See Julie Scrap

Echo Park and Epiphany Crafts Bog Hop

2012-01-30T05:00:00.001-08:00

~~Sorry.....I am at CHA and my post has disappeared. I don't have my computer so can't redo the post. Your next blog is the fabulous RhondaRhonda Van Ginkel http://snapwhiz.blogspot.com/~~
I made it home!!!! Time to fix up this post a bit! I got to use the fabulous Echo Park Yours Truly line with my Epiphany Crafts tools and this is my layout:

I love being able to make custom buttons with my Epiphany Crafts Button studio so that they coordinate perfectly with whatever I am working with, this is the Round 20 Button:

The new square shape is so much fun to play with and when I saw the pattern on the papers matched the size of the square epoxy exactly I knew I found a great match, turning the squares on a diagonal made a great diamond pattern border. I used the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio and the Square 25 Epoxys:

Welcome to the Echo Park Paper Co. and Epiphany Crafts Blog Hop! On this hop you'll see the amazing things you can create when you combine Echo Park Paper Co. paper and embellishments with the amazing tools from Epiphany Crafts. Below you will find the blog hop list. Simply hop from one blog
to the next to discover entirely new ideas for using these amazing tools with our beautiful products. Leave a comment on each designers' and company's blog to qualify for the drawing for an Epiphany Crafts Heart Button Tool and Heart Button Epoxy stickers, as well as, two collection kits "Yours Truly" and "A Boys' Life" from Echo Park Paper! We hope you enjoy all the inspiration created by these two amazing teams. Winners will be announced on Friday, February 3rd on the Echo Park Paper blog and the Epiphany Crafts blog. All comments are due before midnight EST on Wednesday, February 1st to qualify for the drawing.

Start at Epiphany Crafts blog: www.epiphanycrafts.com/blog
Then hop to:
Audrey Pettit http://audreypettit.wordpress.com/
Nicole Martel http://www.nicolemartel.blogspot.com/
Aly Dosdall http://alydosdall.blogspot.com/
Keri Babbit http://kensingtondesign.blogspot.com/
Julie Walton http://seejuliescrap.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE
Rhonda Van Ginkel http://snapwhiz.blogspot.com/
Linda Auclair http://elendae.wordpress.com/

Then onto the EP team:

Wendy Sue Anderson: http://wendysueanderson.blogspot.com/
Leslie Ashe: http://leslieashe.blogspot.com/
Amy Heller: http://www.amyheller.typepad.com/
Jennifer Gallacher: http://jengallacher.blogspot.com/
Kandis Smith: http://www.mycreativetreasury.blogspot.com/
Tamara Tripodi: http://happylifecraftywife.com/

End at:

Echo Park Paper Blog: http://echoparkpaper.blogspot.com/

Your next stop is at the fabulous Rhonda:
Rhonda Van Ginkel http://snapwhiz.blogspot.com/

Have fun hopping and thanks for stopping by!

Epiphany Crafts and Echo Park Blog Hop

2012-01-29T22:15:00.001-08:00

Sorry guys....I am at CHA and my scheduled blog post has disappeared. I don't have my computer with me so I can't redo it. But your next blog is the fabulous Rhondahttp://snapwhiz.blogspot.com/

Favorite Projects of 2011

2011-12-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

The last day of 2011.....and I am heading into the scraproom to create my last projects of the year, but I thought I would share my favorite projects from this last year...

I wish you a happy happy new year of creating!!!

Favorite Webster's Pages layouts of 2011

2011-12-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

It has been an amazing year creating with Webster's Pages digital collections AND working with the Webster's Pages Design Team and Owners. I have had Design Team spots in the past but I have to say none of them compare with the experience I have had at Websters' Pages. I have learned so much this year about design, and had so many new opportunities and I have to thank Brandin for that, I even had a bucket list item checked off :) It is so great to work directly with the owners and creators, definitely a family experience that becomes a part of who you are.

So one thing I like to do each year is to choose my favorite layouts I did that year. And this year I am going to single out Webster's Pages layouts because they carry such meaning for me :)

The Trendsetter collection was perfect for Jenna's first day of School picture this year:

I love this picture of my daughter Rachel....and it was so funny when I showed her the layout because she had just written a self description of herself for school and it was exactly what I had written about her:

This layout shows my style changing a little bit, something that I have fully embraced now. As Brandin told me over and over......you need space for your eye to rest :) This is my baby Ariel....she is a 7 lb Chihuahua and has added so much to my life....she is a love!

I am a sucker for a beach themed collection. I love the beach and these photos of Jenna taken 2 summers ago continue to be among my favorite of all time. The Yacht Club collection was also perfect for these photos:

The Winter Fairy Tales collection was calling my name for my Disney On Ice pictures:

One of my favorite lines of all time from Webster's Pages is All About Me, I turn to that line over and over. My favorite color combination is turquoise/white/lime green and this is one line that does it right! I feel like Brandin made it special for me :)

This spring/summer I had the amazing opportunity to work with Webster's Pages to create photobooks with Webster's Pages digital collections for their new journey with NovelTree. This page is created from a page in one of those books, my favorite, The Boy book using the Natures Storybook collection:

The 911 anniversary this year inspired me to create this next layout again using the All About Me collection and photos from Jenna's school performance in May which was patriotic themed:

I had alot of amazing travel adventures this year and one of them was San Francisco with my Mom and daughter Rachel and her guy Chuy for Thanksgiving....Waiting for Santa was perfect for this layout of ME...yep I did a layout of me ;)

Okay now...check out this white space and off the page design...from ME??? Yeppers!

I told you I was a sucker for beach themes and beach pictures ;) This layout uses Yacht Club once again and is also a page I created from one of the NovelTree book layout pages:

Ahhhh yes, have to include the layout about Sadie....she is a huge life size deer made from cement which my mom and I bought and loaded into my little car...in the back seat...and had to have someone come over and unload it...but she is a great addition to the backyard and the kids love her:

This layout is a fun quirky one that just makes me smile every time I see it....Life as we Know it, outtakes from a family photo session:

And one last layout to share with you...using the brand new line called Sunday Picnic and featuring the Clean & Simple line being introduced by Webster's Pages....and pictures from the above photo shoot with Kimberlee Miller:

And there you have it....my favorite Webster's Pages digital layouts for 2011!!
Thanks for visiting and sharing this time with me :)
Hope that your new year is amazing!!

2011 in Photos

2011-12-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Well...its been quite the year, however after a few trying years this year has been a good one. Lots of great new memories made, lots of fun adventures, great family time.......and peace for the most part. Trips this year, Hawaii, Grand Canyon, Morro Bay, Alaska, Reno/Sparks with 3 kids a diabetic cat and a chihuahua, New England/Canada, San Francisco and Disneyland for 3 days. Milestones, Trevor graduates from Preschool, Rachel graduates from College, Trevor starts school, Jeromy moves to Sparks and then Bullhead City...and loses his first two teeth. It has been a great year...and here are some of my favorite photos from this year:

See ya in a few days with my favorite layouts from 2011!!!!
Happy New Year to you all!

Handmade gifts and decorations!

2011-12-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

Well its the season all right.....and Christmas is just 7 days away.....are you ready?? I am...I just finished my last Christmas present, which I cant share but I do have some decorations and gifts that I created this season!!
First up...I have quite the owl addiction, dont know why but they really draw my attention. I also happened to have some felt on hand from another project and one night I sat and made these:

Jenna and Trevor quickly claimed them as their own, and so now I need to make one for me to keep. They were super easy and I got the idea from Pinterest :)
Check out the eyes...I used my Epiphany Crafts Button maker and the Round 20 buttons to make custom eyes for these guys:

The reason I had the felt was because I made these cute little Christmas trees, in my color theme for the year, pink, turquoise, green....and I thought they would make an awesome gift for my funky hairdresser so again....I dont have my own, but I do have the stuff to make them, lol!

I used my Epiphany Crafts Button and Shape Studios and made ornaments for my trees!
Then came my next love.....making little canvas's, again sticking to my new Christmas color theme:

I made a cute little peacock feather Christmas tree using Bo Bunny paper and my Epiphany Craft Shape Studio and the oval epoxies with a little heart button for the top!

And then I joined in on a challenge that Hobby Lobby put up on their Facebook page for tags and created these:
The first is my owl tag, I used a combination of Webster's Pages papers, in the Botanical Christmas line, and my Epiphany Crafts buttons, epoxies, and felt settings:

And.......this tag won day 5 :)
I created another tag for the challenge using a freebie digital tag from Webster's Pages adding lots of Websters Pages trims and some Epiphany Crafts Round 25 Epoxies:

It didnt win....but it looks great on my tree!!!
And last but not least is probably my favorite new decoration of the year that I made:

I used a very inexpensive shadow box frame I got from Michaels for $5, framed a paper from Best Creation Inc, added some loose jingle bells and then added a title to the front of the glass, using a Epiphany Crafts Heart 25 Epoxy to dot the 'i'. Tied a ribbon around it and what a great decoration dontcha think?
So I talked about changing up my color theme this year and I am working towards it...last year I got a white tree, this year I started going pink, turquoise, lime green and this is what I have:

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that you are enjoying your season as much as I am :)

Adventures with Flat Stanley

2011-12-08T11:58:00.001-08:00

So Flat Stanley has been a travelling boy! I decided to make Jenna a book of all his travels by making digital layouts for each adventure.....and I am using the various Webster's Pages digital collections exclusively because there is a paper for every adventure :)
Flat Stanley travelled to Nevada first to Jenna's Grandpa Richard, who took Stanley hunting:

I used the Nature's Story digital collection for this layout.
Next Flat Stanley went to Jury Duty with Jenna's Great Grandma, who actually got on a jury:

I used All About Me digital collection for this layout.
Next Flat Stanley traveled to Florida to stay with my friend Cherrie and her grandchildren who took Stanley on 2 different adventures, the first one to Port St Joe via the Suwannee River:

I used the Yacht Club digital collection for this layout.
Next Cherrie took Flat Stanley to see the Manatees:

I used the Seaside Retreat digital collection for this layout.
Then Flat Stanley came back to California to go to San Francisco with us for Thanksgiving. We travelled by train and stayed at Fisherman's Wharf:

I used the Yacht Club digital collection for this layout.
Flat Stanley is now on his way to North Carolina.....and apparently enjoying the ride as he has been in the mail almost a week, lol!! Hope he didn't take a detour!

Webster's Pages Design Team Call

2011-12-06T22:23:00.001-08:00

Well it was about this time last year give or take that a Design Team call came up for Webster's Pages. Webster's pages huh? I saw that they also were looking for digital members. I applied for both. Imagine my surprise while in Hawaii on vacation in January I got an email from Brandin.....from Webster's Pages. I remember it very clearly...sitting at an outside table at a grill having lunch with my mom and daughter in Kona. They were enjoying their "Bikini Tini's" I was looking at the ocean and the spinner dolphins giving us a show...and checking email. I screamed...no way....my mom and daughter asking what, what? That was the day that I began my journey with Webster's Pages. I have been part of the digital team with Webster's Pages since last January and oh what a year it has been. This team is truly the dream team. Extremely talented design team, extremely talented owners and staff, who are generous beyond belief, throw in an amazing Social Coordinator and you have the stuff dreams are made of. I learned so much about design. I was given a Bucket List worthy opportunity in NovelTree. I found out what being a team is all about.....its an extension of family. That's what its like to be a part of Webster's Pages. And why you ask am I telling you all of this???

because

Webster's

Pages

growing

and

they

are

looking

for

special

kind

scrapper

Clean

Simple

kind

scrapper

for

their

new

team!

You can read all about it on the Webster's Pages blog. Don't even hesitate to apply for this...it too could be your dream come true if you are the Clean & Simple scrapper!!!!

Check out what Webster's Pages is giving away....FREE!!

2011-12-02T16:30:00.001-08:00

So its December and you know what that means!!! Christmas!!!

And Webster's Pages is helping to make your

Christmas a beautiful one by offering you some

FREE gift tags!

Use these on presents for your "from/to" tags,

Use them in your decorations,

Just print them out and use them as is

or decorate them to your hearts content!

Beautifully created with various Webster's Pages

collections in digital format by me :)

To download these tags you can go HERE
To see how the Design Team embellished them see the Webster's Pages Blog

Happy Holidays from Webster's Pages!!!

Black Friday and Webster's Pages!!!

2011-11-21T09:54:00.001-08:00

Check out the Webster's Pages blog today for details about some special edition kits available for Black Friday...just $25 plus shipping. If you have ever gotten a special edition kit from Webster's you know you cant miss out on this deal :)

Flat Stanley

2011-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh the great 2nd grade project....Flat Stanley! Flat Stanley is a little guy that each 2nd grader draws and colors, who, since he is flat can slip into an envelope and travel all over the world. As he travels he sends post cards and photos to the child's class and the children get to learn about different places all over the world and learn through the adventures he has. This year is Jenna's turn, and her Flat Stanley has begun his 6 month tour. First he went to Sparks Nevada to visit with her grandpa where he went hunting!! Next he was part of a jury at the Ventura County Court. Then we took him to the Pumpkin Patch. Now he is on the way to Florida for a new adventure.
This is such a great project for the kids...and the adults, everyone is so enthusiastic about it!!! I decided that Jenna would love to have a book that shows her Flat Stanley's travels and adventures, and am going to do it with digital layouts and have them printed as a book. This is the first layout:

For this layout I used Webster's Pages All About Me Digital Collection and also 'lifted' the design of the layout itself from this months Guest Design Team member Stephanie Garbett.
Stay tuned for more adventures of Jenna's Flat Stanley!!!

Happy Halloweeen!!!

2011-10-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

October has long been my favorite month of the year. I just love the crisp blue skies we get, a bit of Indian Summer weather and soft breezes. This year has been a little different as I was gone to New England/Canada for half the month where I actually SAW fall colors..you know, leaves that change beautiful colors before falling off..unlike most of ours which turn brown and die and the first Santa Ana wind we get blows them all off..usually in December, lol! So since was gone so much of the month...and then had jet lag that just would not go away I didnt get a chance to get out my usual Halloween decorations :( But I did add a few new witch dolls to my collections, including a homemade one named Agatha that I got from Salem Massachutes! A visit to the pumpkin patch always gives me beautiful photos with bright vivid colors...cannot miss this trip every year. Last year we all went, my mom and the gkids and it was of course a blast. So this is the layout I share with you today:

This layout is a great pairing of Best Creation Inc Papers, Epiphany Crafts, and Helmar Adhesives and features my grandson Jeromy who I miss dearly, he moved to live with his mom in Nevada and then his dad in Arizona.

I used Epiphany Crafts Round 25 Bubblecaps for the pumpkins and the Round 14 Bubblecaps and Charm Settiings for the hanging embellishment.

Helmar Liquid Scapdots was perfect for holding the tulle!!!

Hope you all have a great Halloween!!!

Epiphany Crafts/Clearsnap Week!

2011-10-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Epiphany Crafts Design Team paired up with Clearsnap this last week and used each others products to create fun projects! I love working with Clearsnap product, inks are unbeatable, and I love love love the spritzes and foils!! My first project is an 8x8 canvas:

I used the foil on the large heart in the center, the Epiphany Crafts Heart bubblecap (14) silver foil, and then on the Round 14 bubblecaps in the charm settings (on the banner) and a vintage setting on the flower.

Smooch spray was used on the canvas itself and I used the ink to stamp the flower and the edges of the canvas.

I used the Sparkle Fibers from Clearsnap on the backs of a couple of Heart 25 Bubblecaps.

My next project was a wood frame:

Here I used Epiphany Crafts Round 25 Bubblecaps, the Round 14 Bubblecaps and vintage settings, and the felt flowers

I used the Smooch spray for the edges of the frame:

These were fun projects to work on and I loved the pairing of Epiphany Crafts and Clearsnap!!

My NovelTree by Webster's Pages

2011-10-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

I had a bucket list item checked off this year. Brandin from Webster's Pages contacted me and asked me if I would like to be a part of a new venture for Webster's Pages, designing photobooks like no other using Webster's Pages Digital collections. She had the vision, we worked through it all learning along the way. Trial and error. I have to say that with her direction I was able to tweek my scrapping style just enough to be what I had always envisioned it could be. Brandin has forever been imprinted in my brain as a huge inspiration in my life.

So what is NovelTree? NovelTree is a new journey for Webster's Pages. NovelTree introduces to the world a whole new concept in photobooks, memory books, scrapbooks. A NovelTree photobook is like none you have ever seen. Imagine a scrapbook, available in digital format, that you can just drop your photos into online, you can personalize with your own journaling, and you can have it delivered to your doorstep, complete. For 39.95 you get the hardcover, lie flat pages, and for 19.95 you can get it in a softcover format. I couldn't believe the price point when I saw it! Each book holds on average around 50 photos. There are books for every occasion you can imagine, or no occasion at all. Very versatile for sure! If you don't see something you would love to have...make a suggestion, we are still creating!

I share this adventure with fellow designer Mitsue Iwata. Let me share with you some of my favorites that I designed:
My favorite is Peace

Another is Homegrown

Or how about All Occasion II

How about a photobook for a BOY....hard to come by but I created one , Boy

One more...how about a book to document your child's school year? Check out

School Days

Do you want to save 20% for life on these books? Yep, you heard me right, 20% off for life!! Just pre-order a book of your choice, and that discount is yours for life. Once everything is ready to go you will be able to create your book, have it printed and shipped directly to your doorstep. Think Christmas people...what a great gift! I don't know about you but I am the picture taker of the family so I have all the pictures, this is a GREAT way to share them!

So which one is your favorite? Be sure to check out the Webster's Pages Blog for giveaways....there is one today for a free photobook and your favorite Webster's Pages product :)

Be sure to click on the books names above as I have linked them to the NovelTree site where you can see the book in "action"...so cool!

Helmar October Sketch Challenge!

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lydell Quin is at it again with the perfect sketch for the Helmar October Sketch Challenge!

One of my all time favorite Helmar Adhesives, Liquid ScrapDots was the perfect product for my Hello Fall Layout where I made some 3D leaves by cutting out a leaf shape and pinch pleating right down the center....I added some inked edges to give them even more dimension. My layout features papers from Helmar preferred partner, Pink Paislee!

A little close up of the leaf cluster shows how dimensional these leaves actually are, which would normally create a glue emergency, but not with Helmar Liquid ScrapDots on my table!! I added a few custom buttons made with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio to my cluster and it was the perfect touch.

Hope to see your creations with the October Sketch and Helmar Adhesives!!
Julie Walton, Helmar Design Team Member
http://seejuliescrap.blogspot.com/

Sharing a little Webster's Pages Digital love!!

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I so love working with Websters Pages!!! I am so glad that Webster's Pages offers their product in digital format! I have done so much work lately with the collections its crazy, alot of it for the new Photobooks and Pocket Photobooks that Webster's Pages will be offering through their NovelTree program, some work for publications, future blog posts and just for fun.

Today I can share two of my latest layouts. The first is one that I created with Life's Portrait digital collection and is a scraplift of Webster's Pages October GDT Stacey Young. Stacey creates with an incredible amount of layers, just beautiful. So that is what I concentrated on, layers:

and that is my little Trevor, just having the time of his life at the beach :)

My second layout that I can share is for my daughter's best friend who is expecting her first baby in December and had a little maternity photo shoot last week. I mixed up the collections here and used a little Let's Celebrate, some Trendsetter and a bit of Garden Gala:

They are anxiously awaiting the birth of their lil' pumpkin :)

I encourage you to pick up some of Webster's Pages in the digital format, which is so versatile, you can cut it up, resize it, change colors or print it out!

3 Scrappy Boys October Main Kit

2011-10-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

The 3 Scrappy Boys October Main kit features Studio Calico this month!!

October 2011 Main kit

$28.25
Sale: $25.43
Save: 10% off

October 2011 Main kit includes:

6 sheets double sided Studio Calico memoir paper

1 sheet Studio Calico diecut paper

8 sheets assorted Studio Calico memoir 6 x6 paper

4 sheets cardstock

1 Studio Calico chipboard alphabet

1/2 pack Jenni Bowlin brads

assorted Studio Calico memoir diecuts

1/2 pack Studio Calico scrap

1 roll Hambly washi tape

1/2 pack Basic Grey flowers

1 Maya Road kraft note and envelope

And these are my creations this month:

I added 5 custom button made with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio, Round 20, and 2 custom epoxies made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 14.

Did a little fussy cutting here and then some hand stitching.

Added a custom epoxy on the 'hi' card made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 25 , and some tulle from my stash.

I used a template for the diecut shape and added some bakers twine from my stash here.

I have also created a challenge in the forum for the October Main Kit, which is to create a project with some sort of stitching, it can be hand stitched, machine stitched or even faux stitched with a pen. My example is my "hi" card where I faux stitched with a white pen and hand stitched:

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time with me and I hope that I have inspired you!!

A big project I am working on with Webster's Pages!

2011-09-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Over the last few months I have been working closely with Webster's Pages, Brandin in particular...I have to tell you that woman has ideas.....good ideas, and they just keep comin', lol!! NovelTree is her brainchild and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to be a part of it. NovelTree is Photobooks, Photobooks with pockets and scrapbook pages all using the digital format of Webster's Pages papers and embellishments. You get to pop in your pictures, add some journaling and you have a beautiful book, but you also get the chance to do some personalization to the pages as well if you want. Founders club will be introduced on Friday. Want more info? Check out the Webster's Pages Blog :) Any questions? Check out the information on the Webster's Pages site. (the two samples being shown are two that I designed....so excited!!!)

This is a sample of one of the pages:

And these are samples of the pages from the photobooks that I turned into Scrapbook Pages:

I hope you will check out the books that fellow designer Mitsue and I designed for Webster's Pages!!! I cant wait to have one of them in my hot little hands :)

Scrapbook & Cards Today Publication!!

2011-09-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

So I got a great unexpected package today in the mail......from Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine!!! While at CHA Summer this year they saw a sample I did for Epiphany Crafts in the booth and asked for it to use in their publication! It was my sweet little mixed media canvas I did using Pink Paislee, Epiphany Crafts and Helmar Adhesives.....my very first mixed media canvas that I love so much and wasnt sure I would ever see it again. Its back home again and ready to be cherished. So check out my whole page publication:

Its on the very last page of the issue.....Woo Hoo!!!

BasicGrey Digital projects

2011-09-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Been working alot more with digital scrapping, and came across BasicGrey and their extensive digital collections. Decided to play a little and create some layouts and other projects....all 100% digital :)

How about some 12x12 layouts?

This one is featuring the Phoebe Digital Collection and my crazy carefree granddaughter Jenna in a candid shot taken on the beach when we were camping there this summer:

And this one, the uses BasicGrey Black Tie digital collection. It features my daughter Rachel, who graduated from Pepperdine University this summer with honors and cum laude...the black and grey tones with the splashes of blue/red were perfect for her schools colors!

And this layout featuring all of my daughters from a Christmas a few years ago, also using Black Tie....love the bold colors here and how the photo just pops~

Next up...my granddaughter Jenna again, this time at the Santa Barbara Zoo and sledding California style, cardboard and a hill covered with astroturf. I used the Euphoria digital collection here to coordinate with the color of her capri's and to represent fun summer colors:

Something else I really like to do is when I am going to frame a photo I have taken I like to add a little somethin' somethin' to it and the Black Tie digital collection was perfect for this photo I took of my daughter Katy and grandson Jeromy this summer:

I love to make my own digital Christmas cards every year, sometimes I make them for others if they ask...I love working with the smaller size! This one is done with the Dasher digital collection and features my daughter Rachel and her significant other, Chuy:

Lately I have done quite a few double page layouts, I have quite the time with them usually...such a big surface to cover, but doing it digitally is more fun. Again I used the Dasher digital collection and I am featuring my grandchildren and our fascination with Christmas hats:

and I tried to think out of the box for my last project and came up with making some tags, they can be used to embellish a layout, digitally, or printing it out and adding to a project, I used various digital collections for these:

And that's what I have been up to......lots more creations with the kiddo's back in school :)

BasicGrey Digital

2011-09-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Yep....BasicGrey Digital!!! I took the sketch from the blog challenge on the Basic Grey Blog and used it for a 2 page digital layout:

I used the Euphoria Digital Collection and made a layout featuring my grandkids new puppy Zoe:

thanks BasicGrey for the challenge...and sketch!

Webster's Pages September Digital Challenge

2011-09-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

It's all about the layers......a Webster's Pages Digital Challenge for September!

Ahhhhh....September, I love Fall!!! I am so happy to see September, I love the colors of the season, the slight breeze, warm weather, and back to school! So this month we are going to focus on a technique of sorts, using layers. There are many ways to create layers in various sizes and shapes in digital layouts so I will cover the methods that I use on a regular basis, and by all means if you have a different way of doing it please share :)

I am using Adobe Photoshop CS4 but I know that some of these methods work with other programs so it will be a trial and error kind of thing...best way to learn sometimes.

The first method I use is to 'cut' the digital paper by simply cropping the paper with the cropping tool.

Another method I use is to use the Marquee tool, in the rectangular/square shape or the oval/round shape. I simply choose the tool, create the shape on the paper and then 'copy' (control c). Then I go over to my layout and 'paste' it (control v).

You can also use a mask shape and 'clip' the paper to the mask creating all kinds of fun shapes.

And the last method I use regularly is to simply resize the paper smaller than the background paper.

I created 3 layouts this month as samples.......because.....its Back to School and I have 3 grandkids that went to Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade this year and I managed to get pictures of them all on their first days, yay!!! I have used lots of layers in these layouts using all of the methods I listed above:

2nd Grader features my granddaughter Jenna and in this layout I used a mask for the bracket shaped paper, and I used the copy/paste method with the marquee tool for the striped square behind the photo. I used the fantastic Trendsetter collection for this layout.

First Day of School features my grandson Jeromy who moved away during the summer and has started at a new school...I sure miss him! The blue and green papers were 'cut' using the cropping tool, and the strip of ruler paper was cut using the 'cut' and 'paste' method. I used the new collection, All About Me for this layout.

Watch Out Kindergarten features my youngest grandson Trevor who started Kindergarten this year. It was very difficult to watch him go...he has been my sidekick for the last 5 years! The paper with the scalloped design on the very bottom of the stack was 'cut' using the resizing method, I just wanted to scallop detail to peek out from the layers. The two blue papers and the strip were created using the copy/paste method (my normal go to method). I used the very appropriate Wonderfall collection for this layout.

So my challenge to you this month is to use layers, lots of layers, in whatever method works best for you! And as an added bonus, if you create a layered layout with the theme of back to school you will get two names into the drawing for the prize package.....a digital collection of your choice!! Sound good? I can't wait to see what you all do, and I hope to see lots of back to schoolers!!

Please upload your entry into the gallery at InspireMe and then link it up to the post over at the forum at InspireMe. Contest ends September 30th.

Sew Cute Techniques with Best Creation Inc - Blog Hop!!!!

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today we have a fun blog hop with projects using thread! Visit each Best Creation Inc Design Team member blog listed below to find the secret FALL words! Once you have found the FALL words, email them to mel@bestcreation.us for a chance to win Best Creation Inc's new 12x12 Hello Fall collection kit:

Winners will be announced Tuesday, September 6th!

I got this great little tool from WRMK, the Sew Easy, and they recently came out with a banner, so I played around with that. I ended up piercing the banner pattern on the back of the Best Creation Inc Glitter Cardstock and instead of going in a straight line I gave it a bit of a curve. I stitched with floss, then taped the back with clear tape and then cut around the shaped. It might have been better to cut out the shape and then stitch though....live and learn :) I used the Rock Star line for my layout:

I popped up the banner with my Helmar ZapDots and added some cute buttons I made with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio and a heart shape bubblecap from my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio.

So...now its time to continue on your Hop to the other Design Team members, and dont forget you are looking for Fall words that will appear in just a few of the blogs.

Good luck everyone! And your next stop is Monique's Blog where she will share another great thread technique :)

If you get lost along the way be sure to go back to the Best Creation Blog where you will find all of the blog links.

Have a great hop!!!

Altering the Glue Daddy Caddy Deluxe!

2011-08-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I just love to sit down to a fresh piece of wood that I am free to alter in anyway that I see fit :) I ordered my Glue Daddy Caddy Deluxe as soon as they were available on etsy....why? Because I had my Helmar glues propped upside down all over my scrap table in everything imaginable....quite the sight now that I think about it, and I should have taken a picture of that, lol!!
I took a step by step approach and posted it on facebook about a month ago but I thought I would share here too for those that missed it. So this is what I started with: (you can find yours HERE on etsy)

and let me tell you.....this is the perfect home for your Helmar glues!!! I love the deluxe one for the little side pockets which are perfect for my Helmar Liquid ScrapDots and Adhesive Runners. I decided I wanted to give it a shabby vintage look so I painted all of the edges a purty turquoise color:

my thought was to paint the edges a color and then paint the whole thing white so that I could sand through the white and have the turquoise show through on the edges:

I love the color combination of white, turquoise and black so I decided upon some papers from Lilybee Design - This & That, one of Helmar's preferred partners. I applied a thin coat of Helmar Acid Free glue to the papers (after I measured and cut the pieces to fit the caddy) and smoothed them onto the caddy. The good thing about the Acid Free Glue is that it doesnt warp the papers so it is perfect for an application like this:

Glue Central.....good one huh? LOL!!! To further along my vintage look I thought that using my Helmar Crackle Medium would be the perfect touch, rubbing with some ink to help the cracks show up:

And now that the base/background is in place its time to decorate/embellish!!! I wanted some bling on my caddy because I am a bling queen so I added a string of pearls around the top edge....using my Helmar 450 Quick Dry:

and for the top I decided upon some diamond shape dew drops from another Helmar preferred partner, Robin's Nest, and the perfect adhesive for them is Helmar Gemstone Glue:

I wanted the embellishments to be as protected as possible because I know this is going to get alot of use so I gave the whole caddy a protective coating of Helmar Acrylic Sealer. The final touch was to add some paper roses with the perfect contrasting color of yellow:

And the perfect adhesive for applying these babies to the caddy is Helmar Liquid ScrapDots!!!
And now may I present my Altered Glue Daddy Caddy Deluxe:

Well I have thouroughly enjoyed my Saturday morning sharing with you and I hope that you have a GREAT weekend.....and stay safe!
Julie Walton, Helmar Design Team Member
http://seejuliescrap.blogspot.com/

Sharing my Webster's Pages Digital layouts!!

2011-08-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Whew its been a busy summer! I sure havent had much time to be creative with full time kiddos but one thing I can usually sneak in is digital layouts :) Like I said a time and place for everything...as a comment about paper vs digital scrapping.

Webster's Pages released 5 new lines this summer...and while the collections have just begun shipping in the paper format the digital format of all of these collections are already available to purchase!!! Check them out here!

This first layout uses the new collection Botanical Christmas:

And this one uses the new line Winter Fairy Tales - I blended two of the papers together to get the background here.....love how black and white goes with these bold yet soft colors!

Another layout using the new collection Winter Fairy Tales:

The Let's Celebrate line was introduced early....its perfect for celebration photos and non celebration photos:

This next layout is a lift of the GDT at Webster's Pages for August, Brit Sviggum, she has this great style of cutting out the subjects from the photos and creating a scene around them. I used the new Botantical Christmas line here:

This last layout is very dear to my heart and goes back to using an old favorite collection of mine, Nature's Storybook. My daughter recently graduated with high honors, cum laude, from Pepperdine University with her Bachelors in Business Management and this layout is for her significant other for his birthday, its being framed and embellished as we speak :)

And there you have it......Webster's Pages in digital format!!

Anatomy of a Layout - August Sketch Challenge with Helmar

2011-08-20T12:32:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Good Saturday to you...or Sunday if you are abroad! Julie here, and I wanted to share how my layout using the August Sketch by Lydell Quin came together! Check out the post about the Adhere in August Sketch Challenge for more details and to see the fabulous layouts created by the Helmar DT and YOU!!!
So this is the sketch Lydell did:

One heck of a fantastic sketch I have to say..thanks Lydell!! So I went to my stash of Helmar preferred partners goodies and planned out this challenge. I was feeling in a crackle mood and the Pink Paislee papers seemed to suit where I wanted to go with the layout.

I love using patterned paper as my background paper and with this paper I decided I didn't want to cover up much of it but did want something to ground my photos so I decided I would paint some of the background paper and while the paint was drying I cut out some graphics from another sheet of paper to use as the circles in the sketch:

I applied my Helmar Crackle Medium to the painted area (love that stuff):

While this was drying I got out my PSA Essential stamps, thought they would be perfect for the circles in the sketch as well...plus I had the Life's a Beach and Dare to Dream line and thats the topic of my layout...I love when things come together like that!
Once the Crackle Medium was totally dry I rubbed some ink onto the painted surface and then rubbed off with a paper towel, which left the ink in the cracks....I love to see those cracks...just so random!!

I thought butterflys would be a great embellishment so I punched some and also used the Crackle Medium and ink on them.

And then came the layering and stamping...and check out those butterflies, Helmar Liquid ScrapDots and perfect for butterflies!!

And there you have a beautiful layout, using a beautiful sketch all made possible by Helmar Adhesives and Helmar Preferred Partners, Pink Paislee, Robins Nest and PSA Essentials!!

Some details:

Of course I used my Helmar favorites.....450 Quick Dry, Adhesive Runner and ZapDots!!!
I hope to see you participate this month in the Adhere in August Sketch Challenge....just 11 more days till the deadline ;)
Julie Walton, Helmar Design Team Member

http://seejuliescrap.blogspot.com/

Webster's Pages GroupOn Deal today only

2011-08-12T09:19:00.001-07:00

This is an AMAZING Deal & different products from the recent warehouse sale. BUY NOW ~ only available for 1 DAY! ♥
http://www.groupon.com/deals/websters-pages

$100 worth of product for $25 !!!!

A 3 Scrappy Boys Challenge!

2011-08-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all!
I just posted the August challenge with the Trio kit at 3 Scrappy Boys, thanks for sending that to me Heather....I am having a blast with it :) , just love the three main manufacturers this month, Echo Park, Jillibean and Cosmo Cricket!!! As I was working with the kit I found that I was making alot of my own embellishments and thought it would be a great challenge, I love to see what others create! I tend to make embellishments when I find a pattern in the paper that I can fussy cut and paper piece. Today I will share with you the layout I did and the embellishment I made:

Its really not that crooked in real life...I just couldnt get a straight shot, lol!! Anyway this is Trevor at his preschool graduation this last June. And the title comes from the video they played at the graduation where they asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Trevor's response was "I want to be a baker", we were all surprised to hear that, not that he would want to be one, but that he actually said it in response to the question. I didnt want to forget that moment so I used it for a title!
So...on to the challenge, I made the embellishment in the top left corner by cutting the circle designs from the paper, layering them with my Helmar ZapDots, adding a button with bakers twine and tucking in the the journaling strips that I cut from the paper around the center. My Challenge to you is to create your own embellishment!! Here is a close up of mine:

I hope that you will play along with me this month....I want to see the embellishments that you create!!! And dont forget to check out the 3 Scrappy Boys Newsletter this month....I have another layout that I will be sharing with another embellishment that I made :)
Have a crafty day!
Julie Walton, Design Team Member for 3 Scrappy Boys

Webster's Pages Freebies

2011-07-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Webster's Pages has free digital frames made from all the new collections???? Yep they do :) Here is one I used featuring the new Western Romance collection:

They work great for your Facebook profile photo's too!! This one below is with the new collection Let's Celebrate!

And this one is with the new collection "all about me"

So head on over to WEbster's Pages and get yours....lots to choose from!!!!

Woo Hoo!!! Best Creation Inc DT member for the next term!!!

2011-07-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Even though I have been there for two terms already I just couldn't resist trying again.......and I made it!!! I love being up to my ears in Best Creation glitter papers!!! I have loved working with everyone these past two terms and will miss the friends that have moved on, but love having the opportunity to work with some new friends! If you haven't tried Best Creation papers yet you haven't had the chance to become addicted like me......so I invite you to check out the blog.....alot....and get in on one of their MANY giveaways....or pick some up at your favorite scrappy store :)
Also wanted to share with you some of my projects that were in the CHA booth this summer in Chicago:
This layout of my sweet grandson Jeromy features the new Halloween line, Happy Haunting and the great new Basic Glitter Star paper:

Also using the new Halloween line this cute little magnetic frame I picked up at Target's $1 spot a while back featuring my cutie pie grandson Trevor:

And a close up of the flower I made from the designs on one of the sheets of paper:

And one more to share..using the new Basic Glitter Star paper, my adorable granddaughter Jenna when she was 2 (she is 7 now and still very sassy :) ):

And a little close up of the flowers I made:

I hope that you all will follow me and my Best Creation Inc journey once again and I thank you for coming to visit!!!

Scrapping on Vacation

2011-07-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever brought your scrapping stuff with you on vacation? I found myself in the middle of a 6 week contest for The Last Scrapper Standing while I was packing to leave for ALASKA!!! Thank goodness they were giving hints for the next weeks challenge as I was packing....so I put together a little (or big) kit of sorts and packed it all away. Of course I made it to the next round, so it was time to create.....onboard the Golden Princess while at sea, lol!! Packing my adhesive was of course a no brainer, I took along my Helmar 450 Quick Dry, my Helmar ZapDots, Helmar Liquid ScrapDots and my Helmar Adhesive Runner..check it out:

And here is my scrapping space.....aka my mess in my room:

The people I was travelling with got a kick out of it!!!!
So being the week of the 4th of July I had to use 7 stars (and they couldnt be designs in the paper), the given sketch, red, white and blue with one of the colors as a main color. This is what I came up with using my Webster's Pages papers and embellies and some Best Creation Glitter cardstock:

And let me share with you how I did it :)
The flower: I cut thin strips of paper and curled them with the blade on my scissors. I put Helmar Adhesive Runner all over on the backside of the chipboard button and attached the curly strips all around. I then added a large Helmar ZapDot to the back and attached it to the paper, adding the rhinestones as an accent.
The bloomers: I adhered them with my Helmar 450 Quick Dry, then added some Helmar Liquid ScrapDots to the centers and added the sparklers.
The pearl strip and the glitter stars were adhered with my Helmar 450 Quick Dry. For everything else I used my handy dandy Helmar Adhesive Runner.
A note about the little doilys.....they were on our soup plates at lunch and everyone saved them for me...I just inked them with some ink :)
And.......I did make it to the next week of the competition with this layout!!!
So tell me......have you scrapped on vacation????
Thanks for your time and I hope that I have inspired you just a tad :)
Julie Walton
Helmar Design Team Member

Say Hello to the new DT Member of 3ScrappyBoys!!!

2011-07-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

and that would be ME!!! So glad to get back into a kit club DT and I happen to love this one!!! This club has a great monthly kit, store and message board and I would love if you all came to visit me at 3 Scrappy Boys !!! Also be sure to follow us on Facebook!! And dont forget the blog!!

Webster's Pages New Paper lines!!!!

2011-07-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Brandin O'Neill has done it again.....the 5 new lines that she created for Webster's Pages are in a word.......AMAZING!!!! She is a genius! The new lines are:
All About Me

There are matching embellies for each line which you can see by clicking on the linked titles......amazing!!!

I have used 3 of the new collectionsn in digital format and created a layout for each and would love to share them with you!
First up, using Let's Celebrate, I did a non celebration layout to show its versatility, this is Jenna so far this year:

Next up I used the Western Romance line of papers in digital format and created this layout:

Love love love the combination of the pastel colors!!
and last up I created a digital layout with the All About Me line of papers:

And...wow!!! I can see that it is all about Jenna this month, lol!!!
thanks for visiting!!!

Soooo.... its been awhile, but.....I'M BACK!!!!

2011-07-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Wow...July has been the busiest month on record for me! Its good to be home for a stretch of time! The beginning of the month saw me in Alaska on a cruise:

It was a great trip and we had an awesome time participating in the art auctions on board the ship!!! Great Memories made :)

Once home we were here for just 4 days before we took off again...this time to Reno/Sparks NV in the motorhome with the 3 grandkids, my newly diagnosed diabetic cat, the dog, and a bunch of my daughters belongings.......because she moved there!! We didnt make the 9 hour drive all at once though...stopped at Convict Lake on the way up:

We arrived in Sparks and "camped" in an RV park in town...it was great, hookups, a pool, laundramat etc. We ended up staying 4 nights there. While in Sparks we went to the local Water Park - Wild Islands - and had the best of times. First time there for Jenna and Trevor...unfortunately I did not take any photos because I didnt want to have my camera there....so we just have memories :) We also went to Circus Circus in Reno and then Virginia City:

And then we hit the road again...this time for home! We stopped at Convict Lake again on the way home and had a little informal photo shoot:

And before you know it July will be over!!!! I had alot of fun but man I am glad to be home!!! First thing I did was clean my scraproom.....and scrap...will share more later when Blogger isnt acting up!

Nikki Sivils and Helmar help me scrap out of the box!!!

2011-06-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying the partnership between Helmar Adhesives and Nikki Sivils so much!!! Hope you all are enjoying and being inspired by all of the projects the teams are creating this week!!! I received the Max & Mollie line and the We are Family line to play with and I decided to stay on my out of the box kick that I have been on....meaning projects other than layouts :) When I do that I use just about every Helmar product I have in my scrap studio, lol!
So what I decided to play with first was the Max & Mollie line and continue on my mixed media/canvas kick I have been on. I am using a 6x6 canvas that is about an inch and half deep:

I started this project with the canvas, Tattered Angels Chalkboard mist and some bubblepack. I sprayed the entire canvas including the sides, actually drenched it pretty good and then I used the bubblepack to pat on and remove paint as I went, it took awhile but the result was awesome!!!

I did add some rubons to the edges as well, very random and I wasnt careful about how they went on....so freeing!!! I think it would be really cool to paint the canvas a color then spray and then pat off some of the paint with the bubblepack too...next project :)
Once the canvas was dry I brushed on a heavy layer of Helmar Acid Free glue and applied the Nikki Sivils paper that I had previously wet, crumpled and distressed and then dryed. While this was drying I cut out a sun from another NS paper and my photo and applied the Crackle Medium step one and when that was dry, about a half hour later step two of the crackle. I applied the step 2 Crackle Medium on the photo with a one inch foam brush and had something happen that I havent had happen before......huge cracks far apart......so cool!!! Once the Crackle Medium was dry (the next morning) I rubbed some Tim Holtz Distress ink over the sun and the photo and then rubbed it off, this makes the cracks show up alot more...gives it more of an antique look. To finish off my canvas I did some fussy cutting of some more of the Nikki Sivils papers and applied them with Helmar Liquid ScrapDots and Helmar ZapDots for great dimension!! The ScrapDots work great when you are working on an uneven surface. Some Nikki Sivils stickers from the Max & Mollie sticker sheet and a title finished off my canvas. Once everything was dry I used the Helmar Antique Acrylic Sealer to seal the entire canvas. I just adore how this project came out!!!

Now...I am not done yet, lol!!! With the We are Family line I decided to tackle a project that my grandson requested.....really out of the box this time. My grandson Trevor will be 5 next week on the 7th of July. Trevor is completely obsessed with the LalaLoopsy dolls and I mean completely, you never saw a kid so crazy over a toy. So of course he wants a LaLaLoopsy cake which a friend of the family is going to decorate using the dolls and such, but he wanted houses too. They have these cool whimsey looking houses much like the houses in Nikki Sivils paper line We Are Family.

So what I did was freehand cut out pieces of the houses from plain white cardstock and then adhere the Nikki Sivils papers with my handy dandy Helmar Adhesive Runner! Then I got out the Helmar ZapDots and had those squares flying as I put my houses together!!! I used my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio to make the various buttons I used and adhered them with my Helmar 450 Quick Dry. The Helmar Liquid ScrapDots worked great for the trims..I just put a thin line where I wanted my trims and applied, easy peasy!! I added a couple of Robins Nest Dew Drops for door knobs and flower centers and adhered them with Helmar Gemstone Glue.

Trevor was over the moon when he saw them this morning and once he figured out I was taking pictures of them with a few of his LalaLoopsy dolls he wanted me to use ALL his LalaLoopsy dolls AND their pets, check it out:

And there you have some out of the box scrapping with Helmar and Nikki Sivils!!! I had fun....hope you did too!!!
Julie Walton
Helmar Design Team Member

I have officially jumped on the mixed media boat!!!

2011-06-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a friend had posted a couple of She Art Girl canvas's and I have to say they really grabbed my attention. I went over to Christy Tomlinson's blog and watched a video on mixed media art, more specifically canvas's and officially fell in love! This is so me!!! I used to be a tole painter years back, and a good one too if I do say so myself, so I can totally see where it will benefit me with the mixed media! Anyway, i want to take Christy's class on the She Art Girl but I have to wait till I have a bigger block of time to play....might have to wait till the kiddos are back in school for that, lol!!! But I was so inspired by her video and I had a couple of 6x6 by 1.5 inches deep in my scrap studio so I decided to play! I saw an ad in a Scrapbooks Etc magazine that had the coolest tree made from circles and decided to try something like that. This is what I came up with:

I started with one sheet of the Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden paper, a circle punch, my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studios in small and large round, some wire, ribbon, paint, rubons and a ton of Helmar Adhesive products! I punched 3 different sizes of circles, inked them and applied them with Helmar 450 Quick Dry and then with Helmar ZapDots for dimension. Then I made some bubble caps with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio and applied them here and there on the tree with the 450. I made a tree shape with wire and wound ribbon around it and adhered it to the canvas with my Helmar Liquid ScrapDots...love that stuff, so perfect for uneven surfaces! The paper was applied to the canvas by brushing on a liberal coat of Helmar Acid Free Glue and after I was finished I used my Helmar Antique Acrylic Sealer to seal everything over. So much fun to do!!!
And now everyone wants it.......buts its MINE all mine :) ha ha ha!!!! evil grin :)

Day 3 of the Let's Celebrate Party!!!

2011-06-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Webster's Pages has knocked it out of the park with the new Let's Celebrate line...an early release of the five new collections for Summer CHA!! Yep, you can use this line of paper for just about anything, birthdays, party's, life celebrations, everyday, little girl you name it! Today I focused on a party, my grandson Jeromy's 6th birthday and the traditional cake, song and candle blow out:

I love how I can use these papers for boys and girls :)

In honor of our new collection we are hosting a week long launch party at inspireME, complete with games, prizes, surprises and more! Starting Monday, June 20^th and ending Friday, June 24^th our design team members will be sharing inspiring projects each day...from cards, to altered projects, digital projects and layouts for both the intricate and the graphic style scrapbooker. We have also put together our most interactive game to date for our members called I SPY and you can have a chance to be a part of daily giveaway prizes and the grandest prize of all the ENTIRE Let’s Celebrate Collection! You can find all of the fun and festivities in our Let’s Celebrate forum HERE

Day 2 of the Celebreation - Let's Celebrate from Webster's Pages!!

2011-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Its Terrific Tuesday and I am so excited to continue the party with "Let's Celebrate"a brand new collection! Can't wait for CHA? Webster's Pages is announcing an early release collection, Let's Celebrate! It's one of 5 new collections from Webster's Pages! Bright. Bold. Cheery. Sweet. Let's Celebrate is all about having fun celebrating the special moments in your lives. With our signature Webster’s Pages whimsical images on the front and fun, colorful, graphic patterns on the back, this line TRULY has something to offer EVERY papercrafter. Featuring 6 new double-sided 12x12 papers plus 1 die cut paper, we have brought back some favorite embellishments such as our fabric ribbons and tickets, embroidery threads, netting and our best selling bloomers and trim packs PLUS a few new embellishments up our sleeves, this collection is worth eating an extra slice of cake for.

Take a look for yourself:

So half of our presents are now unwrapped, but we still have a few up our sleeves. You will have to come visit inspireME to see them in full. However, we just might have a few hints as what embellishments are to come. What present is complete without beautiful wrapping: such as our *NEW* Netting, always fabulous Trim and trendsetting Bloomers. And what about a little something pretty for on top: our *NEW* Whimsies and Sparklers really take the cake! Plus a few flowers always add a little something special: our *NEW* Florals and Pins are extra sweet. Finally a bit of the unexpected is always in order: introducing our first ever, *Brand New* Dazzle Me Gems are show stoppers!!

In honor of our new collection we are hosting a week long launch party at inspireME, complete with games, prizes, surprises and more! Starting Monday, June 20^th and ending Friday, June 24^th our design team members will be sharing inspiring projects each day...from cards, to altered projects, digital projects and layouts for both the intricate and the graphic style scrapbooker. We have also put together our most interactive game to date for our members called I SPY and you can have a chance to be a part of daily giveaway prizes and the grandest prize of all the ENTIRE Let’s Celebrate Collection! You can find all of the fun and festivities in our Let’s Celebrate forum HERE

We have a game of 'I spy' planned and would like you to join in on the fun. All you have to do is click on the I spy image above and join in from there! (You could increase your chances of winning by letting me know where you've linked to.

Today's assignment with the new papers was to create a layout featuring a "Daily Moment"

Its so easy to create an everyday layout with these papers as well. They were perfect for the soft loving moment shared by my granddaughter Jenna and our Chihuahua Ariel! My digital layout was created with the Let's Celebrate digital collection!

Check here daily as the Design Team posts projects using our new "Let's Celebrate" Collection! Please click on the banner and it will bring you to a thread that we created in Webster's Pages InspireMe Ning where they will tell us what you spied in the project! I can't wait to hear from you!

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you are now inspired to play with this new collection!

Winner Winner!!!!!

2011-06-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

And the winner from the Creative Water Techniques with Best Creation Inc papers is:

annamills2001 said...: my favorite place to swim is in a nice, quiet pool...no fishies or gunk :)
June 19, 2011 7:33 AM
Anna I will get a hold of you to get your mailing addy!!!

Creative Water Techniques with Best Creation Inc

2011-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Best Creation Inc has the best paper line for water play called "Splash fun"....so many possibilities with this one!! I just love the colors and all of the glittery accents!!! So they (Best Creation Inc) challenged the Design Team to use a technique to create the look of water using this new line. The Blog has some fun contests going on today and tomorrow (June 17 & 18) and lots of giveaways so if you didn't come here from there you will want to head on over ;) Also I am going to giveaway a fun selection of papers from this line including the die cut pages and a page of stickers!!! I have to limit it to US only for shipping purposes though. All you need to do to be entered for my giveaway is to leave a comment on this post and tell me where your favorite place to swim is :) (by Monday June 20)

So if you came from the Best Creation Inc Blog you know what you are looking for right???? Let me share my layout with you, some close ups and some tips :)

One of my go to techniques for water is to use a mist on the background, I love a great white background with a couple of colors of mist :) I used Maya Mist for the background on this one in blue and orange....a little bit goes a long way, lol!!

I added a Chipboard die cut to the circle and used my Helmar Adhesive Runner to attach it.....its not going anywhere now!

I love using wave patterns and scallops to imitate the look of water too! Best Creation supplied me with those patterns as well in both the paper and the sticker sheets! One other thing I like to do is fussy cut and that's just what I did with the water splashes!! Adhering them with my handy dandy Helmar 450 Quick Dry made the job super easy!!

One last thing I love to use are epoxies, shiny and glossy they look like water! I made my custom epoxies with my Epiphany Crafts Shape studios in the new Oval shape, the large Heart and small Circle. Best Creation Inc has the best graphics to cut and punch out!! A little dab of the Helmar 450 Quick Dry and they are all set!

So there you have it....a great water layout created with the Splash fun line of papers from Best Creation Inc, put together with Helmar Adhesives with the added touch of Epiphany Crafts epoxy's!! I hope you have enjoyed your visit and don't forget to leave a comment here on my blog for my giveaway!!!

Webster's Pages....Let's Celebrate!!!!!

2011-06-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Its that time.....time for new collections from Webster's Pages!!! Webster's pages will release 5 new lines just in time for Summer CHA.....and the let's celebrate line will be release a wee bit early......like next week!!! The Design Team is busy working with the new lines and next week Webster's Pages is celebrating all week long with lots of eye candy, fun things to do and what else...prizes!!! So stay tuned here and on all of the Webster's Pages Design Team blogs...and facebook, and other gallery's and message boards. I do have all of the Webster's Pages DT blogs listed on the side bar for you to surf with :)

Let's Celebrate Promotion Week - June 20-24
(on Sale Friday June 24 - shipping Monday June 27)
Promotion Theme - To Celebrate New Products ~ Fun Activities ~ Big Prizes!
Can't wait for CHA? Webster's Pages is announcing an early release collection, Let's Celebrate! It's one of 5 new collections from Webster's Pages

Best Creation......Rock Star....oh yeah!!!!

2011-06-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

So the Best Creation Inc Design Team coordinator challenged us to create something with acrylic...using any line of papers. I went through my acrylic stash and settled on a little mini album by ScrapWorks....just 2x3 in size, which I used to make a hanging banner for my grandson Trevor. And low and behold the new Rock Star line had the exact same blue plaid pattern that Trevor has in his room...not only that there are tons of black accents and thats what Trev has in his room too! What a great find!!

I spattered the fronts of each acrylic piece with black acrylic paint using an old toothbrush and then I dipped the edges in black paint as well. I love to adhere paper behind the acrylic because it gives such great dimension so I used the 6x6 papers from the Rock Star line, perfect for the size of the banner I was making!! I used my Helmar Gemstone Glue to adhere the papers to the acrylic, just a little dab in each corner and it worked so well I cant even see where I did it!! Cant beat that!!!

In my stash I found some great felt alpha's in black from American Crafts so I adhered them to the front of the acrylic....again gives great dimension over the paper below the acrylic. I added some stickers from the Rock star line as well to add to the design below the acrylic on the paper.

I punched additional holes in the small acrylic sheets for the purpose of threading ribbon in order to hang them one below the other.

By accident I punched holes in the last sheet, the last letter of his name, when I didnt need to so I searched around my stash and found these great Heidi Swapp Chandelier beads in black.....the perfect touch!!! I love when accidents work out so well, lol!

All in all this was a super easy and quick project...but dang its so cute!!! If you happen to be at CHA summer in Chicago this year you can check this project out in person at the Best Creation booth!!

Thanks for visiting!!!

Best Creation, Punky Sprouts and Helmar, oh my!!

2011-06-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Now that is a mouthfull!!! I had the priviledge to work with Best Creation papers, an awesome Punky Sprouts album and my favorite Helmar Adhesives!!!! The album I was given to work with was Punky Sprouts Steampunk'd, such a great combination of cardboard, acrylic, canvas and chipboard! I decided to team it up with the Best Creation Robot line of papers, stickers and chipboard diecuts:

I used a slew of Helmar Adhesives for this book, with so many different mediums you have to have a great selection and Helmar sure does!!! When I adhered the paper to the chipboard or cardboard I used Helmar Acid Free glue, perfect for this type of application because it does not wrinkle or warp the papers or the cardboard or chipboard. The Robins Nest Dew Drops were adhered with Helmar Gemstone Glue. The alpha title is self adhesive but I have found that with time they fall off so I add a dab of Helmar 450 Quick Dry to each letter and they stay where I put them....forever!!! I added a small charm from Epiphany Crafts to the first page with the small round bubblecap...such a great touch!!

I love the Best Creation Glitter Cardstock for mats!

The Helmar Gemstone glue worked great for the acrylic page! Along with a Helmar ZapDot to raise up the star!

Whenever I am adding the Glitter Cardstock I use the Helmar 450 Quick Dry and find that it works best!

I love the Best Creation Basic Glitter Dot paper for backgrounds!

Working with the canvas page was so fun!!! I used some Heidi Swapp stars as masks and sprayed some Maya Mist on....love how it came out!! I also sewed a border and made some custom buttons with my Epiphany Crafts Button studio (the hearts) and sewed them on too!!!

More Helmar ZapDots and some Best Creation Glitter Cardstock and Basic Glitter Dot papers were perfect for my little book!!

And there you have it....a great collaboration between some of my favorite companies!!!

Its time for Best Creation Inc and Helmar to team up!!!

2011-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

And a great pairing they are....love me some Helmar and some Best Creation!!! I am on both Design Teams so this is old school for me...I wouldnt consider any other combination! So I thought I would share with you some of what I have done in the last few weeks with these two companies!!

First up I used the new line from Best Creation Inc called Loops and Scoops. This paper is perfect for carnival and theme park photos or just the random Ferris Wheel photos you may have...I love ferris wheels!! Anyway this time we paired up the collection with a sketch from Becky Fleck and I used my Helmar Adhesives :)

I popped up that arrow with the Helmar ZapDots, love me some dimension baby!!! I used the Helmar Adhesive Runner for the papers and the Helmar 450 Quick Dry for the Glitter Cardstock. A cute addition to this layout are the charms from Epiphany Crafts paired with the small round bubblecaps!!

Another of our assignments for Best Creation Inc was to create a layout and incorporate paper piecing. I choose to cut a tree with my Cricut Serenade cartridge and the Best Creation glitter cardstock, and then I ended up making a sun from a flower cutout as well. I used the Bella line of papers from Best Creation:

The tree has individual leaves which I popped up with some Helmar Liquid ScrapDots....love that stuff for random dimension!!!

The sun was a last minute add on and was made from a flower cut with my Cricut, some loops of ribbon added to the back and adhered with my Helmar Adhesive Runner, an Epiphany Crafts large custom bubblecap adhered with my Helmar Liquid Scrapdots and the punches from a border punch that I had made earlier.

As you can see Epiphany Crafts adds the finishing touch to just about any project!!!

Thanks for Visiting!!!

Sketch Challenge at Once Upon A Sketch

2011-06-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to participate in a sketch challenge put on by Once Upon A Sketch as part of the sponsers Design Team. Thats right, Webster's Pages is sponsering the prizes this month!!!

Here is the information:

JUNE 1ST CHALLENGE

Our JOURNALLING CRITERIA this time is to journal about a female. It can be ANYONE...your self, your best friend, your daughter,grandma, mum, sister, cat. ...As long as you write at least 2 sentences about the female in the photo (you can always create a CARD or ALTERED item based on this sketch and use a quote instead) . Your jounralling can be any type, i.e. typed, printed etc.

To help you with this they have designed a feminine looking sketch for you..

The winner this time will get to come back in July as our Guest Designer and will also walk away with ...

Our randomly chosen winner will receive a set of ...

Both of these prizes will be sent to you directly from the Webster's offices!!

How would you like the chance to win one of these or to be our Guest next month? Take part in our challenge and you never know! It could be YOU!

And this was my take on the sketch:

I used the Garden Gala digital collection from Webster's Pages. A funny story about this layout is that I created it and sent it to my daughter in an email and she wrote me back that as a part of something she was doing for school she had to write about what she thought that others thought about her, what were her strengths ect as others saw her and her and I were just about right in line. She really is amazing!!!

I hope you decide to play along....this challenge ends on the 15th of June, and there will be another sketch challenge starting on the 16th of June!

June Hybrid/Digital Challenge at Webster's Pages

2011-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

This month I have the honor of hosting the June Digital/Hybrid Challenge at Webster's Pages!!!

Webster's Pages has a great digital collection called Yacht Club (and a paper collection too) that is perfect for all your summer/beach photos!! With great blues, reds, teals, beiges and off whites this is a kit with a great color combo going on!! Also available are digital stickers, tickets, brushes, buttons, journaling cards and trims for this collection. Having all the extra's really gives you alot to play with.

My challenge to you this month is simple: create a layout using the Yacht Club digital collection, either 100% digital or hybrid....for hybrid you just have to print out a digital element and use it on your layout...just let us know what you used :)

This is the layout that I created with the Yacht Club Digital Collection...I am always 100% digital:

This layout includes digital stickers, digital buttons and a digital journaling card!

To enter you simply need to create your layout, either digital or hybrid, post it in the gallery at InspireMe with "June Digital/Hybrid" Challenge in your title and link it up to the post at INspireMe. You could win a digital collection of your choice from Webster's Pages!! I hope to see lots of entries this month!!

Lawn Fawn + Helmar Adhesives = a Fantastic Project!!

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

As you know Helmar Adhesives and Lawn Fawn have teamed up this week and the Design Team members are getting to play with products from both manufacturers...and we have been having F.U.N.!!!
I received two sets of stamps to play with, fanicful frames and smitty's abc's, a perfect pairing I must say!! What I decided to do was to make a super easy quick little mini book featuring my granddaughter Jenna's birthday party! What helped me make up my mind was the Pink Paislee Soire paper I recieved, another Helmar preferred partner. I decided to use the stamps to emboss, on black cardstock:

I have to say I was very impressed with the detail I got from the stamps while embossing! I stamped the frame image on black cardstock and then cut out the frame and adhered with Helmar ZapDots, the 1/4 inch squares, which gave it the perfect dimension!

I made the book itself from just 2 sheets of paper, cut to 3 x 12 and glued together with Helmar Acid Free Glue!

The Helmar Acid Free glue is my go to glue when I am making mini books, goes on smooth and doesn't wrinkle or warp the papers!

I just love how the black embossed frames really made the photos from the Cosmic Bowling party stand out!!

I did a bunch of fussy cutting of flowers and adhered them with the Helmar 450 Quick Dry...my favorite glue of all!!

And as easy as that Jenna has a great little keepsake from her 7th birthday to put away in her memory box......thanks Helmar and Lawn Fawn, I sure enjoyed working with both products!!
Be sure to check back to the blog alot this week to see many more projects with our preferred partner, Lawn Fawn!!
~Julie Walton~
Helmar USA Design Team Member

June kit at The Scrapping Spot

2011-05-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

its my last month on the Design Team for The Scrapping Spot....I am sad, I really love their kits, but since I have been on the team for over a year I cant complain....... The June kit, available tomorrow June 1st, features Basic Grey's Lauderdale...check it out:

Isn't it fabulous???? I have to say I really enjoyed working with it!! So yep this kit is BG Lauderdale, great colors, kind of a tropical kind of feeling but can be used for other things as well! I loved the little coffee filter circles!!

So let me share what I did with the beautiful June kit:

my one and only Hawaii layout this month features a photo I took of my daughter Kari on the balcony of the cruise ship early one morning (I did add the little piece of rick rack for the banner from my stash) The little banner chipboards are the add on from Jenni Bowlin:

and here is an example of not going tropical with the kit....my grandson Jeromy, in a tree....I love these colors!!! I misted the coffee filter paper circles and then I spattered with real paint and on the bigger one used some alcohol inks too:

using more than one photo on a layout? here is an example for ya:

and this last one (added a little piece of rick rack again) Trevor has already claimed this one......"I really like this one" he says ;)

And the last thing I always do when I finish up with a kit is to make a few cards from the remains on my scrappy counter...usually Thank You cards because those get used the fastest :) Usually nothing elaborate, just something simple:

So there you have it, my last full reveal! I am looking forward to seeing what the new talent will do with these amazing kits!!!

Digital/Hybrid Challenge for May at Webster's Pages

2011-05-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few days to get your entries in!!! The challenge this month is hosted by Steph and is super simple, check it out:

hey guys

I echo Dena when I say I can't believe that it's May already. May is one of those months that signals the middle of the year..... when did that happen !!!???

Well I have a fantastic challenge for all those traditional scrapbookers that want to dip their toes into the hybrid world and create something really different on their pages.

I would love to share my hybrid page with you .....

See the gorgeous arched border ... that's a Webster's Pages Digital Brush. All I did was opened my photo editing software (in this case it is Photoshop 5) and opened a new document. Then I selected the brush tool, and then selected the arched border. By duplicating this brush a couple of times I made a long line of arches. My final step was to print it out, at home, on transparency. Easy !!!!!!!

I cut out the strips and adhered them onto the page with double sided tape. As you can see the effect is amazing !!!!!

The beautiful frame under Madi's photo and elegant black roses are digital brushes as well. I used the exact same proceedure as the arched border, but adjusted the size of the images. As you can see the black is striking. You also have the option of changing the color of these brushes as well. They are sooooooo adaptable.

So my challenge to you is to go ahead and use Brandin's beautiful Brushes on your project. You don't necessarily have to print them onto transparency like i did, any surface is effective and fun to do. You can use cardstock, textured papers or even print straight onto your photographs. You are only limited by your imagination......

Here are the details:
1. The majority of your project must contain products from Webster's Pages.
2. Your project must contain Webster's Digital Brush.
3. You must post your project in the gallery under the file name "May Digital/Hybrid Challenge - (title of your project)" and post a link HERE.
4. The challenge will be open from May 1 to May 31, 12 midnight PST.

Have fun everyone! I look forward to all the inspiration we will get from this challenge!

Steph xo

I took Steph up on her challenge and created this layout using Webster's Pages Yacht Club collection and my stamp is the little blue wave that runs across the page near the photos:

You can find the Yacht Club digital collection HERE and the brushes HERE. Hope you will give it a try...you could win a digital collection of your very own!!!

Make A Splash with Best Creation Inc Blog Hop!!!!

2011-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of the new release from Best Creation Inc, Splash Fun, the design team decided it was time for a blog hop featuring this fun new line!!! Getting you ready for fun summer times and lots of water play!

Grab your suntan lotion and a towel and

get ready for a fun Summertime Hop to get some great ideas

to get caught up with old summer photos and lots of ideas

for inspiring you for this summer too!!

I am sure you all know that Best Creation Inc is known for its generous giveaways, especially during a blog hop so be sure that you comment on the Best Creation blog, become a new follower for Best Creation Inc's blog, or comment on the Facebook page and of course us designers love to feel the love from your comments on the individual blogs! I hear tell that giveaways are full collections from the new June releases and 6 x 6 mini pads!!!

You have arrived here from Tina's blog, and if you happened upon this post without coming from the Best Creation blog.....chick HERE to start at the beginning!

And now I would love to share with you what I cooked up with Splash Fun:

My daughter Rachel has this awesome pool in her backyard which has several waterfalls, one of which has a bench that you can sit on BEHIND the waterfall! As you can see Trevor thinks that is the coolest idea ever!!!

Anyhow, let me share some details of this layout that make it special (besides Trevor and Jenna and my daughter Kari, lol). My adhesive of choice is Helmar Adhesives, more specifically the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, which works great with the glitter/embossed surfaces of the Best Creation papers, the Helmar Quick-fix Permanent Adhesive Runner, and one of my all time fav's Helmar ZapDots, I love me some dimension!!!!

And then I made those cute little glittery water droplets epoxy's with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 14 tool. Using the basic glitter cardstock and the Epiphany Tool, I got the perfect embellishment for my layout!

And there you have my creation using the great partner products from Best Creation Inc, Helmar Adhesives and Epiphany Crafts! Your next stop on the Blog Hop is Jodi's blog!

Thanks for sharing your time with us and for visiting my blog....I appreciate YOU!!

Rockin' the Digital layouts with Webster's Pages!!!

2011-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

I love all the new things that Webster's Pages is adding to their digital collections!! They have brushes and the digital format of all their stickers, tickets, alphas, journaling cards, buttons, transparencies and trims for the newer collections!!! So of course I have to play!!! And I love to share :)

Here I used Nature's Storybook:

And here one of my favorite collections because I love love love the red, teal, off white color combination, using the WonderFall collection:

Here I used one of the new collections, Yacht Club....just love those Journaling spots!!!

This is a lift of our amazing Guest Designer this month, Nadia Cannizzo! I used
the Seaside Retreat collection and added trims and buttons and tickets and frames and stickers and journaling cards from several of the other collections!!! So much fun!!!

I love that Webster's Pages has made a digital format for all of their collections...can you imagine having these goodies to print out when ever you want, how ever you want and as many times as you want??? Genius I tell ya!!

Helmar, Best Creation Inc and Epiphany Crafts, oh my!!

2011-05-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am sharing with you two Helmar products that I literally use on pretty much every layout I create. I am sure that you all are familiar with the products and these two are probably something you too use on all of your layouts but I wanted to share my creation process with you.
I bet you are still guessing which two products I am speaking about right? Well my overall favorite, go to product is the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive and next in line are the Helmar ZapDots and those are the two products I am going to use for my super easy layout along with some yummy new paper from Best Creation Inc, called My Robot.

I am a big texture and dimension lover and the Helmar ZapDots make this technique for me super easy......I get those little white squares flying in my scrap room!! As a matter of fact I am noticing a loose one in the picture above, lol!! Anyhow, with this layout I decided that I wanted the photo to sit above the paper instead of right on the paper so I matted it and then gave it the dimension I wanted by using the ZapDots:

Next I decided that I loved the design of gears on the bottom of the paper but I wanted to pop some of them up, so that calls for a little fussy cutting:

and then you simply put one of those awesome little ZapDots on the back and you are ready to add to the design:

I used the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive for everything else because I don't want anything to fall off......ever!! I don't know about you but I just love the American Craft Thickers but I know that they do not stick for the long term, so I have learned that just a dot of the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive will hold them in place forever., so no more loose letters floating around your scraproom or laying at the bottom of your page protector!! And this is my newest layout called "Rocket":
My grandson Jeromy has had a fixation with Little Einsteins from day one and he has had a Rocket always.....here he took it with us to Disneyland when he was about 3, I saw him the other day with a Rocket, and he is now almost 6! Something we definitely want to remember. If you are not familiar with Best Creation Inc paper, this is the one that has glitter embossing on every sheet. The paper is two sided but the glitter is only on one side. Since the glitter is embossed it doesn't flake...the perfect way for glitter designs to be! The embossed glitter accents make for paper that is not flat, therefore needs a strong adhesive and I find that the Helmar 450 Quick Dry is perfect for these papers. I also added a couple of custom round epoxy shapes near the rocket sticker that I made from the paper I was working with and my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio! I love the tone on tone look which gave my layout what I was looking for without looking too cluttered.
Let me share with you the dimension I got using the Helmar ZapDots on this layout:

So there you have it.....Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive and Helmar Zap Dots in action in my scrap studio!

Webster's Pages Sneak Peaks!!!!

2011-05-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

There are some new Webster's Pages collections coming out!!!! And I really think you will love this sneak peak :)

I really just cant wait to get my hands on this one!!!! Check out the blog for more info!!

The May kit at The Scrapping Spot!!

2011-05-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Jill and Cathy...they are always on it, putting out a great kit month after month. Perfect size, great embellies and new papers, cant ask for more! This month the kit is featuring Bella Blvd Family Dynamix and I found it to be so versatile for just about everything!! Great colors, great graphics, lots of stuff to cut up and I love that they included bakers twine in the kits!!

Check out the Kit:

You can get one here....but hurry they sell out super quick usually!!

So I would love to share my layouts with you!!
Trevor....such a cutie, I actually did this layout after watching all that Royal Wedding coverage...probably where the title came from, lol!! The alpha in this layout was not included in the kit, it was from a previous kit ;) I used some Helmar Zap Dots to raise up some of the flowers in the cluster to give it dimension, love those things, lol!!

Trevie and his Guinea pig:

I used the cards that corresponded with their ages :)

Family at a singing program at Jenna's school:

And while I am creating I almost always make a few cards from the scraps laying on my table...simple, but quick and fun and perfect to have on hand to mail out as needed!

Added both alpha's above and also made a custom button with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio!

The sentiment here is from a Cricut folder that I inked before I ran it through the machine :)

I want to thank you for stopping by and sharing your time with me!!

Best Creation Inc Blog Hop - its all about PUNCHES!!

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

It is Hip Hop time again ladies so grab your Bunny Ears and come on a fun hop with us to learn lots of incredible techniques to use all those fun border punches that you have.

Our first stop on the Hop was the talented Jodi Wilton and as your are being inspired be sure and pick up the mystery letters on each ladies blog as you go to spell our mystery word. Send this to teresa@bestcreation.us for a chance to win our grand prize and leave comments on our facebook and all of the design team for 2 more chances to win your choice of a pack of glittery goodness.

You have come from the fantastic project that Sarah created for you. Now its my turn :) I chose to show some multiple uses for a simple circle punch. My project is a 7 inch wooden embroidery hoop and I have used my circle punch to create the trim around the circle, the banner and the flower! And I used Best Creation Inc newest line, Ballerina Princess!

I would love to share with you how I made the flower:
First you punch your circles, I used the Best Creation Basic Glitter Dot paper. then you pinch a pleat into each circle:

Next I used the tiny attacher by Tim Holtz to staple the pleated petals to a center circle:

When they are all attached you will have something that looks like this:

I added an additional layer to the inside, following the same instructions as above and stapling the extra petals to the middle. Once those are in place you can add a center, here I used the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio to make a large epoxy using Best Creation Glitter Cardstock and attached it with Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots:

And you have a very dimensional flower to add to your project!! I dipped the edges of the petals into some Helmar Acid Free Glue and then dipped them into a container of glitter.

I also added a banner to my project which I created with circles once again. I punched my circles from the Best Creation Inc Glitter Cardstock:

Simply fold the circles in half and then attach them to a ribbon or string or in my case I used tulle, with a staple. I took a length of tulle and knotted it every few inches then added the half circles:

Now your banner is ready to decorate!

In my case I added the letters of my granddaughters name:

And lastly I punched more circles from the glitter cardstock and glued them in layers to the edge of the wooden circle so I got a great trim around the edge! Helmar 450 quick dry works great for this!

One more flower you can make with circles...I actually found this thru Pinterest but cant remember the blog it came from so I apologize for that. I have used it on a few projects lately but I will share a Ballerina Princess layout that has one:

and a close up of the flower:

Once again you start with punched circles and you fold two sides in so that you have a pointed shape at the bottom:

Using an unfolded circle, staple the points as shown until you have a complete circle:

It will look like this: You could also use glue if you wish, I knew I would be covering the center completely so stapling was quicker and easier, love my Tim Holtz mini attacher :)

This is the reverse side and you could actually use the flower like this too :)

Add a center:

I couldnt resist adding a matching Epiphany Crafts custom button, lol!

And there you have a beautiful handmade flower made from simple punched flowers!

Ok, Ok, I know you are doing a hop and I cant monopolize your time so I will let you move on to Brittny's blog for your next stop. The letter you need from my blog is: R.

Dont forget to leave comments on the design team blogs, Facebook and the Best Creation Inc blog......there are prizes to be had people!!!! Grand prize is both the new collections, Robot and Ballerina, other prizes are one of the collections...cant beat that :)

A very Special Layout to share

2011-04-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

When my kids were growing up and we moved to Simi Valley I enrolled them in a local preschool, Kids 'n Things. Kari was 3 and Katy was 2, they are 29 and 28 now, lol! Anyway that is where they went while we worked, it was actually right up the street from us. After Rachel was born I did not go back to work because the difference between my salary and the child care was $100 a month.....definately NOT worth it, lol!! Kari was in kindergarten by then and we kept Katy in the preschool two days a week. I loved that school and the teachers and the owner, Shirley, and before too long I began to work there, bringing Rachel with me and my other two came after school. I remember Rachel racing around the school in her walker...she was quite the terror! But I digress, my story is about the owner Shirley. She owned this school and ran it with her daughters. I became very close to Carol and worked with her for many years....we are only about 2 weeks apart in age. I worked there about 8 years. I loved that job! Eventually it was time for me to move on once my kids were older and I left. About 4 years ago I returned with my grand daughter Jenna, not to work, but dropping her off and picking her up. It was like coming home. So many of the teachers that I worked with over 20 years ago were still there. Jenna graduated and now Trevor is there about to graduate as well. Shirley was an awesome person to work for. She always had a smile, she never got mad...she was always there...for everyone. Carol eventually took over the school but momma Shirley still had her hand in. A few months ago I learned from Carol while visiting with her that Shirley was having some medical problems. Though we all prayed for the best she was taken from us this month, just a few short months from the time she got ill. She touched so many people and she made such a difference in so many peoples lives it has been a difficult loss. During her fight with cancer Carol posted a photo on Facebook of her and her mom and her daughter which I fell in love with. I knew I would use it, I just didnt know it would be as a Tribute. So I would love to share with you a digital layout I did using that photo from Facebook. I created this digitally, printed it and then added some elements to the print, and then framed it and added more elements to the frame.

This is the digital layout:

And this is the layout framed:

Added details to the printed digital file:

Elements added to the outside frame:
I couldnt resist adding a tricycle to the layout :)

So Carol...if you are reading this...I will get this to you sometime next week...even though Trev is on vacation :) Love ya!!!

Credits for the layout:
All digital files are from Webster's Pages - Lifes Portraits; Tickets from Country Estates; Tricycle from the Lullabye Lane collection; Ladies & Gents, stickers and buttons.
Ribbon flowers: Cosmo Cricket Glubers (digital)
Trims, flowers, birds, pins, cameo and fabric ticket by Webster's Pages.

Graduation and Ballerina's by Best Creation Inc

2011-04-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Yep....Best Creation Inc came out with 3...count them.....3 NEW LINES this month!!! I got the chance to work with the Ballerina Princess line and the Graduation line and I have to say they both ROCK!!!!
For the Ballerina Princess line I reached out to my friends for some Ballet photos! I had one of Jenna...but just one, so I felt like I really wanted to have some options! So for this first layout my friend Jenn sent me some super cute photos of her little ballerina, Reagan:

I love love love that Best Creation is now making a sticker sheet that has die cuts from the graphics on the papers.......and A MINI ALPHA!!!!

My friend Erin also sent me some photos of her daughter Rhiannon....I loved this photo the first time I saw it, her form just looks so good!!

I just love the journaling spots that Best Creation included with this line!!! The flower here I saw on Pinterest and figured out how to make it....its made with just circles! I also made some custom buttons with Epiphany Crafts Button Studio, love that I can have matching embellishments whenever I want!!

And then Best Creation came up with an awesome Graduation line!!! Everyone has graduation photos...and this is perfect for any age! I scrapped my granddaughter Jenna's Preschool graduation photos and then I scrapped her aunties graduation photos from her Masters graduation! So Jenna first:

The chipboard and stickers that come with this line are awesome!! And the glitter cardstock is perfect for that extra added bling :)

This next layout is of Jenna's auntie Alexis who graduated with her Masters just days apart from Jenna's preschool graduation and I love that the colors in the photo were perfect for the colors in the line of papers so I couldnt resist doing an extra layout!!

A fun way to add a dimensional border is to punch some circles, fold them in half and adhere just on half of the folded circle in a row...works great with double sided paper as you get a little peak of what is inside.

While one of the layouts was drying I put together a super simple card using the scraps on my table......

Best Creation teamed up with Clear Scraps this month and I was lucky enough to receive a camera shaped chipboard mini album!!! The front of the album had an opening where the lens would be which created the perfect frame for a photo:

The front cover is covered with the amazing Best Creation glitter cardstock in black and I followed a simple theme inside covering each page with paper and adding a black glitter cardstock circle to the place where the lens would be inthe camera shape:

I cut out some silhouettes from one of the papers and did my journaling and then covered them in Glossy Accents, I love doing journaling on black paper with white writing!

Adding a few flowers through out that are the same helps pull it all together.

I love that the Best Creation glitter cardstock cuts so nicely in the Cricut...the stars are perfect!!

I also want to mention that the adhesives I used here were Helmar! The Helmar 450 Quick Dry works perfect with the glitter cardstock, and I love the Helmar Acid Free glue for adhering the papers to the chipboard....no wrinkles!!! One other of the Helmar products I love and used here is the Liquid Scrap Dots...just perfect!!

Well I have to say thank you for visiting with me and checking out the new lines from Best Creation Inc...with a little added Epiphany Crafts, Clear Scraps, and Helmar adhesives!!! Also a big shout out to Jenn and Erin for letting me scrap their adorable little ballerina's!!

Winner!!!!!

2011-04-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for sharing in the fun of my publication and thank you for all of the wonderful comments...you guys ROCK!!! So I promised I would do a drawing this morning and I did!

So here is the master list....I like to do it the old fashioned way if there are not too many names :)

Cut them up and fold them over and put them in a bowl and all ready for a little hand to select a winner:

My little helper this morning is Trevor who is little bit under the weather but he did pick a winner:

Poor guy!!!! But the winner is

weze said...

Congrats! It must be so exciting to get published!

April 7, 2011 5:19 AM

So.....Louise Johnson, email me your shipping addy and I will get this issue of Create by Scrapbook Trends out to you!!!!! Congrats!!

Contact me at Juliesaddiction at gmail dot com

Published in Scrapbook Trends!!

2011-04-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

When I arrived home this evening after a fun dinner out at the local Pizza place with my mom and my daughters family there was a familiar looking box on my front doorstep........from Scrapbook Trends!!! Its always so fun to get your project back and the copies of the magazine that it is in. And usually so long ago you have forgotten about it, LOL!! So this time I have a card...yep a card, me with a CARD of all things.....in the Create: Quick & Easy Scrapbooks and More special issue from Scrapbook Trends!!
Check it out...this is the issue:

And this is my card...which I created using Best Creation Inc papers:

Its so exciting to see your creations and your name in print!!!! When they send back your project they also send 2 copies of the magazine and some other scrapbooking goodies. I always keep one of the magazines and give the other to which ever kid is in it.....but....in this case there isn't a kid in it......so........I AM GOING TO GIVE AWAY ONE COPY TO A PERSON RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE COMMENTS LEFT ON THIS POST!!!! Sound good? Ok,,, just leave a comment by Sunday April 10 and on Monday I will randomly select someone to receive this awesome magazine :)

Digital Layouts with Websters Pages Digital Collections!

2011-03-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Who doesnt love Websters Pages papers and embellishments???? I love the addition of the digital collections, which give you so many more options and possiblities. Cut the papers, recolor them, change the size, layer, stack, whatever you want and you have the images forever and can use them as many times as you want.....what a great asset to add to your scrapping collection!!! You can totally print them out and use them on your traditional paper layouts too!! Anyway I wanted to share a few of the layouts I have done this month with the digital collections...........

This fun layout uses the Yacht Club digital collection, I just love that fireworks motif!!!

This next layout was created with the Sweet Life collection, I just love the colors in this collection!

this next layout is featuring the Spring Market collection, I love using the backs of the papers!!!

I hope that I have inspired you to try digital or use the digital images and print them out, its really a great option!

Sharing layouts from The Scrapping Spot April kit

2011-03-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

So much fun to work with this kit is!!! Featuring Ad Lib by Bo Bunny this line is happy, bright and perfect for layouts of boys or girls, or everyday stuff!! The wide rick rack is super fun, love the alphas and you even get a great pen!!! Definately a must have!!!

Available April 1 at TSS!!!

So I wanted to share my layouts with you:
I added some epoxies that I custom made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio.

On this layout all I added were a few buttons:

Again here I added some custom epoxies from my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio:

With this last layout I didnt add anything, and I have to say I love the shapped layouts and decided that the cutout photo was perfect for this paper!!! So fun and playful :)

This kit goes on sale on the 1st of April, and in recent months the kits have totally sold out within hours so dont hesitate!!!

It was fun sharing with you and I hope that you are inspired to create with the April kit from TSS ~ Julie

Best Creation Inc Mini Book Blog Hop!!!

2011-03-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Best Creation Inc Design Team is teaching you how to make a super simple mini book that uses only one sheet of paper to create the book itself and then scraps to complete it!! The mini book was a make n take at Winter CHA in Los Angeles this year and it was a huge hit so we all decided to create different versions of the same book to share with you!! I have seen them all and you are definately in for a treat! The Best Creation Inc Blog does have the basic directions and then all of the blogs you will hop to have different variations.

So here is one way to create your Mini book:

I used one sheet of paper and decided to use the graphics on the paper as part of my design:
Cut one sheet of paper in thirds

Fold each piece in half, two with the part you want showing facing in and the other with the part you want facing out.

Put the sheets together with the backsides against each other

Adhere the backsides together like this....

Round your corners. This book was originally staggered as well, the first page is trimmed 1 inch and the second page is trimmed 1/2 inch. I chose not to do this with this book because I didnt want to lose the scene on the paper.

So thats my book to start with and this is what I did with it:

I made pockets with doily's to hold pictures....I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry to adhere the embellishments and Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots for the butterflys, love that stuff!!

back

I backed the photo's with papers and added some tags that would show while they were in the pockets

And there you have a fun quick little book that can be made for any occassion with lots of variations!!! I hope that you enjoyed my little book...and that you will move on to the next blog and see what Liz has done!

Be sure to go back to the Best Creation Blog when you are finished hopping and leave a comment for a chance to win a huge prize pack of goodies and 3 more chances to win if you sign up to be follower or join us on facebook! And if you get lost and want to make sure you hopped all the blogs you can go to the Best Creation Blog for a full list of blog stops :)

GRand Canyon

2011-03-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

Come and vote for my photo :)

Vote here......just press the thumbs up on my photo!
GRand Canyon

Webster's Pages March Challenges and a SALE!!!

2011-03-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

First off......I can't believe it but......WEBSTER'S PAGES IS HAVING A SALE!!!
Check it out (from the InspireMe site):
Yes, you heard correctly! Right now we are having our first ever SALE on the Webster's Pages Website!!! And yes, I said at 50% off. You will want to head over as soon as possible, because this is only while supplies last and these releases won't be in print again. So this is your last chance to get the following lines and at one heck of a price:
Waiting for Santa
Sweet Season
Lullaby Lane
Garden Gala
Seaside Retreat
Life's Portrait
Nature's Storybook
Winter's Wings
Home for the Holidays
Sweet as Cherry Pie
Magical Wishes
A Sweet Life

And I wanted to share the March Challenges this month. For the Digital/Hybrid Challenge, I am hosting!!

Welcome to March everyone!!!

March generally means Spring to most and what a great time for Websters Pages to release their newest lines!!! Did you know that all of the collections are available in Digital format? Yes they are! And not only that, all of the newest lines are already available in the digital format, so digital and hybrid scrappers you are all set! For this month's challenge I am going to work with the new collection Spring Market. I just love the colors in this collection...and the graphics are great too!!

One thing that comes up often with Websters Pages papers is that they are just too beautiful to cut up but, that is exactly what I am going to challenge you to do! Yes.....we are going to CUT THE PAPER!! You can cut graphics out, cut strips, cut shapes, whatever else you want to do! In my layout "Grand Canyon" I cut many strips of paper and some blocks and layered them:

And with another layout I did as a lift of our GDT this month, Sarah Mullinax, I cut circles from the papers and stitched around them, I cut graphics out of a sheet of paper as well...along with lots of little strips of paper that are layered and layered!

So my challenge to you digital and hybrid scrappers is to "CUT THAT PAPER"!!! And the good thing about doing it digital is that you can undo it.....so no mistakes to worry about!!

I cant wait to see what you all do with this challenge....and dont forget to pick up the new digital collection, Spring Market :)

Please mark your file with Digital/Hybrid Challenge March, and link it to this post. All files must be uploaded in the InspireMe gallery by March 31, 2011 for a chance to win a Gift Certificate to the Websters Pages Digi Shop!

Thanks!!...and get cutting!!!

And for the Traditional/Paper Challenge, Gerry is hosting this month:

Create a shaped layout:
Hello from The Netherlands... Gerry`s here wishing you Happy 1st of March! Another month and another awesome challenge here at Inspire Me!
I`m so happy to host this month`s challenge where you can all show your creativity.....
And all you have to do is to create your own shaped layout with your favorite Webster`s Pages beautiful pattern papers.
Here is my example. I created this shaped layout using the awesome "Spring Market" Collection

To make my shaped background I used one of the die-cut papers of Webster`s Pages which you can see HERE . I used a pair of scalloped scissors to cut the shape of my layout and then I punched the holes round the edges using an eyelet tool. Then I inked the edges and I did some hand-stitching....

One of my favorite Webster`s pages products are the Sparklers and I added some of them to my project. The red sparkler you see on the photo was originally white but I used Copic Markers to color it in.

Here are the details:
1. The majority of your project must contain Webster`s Pages products.
2. The project must have a shaped background.
3. You must post your project in the gallery under the file name "March Challenge - (title of your project)" and post a link in this thread.
4. The challenge will be open from March 1st to March 31st, 12 midnight PST.
Prize will be winner`s choice of Webster`s Pages Paper Collection!

All I can say is...Let`s get started! I hope you`ll join me in the fun!
I look forward to seeing all of your beautifully shaped layouts!

You can grab that blinkie and put it in your siggys everywhere. I hope you enjoyed my informative post :)

The Scrapping Spot features Little Yellow Bicycle for March!

2011-03-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

And unfortunately the kits have all sold out....in one day....yes!!! The kits at the Scrapping Spot have been selling out really quickly for several months now.....its a great kit, always, with the newest lines and a great mix of embellishments. If you are at all interested in them I would suggest to hit the store on the first of the month and snag one......and to keep an eye on the forum/message board....you can probably even reserve one ;)

So this month the kit featured Twig by Little Yellow Bicycle. What yummy colors and great texture these papers have! Love the new Thickers too ;) So let me share with you what I did with the kit:

This layout I created from a sketch on the Little Yellow Bicycle blog:

Detail from the decorator layout above:

So....did you notice that I did a Halloween layout and a Christmas layout :)

Thanks for visiting...I appreciate YOU!!

Best Creation Inc Projects...with a little Epiphany Crafts thrown in

2011-02-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

Thought it was about time I shared my Best Creation projects with you all....they all have been featured on the Best Creation Blog so its safe to post them here now. You dont know how hard it is not to share them as soon as I complete them, lol!! I am finding that my Epiphany Crafts Button and Epoxy makers are a great addition to my Best Creation projects!
And this is one layout that totally benefited from my Epiphany custom buttons....the perfect touch!! This layout was done as a part of the Recipe Challenge over at Best Creation on the Blog:

And then I had shared this project on the Spring Flower Blog hop earlier this month but wanted to share how I used the Epiphany Crafts smaller custom buttons:

This layout features Best Creation papers and the large custom epoxy's I made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio:

Featuring the Jubilee line from Best Creations I created a mini book in acrylic from our recent trip to Hawaii:

A couple more layouts to go!!
This layout features the Safari Boy line from Best Creation:

I just love that die cut paper!!
And one last layout to share, this one was created with the Travel Forever line (one of my all time fav's!! I did the stitching with the We R Memory Makers Sew EAsy tool....love that thing!! And check out the heart epoxy in the circle in the lower right corner....that is a custom epoxy I made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio :)

thanks for visiting my blog, I love sharing!!

Its almost time for the new collections to ship from Websters Pages!!

2011-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

March 14th is the day!!! All of these stunning collections from Websters Pages will ship out for you to play with!!!

And did you know that you can already get these fantastic collections in digital form??? Yes you can!!! Use the files for digital layouts or print out the papers and motifs and make a hybrid layout! So many possibilities when you print out the files because you can resize and cut to your hearts content! And you will always have the files....and endless supply of Websters Pages.

I created a two page all digital layout with the Country Estate collection that I would love to share with you:

and here is another I did recently using Life's Portrait:

I had fun playing here!! Cutting stuff, layering stuff...too much fun!
Digital kit - Lifes Portrait - papers and motifs
Journaling block is from the Vellum collection papers - Webster's Pages
ribbon stitches - Viva Artistry
Alpha and Paint - LReid
Flower and Tape - Pressed Petals
Heart STring and buttons - Juno Designs
Cardboard background - Little Feet Designs

Thanks for taking a look at the new Websters Pages collections and my work...I appreciate you!!

Just for you...a couple of blinkies to share with you....spread the Websters Pages love where ever you go :)

Sakura Hobby Craft and a Design Team call

2011-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Last month I attended CHA - the Craft and Hobby Association convention in Los Angeles, California. Its something that as a designer I love to do, to see new things, try new things and meet new and old friends. This year I was priviledged to work in the Best Creation Inc. booth, but in my time off I was free to visit the other manufacturer booths. This is where I met Terri and learned about Sakura Hobby Craft products. She was doing a make n take using jewelry findings and 3D Crystal Lacquers so I decided to try it. The samples were so gorgeous and I could immediately see where this craft could cross over to scrapbooking as well. We used 3 colors of the Crystal Lacquer, used a toothpick to swirl the colors, allowed it to dry and then later we were sent home with the dry project and a tube of the clear Crystal Lacquer to finish the pendant. I took it a little further once I got home and added an epoxy which I made from Best Creation Inc paper using my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio and a couple of gems. I applied the clear Crystal Lacquer and then pressed my additional items onto the wet surface. Check out my pendant:

While visiting the booth I saw that there was a Design Team call.....so I applied, and I got a call a couple days later that I was chosen to make a project for the call! Terri gave me a couple of colors of lacquer and the clear lacquer to complete this project, and I am ready to share with you all what I did!

I created this wall hanging:

And I would love to share how it was created!! I used the colored Crystal Lacquer (yellow) and outlined the thin chipboard scrolled hearts and frame, let it dry and then sprayed Glimmer mist on them. The lacquer repelled the Glimmer Mist for the most part, I did allow it to pool some on the lacquer for some color variation. Once the chipboard was completely dry I applied the clear Crystal Lacquer. On the frame a sprinkled some coarse clear glitter while the lacquer was dry to give it a bit of sparkle. I used one of the chipboard hearts as a frame for a photo of my mom and I and covered that with the Crystal Lacquer as well.

I also used the Crystal Lacquer on a white rose and sprinkled it with coarse glitter as well:

I popped up my frame over some Webster's Pages papers (from the Hollywood Vogue line) for some depth and then cut out some additional roses from the papers and popped several of them up as well, and then I put a coat of Crystal Lacquer over a few of them.....and I have to say that I love how the lacquer enhanced the colors in the papers!!

This will go to my mom as a just because gift......I know she already loves it!!

I thank you for stopping by to see my Sakura Hobby Craft project and hope that you will cross your fingers for me for the Design Team call!! Check out the blog to see lots of fun projects!

Weekend Recap and Happy Valentines Day!!!

2011-02-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

So....I truly spend the whole weekend scrapbooking!!! Its been a while what with going to Hawaii for a week and then CHA for 4 days, so I was more than ready!! Most of what I created I cant share with you....I know......tease!! But I will share with you what I can and the rest I will share later.
I made some cute little very simple tags for my gkids for tomorrow, which is Valentines Day......Happy Valentines Day all!

I used the Bella line from Best Creation Inc for the butterfly, the basic Glitter Swirl paper (white) and the Glitter Cardstock (love that stuff).
Here are a couple of layouts I did last month for Best Creation Inc using the new Travel line:

I also dabbled a little in the digital area too and made this layout using my friend Kelly's new kit called Rustic - by KC Kits:

And.......as I was winding down this afternoon I remembered to do something I have been thinking about for a long time. I love using those cleaning wipes by Lysol in my kitchen and I get the big containers and leave one on my sink, so I thought it would be nice to just cover it in paper so it looked nicer....so I did it! It only took one piece of paper and I like it :)

I used a paper from the Bella line made by Best Creation Inc.

Well I hope you have enjoyed my creations and the tease I gave you....come back on the 15th for more ;)

Handmade Spring Flowers with Best Creation Inc.

2011-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

We are having our First Blog Hop of the new season today and our theme is "Creating Handmade Spring Flowers". On each of the DT members blogs you will find lots of incredible projects and ways to create and use spring flowers that you can make yourself! In order to win our Grand Prize be sure and collect the kinds of flowers made on each blog and send the list to teresa@bestcreation.us. Also be sure and leave comments along your way on each of our DT's blogs and especially on the Best Creation blog at the end of the hop. Be sure and check out www.bestcreationinc.blogspot.com for the list of prizes you are going to win.

What a fun way to celebrate Spring, which according to that groundhog should be coming soon, than the first blog hop for the Best Creation Inc Design Team of 2011!!! The first thing that came to mind for me was tulips because my little grandson Trevor just bought some with my mom for the garden.....and they are blooming!!! Now these are very simple and easy to create so you too can have some of your own!!!

Spring Tulips

Supplies needed:

Circle punch

Crimper

Buttons

Paper

Needle and thread

Ribbon

Each flower is made from 3 circles, 1 button and 1 strip of paper!

Step 1 - Punch two circles from one piece of paper, and punch one circle from a coordinating paper.

Step 2 - Cut a strip of paper, thin, this will be your stem.

Step 3 - Fold the two circles that are alike in half.

Step 4 - Run your paper stem through your crimper. There are lots of alternatives to the crimper as well, you could ink the edges of the strip, or you could distress the edges of the strip, boader punch the edge, or......sky is the limit :)

Step 5 - Choose your button. I used my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio to create a custom button using a coordinating paper, in this case Best Creation Inc paper line Jubilee.

Step 6 - Assemble the circles. The two folded circles are layered over your coordinating circle like this:

Step 7 - Place your button at the junction where the two folded circles meet and sew through all of the layers catching each folded circle in the corners. The button holds the flower together and allows the fold to stay open a bit, giving some great dimension.

Step 8 - Trim the bit of the back circle away and attach your stem.

Step 9 - I like to tie a bit of ribbon around the stem to give the look of leaves.

Step 10 - You are done!!! And ready to embellish your project/layout!!

My layout is done on a 10 inch embroidery hoop. This is super easy to do, you just wet your paper (I run it under the water in the sink), lay it on top of the bottom circle frame, very gently place the upper ring (with the tension screw all the way out) over the lower ring and tighten. Let dry and it will be like working on a drum. So fun!!

My papers are the Basic Glitter Dot paper, Glitter Cardstock and paper from the Jubilee line, all by Best Creation Inc.

Well I hope you have enjoyed my quick little tutorial on making Spring Tulips! It is now time for you to move on to Alicia's blog and see the incredible flowers she has created for you!

Dont forget to keep a list of the type of flower created on each blog so that you can send your list to Teresa!!! If you get lost along the blog hop simply go to the Best Creation Inc Blog and click on the links there for the Design Team Members.
Have fun on the rest of the Blog Hop and Good Luck in the drawing for the prizes!!!

The February Kit at The Scrapping Spot...and some layouts and cards!!!

2011-02-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Feb kit with The Scrapping Spot is......Fine & Dandy....by My Minds Eye! And I have to say it is Fine & Dandy :) I loved the soft colors and patterns of the papers, and Jill and Cathy once again nailed the embellishments as well, crisp white lace trim, tulle, felt butterflys, blingy brads, fun banner stickers.....and more. So without further delay I will share The Scrapping Spot's February Kit - Fine & Dandy:

Purty huh? Love it! And the contents are:
Features My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy line (all papers are double sided).
1-Glad,
1-Radiant,
1-Wonderful,
1-Adorned,
1-Delighted,
1-Engaging,
1-Cheery.
2 Bazzill Blossom.
1 yd. White eyelet hearts.
1-Banner tickled pink stickers.
1/2 pkg. Pebbles felt flowers.
1/3 pkg. Fabric Flower Olivia bloomers,
20" Polka dot/Chocolate ribbon,
1/3 pkg. Class A peel dot sparkler stockers,
1-Shapes Cherry Hill Die cut,
8 ea. White tulle circles.
3 of each color Orange and pink brads.
1 sheet Scribbles border.

I so enjoyed working with this kit and I even have leftovers after completing 5 layouts and two cards...its one packed kit!

So let me share my cards first!
This first card is one that I did for my good friend Kelly who just had a baby girl in December...a little early, so I didnt get my crocheted blanket done in time for her sweet Braelyn!

This next card I created with the sketch from My Minds Eye for their January Challenge, I used my Cricut to cut the pieces for this card:

And now for my layouts....you could use this kit for Valentines Day if you wanted but you totally dont have to!! I scrapped snow boarding, Halloween, everyday, and Wedding!!

This first layout is one that I did with the January Sketch Challenge over at My Minds Eye!

My Halloween layout is of my granddaughter Jenna, she was Alice and the color of her dress was exact to the blues in the papers! The little epoxy heart on the tree was made from the kit papers and my Epiphany Crafts large heart Shape Maker, love that tool!!!

And then we have my daughter Rachel and her love at a friends wedding. I sprayed the background paper with a mist and strung my banner on bakers twine! Lots of border punched strips create the layers under the photo and those Scribbles borders are the perfect touch!

I used this sweet sunset pic of my grandkids visiting the ducks at the golf course on my next layout and grounded it by using paint on the background paper. I also used the new Epiphany Crafts Shape Maker for the large epoxys on the circles made with contrasting papers! Thats a fun tool!

I just love the banners in this kit!! They are perfect for titles!!

I have loved sharing my creations with you from the Feb kit from The Scrapping Spot! And I promise you........buying this kit will put a smile on your face ;)

Its time for the Webster's Pages New DT Blog Hop!!!

2011-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Webster's Pages Blog Hop!!!

The Blog Hop is intended for you to get to know the Design Team Members a little better.....and......there will be a giveaway that is to die for!!! Brandin has decided to give away A COMPLETE SET OF ALL THE NEW FLOWERS BEING RELEASED AT CHA!!! So now I have your attention I bet, lol!! To get into the drawing for this give away be sure to comment on each Design Team Members Blog, each comment you make will increase your chances of winning so make sure you don't miss any of the blogs!

Here is a sneak peak of what you can win, A complete set of all Webster's Pages Princess Petal Florettes!

which includes 2 colors for each of the following collections, Country Estate, Yacht Club, Ladies&Gents and Trendsetter. Yeh...don't forget to leave those comments ;)

So in the previous blog you got to know Steph a little better and now it's my turn!

Hi! Julie Walton here, I am so excited to get started as part of the Webster's Pages Digital/Hybrid team for 2011 and thought I would share a little bit about me to get started! I am a daughter, a mom and a Grammy, a scrapbooker, a reader, a crafter and living life fully and completely. I create with paper and digitally and have for the past 6+ years. During the week I care for my gkids, Jenna, Jeromy and Trevor who are almost 7, 5 1/2 and 4 1/2, they keep me on my toes....and young!! We are a goofy bunch, lol!! I live in Simi Valley, CA, just north of LA and a half hour from the beach and thats important because I love the beach, nothing like a stroll in the surf looking for treasures and getting your feet wet.

My scrapping style is all over the place so I call it eclectic. I tend to be artsy, follow no rules and just go with the moment. I am a cut/tear, stitch and layerer kind of scrapper. I love lots of dimension and texture! If I had only two Webster's Pages products to create with I would definitely use paper, love the two sides, the quality and thickness and the ability to cut images out, and I would choose ribbon, any kind of ribbon because there is so much you can do with it, create flowers, borders, fold, tie, staple and it creates texture and dimension in any project. When I am creating digitally I love the elements that go with the papers, I love to create dimension in digital too! I find inspiration in different things each time I sit down to create, sometimes its the papers and knowing I have the perfect photo, sometimes its the photo(s) themselves and other times its a technique I see while playing on the internet.

I have a fabulous scrapbook studio that I create in, which I designed when my house was built so its custom to my likes! Can't beat it! I have a 9 foot open countertop/desk area in front of a 6ft window that I create on, a 9ft wall of open shelving and a 8x4 closet behind curtain for storage. And I painted it lime green and use black and white accents. Right now the space is fairly clean because I did a bunch of work before I went to Hawaii for a week and haven't had the chance to get back in there to create yet...soon though...very soon!!

My good ole standby as far as paper technique goes is hand stitching and right now I am loving making flowers. Digital techniques that are faves for me are creating shadows that look like the paper is flipping up.....and lots of layers! I like to burn the papers too, kind of gives it an inked look. And like with paper I like to cut!

I would like to share with you the digital layouts I did for my submission to the Design Team:
I used the Hollywood Vogue Digital kit for all of my layouts, and they are all different so you can see just how versital the digital kits are!

This layout is my granddaugher Jenna, I managed to capture her with the 2 front teeth missing smile, it sure doesnt last long! Anyway I made lots of layers with cuts from the papers, and I added a layer of the background paper over the top of the layers and changed the blending to overlay, then erased whatever was over the top of her face. I like the look!

As soon as I saw the houndstooth print I knew that I wanted to use a photo of my middle daughter Katy....it just looked like her! Again lots of layers and cuts from the papers, I did an extraction from another of the papers and I love to layer things on top of my photos. Lastly I like to burn the paper sometimes to create an inked or painted kind of look to ground the photo grouping.

My third layout is a collage of photos from 2010 that were favorites. I changed all the photos to sepia and I love how they worked with the colors of the papers!! The strip of paper across the background paper really draws your eye and was the perfect place to tuck the photos into. Of course I love the chandlier....which I am sure you figured out since I put it in all three layouts :)

I look forward to sharing and inspiring with you this next year and am blessed to be a part of the Webster's Pages family!

Now its time for you to visit Laura's blog and get to know her a little better.

Don't forget to leave comments!!! And thanks for visiting!!!