Sunday, May 27, 2012

June 2012 Stamp of the Month "Life is Tweet"

Life is Tweet on the Boardwalk


June is one of my favorite times of the year.  We have had a glorious spring here in Delaware and I'm hoping that June will be equally wonderful.  I'm looking forward to the end of school just as much as my kids.  No homework!  That doesn't mean there will be less to do, though.  It's just more fun!  We're all looking forward to vacation at the beach.  It wouldn't be summer without some time spent on the Boardwalk.





This page uses stamps from June's Stamp of the Month "Life is Tweet" and paper from "Dotty for You".

"Life is Tweet" features stamps that coordinate with the Cricut Art Philosophy.  The "life is tweet" flower embellishment on this page was cut from Colonial White cardstock, stamped, and adhered with pop dots.  The title letters were also cut using Cricut Art Philosophy.
 

I used the border stamp to create a frame around the page and stamped the birds in second generation* black in an attempt to make them look like seagulls.  My husband says seagulls are not gray.
I disagree :-)





*Second generation stamping: Fully ink your stamp.  Stamp off onto a scrap paper first. Without re-inking, stamp onto your project.  This creates an image with a lighter shade of the color.



Featured products:
June 2012 Stamp of the Month - "Life is Tweet" - Available June 1 - June 30 2012
"Dotty for You" paper - Available through May 31, 2012 for $5.00 when you spend $35
Cricut Art Philosophy 

I also made some fun cards using "Life is Tweet".
I stamped the balloons in a variety of rainbow colors, cut them out and used them as a simple border on a plain white card with rounded corners.  Inside says "Celebrate". (ink colors: Tulip, Goldrush, Buttercup, Olive, Pacifica, Smoky Plum)

The second card uses a scrap of Mayberry paper and Honey cardstock as the mat.  The bird is stamped in Goldrush on Honey cardstock and is cut out and adhered to the card front over the legs which are stamped separately in black. The bird's eye is accented with black marker.  Inside I have plans to include a small yellow feather and the words "I've made sure he won't be telling anyone else."  (tee hee)

Featured products:
June 2012 Stamp of the Month - "Life is Tweet" - Available June 1 - June 30 2012


Sunday, May 6, 2012

National Scrapbooking Day 2012

This has been a fun and busy weekend.  Yesterday I participated in the Creative Crop at Big Picture Classes in celebration of National Scrapbooking Day.  There were video chats and 12 great challenges. Here's a sample of a few of the pages that I made.  It will be a long time before I get this many pages done in one weekend again.


The challenge was to "grab a photo from a few years back and a photo from today and tell a story about the way things are different or the same."

 
The challenge was to "scrapbook a favorite memory from your childhood."
This is me at age 2 helping my Nana water the flowers. 


The challenge was to "Add a mini flag to your layout."


The challenge was to "Use a pocket on your layout."
Photo and ticket stub are in an envelope pocket. Go Phillies!


The challenge was to "Feature a photo with a fanciful frame."
I had lots of fun using my Cricut on this one.


The challenge was to "Use iPhone photos".
I created embellishment flowers to mimic the ones in the background paper.


The challenge was to "Use a twine technique on your layout."
The tassel on the mortar board is my twine technique on this page.
(I still need to finish the journaling on this one.)


The challenge was to "Use photos and/or page accents to create a page that talks about
reflection, literally or figuratively."
The journaling says "The reflective glass in the karate studio is a natural place to capture the true emotions of the day whether it's boredom or disappointment."



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Friendship Bouquet - May Stamp of the Month

I love coloring.  It makes me feel like a kid.  So I loved hand coloring these beautiful sunflowers from the May Stamp of the Month, Friendship Bouquet.



I made several projects this time.  I can't decide which one I like best.  First I created a few journaling cards.  I was inspired by all the unique 3" x 4" embellishments I've seen that can be used with Project Life scrapbooks or on any scrapbook page.

For the card in the middle I stamped the large sunflower (Chocolate) and three leaves (Olive), then colored them with pencil and trimmed them out.  I cut a 3" x 4" Colonial White rectangle and stamped the sentiment along the bottom right edge in Olive ink.  Then I just adhered the sunflower and leaves to the top.

For the other two cards I decided not to add any dimension.  I stamped one small sunflower on a scrap paper and cut it out (don't color that one - it will be used as a mask).  I cut a 3" x 4" rectangle and stamped another small sunflower in the corner, hanging it off the edge just a bit. You can choose whether you want the card to be horizontal or vertical.   I placed the first, cut-out sunflower over the sunflower stamped on the card, as a mask to protect it.  Then I stamped two leaves in Olive ink.  I colored in with pencil to finish.  Once you choose if it will be horizontal or vertical, add some light lines in pencil to keep your journaling straight if you like.

My second project using the May Stamp of the Month was an opportunity for me to try something new using the Circut Art Philosophy.  I decided a gift box was just the thing since I've been thinking a lot lately about end-of-the-year teacher gifts.
 


I cut the pillow box using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and Colonial White cardstock.  (The one pictured is 8 inches.)  I stamped the outside of the box with the script stamp from Universal Backgrounds in Goldrush Ink.  I used a sponge to gently edge the whole container with Buttercup ink to give is a yellow-ish glow.  I wrapped the box with a 1 inch strip of Honey cardstock and a 1/2 inch strip of Chocolate cardstock. (Cardstock)  I stamped one large and one small sunflower (Chocolate) and three leaves (Olive) then colored and trimmed them.(Exclusive Inks)  I grouped them together as shown and adhered them to the front of the pillow box.  I cut a small card using Cricut Art Philosophy which is edged with Olive ink and stamped with a sentiment on the inside and the outside. The ends of the pillow box close and stay shut without glue or tape.

I was able to fill it with 10 tea bags nicely.  You could put many other goodies inside.

For the card makers out there I created a beautiful thank you card.  These sunflowers are so happy and bright.  They are perfect for giving to someone who has gone the extra mile for you.

This card uses a Colonial White, 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch base.  I cut the scalloped squares using Cricut Art Philosophy.  Each is 1 1/4 inches (you'll need 10).  I stamped three large sunflowers on Colonial White and colored them with pencils.  Then I carefully cut them into one inch squares (a 1 inch punch would work nicely too I'm sure.)  I chose the pieces I thought looked the best and placed them on the Chocolate squares in random directions. Arrange them on the card as shown leaving a space for your sentiment.  I chose to cut another shape (Colonial White) and it's outline layer (Chocolate) for my "thanks so much" sentiment.  I raised it with foam tabs and added a small hemp bow.

Shop for:
May Stamp of the Month, Friendship Bouquet
Cardstock
Exclusive Inks
Circut Art Philosophy

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a "sunny" day!