Scrappin' My Stress Away

I got Published!!

2012-02-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

OK, It was me that go puslished not my work, but still!!!

My sister-in-law is in black and white and I am on the right.

This photo was on the front page of the Community Connection section of the Omaha World Herald on Saturday (2/25/12) and was taken by Kent Sievers.

I included a link to the article which is all about why people scrapbook ~ something you all can relate to!

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120225/NEWS02/702259941/-1#saving-memories

And here is the layout I was working on when Kent snapped the pictures!

I was running the letters through my Xyron!!

I measured the photo (8x10) and created a mat by placing a square from George on my Gypsy mat and unlocking the chain between Width and Height (when you click on it it will turn from yellow to white). When you unlock the chain, you can size the width and height separately. I sized my square to 10.97 w x 8.25 h. When I use Real Size, the square measures 10.25 x 8.25.

I added the shadow font of the alphabet from Nate's ABCs at 1.12 inches. I welded them to the top and bottom of the mat.

I opened a second layer and added the regular font of the alphabet sized at 1.12 inches. I cut out the letters in blue and red so I could alternate colors.

In the article, my friend Tammy called me the "Queen of Scrapbooking" which was very nice of her!! Her youngest son is the same age as my youngest and I have taken care of him since he was 6 weeks old. I knew she had a similar class composite photo for him, so I cut out an extra mat and gave her the letters I did not use so she could make a similar page.

Because sharing is what scrapbookers do so well!!

Thank you for stopping by today!

Gettin' Crafty With Cricut Cuts Blog Hop Day 2

2012-02-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the Gettin' Crafty With Cricut Cuts Blog Hop!

If you want to see my project from Day 1, go HERE!

This blog hop is dedicated to making a project using your cricut and the cuts you can make from a cartridge. This should be a lot of fun.

With so many talented ladies and such a selection of Cricut cartridges, there will be a wide range of projects for you to enjoy.There were no rules, stipulations, or no holds barred to create and create we did!!!

If you just happened to be visiting my blog today, I greatly appreciate that but would love for you to start at the beginning of our hop so, that you don't miss a single project with Lisa. If you have arrived from Evila, then you are on the right cut of the path!!!

Remember, this is the second day of the two day hop.  Be sure to check HERE for my project from yesterday!!

If you get lost along the way, here is the entire hop that you won't miss a single piecing!!!

Lisa - http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/ 

Michele ~ http://chelescrafts.blogspot.com/

Lucy - http://love2createitall.blogspot.com/

Anita   http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.net/

Bonnie~ http://www.scrap-n-away.blogspot.com/

Evila - http://www.frenchconnectiondesigns.blogspot.com/

Lori - www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/

Ashley - http://especiallymade.blogspot.com/

Carol H. -http://huffandpuffscrap.blogspot.com/

Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

I created a birthday card for my 17 year old son. I started out with my Gypsy and Gypsy Wandering.

I found this tag shape from Gypsy Wandering and put two on my mat sized to 4 inches. I used Hide Contour to hide the inside cut of the tag on the left, then I welded them together to create my card base.

I took the shadow of the 17 from Something to Celebrate sized to 3 inches and welded them into the center of the cut out. I placed the regular 17 sized to 3 inches on my mat. I copied the regular 17 and scootched it off the mat so I could cut out just the flames.

Here is a close up of the welded window card.

I ended up cutting out the card base in white cardstock. I cut a second card base in this baseball paper (I printed and cut it out using my Imagine a long time ago and did not use it) and trimmed it in half to cover just the front of the card. I cut out the numbers in PLSHS paper ~ this is my son's high school colors and acronym. I cut out the flames in yellow cardstock.

I put it all together for him just in time for his birthday and baseball season!!

Thanks for stopping by. Your next stop in the hop is ASHLEY.

Gettin' Crafty With Cricut Cuts Blog Hop

2012-02-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Gettin' Crafty With Cricut Cuts blog hop!!

This blog hop is dedicated to making a project using your cricut and the cuts you can make from a cartridge. This should be a lot of fun.

With so many talented ladies and such a selection of Cricut cartridges, there will be a wide range of projects for you to enjoy.There were no rules, stipulations, or no holds barred to create and create we did!!!

If you just happened to be visiting my blog today, I greatly appreciate that but would love for you to start at the beginning of our hop so, that you don't miss a single project with Lisa. If you have arrived from Evila, then you are on the right cut of the path!!!

Remember, this is a two day hop and be sure to stop back tomorrow for more creativity!!!

If you get lost along the way, here is the entire hop that you won't miss a single piecing!!!

Lisa - http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/ 

Michele ~ http://chelescrafts.blogspot.com/

Lucy - http://love2createitall.blogspot.com/

Anita   http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.net/

Bonnie~ http://www.scrap-n-away.blogspot.com/

Evila - http://www.frenchconnectiondesigns.blogspot.com/

Lori - www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/

Ashley - http://especiallymade.blogspot.com/

Carol H. -http://huffandpuffscrap.blogspot.com/

Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

This time of year I am catching up on last year's pages for my boys. Once baseball season starts, my scrappy time is limited. Tyler went to a baseball camp called Coast to Coast in Arizona this past December. I used my Gypsy to help me lay out my design. When I design a 2 page layout (wich is most of the time), I open my Gypsy to a 12x24 mat.

I wrapped the title around the corner of my left page and used letters from Birthday Bash (shadow) sized at 1.46 inches.

I put a baseball corner in the corner from Sports Mania sized at 3.77 inches.

There were 3 boys from Nebraska at this camp and I took a photo of them. My son, his friend Tony and a player from a Lincoln team. I took a square from George and unlocked the chain to size it to 6.69w x 4.25h (when you use Real Dial size, the actual size is 6.25 x 4.25 for a 1/8 inch mat around a 4x6 photo). I welded the words "Nebraska Boys" from Opposite Attracts sized to 1 inch.

Here is a close up of the bottom of the photo mat.

I opened up Layer 2 and copied the shadow letters on the top half of my mat. I put the regular letters (also sized to 1.46 inches) on the bottom of my mat.

I cut out the shadow in black cardstock and the regular layer in red cardstock.

I opened Layer 3 and put the three layers of the baseball corner on it.

I cut them out in red, white and black cardstock.

On layer 4, I copied the photo mat and the regular layer of letters on my mat. I cut them out in black and red cardstock.

My son is in the middle! His team colors are blue, black and white/gray so it was fun for me to use red on this layout!

I took some scrap paper and made a rosette to put in the center of these four photos. I used a 3D sticker from my stash and a red cardstock circle for the center.

I used this Karen Foster baseball paper and brown kraft cardstock for the base of my layout. I took these four highlight pictures of Tyler and trimmed them to 4x4 and matted them together on red cardstock.

I included a group photo of all of the players, and one of just the 15+ players. I also included a photo of the catchers listening to instruction.

I rarely scrapbook without using my Gypsy and Cricut Expression ~ it makes things so easy!!! Thanks for stopping by today!! Your next stop is Ashley!

Creating Titles with Gypsy (Christmas Card Photos LO)

2012-02-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

I had several people ask me for help making titles with the Gypsy recently. For this week's class, I created this layout title along with some helpful information. I combined this title with 2x2 or 2x4 squares from Christmas cards and Christmas card photos, along with our Christmas card photo. I got this idea from Ali Edwards a few years ago and it is a great way to sum up each Christmas.

For my title, I started with Winter Frolic. I found this phrase and put the shadow layer on my mat. I sized it to 11.52 inches WIDE. The height is 3.77 inches, so I placed the regular layer on my mat sized to 3.77 inches tall.

I wanted to weld the year to my shadow layer. I grabbed 2011 from Winter Woodland sized to 1.12 inches tall and welded it to the title. I placed the regular layer of 2011 also sized to 1.12 inches on my mat.

Because I wanted two different colors of paper for my title, I copied one to Layer 2.

I used black cardstock for my shadow, red and green cardstock for my top layers.

Here is the title all put together on my layout.

I grabbed this tag from Winter Woodland sized to 2.41 inches. I liked the "greetings" as these were all from Christmas cards.

I used the same black and red cardstock to cut out the tag.

Here is my completed layout. I have included my tips and tricks below for creating a title on the Gypsy. Enjoy!

Word title using shadow letters:

Place your title using the shadow feature on your mat. Making sure the title is grouped together, adjust the width to 11.50 inches. Place the regular letters on the mat and make the HEIGHT the same (not the width).

If you want a welded title, weld your shadow letters only. Then size the width to 11.5 inches. Do not weld your regular letters, just know that some will overlap and some may not.

Word title

When you want to use a word or phrase from a cartridge, place it on your mat. If there is a shadow feature, place the shadow on the mat. Size the width to 11.50 inches. If you have any layers, size them to the same HEIGHT as the shadow size.

Welding images together

Place the images you want to weld on your mat. You can weld border features, shapes, letters, numbers or combination of any of these. Size the Width to 11.50. Note, if you have several things to weld and they are larger than 11.50, start with a 12x24 mat.

Bonus:

After you cut your shadow layer (or title without a shadow) save the trash!! Your leftover paper will become a template for adhering your title on your page perfectly!

Slider Invitation

2012-02-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

You are invited!!!! Hi ~ Lori here from ScrappinMyStressAway with a super fun invitation for you!

I saw a slider invitation in Hobby Lobby's Scrapbooking Magazine (1st Quarter 2012) and thought it looked like fun to make.

As usual, I grabbed my Gypsy and got started.

I lined up all of my elements on separate Layers. I started with a 6x6 square. I put a circle at 5 inches on the next layer.

I put the doily from Easter 2010 on the next layer at 3.13 inches.

I put a scalloped oval from Art Philosophy on the next layer at 2.57 inches.

I put the fancy oval tag on the next layer at 1.25 inches (the size of the coordinating stamp).

I welded two butterfly borders from Paper Trimmings at 1 inch and put them on the next layer.

I opened yet another layer and copied all of the pieces onto one mat to cut them out.

I used white card stock for my doily, orange cardstock for my circle, and scrap paper for the rest.

I cut a 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 square from light blue cards tock. I cut my striped paper 6x6 and adhered it to the blue card stock.

The blue scalloped oval is cut on 2-sided paper. I don't like the blue side as much as I thought I would.

I flipped it over! Much better.

I used the You're Invited stamp from CTMH ~ these stamps come with the Art Philosophy Bundle.

I cut out this butterfly (2.24 inches) from Hannah Montana to attach to the slide.

I only glued the center of the butterfly layer and bent the wings up just a bit.

Here is the closed invitation. I hope you can come!!

Mardi Gras Banner (Frosted Designs Tutorial)

2012-02-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week our Fabulous Friday challenge at Frosted Designs is to use brads in your project. I have been making banners lately.....a lot of banners. They are just so fun to display. Mardi Gras is coming up so I thought that would be a great banner!

When I think of Mardi Gras, I think of jazz music, masks, hats and the colors purple, yellow and green. I grabbed my Gypsy and got to work.

I started with these banner flags from Birthday Bash. I sized them to 4 inches. Birthday Bash is a great cartridge for banners, it has several different banner flag shapes.

I got the Jester's hat from Don Juan and sized it to 1.59 inches and Mardi Gras sized to 1.94 inches. I got the filagre from Don Juan and sized it to 2.76 inches.

I wanted a multi-colored jester hat and filagre, so I cut them out in three colors (also one in black for the jester hat) and trimmed them apart.

I pieced them together and added some gold stickles.

In order to create a layer for the phrase Mardi Gras, I copied another on on my mat and used Hide Contour to hide the inside cuts.

I needed more, so I found the mask on Designer's Calendar and sized it to 3.12 inches. I cut it out in purple and white, and trimmed the white mask for a layer.

I cut out the saxophone and trumpet from Quarter note and sized them to 3.12 inches and 1 inch.

My measurements seem odd if you just look at the measurements. I start with the background piece (in this case the banner flag) and size the pieces to best fit the space. If I intend on placing an image on an angle, I will rotate the image on my Gypsy screen before I size it.

I added some purple, green and gold stickles to my mask.

I needed a little something between the image and the banner flag, so I grabbed a diamond shape from George and sized it to 3.24 inches. I cut them out in yellow.

I ended up using only 4 of the diamond shapes because the jester hat and filagre had too much yellow and blended in.

I poked the brads through the green ribbon to attach the banner flags. I tied on some purple and green ribbons for added pizzaz.

And here is my completed banner. I hope I inspired you to create a project with brads or eyelets and join our challenge!!

Favorite Quote Blog Hop

2012-02-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Favorite Quote Blog Hop!

Today's blog hop sponsor is Scraptastical Kreations. They are offering a $25 gift card to their online shop!

You should have arrived from ANN MARIE. If you found me first, please go to the BEGINNING so you don't miss any fabulous projects.

1. Cori- http://www.createdbycori.blogspot.com   

2.  Ann Marie L.-http://www.creativeramblings345.blogspot.com   

3.  Lori A - http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/   ****HERE

4.  Lucy - http://love2createitall.blogspot.com  ****NEXT

5. Ryan- http://www.pieceandpaper.blogspot.com  

6.  Sabrina - http://sabrinabellabeautiful.blogspot.com/

7. Lluvia - http://www.sweetbirdmemories.blogspot.com

8. Jamie- http://www.myamusinglife.blogspot.com

9. Miranda - http://www.nanasscrapspot.com/

10. Eva http://www.evasscrapsncards.blogspot.com/

11. Jackie  http://www.jackrabbitscrappin.blogspot.com/   

Here is my ispiration (from Pinterest) for this page:

I started with my Gypsy and a Quote that I have said to myself a lot since I became a mom!

I knew the size of circle I needed to fit my 4x6 photo. I put a circle from Art Philosophy in the center of the page sized to 4.15w x 3.96h.

I placed hearts from Art Philosophy around the circle ranging in size from .73 inches to 1.59 inches. I used my rotate button to place the hearts exactly where I wanted them to be on my white cardstock.

I cut out the circle from a piece of white cardstock.

I place the quote LOVE is patient love is kind from A Child's year on my mat.

I took my blade housing out of my cricut and replaced it with my Cri-Kits gel pen holder and a red pen. I loaded my white cardstock and let the cricut draw in my words.

Here is the paper with the words drawn on.

I trimmed my paper 1/8" on each side and mounted it to a piece of Valentine's Day paper (with the picture showing through the circle).

I cut out the hearts in burgundy cardstock. After I cut the hearts out, I placed the leftover piece (aka template) over my white page and adhered the hearts on.

I carefully peeled the template off the layout.

I cut out a second set of hearts out of the same paper I used under the white cardstock. I folded the hearts in the middle and adhered them on top of the burgundy hearts.

I used a combination of pearls and gems to decorate the center of the hearts.

Here is my completed layout with my handsome boys! Thanks for stopping by!

Your next stop in the hop is the lovely LUCY.

Valentine Door Hanger

2012-02-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week at SweetSassyDiva's the theme is "Not a Card or Layout" so I decided to finish a project I started earlier. I saw something similar several months back and created a file in my Gypsy right away (so I did not forget) and never even did a test cut! I was thinking this would be cute for Valentine's Day.

I started with this box from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More and welded this layer of an ornament from Christmas. The box is sized at 10.90w x 6.88h and the layer of an ornament is sized at 4.81w x 29.12h.

On a side note, the layer of the ornament can be used as a wine bottle tag!

I cut out my box in red card stock.

I scored and creased on the fold marks and used my ATG to adhere it together.

I found an image from my Holiday Vignettes program and printed it out on white cardstock. I cut it out.

I had to guess at the size of the image and it turned out pretty well!

I wanted to put a doily behind the image, so I opened up Lacy Labels and found an oval shaped doily. I rotated it 90 degrees and sized it to fit the front of the box (4.91w x 3.47h).

I grabbed the "XOXO" from Sentimentals and sized it to 2.74w x 1.12h.

I cut both out of cream colored card stock.

I inked them both with Antique Linen ink to age them.

I wrapped some wide brown ribbon around the middle of the box and adhered the doily to the box. I pop-dotted the image to the doily. Now I just have to wait for my Valentines to be delivered!!!

Today is also Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs. My post today is a Mardi Gras Banner. Here is a sneak peek. Come back Sunday for a full tutorial!!

My Heart Belongs to Mickey

2012-02-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi! I am the Guest Designer today at Susan's Blog. This month the theme is My Heart Belongs to _______. Well, I am slowly making progress on my Disney Vacation layouts and figured why not share my love of Mickey with you!!!

I open my Gypsy Mat to 12x24 to lay out my 2 page design. I start with Mickey Font and sized the letters to 1.46 inches. I put a heart on my mat from Plantin Schoolbook sized to 3 inches. I placed a mickey head from Mickey Font sized at 1.21 inches. I gouped them together (not welded, just grouped) so the Mickey Head would cut out of the heart.

I made a banner with Peace (from Feeling Groovy sized 1.24) Love (heart from Plantin Schoolbook sized to 1.24) and Mickey Head (sized to 1.24). I welded them together and then copied a second banner. The width of the banners is 11.50 each.

I copied the banners and heart onto Layer 2 and cut them out of red card stock.

I copied the heart (minus the Mickey head) and the letters onto Layer 3 and cut them out of black card stock.

I adhered the title to my paper - yellow cardstock with a 3 inch red cardstock & Mickey paper pocket at the bottom of the paper. I pop-dotted the red heart on top of the black heart.

I put the border on the top of the pages. I made some photo mats and a 4x6 journaling tag.

I used some scrap paper, twine and the red Mickey from the heart to dress up the journaling tag.

The photos are tucked into the pocket.

I added a little twine and ribbon and some photos of Tanner before we boarded our Disney cruise.

I like my Disney pages simple because the photos tend to be bright and busy. I really love this layout! Thanks Susan for having me over today!!

More Than Words ~ It's All Song Blog Hop

2012-02-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the It's All Song Blog Hop! You should have arrived from RHONDA's blog. If you found me first, please go to the BEGINNING so you don't miss anything!

I love music. It was really hard to pick just one song, but I really love the song that is my husband and my first song ~ More Than Words from Extreme. I had been burned by someone who thought he could just say "I love you" to make it all better. This song is all about showing someone how you love them without saying it. This is how Mike (my husband) treats me!

Like most projects, I grabbed my Gypsy to get started.

I opened up Quarter Note and welded my title together. The letters are sized to 1.47 inches. I welded them first then grew them until they were 11.55 inches wide to fit the top of my page. I put the layers of the guitar on my mat at 4.76 inches.

Next I opened Paper Lace 2 and welded four music scores from the Lace 2 Function Button. I sized them to 11.50w x 1.76h to create a border.

I used Birthday Bash for the font for "our first song" sized to .49 inches.

I used black and burgundy cardstock to cut them out.

I put some flowers from Art Philosophy at 5 inches as well as the guitar layer and used music paper to cut them out. When I put the layout together, it needed more maroon. I re-cut the title and one of the flowers in maroon cardstock.

I think the burgundy title pops on the music paper. I love making these 3D flowers! I will use my bone folder to flatten them a bit before I include this in my album. I will display it for a while first!

The song has a lot of guitar in it so I wanted to include one.

I found the words on the internet and copied them onto white card stock. I added our engagement photo. This fall will be our 20th Anniversary. I can't believe we have been together almost half of our lives!

I hope you enjoyed my song and story!! Your next stop is HERE!

Love Monster Banner

2012-02-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Eve!!!

If you are looking for the World Wide Marriage Day Blog Hop, please go HERE.

I am the Guest Designer today over at TheBugBytes. I made a Love Monster Banner to hang in my Home Daycare for Valentine's Day! I had so much fun making these cute little monsters!! I started out by turning on my Gypsy!

I found these lacy hearts from Sweethearts and sized them to 4.63w x 4.41h. I could only fit 5 on my mat so I cut this page out twice on red cardstock.

I have seen a ton of doilies on Valentine's Day projects lately and decided to use a this doily from Art Philosophy sized at 2.97w x 2.88h. Since I was cutting out 10 hearts, I cut out 10 doilies.

I cut the doilies out in white cardstock.

I found 5 cute monsters from Mini Monster and put them and all of their layers on my mat sized to 2 inches. Once I sized the monsters to fit the doily, I ungrouped the layers and moved them around on my mat grouping them by color.

I grabbed a piece of paper from my Paper Layerz pad and cut out my monsters.

Here are my monster pieces! Now to remember which pieces go where!! I did not cut out the eyes or skinny mouths as I prefer to use stickles for those parts.

Here are my monsters all put together and stickled up!

While the stickles are drying, I crumpled up my doilies and inked them with Antique Linen to give them a distressed look.

I wanted to give my monsters a heart to hold on to, so I cut out some hearts from George and Basic Shapes sized to .5 inch and covered them with stickles.

I tied the hearts together with twine.

These guys are so cute ~ they make me smile!

I adhered the doilies to the hearts and pop dotted the monsters on.

My Love Monster Banner will look great in my daycare!! Thank you for having me over to play today Pam!

World Wide Marriage Day Blog Hop

2012-02-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the World Wide Marriage Day Blog Hop. Today we are celebrating Marriage. You should have arrived from Enjoli's BLOG.

Tina- http://craftyandgreen.blogspot.com ***BEGINNING
Gill - http://scrappincreationsbygillm.blogspot.com
Jamie - http://myamusinglife.blogspot.com
Anita- http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
Susan - http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
Janet N- http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
Kimberly ~ http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com/
Barbara -http://barbarab3.blogspot.com
Shannon Myiow http://my-o-scrappin.blogspot.com/
Enjoli- http://mississippihippycrafts.blogspot.com/
Lori-http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/ ***HERE
Charity Adams http://adamsacres.com****NEXT
Amy- http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com/
Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com
Shannon Magee -- http://purplelionpaper.com/blog
Shawnee- http://www.blessedonthebrightside.com

This September, my husband and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary. Marriage is not just a wedding, it (like the commercial says) is a lot of little promises. He has kept a lot of little promises in the past 20+ years!

I created a window card using the Decor Tag (shift) from Gypsy Wanderings. I put two tags on my Gypsy mat at 4.66w x 4.50h. I used Hide Contour to hide the inside cut on one of the tags. I welded the two tags together to create my card base.

I took this ring image from Designer Calendar sized to 4.26w x 2.06h and welded it inside the window. I copied a second ring image to use as my layer.

I used a shimmery white cardstock for my card. I used a gold metallic cardstock for the rings.

I adhered the rings to the front of the card.

I created some bling with my stickles.

I used some gold sheer ribbon and a paper flower (left over from another project) that I cut from Art Philosophy with gold stickles on the edges. So glad you stopped by!!

Your next stop is CHARITY!

Vintage Valentine

2012-02-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

Today is my day to Guest Design at SweetSassyDiva's. The theme is Vintage Valentine.

I won this clip art program from a blog contest and finally took some time to play with it. I am not the best at this digital thing but I keep trying!! I really love the vintage images for all of the Holidays!

I cut out this valentine image on white cardstock.

I selected a label from Lacy Labels and welded two of them together. They are 4.77w x 4.16h rotated 90 degrees. I copied the second label and flipped it.

I copied a third label and sized it to 4.50w x 3.92h (also rotated 90 degrees). I selected a scalloped oval and sized it to 4.69w x 3.74h (also rotated to 90 degrees). I cut out the card in burgundy cardstock. I cut out the scalloped oval in white cardstock. I cut out the mat for the front of the card in Valentine paper from my stash.

I tied a bit of twine around the oval and pop dotted the cherub on top.

Here is my sweet vintage valentine card for my son's teacher.

All Because Two People Fell In Love LO

2012-02-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi! Today is my day to Guest Design over at She's A Sassy Lady!!

I am so happy that my mojo came back!!! January was a rough month for me. We made the decision not to go on our annual family vacation with my two brothers and their families. My brother has a work conflict. We have been going for 13 years and this year was going to be our last one. Not meant to be.

Then my Uncle passed away. He lives alone and was home by himself when he passed. His good friends went looking for him a few days later. Uncle Howie was the black sheep of our family ~ different from us. He lived by himself on the river. He had a simple life and as we went through his things it seemed to me that he had a great life. I never really felt that way when he was alive because I kept comparing him to his siblings.

My mom (his oldest sister) died 23 years ago next month. I was 20. It was awful and I was angry for a long time. She would have been an awesome grandma, but it was not meant to be..... I grieved for over 5 years before it seemed to get better. That scab was ripped open a bit when we went through Uncle Howie's photos and momentos. I put together a board for his memorial which was held Saturday at his favorite watering hole ~ perfect place if you ask me!

As I went through the photos, I came across one of a young couple and thought the man was my Uncle Mark (mom's other brother). It was my grandpa and grandma. They were sitting at a picnic table with a music box (their version of an ipod with speakers) and it looks like my grandma is playfully biting my grandpa's ear. Not at all how she acted when I was around!!! This got me thinking that if they had never met at the cafe where she worked as a waitress, I would not be here!!! And just like that my mojo came back and the scab started to heal once again!

I started with the photo and some paper.

I saw a card on Pinterest that had the word LOVE on a mini banner and liked that idea. I made a 2 Layer banner from Birthday Bash sized at 1.77 inches. I got the font for "all because" from Art Philosophy and sized the letters to .85 inches. I got the font for "two people fell in" from Nursery Rhyme and sized it to 1.15 inches. I got the font for "Love" from Calligraphy Collection and sized it to 1.35 inches.

I cut out the scalloped flag in burgundy patterned cardstock, the top flag layer and "all because" in gold metallic paper, and the rest in black cardstock.

I used this shape from Lacy Labels at 10.38 inches. I cut this out with sheet music paper that I found at Michaels. This shape can also be found on many other cartridges.

I cut out a lacy mat for my photo that I found on Sophie (my grandma's name) at 4 inches. The lace border is from Sophisticated. I welded two together and sized them to .88 inches. The swirls are from Heritage sized at .88.

Here is one of the mats with the cuts on it.

In order to make my title look straight and evenly spaced, I use the negative piece from my cuts as a template.

I adhere the letters and then slowly peel back the template ~ perfect every time!

Here is a close up of the burgundy patterned cardstock. I punched out three circles, crinkled and inked them up and created a flower.

I stuck a pearl to the center and used some black glittered chipboard flowers to accent it.

Here is my Love Banner all put together.

I curved the "all because" around the burgundy circle I added to the background.

Here is my completed layout of my Grandparents when they were young and first in love. I am grateful they were!! I am also grateful they jump started my mojo!!

Twine or Ribbon Challenge

2012-02-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week the Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs is to use Twine or Ribbon on your project. I saw a digital layout on Pinterest that gave me this idea. I prefer actual paper and texture on my layouts. Here is the page I was inspired by:

Here is a LINK to this project. As you can see, my style is a bit different but the sketch is the same.

I started with some Christmas paper from my stash and gold cardstock. I designed my layout on my Gypsy. On the first Layer, I put a triangle from George on my mat. I unlinked chain below the width and height and stretched my triangle to fit the page. I sized it 5.00w x 11.50h. I found the phrase Oh Christmas Tree from Winter Frolic and cut out both layers at 2.53 inches. I intended on putting 2012 on my layout until I remembered that Christmas 2012 hasn't happened yet..... I found the numbers from Designer Calendar.

On the next Layer, I put some jingle bells on the mat sized to 1.12 inches. I used stars and hearts from George sized to 1.35 inches. I cut out a sign post from Christmas at 2.88 inches, but did not use it.

I added our annual Christmas Tree Hunt photo of my boys. One great sketch ~ two different looks. Be sure to join us at Frosted Designs for our Twine or Ribbon Challenge this week!!

Christmas Hidden Journaling Layout

2012-01-30T04:48:00.000-08:00

Lori here from ScrappinMyStressAway! This week's theme at Sweet Sassy Diva's is Hidden Journaling. I love hiding journaling on my page so I can fit more pictures!!

I received this Christmas card from my Aunt Chris and just LOVED it! My first thought was this could be a title for a layout!

I grabbed some papers from this paper pad.

These papers were my favorite for this project.

I lined the card with the green paper and then white cardstock to give me space for my journaling.

I used Winter Frolic and gold cardstock for my embellishments. I welded 3 ornament borders (top) sized to 2.14 inches and (bottom) 1.80 inches. I cut out the Phrase Making Spirits Bright at 2.24 inches. I cut out the tag at 3 inches and the ornament balls at 2.88 and 3.12 inches.

Here are my cuts.

I needed another picture here and really liked this photo of me, but not the red bow on my head!

So I covered it up with this ornament border!

I trimmed the bottom of the green page (Santa sack and toys) and adhered it to the bottom of this page. This page was a fun collection of photos of us being techy on Christmas Eve. My niece is playing on my tablet. My son is teaching my Sister-In-Law how to play Hangman with Friends on facebook with her friend (and my other niece joining in on her ipod touch). My SIL is also teaching my youngest how to play games on their tv.

I added some sheer gold ribbon for some texture.

Here is my hidden journaling with an ornament border.

Cricut Craftin Friends Blog Hop Day 2

2012-01-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the Cricut Friends Blog Hop!

If you are looking for Scrapbooking SOS 1st Blogaversary Hop, please go HERE.

If you are looking for my project from Day 1 of Cricut Friends Blog Hop, please go HERE.

Here is the entire line up in case you found me first or get lost along the way.

Suzanne

http://cricutcraftingrammy.blogspot.com/

Also posting for Cindy who does not have a blog

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge
Blog Friends

Charlotte http://alittlebitofdetail.blogspot.com/

Robyn http://robinscreativecottage.blogspot.com/

Melanie http://melaniemakes.blogspot.com/

Beckie http://justbcreativecrazy.blogspot.com/

Faith Abigal http://www.faithabigaildesigns.com/

Kate http://smallbitsofpaper.blogspot.com/

Lasting Memories

Stacia http://happyandscrappytoo.blogspot.com/

Michele F http://fishmememoriesandmore.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth http://visionsofpaper.blogspot.com/

Karen http://creationsbykw.blogspot.com/

Denise http://thruthelookingglass-glassgraffitix2.blogspot.com/

Michelle http://scrappinforkenzie.blogspot.com/

Jennasa http://findtimetocreate.blogspot.com/

Kimberly http://leokc34.blogspot.com/

Amy http://www.lovetocrop.com/

Message Board Friends

Terri http://craftmeaway.blogspot.com/

Brenda http:// friendscraftinwithfriends.blogspot.com/

Rachelle http://creationsbyrachelle.blogspot.com/

Shawnee http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com/

Sweet Sassy Diva Blog Friends

Lori http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/

Mindy http://grammiescraftroom.blogspot.com/

Tina http://tiggersscrapplace.blogspot.com/

Jen http://3catsandabug.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to comment on every post in the hop in order to qualify for the Blog Candy!!

I wanted to make a special layout about Tanner rollerskating. This is his kindergarten year and his first time going to skating parties. The first party was very difficult for him and I. Those roller skates are not easy to use!!! We went out and bought our own rollerblades. I moved some furniture in the basement kitchen (my day care kitchen) and we practiced quite a bit. He is now skating without me at the parties and I am so proud of him. I love skating, but it can be dangerous with all of those kids!!!

For this layout, I used Nifty Fifties for the roller skate title. I sized it to 2.61 inches. I also cut out the roller skates but decided not to use them. I used Elegant Edges for my circle photo mat sized at 5.59 inches. I rotated it on my mat to conserve my paper. I welded three circle borders together and then sized them to be 11.60 inches WIDE (1 inch tall) to use as a page border.

I cut these out of black cardstock.

I put the layers to my rollerskate cuts on another Layer and cut them out in White, silver and black cardstock.

I trimmed the photo down to fit the mat and adhered the title together.

I wanted to keep this layout simple to showcase Tanner's art. The most important piece is the picture Tanner drew at school of his rollerblades. Part of scrapbooking is recording some of his pictures that he draws me! What is your favorite non-photo item to scrapbook?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Your next stop in the hop is Mindy.

Scrapbooking SOS 1st Anniversary Blog Hop

2012-01-27T19:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Scrapbooking SOS's 1st Anniversary Blog Hop!

If you are looking for the Cricut Craftin Friends Blog Hop, please go HERE.

You should have arrived from MARY. If you stopped here first, please go to the BEGINNING so you don't miss anything!!

1. Michelle O'Driscoll - ScrapbookingSOS.blogspot.com

2. Divinity - http://www.scrap-n-patch.blogspot.com/

3. Mary Eisen - http://www.mestamp2.blogspot.com

4. Lori Apgar - http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com ***HERE***

5. Pattie Beach - http://paperplates-pjbeach.blogspot.com/ ***NEXT***

6. Heather - http://www.housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com

7. Sue in CT - http://sueinct.blogspot.com/

8. Cindy deRosier - http://www.cindyderosier.com

9. Jean - http://pagesintime.blogspot.com
10. Marianne - http://mylifeincraft.blogspot.com/
11. Joyce (with a great sketch and challenge) - 1ashjoy.blogspot.com
12. Emily Kincke - http://emily.kincke.com/

13. Back to Michelle - ScrapbookingSOS.blogspot.com

On to my project.....

I made a Magic of Winter 8x8 shadow box for my project today. I used vinyl for the the phrase and cardstock for the snowman and banner. I found my shadow box at Michaels.

When I use vinyl, I like to make the most of my cuts. I have vinyl for a total of 5 projects on my Gypsy Mat.

When I cut vinyl, I set my Expression to 3-3-3 (blade depth, speed and pressure) for a kiss cut. This means I don't cut through the paper backing. I use clear contact paper as my transfer tape. Just make sure to de-stick it a bit on your pants first!

Here are my cuts. For this project, I used "the Magic of Winter" phrase from Winter Woodland sized at 5.27w x 3.47h.

If you want to see some of the other projects with these vinyl cuts, you can go HERE.

I placed the phrase up high so the snowman would be seen. I used a piece of glittery snowflake paper as my background.

I cut out this snowman from A Child's Year in white cardstock. I cut it out at 4.88w x 3.71h and pop dotted it on my cardstock.

I wanted a little something in the corner and decided to hang a mini banner. I used Birthday Bash for my banner pieces and cut out the pieces at 1.35 inches. I used Calligraphy Collection for the font and cut the letters at .92 inches.

I adhered the twine on the shadow banner flags and sandwiched them in between the layers.

I adhered the top banner flags on and my banner was complete.

I added some stickles on the bottom of the paper to make the snow sparkle. I also added some red stickles to the snowman and little boy.

I pinned the banner in the corner and added some gems to the flags.

I added some white tulle inside the shadow box to mimic snow. I tied a sheer white bow on the top and used glue dots to hold it in place.

Thanks for stopping by today!! Your next stop is Pattie!

Cricut Craftin Friends Blog Hop

2012-01-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Cricut Craftin Friends Blog Hop! I am a Sweet Sassy Diva Friend to Suzanne!!! You should have arrived from Shawnee!

Here is a complete line up of wonderful blogs to visit:

Suzanne

http://cricutcraftingrammy.blogspot.com/

Also posting for Cindy who does not have a blog

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge
Blog Friends

Charlotte http://alittlebitofdetail.blogspot.com/

Robyn http://robinscreativecottage.blogspot.com/

Melanie http://melaniemakes.blogspot.com/

Beckie http://justbcreativecrazy.blogspot.com/

Faith Abigal http://www.faithabigaildesigns.com/

Kate http://smallbitsofpaper.blogspot.com/

Lasting Memories

Stacia http://happyandscrappytoo.blogspot.com/

Michele F http://fishmememoriesandmore.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth http://visionsofpaper.blogspot.com/

Karen http://creationsbykw.blogspot.com/

Denise http://thruthelookingglass-glassgraffitix2.blogspot.com/

Michelle http://scrappinforkenzie.blogspot.com/

Jennasa http://findtimetocreate.blogspot.com/

Kimberly http://leokc34.blogspot.com/

Amy http://www.lovetocrop.com/

Message Board Friends

Terri http://craftmeaway.blogspot.com/

Brenda http:// friendscraftinwithfriends.blogspot.com/

Rachelle http://creationsbyrachelle.blogspot.com/

Shawnee http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com/

Sweet Sassy Diva Blog Friends

Lori http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/

Mindy http://grammiescraftroom.blogspot.com/

Tina http://tiggersscrapplace.blogspot.com/

Jen http://3catsandabug.blogspot.com/

I recently went to an all day crop and got my son's album caught up. It was great to get caught up, but I did not have my camera to take pictures step by step.

He is a high school junior and I have a hard time with his pages at times. I do a lot of baseball, bowling and tennis pages (aka boring) and try to keep them plain (also boring). This photo was taken this year of my three boys and I just loved the colors.

I grabbed my Gypsy Girl and created my title by welding the word Brothers from the shadow font from Batman. I sized the letters (shadow and regular letters) to 1.71inches. The word three is from Graphically Speaking and is sized to 1.47 inches.

I needed a little more fluff, so I added 3 amigos sized at 2.53 inches and Certified at 2.18 inches, both from Graphically Speaking.

I cut everything out of black cardstock except the regular letters. I used a lavendar cardstock for those. I added a purple border behind my photo and adhered it all together.

This is my end result. A little plain and not fancy ~ perfect for a 17 year old boy! I am surprised I got away with the purple paper (he he)!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!!

Your next stop is Mindy!!

Pumpkin Patch Landscape LO

2012-01-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week at SweetSassyDiva's our theme is a Scene. I created a Pumpkin Patch Scene 2 page layout. Every fall, I take my daycare kids to The Bellevue Berry Farm and Pumpkin Patch near my house. We look forward to it every year!

This layout took me 3 days and (merging) two different ideas to complete!! I changed my mind so many times I lost count!

I started with this hill from Pop Up Neighborhood (found in the Accessory Function) sized at 5.00h x 11.49w. I copied a second scene and flipped it.

I opened up a new Layer and took the shift layer of the Accessory Function and put the hills on my mat twice. I flipped the second one.

I opened another Layer and put the Accessory Layers on it twice. This was the trees and trunks. I flipped the second layer. I positioned the pieces on my mat by color for easier cutting.

Once I cut out the hill layer (without the trees) and set them on my workspace, I thought there was too much sky showing. I cut another set of hills.

I needed some other pieces for my Pumpkin Patch, so I opened up an old file that I started but did not use. I tried to cut the wheat from Pop Up Neighborhood, but as you can see below the paper tore. I liked the barn, pull cart and the tractor. I thought I might use the pumpkins but changed my mind.

I went back to my first file and added these pumpkins from Pumpkin Carving. I welded two sets together (sized at 1.24 inches) to make a large border. I grabbed the cart and campfire from Old West, but ended up not using them. I found the Pumpkins from Chic and Scary and sized it to 6.32w x 2.18h so it would fit across the top of my 4x6 photo.

I journaled on the hay in the cart. I pop dotted the barn and some of the pumpkins.

I added twine across the bottom. I filled in the pumpkin border with some additional pumpkins.

I used some lime green stickles to color the stems on the pumpkins.

I have been saving this cloud paper for some time ~ glad I finally got to use it!! Thanks for stopping by!

Little Love Note

2012-01-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

I made a little love note!

I took this heart from George and welded it into the bird's beak. The bird came from 3 Birds on Parade.

I put the layers of the bird around my mat.

I added my cardstock ~ I was able to use some scraps.

I found this pocket envelope on Paisley and sized it to 2.61 inches.

I cut these out of some leftover doublesided Valentine's paper from my stash.

I cut out some doily shapes from Easter 2010 sized at 1.59 inches.

I wrapped a ribbon around my envelope and trimmed a piece of pink cardstock to tuck inside. I used a stamp from Close To My Heart for the top of the paper.

I made this card to link up at Sheila's BLOG today. Come on over and link up your Valentine's Day project!!!

Frosted Designs Winter Wonderland Blog Hop

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Frosted Designs Winter Wonderland Blog Hop!!! You should have arrived from Marina. Here is a complete list of blog hop participants in case you found me first, or get lost along the way!

Diana http://itsmylifeandimscrappingit.blogspot.com/

Andrea http://www.scrapality.com/

Amanda http://www.whiteruffles.blogspot.com/

Jenny http://jennygevans-mylittlescrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Ashley http://ashleyspaperdoll.blogspot.com/

Marina M. http://sunnysbasteloase.blogspot.com/

Lori http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/ ***HERE

Joni http://www.joniparkerstuff.blogspot.com/ ***NEXT

Martina http://stampinggoddess-stampalicious.blogspot.com/

Fern http://www.texasstampinmamaw.blogspot.com/

Debbie B http://debbiebakk.blogspot.com/

Eli http://scrap-colors.blogspot.com/

Ali - http://missybossy65.blogspot.com/

Two ways to win the big prize at Frosted Designs

1. Have the phrase emailed to me at danica4us@yahoo.com by midnright Sunday. (Subject Line should say "Blog Hop")

2. Link your LO to the Frosted Design Blog by Midnight Sunday.

The word you need from my blog is "STAYING". Now on to my project:

I created a Winter Wonderland layout for my project today.

Our challenge this week at Frosted Designs is to use Vellum or Acetate in your project. I used vellum because I had some on hand.

I wanted to print on my vellum with my Imagine. In order to print on the entire 8 1/2 x 11 piece of vellum, I had to get creative. You can print on certain shapes, but you can only size the height.

After using my Gypsy to size and place the item where I want on my mat, I had to work around my limitations. I opted to Print Page (which prints the entire 12x12 area) and filled in the rest of the mat with white cardstock. I cut out a 8 1/2 x 11 section of the cardstock. I switched the overspray option to OFF.

I used Enjoy the Seasons for my snowflake paper image.

Here is the printed paper and vellum.

I grabbed some snowflakes from When It's Cold Outside. I sized them at 3.96, 4.20 and 5.25. I moved them into an 8 1/2 x 11 rectangle of my mat.

Luckily I noticed the arrow was pointed the wrong way on my mat before I cut!! I rotated the snowflakes so they cut where the vellum is placed on the mat. I opened another layer in my Gypsy and put some snowflakes from 1.75 - 2.05 inches across the top of the mat.

First I cut out the vellum. I consulted my friend's site Above Rubie's Studio to check the Complete Cricut Cutting Guide. In order to cut vellum, you need to set your Cricut to Regular Blade 4 (blade depth)-3(speed)-3(pressure).

When the vellum was cut, I selected Return to Design, switched my settings back to cardstock (5-4-4), switched Layers on my Gypsy and cut out the smaller snowflakes.

I cut out Winter Wonderland and the shadow from Winter Frolic at 3.47 inches for my title. I layered the vellum snowflakes in the bottom right corner overlapping the picture. I pop dotted the title on top of the smaller snowflakes, also overlapping the photo. I put some gems on the snowflakes.

I had two of these crystal snowflakes and stuck them hanging off two corners of the page.

Here is a close up of the vellum snowflakes.

I don't use vellum very often, but I am glad I did! I challenge you to use vellum or acetate and link up at Frosted Designs!!

Thank you for stopping by, your next stop in the hop is JONI

Tina's Big 3-0 Birthday Bash Blog Hop

2012-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Tina's Big Birthday Bash Blog Hop!

First we would love to welcome you to celebrate Tina"s Big 3-0 Birthday Bash Blog Hop. With that being said, Happy Happy Birthday Tina! We wish you the happiest of birthdays with all your wishes and dreams come true. This hop is to celebrate Tina's birthday and shower her with birthday wishes! Be sure to stop and make sure you wish Tina a Happy Birthday

There is a phenomenal line-up today showering Tina with birthday wishes and don't want you to miss a single thing!!!

There is some wonderful blog candy if you remark on each stop along the birthday trail of wishes along with becoming a follower, if you aren't already! This blog candy will blow you away so, be sure to leave your comments along the birthday trail!!!

K Andrews Design Stamp Set- Scripture Sayings
$30 GC to Scraptastical Kreations!
11x14 Print from My Family Keepsakes

You should have arrived from JANET. If you found me first (instead of last) please go to the BEGINNING so you don't miss anything!!!

Here is the complete order in case you get lost:

Tina- http://craftyandgreen.blogspot.com
Ashley - http://theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com
Caroline - http://www.stampingsandinklings.blogspot.com/
CallyAnn~ http://callyanncraftycreations.blogspot.com
Barbara-http://barbarab3.blogspot.com/
Susan - http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
Ellen - http://cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/
Amanda http://craftsbyamanda.blogspot.com
Shawnee - http://www.blessedonthebrightside.com
Amy Jo - http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com
Nikki-http://creationsbymommy.com
Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
Monica- http://scraps2treasure.blogspot.com/
Anita~ http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
Enjoli- http://mississippihippycrafts.blogspot.com/
Erin - http://deeplyrootedlife.blogspot.com
Jamie- http://myamusinglife.blogspot.com
Shannon - http://scraplady324.blogspot.com
Janet- http://createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
Lori Apgar- http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
Debbie http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/

And now on to my project.....

I wanted to make a window card and use my new cartridge Something to Celebrate. I started with a frame from Gypsy Wandering sized to 4 inches. I duplicated the frame and hid the inside cut with Hide Contour for the frame on the left. I welded the two frames together. I grabbed the 30 candle image from Something to Celebrate and sized it to 3.71 inches and welded it to the inside of the frame. I copied the 30 image two times to create layers. For the flame layer, I moved the image almost off my mat so I did not waste much paper.

I used white cardstock for the card base, red cardstock for the candles and a yellow scrap for the flame. I wanted to use printed paper for my cardbase, but it was too thin.

Here are my cuts.

I copied the card onto Layer 2 and cut it out with the patterned paper. If I were thinking, I would have welded the 30 inside the frame first, then copied it to another layer. Instead I welded the two frames together. This is how I learn my best lessons!!!

I just trimmed off the half that I needed and added the leftover to my scrap pile.

I ran my 30 through my Xyron then tied a twine bow on.

Adhered it into place.

And here is my card! Happy Birthday Tina!!! I dreaded turning 30, but took turning 40 in stride. I hope you have a wonderful decade!!

Don't forget to stop by all of the blogs to qualify for some great prizes! You next stop in the hop is DEBBIE!

Thank Ewe Card

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week at SweetSassyDiva's our theme is a Sketchy Card.

This is the sketch.

I saw these little sheep on Winter Frolic and wanted to make a card for my Aunt Chris. She collects sheep. I cut the sheep out at 1 inch. I found the Square and Circle from Paper Trimmings. I sized the square at 2.73 inches and the circle at 2.06 inches.

I used black and white cardstock for the sheep. I used a piece of double sided cardstock from my stash for the square and circle.

I did not use the shadow of the sheep because I flipped over the double sided cardstock. I trimmed some strips from the double sided cardstock. I weaved the green one throught the loops on the square. This gave the illusion of grass. I pop-dotted the sheep on for dimension.

My collection of stamps is very limited, so I used my computer for the sentiment.

I printed out my sentiment onto white cardstock and used the same burgundy cardstock from the front of the card to mat it.

Thank Ewe Bobbi Jo for having me over today!!!

All About the 70s Blog Hop Day 2

2012-01-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the All About the 70s Blog Hop!

Welcome to the "All About the 70's" Blog Hop!!

We're so happy you could join us for this super-fun hop showcasing cards, layouts and projects that feature anything and everything related to the 70's!! So pull out your bell-bottoms and peace signs, and join us for the FUN... You'll find an array of ideas throughout this hop -- From decorations to gift ideas and more, we hope you'll enjoy each and every GROOVY project along the way!! This is a TWO-DAY hop, so be sure to check it all out (besides, we have a FAR OUT prize for a random someone who visits and comments on each stop for each day!!)... We can guarantee some psychedelic excitement for this event... So let's get hopping!! If you've hopped over from INSERT NAME/LINK of person BEFORE YOU, then you are in the right place!! If you've just popped in to visit my blog or are reading this via email and you'd like to join our FUN, then please CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Lynda's blog...
*** 70'S HOP DAY ONE (January 15):

70'S HOP DAY TWO (January 16):

For my project today, I created a layout about a Time Capsule our class buried in 2nd Grade. We dug it up in 6th grade. I only wish I remembered some of the things we put in it!!!

I wanted a brick background and remembered that the Batman cartridge had one. I cut out the shadow and the layer at 8.70 inches.

The bricks in the background of my photo were darker so I grabbed my inks.

I used Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo to darken up the brick and give some dimension.

I found this jar from Doodle Charms and sized it to 7.71 inches. I hid the inside cuts with Hide Contour and copied and pasted a second jar and hid everything except the highlight detail. I cut both out of vellum.

I made one more copy and moved it off the mat for the jar lid. I cut this out of white cardstock to match the jars in the photo.

I used Hello Kitty Font Shadow letters for my title. I sized them at 1.12 inches.

I cut out the letters in black cardstock and saved the negative piece to use as a template. I ran the letters through my Xyron.

I adhered the letters using the template as my guide.

I peeled off the template and my title was perfectly lined up!

I journaled on my jar lid after I inked the edges.

There is a huge macreme wall hanging in the background and I just had to add some twine to tie that in (no pun intended). If my memory returns of the items we put in our jar, I will add those.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Your next stop in the hop is Rachel.