A Gift of Love

I hope you had a chance to celebrate Valentine's on Tuesday, whether  it was a romantic dinner with your sweetie or helping with your children's Valentine's party at school.  If you did, I am sure you managed to snap a few (or a lot in my case) photos of all of the happenings that day.  Now, you've just got to pick the perfect papers and embellishments to get those photos scrapbooked.  Well, I think Scraphappy has just the thing your looking for!!  Christy has an adorable line by BoBunny called "A Gift of Love".  These papers just scream Valentines.  The colors range from pink, red, brown, and cream and there are some great brads, pearls, sticker sheets and other fun embellies that coordinate with the papers.

I took a couple of photos of my daughter working on her Valentine's on Monday to give out at our Homeschool Valentine's party and got them scrapped that afternoon.

I love the large heart-shaped paper that goes along with the collection!  It's perfect for an instant matting for all of the elements on your page.  Sometimes the shape papers can be a little intimidating to use, but this one was really easy.  I just tilted it on my background paper and layered my photos, journaling, and title over the shape.  I cut a border strip from one of the patterned papers and used my scallop scissors on the notebook style paper and then added one of the border stickers from the sticker sheet.  There were some really cute circle stickers on the sticker sheet and I added some pop dots behind those to add a little dimension to the page.  I also used the papers again, but cutting three free-hand circles (they don't have to be perfect circles), roughing and curling up the edges with my scissors, and then layering them together to create a textured flower.  The brads that go with this collection  are so cute and I had fun using them as the centers of my flowers.

I hope you will stop in the store between now and this weekend and pick up some of the BoBunny line.  You definitely won't be disappointed and I think it will be just the motivation you need to start getting those Valentine's photos onto your scrapbook pages!! 

CHA Post Winner!

Thanks everyone for your patience. But without further ado, the winner from our CHA posts is:

MICHELLE DAVIS!

And what have you won? Good question! Christy has put together a fun prize pack for you, including a mini scrapbooking caddy bag, a 7Gypsies shadobox, a Hero Arts stamp set, a cherry chipboard mini album, journalling cards, Elle's studio tags, and some Bella Boulevard patterned papers! Here's a picture...

Michelle - Come by the store and pick up your prize whenever you get a chance! And thanks so much for commenting on my CHA posts. 

Love Notes, Part 2 - A Layout

Hello, World!

Yesterday I showed you a memo board project using some My Mind's Eye Lost and Found papers and embellishments. Today I'm going to show you what I did with my remaining bits and pieces from this line. Since I am a Layout Girl at heart, and I don't like tossing or wasting any little bits of scraps, I decided to make a layout.

Do you remember how I had cut my title on my Silhouette? Well, that negative space cutout called to me, and I decided to write a Love Note to my oldest daughter. I used the cutout title as a mask to spray a title onto a free-hand cut heart from yesterday's leftovers using some Tattered Angels spray mists. I emphasized the title by tracing over it with some Smooch ink to make it more legible. I then layered my heart with my photo and some other scraps to make this quick and easy layout. My journalling is on a tag that I also decorated with scraps before tucking it behind my photo.

Thanks for being here and for checking in on the blog!as always, please leave a comment if you have any questions, requests, or thoughts you want to share!
- Cori

Love Notes Memo Board

Happy February, World!

I hope you've enjoyed all the peaks from CHA over the last week or so. Aren't there some serious pretty-pretties out there awaiting our Crafty Pleasure? I don't know about you, but I am excited about all the new stuff that is coming out right now. One of the lines that never fails to get me excited is My Mind's Eye's Lost and Found, and they've outdone themselves with their latest release, and fortunately, Christy let me play with some. Yeah, Me!

I don't know if you've ever noticed them in the store, but there are these lovely pieces of sheet metal just waiting for your creative touch. They are magnetic and make wonderful gifts for friends and family. Think of them as metal bases for a layout that you can readjust to suit your whims. Or as a decorative memo board that you can add pictures and To-Do lists to. Anything your creativity can imagine! Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I decided to make my magnet board a base for some Love Notes.

The plain, undecorated magnet board is a little bigger than 8.5x11'', so you'll need at least 2 sheets of patterned paper or card stock to fully cover the surface. I chose to use the Eiffel Tower paper on the top, and to ground it with the Birds on a Wire paper. I used my Xyron Cheetah runner as my base adhesive, because I wanted a good, firm, all-over coverage that wouldn't peel up later.

To cover the seam where the 2 papers meet, I adhered some Pink Paislee mistables ribbon that I had stained with Tim Holtz's Spun Sugar Distress Stain. I used 2 layers of the ribbon, because I wanted a pretty layered look to my ruffle. Very Girly here, I know, but I wanted a soft, romantic feel to display my Valentines on.

I cut my title on my Silhouette using the Pacifico font (my new favorite script font, because it welds and cuts so nicely, while still being legible). I then inked the edges and adhered it to my board over some labels that I had cut from another sheet of paper in this line. I finished my title with some Stickles to add some sparkle and shine.

To make the magnets, themselves, I used some plain, small, round magnets as a base. I colored the tips of my Pink Paislee mistables flowers with the same Distress Stain from my ruffle, stuck a Theresa Collins brad through the center, and glue-dotted it to the magnet. Very quick and simple, yet still pretty and moveable.

To finish my board, I used my crop-o-dile to punch some holes in the top and threaded some gingham ribbon through the holes so that I can hang it on the wall. And voila! A beautiful Love Note to share with your family and friends!

- Cori

Tiny, stamped Valentines, using the K.I.S.S. technique and more!

This cute little set of Valentines was stamped with Love 'n Breakfast from Lawn Fawn available here. The cards measure just 2 x 2 and are oh so cute!  The KISS Technique is "Keep It Simple Stupid".  I used just one extra color on each one...Pink for the stud muffin, a little bit of yellow for my eggs and an oh so cute red bowtie for my toast!  (Who doesn't love a piece of toast in a bowtie?)   This set of three took me about 20 minutes to make...no time at all!

CHA continued...

Hello, World!
CHA is over, but I've got one last set of pictures to show you for your viewing and commenting pleasure. There was so much goodness to see at this show, my husband is NOT going to be happy with my Wishlist once this stuff starts shipping. LOL.

1. First up for today: Bo Bunny - Bo Bunny has debuted my favorite lines from them EVER. Since we live at the beach, these two summer lines will be perfect for all our summer and beachy layouts and projects. And look those letter stickers...I have a slight alphabet addiction, and this season's new releases are totally feeding that need. Several of the companies are now producing multiple alphabets on 1 sheet of stickers so you can have multiple choices. I tried to win the On the Go collection for ya'll, but they ran out before I could get there. Oh well.



2. Next up, Bella Blvd - Bella Blvd is known for bright, fun, happy designs, and this show's new releases stick with that theme. The new lines focus on Easter, Spring, Summer, and Babies. Their Baby lines come in either blue or pink with a coordinating 'We're Expecting' mini-line. Super cute.

 And again...The alphabets!!! Love these.

 And look at the Sophisticates...Tone-on-tone basics to coordinate with any project you may have, Bella Blvd or otherwise. So wonderful.

3. And one of my favorite companies at this year's CHA: Studio Calico. I loved every single thing about their booth. The papers. The stencils. The Mister Huey's spray mists (more paint-based than Tattered Angels spray mists, thereby giving a more opaque coverage). The wood veneer shapes...Wow.

 Look at those 50 states pieces. They come in both wood veneer and die-cut papers. I have so many projects in mind for these babies...

OK. So this ends our Winter CHA coverage. I hope you've enjoyed all the pics! There is so much else that I saw and loved, but the pictures didn't come out well enough to share. But trust me when I say that October Afternoon and Jillybean Soup's new releases are as gorgeous as any I've shown here. Don't forget to comment and tell us what you want to see in the store! We'll be drawing for our prize pack in the next few days, so watch the blog to see if you've won!

- Cori

More CHA

OK Gang,
CHA is over (sigh), and my family is now packed into the RV driving our way back home to Mobile. I am so glad I have been able to attend CHA this year and show the crafty goodness to you! Hopefully, this will become an annual tradition, but I'm just going to have to keep my fingers crossed :) In the meantime, I want to keep showing you some of my favorites from the show floor. So let's get started!

1. Canvas Corp - Canvas Corp has chosen texture as its company theme. Chalkboard paper, canvas, burlap, muslin...all are fair game for this company. Their chalkstock paper (black cardstock with a chalkboard finish) is the BEST black paper ever for journalling and doodling on with a white pen - especially perfect for Halloween-themed projects. And their burlap and canvas shapes...If you love fabric and texture on your projects, then you will love Canvas Corp. Their products come in various shapes and sizes, perfect for everything from cards and ornaments and tote bags to wall-sized home decor.

 They even have a heavy-cardstock line of patterned papers. Their kraft is reminiscent of grocery sacks - heavy and perfect.

 And see those stars??? and the dyed burlap and canvas flowers??? WOW!

And now for my very favorite item from the entire show floor: Canvas and burlap stockings. I don't know why I love them so much, but I do.These WILL be a part of my Christmas crafting next year. Trust me on this.

2. Hambly Screen Prints - How many of you have actually played with Hambly's transparencies? They're hard to use, aren't they? What I have found is that if I cut them down into smaller bits and pieces they make excellent embellishments and are easier to work with. That being said, in addition to their normal 12x12 transparencies (and NEW! coordinating cardstock), Hambly is releasing lines of smaller-sized transparencies, designed to be used with smaller projects (If you are participating in Becky Higgins' Project Life, then you'll understand what I mean when I say that these smaller transparencies are designed to fit within Project Life page protectors). Their new lines are beautiful. Saturated, on-trend colors and designs. Airplanes. Hot air balloons. Journalling spots. They're all good.

3. And lastly for today, Theresa Collins. I was so glad to see that she is branching out with her color schemes. Theresa's lines have tradionally been black and white, with a little pink or seasonal color added in. This time, she has infused her papers with color throughout. I seriously think this is my favorite release from her EVER. Enjoy!

Look at those rich purples and yellow-gold papers. Can we say Mardi Gras?!!

Ok. That's it for today! Remembe to comment and let us know what you want to see in the store! I only have a few more posts of CHA coverage to go, so we'll be drawing for the prize sometime next week!

- Cori

CHA Day 4

Hello, World!
CHA has officially ended for this year, but don't worry, the pics are gonna keep coming for awhile!
Remember, these pictures are going to help Christy decide what to order for the store soon, so if you want any input, you've got to comment! Please! I thrive on comments. It's pitiful, but it does make me happy :) And besides, every day that you comment, you'll be entered into a drawing for a prize pack from Scraphappy.

Today we are going to focus on some of the smaller companies showing here.
1. First up, Kaiser Craft. Kaiser Craft is an Australian company that has a huge presence Down Under, but which you don't find very often here in the States. But their stuff is awesome. I really, really like! You'll notice in these pictures, that there are 6x6 paper pads for each collection. This has been a general trend at this year's CHA. Most of the companies are producing their lines in this manner. The patterns are usually scaled down a bit to make them perfect for card making or when you only want a small bit of pattern on your project. If you ever study my layouts, you'll see that this is a technique I use over and over again, so I typically like to buy the 6x6 pads whenever I can.

2. And now, Simple Stories...I know several of you are Simple Stories addicts, so I had to find their booth to show you their latest and greatest. Honestly, some of these new papers are my favorites from them EVER. Just wait till you see the 12x12 sheet of mini-Bingo cards. I mean, seriously, HELLO! Can I hoard you until eternity? Lol.

And look at these new album pages. Simple Stories is introducing a line of customizable 6x8" minibooks. You mix and match the page protectors and papers to make the album however you want it. I'm thinking this is what I'll use for next year's December Daily album. It's that perfect.

 3. And lastly for today, 7Gypsies. If you have ever used 7Gypsies before, then you know that they are known for vintage chic. Their shadowboxes and hardware pieces make gorgeous home decor. If you read the blog regularly, then you saw my Christmas shadow box I made using a 7Gypsies product. They have now introduced shadow boxes in various dimensions, some of which even have circular openings.

Ok. That's all for today.  I hope you're enjoying the inspiration and new products! Keep the comments coming! Until tomorrow...
- Cori