NEW workshop

Happy Saturday !!  Did you notice my AMAZING new blog design ?!?!  LOVE it - thanks to Kristine Davidson ..... so much more me now !!

I have some sneak peek pics of a fabulous new workshop that i designed for the BC Crop for Kids annual fundraiser !!  Registration will open SOON here .....

You're going to LOVE this (3) Layout Workshop featuring (2) singles and YES, (1) Double Page Layout ......

Your kit will be full of pretty pieces by American Crafts, Pebbles, Studio Calico and Crate Paper too .....

     

Watch here and over on the BC Crop for Kids site for registration details coming very soon .....

me & my mom

Well, the time has ALMOST come to pack up my office/studio for 5 weeks !!!  I am almost hyperventilating just thinking about it to be honest ..... I have a few more projects to finish and then into the boxes it goes.  

I am feeling so strange about it as i've never been away from my paper for that long - I think I may go through a bit of withdrawal ..... and I'm not going to lie, I do have a bag packed for the camper - just in case ;))

I have a sweet layout to share today from my wedding 15 years ago !!!!  I was looking for some pics recently and came across a handful from our wedding and these of me & my Mom jumped out .... I dug into my Core'dinations 'section' in 'my room' and got to 'work' .....

I started with a Snowflake Spotted Tillie Dot base and then created a large triple layered mat for the photos as I wanted the photos to be touching in the center.  I chose 3 different pieces of cardstock to create a layered photo mat ….. I rounded the corners of all 3 pieces as well as the outer corners of the photos.  I adhered them all on top of each other flat and put it towards the top of the base.

I wanted to add some floral embellishments so I chose a few more pieces of cardstock and punched out several flowers and ran a couple through my Big Shot with my embossing folders.  I lightly sanded all of the flowers and started layering them together with little punched cirlces for the centers !!  I even added a piece of lightweight canvas to the mix……I punched a narrow border to build my title on towards the bottom to finish it off !!  

I didn't add journaling to the layout yet as I want to get them all into my album and then go back and decide what I want on each page – at least I'll always remember the date !!!

We're heading out to 4 weeks of horse shows and then a week of moving - i've already told my family that after the kitchen basics are unpacked it's all hands on deck to get my HUGE new studio unpacked - I seriously can not wait to get into this space.  I've waiting a long long time to get a space like this and am excited to design it all ..... don't worry, I'll be sharing LOTS of pics of the process !!!

I'll be posting / sharing from the road ..... INCLUDING a brand new BLOG design !! I'm am excited to share it with you sooooon !!

TFL ..... Talk soon.

j. xo

Core Card

I've got a sweet Core'dinations card to share with you 

today ......

I love the look of ribbon folded paper and have done it before in different ways but I wanted to make a sweet and simple card using the White Wash and a border punch (LOVE the White Wash) …..

I started with a white A2 (4.25 x 5.5") card base from the David Tutera Celebrate card making system. I cut (4) 2 x 5 1/2" pieces of white wash and then ran each piece through the same border punch. I lightly sanded the top of each piece to see the colors show through and then started to layer them onto my card base.

I ran a strip of double sided tape along the top of each piece and adhered that part down first, starting at the bottom of the base and working up.  Then I put 3D foam under the bottom punched edge to raise it off the base.  I layered each one on top of the other and then wrapped some ribbon at the edge of the top piece.  I stamped a thank you sentiment on the top right corner to finish it off ….. Super simple but super sweet  - easy to use for any occasion !!

Make sure to head over to the Core'dinations Blog and check out the brand new NEWSLETTER - it's fantastic and just came out today !!!!

TFL ..... Talk soon.

j. xo

...... get ready to ORGANIZE

Today's post is ALL about organizing all the pretty little bits that we all can not get enough of ..... I am completely obsessed with anything and everything that will pretty up my pages and projects !!!

 

When Laura asked if us Bella Blvd. DT girls had any fun ways to organize I jumped at sharing my fun new way to store all my embellishments !!!

 I, like many of you I'm sure, have the most adorable dishes and tins and bins to keep all my pretty bits in but I found that they were taking up TOO MUCH SPACE and I wasn't using them as much as I should. I was teaching a workshop recently and a friend of mine (CTMH consultant Kristine Ponte) had these fantastic storage bins with her. I fell in LOVE and had to have them for myself.

  

The cart is the VERY popular Raskog kitchen cart from IKEA. It truly is the most amazing cart for storing all your most used favorite craft/scrapbooking supplies. The CTMH containers are the perfect fit and come in 3 different sizes. I mixed the sizes and have essentially (almost) cleared the top of my workspace.

All of my Bella Blvd. embellishments are now kept all together in one medium sized bin (heaven). I love that I can open the lid and they are all there looking up at me, completely organized just waiting to be used. And seriously, how pretty do they look?

I've used one to house all my 6 x 6" AND 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" Core'dinations cardstock pads, rolls of twine and pkgs and pkgs of Core tags too !!!

I added a foam insert and mini plastic storage boxes to a small organizer and filled it with the colors of brads and buttons I use most often. These are all loose and as I open my Bella Blvd. button packages, the rest get sorted into here by color. This makes it so much easier when I go to use them for a project.

I used a medium storage box for bits of twine, die cut packs, sticker sheets, loose flowers and more .....

I've only had this system for a few months .... BUT ....  I will absolutely for certain tell you how in love I am so far. I get so excited to sit down beside this pretty cart every time I go to 'work' :))

TFL ..... Talk soon.

j. xo

.... another Core'dinations Layout

This was a step outside of the box layout for me.  I am very linear in my designing and usually shy away from circles since I can’t seem to keep them in a straight line !!! I have been playing around with my Silhouette lately and found this super cute circle template so I cut it to 11 x 11″ using a piece of Core'dinations ‘Shattered’ cardstock. 

I really wanted to use it twice on this layout so I laid it underneath my Kraft Core base and lightly sanded over top to have the image come through on top.  I added my photo first and then started embellishing around it …… I took the circle template and carefully cut it into several pieces and adhered them around the photo slightly overlapping in spots and laying off the edge of the layout in others.   

To add some more color I chose 4 pieces from the Tim Holtz & Ranger Distress Collection and punched a couple sizes of circles out.  I ran them through my Big Shot using a spotted embossing template and lightly sanded them to make the dots pop !!  I raised all these circles around the layout to appear like I am ‘juggling’ lots of balls in the air …. (read the journaling)

Tomorrow I am going to share my new fave way to store my embellishments so make sure you come on back and check it out 'cause I think you're going to love it as much as i do ......

TFL ..... Talk soon.

j. xo

Layouts & Core'dinations

Hey there .... I'm back for a few days and wanted to get posting again !! Sorry for the lack of projects posted - that's summer for ya .... too busy outside making more photos to scrapbook :))

I've had a few projects featured on blogs lately and thought I'd share them with you here !!

First up is this super fun layout for Core'dinations Color Core Cardstock (LOVE LOVE LOVE this cardstock)

Over the years I’ve seen adorable tag projects but have never takent the time to create one myself …. Until I got these fantastic Core’dinations tags – LOVE them !!! 

Of course like many of you I’m sure, I tend to take an absolute TON of pics of my kids and the stack I have of Alexander’s 1st soccer camp from a few summers back was crazy !!  Lots of them were taken from quite far away but the expressions on his face and his actions were so cute I wanted to capture them all but needed to crop the photos small to really focus on him....

I started with a Spotted Jillian Dot base in French Roast and sanded off the top to show my fave big dots underneath.  I chose 4 colors in 2 sizes of tags to emboss and ran them through my Big Shot with different  Darice  embossing folders (LOVE the clouds) ….. 

I adhere them to the outside edges of the base and then strung natural colored twine through the eyelets and tied them together …..   I cropped my photos and lightly sanded the edges to give me a nice white border and then rasied them onto 6 of the tags using 3D foam.  I typed my journaling onto Snowflake cardstock and trimmed it to fit throughout the layout ….. All that was left was to add a title with some mini alphas !!! 

Come on back tomorrow for another Core'dinations layout and then some organization ideas on the weekend :))

TFL .... Talk soon.

j. xo

Core'dinations PRIZE Pack

GREAT NEWS !!!  Core'dinations is having a GIVE-AWAY and you can still enter to win !!!

Core recently hit 10, 000 LIKES on Facebook and they are celebrating HARD CORE ...... There are TEN $100 prize packs FULL of Core'dinations, May Arts, Scrapbook & Cards Today Card Maps Vol. 3, Stampendous and Xyron too !!!

Head over to CORE'DINATIONS to find out how to get in on this AMAZING give-away and then head over to all the sponsors pages and thank them for the goodies too :))

Contest runs through July 31st, 2013 midnight EST. Must be 18 to win. All winners will be chosen randomly and will be emailed via the email address given upon entry. Ten winners will receive a prize pack of $100 retail value. No purchase necessary.  Contest is not associated with Facebook. 

TFL .... Talk soon.

j. xo

NEW from Bella Blvd - Post 1

The time has come - almost !!!  Bella Blvd. has FIVE yes, FIVE brand new collections debuting at CHA Summer in Vegas in just a few short weeks ....

We are not sharing much BUT .... Here is a clue ....

I always find it hard to decide what collection is my fave at CHA ..... and this time is really no different :))  SNAPSHOTS is absolutely incredible .... beautiful bright colors and images will make this a perfect for everyone .....

Even though my kids are getting a bit older the colors and patterns in this collection are AMAZING and you'll for sure NEED to have this in your stash .....

This could possibly be my fave - this is your everyday scrapbooking staples collection that will sit on your desk all the time because you will find yourself reaching for bits and pieces on every project you create ......

Well of course I'm going to love this one !!!  Stephanie does holiday VERY well ...... and as always the colors and patterns on each paper are a total MUST HAVE .....

For me, this is what I waiting for !!  I have used every last little bit of the last Bella Blvd. Christmas collection and simply can not wait until I get this onto my desk ...... I know you will feel just as I do when you see it ....

HEAD OVER to the Bella Blog for some sneak peek layouts and a chance to win ......

TFL .... Talk soon.

j. xo

Oh dear .... Birthday Post !!!

Holy smokes - it is definitely summer here and that is evident for my lack of regular blogging !!!

I have been so busy having fun with the kids every day that I am exhausted at the end of the day and haven't even opened my computer :))

I've wanted to share some birthday party pics and projects with you since Alexander's 8th birthday party a few weeks back, so here we go ......

  

For the invitiations I always like to set the theme of the party early so I cut this great file from Silhoutte. The beaker with liquid was a little tedious but I love how it turned out.  I punched little circles to create the bubbles pouring over .... I used a 4 x 12" piece of cardstock and folded the bottom 4" up on the back side of the card to create a pocket for the party info !!! Everyone loved them, especially Alex.....

We always have a few gifts in the morning and then some for the birthday dinner too .... baseball was a huge thing for Alex this year and he was so happy with his new Blue Jays hat, batting gloves, new cleats and a set of bases too - he was THRILLED !!

I love how that even though he is this rough and tumble little boy he is super sensitive and LOVES reading his birthday cards.  He ALWAYS reads the card first before opening his gifts ... love this about him ....

We held the party the day after his actual birthday and had this amazing company called Mad Science come and do experiments with the kids for the afternoon.  They LOVED it ..... Alex was so excited to get to be the scientists helper and I even got him his own little lab coat !!

They did all kinds of fun things including creating enough electricity to light this light bulb through 2 pie plates ......

...... AND they even launched a rocket !!! VERY cool ......

The cake was AMAZING thanks to my friend Janet of Cloud 9 Cake Design ..... I sent her some pics and she mixed them together to create this - Alex and his friends LOVEd it !!!

All in all it was a FANTASTIC 8th birthday for this little boy and he's already counting the days until he turns 9 ;)))

TFL ..... Talk soon.

j. xo

Happy Canada Day !!

Today we're havin' a party ..... and I've got some fun celebration projects up over on the Bella Blog today !!!

Canada Day is a HUGE day at our house, as Em and Alex really like to get into the celebrations. This year we are having family and friends come over to watch the fireworks over the ocean from our front yard so I've been getting a few things ready for the party! Photo props are so popular right now so I wanted to customize some for my guests on Canada Day! I chose a couple of templates for my Silhouette and got to work.

I cut the 'glasses' from a piece of McIntosh Sophisticates and then backed it onto a piece of white cardstock to give it some more strength. Then I adhered this to a long white candy stick and embellished each one.

I LOVE the Bella feathers and they were perfect for the glasses. I cut some maple leaves using a Silhouette template as well and added these as well as a fun flag and some buttons too. My kids LOVED these and are excited to share them with their friends for silly photos at our party.

I also whipped up some different sized pin wheels for them to use in their pics as well. I added the maple leaf die cuts to the center with a Bella button for each.

Since we'll be outside on the deck late for the fireworks I thought I'd create some festive candle holders. I used the negative pieces from the leaf cuts and cut them to size for some glass flower vases that I had tucked away. 

I created the smaller one by adding designer tape to the patterned paper and then ran it through the Silhouette.  

It cut like a dream and made a cute border for this vase and I was able to use the leaf pieces on the glasses too.

I added some tea lights to them both and can't wait to put them on the deck for the fireworks. It's going to be a great party …. Happy Canada Day everyone!

TFL .... Talk soon.

j. xo