Whodunit Gallery.

hi all!!

just thought i'd post my layouts for the Whodunit gallery over at Studio Calico, which just went live a few moments ago!! this kit really does have a ton to offer...

not sure if you read my post about the unexpected gift i found in my mailbox from my dear friend Joy a few weeks ago...but i wanted to do a layout about it. i picked up an infinitely useful rectangle punch at Archiver's a few weeks back, and used it to mimic the quilted pattern in the pillow. i trimmed a piece of 12x12 kraft cardstock down to 11x11 and made the bulk of the layout on that...eventually mounting it onto another piece of 12x12 kraft. spritzed the entire page with some Charcoal Maya Mist (seriously, one of my most used mists!) before getting started...and i sanded the edges of all of the pieces of patterned paper before sticking them down.

the title is obviously a play on Joy's name...and the fact that her gift brought a little piece of her to my home to enjoy...heehee (i'm silly like that). i typed the 'special delivery' over and over on the label sticker from the Studio Calico label sheet (buy EXTRAS of this...it is amazing!) before placing it at the edge of the photo and added a few of the Sassafras button flowers from the Main Kit. edged the photo and 11x11 kraft in blue paint and voila! this one kind of happened as a result of wanting to use the Tag Stamp from the 'With the Candlestick' Project Kit add-on...and then i kinda went crazy with the Seal of Approval scalloped circle punch, lol. and can i just tell you?? the vintage decals that Greg & April found to put into the In the Billiard Room add-on made me squeal...seriously. i flipped out. (surprise, lol) i left them on their backing so they would stand out a bit...i am in LOVE with them. anyway, i stamped a bunch of those tags and cut them out...lined them up and journaled right across the lines. tied a bit of red & white twine to the top of each and my journaling was done. i punched 2 holes in each of the scalloped circles and threaded some of the turquoise twine through them too...the turquoise is a HOT color, and one i know i will reach for over and over. the blue striped sticker across the bottom of the tags is from the SC Label Sticker Sheet this month (i cut it in half)...as are the green scalloped border and the scalloped circle i punched from the map sticker in that same sheet. they punch very easily, while still remaining sturdy...just one more way to use them!

*sigh*

this one is my fave this month.

it started out COMPLETELY different. black 12x12 cardstock background, the gold doily rub-ons, the lace Hambly paper...and it looked awful, lol. i set it aside for disposal...that's right. i had planned to pitch the whole thing and use that picture another time. when i ripped it off of the original cardstock, i set it aside on my desk...went back a few days later and it was floating around in my pile of Whodunit, lol. it was partially stuck to this delicious SC paper...which, to date, is my favorite SC paper ever. i figured 'hey...why not? i'll give this another go...', and this layout kind of just 'happened', lol. i am in love with the colors, but mostly...it's the photo and the sentiment i am smitten with.

i'm pretty sure i could use that double butterfly punch on just about everything i do...i love it that much. and i don't think i need to reiterate how awesome this wooden alphabet from the Billiard Room add-on is...we have all definitely professed much love for it. anyway, i know this layout is pretty simple...but it makes my heart smile to look at, so in that respect, it's my fave this time around.

now this one was just fun, lol...i mean, for the record, i could ROCK some knee-high pleather boots back in the day, ok? (ok, ok...they were my mom's, but who didn't love playing with grown-up shoes when they were a kid?!) somehow, the journaling started as a quick note about said boots, and ended up as a fashion confession of my own, lol. see what i mean?? you never know how a layout will end up once it's started. :)

i spritzed the kraft with Dark Cornflower Blue, Sunflower Yellow and Lime Maya Mist before i got started. the strip of alphabet letters is from the Report Card Sticker Sheet, and i found a few other 'N's on other things in the kit to throw on the page...highlighting one of them with the star stamp from the Main Kit.

so there you have it.

my Whodunit Gallery.

don't forget, any purchases made before your kit ships will ship at NO ADDITIONAL COST...so don't think twice!!

and like i said.

after shopping for everyone else this past season...

it's time for you.

shop for yourself this afternoon...WHODUNIT at Studio Calico!!

you've shopped for everyone else this season...now it's time to shop FOR YOU!!

add-ons available at NOON EST for subscribers...as well as the new items in the shop!!

and don't forget this lovely deal... this alphabet is divine, people. i am in love with these colors, the font, the print...all of it, really.

and it's yours, FREE...with the purchase of any 2 Studio Calico stamps!

new to the Stamp section of the shop this month will be:

• Ledger Circle $3.00
• Thankful $5.50 (that cute set with the pumpkins and words)
• Fence/Alpha Border $5.50 (one of my fave ever...that alpha border is amazing)
• Sewing $5.50 (the set with the vintage sewing machine, etc)
• Several items from the Report Card line as well as the Basic Grey Origins Bloomers.

don't forget...a few of the stamps have been restocked...one of my faves being the Months set. bottom line is, it's way too affordable (and probable) to order 2 of the SC stamps...so you may as well earn that free alphabet!!

will post my Whodunit layouts just after midnight, with a few techniques/reasons/explanations of how they came to be, lol...quite often for me, they don't end how they begin in my mind!!

and of course...don't forget to come chat tonight!!

Whodunit??

Studio Calico has, of course...again!

their first kit for 2010 is nothing short of fantastic...here's what i've been doing with it.

a little punching... a bit of sewing...

some distressing/sanding...

and just basically loving what this one has to offer.

crazy times for everyone right now...just trying to finish up a few last minute holiday surprises and looking forward to our annual day out tomorrow with Brett & Deb.

has this holiday season FLOWN by or what?!

from her heart.

*sigh*.

this post makes me choke up a bit, but in a good way.

so yesterday was like any other Saturday around here...indoor soccer game, cleaning the house, lots of laundry, etc. go out to grab the mail at around 4pm...you get the idea.

except it wasn't just like any other Saturday.

because there was a box on my doorstep.

i haven't ordered anything.
the address was from California...don't know many folks out that way.
but it was wrapped in beautiful woodgrain paper.

what the heck could it be??

i opened it up, and inside was a beautiful green cloth drawstring bag...with a tag on it that said 'Vintage Paper Pillow no. 7'.

at this point, i'm jonesing about the green fabric bag...who cares what's inside, lol!

until i open it.

and i find this gorgeous pillow inside the bag.

now...a few things to note.

• at this point, i still have no idea who sent this...and am concerned that while i love it, it may have been sent my way in error.
• there was an audible GASP as i saw the pillow itself. it is made of fabric that was made from old ledger papers, etc. that had been scanned and printed onto fabric.
• i notice immediately that the two initials on it are 'N' and 'H'...holy wow.

then i notice the card that has been tucked inside the box.

and though the note was brief, it tugged my heart so hard that i started crying.

you see, it was from my dear friend...Joy.

now, Joy and i have met only once...but we talk nearly every day via gchat. we gripe to each other about crummy weather, rave on and on about things our kids are doing, console each other when we have a rough day...you get the point.

but i never, in a million years, can explain to her what this gift means.

i tried last evening, lol...but i just can't find the words to say how lucky i am to have her in my life...even though we are on opposite sides of the country. and then she explained to me that she was wandering through a fave Etsy site...(one of my faves as well...Jamaica's etsy site just makes me want to go create something every time i visit it)...and saw that the pillow had my initials on it, so she HAD to send it to me.

here, i thought she had asked Jamaica to make one with my initials on it...but nope. so the fact that she saw that pillow, MY initials jumped out at her and then she decided she HAD to send it on to me?? well, that just made me realize how amazingly coincidental that was. kismet, some would say lol.

it is honestly the nicest gift i have received...not only because of the beautiful craftsmanship, but more because of the thought that Joy put into it. i feel like i got a piece of her heart delivered to my door...and that way, we are just a bit closer to each other, despite the thousands of miles between us.

so for what it's worth my dear friend...know that you made my holiday season with your gesture.

and know that i am blessed to have you in my life.
love you, sister.
see you in January.
:)

Collage Press + Lily Bee.

hey all!!

just a quickie post sharing a few recent layouts...

this first one is for the Collage Press blog...HERE. don't forget, leave a comment ON EACH POST for your chance to win the ENTIRE JOYRIDE LINE!!!

i added a dash of Blue Raspberry Maya Mist to the kraft cardstock...just for a bit of color. also had to use those 'Bundle Up' stamps from SC...they went perfectly with the old photo of Brett and i playing in the snow back in 1981, lol.and this one is for Lily Bee...we swapped some products with Maya Road and i had a blast with this! sprayed some Lemon Maya Mist on the kraft, but the real fun was with those plain Maya Road chipboard letters! i stamped on them with the Typeset stamps from SC, then sprayed with the Lemon and Red Maya Mists.

not much happening around here...Christmas shopping is 99.9% done, we need to get a tree (waiting for some snow...no fun riding the hay wagon at the tree farm without snow!), and i NEED to get cracking on a few assignments.

you will FLIP at January's Studio Calico kit...FLIP!

Studio Calico's Orchestra gallery...and my version of the Project Kit.

hi all!! just taking a minute to post my layouts for the December 'Orchestra' gallery...with a few explanations of what happened/how they came about/a few tips, etc.

i'll start off with the Project kit...which is still available, though i'm not quite sure about quantity!!

but first, let me stress here...IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ZIP DRY LIQUID ADHESIVE, NOW IS THE TIME TO PICK ONE UP!!! this stuff is literally amazing for these types of projects...and it goes a looooooooong way. i've used mine on tons of things and have barely cut a dent into the contents of the bottle, lol. seriously...i cannot say enough about this stuff. i decided to make something that i can bring out year after year for my family to enjoy...so i started with the Printer's Tray and also used bits and pieces from the rest of the add-ons, but particularly the Percussion add-on. I printed out a few wallet sized photos from around our house last year and used them as my starting point.

i cut the horizontal pics into 2 pieces...not halves, just a random cut. after edging them with the Dash of Red paint, i set them aside to dry while i cut pieces of whatever paper caught my fancy to be the backdrops for each little slot in my tray. i rounded the corners of one of the 7Gypsies flash cards and edged that in paint as well. the canvas star was cut from the Prima canvas included in the Main Kit and then misted with the Red Maya Mist. for this section, i just randomly stitched some lines to hang my button 'ornaments' from. i cut one of the chipboard pieces in half to use in the corner and added a punched border at the top. i used some of the Scrapper's Floss to tie through my ornaments and make little bows, just for fun. this stuff is awesome, because it retains it's shape when used...it never gets floppy, like embroidery floss often does. plus, it's stiff enough that you don't need to thread it with a needle...just use it straight out of the dispenser!

ahhhh...those gold rub-ons from Hambly won me over big time. i applied them directly to the tray, and the gold color against the black tray is just so striking. for the numbered section, i left the number stamps that came with the Percussion add-on on their original backing and used VersaFine Black Onyx ink. (Jet Black Staz-On would be just as awesome for this...i really wanted those beautiful stamps to stand out from the patterned paper background.) then i did something crazy and cut apart one of the Prima sequined flower centers that came with the Strings add-on and glued those tiny little things to a spot on each number with my Zip Dry adhesive. (i'll say it again...you NEED this glue!!)

this section was fun...i just wanted to feature the photo of my old decorations, so i plopped it down with my Zip Dry adhesive and made a fun little 'curtain valance' using the Making Memories tape from Percussion. i left the backing on it, laid it out on my foam mat i use for poking holes in things (aka mouse pad, lol) and poked random holes about 1/4" apart at the top. then i grabbed one of the loooooong flower pins from the Project Kit and used it to 'thread' in and out of the holes i had poked with my Paper Piercer. ( a tool i could not live without, i swear) peeled off the backing so i could stick it down to the top of the photo and voila! a fun little detail that looks pretty cool.

now on to my layouts for the month...

this one makes my heart jump a bit...and not because Allie was hanging over the ledge of the bridge over a river, lol. i just started writing down what this photo made me think about...oddly enough, it was about her maturing so quickly...which makes me feel less 'needed' as a mama. (which seems to be a recurring theme for me lately, i know!!) even though we all know this is what happens as our kids grow...and it's a GOOD thing that they become independent...it can make you feel both proud and heartbroken at the same time, kwim? used the Making Memories tape to 'hold down' the edges of the paper...the papers are from the Project Kit. i added a spritz or two of Lemon Maya Mist to my cardstock before adding the patterned paper, and edged the whole thing with some green paint.

ok...another 'mama's having a tough time with all of this growing up stuff, but wants you to enjoy every second of your life' layouts lol. all of the black & cream elements this month kind of jumped out at me, so i knew i wanted to use them together on a layout...so this one is kind of a twist on words of that idea, if that makes sense, lol. the pennants were cut from one of the exclusive SC papers, only available now in the Main Kit, since the add-on sold out. i punched a few larger circles out of scraps to use as a mask, and sprayed the cardstock with Charcoal Maya Mist. looking back on it, i wish i had grabbed my Silver Maya Mist...it would have added a cool sheen to the texture, but it's all good. for the number circles, i used the number stamps from Percussion on their backing again...with VersaMark ink, so that they were subtle. i had saved the piece of paper i punched the circles from for my mask, so i just set it on top of the base paper where i wanted the stamped image to appear. (this way it masked off the misted area) the circle at the top was made with my old typewriter...i just kept backspacing and typing over and over on that line that appears darker. then i grabbed my sewing machine and stitched round and round the circles...JUST GO SLOW!! added my journling directly onto the photo with my Slick Writer and called it a day.

this last layout is the one that may prove i am certifiably insane. or...that i love to play around with my sewing machine, lol. this is one of my favorite photos of Allie and i...from last winter when we trekked out to find our Christmas tree. i laughed when i saw the 'Snow Bunny' title on the Cosmo Cricket paper, and thought of us right away. cut the mittens and hats out and used them at the bottom as a border...tying some of the mitten pairs together with more Scrapper's Floss. simple layout...but fun. :)

sorry for the enabling...i'm bad about that heehee. but i wanted to give you a chance to add to your orders before they ship!!

so that's it...hopefully i covered the details, but if not please ask away and i'll do my best to explain a bit better!!

have a great week!!