Announcing: “Irresistible”…a Petite Collection by Authentique Paper

 Yesterday, Authentique announced the release of their newest paper collection, Irresistible. Irresistible is the latest in the line-up of Authentique petite collections and includes six double-sided papers, a cut-apart sheet, and a sticker sheet in elegant prints. The classic patterns of these papers are not theme specific, allowing for multiple projects to be created with a neutral background. The sentiments on the “Enhancements” cut-apart and 6×12 sticker are centered around all things love!

So perfect for all those June brides! And being the holiday nut that I am (cough, cough), my instant thought is……….ooooooh, Halloween!

I’m sure you will see more on that thought from me later, but for now, I do have a lovey dovey tag to share with you made with gorgeous new Irresistible.

I truly, madly, deeply love all the creative possibilities of the Cut-Apart Enhancements paper. The 12×12 sheet is filled with journaling cards and sentiment or title strips. The cards are perfectly sized to use in Project Life type albums, or work great as focal points, like on my tag here.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

One of my favorite things about the Irresistible collection is that many of the double-sided papers offer the same print in reverse colors. One side is black print on a white background, and the other side is white print on a black background. And Irresistible is about more than just stark black and white. The palette is blended with cream and gray to produce the soft and antiqued feel we’ve all come to love from Authentique.

To see more of beautiful new Irresistible and a chance to win the entire collection for yourself, be sure to stop by the Authentique blog.

Happy Friday, my friends! Wishing you all a very wonderful weekend!

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Supplies:

Authentique Irresistible Collection: Allure 12×12 Paper, Stunning 12×12 Paper, Cut-Apart 12×12 Enhancements Sheet
Authentique/Hampton Art Stamps- Grateful Heart
Want2Scrap Nestaboard Flourish and Gems
Petaloo Flower- Ivory Mixed Textured Layers

Trim: May Arts (black twine, white ruffled silk), SEI (silver tinsel), vintage (gray seam binding)
Interfacing: Therm O Web
Glitter: Clearscrap
Paint: Delta

Ink: SEI, Clearsnap

Pinking Shears

All About Poppy

It’s no secret that I love to fill my home with handmade holiday and seasonal decorations. They add such simple cheer and make a house feel like, well…….home. Although we’ve had a real slow start to spring this year, I’ve figured it’s time for me to start putting away my bunnies and start thinking about summer.. and flowers.. and tropical breezes.. and ocean views…….sigh.

Perfect timing to create a little sunshiny wall hanging using Little Yellow Bicycle’s newest collection Poppy.

I know I say this every time, but Little Yellow Bicycle has knocked it out of the park once again with this gorgeous collection. Poppy is filled with beautiful colors and prints, and of course the embellishments are amazing, as always. There are definite nods to summer in this line, but there are also plenty of spring elements and phrases, making this line really versatile. Love that.

Decorating your home can get a bit expensive, but not when you make your own funky junk from recycled materials, like the old cardboard box I used here. It’s cheap, it’s earth-friendly, and it’s sturdy enough to stand the test of time.

Little Yellow Bicycle has the most amazing embellishments, and it can be hard to limit yourself. But with a project like this where you don’t have to worry about fitting inside an envelope or page protector, it’s ok to pile up the layers. I started with patterned papers from the 6×6 Paper Pad, and added strips of the vellum tape to both sides. Then I threw in lots of my favorite pieces from the journaling cards, chipboard shapes, and paper crafting kit.

A few goodies from the Naturals Collection work beautifully here, too.

The Biker Team will be sharing lots of Poppy projects on the blog over the next few days, in case you’re interested in seeing more of this beautiful collection. Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! Hope you all have a fabulous day!

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Supplies:

PY-304 6X6 Paper Pack
PY-134 Journaling Cards – with thermography
PY-160 Vellum Tape
PY-305 Paper Crafting Kit
PY-279 Chipboard Shapes – with glitter accents
NA-JT20 Jute Pack – Bright
NA-BF20 Layered Burlap Flowers – Mum
NA-BS10 Layered Burlap Stickers – Tags
Die: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Clearsnap
Paint: Delta
Recycled Corrugated Cardboard

A Little Love with Sizzix

I think most of you are well aware by now of my love for wee small stitchery things. There’s something about stacks of fabric and colorful embroidery floss that releases the happy, happys in me. Seems like I’ve almost always got some type of sewing project or other going on. Lately, I’ve been enjoying combining my new stash of Sizzix dies into my fabric creations. After all, die cutting isn’t only for paper.

This little heart pinkeep pillow was made with love for my mom for Mother’s Day. Just a little something to remind her how much she is loved. I’m hoping she can tuck this into some little nook or cranny, some basket or bowl or teacup, and that it will give her a smile and a warm hug from me every time she sees it.

For someone who likes instant gratification, like I do, a little pinkeep project like this is just the ticket. And with the help of dies to do all the cutting, half the work is already done for you. Do I ever LOVE that! If you’d like to make one of your own, here’s a few steps for you.

Start by die cutting several Framelits Scalloped Heart #2 shapes from the fabric of your choice. You will need two of the largest hearts for the base of the pinkeep, and one of the second-to-the-largest hearts to stitch and layer. I used plain muslin for my top stitched layer and the back of my pillow, and a pretty hand-dyed wool felt for the front. Run the fabric through your die cutting machine using the same “sandwich” used for paper. Most fabrics will cut cleanly with one pass, but if you find that isn’t the case, try rolling the fabric back and forth through the machine several times, or add a thin piece of chipboard to the top of your die cutting sandwich before running through.

Working with the smallest scalloped heart, stamp a sentiment onto the fabric. Use any die or archival ink that you may have. Since this pillow will most likely never be washed, it isn’t necessary to use specialty fabric ink.

Lightly draw a pattern onto the heart in pencil. Here’s where you can let your creative spirit flow.

Hand stitch along the pencil lines.

Lightly tack stitch or adhere the smaller heart onto the felt heart that will become the front of the pinkeep. Place the two largest hearts together and machine stitch around the edges, leaving enough of an opening to fill the heart with fiber fill before stitching all the way closed.

Die cut the small flower from the Bigz 3-D Flower die using pink felt. Die cut two of the smallest leaves from the Bigz Leaves die in green felt. Starting at the outer end of the flower, roll the flower and secure with tacky glue. Adhere flower to the pillow.

Trim off the stems from the leaves and add some decorative stitching. Adhere leaves and a small button to the pillow.

Be sure to save the negative bits of fabric that are left behind after die cutting, as they can be used on other projects, like my artsy fabric collage tag.

Just for fun!

I hope all you wonderful moms out there had a fabulous Mother’s Day yesterday, surrounded by those you love! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Supplies:

Sizzix Framelits Hearts, Scallop #2 Die Set
Sizzix Bigz Die- Leaves
Sizzix Bigz Die- Flowers 3-D

Stamps: Stampin’Up, Authentique/Hampton Art
Ink: Stampin’Up, Colorbox
Floss: DMC
Tag, Cardstock: The Kraft Outlet
Patterned Paper: SEI
Measuring Tape: Therm O Web
Fabric, Buttons, Hemp, Pin, Fiber Fill: Craft Supply
Lace: American Crafts
Pearl: KaiserCraft

NSD Continues with Little Yellow Bicycle

Although National Scrapbook Day was officially this past Saturday, the festivities are continuing all month at Little Yellow Bicycle. So if you are like me and didn’t get a chance to play along last weekend, there’s still plenty of time to join in on all the fun.

There are lots of challenges to choose from. There’s a spring/summer color challenge and a Hot off the Presses challenge using our brand new collection Poppy. Sketch lovers will adore the sketch challenge. And then there’s my favorite challenge……….the Favorite Collection Challenge. And since I didn’t get to play last Saturday, I’m sharing a card today featuring my favorite collection, Just Because.

Just Because I still can’t get enough of this beautiful line.

Papers are from the 6×6 Paper Pad. I used transparencies from the Clear Cuts and made my own pieced tag by combining bits and pieces of several of the Journaling Cards. Then I finished off with lots of goodies from the Naturals Collection. Love how seamlessly the Naturals flow with any paper collection.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out all the challenge deets, you can find them here. And for anyone who might be interested, Little Yellow Bicycle is offering a 20% discount on all purchases through today in their online store. Just use code: NSD2013

Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day this weekend, whether you are celebrating the day for yourself, or sharing it with the wonderful women in your life! Thanks so much for stopping by! You all make my day so much brighter!

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Supplies:

JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad (24 sheets - 2 each of 12 designs)
JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)
JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)
JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)
NA-JT20 Jute Pack - Bright (4 colors, 72" each)
NA-BF20 Layered Burlap Flowers - Mum
NA-CVB10 Canvas Borders - Style 1
NA-CW20 Canvas Words - Style 2

Mother’s Day with Therm O Web

Therm O Web and Simple Stories are joining forces this week to bring you a ton of inspiration for last-minute Mother’s Day gift ideas. We’ve got lots of beautiful projects to share, and of course there are great prizes up for grabs. We’ll be giving away a collection pack of the gorgeous Vintage Bliss line, along with some amazing Therm O Web adhesive, of course. Be sure to visit both blogs for more details.

Words simply cannot describe how happy the Vintage Bliss collection makes me. The sweet prints and soft color combo with a modern vintage twist are sooo up my shabby little alley. So of course I had an absolute ball creating this fun little gift set for Mother’s Day. There’s a pretty card for mom, and a giftie pocket pouch, too.

The card is lots of layers of my favorite patterns from the 12×12 Collection pack, mixed with matching cardstock stickers and rustic trims. I threw in some of my new Sizzix dies, as well. Created an unusual reverse-scallop border using the negative of the interlocking ovals decorative border strip die along the right side. I do so have a hard time letting anything go to waste. I played with negative space with the tags, too.

The pocket pouch can be filled with all sorts of sweets for mom. And you can easily adapt the size of your pocket to fit a variety of treats and customize it to perfectly suit your theme. Does Mom love coffee or tea, sweets or candy? How about filling this pouch with seed packets for a mom who loves to garden. Or bath and body products to pamper mom. The possibilities are endless.

I’ve got the full step-by-step directions for creating this gift pouch on the Therm O Web blog, if you’re interested in taking a peek.

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! It’s still rainy and gloomy here, but on a bright note……I just realized this is my 1,000th blog post. Phew! That’s a lot of yacking! I owe all of you a HUGE thank you for all the visits and sweet comments you’ve left for me over those 1,000 posts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…..blog buddies are the BEST!

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Supplies:

Therm O Web Stitchn’Sew Woven Sew-In Interfacing- Soft
Therm O Web Fabric Fuse Tape
Therm O Web XL Memory Tape Runner
Therm O Web 3D Adhesive Squares
Therm O Web Medium Zots Clear Adhesive Dots
Simple Stories Vintage Bliss Collection:
12×12 Collection Kit and 12×12 Simple Basics Kit
Dies: Sizzix- On The Edge Distressed Doily, Thinlits Die Set Tags, Decorative Border Strip Ovals, Interlocking
Trim: Stampin’Up, American Crafts, Craft Supply
Gems: Want2Scrap

Authentique & Hampton Art Week

Today we are kicking off a fun and inspirational week with Hampton Art on the Authentique blog. In case you haven’t heard yet, Authentique has teamed up with Hampton Art to create a line of co-branded cling mount stamps. Currently we have 3 sets to chose from that perfectly coordinate with the latest Authentique paper lines. If you like Authentique and enjoy stamping, then you are going to love these new stamps.

I am so excited to share an altered gift tin with you today that pairs Hampton Art/Authentique co-branded stamps with Authentique’s gorgeous Remembrance collection. Truly a perfect partnership! And a fun way to upcycle an old empty tin into something useful and new, too.

 

I have to admit that I’m sort of a sucker for pretty packaging, and I love coming up with new ways of boxing up those special gifts. It’s really quite easy dressing up the front of almost any recycled container, like this Maya Road embellishment tin. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a whole stash of those just waiting to be used!

The lid of the tin is almost the same size as a standard card base, so that’s what I started with. Once I was done with the card, I added a bit of extra lace on the bottom, and it was pretty much a perfect fit.

I have a step-by-step photo tutorial up on the Authentique blog, if you’re interested in taking a peek.

Visit both the Authentique and Hampton Art blogs this week for more great project ideas. And be sure to leave comments on both sites to double your chance of winning some amazing giveaways.

Thanks so much for stopping by my friends! We’re starting off another week with cold and gloomy rain. I’m really craving some sunshine right about now. Hope things are a bit sunnier in your neck of the woods!

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Supplies:

Authentique Remembrance Collection: Remembrance 1 12×12 Paper, Remembrance 2 12×12 Paper, Remembrance 3 12×12 paper, Components Sticker Sheet

Authentique Paper Co for Hampton Art Stamps: Keep Me Posted Set, Grateful Heart Set, Footloose Set

Clearsnap ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Mudslide, Dark Cherry, Khaki Green

Dies: Papertrey Ink
Postage Stamp Punch: Fiskars

Trim: May Arts, Webster’s Pages, Papertrey Ink, American Crafts

Doily: Wilton

Buttons: Foofala

Staple: Tim Holtz

Tin: Maya Road

Simply Handmade Sewing

I think this may just be the strangest spring I’ve ever seen. Although Mother Nature has graced us with a few nice days here and there, it’s been pretty much non-stop cold, rainy gloom. And today we are rounding out the week with more of the same….

Fortunately, even amongst the drear, there are a few flowers blooming in my yard to remind me of sunny days ahead. I’ve been enjoying keeping a watch on them from the warm and secure confines of my sunroom, wrapped up all snug in my blankie. And still harboring the hope that all these showers will bring more May flowers, I have another pretty flower to share with you today, mixed in with some happy news.

Look who made the cover of Simply Handmade Sewing!

What a happy surprise for me! I hope your weekend is filled with all kinds of happy, too!