Love Is In The Air At Paper Issues

Today is the new issue at Paper Issues and the theme is, "Showered with Love". This encompasses so many fun things to jump-start creativity: Hearts, Baby, Showers, Rain, etc - as you can see, lots to choose from. This month we are fortunate to be teaming up with The Ribbon Resource (May Arts Ribbon retail store) and I received a bag full of beautiful ribbons to use on my projects. I love the ribbon so much, I completed two projects!

For the first layout, I drew dots on white cardstock to form a large heart. I then poked large holes in the paper (with my Crop-A-Dile) and wove the ribbon through all the holes to create a heart-shaped outline. I used Studio Calico Seven Paper as a mat for my layout. The black & white hearts compliment the ribbon. Once I put my square photo in the heart, I knew I wanted to fill the negative space with different sizes, textures, and colors of hearts. I used Crate Paper Hello Love and Maggie Holmes Shine chipboard and stickers. I also dug out heart-shaped enamel dots to add a different texture to the layout. The title came to me as I was filling the heart and the black foam Thickers (Shimelle) were the perfect match.

For the second project, I started with Bazzill's new ombre' cardstock and Lawn Fawn's Stitched Heart Dies to create a banner. I also used a mix of patterned papers to cut out additional hearts to string along the banner.

To see more inspiration, be sure to stop by the Paper Issues blog here. Be sure to share your projects in the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} Facebook group for a chance to win PI gift certificates. The Paper Issues shop is loaded with new, hot-off-the-press CHA goodies, be sure to check it out. Use discount code, "Sherry20" for 20% off your entire purchase!

Cut It Up Saturday with Paper Issues

I'm so excited to be sharing one of my first projects as a Paper Issues Creative Team member. I started with Danielle's gorgeous snowflake background cut file as my inspiration. Sadly we didn't have a white Christmas, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from using the cut file.

For this layout, I used Pinkfresh Studio's Christmas Wishes collection and some enamel dots from my stash. If you love this cut file as much as I do, please stop by the Paper Issues store to download... Did I mention that it's FREE?! To see more lovely inspiration with the cut files, be sure to stop by the Paper Issues blog here. If you decide to do some shopping at Paper Issues, be sure to use the discount code, Sherry20 to receive 20% off your order! Happy shopping and Happy New Year!

December 2014 Album

Wasn't it yesterday that I got all my supplies for my December 2013 album? I know I can't be the only one that feels this way. Ready or not, it's time for 2014's album and I must say that I'm extremely excited about it. The album I chose is Teresa Collins Studio Gold Dot (We R Memory Keepers) 8.5x11. The gold on white polka dots with the aqua binding is so pretty, fresh, and festive - I LOVE it! For the front of the album, I used my favorite wreath stamp from Wplus9 (Woodland Wreaths) and their Merry die (Hand Lettered Holiday) along with some embossing powder, to create a simple embellishment.

For my cover page, I used Hip Kit Club's weekly challenge (Elle's Studio sketch), and really love the end result. Simon Says Stamp's Falling Snow stencil, with some Faber Castell Whipped Spackle was used to created the top portion of the layout. I machine stitched ribbon to divide the page and used AC glitter tape on top of it for a fun pop of red. The gorgeous patterned paper and fun embellishments are from Elle's Studio.

It's been a busy week of errands, soccer, and life. It's not always easy to squeeze in scrapping in December, but it's so worth it, don't you think? Wishing you all a lovely, fun-filled December, with many beautiful moments, big and small. ♥

Finishing the Challenges

This is the first time I have ever completed all of the challenges from a Cocoa Daisy crop! Yay, me! It did help that they reduced the number of challenges, but I'm still proud of my accomplishment. The first one is a scraplift challenge - I scraplifted a gorgeous layout by Martha and here is my take. Nothing like a little Christmas in July project.

The next was a challenge by Anna to create a project about home, without making a photo of your house the focal point. I decided to take a different approach and show our humble abode throughout the seasons. It represents not only the actual seasons, but also seasons of life. It's a reminder to myself that although things change, it's important to embrace the change and enjoy the moment. After all, there is beauty in every season.

I started with a 12x12 mixed media paper and taped off the 4 squares with washi tape. I used PanPastel to create the background. To create the tree, I stamped directly on the backside of my template and used a brayer to make sure the image came through. The leaves were created with a fun, little stamp from CD.

I truly love challenges, they help me think outside my comfort zone and push me to be more creative. Thanks, Cocoa Daisy for another fabulous and fun crop! ♥

December 2013 Album Cover

I love the current trend of typography on chalkboard, it seems to be popping up everywhere. I thought it would be fun to incorporate that look into my December album. I just finished it tonight and I LOVE it! I'm just going to post a quick pic tonight and will do a more detailed blog post about the techniques I used later in the week.

Cold weather is headed our way tomorrow, I guess this project will help me accept the fact that winter is coming soon.

Prepping for December Album

I finally have all my goodies gathered to begin creating my December 2013 album. I'm going back to an 8.5"x11" format because it's the perfect size for me, not too big and not too small. I ordered Cocoa Daisy's December and DITL (Day In The Life) kits for my basic foundation. Of course I had to purchase a few things that caught my eye, added some things from my stash, and I'm ready to create!

Just seeing all these festive products together puts me in the mood for the holiday season and creating. :)

Home for the Holidays

I chose this simple sentiment for my December album cover page because we are actually staying home for Christmas this year. While I will miss our long-distance family members, I am truly excited about being home. Last night we sat around the campfire, drinking hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows. We played a fun game - "Christmas Box of Questions", and sang Christmas carols. We then watched, "It's a Wonderful Life" - the kids were a little freaked out by the black & white, but really enjoyed the movie. These are the kind of memories that I hope they will look back and cherish always.

For the cover page, I started out with a sheet of paper from a Simple Stories Snap album. The title was cut on my Cameo using two different fonts. The photo of our front porch was printed on vellum. I love the soft look it creates and the fact that you can still see the patterned paper underneath it. A couple of patterned papers under the words add some dimension and a playfulness to the page. The photo was stapled with a Tiny Attacher and a few stamps and embellishments were added to complete the page. One of the chipboard page dividers that came with the album was used to create the backing.

If you're creating a December album, leave a comment - I'd love to see what you're creating! Thanks for stopping by - Happy Holidays!

Fun Christmas Card

After celebrating a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family, we arrived home safely last night and I was in the mood to create!

I decided to make a Christmas card using Crate Paper's Sleigh Ride 6x6 paper pad from Cocoa Daisy's Christmas add-on kit. I love the look of square cards, so I trimmed a piece of cardstock to create a 5x5 square. I trimmed a piece of patterned paper to 4.75" and attached it to the card, adding machine stitching to the edge to frame it. I then took several pieces of patterned paper and cut little strips to create my tree. I began with a piece 2.75" for the bottom row of the tree. Reduce each row by 1/4" to create the graduated tree. To create the rolled piece, I simply wrapped the paper around a pencil and rolled it up. A little strip of adhesive on the edge holds the roll in place.

A small piece ribbon was used to create a tree skirt. I simply glued the little rolls down from largest to smallest and added some My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland enamel dots to mimic ornaments. (I'm truly obsessed with these little dots!) I took a piece of raw chipboard and used VersaMark and Zing embossing powder to create the star for the top. The adorable "joy" stamp is from Citrus Twist's December Daily kit and I think it's the perfect little touch to complete the card.

Creating little paper rolls is a great way to use a mix of patterned papers (esp. scraps) and get lots of impact! This sweet card makes me smile, I'm not sure I'll be able to give it away! Thanks for stopping by, happy holiday crafting to you!

December Album 2012

One of my favorite things about the holiday season, is preparing my December album. There are so many "December Daily" kits offered, that choosing can be a little overwhelming. This year, I chose Citrus Twist's December Daily kit along with Cocoa Daisy's Christmas add-on because they complimented each other perfectly.

I have to share the lovely presentation with you from Trina at Citrus Twist. Even the Grinch couldn't resist digging into this treasure! I'm sure that tag will make it's way into my album! Be sure to click on the photos so you can see it up close. :)

Check out this fabulous stamp set that came in the kit...

Once I touched the pretties in the package, I couldn't resist the urge to get started on my album. This year I decided I wanted to add lots of bright colors to my album cover, this adorable Crate Paper was the perfect starting point. I decided it would be fun to make the album cover look like a gift, so I wrapped the patterned paper with washi tape. With just a few more touches, I ended up with a simple and festive album cover.