Life Tree Scraps

It's a Halloween Costume!

2013-10-21T20:22:00.000-06:00

Hi Guys!
Here I am again with a DIY Halloween costume! It was an early surprise for my daughter who didn't know until the last minute that she would be dressing as Bat Girl while her little brother will be dressing as Batman. Too cute! Definitely, pictures of the kids dressed up for Halloween will follow.

Here is a complete picture of the entire outfit including the flower that I want to put on her hair. The flower has also a safety pin on the back so it can be added to the body of the dress as shown in the last picture, if desired.

Here is a close up of the straps made with yellow satin ribbon and a black trim with a elastic in the center.

The flower is made out of the same yellow satin ribbon as the straps. The skirt is a regular tutu made out of black tule.

Here is one last picture of the whole outfit; notice I placed the hair flower on one of the straps and it looks just beautiful!

The body of the outfit is a leotard that cost right under $10. The tule was purchased at Hobby Lobby on sale at 50% off. I used 1 1/2 rolls that cost approximately $5. The ribbon was also purchased at 50% off at Hobby Lobby for $2 and $1. The Batman iron on patch was $4 at Hobby Lobby as well and I used a 40% coupon. Overall, this was a very easy outfit to make for under $20.

Hope you guys love it and get inspire! You are very welcome to share your Halloween creations on my blog.

Like always, cheers & happy crafting!

Scrapbooking Layouts Tips and Tricks and How-To Part I

2013-10-09T14:05:00.000-06:00

Hello there!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with so many products and different designers in our scrapbook market today? Have you felt the need to go back to basics? I feel like that sometimes. And, after talking to some of my crafty friends, I realized I'm not alone. We all have different ways of doing things and different approaches. The beauty of scrapbooking is that there are no mistakes. It's simply our own style, our own inspiration and our own interpretation that makes an art of it all. Nonetheless, I want to share some not so old (just a little bit old) scrapbook layouts and my thoughts on them. Hope you can get a sense of direction back to simplicity and lots of artistic inspiration.

Make your own brads and use the prints on the paper for your advantage
The center on the black flower was made with a glass bead. I simply wrote the word love on a paper of my choice and used a clear glue such as Glossy Accents to adhere paper to the bead. Then cut the excess paper.

The postage stamp on the upper right corner of the photograph is part of the background paper. I simply cut the bottom part with a cutting knife and slipped my picture under. It makes a nice extra accent.

Create your own stickers

The bee on the upper right corner of the photograph was cut from the same paper used in the background. I glue it with a foam square to create dimension and added Tim Holtz Stickles to it.

Enhance the decorations of your paper
A ribbon bow with button was added to the already existing tree on the background paper for an eye catching decoration. Also, the picture below shows some of the same techniques explained above. Stickers were created from the same paper used in the background. The butterfly on the upper right corner was being blocked by the photograph. I simply cut it out and made a sticker with it. The trees and butterfly at the bottom that are overlapping the photograph were cut with a cutting knife and the picture was slipped under it for a nice accent.

Hand stitch your paper
I created a flower bunch with cut out circles, scallop circles, ribbon, and hand stitched leaves and swirls.

Combined different color, style and textured ribbons

Be adventurous with your ribbon and fibers. Mix and match different colors, styles, textures and even new and old, modern and vintage. It really adds interest to your pages!

Make your own flowers and dress up your pages in simple ways

You can easily make your own flowers instead of buying them. You can make flowers out of so many different mediums such as fabric, paper, vellum, metal, and so on. You can add your own style and twist to it. One place you can check out for hundreds of tutorials on how to make flowers is YouTube. You can also add buttons, lace, pearls, feathers and many other embellishments to your flowers to make them stand out. And you can always use your left overs to decorate your page even further (see lace on the page below).

And one last thing, it's alright to go simple, especially when you have big pictures. Simplicity is always effortless and beautiful on its own. You also don't need to conform yourself to every trend that's out there. It's your page and it should represent YOU! And don't forget, have fun with it.

Happy Crafting & Cheers!

- (This is the first part of a two part blog) -

Halloween Layouts

2013-10-05T00:42:00.002-06:00

Hello Crafties!!!!!

Here are some Halloween layouts I wanted to share. It's been a while since I did these but since Halloween is getting closer each day, I thought it would be something good for you guys to see. Hope you all can share my excitement for the holidays even if it's a short one as this one is!

Please stay tuned!!! I have great news including a weekly giveaway to share with y'all very soon!!! Don't miss out!!!

Cheers!!!

Ready for Halloween!!!!

2013-09-24T09:15:00.001-06:00

Are you guys ready for Halloween? I'm so ready! It's one of my favorite holidays!!!! It's frightfully delightful and sweet. I especially love how much kids love it too.

When you're a crafter or artist, Halloween means lots of reasons to scrap. If you have kids, Halloween leaves you with the cutest pictures perfect for creating beautiful projects.

Here is a mini and Oh so cute! Halloween album I made for my next class (more info on the next class to come soon). I also had lots of fun making foil tags for this mini.

Please stay connected cause there are a lot of fun and very artsy projects coming soon and all thru the holidays!!!!!

Please enjoy!

Class Announcement!!!!!

2013-09-23T22:43:00.004-06:00

Hello there!!!!

I'm super excited to announce our first class Scrapbooking 101/Mixed Media Art on October 5th from 10am-noon. If you are interested please email me for more information. We'll be creating a brag book and learning fun uses and techniques for ultra thick embossing enamel.

This is a great class for anyone looking to get in to scrapbooking or mixed media art in general or for those that would like to meet new friends and have a great time. Class is on the Westside (El Paso, TX). Please RSVP as space is limited and to get directions and supply list.

Here are some pictures of what we'll be doing in class:

Can't wait to see you there!

A Baby Album

2013-09-16T11:34:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone! And happy Monday!

I have been wanting to share this beautiful baby album with you guys for a while. I used Little Darlings paper from Graphic 45. I absolutely love the vintage look and design of this paper line. I made this album for a little girl that was turning one year old. The album basically has six main pockets and the insert of these pockets are design to hold pictures from one month thru 12 month. Hope you enjoy!

Loving My Eclips from Sizzix!

2013-09-11T11:39:00.001-06:00

It has been a challenge to be back creating projects with a newborn at home. Nonetheless, I'm back and working in many fun projects including some home decor projects.

Right now, I would like to express how in love I'm with my Eclips from Sizzix. I so love this very handy and incredibly amazing machine!!! Not only has been at work at home with me but it has also helped my husband at work making some very important tasks. He's used it to create masks for spray painting on their military bags their personal information such as name, rank, unit, etc. It made the process so much faster and easier.

I have used it enough to say that it's the best tool on my collection. It's durable and easy to use. I have cut different type of materials including chipboard with amazing results. Both, cartridges and software are user friendly and packed with great features. Like other products, it requires attention to detail but it's something you can pick up easily as you go. For example, my first try at cutting chipboard, I had a hard time feeding in the cutting mat. As I was using the Sure Cuts software and cutting from my computer, it took me a few minutes to realize I had to change the material from Cardstock to Chipboard in the Cut Settings box. Once I figured this out, it was very easy and fast. Another trick I've learned by using the Eclips, it's that if your paper is not sticking all the way down to the mat on the front edge you can always feed the cutting mat until the paper is a little bit passed the rollers. That will actually keep the paper in place while the machine is cutting and it won't get stuck on the rollers. While cutting chipboard, please remember to change in the Cut Settings the Multi-Cut feature as well as the pressure and speed. I cut a light weight chipboard and had my Multi-Cut setting on 2-times, my speed at 1 and my pressure at 5. It cut my chipboard with beautiful clean lines.

I also would like to mentioned that when I purchased the eCal software Sure Cuts A Lot I had a Windows based computer. I recently acquired a MAC laptop and before I had a chance to double check I thought I will have to purchase a new software for my new computer. But, I didn't! The software is good for both Windows and Mac. So, big thanks to Sure Cuts A Lot for that one tiny small detail!!!

If you have been thinking about purchasing a Sizzix Eclips electronic shape-cutting machine, please do so! You're going to love it no matter if you're a heavy or light user. It's worth every penny, of course if you get it in a good sale.

Hope you guys enjoy this review! And if you purchase the Eclips, hope that you enjoy every bit of it as much as I do.

Cheers!

It's been a while...

2013-03-16T09:16:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've been connected to the blog so for that, I apologize. I've gone thru some health issues and a very happy pregnancy. And I'm almost at the end of the road. Nonetheless, I've been working in a lot of projects including jewelry pieces. And I'm definitely back with lots to share.

Today, I'm going to post some pictures of an album I made for my dear Stepmom (I absolutely love this beautiful lady) with pictures of my daughter and family vacations.

Please stay connected as I have lots to share from these months of hybernation on my part.

Love you always and thanks for sharing my passion for the arts!

WOW! What an amazing work by Sharon @ Plumrose Lane!

2012-06-26T14:45:00.005-06:00

Hello there! I was extremely happy when I started this blog and also extremely frustrated trying to get my graphics to look the way I wanted them to look. Nope, it wasn't working. So, I looked for help. And sure enough, I found an angel in disguise named Sharon from Plumrose Lane! And Sharon did an amazing work. Now, I am extremely happy and extremely satisfy with the looks of my blog.

If anyone is looking for an amazing graphic artist, indie soul, angel in disguise and just totally talented person, check out www.plumroselane.com and shoot Sharon an email.

In the meantime, stop by my blog and check out some beautifully design graphics and more!

Cheers!

A Present Fit for a Princess!

2012-06-23T07:24:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Friends! It's Saturday morning and I'm about to go teach a class at Pizazz, here in El Paso. I'm so excited about meeting new people that share the same passion I have for creating beautiful things. And, I would like to introduce a project I have recently made for a little Princess named Angie. It's a Hair Accessories Holder, so it's pretty functional. Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Classes at Pizazz!

2012-06-22T19:29:00.001-06:00

I will be teaching a class at Pizazz on the Westside of el Paso this Saturday from 10am to 4pm. It's A Father's Day Traveler Mini Album. We'll be using beautiful paper from Bo Bunny's collection Weekend Market. Come prepare to have lots of fun at a place where scrapping is a must!

See you at Pizazz!!!

A Crafted Introduction

2012-06-17T23:17:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! I'm extremely excited to start this blog. It's going to be a blog dedicated to Arts and Crafts with loads of mixed media and scrapbooking projects. My goal is that it will become an online art gallery and a place to share creativity, ideas, and inspiration. Part of the exciment comes from some of the projects I've recently worked on. One of these projects is my Vintage Telephone inspired by Graphic 45 paper Olde Curiosity Shoppe. This project also included some Graphic 45 staples and Tim Holtz Ideology products as well. So here are some pictures of it:

And here are some pictures of the album that goes with it.

I truly hope you all enjoy my work and stick with me thru this journey of creations. Please feel free to leave comments and share ideas. I have more projects coming up and I will be updating the blog soon with more pictures and information.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!