I'm a little sad because usually I get a few dozen stalks from this iris, but I think our wacky weather must have frosted at just the wrong time. I am hopeful for next year, but in the meantime I will enjoy this one perfect stem of beauty.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
It's late - I'm tired...
But I wanted to share the beautiful beginning to my day!
I'm a little sad because usually I get a few dozen stalks from this iris, but I think our wacky weather must have frosted at just the wrong time. I am hopeful for next year, but in the meantime I will enjoy this one perfect stem of beauty.
I'm a little sad because usually I get a few dozen stalks from this iris, but I think our wacky weather must have frosted at just the wrong time. I am hopeful for next year, but in the meantime I will enjoy this one perfect stem of beauty.
Monday, May 21, 2012
CKC May 2012 Challenge #2 Use fabric in a creative way
Another fun challenge from the Counterfeiters!
I am a quilter as well as a scrapbooker. My fabric stash is only rivaled by my scrap stash, lol! As I learned new techniques, took classes & challenges, I accumulated a variety of sample-sized or single blocks - all wonderful in their own right but not really useful. Like this one:
Isn't he cute? The method used here is foundation piecing, sometimes called paper piecing. You place the fabric on the front side & sew on the lines of a paper pattern piece (the foundation) on the back side - one by one - trimming each seam as you go. In the piece shown above, I started with the pink, added the small sky piece to it's right & then flipped that piece open (see how the two make one unit?), then added the sky piece below that unit, then the dark blue to the left added to that unit... hopefully you get the idea! Here is the reverse side where you can see the pattern & the stitching. The numbers show the order in which to proceed.
(Oops! I had already started fussy-cutting the piece of the rose paper before I remembered to snap a photo, lol! This blogging stuff sure interrupts the process, but it's also making me examine the process, which is good.) As it turned out, I actually used a different alpha set, didn't use the Joy stamp, but ferreted out my French washi tape from my kit & used that. Here it is:
I have been seeing that cute little accent of a single punch of a border punch a lot lately & love it! I remember some scrappy discussion at one time about how each page really needs a frame or border of some sort, (or mat effect, if you will), and I think this serves nicely. Although this page is not mounted on black, it does show up that punched detail well in the photo. Thanks for looking :~)
I am a quilter as well as a scrapbooker. My fabric stash is only rivaled by my scrap stash, lol! As I learned new techniques, took classes & challenges, I accumulated a variety of sample-sized or single blocks - all wonderful in their own right but not really useful. Like this one:
Isn't he cute? The method used here is foundation piecing, sometimes called paper piecing. You place the fabric on the front side & sew on the lines of a paper pattern piece (the foundation) on the back side - one by one - trimming each seam as you go. In the piece shown above, I started with the pink, added the small sky piece to it's right & then flipped that piece open (see how the two make one unit?), then added the sky piece below that unit, then the dark blue to the left added to that unit... hopefully you get the idea! Here is the reverse side where you can see the pattern & the stitching. The numbers show the order in which to proceed.
If you've ever seen a log cabin quilt block, it is the same idea.
You can find a more comprehensive discussion about this (here)
So on to my trusty French Connection May counterfeit kit for some inspiration. What did I want to do with my sweet little bluebird? As I am a bird watcher & have just begun in the last few weeks to fill my feeders again (my Orioles have returned - yay!) I was thinking that having the birds back is probably my favorite thing about Spring. Here's what I found after a bit of a rummage through the magic blue box:
(Oops! I had already started fussy-cutting the piece of the rose paper before I remembered to snap a photo, lol! This blogging stuff sure interrupts the process, but it's also making me examine the process, which is good.) As it turned out, I actually used a different alpha set, didn't use the Joy stamp, but ferreted out my French washi tape from my kit & used that. Here it is:
I have been seeing that cute little accent of a single punch of a border punch a lot lately & love it! I remember some scrappy discussion at one time about how each page really needs a frame or border of some sort, (or mat effect, if you will), and I think this serves nicely. Although this page is not mounted on black, it does show up that punched detail well in the photo. Thanks for looking :~)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Where did this week go?
Wow! It's hard to believe that I haven't been here since Monday. But I have been creating.
My dad had an incessant sense of humor. This layout was about a conversation my aunt (his sister) had with him on his wedding day. When she asked if he & my mom had a song, he said, Yes - Mr. Wonderful (hahaha!) The LOAD challenge was to scrap someone else's story, so this fit the bill. I do wish I had either shifted the title over or the journaling block down - oh, well. Finished is better than perfect!
I also used this page for our Whimsical Musings challenge this week to do a Lisa-inspired cluster. I feel like part of my struggle in doing the clusters is the background work - the layering & detailing. I chose a number of papers to try with this layout:
Yes! That big butterfly is purple foil, lol! But I loved the sketchy stuff in the background so it got to stay in my stash. That K & Company flowers/hearts pack was a real deal - the photo shows what was left after my layout! I really wish I had gotten off my franny & found my crochet twine for a laced detail around the buttons and maybe one of Lisa's signature loose twine details - may have to add those later...
Next was a quickie page - had a 3 photo lifted layout that I was working from so I had chosen the photos, but wasn't really sure what color direction I wanted to go in.
The background paper is actually from a Christmas collection, but you'd never know it. I rummaged through the border drawer, then chose some happy letters for my Sunshine layout.
Today I combined the Day 17 LOAD inspiration "Cartoon" with Day 18 "Smell" & documented this funny conversation between my boss, Jean & I using my lovely French Connection CKC kit.
Letting the patterned paper do the work! I love how this turned out :~)
Tomorrow's challenge (today's???) is to repeat something from today's layout - uh-oh!
My dad had an incessant sense of humor. This layout was about a conversation my aunt (his sister) had with him on his wedding day. When she asked if he & my mom had a song, he said, Yes - Mr. Wonderful (hahaha!) The LOAD challenge was to scrap someone else's story, so this fit the bill. I do wish I had either shifted the title over or the journaling block down - oh, well. Finished is better than perfect!
I also used this page for our Whimsical Musings challenge this week to do a Lisa-inspired cluster. I feel like part of my struggle in doing the clusters is the background work - the layering & detailing. I chose a number of papers to try with this layout:
Next was a quickie page - had a 3 photo lifted layout that I was working from so I had chosen the photos, but wasn't really sure what color direction I wanted to go in.
The background paper is actually from a Christmas collection, but you'd never know it. I rummaged through the border drawer, then chose some happy letters for my Sunshine layout.
Today I combined the Day 17 LOAD inspiration "Cartoon" with Day 18 "Smell" & documented this funny conversation between my boss, Jean & I using my lovely French Connection CKC kit.
Letting the patterned paper do the work! I love how this turned out :~)
Tomorrow's challenge (today's???) is to repeat something from today's layout - uh-oh!
Monday, May 14, 2012
CKC Vintage Hat Challenge
Well, isn't it funny how inspiration can strike and stymie you at the same time? As soon as I heard about the vintage hat challenge I thought of this hat worn each year for our Old Fashioned Sunday services,
which made me think of my grandma and her love of "lavender" (really any shade of purple.) I knew I had some netting that reminded me of those veils on old hats. On my desk were these green buttons, and then I happened upon the purple flowers - done deal!
It struck me that I have a lot of blingie items in my kit that would be great for that swath of sparkling goodness so I dove in again. I was liking this more & more! Now to find a photo - I found this one of my "vintage friend" et voila! (this IS the French Connection kit, after all, lol) The title.
I think I like mine better than Heidi's! I added some Glossy Accents to be sure nothing would come loose.
Decided I needed a little more vintage, so I fussy cut an image from one of my Smash journaling cards.
which made me think of my grandma and her love of "lavender" (really any shade of purple.) I knew I had some netting that reminded me of those veils on old hats. On my desk were these green buttons, and then I happened upon the purple flowers - done deal!
Then a reality check: none of this was in my kit! I couldn't seem to get a new vision for the challenge & my spirits fell. I would have to pass on this one...
Today I realized I needed to start from square one - my kit. I wanted to stay with the green/purple combo, but settled on a pale pink polka dot which was meant to mimic the dotted veiling. Okay - this was good! I was actually counterfeiting my original idea in a very creative way..
I was already inspired by the May sketch:
It struck me that I have a lot of blingie items in my kit that would be great for that swath of sparkling goodness so I dove in again. I was liking this more & more! Now to find a photo - I found this one of my "vintage friend" et voila! (this IS the French Connection kit, after all, lol) The title.
Now to work the magic...
I decided to work on counterfeiting some Heidi Swapp disco hearts.
I covered some white cardstock with double-sided tape.
I punched out some heart shapes and covered them with sequins.
Added some glitter
Decided I needed a little more vintage, so I fussy cut an image from one of my Smash journaling cards.
Done!
"Separated by years & miles, reunited with tears & smiles - June 1994"
Sabbath reading
Psalm 4:1
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:
for thou, LORD, only
makest me dwell in safety.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:
for thou, LORD, only
makest me dwell in safety.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Great Lakes MegaMeet!
I made it! Truly thought I would miss it this year.
(Wish I knew these ladies - says Scrappy Mamas on the pink sign!)
Here we go! Amazingly enough I saw some friends from Trinity :~)
The candy jar:
Scraparazzi spies Jenni Bowlin!
(Cool graphic on the other gal's shirt...)
*sigh* Prima...
Managed to whip through in less than 2 hours!
And look what I got :~)
Want a closer look?
Off to happy scrappy land :~D
Regrouping
Well, the best laid plans of mice & men...
Supposed to go to the Megameet yesterday in Novi, but baby Lincoln had a really rough night (I found out at 3:30 am with a desperate phone call) & I was needed as mama's caregiver instead. Everyone is recharged & new plans have been laid.
Another big disappointment was that my LOAD layout was just NOT coming together - loved the idea but I took it too literally, and got stuck waiting for glitter to dry, etc... finally gave in & got in bed at a decent hour.
The prompt was to be inspired by a cereal box! Well, we don't keep our cereal in the box but in canisters. I remembered, though, that I had bought something recently and loved the packaging so on the hunt I went. I tried to capture some of the basics that I liked: clean graphic style, lovely little cluster accents, and room for some journaling below.
Supposed to go to the Megameet yesterday in Novi, but baby Lincoln had a really rough night (I found out at 3:30 am with a desperate phone call) & I was needed as mama's caregiver instead. Everyone is recharged & new plans have been laid.
Another big disappointment was that my LOAD layout was just NOT coming together - loved the idea but I took it too literally, and got stuck waiting for glitter to dry, etc... finally gave in & got in bed at a decent hour.
The prompt was to be inspired by a cereal box! Well, we don't keep our cereal in the box but in canisters. I remembered, though, that I had bought something recently and loved the packaging so on the hunt I went. I tried to capture some of the basics that I liked: clean graphic style, lovely little cluster accents, and room for some journaling below.
Isn't this cute?
Not my favorite layout by a long shot, but sooner or later during LOAD I do it all the way I planned & it falls flat. I am not happy when I get too literally inspired, and it's good to be reminded of that! Onward...but this will need a rehab...stay tuned :~)
My big save was working from my French Connection kit - so nice to have my choices narrowed down ahead of time - I seem to always be able to find something that will work! It is fun to work with limits.
My big save was working from my French Connection kit - so nice to have my choices narrowed down ahead of time - I seem to always be able to find something that will work! It is fun to work with limits.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Catching Up with WM Challenges: #36 Earth
Over at Whimsical Musings there have been a lot of weekly challenges lately that have taken awhile to gel in my mind. One was inspired by Earth Day but was left just as Earth to keep it more open-ended. Well, I was thinking of taking garden pictures, but nothing was really taking a hold of me...
My coworker was off today & so I opened the mail.
Look what I found!
Free scrapbook paper!
All of these "papers" were found inside mailing envelopes meant for mailing payments. The designs provide security in that no one holding up the envelope can determine the contents. Suddenly the inspiration hit that these were "Earth-friendly" items if I could recycle/upcycle them.
I was surprised & delighted to find such a variety of patterns & colors.
I mean - seriously - bright green hexagon??? How cutting edge can you get, lol?
Here is what I made:
I even used some of the colored paper from the check stubs.
And I scored this sailboat embelli for my stash:
Do you think I could get opening the mail added to my job description? :~D
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
NSD Giveaway
And the winner is???
(my lovely assistant is my 89 year old aunt, Aunie!)
(my lovely assistant is my 89 year old aunt, Aunie!)
Here is her comment:
The Counterfeit Kit Challenge is one of my favorite blogs! I added your blog hop to my round up of National Scrapbooking Day Online Happenings Links: (look here)
Congratulations, Katie! Only problem is you didn't say what your fave color is :~) I am heading to Novi MI on Thursday for the Great Lakes MegaMeet to shop for a prize & will post a pic.
Honorable Mentions to the following ladies who posted the links to their pages:
li-bee-ti (look here)
KindleLover (look here)
Rebecca at How I Burb (look here)
I think I will send you each a little envelope of punched hexagons in your color :~)
Thanks to everyone for hopping along!
This was my first blog hop & I loved meeting/seeing y'all.
Manic Monday Indeed!
Our challenge today for LOAD Day 7 was a 30-Minute layout. Here's mine:
How easy was this with my French Connection kit at hand? I had come up with the poem yesterday & knew which photos I wanted to go with it, so most of the time was spent deciding on product (as usual!), not crafting the layout. The background paper already had the postmark graphic up in the corner, and I thought the maps were perfect. And it literally only took 30 minutes!
Before LOAD I would never have even entertained the idea of a "quickie" page. My first one was this:
I can still remember how heart-pounding it was to put this together "under the gun" so to speak! I was up at midnight when the prompt was posted & I felt like it was cheating to spend all the next day thinking about it, so I sat down right then to crank it out! It's possible that this was the first time I had put my own handwriting on a page. I spent most of my time editing & printing the photos, and it turned out to be really loose & fun.
That's the bottom line appeal to me of doing LOAD - each time it pushes my comfort zone out of the way & I forge new territory in my scrap journey :~)
How easy was this with my French Connection kit at hand? I had come up with the poem yesterday & knew which photos I wanted to go with it, so most of the time was spent deciding on product (as usual!), not crafting the layout. The background paper already had the postmark graphic up in the corner, and I thought the maps were perfect. And it literally only took 30 minutes!
Before LOAD I would never have even entertained the idea of a "quickie" page. My first one was this:
I can still remember how heart-pounding it was to put this together "under the gun" so to speak! I was up at midnight when the prompt was posted & I felt like it was cheating to spend all the next day thinking about it, so I sat down right then to crank it out! It's possible that this was the first time I had put my own handwriting on a page. I spent most of my time editing & printing the photos, and it turned out to be really loose & fun.
That's the bottom line appeal to me of doing LOAD - each time it pushes my comfort zone out of the way & I forge new territory in my scrap journey :~)
Monday, May 7, 2012
Up Close & Personal
Have I said yet that I am so thrilled to be here as Guest Designer this month?
I never imagined how doing Counterfeit Kits would super-charge my scrapping output. Just being able to reach into the box & pull out all sorts of goodies makes my stash seem new & inspiring. Limiting what I have at hand by "stealing" a kit allows me to use so much more of all the wonderful things I've collected. And I'm encouraged in a new creative direction by making my own knock-offs of on-trend items.
Here is the "tres chic" Studio Calico City of Lights May inspiration kit.
I think I will have to break down & buy that adorable stencil lettering guide page. Look what I saved that someone (I wish I could credit) did with it:
And as if the main kit wasn't lovely enough we have 4 add-on kits to steal from!
Some of the first bits that caught my eye for my French Connection kit were the punched tags - easy peasy! I expect to use them for cluster bases or journaling spots. The kraft scroll frames with white accents in the Montmarte add-on came off just as quickly - just punch & doodle. The Louvre add-on had pennants - a popular accent lately - and I had the perfect stamp to use along with some fancy toothpicks from Cracker Barrel to finish them off in style. I was so happy to see sequins as part of the Sorbonne add-on as a few months ago I bought every color in the store!
And just for fun I also made these mini punched-out tags.
Then these sweet little folded notes for discreet journaling like the envelopes on the Versailles add-on.
And some journaling cards I had already made up from a stamp set to boost my Smash pad stash (say THAT five times fast!) Also found these great conversation bubbles at Office Max last month - perfect to counterfeit the ones peeking out from the Louvre add-on...
Don't forget to share your kit at CKC!
I never imagined how doing Counterfeit Kits would super-charge my scrapping output. Just being able to reach into the box & pull out all sorts of goodies makes my stash seem new & inspiring. Limiting what I have at hand by "stealing" a kit allows me to use so much more of all the wonderful things I've collected. And I'm encouraged in a new creative direction by making my own knock-offs of on-trend items.
Here is the "tres chic" Studio Calico City of Lights May inspiration kit.
I think I will have to break down & buy that adorable stencil lettering guide page. Look what I saved that someone (I wish I could credit) did with it:
And as if the main kit wasn't lovely enough we have 4 add-on kits to steal from!
Some of the first bits that caught my eye for my French Connection kit were the punched tags - easy peasy! I expect to use them for cluster bases or journaling spots. The kraft scroll frames with white accents in the Montmarte add-on came off just as quickly - just punch & doodle. The Louvre add-on had pennants - a popular accent lately - and I had the perfect stamp to use along with some fancy toothpicks from Cracker Barrel to finish them off in style. I was so happy to see sequins as part of the Sorbonne add-on as a few months ago I bought every color in the store!
And just for fun I also made these mini punched-out tags.
Then these sweet little folded notes for discreet journaling like the envelopes on the Versailles add-on.
And some journaling cards I had already made up from a stamp set to boost my Smash pad stash (say THAT five times fast!) Also found these great conversation bubbles at Office Max last month - perfect to counterfeit the ones peeking out from the Louvre add-on...
Don't forget to share your kit at CKC!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Sunday
Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
May CKC Kit: The French Connection
Wow, I loved the inspiration kit so much (see here) that I did the most literal kit lift so far. It took a little digging for some of the components & some I even homemade. What do you think?
Here is my main kit The French Connection:
The main Studio Calico kit City of Lights:
My L'ecole add-on:
Studio Calico Montmarte add-on:
My Joie de vivre add-on:
Studio Calico Louvre add-on:
My D'artiste add-on:
Studio Calico Versailles add-on:
And a little goodie bag called Bonbons:
Studio Calico Sorbonne add-on:
Enjoy the rest of the hop! Here is the pathway or link directly to Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog (here)
Here is my main kit The French Connection:
My L'ecole add-on:
Studio Calico Louvre add-on:
My D'artiste add-on:
And a little goodie bag called Bonbons:
Studio Calico Sorbonne add-on:
Enjoy the rest of the hop! Here is the pathway or link directly to Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog (here)
Julie Ann
http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com/
Milissa http://millermall.blogspot.com/
Rebecca http://howiburb.blogspot.com/
Be inspired, play along, and post your own interpretations of this spectacular kit!
Thanks for visiting with me :~)
Let me know you were here!