August at Scraptacular!!

Thought I would show you all what I have been working on this month for Scraptacular!  I'm soooo in love with this kit! It certainly has revamped by mojo for scrapping.  I hit a slump.  Big time!  BUT--this kit rocked my socks and made me re-energized!! 

More to come!!  Thanks for looking!

Have a wonderful day!
~A

Some thoughts for Summer, Nature, and Inspiration!

I've stumbled upon the passages below a few times each now.  Each resonates inside of me for a different reason and has such inspirational qualities.  I had to share them with you all.  I hope that you enjoy them and can find something magical!


~Amy


"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." - Kahlil Gibran

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful." - e. e. cummings

"How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!" - Emily Dickinson

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." - Galileo Galilei

"Use what talent you possess - the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." - Henry Van Dyke

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Creating a fluttery Butterfly!

For my most recent "Alter It Monday" post at Posh Designs, I created this Butterfly! 

 

You can see the step by step tutorial on the Posh Designs Blog located here.

I'm thinking of creating a whole collection of these butterflies to hang in my Living Room window as I can't keep a plant alive for anything!  At least these butterflies will not eat much! 

Have a great day!

~A

Something new!

So I hit a funk..and the flu..for the past two weeks. Not a great combination at all! I'm feeling much better and am working on getting myself back in the swing of things. Oh how fever drains you!

I thought that I would share with you all some of the work that I created recently. Here is a card I created for a National Scrapbook Day challenge at scrapbooks.com.


I found some Basic Grey Origins papers in my travels recently...

The Art Life flowers I used on this wall hanging are simply gorgeous! Love the dimension they have!
The Websters Pages pattern paper that I used here was perfect for pictures of Elizabeth and Christian exploring the ray pools then and now.


Hope you have a great day!
~A

Guest Blogging at unKit!

It is Teacher Appreciation Week! To celebrate, I created this gift card holder for the site unKit. I am today's Guest Blogger! Yay! It's so much fun.


Would you like to create one too? Well the tutorial is over at unKit! Check it out and enjoy!

~A

Sparkle Scrap Blossoms!

It's Monday once again and it is time for "Alter It Monday" at Posh Designs Scrapbook Store!

This week I have shown people how to create Sparkle Scrap Blossoms like this one!


There is a step-by-step tutorial right there on the Blog!

Join us in having some fun at Posh Designs Scrapbook Store! We'd love to have you there! :)

Have a great day,
~A

Two recent cards..

I thought that I would share a couple of cards that I recently made. These are the kind of cards that I enjoy putting together with little or no effort..the kind that just make themselves.

This first card was created as part of my DT work for Posh Designs Scrapbook Store. Every other week there is a card challenge based upon a sketch. The prizes for the Challenge Winner are FABULOUS!! Just an FYI there...

Anyway, this is what I created for Challenge #12..

The next card was made out of a page kit that I was given from Little Yellow Bicycle at a Fiskateers crop I recently attended. I wanted to thank LYB for the goodies and this is what I sent them.
All in all I am pleased with these cards. Simply stated and vibrant!

Have a wonderful day!
~A

Glimmer Mist Blossoms for Posh Designs..

This was my "Alter It Monday" project for Posh Designs Scrapbook Store in Montreal. I LOVE creating these flowers!! I had to share them with you all.

Here is a really pretty and different way to create some blossoms for your altered art projects.

You will need some rose petals in a white or light color. I used some from the wedding/bridal section of a craft store. You can also take apart an existing flower or cut your own out of fabric.


I used 5 solid white petals for the flower itself and 2 sheer petals for the leaves.

I started off by taking my Glimmer Mist and spraying the flower petals with two different colors from the same color family.

After that, I misted with another color, Marshmallow, to add some depth and extra sparkle.

The leaves were misted with Glimmer Mist as well. I used a light green and a dark green.

Once the petals dried, they looked like this.

Now it is time for assembly!

Using some quick dry fabric glue, like Fabritac, I laid down a glue line like this on each flower petal. Letting the glue set for a moment and get super sticky is a great thing to do.
I folded each side in on itself like this to create dimension in the petals.


The leaves were glued and folded in similar way, but I only folded one side in.

Once the glue has set, this is what has been created.
I then gathered up the petals one by one in my fingers to create the flower. I overlapped them on one side and continued around in a circular fashion.

Once the petals were all gathered, I simply stapled them together in the center to hold them in place.


The leaves were glued in place on the back side using the Fabritac glue.
Now you have a flower!

But wait, let's take it one step further and add a cool vintage button to the center to really finish it off and to cover up that staple.

There you have it! A Glimmer Mist Blossom!

Take care,
~A

A Tutorial for Rolled Paper Roses

I was playing around with some of my scraps from the April kit from Scraptacular this weekend and created this tutorial for you on how to create Rolled Paper Roses with Glimmer Mist!

You will need just a few things.. A length of paper (mine was 1 1/2" x 12"), a small square or circle of paper, some quick dry liquid adhesive like Zip Dry, and of course the Glimmer Mist.
To start, mist your length of paper liberally with the Glimmer Mist. The paper will curl once it is wet. That's OK!

Fold the wet paper in half lengthwise. Sure, it is a little messy on the fingers, but you are washable! :)

Add a generous dollop of adhesive to the square or circle paper.

Twist one end of the long damp strip and smoosh it in the glue.

Twirl and twist the paper around and around and spiral it about while gluing it in that adhesive.


Add adhesive as need be to hold the flower together. Remember, a little goes a long way!

Once the strip has been completed, trim away the excess of the mounting paper if need be. I had to trim away the green corners seen below.

I decided that I wanted some leaves on my Rose so I freehand cut a couple from another scrap.

Glue your leaves in place as desired and there you have a Rose!

I decided to embellish my Rose with a few vintage pearls.

Now what to do with the Rose....

Create a card!
Hope that you enjoyed this! Have a great day!
~A

April on Scraptacular

It's here!! This kit has had to be one of my favorites!! The colors are FABULOUS! The prints are amazing! Oh! Paper Love!!

The APRIL 2010 Scraptacular Kit!!!
-(1) sheet My Minds Eye Beautiful Blooms -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Berries -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Colorful Umbrellas -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Blissful -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Engaging Gingham -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Serene Spots -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Lounging Around -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Strawberry -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Yummy Stripe -(1) sheet My Minds Eye Gleeful -(1) sheet 3 Bugs Bed of Roses -(1) sheet 3 Bugs Spread Your Wings Stripe -(1) sheet 3 Bugs Poppies -(4) Crocheted Flowers -Salutations Thickers -(1) half sheet Umbrella Cricket Thickers -(6) My Minds Eye Die-Cuts -(1)ft coordinating ribbon -(2)ft coordinating ribbon -(6) Bling rhinestones -(3) colored paper clip

A few Layouts I created with my Design Team kit:


An of course.. an Altered Art piece!

Thanks so much for looking! I hope you all enjoy this kit as much as I have!
~A

Vintage Inspired..

I've been collecting vintage treasures for a while now. I think that this love and collecting has come from the Summers I have spent at my Nan and Nanna's. Nan and Nanna had such gorgeous things to look at and to explore!

I created this wall hanging in honor of them.

They loved Wedgewood Blue and Dusty Rose as well as all sorts of pretty things. I blended the two colors into this Smokey Soft Violet flower I made. It was created using four shades of Glimmer Mist. The cut crystal center of the flower is really a beautiful button I found in Nanna's sewing cabinet that I was bequeathed. The heirloom satin ribbon has been left with all the creases that it was stored with. I thought that it added texture and drama.

My butterfly wall hanging sparkles and shines to remind me of the treasured memories that we share. I miss my Nan and Nanna and know just how much they loved me.

~A

A few Gavin Layouts

It amazes me how my boy grows! Here are a few Layouts I did of him!
Thanks for looking!!
~A