Elmo Invitations

We interrupt your regularly scheduled challenge to bring to you a side project that i've been working on. My son's 1st Birthday party invites! I cannot believe that my little man is turning one. WOW! Time sure has flown by.

We are throwing the little buddy a Sesame Street party complete with Elmo invitations!

 I used my Cricut machine to cut out the Elmo figure, and I did a little configuring on my computer to get the paper to print in the correct spots. Otherwise, Elmo's fingers will cut off party information.

I am also working on a banner and photo booth props for the party. I'll post them as I complete each project. Thanks for stopping by today. Hope to see you all back here soon.

Have a lovely day :)

March Challenge | Card #7

Its Monday! I know it's been a couple weeks since my last post. Sometimes, life just gets in the way of the fun things that we wish to be doing. Don't worry, we are all doing well, and I am back with my 7th card in the series!

This card is all about color and pattern. Sometimes paring patterns can be risky. If you choose patterns that are too close in size, your project may become too busy. However, in the case of today's card, the patterns are very similar in size, but, it works because its a mix of simple and complex. Uncomplicated patterns, such as polka dots, mix well with patterns that contain more detail, such as candles.  When mixing patterns, you want to aim for opposite sized patterns or a mix of simple and complex. We could also talk about color, but that in itself is a whole other post.

Have a Lovely Day :)

March Challenge | Card #6

Happy Monday! I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. We had a great time here :) Our little guy got to go bowling for the first time (well he's 10 months old so he didn't really bowl, but he still loved being there.) And, we spent the rest of the weekend just relaxing and binge watching a new show on Netflix. It was wonderful!

So without farther ado, here is the 6th card of my March Challenge.

Two strips of patterned paper and layered die cut tags make this card simply wonderful!

Here's a peak of the inside

Thank you for coming by today. Have a lovely day :)

March Challenge | Card #5

TGIF!! Its 5th card Friday!!!

Today's card is simple yet slightly clever. I chose to go with a more muted pattern to fill the card, and i used a strip of another patterned paper to make the candle.

To make the candle, I glued a small piece of twine on one edge of a strip of paper. Then I simply rolled up the paper and adhered it to my card. I cut small angles on the top of the candle to make it appear more realistic.

Hope your inspired for a crafty weekend! Have a lovely day :)

March Challenge | Card #4

Hello Hello Hello!!! I've got a little early-bird baby this morning. My husband's new job has him up MUCH earlier than we're used to, and baby boy seems to think that that means he needs to get up too.  But, we're not just talking awake, he's like a little Tasmanian devil child. He has already figured out how to dismantle our trash can, found the cords under the tv console, pulled all his toys out to to the middle of the room, and tried pulling all the clothes out of my drawers while I was getting dressed. Ugh! I'm a morning person, but this is ridiculous! Slow down little man...

Okay... Are you ready for card #4?

Of course you are ;)

I used some mint green scraps and added a scalloped edge for color and interest. Then i mounted some die cut flowers on 3-D Dots. The flower is cut from a printed acetate so it adds a nice shadow and shine.

To cover the 3-D dot, so that you can't blatantly see the glue through the acetate, I punched out some numbers from a piece of scrap from yesterday's card.

Hope you enjoyed. Have a lovely day :)

March Challenge | Card #3

Happy Hump Day!! Boy, it sure is nice to see the sun today. However, its still freezing cold here. Spring just can't seem to come fast enough, because I feel a bit of cabin fever coming on. I just want be able to go outside for a walk without feeling like my toes are going numb.

Okay, enough ranting.... I'm sure you didn't visit today just to hear me complain ;)

PRESENTING... Card #3!!

Another great way to maximize patterned paper is to cut it into strips and mix up the patterns. It adds variety and interest and can be done with scraps you may just have laying around.

The ribbon was made with a scallop punch and some free-hand cutting. I mounted it on some foam squares to add dimension.

Thank you for stopping by (and putting up with my weather rant...I know I'm in Michigan... I should just deal with it!)

Have a lovely day :)

Great Lakes Mega Meet | It's Coming...

I AM SOOO EXCITED!!! The Great Lakes Mega Meet registration opens today at 7pm. If you have never been to the this event, you are missing out! It's filled with tons of shopping, classes, and cropping parties... not to mention TONS of PRIZES!

The Mega Meet is a 3-day event on the first weekend of May. It takes place in Novi, MI at the Suburban Collection Showplace. My favorite part of the show is the GIANT crop party on Friday night! With hundreds of crafters in one room, and lots of contests and prizes, how could you not have fun?!

Click the link here to visit the site for more details: Great Lakes Mega Meet

Hope to see you there! Have a lovely day :)

March Challenge | Card #2

Happy Tuesday!

Here is my second card of the month...

Nothing says celebration like banners that mention cake! ;) I used a medium sized square of the patterned paper and toped it with a large banner tied off with some twine.

The sentiment is embossed in an opaque white to give dimension and texture. (Note: I had a little issue with powder spreading around on me so the words are not clear as they should be. I guess I'm gonna have to invest in an embossing bag to get rid of the static.)

I can't wait to see you here tomorrow for more! Have a lovely day :)

March Challenge | Card #1

Did you know that march was national craft month?! Well in celbration i've set forth a challenge to use one 6x6 paper pad to make as many cards as possible with little to no waste.

Introducing... CARD  #1

A good way to make a big impact with patterned paper, while still maximizing supplies, is to cut the scraps into 1" squares and mixing up the patterns. A simple grid pattern always looks clean and modern.

I used stamps to "pattern" the white side of the card without using paper from my 6x6 pad, and I raised the "cake and candles" label up on foam squares to add dimension.

Hope you're feeling inspired! See you here tomorrow. Have a lovely day :)

March Card Challenge

Welcome to March!!! A new Month and hopefully a fresh start here in the TLC house. We have had a crazy February, lots of sickness passed around and lots of stress (not to mention the frigid temperatures), but my dear husband starts his new job this month and I've got a few wonderful things to look forward to myself.

Drum roll.....

Introducing the March Card Challenge! During the month of March I will be using one 6x6 paper pad and few pieces of card stock to make as many cards as possible. The challenge is to see just how many different cards I can make with little to no wasted scraps.

For this month's challenge I am focusing on birthday cards made with the "It's a Celebration" paper stack by Carta Bella.

If your feeling inspired by the challenge, please feel free to play along with your own choice of a 6x6 paper pad. Leave a comment below any post this month with a link to your blog, message board post,  flicker, pintrest board etc. I'd love to see your craftiness in action!!!

Stop by tomorrow for the unveiling of my first card! Have a lovely day :)

Last Valentine's Day card

It's Friday!! Hope you all had a wonderful week. Of course the crazy has just kept on coming on this side. Just when my son finally starts feeling better, my poor husband gets sick. I guess i'm gonna have another baby boy to tend to for a while ;)

Anyway, I decided that I needed to make just 1 last V-day card before the end of February. Plus, I have big crafty plans for March.... Can't wait to show you what I have planned :)

This card started with a dull cream and black rose pattern. While pretty in an elegant way, it was lacking a certain pop of color for me... bring in the watercolor pen. I watercolored a few of the roses and added a title with one of those old school label makers. (You know, the kind that you have to turn the dial to the right letter and squeeze.) I love how it turned out! Hope you enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by! Keep a look out for my crafty March news. Have a lovely day :)

Teresa Collins Mini Album

Happy Tuesday! It has been WAY WAY too long since my last post. Life just took over and time got away from me this week, but I know I sure missed being crafty.

I hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day. I know we did. The husband and I sent our little guy to the YMCA for a special date night child care event, and we grabbed takeout and spent the evening on the couch together. It was super wonderful to sit through an entire netflix movie without interruption.... It's the little things ;)

Anyway, I had finished this project yesterday afternoon and didn't get a moment to post it. So, we're doing mini album Monday on Tuesday.

 The album was made from folded card stock and a 6x6 paper pad "Everyday Moments" by Teresa Collins. When the twine is untied on the front of the album it opens up to an accordion fold album with 7 pages for photos or journaling.

This is the view from the back.

What you see when you first open the album.

All the pages when the album is opened completely to the right.

All the pages when the album is opened completely to the left.

I hope you enjoyed today's project (sorry it took so long). I hope you are leaving inspired to get crafty. Have a lovely day :)

Water Color Valentine's Day Card

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by today to see what crafty thing I have up my sleeve. Today, I am sharing with you another Valentine's Day card. I wanted to try a resist technique, and I have to say that I think it turned out pretty good for my first time.

I stamped and embossed the hearts with a clear embossing powder. This not only gives the hearts a bright shiny finish and a smooth texture, but it also aids in the resistance of the ink that was painted over it. Once I watercolored the ink on the card, I wiped the residual ink off the hearts with a dry cloth.

I hope you liked my project. Stop by and see me soon... Have a lovely day :)

Mini Album Monday: Animal Crackers Folio

Happy Monday All! It has been a busy one here in the TLC house hold over the last few days. Our little man grew again, and we are quickly finding out that no matter how high we place something, how many safety locks we put on cabinets, or how many ways we try to gate him in, he is mastering all things mischievous. On the sweet side, however, we are almost positive that our baby boy just learned his first word..."DADDY!" My husband was playing peek-a-boo with the little dude. When, all of a sudden, our son popped up from behind the couch cushions and clear-as-day shouted "DADDY"!!! We of course lost our marbles and clapped and cheered in awe.... crazy moments :)

Anyway, on to our mini album of the day...

I have added some cutouts from the paper collection and attached them with 3D glue dots to give them so dimension.

You may recognize the paper patterns from my Animal Crackers mini album a couple Mondays ago. I have A LOT of scraps from this collection. So, you may see another project or two in the future using the same papers. I'm attempting to use up some of my old paper stash to make room for all the new things that are being released in 2015! Oh how I LOVE paper!!! :)

This is the view of the inside of my folio album.

On the left is a pocket for journaling, tickets, maps, photos, or any special object that you wish to keep with the photos.

On the right of the album is a waterfall style photo keeper. There are seven folds each with two places for photos.

One of the reasons that I wanted to start this blog is to challenge myself to try new things. I had never made a mini album prior to beginning this blog. So, I spend a lot of time searching youtube and Pinterest for inspiration and new techniques. This project was inspired by a project by My Sisters Scrapper. If you get a chance, checkout their youtube videos.

Thank you coming by today! Hope you enjoyed the project. Have a lovely day :)

Wild Wednesday: Washi Tape Card

Welcome to Wednesday! Are you ready to get Wild?!

So, like many crafters, when washi tape hit the market I jumped on the bandwagon and started buying up all sorts of colorful tissue style tapes. And, now that I've filled a few jars with rolls of washi, I thought it might be time to actually use them...Aren't they just so nice to look at in those jars though? ;)

Once I got the washi applied to my paper, I used a thin die cut from echo park to cut out the ampersand, and added some stickers from October afternoon.

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a lovely Night :)



Cupid Card

It's Tuesday... and HOME SWEET HOME! It feels good to be home with my boys again. I guess I missed them more than I expected, because when I held my son again I burst into mommy hormone tears. (Thanks for laughing at me dear husband!)

So, to continue on with the spirit of love, I am presenting another Valentine's Day themed card for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

The cupid shape was cut out using my Cricut Expression machine.

I added two eyelets to thread the baker's twine through. This held the twine in place much better than trying to use an adhesive or tucking it under the paper and creating a bump.



Thank you for stopping by my blog. Hope to see you here tomorrow for a Washi tape edition of WILD WEDNESDAY! Have a lovely day :)

Mini Album Monday: Accordian Album

My oh my it is Monday! It has been a crazy few days for me. Of course the one weekend I decide to take a short vacation and go visit my best friend out of state, there is a BLIZZARD. I refused to cancel my trip, so I left a day early to beat the storm. Poor husband of mine has been with our teething baby all by himself for a few days. I've been having a great time here on my trip despite the weather, but I'm looking forward to getting home to my family... and my craft corner :)

However, I did have a craft ready to reveal today even though I was out of town. Meet Monday's mini album...

With the amount of supplies I order online, I was finding that I was throwing away far too many cardboard boxes and packaging. Then....LIGHT BULB!! Why not use those pieces of cardboard as the bases for the covers of mini albums. Often times crafters will use a chipboard material as the sturdy base for those covers, but that option can get really pricey in a hurry. Plus, I'm upcyling the cardboard.

This mini album is 6"x 6". When you pull the ribbon open the accordion style allows you to not only at pictures or journaling to both sides of the album, but it also allows the album to stand on its own as a display piece.

I've been making a variety of this style album in preparation for this years craft show season.

Thank you visiting me today. Hope you enjoyed today's craft. Have a lovely day :)

Wild Wednesday: Thank You Card

Welcome to Wild Wednesday! Last night was a LOOONNGG one. Baby boy has had a bit of a tummy ache for a couple days now, and last night he would just not sleep unless my husband or I held him on our chests and patted his back continuously. (I'm sure you can imagine how much sleep we got) But, no matter how many sleepless nights we encounter, it always seems to be forgotten at the first sign of a giggle or a snuggle. Crafting, for me, is my way of decompressing, especially after the long night I had just experienced.

I was going though my supplies early this morning and decided that I haven't visited my spray inks in awhile. So... I went a little wild and just started spraying and stamping. I didn't really know if all this free styling would look good at all, and I had absolutely no vision of a project in mind. I made multiple changes to the title and the orientation before I realized it was a card! LOL! Hope you enjoy.

I used Mister Huey's spray ink in silver and gold.

I used a star embossing border folder along the side and  top of the card. I believe it's from Cuttlebug.

I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but the spray ink has a very sparkly characteristic to it!

I Hope you are left inspired by my moment of wild crafting! I'm looking forward to sharing with you again soon. Have a lovely day :)