12 tags of 2012 august & september

really bummed that i didn't get the august tag done in time to submit it for a chance to win :( but there was no way i could start on the september tag until the august one was done! since i am submitting the september one on time i will show that one first:

when i saw tim's tag i was sooooo excited to try the "metal" theme.

i do not have the same self adhesive metallic paper as tim but i do have metallic cardstock and it worked really well. i also only have a few bright alcohol inks which i considered using but i wanted this to have a darker feel so i smeared black and brown staz-on ink all over and buffed it with my craft towel. then i scraped it all up with a wire brush. some of the embellishments include an old zipper that came off one of my bf's shirts and also some little black beads that i glued onto some of the "rivets".

i also love the film strip ribbon and the little pocket watch. these were both things i found on a spontaneous trip to spokane. i tied the top with black tulle and called it good!

check out tim's september tag here

 

~AUGUST TAG~

i knew what i wanted to make for my version of this tag but just didn't get it done in time. too bad because it is one of my favorites.

the big thing with this one was a silhouette and a frame which i conventiently had in a halloween stack. i dry embossed the tag all around the frame and even though the image itself was already raised  i colored in the silhouette with an embossing marker and covered it with clear powder to heat set it. this made it look less smooth and 'perfect' which is perfect for what i wanted!

i colored some strips of paper with distress ink to match the spiral flowers and added some metal studs and a real stick. to finish everything off i stapled some halloween-ish ribbon to the top.

check out tim's august tag here

project # 17

made with love {and paper} design team
august 1, 2012
theme: opposites attract
requirements: contrasting colors, circles & squares

this is also my submission for the Cards Galore Scrapbook Challenge with a theme of "anything goes" check it out here: http://cardsgalorescrapbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/07/scrapbooking-challenge-july-anything.html?showComment=1344900215178#c2410790065447440507

ok, so i was out of town for the last 10 days of july and was not sure i would even participate in this project. i was glad to find some free time and be able to create! then just a day before the due date i heard about the cards galore scrapbook challenge and thought i would give it a try...with no time to create something new i thought i would just use this piece.

because this was a random picture i did not have any journaling to do so instead i added a quote. "the power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories that it has come to be disbelieved in. few people dare now to say that two being have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. yet, it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only." -victor hugo ~ les mise'rables. i think this sums us up!

happy wedding!

our 20 day vacation just ended last week (booo!) and i am already looking forward to our next one! this year we headed off to cali for my boyfriends sister's wedding. here is the card i made for the new couple!

the blue layer is embossed with a swirl pattern. the "s" is covered in a mix of gold, silver, blue, and white glitter, and is attached to the tulle with my homemade stickpin.

the inside of the card reads: as you join hands this day, exchanging words and rings of love, may the heavens truly bless you both. {from "just the right words" by judith wibberley}.

i also created a card for the bridal shower...thinking i was so clever - i cut up and used the pieces from the shower invitation to make the card.

of course, i did not take a picture of the invitation first {doh!} so i am bummed that you cannot see a before-and-after :( but this was a really fun idea that i will do it again in the future!

and finally before that ^ i created an engagement card when i found out there was going to be a wedding!!! the little birds were cut from the create-a-critter cart and i believe the branch was too {it was a while ago!}. the card base is green with tan layering and green inking around the edges.

the inside of the card features some layering with hearts and hand lettering {which i love to do!} i hope that the happy couple loved all of their cards and that you did too! <3

project #16

made with love {and paper} design team
july 1, 2012
theme: happy birthday
requirements: none

with things getting so busy with the end of school and summer beginning i thought it would be a nice time to have a simple, easily translatable project. for this month's project we were to make a *happy birthday* item. i went pretty simple with this one but it was a lot of fun.

i used a sizzix die for the flower and a stamp for the sentiment. the flowers on the inside are from a small punch. this card was quick and easy! hope you like! thanks for taking a look :)

12 tags of 2012 ~ july

i really loved the technique tim used for this month's inspiration...he dripped some alcohol ink onto glossy paper and, with a blast of air, made some beautiful splatter effects! my challenge was to figure out how i could make these same effects without alcohol inks because i do not have any nor do i have a store near that sells them. i also had to decide what theme i wanted my tag to be since tim's was 4th of july and it was well after the holiday when i got started on my re-creation.

i wanted to use my umbrella man stamp since i love it but had never used it. with this i thought a background of different blues would look best and to achieve the same splatter effect i went with watered down acrylic paint and homemade glimmer mist.

i matted the glossy paper on kraft paper and then some white paper with a blue core (which i sanded and distressed). i really wanted to find a quote that i thought would work well with this tag.....

.....this same day was when i found out that lennox, a dog in northern ireland, had been killed after his family battled for his release for 2 years. i wanted this tag to remind me of lennox. i wanted it to remind me that things are not always fair, life can be hard, but it is important to have hope. it is important to live life to the fullest, accept others for who they are, to be thankful for what you have, and help those who are in need. yes, rain will fall, but the sun will also shine!!! lennox was sunshine...he was kind and gentle until the day he died - regardless of the injustices done to him. this tag will hang in my craft room and forever remind me of him and all the other *lennox's* of the world.

project #15

i am finally getting caught up with posting my design team projects! we will be starting #17 soon so i am not too far behind :) hope you like!

made with love (and paper) design team
june 1, 2012
theme: independence day
requirements: red, white, blue, stars, stripes, glitter

i made a 2 page layout featuring our 4th of july get-together. we had it at my mom and stepdad's house with my sister and her family and my dad and stepmom. it was a really fun time!

for the bbq i made red, white, and blue devilied eggs and some yummy yellow cupcakes with strawberries, blueberries, and cool-whip! sooooo yummy! the pics below are of my bf and brother-in-law getting the grill started and everyone enjoying all the great food!

then i added pics from the fireworks show {which i attended even though i hate fireworks!} there is my stepdad, my brother-in-law and niece, and my bf and me. on the tag i wrote out the very beginning and ending of the declaration of independence. i also got to use my 4th of july stamp and embossed it with 2 different colors...that was fun!

i also had a really great time using my distress inks and distress tool as well as mixing some patterned papers. here's to hoping this summer is as fun as last year's!

12 tags of 2012 ~ june

i have really been enjoying creating the 12 tags of 2012! so far these 2 tags (the original by tim & my re-creation) are my absolute favorites. there were a few techniques that i have never seen or done before & i was really excited to give them a try. the first was coloring a photo with distress ink - this was really fun! & while i do not have the nifty lil rubber nibs i found that a q-tip worked really well! i also took on the task of creating my own swirly flowers. this was something that i saw in my last issue of cardmaker magazine & had to give them a try! they were definitely a trial & error but in the end i came up with a few that i really liked & i only cursed a little :\

my boyfriend & i will be together for 4 years coming up in september so i wanted to base this tag on that occassion. i used one of the first photos we ever took {& still, to this day, one of my favorites} & colored it with worn lipstick, weathered wood, & peeled paint distress inks. i embossed *08* in the corner for our year & then added some pretty embellishments.

 

meet charli! after only living here a week she loves crafting - jumping onto my table as i am working, sitting on my shouldet to check things out, & of course, supervising the die cutting area.

project #14

made with love (and paper) design team
may 1, 2012
theme: new beginnings
requirements: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

while this little saying is a wedding tradition, creating a wedding project was not required. it was due on the edge of spring and there are so many wonderful things about this season! i wanted everyone to think of new beginnings and use that as their inspiration. while my project is not really reflective of spring or spring colors it does feature a *new beginning* theme {not to mention it fulfills all the requirements - and that was a challenge!}

this project is a bit different from many of my others because of the theme - ME! i generally scrap my pets, family, and me with my friends & boyfriend. this time, however, i wanted to try something new ~ i wanted to make something all about me.

something old: the picture {i am blonde now}
something new: technique - covering chipboard with paper {i have never done this! always painted or inked it!}
something borrowed: marilyn monroe quote
something blue: background paper {immortal love stack - along with the rest}

ok...so my new beginning consists of me realizing how important it is to love yourself! while this is not a new concept to me anymore it was a few years ago. i used to think i knew what was important and i realized one day how wrong i was. i began to see that i matter and i cannot love anyone without loving myself (cheesey, i know, but it is true!) i had been wanting to scrap something like this for a while and am planning on doing more "me" things because i want to make sure i am documenting that stuff along with every other part of my life.

i also wanted to add the marilyn quote 1. because i love her and 2. because the beginning part "i am selfish, impatient, and a little insecure" used to apply to me and the ending "i make mistakes, i am out of control and a little hard to handle. but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best" didn't. now, it is the other way around :)

12 tags of 2012 ~ may

tada! my may submission for the tim holtz 12 tags of 2012. i was really excited when i first saw that our inspiration had a sewing theme. i immediately decided that whatever i created would be for my mom because she loves sewing and quilting.


sorry for any visible spots of glue!

i had to determine how i would create a tag like tim's without having hardly any of the supplies he used. instead of pattern paper i used regular tissue paper to cover my tag. and because i do not have a dress form stamp or die i drew my own! i added some pins and buttons just to make it a little more sew-like. i was also happy to find a little sewing machine in my dcwv crafty stack and i had just recently bought the cute little frame charms so that worked out great. i am really happy with the results and it was nice to spend a little time with my sewing machine. hope you like it, mom!

12 tags of 2012 - april

this month flew by for me and with just a half an hour left to spare i completed and submitted my april project for the tim holtz 12 tags of 2012.

for the backgroud of my tag i was excited to use my new pocketwatches embossing folder by sizzix / tim holtz alterations. i then inked it with a few different colors of distress ink and then spritzed with a dark brown {homemade} glimmer mist.

next i got to work on my bird. i drew him onto some chipboard, inked him up, and then embossed him with a bright blue and dark blue mix of powders. after that i cut a little crown from my paperdoll dress up cart, embossed it with metallic silver, and added a couple of black hot fix jewels to the front. i used real sticks and moss for the birdie perch. i really like to incorporate these items into my papercrafting and other projects.

i added a mother of pearl button with hemp and a sentiment to the bottom, plus a couple of staples, and tied some hemp on the top to finish it all off.

{please excuse the visible glue behind the sticks and moss...my tag was not completely dry when i was taking pictures!}

harry potter bookmarks

when the harry potter books first started coming out i didn't really catch on to the craze. once the movies started, though, i really liked them and decided that once i had seen them all, i would go back and read all the books. i spent the past few years collecting the books and movies (watching them multiple times as i was happily crafting) and, at the beginning of this year, after getting the final movie for christmas, i was sooooo excited to start reading!

not wanting to dog ear the pages as i do in many of my books i thought about grabbing a bookmark but quickly realized that no ordinary bookmark would do! this is harry potter for goodness sake! and i had also just received the paper doll dress up cart and knew full well there were wizarding dies to be cut!

 for the background i used textured red and tan paper with tim holtz distress stain, distress inks, and glimmer mist. i then used my star cluster punch with metallic gold paper behind. this was also the first time i got to use my crop a dile big bite, which was fun! on the back of the bookmarks i wrote out many of the spell names they use in the books and movies. and because i have a harry-potter-loving nephew, i figured i should make a bookmark for him, too! hope he loves it!

project #13

with earth day coming up and spring cleaning on everyone's mind i thought that this month a *reuse and recycle* theme would be really fun and interesting. the requirements were to turn items that may normally be thrown away into crafting supplies or embellishments. i don't know about everyone else but i do already recycle and i also have a habit of looking at "garbage" items and thinking "now what can i do with this?" actually...i have an entire drawer and a couple of file folders dedicated to these items so i was anxious to see what i could come up with! here is my overall project...

i did a 12x12 *environmentally friendly* themed layout and when i get a chance to go out and take some pictures of pretty trees and things i will add them to the page. the reused and recycled items i used in this layout were a magazine clipping, a bottle cap, and the paper (dcwv green stack) which is 70% recycled paper!

 i love this motto! definitely one to live by, especially if you are one to go out and visit nature.

this was a fun thing to try. i embossed this bottle cap and then stamped into it. i do suggest being VERY careful if you want to try this. i did use needle nose pliers but the little cap is hard to maneuver and it will stay hot for a long time. i know this because i burnt myself...*twice*.

tim holtz ~ 12 tags of 2012 ~ march

when i heard about tim holtz's 12 tags of 2012 i thought is was a great idea! i had not heard of the 12 tags of christmas (yes, i live under a rock) and while that sounded fun, one tag each month sounded even better! but with april just around the corner i thought it was too late to join in on the fun and had hopes of maybe joining in next year. then, just a few days ago i was looking into this project a little more and realized i could join...tim himself even started the entire concept late, beginning in february instead of january. and even though i am not a crafting god like tim <3 i am sure me coming in on march is acceptable!

i don't have a woodgrain stamp like in the demonstration so i used a woodgrain patterned paper. i also had to figure out a way to make the butterflies with my supplies. i punched each one out and then glued on the mosaic pieces. after that i used an embossing marker to ink between the mosaic pieces for the "grout". for this i used a metallic embossing powder.

for the flower my wonderful hunny thought of making an accordion flower. while he suggested green, i went with a strip of tan patterned paper that featured brown swirls which created another flower design inside the accordion flower itself. nope, didn't plan that! just a happy crafty surprise :)

all in all, i love the way my first of 12 tags of 2012 came out! i do plan on creating the february tag as well. even though i cannot submit it to the site, i would like to join in on making it - and then i will have a set!

#1 of 4 mini album order

not long after i gave my stepdad his toilet paper roll album my mom brought it to her office to show her coworkers. she called me that night with 4 orders of them! my first thought: "do i have enough rolls saved up?" and my second: "how am i going to get all these done?!" but i didn't want to turn down this opportunity so i accepted! each album was to be based around the same theme: spiritual / inspirational. i spent a little time finding psalms and other sayings that i could put in each book so they weren't all the same. this is the first of the order of 4 i have created so far...

i found some binder rings at staples and thought they would be great for these albums. i love that i could tie tule and other fun stuff onto them! throughout this album i used distressing inks, paper tearing and wrinkling, as well as glimmer mists to make it shabby but also a little chic! <3

 1st page: i used my tim holtz clock stamp with white ink and clear / glitter embossing powder. in the pocket is a tag that swivels open to reveal the word "faith"

2nd page: featuring my FIRST EVER accordion flower!!! i love this little guy! i got to use my ms scoreboard for the first time and this flower was so easy!

 3rd page: untie the brown ribbon to reveal an accordion type folded strip of paper with a different message on each square. this was quite fun to make!

4th page: a little pocket holds a double sided tag and a butterfly background

 5th page: lift up the little tab and find a folder with a message inside. this saying is my favorite. it was found on the wall of a bunker where, i believe, a jewish family was hiding during ww2. very sad but also very beautiful words that should always be remembered.

6th page: another little swivel tab with a message underneath.

tube pocket inserts