Wednesday, July 29, 2009

August Sneak Peek - Crazy Daisy Kits


Here's a sneak peek at the August main kit from Crazy Daisy Kits.



Doesn't that mini album look like fun? If you want this kit, go now and pre-order it - the last few months the kits have all sold out!

Monday, July 27, 2009

It's Not a Dinosaur


Here's my last layout with the July kit from Crazy Daisy Kits. Remember me telling this story about Liam, not so long ago? Well, of course I had to scrap it.


I threaded a piece of jumbo ric rac (from the kit) through this metal conch (also from the kit). I think it made a fun embellishment here. It went through much easier than it looks - the ric rac is soft enough to be flexible.


I cut one of the Maya Road tickets in half and tucked it under the edge of one of the papers, so it would just peek out. (A great way to make embellishments go a little further).


More of those fun Prima rub-ons, as well as a quote from one of the tickets. I cut it out, and tucked it here in the side.


I hope you enjoyed all the July projects from this kit. Check back soon for the August kit - I can't wait to show you!

Supplies (from July kit):
PP - Cosmo Cricket
die-cut border - Crate
journaling sheet, rub-ons - Prima
letter stickers - Pink Paisley
rub-on letters - Jenni Bowlin
ric-rac, tickets - Maya Road
buttons - Buttons Galore
conche

Other supplies:
ink - Ranger
marker - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

Why do I have this feeling I'm being tested?

So, it's been a busy 18 hours here at my house. Let me share what my charming progeny has been up to.

- At around midnight last night, Rhys (yes, the 11-month-old), in addition to refusing to go to sleep, decided that it was the perfect time to rip the tab key off of my laptop keyboard.

- In case you were wondering - those keys do not just snap easily back in place.

- This morning, Rhys has started climbing. Her current goal is trying to get on top of Liam's little table. She has mastered standing on the bench, and is working on the not-falling aspects of getting to the top.

- Rhys is refusing to nap. Although she is obviously, and loudly, tired.

- While I was trying to get Rhys to sleep (by nursing her), Liam decided it was the perfect time. Perfect time to take a bottle of sunscreen, lace all the cats' water dishes with said sunscreen (not sure what the cats thought), see what sunscreen looks like in large gobs on the carpet (ugly), whether or not it makes the window sills slippery (it does), and what kind of reaction this will get from Papa (loud and laced with much cursing, in more than one language).

So, how's your day been?

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Learning to Crawl


Here's another layout I made using the (now sold out) July kit from Crazy Daisy Kits. Just when you thought it was only good for 'boy' pages, here I go and do a 'girl' page. :)

I fell in love with the gorgeous crochet flower in the kit. So pretty! I added a tiny pearl to the centre, and a few pearl swirls to the edges. To 'soften' the ticket, I added a little pearl to that, too.

[detail photo was here]

I kept trying to use that swirl edge Prima journaling sheet on my pages, and I just couldn't make it work, but it was perfect for this girl page. It cut it in half length-wise, so I could use it top and bottom on the page. Otherwise, half of it would have been hidden in the layers.

[detail photo was here]

I added a few Prima flowers from my stash to this page, and a few more pearls. I love the look these give, and they mixed well with the buttons from the kit.

[detail photo was here]

Here's the journaling.

[detail photo was here]

Supplies (from July kit):
PP - Crate, Foofala
die-cut borders/frames - Crate
journaling sheet - Prima
ticket, trim - Maya Road
letter stickers - Pink Paisley
buttons - Buttons Galore
crochet flower

Other Supplies:
flowers - Prima
pearls - Basic Grey, Kaiser
marker - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
ink - Ranger

Friday, July 17, 2009

Father of 2


Here is another page I made using the July Main kit from Crazy Daisy Kits. If you didn't grab it already, it's too late - this kit is now sold out. But you can still order the add-on kit, and now would be a great time to pre-order the August kit, so you don't miss out on it.


The July kit came with a bingo card stamp from Prima. The packaging itself was a great shape, so after I stamped the image on the kraft cardstock (also in the kit), I traced and trimmed the card to the shape of the packaging. These wooden brads from Chatterbox are great for masculine pages. I hadn't seen them before other than on-line, and I'm really happy with the quality.


Again with this layout, I used a lot of the Prima rub-ons for borders and little details. And I still have lots left. I can't believe how much I've used. I added a little Prima owl pebble I had leftover from the June kit. It just seemed to work here.

I love the size of these Prima journaling sheets. I often find that journal spots are too small for what I want to say. These ones are so big, I have a lot of options. I can cut them to fit, use them as photo mats, or layer them with the other papers, and still have lots of room for my journaling.



Supplies (from July kit):
CS - Bazzill
PP - Basic Grey, Crate
letter stickers, large flower - Pink Paisley
bingo stamp, rub-ons, journaling sheet - Prima
die-cut border - Crate
ribbon - Maya Road
wooden brads - Chatterbox
buttons - Buttons Galore

Other supplies:
pebble - Prima
marker - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
ink - Ranger, StazOn

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Monthly On-Line Crop @ Scrapbook Star

Come join us this weekend at Scrapbook Star for a fun on-line crop. Lots of inspiration to get your mojo going, and I hear there might be some prizes, too! Hope to see you there!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Little Treasures - July mini album


The July main kit from Crazy Daisy Kits included a star-shaped chipboard min-album from Maya Road.

I decided to cover the little oval tag that was attached, and use that in the album as well. I also grabbed a couple of the Maya Road tickets included with the kit, and added them as dangles, too.


This is a brag book for my husband to keep at work, so he has something to make him smile in the middle of the day. I used the Jenni Bowlin rub-on letters and more of the Crate Paper borders to make the title for the cover.


Since this book is for my husband, he got to chose the pictures, so you may have seen a few of them before. I used some of the border stickers from the Cosmo Cricket sticker sheet. They were easy to trim to the size I needed for the mini.


Most of the pages I covered with patterned paper, and sanded the edges. But the next one here, I tried out inking the chipboard, then covering it with the Prima rub-ons. I love the effect, but a note of caution. Make sure the ink is bone dry before trying this - other wise the rub-ons just make a mess instead of sticking (ask me how I found this out).

I also cut apart and used some of the cream daisy trim from the kit on the second page here. It's nice and flat, and makes an easy embellishment that won't catch on things.



I loved using the Jenni Bowlin and Prima border rub-ons around the photos.




Supplies (from July kit):
chipboard album - Maya Road
PP - Crate, Foofala
stickers - Cosmo Cricket
border die cut - Crate
tickets - Maya Road
trim - Maya Road
rub-ons - Jenni Bowlin, Prima
rub-on letters - Jenni Bowlin

Other supplies:
mini rub-on letters - Doodlebug
ink - Ranger

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Start Them Young - version 2!


Yup - I frequently scrap the same photos twice. I make an album every year for my Mom for Christmas, so when I scrap photos I know she would love, I'll scrap them twice. It's also an interesting way to see how it would look if done differently. Sometimes I have a clear favorite, sometimes, not. It's going to be tricky to decide which version of this I'm keeping!

This is another layout I did with the July Main Kit at Scrapbook Star. Included in the kit was a good length of this narrow ric rac. It takes a curve really well, so it was perfect for creating a flourish.


I cut out several flowers from one of the patterned papers, and layered them with pop-dots. It's hard to see in the pics, but I also coloured over most of them with the clear glitter pen that was in the kit. A subtle glitter, but a nice effect.


Here's another one of those stamped butterflies I did with the transparency. This time I flipped the transparency over, so I could get a reverse image. Again, the body was made with Flower Soft.


Supplies (from July Kit):
CS - Bazzill
PP - Scribble Scrabble
letter stickers - Basic Grey
ric rac - May Arts
brads - Making Memories
glitter pen - Copic Spica
stamp - Scrapbook Star
ink - Colorbox

Other Supplies:
ink - Ranger, StazOn
transparency - 3M
marker - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
other - Flower Soft

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Made in Canada



Here's my second layout made with the July kit from Crazy Daisy Kits. Have I mentioned that there are loads of rub-ons in this month's kit? I made a border with word and motif rub-ons (Prima), and I still have plenty left for more pages.
(detail photo was here)

Included in the kit is a sticker sheet from Cosmo Cricket's "Halfway Cafe" collection. The designs are beautiful, but pure Americana. Since I'm Canadian, I had a little fun with one of the stickers, and added a little Canada 'sign' over the word America. I made the sign with the Jenni Bowlin rub-ons and one of the Crate Paper die-cut borders.

(detail photo was here)

I took some of the small round star stickers and mounted them on cardstock, then I punched them out with a narrow border, and pop-dotted them to give them a little more dimension. I cut one of the large Prima journaling sheets in half and layered it behind my photos. There was still room to include my journaling.

(detail photo was here)

Supplies (from July kit):
CS - Bazzill
PP - Cosmo Cricket, Foofala
journal tag, rub-ons - Prima
die-cut border - Crate Paper
stickers - Cosmo Cricket
buttons - Buttons Galore
rub-on letters - Jenni Bowlin
trim - May Arts

Other supplies:
ink - Ranger Distress Ink ("Faded Jeans" and "Brushed Corduroy")
marker - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

Sunday, July 5, 2009

This is how a Ninja sleeps


Have you checked out the July Kit at Crazy Daisy Kits? The June kit sold out, so if you're interested in the July kit, grab it while you still can!

This is my first layout with the July kit (as usual, click on image for a larger view). Lots of vintage type papers, distressed edges, TONS of rub-ons. Perfect colours for boy pages. I'm having fun already, and I've barely started!

Lately I've really gotten into using small square letter stickers like those from Rose Moka and My Little Shoebox. Lots of options when creating longer titles.(I'm totally blaming Claude and Noémi for this addiction - enablers, both of them!) So, I sort of created my own version for this layout. I started with the Jenni Bowlin rub-on letters from the kit, and added them to one of the die-cut frames (Crate Paper), also from the kit:

Then I cut them apart to make individual shapes:


I also inked the edges with Distress Ink, in "Brushed Corduroy", then added them to my title. Easy, and adds a whole new look to rub-on letters!


There were lots of other Crate Paper die cut borders, frames, and journaling tags. I took this circle frame, and added it for a little interest. Also shown here are a couple of the Maya Road transparent tickets from the kit. I know I'll be using more of those!


Loads of Prima rub-ons in the kit, including borders and frames. The frames are sized perfectly for adding grunge edges to 4x6 photos. I never think that far ahead to print my photos 'standard' sizes, so I cut apart one of these frames and added it to the parts of my photo where it would be seen.


More rub-on details, and some coordinating Prima flowers I added from my stash. (Who says you can't use flowers on a 'boy' page?)


The journaling spot is actually another one of the Prima rub-ons. I added it to one of the die-cut tags.



Supplies (from July kit):
PP - Chatterbox, Crate Paper, Foofala
die-cuts - Crate Paper
tickets - Maya Road
letter stickers - Pink Paisley
letter rub-ons - Jenni Bowlin
other rub-ons - Prima

Other supplies:
flowers - Prima
ink - Ranger
marker - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

Friday, July 3, 2009

July Kit at Scrapbook Star


The July Kit at Scrapbook Star features papers from Scribble Scrabble. I've never worked with papers from this company before, so it was interesting to try something new. It took me a little to find my groove with them. The papers are great, but for some reason, they were kicking my @$$ !!! I don't know why? I love the colours, and the visual texture in the patterns. The papers are also double-sided - which means twice the paper options. Love that.

I used a large chipboard flourish from Fancy Pants, and after covering it with the patterned paper, I coated it with diamond glaze, to give it a more polished look.

Here's a close-up of the exclusive stamp from this month's kit. Isn't this a cute butterfly? My stamping skills leave something to be desired, so I'm always afraid to stamp directly on a layout. To solve this, I used StazOn ink, and stamped the image on a transparency, which I was able to cut out and then adhere to my page. I made the butterfly body with Flower Soft, which is a pretty neat product, and you can get it at Scrapbook Star here.


The Kaiser Craft pearls (one of my all-time favorite embellisments) were so much fun to add to my pages. I made my own flourishes with a bunch of them. These things are so versatile! Quick tip - try lifting them with the tip of a paper-piercer. The adhesive keeps them on the tip long enough for you to place them on your project with precision.


I also used some pearls for my flower centers. I created these flowers with scalloped punches! I little bit of cutting, folding, inking, and voilĂ  - custom flowers to match your page. They are actually easier to make than they look. A little bit of stickles finished off the centers.

I felt the top right corner needed a little something, so I added a few embellishments, and then pounded the heck out of the brads with the Tim Holtz texture hammer. I have a feeling I'm going to love using that tool. (Great for stress relief, ha ha!)


June's kit sold out in 48 hours, and the July mini-kit is already sold out, so if you want to get your hands on the July Main kit - act fast!


Supplies (from July Kit):
PP - Scribble Scrabble
Stamp - Scrapbook Star
trims - Maya Road
pearls - Kaiser Craft
letter stickers - Basic Grey, Making Memories
brads - Making Memories
ink - Color Box
glitter pen - Too Marker

Other supplies:
chipboard - Fancy Pants
transparency - 3M
glitter glue - Stickles by Ranger
pens - Uniball Signo
ink - StazOn
other - Flower Soft, staples