Sweet Baby Decor

So, we all have jars of buttons sitting around (right?!...please tell me I am not the only one!), probably getting a bit neglected since there are so many embellishments to choose from these days.  For me, my jars of buttons are almost more décor at this point!  However, for my project today I dug into my jar of Papertrey Ink Spring Mix Vintage Button Collection to create this...

I love the look of button frames so I got to thinking about how I could use the idea of framing with buttons to create a home décor item and came up with this pretty little wall hanging...perfect for a baby shower decoration or baby room décor.

First I die cut 4 circle frames out of chipboard which I then painted white.  I backed them with patterned paper (Echo Park's Love Story Collection) and added the AC thickers in the middle of each circle.  Then I adhered the circles together, punched a hole in the top of the first and last circle frame, and began laying out the buttons until I was happy with how they looked and adhered them.

Next I punched holes in each corner of the slide frame (from Crate Paper's new collection, The Pier), backed the frame with patterned paper and added the sentiment and buttons.  Finally I threaded some ribbon through the slide frame and connected it to the circle frames for a cute wall hanging.  And after I made a sweet card to go with it yesterday (see HERE), I decided it needed a little something more and added those pretty pink flowers (Maya Road) to the ribbon.

Other ideas/tips:
* Fill the circle frames with pictures of the new baby.
* Add the birth date to the slide frame.
* Use buttons to create a frame around a sentiment on a card.
* Instead of putting buttons all around the frames, consider clustering buttons in random spots around the frame to create a more dramatic accent to the frame.

Are you wanting to dig into your button stash?!  If so, Chic Tags' Sunday Challenge is to Use Buttons on a project!  I am entering my project into the challenge and you can too, just click HERE.

I hope you all have a lovely day!  The sun is shining again here in the Pacific Northwest so I am going to go out and enjoy it while it lasts! :)

Shabby Chic Card - Look Who Just Arrived

Oh what a lovely day...the sun is shining, I got some weeding done, played with my boys, and had time to make a card!  Hooray for a good day!   :)

I was inspired this week by the new Fusion Card Challenge (sketch only) and Cath's beautiful Tuesday Trigger (shown above) over in the Moxie Fab World.  When I saw the trigger a few thoughts came to mind...Spring, pretty, soft and sweet, floral, pink, and white.  So, I started digging through my stash and when I came across this gorgeous floral paper from Echo Park's Love Story collection I knew it was the perfect starting point for my card.

The paper inspired me to stray a bit from my normal style and go more shabby chic...

I based the layout of my card off of the Fusion #4 sketch (shown below).  I began by distressing my Core'dinations cardstock just to soften the look a bit.  After adhering my patterned paper I layered some pink ribbon and crocheted lace (Hero Arts) across the card.  Then I added some tulle behind my pink flower (Maya Road) and pleated some pink ribbon across the bottom of the slide frame (from Crate Paper's new collection 'The Pier' {insert puffy heart here!}) and adhered both to the card.  Finally, I distressed a small piece of the cardstock so that a lot of white was showing and stamped my sentiment in Antique Pewter (just a touch of metallic like the Tuesday trigger), trimmed it, bent it a bit to give it more dimension/interest, and adhered it with the button to the corner of the frame. 

Here is a close up so you can get a better look at the distressed sentiment flag, slide frame, and lovely ribbon layers. 

I hope you've enjoyed my project today because I will be back tomorrow with a coordinating gift/décor project!  :)

To play along in the Fusion challenge click HERE or the Tuesday Trigger challenge click HERE.

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine where you are today too!

You're a true Friend - Moxie Fab World Challenge

Blue has always been my favorite color.  There are so many beautiful shades, it reminds me of the ocean, and is just a peaceful/calming color for me.  So, when I saw that the Moxie Fab World was having a Cure for the Winter Blues challenge, I just had to play along!

I just love this Stella & Rose collection by My Mind's Eye.  All the shades of blue with a touch of mustard yellow...gorgeous!   The stamp set is from Papertrey Ink and I love how the Not Quite Navy ink (from Stampin' Up) looks on the kraft cardstock (also PTI).  The flowers are popped up on foam squares for dimension.  I threaded navy blue ribbon through some Hero Arts crocheted lace to add a touch of texture and a little more navy to the card.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful weekend!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Etsy Inspired Challenge #114

Hello all! Well, I have a weekend full of special time with my boys. Today we are relaxing at home...perfect for a Saturday, right?! And Saturdays are always a good time to do a little crafting too! So, this week for the Etsy Inspired Challenge we have another fabulous shop to spark your creativity. Happy Day Designs is a lovely jewelry shop with the most gorgeous color combinations...each piece is truly a work of art. I was inspired by these beautiful pieces.



I was immediately attracted to the green but when I saw that beautiful red in the shop too, I was inspired to create a Christmas card.

So simple but it still makes a statement, don't you think? I thought this design would make for a cute and simple gift box/bag too. The paper and ribbon are both American Crafts and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

I was also inspired to create a festive treasury on Etsy.

You can see these items up close along with the links to the fabulous Etsy shops that sell them by clicking HERE.

To play along in the Etsy Inspired Challenge:
~Go to the Happy Days Designs shop and pick an item to be inspired by
~Make any creation you'd like and post a link to your creation on the EtsyInspired blog
~Please include a link to the shop in your post~Challenge ends on Friday Nov 19, noon Pacific time

~If you upload to an online gallery please use keyword EIC114

I'm sure there will be some colorful creations in the gallery this week! Especially since you could win a lovely necklace from Happy Day Designs or a stamp from our sponsor, Whiff of Joy, by playing along in the challenge! See the Etsy Inspired Blog for all the details.

And be sure to visit the rest of the Design Team to see their Etsy Inspired projects!

* Angie (November Guest Designer)

• Ashley


• De


• Emily B


• Emily N


• Joy


• Kerry


• Savannah


• Stephanie


• Virginia

Enjoy your weekend!

For the Love of Buttons!

Raise your hand if you love buttons! I don't know what it is about these small round things but if I could have jars of them in every color available I would. :) They are the perfect accent to just about any project, which is why I was immediately drawn to the 365 Cards challenge to use 15 buttons on a card. And I also decided to use Kazan's sketch #64 over at 2 Sketches 4 You.

I love how this card turned out. Thanks Kazan for the inspiring sketch! I simply turned the sketch on it's side. The yummy buttons and lovely senitment are from Papertrey Ink. The adorable snowman is from an older MME collection that I have been hoarding for 2 years. The great patterned paper is from Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses collection and the large rikrak is May Arts.

Thanks for visiting!

Oh and if you are a button lover too you might be interested in these creative buttons from some talented crafters on Etsy!
Tessa Ann
Such Sweet Tierney
Kimmieprout

2 Sketches 4 You Challenge

Well, I have been crafting my little heart out this week and I absolutely had to make sure to create a few cards for the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge because the winner will be getting a spot on their Design Team! What a fabulous prize!

So I came up with two different cards based on Laura's Sketch #56.

First up is a fun little Valentine/Love themed card.

This pretty in pink card uses Papertrey Ink cardstock, Bo Bunny double dot paper, Doodlebug Designs chunky glitter (love this stuff!), a ticket from Teresa Collins (Crush die-cut charms), and some seam binding. I love how perfectly seam binding threads through my sewing machine so I can easily create this ruffled look. I actually did two layers to give this card extra frills. :) I also popped one of the hearts up on some foam squares for added dimension.

For my second card I went with a fresh color combination and simple sentiment.

Can you tell I'm on a bit of a glitter kick this week?! :) For this card I used some of Echo Park's Sweet Summertime collection and American Crafts Thickers. Do you ever use up all your semi-colons, periods or dots for the i's and j's? I don't...so I've been working on some creative ideas for using them up. For this card I used them to create the circle. I like how it adds focus to the sentiment.

Okay, that's it for me today but I will be back tomorrow! Have a great afternoon!

Christmas in July

Hi there! So we did actually end up going to the beach yesterday and had a great time...the tide was way out so the kids had a lot of fun exploring and playing in the sand. We saw starfish, crabs, moon snails, and even a little eel. Today we enjoyed story time at the bookstore and playing outside. And I even got a little more crafting time in too!

So this week's challenge over at The Shabby Tea Room is to create a Christmas card. Since Christmas is soooo far away still (although I know it will sneak up on us quickly) I just wasn't ready to really dive into traditional Christmas colors, Santa, or snowmen. Instead I was inspired by Bo Bunny's Peacock Lane collection to use a very different Christmas color combination and I was also inspired by the Card Style Classy and Elegant challenge in the Moxie Fab World to create this card.

I am so pleased with how this turned out! I love the rich turquoise and purple together and all the glitter really kicks this card up a notch, don't you think?!

A few design tips from this card:
- Cover your chipboard snowflake with white paint or ink and let dry before adhering glitter. This allows the glitter to really shine and prevents the kraft chipboard from showing.

- Adhere a transparency/acetate overlay by using Terrifically Tacky Tape (or other strong adhesive tape) in hidden places. I attached my snowflake overlay by using tape along the edge where I knew I would be placing my ribbon over and another piece is under the stamped sentiment.

- Look at your stamps in a whole new way! Sometimes using just part of a stamp is exactly what you need for a project. Here I emphasized the word peace with my thickers and then masked it on my stamp.

- Finally, don't be afraid to try mixing different colors...you never know what fabulous creation you might come up with!

Details:
White Cardstock and stamp - Papertrey Ink
Turquoise and Purple paper - Bo Bunny (back side of double dot paper)
Glitter Letters - American Crafts
White glitter on snowflake - Martha Stewart
Ribbon - May Arts
Snowflake Overlay - Making Memories (Mistletoe collection)
Rhinestone - Me & My Big Ideas

If you're up for creating a Christmas or classy/elegant card, there's still time to play in both The Shabby Tea Room and Moxie Fab challenges!

I'll be back tomorrow with two more cards to share!

Sweet Summertime Pinwheels

Happy Friday everyone! I have been trying to find time to craft lately but I have been too busy playing outside with my boys! :) I did make some time this morning though to participate in a new challenge that I have had my eye on for awhile now, The Shabby Tea Room.


The challenge this week was to be inspired by this photo which immediately made me think of Echo Park's Sweet Summertime collection. I also was inspired by Scrapbook Trends current challenge to use circles on a project.

If you want to participate in either of these challenges you still have time...projects are due by Sunday.

Okay, that's it for me today...off to play some more with my boys! Don't you just love summertime?! Maybe I'll have enough energy to work on some projects after they go to bed tonight! :)

Friend - Etsy Inspired Challenge #94

Yesterday we had a wonderful time catching up with friends and this upcoming week we will be spending more time with friends that we didn't get to see much during the school year. So it wasn't a surprise when I was working on my Etsy Inspired project this week that I was inspired to create a card for a friend.

Our featured Etsy shop is Sand Box Studio which is filled with lots of fun tote bags. I immediately fell in love with the colors on this little gift card holder and couldn't wait to translate them into a card. I also used Limelight's current sketch challenge for the layout of my card. You know how I love my BoBunny Double Dot papers...perfect for every occasion! :) And aren't those glittered letters by American Crafts gorgeous?! I thought they added the perfect touch and flair to this card.

Now it's your turn to play along! Simply visit Sand Box Studio and find an item that inspires you. Create your own project and link it up to the Etsy Inspired Blog by Friday at noon for your chance to win a bag from Sand Box Studio or a $25 credit to Tyggereye Art. Tyggereye Art is our sponsor this week and they have fabulous hand carved stamps so be sure to check them out!

Be sure to visit the rest of the team's creations too!

• Alex (June Guest Designer)
• Ashley
• De
• Emily
• Joy
• Kerry
• Shannon

Have a wonderful weekend!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #80

Hello blogging friends! It's Saturday which means it's time for the Etsy Inspired Challenge! We have another beautiful jewelry shop for you to be inspired by this week, Designs By Cathy. I love her hand stamped pieces and the fact that Cathy uses recycled silver (yeah Earth!).



I was inspired by this piece to choose just a simple one word sentiment. And I was inspired by the overall elegant feel to the shop. I thought this would make for a nice wedding card (hence the Tiffany blue!) but the simple sentiment allows it to be used for a variety of occasions.

The patterned paper, brads, and ribbon are from My Mind's Eye Lush collection. Card stock is Papertrey Ink and I created the sentiment using American Crafts mini marks.

We also have another great digital stamp sponsor for you this week, The Digi Kitty. Check out this page to see some of their adorable new releases. The lucky winner this week will win a set of 8 Easter stamps from the Digi Kitty. And that winner could be you!

To play along all you need to do is:
- Visit Designs by Cathy and find an item that inspires you
- Create a project based off that inspiration
- Link your creation up to the Etsy Inspired blog (challenge post #80)

And if you're looking for a little more inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team!

• Ashley
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Laurel (March Guest Designer)
• Lisa (March Guest Designer)
• Shannon

So Glad We're Friends - Etsy Inspired Challenge #79

Hi everyone, happy Saturday! I am honored to introduce you to this weeks featured Etsy shop, 3 Dots Jewelry. The jewelry in this shop is fabulous...I should know since I have already purchased 3 necklaces! :) I absolutely love them! Lucie (the owner) has a beautiful, modern style that is inspired by nature and it is truly reflected in her wonderful pieces. Take a look...



I was inspired by the colors, the wood, and overall natural feel of the pieces. Here is my creation:

Cute, right?! The patterned paper, tree sticker, and owls (which I popped up on foam circles) are all from My Mind's Eye Little Boy Blue collection. The kraft cardstock and stamps are from Papertrey Ink.

Okay, now it's your turn! To play along with our challenge, all you have to do is go to 3 Dots Jewelry and pick any item to be inspired by. Make your creation and post a link to it on the Etsy Inspired Blog by next Friday, Mar 19th by noon Pacific time. Everyone will be entered into a random drawing to win. If you upload to SCS or PCP, please use keyword EIC79. And please remember to give credit to the shop that you found your inspiration from.

Our fabulous sponsor this week is Stretch N' Bubbles, a fun digital stamp site. Personally, I am in love with THIS little rocket image. Alison is generously giving away 4 prizes!!! So your odds of winning this week are great! :) The first winner will receive 4 free digital images and 3 runners up will receive one digital image of their choice from Stretch N' Bubbles.



Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team created for you too!

• Ashley
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Laurel (March Guest Designer)
• Lisa (March Guest Designer)
• Shannon