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A Gossamer Blue Extra + Halloween Update

After a week of paper writing and time with Eric, I finally clamored my way to the scrapbook room for a couple of nights to finish up playing with Gossamer Blue's November Kit. After the first layout with the kit, I started another, but hadn't quite put it all together. Stealing two nights, claiming them as my own, was a wonderful release from the week's stresses. I'm nearing the end of Fall Semester at River Falls. Good thing 'cause I'm burning out. Almost ready for some vacation time!! :))

I love a pretty pinwheel flower. The challenge is making them. Very rarely am I motivated to take out my Martha Stewart's "Scoring" board. It's haphazardly large and takes us a huge chunk of desk space. Always in the end though, it's worth the fuss. Pinwheel flowers are a texture fanatic's dream!! They're even better when dressed in pattern paper, topped with layers of circles, buttons and rhinestones. And rarely is "one pinwheel" ever enough, unless it's the size of the Eiffel Tower! Odd numbered wheels lend greater visual interest.

If you're looking to create your own pinwheels, here's a useful link to the BOARD. It's worth the expense, trust me - and to get them pinwheels to stay put, use American Craft's awesome 1" "Red Super Stick Tape". Trim a big section from the roll and set the pinwheel on top of it. Easy Peasy! 

 

As additional support for your pinwheel, back it with a slightly larger sized circle. I trimmed one from a sheet of Vanilla cardstock using a Fiskars "pinking" decorative scissors. I set the pinwheel on top the cardstock, and trimmed ever-so-carefully around it. This one extra layer of paper goes a long way in providing a steady base on which to set the pinwheel. Pinwheels tend to be flimsy when by themselves. Anchor them down with this extra backing and you're good to go! 

 

Creating splatter continues to be an evolutionary technique that is loved by scrapbookers and altered crafters alike.  With the hundreds of colored mists now available, splatter is inevitable. Seems like we're always on the hunt for new application ideas. The mixing of materials is kinda fun, too. I still tend to stick with mists & punched paper. Others use spray paint, glue/glitter, sequins, pen ink, etc. Maybe someday, I'll break the mist habit, put on my brave hat and try a new "splatter-friendly" medium. That's a HUGE maybe. Laugh.

*For quick confetti, keep around an assortment of circle punches ranging in size from .25" to 1.25". There's also the Martha Stewert Punch All Over the Page  "Confetti Punch" option. It's available in a variety of styles. And yes, you'll have to adhere them one at a time to your page - sorry! No way around that tedious task...

 

Real Glass Glitter - do you own some? It's much prettier than the plastic stuff. And over an extensive period of time, as it slowly ages, it turns an antique silver. I purchase glass glitter from Rose Mille, a vintage specialty store out of Stillwater, MN.  I've spoken about them here prior. Rumor has it they now have a separate location for their craft supplies, along with a brand new creative studio!! Been meaning to get over there and check it out..I imagine it's beautiful!! 

Above, I covered the entire window opening of this chipboard Polaroid frame with AC's Red Super Stick Tape and then gave it a dusting of silver glass glitter. I topped it with a light blue clipboard sticker, a pink chipboard heart & Arrow, a precut dotted banner, epoxy dots, a tiny tag and alpha sticker.

 

A creative house entry sets the tone for this embellishment compilation. A tiny tag and brad serve as the door, followed by a "choose happy" sticker pair propped up with pop-dots.

 

Some of my favorite alpha stickers just so happen to be from Bella Blvd. This latest "Gulf High" Alphabet Set from their new "Kiss Me" collection found it's way onto my layout. I outlined with a white gel pen. Their alpha's are fabulous because they sell as a "set" on one 12" x 12" sheet. Pairing them is a breeze!! No typography errors here! 

 

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Now I'm going to take you a completely different direction. I'm a wee bit behind on sharing news of our fun-filled Halloween festivities. Ethan was an Angry Blue Bird this year - and his mood just about matched it. The poor guy wasn't feeling up to trick 'r treating as usual, though we did make it around the block still. He looked as cute as pie and got a lot of compliments on his handmade costume! It was my first go at creating a costume for him, including a matching "blue feather" hat. I was a proud mama. 

Ethan brought along a friend on his trick 'r treat journey. His name is Curtis. They met at the bus stop and are in the same Kindergarten class. The two are best buds!! :) They're nearly inseparable...it was Ethan's first year trick 'r treating with a bud! Amazingly, the two of them grew tired at the same time when running house to house, collecting candy. I thought I was going to have to carry both of them home! Laugh.

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Eric has the cutest dog in the whole wide world. Her name is Rayna. Ethan absolutely loves her to pieces. We let her hang out, run around the house, and the two of them play catch together. For Ethan, it's a brand new deal 'cause he grew up with cats. For years, he's been begging me to trade them in for a dog. Well, this is close enough..and check out the patch around her eye!! She's a joy to be around, no doubt. We luv her already.

Time to grab a cup of joe at Starbucks (I have a crush on their "Salted Mocha" coffee drink)! And oh, before I leave ya, Gossamer Blue's November Kit is "Sold Out"! I know, Mega-Bummer!! If I had extras, you know I'd share with ya! Take care, friends!

 

Spring Time Traditions & New Pop Layout!

 

Like many of you, Minnesota residents saw an early Spring this year. And with it, came warm weather, ranging from the 60's to the 70's. Now, to some of you, that might not seem like a big deal, but to Minnesotans, it's pure paradise. Laugh. Very rarely do we have the good fortune of such temperatures this early in the year. Normally, we experience them around Mid-May or so, but it looks like we got lucky! Already, Ethan's enjoyed the sprinkler, the leaky bubble maker, the disorganized sandbox, the new big-boy bike, and the usual Summer treats, like popsicles and watermelon! We've even taken to walks around the block a dozen or so times...love the warm weather. Yes, we do.

 I snapped a couple shots of Ethan nibbling on a popsicle a few weeks ago during a warm afternoon heatwave. His friends had been over and on the front porch after a long play session in the sprinkler. I brought them towels to dry off with, and strawberry popsicles to nibble on!  They were a very happy group of kiddo's that afternoon. And, for a minute there, it almost felt like Summer!

Last week, while out at Archivers with a friend, I started working on a layout with the photos I had captured. Since then, I've been slowly adding to it. My schedule is so random these days. I do most of my scrapbooking at night, when all is quiet and peaceful.  Last night, I finally finished the layout and couldn't be happier about the outcome - it's a beautiful rendition of lazy Summer Days and all it's coinciding simple pleasures like biking, kite flying, butterflies, sunshine, flowers, and delicious Summer treats.

 

Butterflies {Martha Stewart}  take on a little bit of sparkle via the addition of shiny pink sequins and yellow antiqued brads. Surrounding them are chipboard clouds {Cosmo Cricket}, an animated sun {Bella Blvd. - THANK-YOU Stephanie!!}, a sprinkling of punched yellow chevron dots, red floral buttons {Bella Blvd.}, and large red/pink ornate journal spots {Anna Griffin}.

 

Tucked beneath an array of layers is this cute "Spring" tag from We R' Memory Makers. I'm a huge fan of their die-cut tags! They're well designed, and very affordable. 

 

In the right, lower corner of the layout is a mini shadow box. It's filled with B/W chevron patterned paper, a lt. turquoise  journal spot {Cosmo Cricket}, an Ampersand sticker {October Afternoon}, and other misc. phrase stickers {Bella Blvd., American Crafts}. I propped the surrounding frame on strips of foam core pop dot material {leftovers trimmed into strips}. The frame is from an old K & Company collection - it's cheery and bright. 

 

Snippets, Snippets, and more Snippets. I can't say that I'm very good at using them. Personally, I find random pieces of hand-trimmed papers difficult to work with. Still, I see everyone playing them up with a dissaray of paint drops/mist., stitching, fabrics, white space, etc. I have yet to figure out how they do it, but I envy their ability to see outside the box of everyday traditional scrapbooking. I'm still stuck in "grid format", but it's what ultimately works best for my style. White space has never really been my friend...neither has paint. Laugh. Kuddo's to those that can make magic from both! 

 

I'm still obsessed with American Craft's double stick tape. It's the best adhesive for adding strips of glitter to one's project! Here, I applied gold glitter to a 1' wide strip of double stick tape, and then set it underneath a punched border strip {Martha Stewart}. 

 

Anyone care to take a guess as to the owner of this red bike? That's right, Crate Paper! It's a brand new design from the Story Teller collection chipboard set. I've been looking for an excuse to use it, and finally, it has a home! Makes me want to go out and buy a bright red bike to take on trips to the lake and other bike-friendly locations...currently, I'm without one, but it's on my  "to-buy" list. 

Not sure if you noticed, but I added a "Pin It' button to the bottom and sidebar of my blog. Please do "follow" me at Pinterest if you're someone that adores color and eclectic designs as much as myself. I'm also a big food lover..Pinterest has me cooking, finally! Yeah!