of being Valentine's bags, they're vintage notion bags! I filled nearly three of them with old forgotten things and tidied them up with vintage paper dollies, handmade embellishment accents and paired ribbons. Eventually, it'll be up to Tara to dismantle them for locating their inner contents, but 'til then,  they're hers to enjoy "as is"!

 

A box can't be without a pretty card - I carefully crafted this one from a pinking sheared Paper Source cardstock base and from it's center, I trimmed {via a Spellbinder's "Labels 4" Die-cut) a large opening before backing it with a simple, geometric patterned paper from Studio Calico. On top the paper, I added a Sassafras playing card, a book paper scallop oval {Spellbinders}, a German paper butterfly die-cut and a vintage shell button. The ribbon and sticker {K & Company} came last...

What do you think - not too shabby, eh? As you might of noticed, there's one remaining bag awaiting details..I'll more than likely finish it this evening if I manage to turn off the computer before midnight. Seems it's none to easy to say good-bye to the internet before sleep approaches. I'm like so many out there..a typical internet junkie. 

 

And on to an entirely different topic - I finally got around to updating the inspiration boards on display in my scrapbook space. They've been sitting half empty the last few months as I just haven't had a free moment to coordinate stuff for'em. They're still not fabulous by any means, but at this point, anything is better than nothing as far as I'm concerned. As long as their hosting miniscule amounts of color, I'm happy! The first is shown above - the second is below! 

I'd give anything for an olive green front door like that shown!! + Geometric Circles!! A color lover's dream come true...currently, the one greeting my guests is plain old white and is overly traditional. My front porch is way overdue for a makeover too..but, that's a whole 'nother topic for a different day!

And lastly, I've another kitty picture to spare...it's of course my young feisty feline, Peanut {Butter}. He's partaking in a nightly nap while I sit about scrapbooking the evening away!

Doesn't this just make you want to take a nap too? I'd take one everyday if I could, but alas, it'll never happen! Only kitties are granted morning, afternoon and evening naps! 

We've reached the conclusion - I've a project awaiting me at the desk! I'll update again on Monday with another round of "Pretty Lil' Things" - the box is filling!! See you then ~ CM