Punky Sprouts!!

Hi everyone, today I want to share my first official Punky Sprouts mini. I did do one before, but this is my first DT one :) I used the gorgeous Bo Bunny Gabrielle pp and lots of pretty Scrapmatts goodies throughout. This mini is called "Trunk Punky" and it's my gift for my mom's 60th Birthday.

Also, something special happened this weekend. I was at Barnes and Noble and I picked up the latest issue of Creating Keepsakes - special "flowers" issue and my LO was in it! I got a whole page to myself and they did a little tutorial about what I did to the flowers. I was not expecting it, and I almost bought it but I decided to wait for my box to see if they'll send me a couple. That was the first time I saw my stuff at Barnes and Noble though, and that was always one of my scrappy goals, so it was really cool :) As soon as I get my box, I will scan the page in and share.

Anyways, thanks for letting me share that. And now on to the mini!

My Little Shoebox!

I have a layout and a little mini album to share today, using My Little Shoebox "City by the Bay" line. First up is "Spring Comes To Our Home". I LOVE the brick pp!!! How adorable is that?? I love the color too. The cute little chipboard bird is by Scrapmatts.

I also completed a mini album using the same line...I thought all the little houses were perfect for a mini about our walk through the neighborhood. The cardstock stickers and all the die-cut labels are perfect for making a mini album. All the chipboard butterflies and the bird on the first page are again Scrapmatts.

This month, MLS had a product exchange with Glue Arts. We got some dimensional adhesive and a Glue Glider...it was so easy to work with!! Thanks so much Glue Arts :)

Harmonie + Scrapmatts = 2 new layouts :)

See...I have a knack for math LOL But yes, I do have 2 new layouts to share, combining Harmonie paper, lace, and brads and Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard.

First up is "Mother" - don't you love that chipboard word? This is using Harmonie "Fable de la Fontaine" pp - it works well with this vintage pic of me and my mom.

Next, I have "Fearless Dexter". I love the new Scrapmatts hinges. And for this LO, I combined the Harmonie "Noel" and "Fable de la Fontaine" lines. Yep, a Christmas line and a fall/spring line...everything works well with red!

Heartfelt Blog Hop

Hi everyone, welcome to the My Little Shoebox blog hop!! Don't forget to check back in on their blog and leave a comment for your chance to win the entire Heartfelt collection!! This collection is different from the usual style you think of when you think of MLS - it's a lot softer, more vintage, and more elegant rather than cute. I just think whatever Helen does, it comes out like magic :)

We were all working based on a sketch, and here is my result:

I really love those heart stickers. So thanks for hopping by....your next stop is the lovely and talented Keely Yowler

Dynamic Duo Blog Hop

Hi everyone, welcome to the Dynamic Duo Blog Hop. This is my first project for Punky Sprouts and I was lucky enough to get in on the product exchange with TaDa Studios. I'd worked with another of their lines before, when they sponsored the Scrapstreet DT, and I can say that all of their lines are so colorful and adorable. This time I got the "Sizzlin' Summer" collection, which was totally cute. I decided to make a LO about DS...and make it on a more humorous note. I thought it was funny the way he was holding that Barbie...very boyish :) So, Fe Fi Fo Fum, he smells some yummy Barbie.

To complement the page, I used Punky Sprouts Lil Petals (the little banner) to highlight the title. To make the banner stand out, I first glued it to pp and then cut it out. It gives it that small border that gives it a nice contrast with the background pp. As an alternative, you could glue it to white or black cardstock to really make it pop. Also, to age it a bit, I rubbed some chalk ink on the surface. There are many options to age canvas - you could do a brown or black mist spray, or ink it, or dye it. I didn't want too dramatic a look, so I chose a softer option, which was the chalk ink (I have Colorbox) and I chose a very light color, just a shade darker than the canvas - it gave it a more subtle look. For a little added interest, I added a little bit of a darker ink to some of the edges.

And what's a blog hop without some chances to win free goodies? So here are the rules:

Rules for a chance to win FREE products
Each day go to the following 2 blogs:
TaDa
Punky Sprouts

Post comments to show your participation. New inspiration will be posted daily. At the end of the 12 day hop, please go to each manufacture’s blog and post a comment telling them your favorite album style and favorite paper collection used in the samples shown during the hop. Your name will then be entered in a drawing to win both! 3 winners will be picked!

Good luck!

Embellishments Tutorial

Hi everyone, I have a quick and easy tutorial up on the MLS blog, if you want to check it out.

I go through making a chipboard button, a cloth-covered brad, and a stitched dimensional pp flower. I already made a Layout that uses all these, and it will be up on the MLS blog next month.

Here's a quick pic of the finished embellies:

Blog Hop Winner of my RAK!

Ok, thank you all for leaving a comment and following my blog - I really do appreciate it so so much!! You all inspire me to keep scrapping!

Now, for the blog hop winner. I used Random.org again, and I copied and pasted the result...well, that was the best copy and paste I could figure out LOL

Here is the result... (I plopped in 1 for min and 37 for max, not sure why it didn't show up in my copy and paste)

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 15

So the winner is Ana (anazelia), and Ana is a follower, so Ana wins the MLS RAK. Congrats!! Thank you everyone for playing along and Ana for being a great friend. Please email your addy to ileneemail@yahoo.com and I'll have your RAK out ASAP.

Stick around everyone, I will have tutorials coming up, more pages and mini albums, and more giveaways!

A love card and MLS Giveaway!!

Just a quick reminder that you still have one more day to enter my MLS giveaway by leaving a comment on the post below!!

Also wanted to share a card I made today using Echo Park "Be Mine". The chipboard branch and bird are Scrapmatts and the bling is Creative Charms.

Scrapbook Challenges Blog Hop!!!

If you're here for the Scrapbook Challenges Blog Hop, then you're in the right place!! As some of you may or may not know, I was on the SC DT last year for one term - in fact, it was my first DT gig ever. So I am very grateful to Pamela for taking a chance on someone who was coming to her with no experience and for seeing something in me and my artwork. Pamela was the first person to open the door for me into this world of online scrapping and the community. I loved being a part of the team there, loved Pamela's sketches, and loved working with all the girls. I am sad to see Pamela go, but our lives are constantly changing, and something we have time for today may not be a priority tomorrow, so I do understand. I wish Pamela luck in all her future endeavors and I hope down the road she has the time to come back and throw herself fully into scrapping again.

Here is the LO I completed, based on sketch 231. The pp is Bo Bunny that they sent me recently for winning their card sketch challenge - thanks Bo Bunny!

I did a LO about DS:

Now, for the prizes:

1. One member who leaves a comment on all the blogs & in the hop will get Chipboard Borders, 12x12 Collection Kit and a 6x6 Paper Pad from To The Moon by Fancy Pants.

2. One member who post a NEW a layout based on one of Pam’s sketches and posts it in the HOP ON section will receive a package of Tim Holtz goodies.

3. One new member over the weekend will get the We R Memory Keepers’ Sew Easy Piercer, 4 Piercers, a mixed assortment of Divine Twine and 15 colors of DMC Embroidery Floss.

And I have a RAK of my own - I will pick one person randomly to win two of the brand new collections from My Little Shoebox - Sew CUte and City By The Bay - you will get one sheet of each of the papers, one die cut sheet from each collection, as well as one sheet of journaling tags from each collection!!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and be a follower of my blog (or become a follower). (Please mention that you're a follower when you leave your comment to be entered to win). Here's a pic of my RAK:

I really love these MLS pp's - they're so cute and the colors are perfect!

The blog hop runs until May 8th, so I will pick a winner for my RAK sometime on Monday the 9th....you have until then to enter! :)

OK, now please continue with the blog hop and hop on over to the talented Jackie.