What a bunch of scrap!

Love is in the air!

2012-02-09T09:34:00.001-05:00

It's a week full of love (and giveaways) on the Imaginisce blog, so make sure to stop by - today is the last day to enter! Here's a card I created using the Sole Sisters collection and my I-Top and bling for the "Love is in the Air" week:

Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition!!

2012-02-04T12:23:00.002-05:00

I'm guessing none of my friends will be surprised to see that I'm applying for the Graphic 45 DT. I think I've made it abundantly clear that G45 paper speaks to me, inspires me, and brings out the best in me. It's vintage, futuristic, edgy, and daring, and I can think of nothing better than getting to play with it for a whole year as a DT member. So here goes....word of warning, this will be LONG! Also, all the way at the bottom, I'm including all the YouTube videos I've made about my G45 projects.

These are in no particular order, so I will start with a LO of me :)

A birthday card for my husband:

A card using the gorgeous poppy paper and "Lulu Loves Poppies" stamp...they were begging to to be paired!

Another layout about me as a little girl, and one of my favorite layouts from about a year ago:

A Christmas card, using a stamped image that I colored with Copics and used some of the paper to paper piece her outfit:

A page about my daughter on the first day of school:

I altered a little wooden wagon and a chipboard mini to fit in it. For pics of the mini itself, you can check out the Blog Post where I shared lots of pics.

A fun layout about my daughter and I:

A little wooden frame I altered, incorporating a stamped image that I colored with Copics:

I just had to throw in this layout about my grandmother:

A 2012 Desk Calendar...I'll share a couple pictures here, but to see all the months and close-ups, please check out my Blog Post HERE.

A card where I used various embossing powders and techniques, and my very last sheet of "A Proper Gentleman":

My good friends know I like nothing better than G45, so Carrie was sweet enough to send a "Magic of Oz" paper pad to me for my birthday...here's a thank you card I made for her:

A truly mixed media project for home decor:

A Flamenco Halloween, about my daughter this past October:

A 2012 hanging wall calendar using Maya Road bottle caps, lace, and the pretty "Once Upon A Springtime" (for more close-ups, see my blog post HERE):

And here are some videos from my YouTube channels about my G45 projects (in no particualr order):
2012 Desk Calendar using "Magic of Oz":

"A Flamenco Halloween" layout and "Hi Firend" card:

"No Place Like Home" mixed media home decor:

Mini Album in Wooden Wagon:

Le Cirque altered frame:

2012 Hanging wall calendar using "Once Upon A Springtime":

Another 2012 Calendar!!

2012-02-03T06:43:00.000-05:00

I made another calendar! I think it's my 3rd one for 2012, but this one is for me to keep! Carrie had sent me a Maya Road bottle cap calendar kit (Thank you Carrie!) so I decided to make a calendar to hang in our kitchen. I heat embossed the Maya Road seasons words with my gold and silver regular embossing powders from WOW Embossing Powder. I alternated layers of gold and silver to get the distressed, vintage look. I also used some of my favorite paper ever - Graphic 45 "Once Upon a Spingtime". I could never get enough of that paper. This was such a fun project, and I used lots of fun techniques to put it together, so check out my video at the bottom of this post to hear more about it.

And here's my quick video about this project and how I assembled it:

It's official, I'm pretty darn odd :)

2012-02-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is no news to me, I've known it my whole life...but now it's official - I'm an Odd Girl! I'm one of the new DT members for Some Odd Girl stamps and I will be on the Nouveau DT, working with this great new line from Some Odd Girl stamps. Check out the blog post HERE, and meet some of the other new DT members! I'm soooo excited, and now my Copics will be getting a regular workout :) Here's a card I made using "Believe", colored with Copics, and using Pink Paislee "Vintage Vogue".

It's February and Love is in the air!!

2012-02-01T16:11:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, the February Imaginisce challenge is up on their blog so check it out! This month, we have a sketch by Diana, who is also a part of the DT. I decided to use the new Sole Sisters collection to make a valentine's LO based on the sketch. Even though it's a girly collection, the colors can be strong and tailored to boy or male layouts, and there are plenty of loving words to cut out! I used my I-Rock to add all the metal studs, and for the metal swirl, I used my Imaginisce iron to iron it on.

Alterations and Creations

2012-01-26T08:19:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to share a wooden frame I altered using Graphic 45 "Le Cirque" paper, Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard, and a Gorjuss stamp colored with Copics.

Paper Lovelies February Kit Creations

2012-01-25T16:17:00.000-05:00

I have two layouts to share, using the gorgeous "Sweet Nothings" collection from Kaisercraft. The February Paper Lovelies kit is now available for sale, and it's only $15, and it's full of embellies, an alphabet, a stamp, the die cut sheet from the collection, and two of each of the papers from the collection. Yep...only $15!

I did one LO of my daughter, and one of my son.

And the 2nd LO "Angelic" is about my son as a baby:

And here's a quick video about the LO's:

The final My Little Shoebox reveal!

2012-01-20T08:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is the last day of the MLS reveals (to see the previous 4, scroll down through my posts from this week). This one is so cute, so make sure you check out the MLS Blog to see all the details and papers in the collection!

Imaginisce Sole Sisters

2012-01-19T08:45:00.001-05:00

Have you guys seen this collection yet?? It's so adorable, and has such fun bright colors. If you want to take a look, make sure you check out the Imaginisce Blog - the collection is being revealed all this week, and today, my projects are up! But I wanted to share them on my blog too, so here they are. The red paper on the card and layout is actually packaging materiald from the stickers and die cuts - it's got a purse pattern on it and matches the collection perfectly, so I had to use it since I love red :) I also used the I-Rock, and the Roly Poly flowers from Imaginisce basics. If you guys want to see me go over the entire collection "in person", check out my YouTube video.

Even though this cleection is all about shoes and purses, it doesn't have to be just for girls - the colors made it perfect for my DS too:

And here's one of the kids having fun on New Year's eve this year. Disclaimer: That is NOT a real baby in the blanket LOL:

And finally, a quick card - I think the black lace went so well with this collection:

More My Little Shoebox reveals!!

2012-01-19T08:33:00.000-05:00

Have you guys been checking out the My Little Shoebox BLOG this week?? All the new collections - FIVE of them!! - are being revealed each day, one by one, and they are amazing! I really love them. Make sure you check out the BLOG to see all the individual pages and stuff that goes with them like stickers and alphabets, but here's a little peek of the two from yesterday and today (to see a peek of Monday's and Tuesday's, scroll down to Tuesday's post):

That WOW factor!

2012-01-18T17:06:00.000-05:00

Today, I wanted to share a card I made using Harmonie "Shabby Love" paper, and WOW embossing powders (I used the Suzy West Collection Cable Car Red) and WOW "Gratitude" stamp set - I used it to make the embossed hearts background and for the "Thank You" sentiment. It's up on the WOW Blog today, along with some more projects from the DT!

Also, the reveal week at My Little Shoebox Blog continues today, with the full reveal of "Up In The Trees". You guys have to go check it out....heart woodgrain...that's all I'm going to say!

My Little Shoebox Winter CHA releases!

2012-01-17T11:20:00.001-05:00

You guys have to check the MLS Blog all this week to take a look at the new releases being revealed - they're to die for!! This is MLS's best release ever, in my opinion. So far, 2 new lines have been revealed in their entirety, and I just love everything about them. And this year, you will be able to purchase them in collection packs, yay!!

Here's a quick preview, but go to the Blog for more images and info:

A Copics Tutorial

2012-01-15T20:46:00.001-05:00

I made another card using a stamp from Wild Rose Studio (super cute!), Webster's Pages paper (6x6 Country Estate) and a Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard frame that I painted with tattered rose Tim Holtz crackle paint. Hope you guys like it! I used my Copics and I recorded the entire process of making the card, so following pics of the card, I'm adding the 6-part series on the making of this card, including coloring the images and then assembling all the pieces.

And here is the 6-part video tutorial.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

A Karate Party

2012-01-12T07:34:00.001-05:00

Today I'm sharing a Punky Sprouts mini album - "Sprocket Sprout". We were challenged to use a craft background this month, so I left some of the pages bare, and on some I used the Tim Holtz kraft resist paper stash. I also used different October Afternoon lines. This is my kids at my cousin's son's birthday party!

And a little video if you want to hear more about it:)

Not too big, not too small...just right!!

2012-01-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

Carrie (owner of the most awesomest greatest kit club ever, Paper Lovelies) was so sweet and sent me the "Goldilocks" stamp by Kraftin' Kimmie just because she knew how much I wanted and just because...well, as I said, she's awesome. So I had to make a card using the pretty "Shabby Love" line by Harmonie and my new best friends - my Copic markers. Yep, getting totally addicted. They're ah-mazing! The felt flowers I got from Kat Scrappiness - her Etsy store carries the cutest handmade felt embellies around!! The sentiment "You're just right" comes with the stamp set, and it also comes with the sentiment "Sending you bear hugs". How could you NOT love it?! LOL

Huge Dusty Attic sale and a $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway!!!

2012-01-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

My friend Doris has some really cool info on her blog (link HERE) about how you can win a $25 gift certificate to Stay True To God, an online store. And they're also having an awesome 20% off sale on Dusty Attic chipboard. The sale starts January 14, 2012 and lasts for 3 days, so it ends on January 16, 2012. Simply enter the coupon code: SpecialD at checkout to get 20% off your entire Dusty Attic product order! So be sure to check out Doris' blog (link above) to enter to win the gift certificate! I just thought some of you might want some gorgeous chipboard on a nice sale, so I thought I'd help spread the word ;)

Harmonie Layouts!

2012-01-09T07:08:00.013-05:00

Two layouts to share today, using Harmonie paper, brads, lace and ribbons, and chipboard shapes.

First up is "My Little Cubs" and I used a mixture of "Shabby Love" and "Fable De La Fontaine". Turns out they go together pretty well!

And the second layout uses just the "Shabby Love" line, and I scrapped some pictures of my daughter getting her face painted. I got the title idea from the children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", where he eats and eats, and at the end becomes a really beautiful butterfly.

I'm up on the Imaginisce blog!!

2012-01-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

Throughout January, the new Imaginisce DT members are being introduced on the blog and I'm up today - HERE. So stop by to read a little about me, and make sure you check the blog throughout the month to hear all about the other members.

My first WOW! Embossing Powder projects!!

2012-01-04T08:58:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, I posted on the WOW Blog today with my projects, so stop by and check it out. Also, these are going to CHA at the end of this month, so if you're there, make sure you stop by our booth and check them out! And here they are:

A Flamenco Halloween:
WOW Embossing Powder used: Gold (Regular), Gold (Ultra High), Suzy West Collection Cable Car Red (Regular), Suzy West Collection Skyline Grey (Puff)

Hi Friend:
WOW Embossing Powder used: Suzy West Collection Skyline Grey (Puff), Silver (Regular), Silver (Ultra High)
WOW Stamps used: "Call Me"

Gratitude:
WOW Embossing Powder used: Suzy West Collection Bubble Gum (Regular), Suzy West Collection Cable Car Red (Regular)
WOW Stamps used: "Call Me", "Gratitude", "Flowers" Background Stamp

If you would like to see my talk "in person" a little bit more about my projects and how I created them, check out my video:

Kat Scrappiness projects!!

2012-01-03T16:32:00.002-05:00

I am the guest designer for Kat Scrappiness for January, so I wanted to share a couple projects I made. The first is a layout. I used Nikki Sivils paper, and from Kat's store, I used her felt clouds, felt fence, felt roll-up flowers, and felt cupid in the heart. In keeping with the heart theme, the quote says, "A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you".

I also made a mixed media card using Kaisercraft "Bonjour" paper, as well as Kat's felt flower vine and felt fences:

For more info on my projects, as well as how I achieved the mixed-media look on the card, you can check out my video:

Scrapmatts January Challenge!

2012-01-01T07:18:00.002-05:00

Happy 2012 everyone!! It's the year of the dragon, so I hope it's a good one :)

I'm hosting the January challenge over at Scrapmatts - check it out HERE. At the end of the month, a winner will be selected from all the entries to win a $25 gift certificate to Scrapmatts!

Here's my card that I made for the challenge, using Graphic 45 paper and a Stamping Bella Stamp "Lulu Loves Poppies" And again, I used Copic markers for coloring.

Last post of 2011!!!

2011-12-31T21:38:00.001-05:00

Hi guys, just wanted to do a last post before 2011 is over! I have a 2012 calendar to share with you. I used a Maya Road Acrylic calendar with chipboard pages, A Maya Road kraft calendar for the months, and Graphic 45 "Magic of Oz" paper. I also used gesso, some stamping and lots of glimmer mist and inking to give it a more artsy feel.

And some of the backsides of the pages:

And if you want to see it "in person", I did make a video about it:

A Scrapmatts Christmas :)

2011-12-26T08:35:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know Christmas is over, but I have a couple cards I wanted to share where I used the Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard holly leaves and "Merry Christmas" sentiment. I also used Gorjuss stamps on both, and paper pieced the girls' dresses from the pp. To color the girls and do shading on the clothing, I used Copic markers.

On the first one, I used Graphic 45 "Magic of Oz" paper:

On the second one, I used Kaisercraft paper:

Thanks for taking a look, Happy Holidays everyone!!

Paper Lovelies January kit!!

2011-12-23T21:58:00.001-05:00

The Paper Lovelies January kit is gorgeous...it's Webster's Pages "Winter Fairy Tales" - you get the entire kit (including the bling, bloomers, and canvas tickets that come with it), as well as a pack of the feather flowers and pins...all for only $15! So if you're interested, make sure you grab one while you can, they sell out super fast.

I made two layouts with the kit, and here's my first one. It's DS and I and I just love this pic....I played around with the colors and adjusted them a bit to make it a little more moody and emotional. I also used a couple cameos, as well as one of the feather flowers.

Th second LO is DD on her birthday this summer. I love how the pink feather flower highlights the candles and the light.

Cards, and cards, and... more cards!

2011-12-22T08:24:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, I have a whole bunch of My Little Shoebox cards to share with you! For all of them, I used the Audrey collection. A lot of the flowers are Prima, and a lot are from IAmRoses.com.

There's No Place Like Home

2011-12-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

I really went all out in making this a very mixed-media altered piece. The base is a sheet of "Punky Playground" from Punky Sprouts - it's a sheet of corrugated cardboard. I peeled off the top layer to expose the corrugated cardboard in some of the places for even more depth and dimension. The wonderful thing about using it as a base is that it can take a lot of abuse (aka various mediums). It holds up really well for mixed-media projects. I used Graphic 45 "Magic of Oz" paper and it's called "There's No Place Like Home". The round printer's tray in the middle, all the laser-cut swirls and butterflies, and the large sprocket gear, as well as the bell are all by Scrapmatts. Gorgeousness, right?

There are a ton of textures on it, and I used silk and tulle to add more texture and dimension, and covered them with gesso and paint, and other coloring mediums. I also used molding paste and my Prima "brick wall" mask to make the brick background. I hope you guys like it!

And here's a little video, about some of the stuff I did:

HUGE news!!!!!

2011-12-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited - I'm joining the Imaginisce DT. This is so amazing since I love their stuff - they have the cutest paper lines with tons of coordinating stamps and embellies, as well as awesome tools. I only found out Wednesday night, so this is still so new for me :) You can read the announcement on the Imaginisce BLOG.

And here is the new 2012 Imaginisce team:
Abby Laubenstein (Illinois, US)
Adora Concepcion (Washington, US)
Cari Locken, DT Co-ordinator (British Columbia, Canada)
Diana Fisher (New York, US)
Guiseppa Gubler (Utah, US)
Heather Leopard (Texas, US)
Ilene Tell (Delaware, US) <------------------That's me!!! :)
Mary Ann Jenkins (California, US)
Shelley McDaniel (Texas, US)
Tiffany Hood (Utah, US)
Rebecca Keppel (Arizona, US)
Rosangela Philippsen (Curitiba, Brazil)
Regina Mangum (California, US)
Rhonda Van Ginkel (Minnesota, US)

A Calendar Printer's Tray

2011-12-15T07:01:00.003-05:00

I decided to use a 7 Gypsies Printer's Tray to make a Calendar as a New Year's gift for my father - I used the Donna Salazar "Antiquities" paper again, as well as a Maya Road 2012 Kraft Calendar and Scrapmatts laser cut chipboard dragonflies and reindeer. I used mini movers and shapers dies by Tim Holtz to cut out the metal gears and car - I just used a sheet of aluminum by Making Memories. I think these are fun and easy and make great gifts for the holidays!

If you guys want to see more about this, check out my video:

(S)punky Layouts

2011-12-14T06:40:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to share that I found the "Antiquities" paper pad at Michael's - it's by Donna Salazar - and I immediately fell in love. I just loved her combination of shabby, vintage, pretty and girly, as well as grungy and steampunky - it had pretty much everything all wrapped up in one neat package. So of course I had to get it....I mean, how often do we experience love at first sight? So here are two layouts I made with it.

The first is (S)punky Princess, and this is my daughter of course. I altered the colors of the photo to make them warmer and then blurred the edges. I used my Big Shot a lot and my Tim Holtz dies - to make the big flowers, out of the paper and some canvas fabric, and the little dress form, also covered with some fabric. I also used a Scrapmatts bird (the one sitting on top of the dress form) and Scrapmatts hearts. Hope you guys like it!

I also love how masculine this paper can be, so I took advantage of its vintage feel to scrap a photo of my dad as a teenager. Again, I used my Tim Holtz die to cut out the large clock, as well as the card and arrow. I cut the car out of chipboard and out of my thin sheet of wood by Creative Imaginations, which I glued on the cardboard. It looks really cool :)

I made a video about these and the card from yesterday, if you guys want more info:

Copics again!

2011-12-13T15:37:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, wanted to share a card with you - I used my Copics to color the stamp. It's the "Marie Antoinette" stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie that I got at Stamp And Create - they have the cutest selection of stamps! I used the Donna Salazar "Antiquities" paper for the background, as well as to paper piece the skirts - I then used Copics directly on the pp to add the shadows and folds. I also added some more eyelashes to make it a little bit cuter :) The flowers and gems are all by Creative Charms. Hope you guys like it! It's my second card I made using Copics, and I'm really enjoying it!

The sweetest little rascal :)

2011-12-10T06:30:00.001-05:00

Yep, she's a little rascal :) My daughter is sweet and cute and feisty, and this "Fable de la Fontaine" paper was just perfect to capture all that about her. Look closely - does she not have the exact same expression as that little fox? LOL

A purple sort of birthday :)

2011-12-07T06:24:00.001-05:00

My friend's favorite color is purple...as is mine. So I love making things for her becuase I get to indulge in my love of purple. It was her birthday recently and I made her a card. I used the gorgeous purple paper from the "Rococo" line (the black paper is from that line as well. The stamp is from Harmonie's newest release, "Shabby Love". Doesn't the stamp look so gorgeous heat embossed with silver?? The velvet flowers are from Creative Charms.

And here is the inside of the card - you can always cut a pretty image out of a scrap piece of paper to cover up the brads poking through the other side!

Deceptively Sweet

2011-12-05T06:19:00.001-05:00

A layout about my dad looking sweet and mischievous as a little boy. He was cute but....spirited, even back then LOL I used the new Harmonie line "La Banquise". Still so in love with that line, especially the tree branch paper!

A Christmas Card

2011-12-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

Any of you gearing up for Christmas yet? I made a card for the the Harmonie December Challenge - you can check it out on the Harmonie blog HERE and enter to win a prize if you play along.

Here's my quick and simple card - I used Harmonie pp and stickers and trims, as well as Tim Holtz embossing folder and his mini movers and shapers die to make the holly leaves.

Exciting news!

2011-12-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

Wanted to share some happy news - I'm going to be joining a new DT. This is a new branch of a company that's established in Europe and does the embossing for Hallmark cards, and this new US brand is going to be headed by Suzy West. They'll be making embossing powders and stamps, which is perfect for me since I have developed a new obsession with stamps...and I've always loved embossing powders. You can read the announcement on Suzy's Blog HERE.

Here's the DT - so looking forward to working with these mazingly talented girls!

LEADS:
*Tricia Wilson--lead
*Gina Lideros--lead
*Jen Deal--lead
*Angel Bartonico--lead
*Erin Payne--lead

DESIGN MEMBERS:
1.Sesil Cratin, Utah
2. Ilene Tell, Delaware <---- That's me!! :)
3. Lara Scott, Utah
4. Amy Sotolongo, California
5. Diana McGraw, California
6. Jeannie DeGruccio, California
7. Jennifer Matott, New York
8. Anne Brown, Texas
9. Sherrie Suttles, Ohio
10. Linda Abadie, Virginia
11. Jamie Cripps, Michigan
12. Jenifer Cowles, idaho
13. Tanisha Long, New Jersey
14. Jan Hennings, Iowa
15. Patti Hamil, Georgia
16. Gini Williams Cagle, North Carolina
17. Tina McDonald, Canada
18. Donna O'Leary, New Zealand
19. Benedicte Raphalen, France
20. Amy Prior, Australia
21. Irit Shalom, Israel
22. Jennifer Roach, Canada
23. Erika Taylor, Canada
24. Iris Uy, Philippines
25. Katarina Damm-Blomberg, Finland
26. Birgit Koopsen, Netherlands

My Little Shoebox Giftbag set

2011-12-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

Hi all, today I have a gift bag and cards set. Either of the cards can go with the gift bag. I used the "Destination" line from My Little Shoebox, and the die that goes with it, from the Cottage Cuts dies - they partnered with My Little Shoebox. I bought the kraft gift bag at Michael's - it came in a pack of 13 for $6 and after using my 50% off coupon, it came out to be less than a quarter per bag. Not a bad deal for a cute gift bag, right? ;)

o create the tree, I used my Cottage Cuts/ My Little Shoebox die from the Playtime line to cut out the tree trunk. Then, I used one of the die-cut 3-D roll up flowers to make the top of the tree. First, ink the edges, then put some low-profile pop dots or foam dots in the center of the die-cut and glue it down, so the edges are flat on the paper, while the center comes up a little.

And now the cards:

My Light

2011-11-29T06:22:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to share a layout I made using my new Pink Pailsee mistables mask - I love that it's 12" long - perfect for a layout! This is my son and I - he really loves hugs and kisses and is soooo sweet (when he's not being a total daredevil and driving me insane, that is). It's called my light and I used the cutest little light bulbs as the bodies on the butterflies and on the lantern. The butterflies and heart I cut out of chipboard using my Tim Holtz mini movers and shapers dies.

Me...Copics??

2011-11-27T07:25:00.000-05:00

I'm finally using my Copics!! Yay for me :) They were awesome enough to sponsor the Punky Sprouts DT and I got a set of the pinks I used here. I also used paper from the Girl's Paperie who also sponsored our DT. The stamp is by Penny Black (too cute, right??). And as the background/mat for the stamp, I used a layer of the new Punky Sprouts filter flowers. It makes for such a perfect stamp background - it's already textured and shabby looking - it came ready to use, I didn't have to do a thing to it!

The Lovely December Kit!

2011-11-26T07:18:00.000-05:00

Here are my two layouts for the Paper Lovelies December Kit....unfortunately, it's already sold out. As usual for the Paper Lovelies kits, it sold out in the first couple of days...so if you're interested, make sure you check out the Paper Lovelies blog of add them as a friend on Facebook so you know when the new kits come out. As always, they're a mind-blowing $15. It's crazy how packed they are for that amount! This month's kit was all about Prima "North Country" - it had two of each sheet, a pack of the flowers, a pack of the glass accents, the tiles, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I LOVED it!

And here's my 2nd LO:

Printer's Tray!

2011-11-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, today I'm sharing a Printer's Tray I made for my grandmother for her 86th Birthday. You can see more about it in my YouTube video. I used the gorgeous Kaisercraft "Bonjour" collection again - it goes so well with black and white photos! And I love the elegant and sophisticated colors for gift-making. I also used lots of Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard - a scroll border, the large butterfly, and the "happy birthday" sentiment.

And the winner is....

2011-11-24T07:59:00.002-05:00

Thank you for all your comments!! Make sure to check back regularly in the next month, as I'm planning on doing a big giveaway for the Holidays :)

And of course I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. I, for one, am very very grateful to have the support that all of you give me in this artsy venture. I know for sure that I wouldn't be where I am without it, so thank you!

But for now, the winner of the Cricut Cartridge and mini alphas is....

....

Kathy R! Kathy, please email me your addy at ileneemail@yahoo.com, and I will get your prize out ASAP. Thanks for commenting!

Also, I had a LO I wanted to share, using the new Pink Paislee Mistables collection. This is DD at the Pumpkin Patch on a hayride last month.

My Little Shoebox Winter Card Blog Hop!!

2011-11-21T05:44:00.002-05:00

Hi guys, welcome to my stop on the hop. Let me start off by saying that I LOVE this winter line. I just love the gorgeous colors, the beautiful snowflakes, and the super cute houses. My favorite, though, are the little girl ice skating and the little boy sledding - I feel like this pp was designed for me (LOL!) - the girl looks just like my DD (and she even took ice skating lessons a couple years ago), and the boy looks like my DS! Thanks Helen :)

Ok, so I made a little holiday card that's very neutral and perfect either for Christmas or New Year's. I used the Unity/MLS stamp set for the sentiment. The snowman is from the sticker set, and I first adhered it to black cardstock, and then cut out. Thanks for visiting!!

I also made a Christmas Ornament using a little bit of the gorgeous paper and a sticker tree from the collection. The chipboard "ornament" and reindeer are by Scrapmatts.

OK, this is a blog hop, so some prizes are in order, right?? There will be two Winter Wonderland collections given away to a random commenter on one of the participating blogs. Prize winners will be announced on the My Little Shoebox blog on Tuesday, November 22.

Also, just for my blog followers (and if you're not a followers yet, just click to follow!), I am giving away a Cricut limited edition Holiday Cartridge and throwing in the mini alphas from this collection - they're the "Peppermint" color. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. The Cricut cartridge was given to me by Carrie, the owner of Paper Lovelies Kit club - she has the most amazing kits every single month for only....$15! If you guys haven't checked it out yet, you really should! I will announce the winner of my blog giveaway on Thursday morning :) Here's a look at my giveaway:

Thanks for joining us today for our Winter Wonderland inspirational card hop. Now hop on over to the sweet and talented Erin.

Hoo-Ray!

2011-11-20T06:35:00.000-05:00

A little card I made using the gorgeous Harmonie paper, flowers, and stamps, as well as Copic markers....yes, that's right, I'm finally using them! And guess what - they're a ton of fun and I'm in love! LOL Isn't that owl stamp adorable? It's part of the stamp set that goes with the "Fable de la Fontaine" collection.

A bight and happy birthday mini :)

2011-11-19T06:49:00.002-05:00

I still needed to scrap my daughter's 7th birthday and I had the perfect combination of supplies at hand - a beehive chipboard mini album from Maya Road and the super adorable, happy, and bright "Berrylicious" line from Imaginisce. I also used some Prima flowers, as well as ton of embellies from Imaginisce that all went with this line - chipboard stickers, canvas stickers, dimensional stickers, and die-cuts. I added glossy accents to some of the die cuts here and there for extra "oomph", as well as glimmer misted the pages for a more fun and artsy feel. I hope you guys like it! :) It's appropriately titled "Sweet 7", and it has the whole "sweetness" theme throughout. I also loved the chipboard quote - "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Some of you might remember that this was the disaster of a lifetime birthday that we managed to turn around so DD had a good time after all. For those of you that like video's, I did make one about this mini where I go over the pages and share some more details about it - you can find it HERE.

Sharing some more My Little Shoebox goodness :)

2011-11-12T06:23:00.000-05:00

Just a quick layout and a couple cards I wanted to share, using the My Little Shoebox "Destination" line. Have I mentioned before how adorable I think this line is? So boyish - perfect for boy projects, as well as all travel-related projects.

This LO is another one about DD's first day of 2nd grade. Her before-school care is at the daycare my son goes to (and where she went when she was little), so they both got dropped off there that morning. And when my son saw the little bus, he said "I want bus!" He always wants to keep up with his big sister, so he definitely wanted to go on the bus too.

And a couple quick cards. The first is an example of how the Destination line can be more pretty and feminine. To create the background, I lined it with pp and then added the left-over negative from the MLS letter stickers. Super quick and a great way to upcycle. To make the heart, I used my Sizzix and Tim Holtz mini hearts movers and shapers die. I cut it out of chipboard and then covered it with pp. And the beautiful red rose is from IAmRoses.com

And the 2nd card is a really quick and easy boy birthday card - I told you this pp is perfect for little boys!

Stamp Carving Tutorial

2011-11-10T06:33:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, today I wanted to share a really quick and easy tutorial on how you can make your own stamps. I wanted to make a picture tutorial since I know some people don't like to watch YouTube videos. However, for those that do, you can see my YouTube video HERE, where I carve a stamp (shown in the last image).

1.

Supplies:
- A sheet of MLS 3-D Roll Up Flowers from any collection
- Speedball Carving Block
- Speedball Carving Tool
- Pencil
- Large scissors
- Scrap paper
- Ink Pad

2.

- Punch out one of the clouds from the die-cut sheet
- Use a pencil to trace onto the carving block
- Using your large scissors, cut out the cloud with a little space around it

3.

- Using the finest tip of your carving tool, carve around the cloud outline

4.

- Now you can switch to a broad tip and carve away around the cloud
- If you like, you can use your scissors now to trim your stamp down

5.

- Ink your stamp and stamp onto the scrap paper

6.

- Use the stamped image and inked stamp to determine where else you need to keep carving
- Once satisfied, stamp again to see whether any more needs to be removed

7.

- You can continue to repeat the process of carving and stamping until you're entirely happy with the completed results. Here, it took me 3 tries.
- Consider the fact that you might not want to perfect it too much - one of the charms of making your own stamps is allowing it to be imperfect so it can retain that "handmade" look.

8.

- Here is an example of the 3 cloud stamps I made using the die-cut clouds as my templates. These are the finished results. They are the perfect size and they're quick and fun to make. Of course, you can draw your own stamps and do not need to use a template, but having a template does make it much easier.
- My next stamp-carving adventure will likely include the super-cute punch-out banners on the die-cut sheets. It would be fun to have a banner stamp!

Punky Bridesmaid

2011-11-08T06:04:00.000-05:00

Today I have a mini album to share - this is the Punky Sprouts "Sprocket Sprout" mini. To make it more feminine, I cut off the ends of the cogs to make them half-circles. Pink Paislee was amazingly generous in sponsoring our DT, and I got pretty much everything that goes with the "Vintage Vogue" line...gorgeous!! The purples in the line made me think of the time I was a bridesmaid for one of my best friends - purple is our favorite color, and she had a purple wedding, and I got to wear a purple gown...yay :) If you guys want to see a YouTube video where I go over it in more detail, check it out HERE.

Harmonie Novemeber Challenge!

2011-11-03T08:38:00.000-04:00

The November challenge for Harmonie is up on their BLOG so check it out for all the details. The challenge this month was to use circles on your LO...pretty simple, right?? Make sure you enter to be in the running to win a prize! Here's my take on it using one of my favorite winter paper lines ever - their "La Banquise" - scrapping a pic of me as a little kid :) Yes, I grew up in Russia, and yes, it WAS cold! LOL

So beautiful....

2011-10-31T06:55:00.003-04:00

A layout using the absolutely beautiful new line from Harmonie, "La Banquise". It's titled "So Beautiful" - I scrapped a pic of my parents as a young couple. The branch is a wood branch also made by Harmonie. To get that effect, I covered it with white Tim Holtz crackle paint and then misted it with grey-colored Tattered Angels mist and wiped the excess off with a paper towel.

Scrapmatts October Projects!

2011-10-26T16:15:00.000-04:00

I have a few projects to share today using the gorgeous Scrapmatts laser cut chipboard.

First up is home decor, since we all know the Holidays are almost here. I used the new "Printer's Tray" that Scrapmatts just came up with. I used the holiday-ornament shaped base and layered the printer's tray with scalloped edge on top. The pp is Webster's Pages and I heat embossed the edges in gold. I also heat embossed the deer and the berries. The "Joy" word was already gold, so I went over with with glossy accents.

Supplies: CB1101 Words 21 Joy, CB1104 Holly 01, CB1096 Reindeers 05, and the Printer's Tray Holiday Ornament used as the base.

For the layout, I used some of the new nautical elements and again, Webster's Pages paper.
Supplies: CB6064 Nautical Designs 01.

And last but (hopefully!) not least, a card using Graphic 45 "Le Cirque" for my husband for his birthday that just happens to be October 27th :) For the "stand", I used the bottom of the lamp post - if you look above at my mini, you will see that I only used the top of the lamp post on the last page...well, I just had to make the most of the bottom part too!

Supplies: CB5024 Lamp Posts 02, CB1119 Heart Frames 08, CB1015 Butterflies 15.

Paper Lovelies Novemeber kit reveal!

2011-10-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, I have two layouts I created using the Paper Lovelies November kit - it's full of Webster's Pages "Western Romance" and Studio Calico "Classic Calico". To see the kit "in person", check out my YouTube video.

First up is "in Bloom"

I also created "The Sweetest Delivery"

Stamp Carving Video Tutorial

2011-10-21T22:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome to My Little Shoebox and Unity Hip Hop!!

2011-10-20T01:43:00.000-04:00

Welcome welcome welcome to my stop on the hop! Don't forget, a random commenter will win a prize! You have until the end of the day on Sunday the 23rd to leave a comment, and the winner will be announced on the MLS blog on Monday!

Today we're all sharing a project we created using MLS and Unity, and I made a Layout using the adorable new line from MLS called "Destination", as well as the Unity stamp set that coordinates with that line.

I used the stamps to make the cute airplane on the top right by stamping it one the ledger pp from the Destination line. I also made the journaling card using a stamp from the stamp set. I so love Unity stamps - my absolute favorite brand because of the amazing quality and style. The cute canvas banners are by Punky Sprouts, and the letters and stickers are all MLS, of course :)

I also wanted to share a quick little card where I used the Destination line and the coordinating stamp set. I used the little ticket stamp.

Well, I hope you liked my projects...make sure you leave a comment and hop on over to the next stop, Lisa Henke from the Unity team.

And here is the entire blog hop order, if you get lost along the way:
Unity Blog - http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/
Brooke Lien - http://brookelien.blogspot.com/
Beckie Dreyer - http://beckiedreyer.blogspot.com/
Eva Dobilas – http://evafromca.blogspot.com/
Becky Williams - http://onescrappinmama.blogspot.com/
Jen Erichson – http://shut-up-its-true.blogspot.com/
Erin Yamabe - http://erinyamabe.com/
Karen Maldonado – http://reallifeinpictures.blogspot.com/
Ilene Tell - http://whatabunchofscrap.blogspot.com/ <------------YOU ARE HERE :)
Lisa Henke – http://www.mylittlecreativeescape.blogspot.com/
Keely Yowler - http://www.keelyy.blogspot.com/
Maria Gurnsey – http://scrapsbym.blogspot.com
Kristine Berc - http://stashofprettypaper.blogspot.com/
Robyn Weatherspoon – http://herebygrace.typepad.com/here_by_grace/
Linda Kretz - http://cloud9ideas.blogspot.com/
Wendy Chang– http://www.justwen.blogspot.com/
Mandy Starner - http://www.heyheymandykay.com/
Jolande van Oosterhout- http://www.justjolande.blogspot.com/
Melinda Spinks - http://www.thescrapfarm.blogspot.com/
Jessica Diedrich – http://thewhimsicalbutterfly.blogspot.com/
My Little Shoebox Blog - http://www.mylittleshoebox.typepad.com/

And don't forget to check out the Unity blog again next Thursday, because we will be having the second part of the MLS/Unity Hip Hop then, so even more chances to win and more opportunities to see some inspiring projects!

Wedding Anniversary Mini Album

2011-10-19T19:11:00.000-04:00

My parents' 38th wedding anniversary is coming up....doesn't that sounds like a lot?? Well, I decided to use the "Bonjour" like from Kaisercraft that I got as my prize for winning the September sketch challenge, and a Kaisercraft wood "Fairy Castle" mini album to make a gift for my parents. I also used Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard and ZVA Creative pearl swirls. I also made a video where I go over the album on YouTube.

I just had to scrap this pic...again :)

2011-10-16T07:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know I've scrapped this pic before in at least 2 mini albums I've made recently. But I had to do a LO as well. This is from just a few months ago, and I just love everything about this photo.

Thank you Friend!

2011-10-14T07:16:00.001-04:00

Carrie (the owner of my favorite kit club ever - Paper Lovelies) was sweet enough to send me a pack of Graphic 45 "Magic of Oz" pp just because...and yes, it was the loveliest of gifts :) Of course I had to make her a thank you card and send it along.

Also, just wanted to let you guys know that I made a new mini album, using a Kaisercraft Fairy Castle wooden mini album and their new "Bonjour" line. I also used lots of Scrapmatts and ZVA swirls :) I haven't had time to take pics yet, but if you want to see, I did make a YouTube video about it.

Sunny skies up above :)

2011-10-12T07:13:00.002-04:00

Sharing some happy news - got an email yesterday that my "Treasyres" mini album - using a Punky Sprouts mini and Bo Bunny "Gabrielle" line was accepted for publication in the Scrapbook Trends Create Mini Album Idea book (pub date of April 2012). Yay! :)

Also sharing a LO today. That's my DD again, and I just wanted to create a fun and happy little scene. I used some really pretty ZVA swirls :)

A fun birthday card!

2011-10-10T07:03:00.000-04:00

Just a really quick and easy birthday card using Harmonie "Fable de la Fontaine" pp, a stamp from that collection, and Harmonie trim.

Lady of Substance

2011-10-07T06:44:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do another heritage LO, and this one is about my grandmother (again :) I LOVE this Prima "Romantique" line....not only is the paper gorgeous, but it's so thick and wonderful to work with. The flowers and gorgeous lace are all Prima as well.

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-05T10:42:00.003-04:00

We went to 2 different ones last year, and will be going to both again this year. The kids love it and it's so nice for a fall activity. Here's a LO I made recently with pics from one of our outings from a couple years ago.

Harmonie October Challenge + Fun News :)

2011-10-03T16:56:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, it's October and the Harmonie challenge for this month is up on their blog HERE. If you have some gorgeous Harmonie pp, make sure you enter!! There's prizes to be won ;) This month, it's a sketch challenge, so here's my take on it:

For the white gears, I used white chipboard and my new movers and shapers "mini gears" die by Tim Holtz...I think I'm addicted to those!

And the fun news is that I won the Kaisercrafts September sketch challenge - HERE is the blog post about it. It was this LO I shared recently:

Winners!!

2011-10-01T12:51:00.001-04:00

Thank you so much everyone for your sweet birthday wishes!! Again, I wish I had more giveaways to go around and could pick you all..and I'll definitely be doing another giveaway come Christmas time.

So....the winners are....

....

for my blog...

Kat! of Kat's Scrappy, Bloggy Life

and for YouTube....

LaceyTracy76

So please email me your addy at ileneemail@yahoo.com

Also, just a reminder that the latest issue of Scrapstreet.com is live today - it's the Fall issue. Check out my Halloween article!!

Pretty Little Things

2011-09-30T07:52:00.000-04:00

***Don't forget my 2 giveaways - click pics on right to enter!! ------------------->

I'm referring to the new My Little Shoebox line of course, called "Pretty Little Things" :) I have a LO and card to share, using that line. I really love it...the little girls are so adorable and the colors are just gorgeous.

A to Z about me :)

2011-09-28T07:41:00.001-04:00

***Don't forget my 2 giveaways, click pics to enter ----->

A. Age: 33....yeppers

B. Bed size: King

C. Chore that you hate: silly question...shouldn't it be "chore you don't hate"??

D. Dogs: A Toy Fox Terrier who is about to turn 11, and we had him since 6 weeks of age :)

E. Essential start to your day: Red Bull

F. Favorite color: purple

G. Gold or Silver: silver

I. Instruments you play: ummm...no, just no

J. Job title: psychologist

K. Kids: DD (7) and DS (2)

L. Live: Delaware

M. Mother’s name: Elaine

N. Nicknames: Don't think I have any

O. Overnight hospital stays: Just after giving DD birth

P. Pet peeves: slow drivers

Q. Quote from a movie: Say hello to my little friend....I used to have a t-shirt that said that, with an arrow pointing to the tummy - wore it while pregnant with DS...got lots of compliments :)

R. Right or left handed: right

S. Siblings: a younger brother

U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret...love their undies :)

V. Vegetable you hate: cooked carrots

W. What makes you run late: DS being a 2 year old...we'll see what I say after he turns 3

X. X-Rays you’ve had: lungs

Y. Yummy food that you make: pasta

Z. Zoo animal: elephant

That moment....so many moments ago

2011-09-27T08:05:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, just wanted to share a LO - I scrapped a pic of me with my grandparents. The "Velvet Ensemble" pp by Kaisercraft was just perfect for this photo. The colors, the mood of it, everything - very vintage. The wooden cherries are also by Kaisercraft - they always have the cutest wooden embellies :) I created this for the Kaisercraft sketch challenge they have every week.

And some close-ups:

And here is the awesome sketch I used provided by Kaisercraft:

Beautiful Scrapmatts

2011-09-26T12:28:00.002-04:00

I have 3 projects to share today - my monthly projects for Scrapmatts for September. The theme of the month was Spring... they're in Australia, so it totally makes sense :) It was nice to scrap some Spring LO's just as we're getting into Fall here. So here they are...first up, I have "Spring Dream", using the gorgeous Butterfly Garden by Pink Paislee...still love that collection! The frame, the butterflies, and the word "Dream" are all Scrapmatts.

Next up, I have "Drawing Mommy", using My Little Shoebox pp - I love how a 12x12 sheet can allow you to fit and entire story's worth of pics on it. The really cute birds standing on top of each other are Scrapmatts - I covered them in pp.

And my 3rd LO is using Harmonie pp - I still love that wood grain pp from Fable De La Fontaine, from winter 2011. I added in the new "Shabby Love" line for the pretty pink. The fence and the butterflies are Scrapmatts. I love how the fence came out painted with crackle paint.

I love you Graphic 45 :)

2011-09-23T11:45:00.005-04:00

*** Click on the images on the right to enter my 2 giveaways!! ---------------->

Hello all, today I have the great pleasure of showcasing the brand new Paper Lovelies October kit!! It was certainly perfection - you get the entire Graphic 45 "An ABC Primer" line, plus other embellies. I made 2 layouts.

First up, "An ABC Primer"....yep, that's me!

And the second LO is DD on the first day of school a few weeks ago:

For this 2nd LO, I had to adjust the photo's colors in Picasa. The colors in the original photo were too bright and modern, so I had to "antique" it a bit...see:

Original:

Edited version:

Kind of cool, right? :)

Lots to share!

2011-09-22T06:20:00.003-04:00

*** Scroll down to yesterday's post for info on my TWO HUGE giveaways!!***

So today, I have a couple different projects to share...both involve Punky Sprouts and both involve exchanges with other companies :) Curious yet? Read on...

First up, is a LO for my monthly Punky Sprouts project. We had a product exchange with Paper Trunk (they were soooo generous and sent us a ton of gorgeous goodies!). To have fun with the exchange, we're sharing all the projects on the Punky Sprouts blog(today is my day) and the Paper Trunk blog. If you go there, and collect the "secret" word each day, you can enter to win some fun goodies, so be sure to play along!

I decided to use the "Rockabilly" collection. I used the paper, the metal flair, and the laser-cut chipboard from the collection. For the letters "Ms." I used the "Billy" alphabet by Paper Trunk. I also used canvas roll-up flowers by Punky Sprouts and canvas banners by Punky Sprouts (which I used as a banner up top, as well as to make the two leaves for the larger roll-up flower). I used the new Tim Holtz Distress Stains to color the flowers and banners - because the stain is so wet, it made the canvas very wet and pliable, which made it easier to manipulate and gave it an even more distressed feel. The Paper Trunk flair buttons make a perfect center for Punky Sprouts rolled flowers. And I think putting eyelets in the banner gave it a little bit more of a finished, detailed feel.

Ok, now on to my second project for today. Prepare for a ton of pics :) This one is for My Little Shoebox, using the "Pretty Little Things" line. The DT got goodies from Punky Sprouts! LOL I chose to participate because one can never have too many Punky Sprouts goodies! I got the Trunk Punky mini to play with, and I made a Spring 2011 mini album.

Two Huge Birthday Giveaways!!

2011-09-21T12:46:00.001-04:00

Hi guys, it's my (25th) birthday, so I wanted to share some goodies with everyone! I am doing 2 giveaways - one through my blog, and one through YouTube...so you have even more chances to win! Both giveaways will end 10/1/11 - I will pick a winner that Saturday during the day sometime.

First up, here is my blog giveaway. To be entered to win, simply comment on this post wishing me a happy birthday, and follow my blog through "Google Friend Connect" (link on the right). If you want extra chances to win, you can post about this giveaway anywhere else online (your blog, FB, YouTube, Twitter, message boards, etc.) and leave me another comment with the link(s), and you will get an extra chance for each place you post :)

Contents:
(I also made a YouTube video of all the contents)
- My Little Shoebox Halloween line - pp and die cut sheet
- My Little Shoebox Garden Party Line - papers, die-cut sheet, and sheet of die-cut elements
- Making Memories Vintage Findings papers
- My Minds Eye - 15 sheets of glittered papers from the "Academy" line
- MM black mini album
- Pink Paislee gold glitter Pixie Stick
- Calla Lily flowers
- Journaling stamp
- Autumn Leaves swirls clear stamp set
- Heidi Swapp - arrows stickers
- 6 tickets
- 6 Halloween borders
- MM Vintage Findings embellishment pack
- My Little Shoebox - two sets of mini alpha stickers
- My Little Shoebox - two sets of glittered alphabet stickers
- 2 sets of K & Co embossed Halloween stickers

My 2nd giveaway is through YouTube - you can find it HERE. Simply subscribe to my channel, and leave me a comment on the video. You get extra chances again for posting about that giveaway other places online.

Timeless Grace

2011-09-20T06:26:00.000-04:00

When I saw the gorgeous "Shabby Love" release from Harmonie, I just knew I had to scrap this pic of my mom with it. The pretty paper roses are from IAmRoses.com and the white doily and bloomers flowers are from Maya Road...I just had to get them :)

The quickest kid birthday card ever...

2011-09-19T15:36:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love the new MLS Destination line?? Especially after I discovered how perfect it is for making boy birthday cards? I have two little kids, so we are always going to a ton of kid birthday parties, so I just thought I'd share this with you - next time you have only 5 min and need to make a card, it's totally do-able :)

A HUGE Scrapstreet giveaway!!

2011-09-16T08:47:00.000-04:00

The full post, and the place to comment to win is HERE. But below, I copied and pasted what it's all about:

It's our Anniversary! We have spent six full years working together to inspire readers all over the world and we have loved every minute. A few months ago, as I was doing some archiving, I counted up the number of published pretties in our storage. At that point, we had published more than 10,000 gorgeous scrappy creations.

10,000.

What an honor it is to be able to share our love of scrapbooking with others who share in the excitement that comes from snapping the perfect shot or finding an alphabet you adore or buying your daughter a shirt that perfectly matches the hue of a paper you have been hoarding. We love our job!

We know that it is because of all of you that we have the pleasure of our magazine work. It is all of you that submit, that share, that read, and that enjoy our issues that make it possible for us to do what we do!

So we have a present. A great big scrappy present.

Inside is more than $100 worth of scrappy goodness. I cannot show you it all yet since the final items are on the way to us this week (brand new Summer CHA releases!). I can share that it includes pretties from Pink Paislee, Theresa Collins, Webster's Pages, Simple Stories, Jillibean Soup, American Crafts--to name just a few.

How do you win? The luck of the randomizer. How do you enter? So glad you asked. You may have up to five entries:

1. Leave us a comment.
2. Join as a follower and leave us another comment telling us so (if you are already a follower, tell us that. it counts!)
3. Blog about us and comment with the link.
4. Join our facebook followers--and comment about it. (if you are already a follower, post on our wall and then come back and comment about it).
5. Tweet or facebook about our Anniversary and comment about it.

There you go! 5 chances to be richer in scrappy goodies. We will stop counting new comments at midnight Sunday, Central time. We will announce the winner on Monday!

Thank you for being a part of our magazine! We appreciate you!

2nd Grade!!

2011-09-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

Wow, DD started 2nd grade a couple weeks ago. Seems so grown up! Of course I had to make a LO about it, and the timing was perfect since Bo Bunny was having a Back to School LO contest... and guess what! Yep! My LO won. I attribute it to my daughter's irresistible cuteness :) And I made a YouTube Video about the LO too.

Mr. On The Go

2011-09-14T08:36:00.000-04:00

A page about our Mr. Personality. Here he is, looking his usual cute self. Also, make sure you guys check out my YouTube channel - I've been uploading lots of videos on a regular basis. (Link is on the right).

'Twas swell while it lasted...

2011-09-08T06:36:00.001-04:00

Summer, that is. So of course, I just have to share a LO featuring another fun and summery photo from not so long ago. Dipping into your stash can be so fun...

More Juice Please!!

2011-09-06T06:33:00.000-04:00

DS loves his juice. He's got a serious sweet tooth...and yes, of course that's one of those things you have to document! The pp is BG "Life Of The Party".

Hello September!

2011-09-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

WOw...here we go, another month...whee :) This is also my birthday month...you might be surprised to learn that I'm turning 25...yet again. Go figure.

So, the beginning of the month brings another Harmonie challenge - up on their blog HERE. This month, the challenge is to scrap using 3's - anything you use has to be no more and no less than 3. For example:

And I used:
3 rosette flowers
3 brads
3 photos
3 butterflies
3 bling per butterfly
3 bears
3 house rows
3 different patterned pp's
3 die cut swirls

If you do play along, make sure to submit your entry for a chance to win a prize pack!

Timeless Grace

2011-09-02T06:20:00.000-04:00

Dress Up

2011-08-31T06:11:00.001-04:00

A new LO today, using some pretty Harmonie pp. I combined the new CHA summer "Shabby Love" line with the slightly older "Rococo" line - all Hamornie pp's mix and match so well! This is DD and I at FAO Schwartz in Manhattan when she was almost 4. We took a little weekend trip there and had a great time. I wrapped a string of pearls all around for a little extra girly touch. For the word "Up", I used the Rococo pp and cut the letters out using my new Tim Holtz sizzlits strip die - it's the Typeset Alphabet.

A 6 Flags Adventure! (AKA another mini :)

2011-08-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

Hi friends, today I'm sharing another of my minis...for this one, I dipped into my stash. Way back into my stash of "vintage" Basic Grey. Well, the good thing about BG pp - it never goes out of style. And it's easy to mix and match - for this mini, I used Max & Whiskers, Lime Rickey, Lemonade, Color Me Silly, Aged and Confused, Life of the Party, June Bug, and more :) I also used a lot of Webster's Pages Bloomers - I got a whole pack of them in my Groupon deal and it didn't take me long to finish them up (almost). The chipboard mini itself is a tag album also by Basic Grey. I've made so many BG minis over the years, I figured I'd add to my collection :)

If you want more info about it, and to see more of it, I made a YouTube video about it. Oh, and did you notice something new on the right hand side? Yep, I joined Pinterest! Now I just have to figure out how it works LOL And while I was checking it out, I found that someone pinned my LO, so I thought that was cool - it was the MLS LO "Celebrate Spring".

Well, on to the mini. This one is about our trip to 6 Flags Great Adventure in NJ back in May. The mini is called "6 Flags Adventure". And the chipboard laser cut word Adventure is by Scrapmmats - I heat embossed it.

Scrapmatts August Projects

2011-08-26T10:54:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, today I'm sharing a couple layouts I made using Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard. This month, the theme for us was fathers, so I made both LO's about my DH. I used Scrapmatts nautical elements on the first, and Scrapmatts gears on the 2nd.

Here, I heat embossed the chipboard:

And here, I inked the chipboard and then covered with stickles:

Paper Lovelies September Kit!

2011-08-25T11:40:00.001-04:00

Is now open for business HERE! Click on the link to see all the contents....and kits are still only $15. Also, if you want to see it "in person", I made a little video about it - HERE. It's full of some awesome embellies and fun Jillibean Soup paper. So here are a couple LO's I made with it:

Sunny and Sweet:

Kiss:

In preparation for Fall...

2011-08-23T19:55:00.000-04:00

I have one last LO about Spring. This one is using the MLS Garden Party line, and I used Shrinky Dinks to make the little butterflies using MLS stamps...for more info, check out yesterday's MLS blog post :)

Paper Lovelies Sneak Peek + MLS Winner!!!

2011-08-22T13:56:00.001-04:00

Hi guys....you're probably wondering who won my Halloween MLS blog candy, right?? Thank you all sooooo much for your sweet comments, I appreciate them so much....I just wish I could have picked more than one person! And In September, I will do another giveaway. My birthday is end of September, so I'll do something big again....one for my blog followers and one for my YouTube subscribers. So two chances for you guys to win. But right now, on to the MLS winner...

and the winner is....

Cassie!

Cassie, please email me your addy at ileneemail@yahoo.com and I will get your prize out ASAP.

Speaking of MLS, I have a LO up on their blog today, so make sure you check it out :)

I also have a Paper Lovelies September kit sneak peek for you...in the form of a little card. The September kit is really fun and bright, and I believe it will be revealed in just a few days on the 25th.

My Little Shoebox Blog Hop!

2011-08-19T07:31:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone, welcome to the MLS Halloween Blog Hop - this is the DT's opportunity to show off MLS's first ever Halloween collection. And what a cute one it is :) I decided to alter a snow globe to make a Halloween decoration. DD liked it, so I guess that's what counts! LOL

You can see the project in person, since I made a YouTube video about it. I had a really hard time getting good pics of the snow globe, so I think the video gives you a better idea of what it looks like.

And because I appreciate all you guys so much, I wanted to offer a little "Treat" of my own - the Halloween collection of course! To be entered to win, all you have to do is follow my blog through Google friend connect, and leave a comment on this post. I'm also giving away an alphabet and some felt pumpkin trim. You have until Sunday night to enter!

Now, hop on over to the next stop, the very talented Becky. And as you well know, each of us has a "secret" letter to share - make sure you collect all of them to get the "secret phrase" to be entered to win the grand prize. My secret letter is.... "L"

Be sure to check out all the blogs along the way to see what "Trick" or "Treat" the rest of the DT is offering! Here's the blog hop order if you lose your way:

My Little Shoebox Blog
Pearl Liu
Shemaine Smith
Zoe Nemburt
Mandy Starner
Pattie Beltran
Linda Kretz
Keely Yowler
Beckie Dreyer
Ilene Tell
Becky Williams
Rô Philippsen
Rocio Duran
Kristine Berc
Erin Yamabe

My Little Shoebox Card Day!!

2011-08-11T10:10:00.000-04:00

I have a few cards to share today. The first is a birthday card, and the laser cut chipboard sentiment is by Scrapmatts. Imaginisce also sponsored the MLS DT, so we got to play with their I-Rock, and bling and pretty flowers.

Using the I-Rock, I made another card. This one also uses the Garden Party line by MLS.

And finally, a Father's Day card I made for DH, and this was on the MLS blog yesterday. Here I used the City By The Bay line by MLS and some really old rub ons I had.

Harmonie Style

2011-08-09T19:57:00.002-04:00

I created this wintery LO, "Ski Style" using a combination of both of the 2 new Harmonie collections, Shabby Love and La Banquise. They actually go pretty well together even though they're so different! Their colors complement each other beautifully. For my LO that I made for the August challenge, I also combined both collections, but depending on which colors you focus on, you can use the combination on a Spring LO, as well as on a Winter LO.

Harmonie August Challenge!

2011-08-04T09:26:00.000-04:00

Check out the Harmonie challenge for this month on their BLOG. The challenge was to use at least 10 flowers - if you do create something, make sure you post it to be entered to win a prize package. To create this LO, I combined both of their new releases from CHA summer 2011 - La Banquise and Shabby Love.

Scraptacular August Kit!

2011-08-02T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, the kit is up for sale (HERE) and I also made a Haul Video about the kit, if you want to see it "in person". I made 3 LO's and an altered notebook. For the notebook, I simply used mixed media to alter a $1 Mead Marble Composition Notebook. And in other news, the 2 Basic Grey LO's and the Altered Notebook were all accepted into the Basic Grey gallery this morning! Yay :) The Basic Grey line that was part of the kit is "out of Print" and I was so happy to get it - it's definitely one of my fav new releases. Love the text and the mixed media feel and the colors. Well, here they are...

Altered Notebook (I also made a YouTube Video about it):

The first LO is "Read". I used Tim Holtz mistable kraft pp as the base and lots of rub-ons. To make the butterfly, I punched it out with my Martha Stewart punch, and then used two pearl-head pins that I bent slightly and then bound together with Tim Holtz tissue tape.

Next up is "Twirl". The two little girls are from Cosmo Cricket "Odds & Ends", as are the words. The heart I used my Tim Holtz movers & shapers die to cut out of chipboard.

And last (but hopefully not least), is "Life Is Good". The kit also included several sheets of Ad Lib pp by Bo Bunny. Again, I used my Tim Holtz mini rosettes die to make some of the flowers. The bird cage and butterfly are Pink Paislee "Butterfly Garden" die cuts.

A little out of the box!

2011-07-30T16:26:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, I have a couple projects to share with you today that are both a little out of the box. First up, I have a mixed media altered room sign I made using My Little Shoebox "Garden Party" pp. If you would like more info on how I made it, check out my YouTube video!!

And guess what...all the new My Little Shoebox CHA Summer 2011 releases are already available at 2Peas In a Bucket! All 6 new lines, as well as the Unity stamps that go with them.

And more...if you go to the MLS Blog, you can see so many projects that the MLS DT made using the I-Rock (Imaginisce sent them to the DT), as well as instructions on how to be entered to win one for yourself! Make sure to leave a comment there too and let them know I sent you :)

Ok, back to my altered art piece! The metal studs I added using the I-Rock and the chipboard birds and hanging sign are of course Scrapmatts laser-cut chipboard.

And one more project to share - a layout, but slightly out of the box. The background for this is a sheet of "Punky Playground" from Punky Sports - a 12x12 corrugated cardboard. The pp is Ruby Rock-It - they sponsored our DT and sent us some pp and die-cut tags and dimensional stickers - thanks! And the sketch is by Becky Fleck of Page Maps - the Punky Sprouts DT were guest designers for PageMaps for July - check out the rest of the DT's work and the awesome sketches HERE! This one is called "Who Knew That Mickey Tastes Good Too"....another lighthearted and fun LO from your truly :) Almost done with our Disney album!

Graphic 45 Le Cirque Mini Album...in a Circus Wagon :)

2011-07-28T09:21:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone....not sure if I'm breaking any kind of records right now, but here it is - my 3rd mini, 3rd day in a row. I hope you're not too sick of me yet LOL

This is a little mini using the G45 Le Cirque pp. If you want more of the story behind it, make sure you check out my YouTube video I made about it. So prepare yourselves....I have a TON of pics!

Cherish Life - Scrapmatts Mini Album

2011-07-27T06:56:00.000-04:00

Today I'm posting my Scrapmatts mini album that altered - this one was really fun to make and it's a nice size too. The front was made up of little puzzle pieces that I altered separately and inked and then put back together. And to go along with the fairy and butterfly garden theme (the pp and die cuts and metal charms and rub ons are all from the Pink Paislee "Butterfly Garden" line) I decided to make the photos a little "otherworldly" as well - I made them black and white and made the contrast of the black and white really sharp, and then printed them on white self-adhesive mulberry paper. Then I adhered them to pp from the collection. Since the mulberry paper was somewhat see through, the images from the pp show through a bit - I think the kids ended up looking like fairies...but not sweet fun fairies - more like fairies from a darker, slightly more sinister world. Tim Burton fairies versus Disney fairies. But that's right up my alley :) If you want to hear more about the other techniques and stuff, check out my video that I made about it.

Think She Wanted A Sister?

2011-07-26T06:22:00.001-04:00

That's the title of my mini album :) I made it using the Paper Lovelies August Kit and a Cosmo Cricket Blackboard album I had. DD found some ofher old clothes and dressed DS up as a boy...of course I had to get some pics, and then I waited a little while until the perfect pp came along...and this is the result! If you want, you can check out a YouTube video I made about this mini.

Paper Lovelies August Kit!

2011-07-25T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, the Paper Lovelies August kit is up for sale...and it's an unbelievable $15!! This kit is packed full of embellies and the entire "Odds & Ends" paper and stickers and letters kit from Cosmo Cricket. If you want to see all the contents "in person", check out my "haul" video. I made 3 layouts and a mini album since I was soooo in love with it, so today I wanted to share just the layouts. I will post pics of the mini tomorrow, but in the meantime, you can watch a video about it.

I made a July 4th LO - "Us Four on the 4th" - the blues and reds were perfect for this LO.

I also made a LO about DD, "Be Unique":

And finally, "Vintage Charm", and that cute little girl is my mom :)

Worst case scenario....

2011-07-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the birthday wishes for my DD. Today was to be her birthday party at Build A Bear...unfortunately we never made it there. Here's the news story. After an hour and a half in the car, in traffic, using the GPS to try different exits, all of which were closed, we gave up and went to Chuckie Cheese. Only 3 friends made it but she ended up having a great time after all. What a day for mommy though!! We made it through the drama, the heartbreak, the tears, and DS throwing up in the car and made the most of it :)

My Sweet Girl....is 7 Today!

2011-07-15T06:21:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it?!?! Well, I'm sure you can, but it's hard for me! LOL She's 7 and still so sweet. She loves to play with her brother and help us take care of him, she's so well behaved, and loving, and considerate. Sure, she's got some spice to go with all that sugar, but just the right amount. As Mary Poppins used to say, she's nearly perfect in every way :)

Hometown Summer Mini Album - July 4th!

2011-07-12T16:37:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, I made a mini about our 4th of July this year. I used my Hometown Summer collection since it was bright and fun and perfect for a hot day at the pool :) If you want to see more, I made a YouTube Video about it. You can see I made the most of my new Tim Holtz mini paper rosettes die!!

She really sparkled :)

2011-07-08T16:25:00.000-04:00

Morgan did the Odyssey of The Mind program and then competition this past year - she loved it and was so proud to get her huge ribbon! I used My Little Shoebox "City By The Bay" pp - LOVE that brick pattern pp!! Also, I wanted to emphasize the ribbon she got, so I wanted to add a rosette flower. But I had no die to make one, and I also had no score board, so I kind of came up with a way to make one anyways. I made a quick video tutorial on how you can make one.

Hometown Summer

2011-07-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, I have a few projects to share today. The Scrapstreet DT got some Pink Paislee to work with a while ago and I created two very different layouts using this very bright and summery line. I think it really goes to show that depending on which colors you pull, you can create a completely different feel.

First up is "Chill" - here, I went for a more cool and calm, relaxing by the water type feeling.

Fpr my second layout, I really focused on the bright and warm colors, to create that very sunny and hot beach day feeling. I love that scrapbooking allows us to convey more than just what happened or journaling about who did what - it gives us a chance to really capture the "feel" of the moment, and that's the art piece of scrapbooking! (Or at least so I think :)

And lastly, a really fun and bright thank you card, using this line. I think the really bright colors make it seem like I'm shouting the thank you at the top of my lungs :)

Make the most of your scraps!!

2011-07-03T06:35:00.001-04:00

Hi guys, today I have two new cards to share, both made out of really small scraps - I wanted to share some ideas on how to make the most out of those really small pieces you would normally just throw out.

The first card is an acrylic card, and I used an image transfer method - for details on how to do this, check out my YouTube video tutorial HERE.

The second card, I used those little paper strips you get when you cut off the info strip at the top of the Hamronie paper. I also did embossing...again, I have a video tutorial up on YouTube HERE, so check it out - I make the card in person and it only takes about 10 minutes.