Monthly Archives: March 2012

Stuff…

16 Friday Mar 2012

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I was shocked to scroll through my reader feeds this morning and discover this on the Lawn Fawn blog (check out the 4th one down!). M was also very excited to see her picture suddenly pop up! Thanks for the love, Lawn Fawn, you made our day!

Today I thought I’d post a couple of things that I’ve only given you sneak peeks of before!

This is a LO I showed just a corner of a short time ago. I couldn’t post the whole thing since it had some of The Paperie’s March kit in it. Now that the kit has been released, here’s the full view!

My Whole Heart

This pic of M and I was taken during one of our monthly family photo shoots last year.

They were torture. Really.

So this year, we took one in January, we’ll probably do a fall one, and we’ll take another in December. That’s it – 3 meltdown photoshoots rather than 12!

I love the My Mind’s Eye stamp set that’s included in the kit this month – fun, detailed, and a little something for everyone. Plus, the stamps look awesome when they’re heat embossed!

And now, finally, a couple of pics of my Happy Little Moments album that I’m doing through Studio Calico. I haven’t had much time to work on it, and there’s no pictures in it yet, but I like how it’s coming along. I think I’m going to add some of my favourite pictures rather than pictures of a certain event or time. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll do one for M and one for G – still going back and forth on that one!

I’m still debating the cover – it needs something more but I can’t figure out what.

I snagged an idea from Ali Edwards here – the “S” for Strickland and the “4” for the four of us.

The thing I’ve really enjoyed with this is the stitching – my mom is going to have to pry the sewing machine away from me and I’m afraid that’s going to happen sooner than later since she needs to make curtains!

I made the little glassine pocket myself from wax paper and love how the wide zig zag stitch is looking on the pages. And I really love the messy look when the strings are not trimmed.

I stitched through the butterfly here – used Grungepaper so it wouldn’t tear so easily – and used the strings for antenna. The sunshine flash card is an old one I got in an alphabet pack on clearance – perfect for this book.

Tonight, I’m hitting crop night at The Paperie and I. Can’t. Wait. Think I’m going to do a Dr. Suess LO – both Studio Calico and October Afternoon have posted that as a challenge this week and I think it will be a fun one to take part in. Hopefully it goes well and I’ll have another LO to show you on Monday!

Have great weekend, whatever it is you’re doing!

S.

Things on Thursday…

15 Thursday Mar 2012

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1. Looking forward to playing with my friends tomorrow night at The Paperie crop night – fun, laughing, scrapping, and food!

2. He may be a devil, but he’s my devil – and a cute one!

G.

3. Posted on Twitter last night that I was starting work on the April LO for the 2012 Yearlong Album. Here’s another (very preliminary) sneak:

April Sneak Peek!

4. Watched American Idol last night – yes, it’s my guilty pleasure! At least this year I have a decent bunch to listen to. Last night, Joshua Ledet. Yup. That’s all I have to say.

5. I’ve been taking a Photo a Day since my birthday and it’s fun to take (usually) bad pics with my phone and an app called Camera360.

Yesterday the prompt was Clouds. This is Newfoundland people, clouds are no problem.

Unless it was yesterday. This is the pic I finally got:

Photo a Day prompt - Clouds

Do you see the clouds? No? That’s what I thought…

6. The cold snap we’re having needs to stop. The kids are going insane being barred up in the house and so, of course, am I!

Right now, they’re running as fast as they can (because they’re cars) around the living room, down the hall, through the kitchen, around the island, and back again. I’m pretty certain there will be tears before it’s over….. UPDATE: Yay! No wipeouts, no tears!

7. In the middle of the car race, I got this pic from the girlies – love those two together. We’re going to miss P so very much. 😦

M&P hugging

S.

Daily Dozen: 12 on Twelve

14 Wednesday Mar 2012

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I took part in Dear Lizzy’s 12 on Twelve on Monday. Obviously, I took more than 12 pictures, but these were the ones I finally went with, as an overall view of our day:

1. M looking down on me with her “mad face”

2. The forks the kids use every. day. Even for their fruit.

3. Rosie curled up in the middle of the chaos.

4. Ella curled up in the middle of the chaos.

5. M and D in the kitchen after supper.

6. M’s party skirt. Which she wore all day with polar fleece pants – she’ll be a trend setter, that one!

7. G’s blond curls.

8. G eating supper and totally ignoring me!

9. Flowers from my dad and Debbie for my birthday.

10. Raspberry Truffle Blizzards as a late night snack!

11. M looking up at me for a pic, but only because she thinks it’s funny to have me standing right over her with the camera!

12. A selfie, taken in the (very dirty) kitchen window.

It was fun to take a bunch of candids, and not worry about the lighting or anything else. I really didn’t care how good the pictures were, I just snapped them off. I think I’ll have to do this again next month – if I remember!

S.

Tuesday Techniques – Finishing Touches: Scored Lines

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

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I thought I would do something a little simpler the next few weeks for Tuesday Techniques – Finishing Touches. Sometimes it’s that last little thing that holds us up but is the perfect thing to finish off a project when we do figure it out. Over the next few Tuesdays, I’ll show you a couple of quick, easy things that work for me!

Today, one of my Mom’s favourites when she sees it – Scored and/or Perforated Lines.

You need:

Supplies

A scoring board, a bone folder, a perforating tool, and cardstock. If you don’t have these items, you can use the ridge in your paper trimmer, your finger nail, and a thumbtack – I just like collecting supplies!

Put your cardstock in the upper left corner, making sure everything is straight, then press the bone folder firmly on the cardstock, letting it run down in one of the grooves; I went 1/2″ in for this step…

Scoring...

…and 1/4″ in for the perforating.

Perforating...

Then I did some masking, inking to pick up the perforations, and I was finished!

And a closeup of the details:

I like how the scoring and perforating, with a little inking, makes it looks like a stitched luggage tag – perfect for this one!

To give you some more ideas of how this technique would finish off a card, here are a Sympathy and Birthday card I made using the same Papertrey Ink set and the ScorBug:

Sympathy

Birthday

And finally, a card with scored lines and another Papertrey set:

Chickadee

I scored over the drawn lines to give them a little something more. It’s hard to see here, but adds a lot IRL – just a little oomph!

As always, I’d love to see what you do with this, or any technique I’ve shared. Leave me a link in the comments where I can view your project and I’ll take a look!

I’ll be back tomorrow with my 12 on 12 pictures!

S.

M and her funny sayings…

12 Monday Mar 2012

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Mama: M, you the best!

M: No, you’re the very best!

Mama: Really? Thanks!

M: Yes, you get *lots* of parties – that means you’re the super best!

It must be true, I do get lots of birthday celebrations. I *am* the Super Best! 🙂

S.

Monday Blahs

12 Monday Mar 2012

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Anyone else have these?

It was a busy weekend, fun, but busy, and with the time change and the non stop action, I feel like I haven’t had a break. Yawning this morning.

That being said, I’m looking forward to joining Krista (and many others!) in this today – I already have a pic or two of Miss M and so far it looks like it will be fun! I’ll post my 12 pictures tomorrow.

The Inspiration Showcase Canvas Class yesterday was a hit and went smoothly, although it’s been proved that I can’t count stars very well! 🙂

I have another class coming up later this month, and so more die cutting is in my future. I should really plan these things better….

And finally, check out Colleen’s blog today. I think her mantra philosophy works for most occasions, not just running!

Sara

Classes and some stamp tips…

09 Friday Mar 2012

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A little while ago, I taught a class where we made a LO and a card using the Lawn Fawn Cruising Through Life stamp set. The best part? Everyone got a stamp set to take home!

This is a seriously cute set – a bicycle, pinwheels, flowers. Really, what’s not to like?

For the life of me, I can’t find the card, but here’s the LO:

Cruising Through Life

There’s some extreme paper piecing happening here – every individual flower, the bike basket, the clouds, all the bike parts: handles, pedal, frame. I don’t think I was very popular at first but luckily, everyone loved the results! 🙂

It’s one of those LO’s that at first glance looks easier than it really is. It’s the final details that make it pop, like the glossy accents over the bike frame, the popped up basket and clouds, the button sun.

Here’s a little stamp tip – make the stamps do what you want, not what you think they were meant to do. For example, I made the butterflies from the heart and exclamation point that are in the set and I cut the sentiment in half so it fit the space I had.

All in all, worth the time, I think!

I also have another new class coming up at The Paperie at the end of the month – a 7 Gypsies Artist Printer’s Tray filled with Simple Stories Year.o.graphy paper:

Lots of die cuts and stickles on this one – a great Spring piece to display!

Looking forward to the Canvas class on Sunday – only 1 or 2 spots left in that one. I also have another few class ideas up my sleeves, unfortunately, more ideas than time!

Have a great weekend and hopefully, you get a chance to be creative in whatever way you prefer!

S.

Things on Thursday…

08 Thursday Mar 2012

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1. I’m seriously considering doing another online class – this one. Lots going on in our lives right now and I think a “Grateful, Every Day” journal would be a fabulous thing to keep me focused on the big picture. Learning how to make a new album and doing some art journalling is just a nice side benefit!

2. Saw this on Pinterest and, considering how much the kiddies here *love* yoghurt chips, I gave them a try – big success, super easy, and they thought they had a treat! 🙂 It doesn’t get any better than that!

Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

3. The new Paperie monthly kit comes out on Saturday – they go fast if you don’t have a subscription so call in to be a subscriber and have it guaranteed each month! Beautiful blues and yellows in this one, with an amazing stamp set, used by Kristina Werner here. Lots of My Mind’s Eye, Authentique, American Crafts, Bazzill, and more!

March Kit

4. Got my mom’s sewing machine today! That means my happy little moments class will finally begin! Looking forward to sewing on paper! No worries, I’ll post some pics when I get something done!

5. Making my friend Rose’s Moroccan Pork Roast tonight – super yummy! It has apples, onion, cinnamon, apricot jam, and is made in the crock pot. Thanks, Rose, it’s a staple around here, even the kids “gobble it all up,” as M says!

6. G wanted to be upside on the couch this morning. I tried to take a picture but he kept laughing and saying, “I wiggle my bum at you, Mama!” so it’s a bit soft – oh well!

G, upside down

All in all, quiet around here, which is very nice for a change!

S.

Layouts, Sneaks, and Randomness…

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

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We have a snow day morning here – about 25cm down overnight and it’s still blowing around a bit. Messy, messy, messy.

While waiting for their friends to show up for the rest of the day, my kiddies are sitting at the table doing stickers, which may be their favourite thing to do. Seriously, I could go broke just buying stickers – and I get them at the dollar store!

M & G

And since they’re otherwise occupied, I can take a couple of pics and get this post done!

Saturday was a fun, daylong crop at the Paperie, and it was a productive one for me! I’ve noticed that I’m doing more LO’s for me, but they’re becoming much simpler.

And while I’m ok with that, I feel that they’re lacking something. That means I need to find a happy medium between this super simple style and the “take 10 hours” style that I was doing.

That being said, I did add a little more to the two LO’s I did on Saturday – some misting, embossing, detail cutting, etc.

I can show you this one, made mainly using one of the Paperie kits, with a few Jenni Bowlin Studio plastic flowers from a Studio Calico kit and a Balzer Designs for The Crafter’s Workshop stencil thrown in:

trust your heart

And some detail of the October Afternoon mist, Ranger Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles, and Kaisercraft wooden flowers:

I still feels like this needs a little something so I’ll leave it out and see what happens. This was one of the pictures from our wedding day, on the deck of our family cabin in Salmon Cove. Love the spot, loved the day, love the pic!

The second LO I did has a touch of product from the new March Paperie kit on it so I can only show you a corner. I get the kit early because I photograph it for their blog.

My Whole Heart sneak peek

Have I mentioned I love Amy Tangerine? The stitched paper and camera stamp are the best! And Studio Calico Shine over the camera? Awesome!

I also did the cover for my Happy Little Moments Class but again, it needs something more so I’ll share that later. I was hoping to be further along in that journey but a seized up and very old Singer sewing machine put the kibosh to that idea. Stealing mom’s tonight so I’m hoping more progress will be made soon!

And finally, an update! All the kitting for the Canvas Class on Sunday is done – whew! That was a major one! I think there may be two spots left if you’re interested, call The Paperie and they can hook you up. This is definitely a great class – it’s based on the Inspiration Showcase Canvas Chris and I did in Houston with Jennifer McGuire and Shari Carroll from Hero Arts. If you’re looking to take your scrapbooking up a notch, or want to learn some new techniques, or just want to be inspired again, this is the class to do!

Hearts

Stars

I know the stars look unfinished – I have another plan for them! 😉

Enjoy your snow day, if you have one!

S.

Tuesday Techniques – Distress Painting & a Sneak Peek!

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

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I did it! I got a quick tutorial done!

This is a simple but pretty and effective one – and it can be used for boys, girls, whatever! Just change up the stamp and the Distress Ink colours and you’re good to go!

You will need:

Supplies

Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls Mist (or water), Watercolour paper, a stamp, VersaMark, white embossing powder, a heat tool, a nonstick Craft Sheet, and a paintbrush.

This looks really cool with an enclosed, yet open image, like a flower, but I wanted to do a background. I ended up doing a focal image as well, using black ink and clear embossing powder but that was an afterthought!

First, trace a tag onto watercolour paper and cut it out. I also used two small circle punches to cut the hole reinforcer but it’s not necessary – I’m just a tad bit anal retentive about certain things. 🙂

Heavy weight cardstock can substituted here but watercolour paper is the best surface to use since we will be putting a lot of water on it. Also, when it dries, it looks nicer with a great texture.

Stamp your image with VersaMark and heat emboss with white embossing powder.

Next, press each colour of Distress Ink onto your craft mat and spray each once with Perfect Pearls Mist or water. You need to use Distress Inks for this since they are reactive with water and don’t lose their colour or intensity when mixed with water. Also, mist your tag to make it damp and allow to colour to move more easily.

Next, use your paintbrush to pick up colour and paint your image. Don’t worry about blending – the Distress Inks and water take care of that all on their own while resisting the embossed areas! If you have stamped a closed in image, you’ll notice the colours pool inside the embossed areas and make good puddles.

Keep going until you’re happy with it then give it another good misting. Let it dry and you’re done!

Look at the shine the Perfect Pearls adds!

Now, just finish off your project or add your image to a card or layout. Easy, quick, and simple!

Ali Edwards Stamps are the best – just sayin’!

I’ve used this technique for little brown, blue and green monsters on a canvas in G’s room and they look awesome!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the canvas for the class on Sunday – this technique was one that didn’t make it so I wanted to show it off today.

Here’s a peek of the Sunday project:

Sneak Peek!

Enjoy your day!

S.