Xyron and Little Yellow Bicycle and May Arts Blog Hop

There is an awesome blog hop happening all week with Xyron, Little Yellow Bicycle (LYB) and May Arts Ribbon.  The box I got to play with was filled with so much awesomeness from the LYB Poppy and Naturals line and some seriously gorgeous ribbon from May Arts.  Can someone say inspiring?!?!?

1.  Daughters Layout.  This first layout was 100% inspired by the papers and images in the brand new LYB Poppy Collection.  I wanted my layout to look like a field filled with poppies and used the gorgeous LYB papers and my Silhouette Cameo to cut this poppy cut file multiple times and in different sizes.

Supplies:  Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron Tape Runner, Xyron 1.5" Create-Sticker, DIY Foam Tape); Little Yellow Bicycle (Patterned Paper, Journaling Cards, Stick Pins, Vellum Tape); Cardstock (American Crafts); Letter Stickers (American Crafts, October Afternoon); Ink (Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Stickles, Memento, Stazon); Digital Cut File (Sweet Elise); Stamps (Office Max, American Crafts - Amy Tangerine); Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher.

I loved using the LYB Journaling Cards and Vellum Tape (which is my new obsession btw!) to create a simple photo cluster at the top of the layout.

And while it took a long to cut all of the flower pieces and to assemble them, I love how dimensional the poppy garden looks!

Crafting Tip:  When assembling cut outs that include small intricate pieces (like the yellow and black flower centers), use the Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker to easily and quickly add adhesive to the tiny pieces.

2.  Seed Packet Gift.  Since the Poppy Collection has a spring and garden theme, it worked really well for this little gift packaging I made for some seed packets. The LYB Journaling Cards include a few adorable tag shapes that are the perfect base for layering stickers and sentiments.  The May Arts Ribbon also provided the perfect finishing touch.

Supplies:  Adhesives (NEW Xyron Double Sided Tape, DIY Foam Tape); Little Yellow Bicycle (Patterned Paper, Journaling Cards, Cardstock Stickers, Cardstock Word Stickers); Ribbon (May Arts); Digital Cut File (Lori Whitlock).

Crafting Tip:  When assembling projects that are either three dimensional or that will get handled more (like the bag in the project above), use the NEW Xyron Double Sided Tape to adhere the project together.  This is similar to the red liner tape but easily rips off with just your fingers.  It truly is a must have in every craft room!

3.  Hair Clip Card.  May Arts Ribbon is deliciously beautiful.  It comes it all shapes and sizes and colors and textures.  When I see beautiful ribbon, I instantly want to roll it up into a flower and add it to a clip for my daughter.  And one of my favorite go to quick and easy gifts is a card with the hair clip actually integrated into the design.

Supplies:  Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, DIY Foam Tape, NEW Xyron Double Sided Tape); Little Yellow Bicycle (Patterned Paper, Journaling Cards, Cardstock Stickers, Cardstock Word Stickers, Burlap Flowers); Cardstock (Neena Paper); Ribbon (May Arts), Embossing Folder (Lifestyle Crafts).

And here is a picture of the hair clip removed from the card.

Crafting Tip:  Consider dissecting elements of premade embellishments to fit your needs.  For this card, I removed the leaves from the LYB Burlap Flower to use on my card.  I can use the circle and button elements for another project.  And for fabric or ribbon elements, use Xyron Double Sided Tape to make sure that it adheres securely to your project.

Be sure to visit the Xyron Blog and Xyron Facebook Page all week for more inspiration from all three of our design teams!  As always, thanks for stopping by!

{More} Catching Up - Digital Projects for Jessica Spraue

I just wanted to share some layouts I recently made for JessicaSprague.com.  They highlight some fabulous digital products from Echo Park, Pink Paislee, Carina Gardner and Lori Whitlock.

1.  Paradise Cove at Disney California Adventure.  Before Justin left on deployment, we had a family weekend at Disneyland and it was AWESOME watching how excited Charlotte was.  Here is a layout I made from some photos at Paradise Cove.

Digital Supplies:  Echo Park (Everyday Eclectic); Spendid Fiins (@ the office supplies 1, Evidence-polaroid frames, lights, camera, action! -vintage set).  Sketch by Jennifer McDermott for Scrapbooksteals.com (Mid Week Mojo - Pearl 4).

2.  Flying like an Airplane.  Charlotte and I met up with some friends at the Speckles Park in Coronado a few weeks ago and I snapped these adorable photos of her on the swing "flying like an airplane."  

Digital Supplies:  Pink Paislee (Shabby Sugarland); Splendid Fiins (Lights Camera Action - Vintage Set, Wishy Washy - At the Office, Baker's Twine Photo Megapack, @ the Office - Supplies 1).

3.  Our Daughter.  This was a new type of page for me, attempting to extract a photo from it's background.   The background text says "A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future."  

Digital Supplies:  Pink Paislee (Shabby Sugarland Collection).

4.  You Can Reach for the Stars.  I bought this t-shirt for Charlotte and she couldn't stop giggling every time I read what it said.  The journaling is just a short letter to Charlotte from me.

5.  Sweet Berry Farm.  This is a fall themed layout using products from Lori Whitlock.  I can't believe that it's already September and that fall is already here!  Pumpkins and falling leaves are definitely already on my mind!

Supplies:  Lori Whitlock (Autumn Afternoon, Patriotic Picnic Elements); Design by Dani (Boy Crazy Complete Kit); Sketch by Katrina Hunt for ScrapbookSteals.com.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Settling In: Charlotte's Big Girl Room

When we first moved back to San Diego a few weeks ago, our number one priority was getting Charlotte settled in.  That meant getting her "stuff" unpacked, buying a big girl bed, and doing everything we could to make her feel "at home" before Justin left and the onslaught of change commenced.  Gauging from these photos, I would say mission accomplished.

For me, that also meant trying to make her room feel as cozy as possible without spending much money (since we are in such temporary quarters...aka, my parent's house).  Thankfully, I had all of my crafting supplies on hand and was able to make some room decor to match her new bedding.

1.  Owl Room Sign {a home decor project}.  Charlotte's new bedding is just filled with the most adorable little owls.  I wanted to mimic those owls for her door sign.  I die cut an owl image on my Silhouette Cameo, adhered it to an embroidery hoop lined with some staples and DIY foam tape, then viola!  A seriously cute sign to hang on Charlotte's door.

Supplies:  Digital Files (Lori Whitlock); Patterned Paper (Momenta - Chloe's Garden); Cardstock (American Crafts, Colorbok, Core'dinations); Rhinestones (Momenta); Letter Sticker (American Crafts - Thickers); Ribbon (American Crafts); Adhesives (Xyron 5" Creative Station; Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker; Xyron 2.5" Sticker Marker; Xyron Mega Runner); Tattered Angles Glimmer Mist; Canvas Fabric; Embroidery Hoop; Uni-ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen; Stickles by Ranger; Foam Sheets.

2.  Family Banner {a home decor project}.  I wanted to make a banner for Charlotte's room that we could hang up in her room year round. 

Each of the little animals on the banner represents a different member of our family.  Since Justin probably feels more comfortable on water than on land, he's the whale.

My love for Australia seemed to justify making me a koala.  And Charlotte, well, she's our little monkey.  Silly little girl.

And to make it extra special, I just embellished the letters with various stickers.

Supplies:  Momenta - Chloe's Garden (Patterned Paper, Stickers); Cardstock (Recollections); Ribbon (American Crafts); Cricut (Birthday Bash, Create-a-Critter); Uni-ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen; Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Adhesives (Xyron 5" Creative Station).

3.  Happiness Frame {a home decor project}.  I shared this project a few weeks ago but wanted to just post photos again since it was part of Charlotte's room decor project.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Momenta - Chloe's Garden); Cardstock (Colorbok); Stickers and Rhinestones (Momenta); Stamps (Lawn Fawn); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner; Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker; Xyron 2.5" Sticker Maker); Digital Files (Silhouette Stuido Store - Retro Tree); Gloss Accents; White Acrylic Paint.

4.  Charlotte's Big Girl Bed {a digital scrapbook layout}.  Finally, here is a digital scrapbook layout I made documenting Charlotte's new room using some gorgeous new digital products from Lori Whitlock (available at JessicaSprague.com).  And conveniently enough, it matched that owl door sign perfectly!

Digital Supplies:  Lori Whitlock (Spring Celebration Collection); Splendid Fiins (Office Supplies).

As always, thanks for stopping by!