Favorite Photos of January 2012

Justin was bemoaning that the blog rarely features photos of Charlotte these days.  It's all crafty and scrapbooking, he complained.  So, I'm gonna start a new installment just for my lovely husband and post my favorite twelve photos from each month (cause, well, it's 2012 and all).  Some were chosen cause I love the photo itself.  And others are just perfect snapshots of that memory or moment.  So, here they are...completely unadorned and unscrapped...my favorite twelve photos from January 2012.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Project 100 - Catching Up

I usually don't post photos of all my crafty projects.  Let's be serious - not everything is worth blogging.  But since I have committed myself to Project 100, I want to be accountable to y'all by showing that I am actively creating my way through 100 projects.  I know it's a bit of a modge podge of projects, but I need to get caught up with my online tally!!!


1.  Charlotte Thank You Cards.  For some reason, it is so hard for me to throw away Charlotte's drawings and paintings.  I know that to most people, they're nothing special.  But to me, the process of sitting down and creating art with her is so precious.  So instead of keeping every.single.piece.of.paper, I decided to repurpose many of them into her embarrassingly belated thank you cards.  ::hanging head in shame::

I cut down Charlotte's watercolor paintings and various pieces of cardstock/ patterned paper down to 4.25" x 5.5".  Next, I ran the paper through an embossing machine with a journaling embossing folder to create writing lines on the backside of the card.  Glue the artwork onto the patterned paper.  I stamped a "thank you" sentiment directly onto the artwork.  To finish the card off, I just machine stitched around the edges.  Super simple but I really like them.  


Supplies:  Stamp (Paper Smooches); Embossing Folder (Sizzix).


2.  100th Birthday Card.  This card was custom ordered through my facebook/ esty shop.  It was such an honor to make something for such a momentous celebration.  100 years - wow.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Crate Paper, Sassafras); Cardstock (American Crafts); Brads (American Crafts); Stamps (Lawn Fawn); Other (Silhouette Cameo, Jenni Bowlin Inks, Uniball Signo White Gel Pen).


3.  San Francisco Birthday Wishes.  Here is another custom birthday card for a San Francisco recipient, also ordered through the facebook/ etsy shop.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Echo Park, American Crafts); Cardstock (American Crafts, Core'dinations, Martha Stewart); Buttons (My Mind's Eye); Stamps (Lawn Fawn, Paper Smooches); Digital Files (Silhouette Online Store); Other (Silhouette Cameo, Fiskars Cloud Punch, Provo Craft Embossing Folder, Jenni Bowlin Inks).


4.  Blueberry Birthday Party.  I've been helping a friend with the paper products for her daughter's Blueberries for Sal themed birthday party.  Here are some sneaks at the banner, favor tags and invite I made for them.  Can't wait for the actual party next week!

5.  Nursery Name Decor.  An Addie B Designs customer requested some custom artwork to match her son's nursery decor.  I really love how the handstitching turned out on this one.

Supplies:  Digital Files (Silhouette Online Store); Other (Silhouette Cameo, We R Memory Keepers Floss).


6.  Bib Baby Card.  You've seen these before but I still love how adorable they are.  Here is another baby bib card made to coordinate with a custom Addie B Designs bib and burp cloth set.  

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Echo Park, American Crafts); Cardstock (American Crafts); Embellishments (Sassafras); Stamps (Lawn Fawn); Letter Stickers (Cosmo Cricket); Digital Files (Lettering Delights); Other (Silhouette Cameo, We R Memory Keepers Floss).


7.  Superbowl Cupcake Toppers.  This was one of my first attempts using the print and cut feature on the Silhouette Cameo.  LOVE!!!  I even had a customer purchase a set via our facebook page!

8.  Glass etched glass.  I think I might do a tutorial on this at some point.  I'm slowly getting obsessed with glass etching and the Silhouette Cameo lets me do it with such precision!

9.  Face Die Cuts.  And finally, someone saw my hairclip cards on etsy and requested some face die cuts.  I was so excited to get a "random customer" and ended up making her 50 of these die cuts with various colors and hair styles!  Here's a sample.

So now, the grand total as of today (and counting in project speak)?  12 thank you cards, 2 birthday cards, 1 birthday invite, 1 birthday banner, 2 birthday tags, 1 bib card, 1 nursery decor, 2 cupcake toppers, 1 glass etched beer pint, 3 face die cuts.  That's 26 projects in this blog post!!!  Wohoo!!!


Project 100 Update:  74 down, 26 to go.

Take Twelve Project - February 12

I love how the Take 12 Project falls on a different day of the week each month.  This month, the 12th fell on a Sunday while my college roommate and best friend, Melissa, was in town.  It amazes me that even after all these years, we are still such amazingly close friends.  And talk about dedication, this girl has visited me in every city I have ever moved to (including Melbourne, Australia after college).  Love you, Mel.  And if good friends don't help you find balance in your life, I'm not sure what does.

The idea behind this layout was to create a map of the places we visited in Newport, Rhode Island that day.  My inspiration for this layout were the amazing illustrations Oliver Jeffers made for United Airlines.  Using my Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Studio Software, I created this large diecut of the Newport coastline.  I then tracked the different places we visited with some handstitching and October Afternoon Mini Market stickers.  I also made sure to include a time stamp for each of the little photos.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Echo Park - For the Record); Stickers and Embellishments (Echo Park - For the Record, Sassafras, American Crafts); Letter Stickers (American Crafts, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket); Other (Martha Stewart Border Punch; We R Memory Keepers Floss).


You can find my January Take 12 layout here.  And don't forget to check out all the other members of the Take 12 Team at Ella Publishing to see their fabulous takes on the challenge. 

Aliza Deutsch
Angela Gutshall
Jennie McGarvey
Lisa Ottosson
Stephanie Medley-Rath
Margie Scarpignato
Monica Bradford
Lisa Day
Janette Kincaid

Remember, you have until midnight EST Saturday, February 18 to upload your project here to win the awesome prize given away at Ella Publishing worth $79.99!!  Hope you get to play along!!


Project 100 Update:  48 down, 52 to go.  


As always, thanks for looking!

Tutorial - DIY Love Message Board (Silhouette Cameo and Adhesive Vinyl)

I originally posted a photo of this love message board on the Valentine's Day blog post.  

The idea originally grew from this project I saw on pinterest which simply has a printed sentiment on patterned paper (you can totally do that without a fancy die cutting machine)!  But for mine, I went a tad bit fancier by cutting some adhesive vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.  Here's how I did it.

1.  Buy a Frame.  I got this one with a weathered wood look from TJ Maxx for $8.  If we weren't living in such temporary accommodations, I'd probably swipe the frame my mother has with my hideous second grade photo.  

2.  Cut Patterned Paper to Fit Inside the Frame.  I used this adorable heart argyle paper from We R Memory Keepers.  While this paper is relatively busy, I would steer clear of anything too busy or dark.

3.  Cut a Sentiment out of Adhesive Vinyl.  I used a sentiment from Kerri Bradford's "All About You" digital shape set.  I simply opened the image in my Silhouette Studio software, loaded up my Cricut adhesive vinyl and cut away.  I personally found that setting the blade to a setting of "2" (versus the "1" that the software suggests) gave me a much cleaner cut.

4.  Adhere Transfer Tape onto the Cut Image.  Cut down your transfer tape to fit your cut image.  Peel the backing off and place the sticky side down onto the vinyl image.  (Remember to not throw away the backing though - I use my transfer tape about 3-4 times before I throw it out.)  Using transfer tape ensures that your image doesn't get all warped while "transferring" it from the vinyl backing to whatever surface you are adhering it to.  I would also use a popsicle stick or credit card to burnish that tape well onto the image just to make sure it's completely on.

5.  Peel Off the Adhesive Vinyl Backing.  The stick side of the vinyl should now be facing up.  

6.  Transfer the Vinyl Image onto the Glass.  I first place the image down where I want it then burnish it to make sure that the vinyl is actually sticking to the glass where you want it.

Once you're sure that the image is adhered to the glass, slowly peel back the transfer tape.

Then... viola!!!  A beautiful vinyl image right on your frame!

To make "love" stand out a bit more, I cut out just that work in a coordinating colored paper and then taped it right on the vinyl.  

Seriously easy and this idea/ technique can be applied for so many different projects.  Think menu boards, decorated photo frames...possibilities are endless.  So stay calm and craft on.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Whatever the Weather {a scrapbook layout} and Project Life - Week 4

Whatever the Weather {a scrapbook layout}.  I finally got my hands on the year.o.graphy collection by Simple Stories.  This paper collection is just gorgeous and I love how easy it is to simply cut up and use for Project Life or year/ month-in-review pages.  For my first project using this delicious paper, I decided to go for a more traditional layout.

The inspiration behind this layout is one of Charlotte's favorite board books, Bear in Sunshine.  The story is about a bear who learns about all the different seasons and always finds a way to have fun regardless of the weather.  Specifically, one page of the story reads: "Whatever the weather, come snow, rain or sun, Bear always knows how to have lots of fun."  I thought this was the perfect title.

The title element sheet in the year.o.graphy collection includes these adorable stitched scenes that served as the perfect backdrop for the "snow, rain or sun" photos and words on the page.  

 

  

Because I wanted the photos to stand out, I covered the title strips with some vellum to slightly tone down the colors.  I also used the graphic and letter stickers from the collection kit throughout the layout.  Finally, I added some machine stitching over the letter stickers (yeah...might have gone a bit overboard there), string along the banner, glossy accents on the birds, and some buttons on the stickers.  

 Supplies:  Simple Stories (patterned paper, letter stickers, stickers); Buttons (My Mind's Eye); Brads (Crate Paper); Other Letter Stickers (Sassafras, American Crafts, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket).

Project Life - Week 4.  I'm still loving Project Life and how fulfilling it feels to be documenting our everyday memories.  This week I kept everything pretty simple since the layout was so photo heavy, relying on washi tape flags and journaling stickers from my January Counterfeit Kit.

Week 4 Highlights.  Tet, the lunar new year.  Silhouette Cameo.  Charlotte's first potty.  Fort Adams.


As always, thanks for stopping by!

Project 100 Update:  47 down, 53 to go.  

Happy Valentine's Day - Ten Crafty Projects

I've been crafting up a storm this Valentine's Day and wanted to share all the adorable cards, tags and projects I've been making for Vanlikethecar Designs!!

1.  Chanel-Inspired Valentine.  My friend request a card for his Chanel-loving wife so I wanted to somehow mimic those gorgeous quilted Chanel bags.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye); Cardstock (American Crafts); Stamps (Lawn Fawn, Inkadinkadoo); Digital Files (Silhouette Online Store).

2.  Marine Corps Valentine.  This valentine was custom ordered for a Marine Corps dad from his Navy daughter.  The flag and Marine Corps seal are both hand stamped, hand colored and then covered in glossy accents for a three dimensional look.

Supplies:  Cardstock (American Crafts, Bazzil); Stamps (Unity); Other (Glossy Accents).

3.  Conversation Hearts Pop-Up Valentines.  I love the look of long cards that fit inside a business envelope.  These are embellished with a rainbow of conversation hearts and have a pop up greeting on the inside.

Supplies:  Cardstock (American Crafts, Martha Stewart); Baker's Twine (Twinery); Digital Files (Silhouette Online Store).

4.  Love Bites Valentine.  This is a shape card for a little boy who loves sharks.  I initially wanted to place the heart banner on the outside but it didn't look right for some reason.  So I placed it on the inside along with some letter stickers saying "Love Bites."

Supplies:  Cardstock (American Crafts, Martha Stewart); Stamps (A*Muse); Letter Stickers (Echo Park); Digital Files (Hero Arts).

5.  Curious George Loves You.  My daughter is a Curious George fanatic so I made this cute little card to look like Curious George is holding a banner holding her name.  Super simple but I think she'll love it.

Supplies:  Cardstock (American Crafts); Stamps (Lawn Fawn). 

6.  I Cereal-ously Like You Valentine Tags.  This was inspired by something a friend saw on Pinterest and she wanted to make them for her daughter's preschool classmates.  I couldn't resist also making some for Charlotte.

Supplies:  Cardstock (American Crafts, Georgia Pacific); Embossing Folder (Provocraft); Digital Files (Silhouette Online Store). 

7.  I Like You a Ton Valentine Tags.  These are some cute tags for a friend to add to her son's treat bags.

Supplies:  Cardstock (Georgia Pacific, Martha Stewart); Baker's Twine (Twinery); Digital Files (Lettering Delights). 

8.  I Like You to the Core Valentine Tags.  I made these tags for Charlotte's classmates.  I wrapped a bag of apple chips in the lunch bag and just tied it all together with some green yarn.  

Supplies:  Cardstock (Georgia Pacific); Digital Files (Lettering Delights). 

9.  Candy Boxes and Tags.  These are the little candy boxes I made and filled with homemade chocolates for Charlotte's teachers.  For the tags, I simply hand stamped some cute images/ sentiments onto shipping tags and colored them in.

Supplies:  Shipping Tags (Avery); Stamps (A*Muse); Cardstock (Recollections; Martha Stewart); Digital Files (Loni Stevens). 

10.  I Love You Frame.  And finally, here is a frame I made for Justin and I.  Since you can use dry erase markers on glass, Justin and I write reasons why we love each other on the frame every day.  It's a good way for us to keep things in perspective.  I will post a tutorial on how to make your own soon.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (We R Memory Keepers); Vinyl (Silhouette); Digital Files (Kerri Bradford).

Whew...that was a lot of crafting for Valentine's Day!!!  Thank you again for all the support and for dropping by.

Project 100 Update:  46 down, 54 to go.  There were three conversation heart cards and I'm counting each candy box as a separate project.