I {heart} Crate Paper - Guest

I reserve a great big spot in my heart for Crate Paper.  I adore Lisa and think she is one of the most creative designers out there.

When I had an opportunity to Guest for Crate, it was like coming home and of course I couldn't reply to the email fast enough to say YES.  Of COURSE.  I would LOVE to.  I've been sitting on my projects for a bit as the mid-release came out, but I can now share some of the crafty I've been up to.

I was sent Story Teller and Pretty Party.  Initially I would expect to be immediately drawn to Pretty Party for my design work, but it was Story Teller that ended up on the projects I created for the blog post.  Here's a bit of what I came up with:

Morgan spent a rare day flouncing around the house in one of my dresses recently, and we had fun with a fun fashion show which of course included photo taking.  As I was looking at her in the pictures, she seemed like a little senorita, so inspired by that flavor, I wanted a more vintage/tuscan theme, and the Story Teller line matched perfectly.

The background was trimmed with my Cameo and trimmed ragged which was also inspired by an italian villa and broken cobblestones, etc.  Does that make sense?  The floral pattern, obviously, goes with the theme as well.  And I've been obsessed with doilies so I had to add some from my stash too.  

Morgan looks so pretty in these photos.  ::sigh::

Something I've noticed in the evolution of my style is how I've embraced hand-journaling.  It began partly for speed, because I tend to be a slow crafter and to type and print journaling just adds more time.   I've come to like how it looks though, especially when it's underlined, so I'm proud of myself for sticking with it.  My kids are going to want to know what Mama's handwriting looked like.

This next layout utilizes the Story Teller line as well and a jumping point was the chipboard elements. I loved that bike and the polaroid frame.

Even though I liked the design as it was, I wanted to add some fun details to it, so I used the alpha sticker sheet to make an alphabet border.  I wanted it to be a bit tone on tone and didn't want it to stand out too much, and I like the texture it added to the layout.  Stitched right over it to hold it down, too.  

After two layouts, it was time to come up with a card, and this time Pretty Party made her debut:  

I love how Crate Paper does woodgrain, so I wanted that to be prominent.  I liked the chipboard elements so paired the flowers with the butterfly on this card.  it was easy to add a few patterns and a border sticker, and to top it off with a sticker sentiment.  

I adore working with Crate Products, I think they are so ME, so was honored to guest for them this week.  I hope you've had a chance to work with these products!  You should have seen some of these in Studio Calico kits if you subscribe.  I hope you've also seen the mid-release but I have to tell you something.....  I heard a rumor about the theme of the summer release and OH MY.  I can't wait to see what's in store!

Have a great weekend!  After multiple days of blog posts I need a moment, lol!

Davinie

Out for Pub - CK's Budget-Friendly Scrapbooking issue

Happy Friday!

Months ago I was asked to contribute to a special issue for CK called Budget-Friendly scrapbooking.  I think CK has a lot to offer the crafting community, so of course I said YES!  I'd be crazy not to!  :)

My assignment was to use multiple rubons on a layout.  I immediately dashed to my stash of butterflies in various colors, from Studio Calico, and went to work on a two page layout.

The theme was literal.  A couple years ago when we went to visit my sister in Seattle, we went to the Pacific Science Center which has a great butterfly exhibit.  You get to be in with the butterflies, and there are several different kinds in many different colors buzzing about.  You need to watch your step, because they land on the ground and everything.  The girls thought it was very cool.  It was definitely the best part of the show.

I was thinking of those bug display boards where you pin down the specimens when contemplating this layout design.  Lots of circles here, with some butterflies adhered here and there.  I also used pop dots and raised some of them to flutter about.



This issue of CK is out and available to purchase!  There are a lot of great designs and cost saving ideas there so check it out! 

Supplies:

Bazzill Kraft

Crate Paper Restoration

Stuido Calico Countryside and butterfly rubons

Sassafras alphas

Making Memory alphas

circle punch

Have a great Friday!  Davinie

Layout Share - My Butterfly

I was really excited when I got an email from Miss Kim Watson (a rockstar and the next Guest Designer at Studio Calico, I can't wait to see what she comes up with!).  She asked if I'd contribute a layout to an article she was writing about handmade flowers for a special issue of CK.

Of course I said YES!

My layout was on page 47, a simple handmade flower, called 'Sweetly Snipped Blooms'.  It was in a special Tips and Tricks issue for Fabulous Flowers, and you can still pick it up HERE. 

Anyway, on to my layout:

I used a lot of fun products here.  Lots of strips, which was fun. 
There's Vanilla cardstock trimmed with a scallop, alongside Claudine Hellmuth sticky-backed canvas in NATURAL (woot!) for added texture.  I hand cut the scallop on the canvas after tracing a scallop ruler I bought at the Dollar Tree eons ago. 
There's tons of Crate paper, Snow Day and Restoration for color.
American Crafts mixtape (LOVE) and foam alphas,
my Martha butterfly punch.
And buttons.  Lots of buttons.  With stitching too.
Here's a closeup of the snipped flowers I made for this assignment:

Obviously I'm obsessed with the scallop, and Morgan is obsessed with butterfly face paint.  I swear every time face paint becomes an option, she metamorph's into one.  (Is metamorph a word?  I'll have to check with Words With Friends, lol).  Anyway.... 



Guess what? There's a pre-CHA sale at Two Peas in a Bucket for 15%-75% off Select Products. The sale runs July 14-22, so go check it out!

Crate Paper is part of that sale, so you could recreate the above layout at a discount.  woot! 
I also saw lots and lots of Thickers.  Bestill my heart. 

Have a great day!  Davinie

Crate Love - Spring rose vase

I had the pleasure of posting a sweet project for a giveaway on the Crate blog over the weekend, and wanted to take the opportunity to share it here as well.  I just love it!

Inspired by the garden gate chipboard piece in the chipboard accents from the Neighborhood Collection, I wanted to make a spring/summer décor piece.

 

I white washed the wood vase with gesso and then covered it with a strip using the Picnic Pattern, a bit of Block Party, and the delicious felt trim from the same Collection (the Emma's Shoppe trims, especially that pink, would have been pretty too). I topped it with the white gate, and then wrapped it in twine and added an Eclectic Button to top it off.

The flowers were made using the rolled flower technique as well as some buttons.

You need one circle punched from a 3 inch circle punch, and a green circle punched from a 1.5 inch circle punch I used the Festive pattern from the Snow Day line for my “leaves”)

To start, I threaded two button on floral wire.

After that, roll a rose flower from the large punched circle. If you need a reminder on creating these flowers, check out my tutorial here:

http://davinie.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-make-paper-roses.html


Thread the rose onto the floral wire below the two buttons, add a large third button behind that, and finish with your smaller circle “leaf”. What you have is a rose for you bouquet.

Fill in the vase with several flowers, and finish it with finely trimmed strips from the Block Party print, and you have a beautiful vase to treasure.

 

I made a vase using this same wood container (which I picked up from Michael's for $1) on this post.  I can't believe it's been 3 years since I did it the first time!  It was fun to revamp the idea with new product. 

Have a great day!  Davinie

Happy National Scrapbook Day!!

Happy National Scrapbook Day!  Happy Scrapbook Day to my International friends as well!  There is a lot of fun and challenges and prizes galore all over the WWW and I want to make sure you know right where to go.  I mentioned a couple of things on my last post too. 

I want to make sure you head to the Crate Paper blog and leave a comment for a chance at a gift basket.  While there you will see this super sweet vase I made which includes a tutorial to recreate it: 

I have created a bouquet in this type of vase before and had a lot of fun doing something different with it.  (You can check out my original project here). 

As I mentioned in my last post, Studio Calico is having a great big huge NSD Celebration with tons of challenges, prizes, and inspiration. 

I created a make n take for this celebration, a card which you can create for Mother's Day, should you be a last minute girl like myself:

(Supplies:  Studio Calico Countryside / State Fair patterned paper, sticker alphas, chipboard alphas, label sticker). 

There's also that stitching challenge which can be found here.

I hope you have fun checking out the blog and all the fun in store!

Another place I want you to check out today is Scrapbook and Cards.  There's a very very cool giveaway on this post. 

For NSD I created a card with instructions.  This is what I came up with, inspired by the 2011 calendar put out by Scrapbook and Cards, specifically, Miss September.  Here's the layout:

And here's my card:

I hope you will check out the blog post for today, and peek at what the other designers came up with as well. 

Speaking of Scrapbook and Cards, in addition to providing inspiration today, we have a big announcement to make, of particular interest to my Canadian friends:

Isn't that wonderful?  Maybe you'll see me at a crop someday!  I don't think I've ever been to Canada!  I'm so excited to see these types of events come up.  We don't get much in Oregon.

I hope you have a wonderful wonderful day!  Davinie

Crate Love - Baby All Gone

My poor little neglected blog needed a little Crate paper love.

On the days leading up to Payton's 5th birthday, I asked her several times what gift she thought she'd like to have.  She mentioned DRUMS  (hahahahaha, NO WAY), and she kept asking for Baby All Gone, one of the Baby Alive dolls.  Oh my.

First of all, I thought she was a bit old to be asking for dolls.  My kids don't really play with dolls anyway.  5 seems old to start.  But then I reminded myself it was her birthday, and she wants what she wants when she wants it......  so when Grandma and Grandpa called and asked for suggestions, that's what I gave them.  They delivered.

Payton was really excited to get her baby girl.  In the end, though, I think she was fooled by the "magic" of disappearing bananas more than the idea of motherhood.  What cracks me up is the amount of talking this baby does.  The poor thing is starving to death!  What's also funny is Payton's reaction to her baby.  When she's done feeding her, she will hide her away so she doesn't have to listen to her anymore.  Oh, the luxury.  heeee.

I decided to mix a few of my favorite Crate products for this layout, and this is what I came up with:

Supplies: 

Crate Paper's Toy Box paper   (the woodgrain, alpha paper as base)

Crate Paper's Neighborhood paper, (blue dot, yellow stripe) border stickers, chipboard house, brad

Pink Paislee's Hometown Summer (pink gingham paper)

American Crafts thicker alphas

Basic Grey sticker alphas

Studio Calico bee stamp

Fiskars tag punch

Versamark watermark ink  (2peas - Studio Calico)

American Crafts white zing  (2peas - Studio Calico)

Uniball Signo pen um-153  (Jetpens)

Order a zillion of those pens, will you?  Jet Pens is located in Japan.

I just adore white.  My favorite Mister Huey is white, and my favorite Zing is white.  I'm also a fan of the white Uniball Signo pen.  A girl needs quality basics in her crafting wardrobe don't you know.

I also think that bee stamp is delicious.

I had fun with the design on this layout, thinking some big clouds would be neat to trim and pair with my little chipboard house and that picket fence border sticker, and that a feeling of home would go with my girl and her baby doll who she named....  Baby All Gone. 

Have a great day!  I'll be back TOMORROW with something exciting to share!  Be sure to check in for some fun!  ;)

Davinie

Crate Love - a li'l bit Country

As I've mentioned, I'm a huge fan of all the new lines from Crate Paper this winter, but when it came time to create something for my January assignment for the Crate Paper blog, Emma's Shoppe won.

I'm a huge fan of tone on tone designs lately, so I took the two yellow patterns in the collection and weaved them for a basket affect on this layout about my country girls.

Supplies:
Crate Paper patterned paper / die cut / buttons / brad / sticker alphas / trim
Studio Calico veneer alphas and new Mister Huey in Piglet
Uniball Signo pen

You can see this layout and a break down of the technique on the Crate Paper blog here.

Have a great day!   Davinie

Five for Friday

1.  As you read this post, I am sailing in a tin can in the sky, through the clouds and down to California for CHA.  I will also be heavily medicated, because guess what?  I'm dadgum sick, that's what.  I woke up Thursday morning feeling like I'd been run over by a truck, and even medication hasn't cleared the nasal passages for proper oxygen inhalation.  I decided to power through and go anyway, as I am pretty tough and never stay sick for long.  That said, please excuse the glazed eyes and manly voice.  I'm doing the best I can!  I'm excited to go!

2.  Today is the 28th, and that is also the new deadline for the Project 12 challenge.  This is what I came up with for December:

There was far too much math with this layout to stray far from the original sketch.  I followed the measurements very closely, except I took 1/4" off each side of the photos so I could trim my white border.

I had been sent the Traditions line from Fancy Pants for my winter SCT projects, so I used that for this layout, along with some Stampin Up buttons and my Studio Calico calendar stamps. 

I'm excited for the 2011 process.  I am really digging the use of two different patterned papers with cardstock for my 2pagers.  I did this twice more with my Studio Calico Candy Shoppe kit work.  I just think it is a fun look.  The kraft cardstock ties everything together without the layout looking choppy.

Don't forget to link your month in review layouts here for the Project 12 challenge.  As I mentioned, today is the deadline for December, etc.  I will be posting a new challenge on February 1 for everyone participating in 2011.  It's almost time to get out those January photos! 

3.  Have you ever seen the Back up Plan with Jennifer Lopez?  On one of my scrappy late nights last week I watched this movie, and oh my.  The delivery scene with the lady and the blow up pool?  That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.  So if you haven't seen this movie, check it out.  It was pretty good.

4. Still on the subject of crafts and CHA, one of my assignments was a blog layout for Crate Paper using Emma's Shoppe.  This is the layout I created for the blog:

Everything on this layout is Crate Paper.  Since creating it for the blog I've been asked to bring it to California with me, so hopefully you'll be seeing it in the Crate booth as well!    I used the patterned paper, chipboard frames and flowers, die cut frames, sticker alphas, and that delicious trim is Crate Paper too.  Yum.

5.  I don't have much else to share this week except that it's hard to leave my babies for 6 days so I've been preoccupied with it all month.  I always miss them so much and feel refreshed when I come home, ready to take on motherhood again, so it's good for me, but it is still hard for me to go.  That's one of the reasons I like to take early morning flights...  I can't stand the goodbye.  Tears.  Can't do it. 

With that in mind, I can't be held reponsible for any outfit or hairdo that should present itself on a Fiero child in my absense.  They are with their daddy.  And they LIKE wearing clothes that are mismatched and too small, and Payton is growing out her bangs.  Steve can't always capture them all with his man hands, apparently.  So don't judge.  Please and thank you.

Have a great weekend!  Davinie

7 this Friday (well, Thursday). On Saturday

I'm overwhelmed with CHA prep but wanted to do my Friday fives.  But then my eldest daughter went and turned 7 on Thursday, and then had a slumber party on Friday, so my Friday Five post ended up a Saturday evening random. 
1.  Morgan is 7.  I canNOT believe it.  I can still smell her, that baby smell.  When we moved into this house there was a countertop in our kitchen that hung out a bit and we were so thankful she wasn't tall enough to bump it yet.  She's shoulders above that spot now.
She complains her legs hurt all the time.  Growing pains.  I think she just likes to shop for new pants!  :)
She reads.  She writes.  She's an artist.
She's also growing her hair back out.  Not super long, but longer.  Mama is happy about that.
She lost those 4 teeth in September, and goes back next month for 4 more.  This time on the bottom.  It's time to work on that future mouth (although I might get an Orthodontic consult before having the bottom teeth pulled).
She loves to bake.  She tells me she wants to be a chef when she grows up.  She also tells me she wants to be a rock star, a doctor, and a teacher.  Her future is bright!

2.  Speaking of birthdays....  this is random but I love shopping at amazon.com.  One of the reasons I love doing so is because of that brilliant marketing tool where they offer suggestions of things you might like to purchase.  I often add things to my wish list based on these suggestions.  There are such fun products out there!

The suggested purchasing led me to buy this book last week:

It's called Your Birthday Book.  It's a keepsake journal.  It has pockets to store memorabilia or invites/cards, it's like a baby book where you can jot down details about the birthday party, but the part I was most interested in was the interview.  It has a question and answer section that is going to be so fun to fill out and look back at over the years.

Yes, I'm a scrapbooker, and yes they have baby books, but I thought this would be a fun addition to the memoirs, so I picked one up to check it out.  I love it so much I'm going to get a second one for Payton's birthday.  It doesn't bother me at all that I"m starting on years 5 and 7.  The first three are just records of the party, etc., and they are still young enough I can fill in some details for the other years.  But it goes to age 18.  Check it out!   

3.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I'm knee deep in crafty.  Morgan's birthday and her slumber party put a hitch in my craftalong, but she had such a great week that I'll just go without sleep until next Friday.  ha!  I'm busy with my Studio Calico kit, Countryside and State Fair too, Scrapbook and Cards Today Spring assignments, and new lines from Crate Paper.    Have you seen the new Crate Paper?

I'm busy working with Emma's Shoppe right now. 

Check out Emma's Shoppe and Toy Box.  Themed without being themey, with plenty of neutral options and fun new embellishments too. 

Two more lines from Crate Paper this Spring are Portrait and Neighborhood.  Portrait is the most beautiful wedding Collection I have ever seen.  Hands down.

Check out Portrait and Neighborhood in this post.  My projects will be shared on the blog next week, but I'm also sending work to CHA.  I'm SO honored to be working for this talented company.  It's a dream for sure. 

4.  I've been Tweeting.  I feel weird talking about crafty play by play and what my kids are doing on Facebook.   Does anyone else feel weird doing that?  I feel like my dad and real life friends aren't going to care about that stuff, so I feel awkward mentioning that type of stuff there.  Working on it.  I'm actually suffering in all aspects of social networking.  I don't blog like I should, post family photos in a Facebook album like I should (note to self, start winter album before spring!).  It's often hard to balance and organize everything.  Part of that is because my kids are busy.  Part of that is also because crafting doesn't pay my bills.  Health insurance does.  Gotta work for the man and earn that paycheck too.  Balance.  A companion to my word for the year, Focus, I do believe.  I have to find a way to balance the haves with the wants.  NEEEDS.  Crafting is definitely a need.

5.  Finally, to sum up random....  we are already thinking ahead to what we want to do as a family this summer.  We've been going to the Northern Oregon Coast for the past few years with friends, but this year we are doing things a bit differently.  My family plans to hitch up the trailer and head South.  We want to go to the Southern Oregon Coast, maybe play on the sand dunes, and then head to Northern California and check out the Redwoods, take the kids to the Trees of Mystery and meet Paul Bunyan.  :)  My girls are getting old enough that the fun educational adventures can now begin.  I'm excited to teach them about our world.  Next year we plan to head back to Disneyland, but we are thinking to drive this time.  Take the trailer again.  Head to San Diego and Sea World and the Zoo while we are at it.  San Francisco too.  A very a la Griswold type adventure.  I'm actually looking forward to it (and saving my pennies now).  Even though they were barely 5 and just shy of 3 when we went to Disneyland the first time, the girls still talk about it, and we are anxious to go back.  If I get into the Master's program I'm looking at, I'll probably be ready for a break by then too.  In the end, we deserve it! 

That's it, for this Friday turned Saturday evening post.  You should know I will be back very soon.  I have Studio Calico sneaks to share, CHAW11 product to share, Project 12 to share, lots to share.

Have a great night!  Davinie

Fiver for Friday

I've decided to jump on the Friday Fives.  It gives me a place to talk about the scrappy and family random.  :)

1.  I'm feeling more confident with my goal to run a half marathon this year.  I was touched by the comments left to me, and the support of my hubby (he's going to train with me and run one too).  I was a little overwhemed by 13.1 miles, so figured the easiest way to keep focused, was to start small.  I already  run a 5k to exercise, so I needed something a bit longer than that to work towards.  My plan is to run the Grin and Bear it 10k in March.  This will work great, because the half marathon I've chosen is at the end of May.  It's the inaugural Happy Girls Half.  Looks like a great course!  (ooh, and there's a sterling silver necklace for your medal at the end.  And a schwag bag.  And handsome pacers.  Sweet!)  There's also a little girls 1.5k which I think is a GREAT way to include my kids as I'll need them to ride bikes to train with me sometimes.  1.5k might be too far for Payton though. 

2. Okay, I'm going to talk more about this when I share my Project 12 layout for the month, but suffice it to say, I'm fairly obsessed with the Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology Album Refill packs.  They flew off the shelves at Studio Calico but you can still pick them up at 2peas.

Here's the deal.  Down the road, I don't want to have to look in this album for 2011, that album, and that other special album over there.  I fear if I spread myself out too thin I'll never be organized enough to remember what I did where.  And there *will* come a time when I won't be able to look at a photo and note age, location, etc.  So I put it alllll in one place.  I have one album.  It has my Project 12 layout in it for the beginning of the month.  Then any layouts I've done with photos taken that month go next, and then the next Project 12 layout marks the beginning of the next month.

These protectors?  They offer the pefect opportunity to include memorabilia that didn't get on a layout, like the button we got a Disneyland marking our very first visit, or the program from Payton's recent ballet recital.  And it's all together.  I scrap both 8.5 x 11 and 12x12 and I keep them all in the same place.  I can't think of a better way to carry on with that style than these fun little page protectors for different tidbits, notes, thoughts. 

I'll share more about my album and other page protectors to use in that Project 12 post.  But I'm excited about my albums this year! 

3.  Let's see....  number 3.  Oh, I really want to know what the new release for Crate Paper is going to be.  4 lines!  Have you seen the wee sneak?  Looks delicious!  I'm going to be working with it for CHA but I haven't seen a peek of it yet.  It's torture, I tell ya.  But I'm excited. 
4.  I just had to share how we practiced Morgan's spelling words for the week.  Chocolate syrup on a cookie sheet entertained the kiddlets for a good 20 minutes (even though it was a bugger to get out of Payton's white.  shirt.  WHY mama?  Why?  Next time she needs to go topless).

And of course their faces became pretty itchy during the process, hence the puppy dog noses (imagine that  :) ).

5. Last thing, I couldn't leave ya without a Studio Calico sneak!  I had a LOT of fun with this layout.  Can't wait to share the whole thing.  (This one was made with Lollipop, #4). 

Happy Friday!  I'm going to be doing these more often!  Enjoy your weekend and stay warm and dry!

Davinie