Winter Platter

On Use It Tuesday we're featuring Winter/Holiday themed projects. Some of you might remember this Fall project that I did for Practical Scrappers a few months back, well for today's project I updated it for the new season!

Check out all those chipboard pieces - the letters have been in my stash an average of 3 years and the snowflake and clock for just over 1 year. 

I used modeling paste to white out the space around the letters, using the letters as a mask. After it'd dried a bit, I removed the letters and misted them and the burlap/modeling paste separately. While the letters were drying I rinsed some of the blue off of the burlap so the color would have some variation then I put the letters back into their spots. 

Those of you who saw the Fall version might remember these pinecones I'd made using my Silhouette Cameo, well I've brought them back with "snow" for the winter theme. Snow was created with good ol' Elmers and some white flocking that's at least three years old and hardly touched. 

What are you going to make to celebrate the new season?!

Now go link up those wintery projects on the Use It Tuesday page! It's been a good run, but the team is closing up shop after this challenge and I'd love to see us go out with a crafty bang. More details are on the blog, but let me just say that UIT really got me digging into my stash and using instead of hoarding and I'm sad to see it go. It's been an honor to play along with the challenges both as a participant and design team member.

Joy Christmas card using Practical Scrappers sketch

It's time for another Practical Scrappers card sketch! I busted into one of my favorite paper lines for this one - My Mind's Eye All is Bright. 

And here is my interpretation: 

You'll notice that the sketch has three distinct boxes, instead I used that chipboard sticker to create two of them and then put the layered sticker in the center as the third. The whole thing is much more fluid than the sketch, but it was definitely inspired by it!

Sadly with all that paper tearing and chipboard and layered sticker action, this card will not be able to go in the mail! Way to thick and yummy for that.

Shaker Cards

One of my favorite things about being on design teams is that they push me to get outside my comfort zone and try new things. Today's challenge for Paper Girls Challenge Blog did just that, I had to learn how to make a confetti shaker.  

Uh, and it's soooo easy that I don't know why it took me so long to try! I loved the process so much that I used paper that my LSS provided (Fancy Pants Merry Little Christmas) and will be teaching a shaker class there this weekend using these cards as samples.  

Easy, but it did take a little experimenting, this first one is a little wobbly looking. I attempted to make a pocket out of plastic and then adhere the pocket to the frame. The result was eh, it might work with a larger frame but I moved on.

I liked the effect of this one much better! I essentially made a shadow box with clear plastic packaging (yay for upcycling!), foam tape on all sides, and paper.

Products used:

MME twine

Pink Paislee Luxe Stars and Rub-ons

Unity Stamp Co. Grandma's Closet sentiment

Teresa Collins sequins

MME Winter Wonderland chipboard stickers

Authentique mini book

I'm finally getting around to sharing this mini book, I made it while at the Scrapbooksteals Retreat and thought I'd share it as my Use It Tuesday "Anything Goes" project. As you know by now, at UIT we want you to use your hoarded items and tell us about it! So my hoarded item in this book is that yellow twine, I've had that MME twine since they released Miss Caroline and somehow ended up with multiples of the yellow. I use twine a lot and that stuff seems to be never ending. 

The book itself was made with wooden book ends that I picked up at my LSS stash sale, the interior pages are just thick, yummylicious Authentique papers glued together. If you don't recognize this line, I have to say that Authentique's Curiousity is probably one of my favorites for back to school. No primaries! Woot woot!

I'm gonna rapid fire "turn" through a couple of pages now, you can see in the above photo how there's lot of layers and depth on the right side a lot of that was created by making smaller pages.

And a shot of the last portion of this spread, and then it's close-up.

So here's pages 3-4. Technically, they are the last pages. I didn't take a photo of the back cover because I didn't decorate it, there's just a ribbon across the back so the book can be tied closed.

Now go use up your stuff!

Products used:
Authentique Curiousity
Pink Paislee Luxe stars, inked
Recollections black doilies
Studio G lamps
Ribbon, stash
MME twine
Studio Calico wood veneer hexagons

DIY Poppies/Wreath for Scrapbooksteals today

Ever have a tool that you use all.the.time for a few months and then it gets set aside? Right now I’m “on again” with my Silhouette Cameo so I thought I’d share a fun project that I made for today's "How To'sday" at Scrapbooksteals.com. You'll have to head over there for instructions to make the flowers, but I'll give you some close-ups to whet your appetite.

Here's my way cute wreath that I made with flowers I created for "How To'sday". That wreath had some hideous fall themed florals on it, but I just couldn't pass it up for the price.

Here's one of the poppies all but assembled. The brown ribbon is just wired ribbon that I picked up at Michael's, there's a basic metal brad in the center, and then the fab Prima Designs flower centers that have been hanging around my stash for way to long! (And I have a second similar pack, you better believe that I'll be trying this again.)

The welcome banner uses a Authentique Thankful 6x6 paper pad and some of their sticker sheet. You noticed that I'm using that line a lot?! Yep, it's my only "fall" line and I've been feeling lazy and keep going back to it. Given that the holiday is next week I may get another year out of it too! Anyway, then I just used some random ribbons to make the whole thing less circular. Not sure how I feel about that part. 

Thankful - Paper Girls Challenge Blog

Today on the Paper Girls Challenge Blog we're asking you to show us a project about being "Thankful."

I just so happened to need some thank you cards in my life, so I made these fall themed ones using...wait for it... Authentique Thankful. Appropriate, no?

Here they are together:

And a little bit more of a close-up. Isn't that sticker quote on the first one fantastic?! I just love it.

MMM, and some lace trim on this one really dresses it up and offsets the crazy attempt at a flower that ended up way large so I cut it in half right down the center. 

Products:

Authentique Thankful 6x6 pad and sticker sheet

Twine, ribbon stash

Gems from Michael's

Brown ink

foam dots and ATG tape runner

Masterpieces aka vinyl doodling

It's time for a new challenge at Use It Tuesday. This time we're asking you to do something "Sticky" challenge and don't forget to use and tell us about those hoarded items!

I decided on this one quite by accident, I'd had some vinyl out to cut a wall sentiment for a friend and wanted to put some of the scraps to use. 

But back up a bit, a year or so ago I'd cut the word "Masterpieces" and hung a curtain rod as a display for Vance's art work. It was falling off the wall so I replaced it. Then I added a flourish, and another and two hours later I'd "doodled" around my title. The hubs was more than a little surprised to see my alterations - from a black stately font to this. HA!

And I love it. Other than the title all those vinyl cuts are from scraps that I've had for nearly two years! I have a feeling that the vinyl won't stay this time either but as fun as this was I don't even care.