Summertime Project Fun

Oh so long since I've posted! 

Life does keep one busy sometimes! 

I have been crafting quite a bit tho, and I've

got some fun projects that were created

for the Clear Scraps blog.  You can see

all the details over there....check out the

links at the end of this post!

Are you familiar with Clear Scraps?

If not, stop over to their store, you can

find it HERE.  The blog is always full of 

inspiration and great ideas to use their products!

So here are a few of the projects created this

summer using the Clear Scraps goodies!

How cute is this beach frame?  Clear Scraps +

 Bella Blvd Splash Zone = adorable!

They have adorable shaker mini albums!

I'm a little obsessed with mason jars

at the moment....you too?

This one was from a cross over with Stampendous

stamps....they have amazing stamps, and are a

perfect pair with the Clear Scraps DIY Medium Pallet!

One of my favorite things to unleash some creativity,

the 12x12 Acrylic Sheets and stencils.  They 

have so many great ones to choose from and

yep, even the chipboard is from Clear Scraps!

Another patriotic project, and another DIY 

Medium Pallet shape!

This one was another cross promo this time with

Joy Clair stamps!  And this time a mini pallet!

Love, Love, LOVE Clear Scraps!

Hope you are inspired to do some fun summer crafting....

even great ideas of things to do with the kids over there!

Thanks for stopping by today!

LINKS:

Beach Frame 

Mason Jar Shaker Album

Life in the Jungle Pallet

12x12 Acrylic Beach LO

Patriotic Heart Pallet

Home Decor (Our Home)

Valentine's Instahop!

Love is in the air, and it's also over at the Instahop on Instagram, 

where Clear Scraps wants to share a little giveaway love! 

I've got a great creative project to share, and a

lot more inspiration to be found too!

Stop by the Clear Scraps Instagram page

to get started!

Happy Valentine's Day!

New Year.....Let's Create!

Ahhh.....another year goes by.....and January FLEW already.....I was sorta sick for a good chunk of it unfortunately.....as were many people, but at least I got in some crafty time!  Time to play a little catch up!

I was both excited and honored to have several of my projects at the big Creativation show this year!  Clear Scraps had a booth there, and they have truly knocked it out of the park with their new releases!

So here's a little of what I was up to in late December, early January:

This sign was made with one of the many new stencils in the Clear Scraps collection!  And the perfect size wooden pallet is theirs too!  You can find all the details on THIS POST over on the Clear Scraps blog.

Next up.....the absolutely ADORABLE new medium size DIY Pallets from Clear Scraps.....they come in all different shapes.....I'm seriously in LOVE!!!

And you guessed it.....all the details on where to find them and how I created this one, are over on the Clear Scraps blog RIGHT HERE.  The "I Love Us" is also a Clear Scraps newbie.....along with sooooo many others. These are great for home decor projects like this. You can find them all in the Clear Scraps store HERE.

Maybe I was needing a perk up in a dreary January, but this project sure did it.....how can you look at the
bright fun colors on this one and not "Choose Happy"?!!

And yep.....you know the drill.....check out the Clear Scraps blog for all the deets!  You'll find it HERE.

Well thanks so much for stopping by today!  I've got sooooo much more to share.....I have a bunch of projects I just completed.....stop back soon!

Fall Crafting and Home Decor

Well, in the last week we went from our week long fall into the start of winter here in the midwest!
Since fall is my favorite season....it's disappointing when it seems so short, so I'm going to keep fall crafting going, even if the weather is telling me different.....lol.

One item I recently created was this cute little frame project.....it's using some items from Clear Scraps, their Damask Stencil, and their Blank Wood Cards.

The best part, you can interchange these pieces to create a home decor piece that you can change with the seasons!  If you want to see how this one was created and a few more details, check out the Clear Scraps blog HERE.

Another item I crafted up using the Pumpkin Wood Shaker Album.....instead of an album (which is super cute too!) I used the album to create this fall home decor banner:

If you'd like to know how this one was created and a little more about it, check out the blog HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Make sure to stop by the Clear Scraps blog to check out all the great inspiration!

Sentiments for the Season

Hi everyone!  More of the amazing new JustRite release today!  This time I'm sharing a card created with the Season's Greetings to You set!

This set has sooooo many cute stamps to create great backgrounds, and it has the sentiment included!

The snowflake in the set makes for a great background:

It's stamped in Versamark, then clear embossing powder.  This is the same snowflake that was stamped  in brown ink, fussy cut and foam taped to the card front.

The lantern was stamped using Memento Luxe ink and then clear embossed:

then a touch of Distress Ink and Wink of Stella, creates the look of a glowing lantern.

Thanks for stopping by today!  More new to come.

Supplies used: JustRite Season's Greetings to You,  Ink: Versamark, Memento Luxe, Stephanie Barnard. Other: Wink of Stella clear, Ranger clear embossing powder, Trendy Twine-kraft, Prima Santa Baby, PhotoPlay enamel dots.

JustRite Release Time!

Yay.....who's ready for new stamps?  Especially adorable stamps!!  JustRite Papercrafts has an adorable new Christmas/holiday release! And I've got inspiration for you for the next few days too!

I'm a huge fan of cards that look layered and fun, but really are easy!  This one just layers up some glitter paper, red cardstock and white cardstock.  A simple green organza bow with a touch of twine holding.....what??......the cutest little red mittens.  They are from the new stamp set Winter is Here,    and the fun background....ANOTHER fun new release from JustRite, Dotted Lines Background.

They are fussy cut out, and hung from the bow......so cute!  The sentiment is from the new sentiment set Merry Christmas Sentiments.  This set has such a gorgeous font.....these are gonna get a lot of use!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Make sure to stop back soon.....more new releases coming!  And check out the entire release HERE.

Supplies:  JustRite: Merry Christmas Sentiments, Dotted Lines Background, Winter is Here.
Other: red cardstock, white cardstock, Gumdrop Green cardstock base-The Paper Cut, Trendy Twine white, red tinsel embossing powder-Ranger.

Paper House and Xyron: A Perfect Pair!

Hi all!  As much as I love scrapbooking, I also love doing home decor pieces to use as a way to display family photos instead of just plain old frames.  Over at the Paper House blog, I've got a project up that does just that.....combines family trip memories, with a great home decor printer's tray, and also everything comes together using Xyron adhesives!

Yep, this is just a sneak......stop by the Paper House blog to see the entire project, and learn about the Paper House and Xyron items I used to create this fun, colorful project!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Sharing some planner goodness soon....

Paper House and Spiegel Mom Scraps Team Up!!

Hi everyone!  Paper House and Spiegel Mom Scraps (SMS) have an awesome blog hop going on this week!  So many amazing projects!

I'm over there sharing a shaker pocket page that I created using the fun sequin mixes that come from SMS!!  And guess what's new?  The Paper House Faux Enamels Stickers!!! 

These are gorgeous! So many to chose from, I used the gorgeous mermaids for my shaker page:

Those little bubbles around the mermaid are from the sequin mix too!  The Marbleous paper pad from Paper House has the gorgeous background, and the alphas too!

Thanks for stopping by today.....and make sure to check out the entire page over at Paper House HERE on the blog!  Check out the other great projects this week and remember to enter for the giveaway too!

Destinations With Paper House

Paper House, in a scrapbooking market that keeps shrinking it seems.....is one of the few amazing companies left if you LOVE to scrap specific memories.  I love their stickers for sports, holidays, and yes, even VERY specific locations!

We travel to NC every year, and the new Paper House Destinations stickers make for some quick fun LO's!  Here is a peek at a LO done using the North Carolina Destination stickers:

The lighthouse, and the license plate, road sign and little photo.....all from Destinations.  So cute, right?!  I also used the Marbleous 12x12 paper pack too.  Really gorgeous for backgrounds on your LO's with a lot of gorgeous colors.

Thanks for stopping by today, and if you like to see the entire LO....please stop by the Paper House blog....you can find it  HERE.....and if you are inspired to do a little shopping for these awesome stickers.....use the code PH18LAURA to receive a 15% discount on your order!   You'll find the store HERE.

The Great Outdoors Fishing Kit and Paper House Productions!

Hi everyone!  Sharing a sneak of a project I've done for Paper House using one of their amazing kits!

Just a sneak yes....but you can see the entire project over on the Paper House blog HERE.  Stop by and say hi and find out more about their amazing Great Outdoors kits!  These are an amazing value with a 12x12 sticker sheet (amazing quality too!), papers, and even 3D stickers!  And guess what *hint hint* you can find them at Hannah's in Antioch, IL too!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Always more creative fun coming!  Stop back soon! 

Summer Reading....Just Look Up

One of my "guilty pleasures" of life has always been reading.  As a kid I used to immerse myself in the world of hobbits, or hidden wardrobes and I was able to escape, and forget about everything in the "real world" for just a little while.  If you can lose yourself in a book, you have truly been given a gift and a blessing!

I'm sharing something a little different on my blog today--as you might have figured out!  It's related to the crafting world....today is release day for Courtney Walsh's new book "Just Look Up".  Why is this related?  Well, read on.....

Courtney has been a part of the craft industry from the early days of scrapbooking....first time I met her was at CHA years ago!  Her first series of books (aside from her original scrapbooking titles) had scrapbooking woven into the stories (if you haven't checked out the Sweethaven Series....they are such a fun read....you can find them HERE).

So back to Courtney's new release.....Just Look Up is about a small town girl, Lane, that leaves behind the sometimes painful memories of small town life, to head to the "big city and big dreams".  This big city is Chicago....so right in my backyard!  But what really hits home with this story, is the reminder that the title reflects, to....."Just Look Up".....to take a minute and realize what life has to offer outside our comfort zone.  The book takes it one step further, into thinking about that world we've built for ourselves, and maybe when we really take a look, we realize just how UNcomfortable we really are.  Sounds deep?  Well, it's all wrapped up in romance and drama, with a backdrop of summer sunsets and taking time to relax.  PERFECT summer read.....right?!!

This book is truly quote worthy, but one of my favorites is Lane thinking: "....it wasn't what she did that made her important, special or worthy.  It was simply who she was."  This book spoke to some of my own struggles....but in a thought provoking,  positive way.  It left me wanting another book to continue the story of Lane, Brooks, and Harbor Pointe....to me that's the hallmark of a great story!

So if you are looking for a great summer read that has a little romance, a little self-discovery, and a little, yes, guilty pleasure.....today is your day!!!  You can find Courtney's book in bookstores today as well as on Amazon (both print and kindle) right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today....and remember to take some time for yourself today.....take some time to "Just Look Up"!

Inks....Distress and Shadow

Ahhh.....love playing with inks....do you?  I pulled out my lovely Distress Inks (Ripe Persimmon, Dried Marigold, and Salty Ocean) and JustRite stamps, to create a dramatic background for this card:

Using the Woodgrain Background stamp from JustRite....it's stamped Versamark Ink on white cardstock,  then embossed with Ranger's Weathered White embossing powder.  Salty Ocean Distress Ink was applied using a foam applicator.   I roughed up the edges a bit with a distress tool.

To give the center panel an ombre look, I started with the lighter Dried Marigold, then blended into the darker Ripe Persimmon.  I went over the entire piece with Dried Marigold to blend.  The flowers and sentiment are from the JustRite Create a Flower Garden, Multi-Step Flower Garden,                     Small Oval Wishes stamp set, and stamped in Memento Black Tuxedo Ink.

Thanks for stopping by today!  It's summertime....and there's a heat wave....stay inside, stay cool, and get inky! 

Flowers and Watercolor

One thing I love the look of is watercolors.  I don't often take the time to do this, but with a waterbrush, some Distress Ink and a heat gun at your side....it actually can be a pretty speedy process that gives a big impact.

This was started by stamping the Brick Wall Background stamp from JustRite in Fired Brick Distress Ink, then using the waterbrush to "spread" the ink I stamped.  I went back and added in here and there with some extra ink, and also brushed the edges of the piece with Pumice Stone ink and then brushed it with a little water to spread it out as well. 

The edge of this piece was distressed, then all just layered up on a white cardstock base with some coral/red cardstock.  The flowers were die cut and layered using the gorgeous Floral Trio One dies.  I added basic pearls as the centers and stamped the sentiment and frame from the JustRite Large Oval Celebration stamp set.  The leaves were stamped from the stamp set and fussy cut out.

Thanks for stopping by today!  More coming soon!  Make sure to stop by the JustRite Stampers store to check out the new stamps! 

A Simple Thank You

Do you love background stamps?  I will admit, they were not my favorite once upon a time.  But now I've so enjoyed using the for mixed media projects as well as finding how wonderful they are for a quick card!

One of the new releases from JustRite Stampers is this gorgeous Dalia Background stamp:

You can emboss it, color it with markers, or do as I have here.....stamp the background once (first stamping off to make the image lighter), then stamp again with the full ink color.  To soften it even more....I added a layer of vellum. 

The Thank You sentiment is die cut from black cardstock using the JustRite Best Wishes Sentiments dies.

Thanks for stopping by today....want to find the newest stamps from the JustRite release?  Check it out HERE.  More inspiration to come soon!

Home of the Free....

Happy Memorial Day!  Hope everyone not only had a great time with family and friends, but took a few minutes to remember, and be thankful for, those who have served, and still serve to keep America the Home of the Free!

In honor of Memorial Day, I created this patriotic tribute in a card:

The stars and "fireworks" like I call them....are created by punching a strip of cardstock and then using Distress Ink (Festive Berries, here) to stencil onto the white cardstock.  I used one of the Just Imagine Punches (#301 and you can find it HERE).  The papers used are from the Pink Paislee Sweet Liberty collection.

If you'd like to check out more inspiration with the Just Imagine punches, make sure to stop by our blog HERE. 

Thanks for stoppin' by today!  Have a wonderful holiday! 

New Stamps...Means Playtime!

Hi everyone!  It's been a whirlwind few weeks....we've got a new High School graduate in our house!

So proud he's headed to the University of Iowa school of engineering!

And now that all the graduation hoopla is behind us, I was so excited to have some playtime with some brand new stamps!  Some of the gorgeous new background stamps from Just Rite!

My first share is using the new Woodgrain Background stamp:

The border was created by stamping around the edges with the woodgrain stamp to create a frame.  I layered up papers from Photo Play to create the center panel.  The tree was stamped using the Multi-Step Seasonal Trees (I used different shades of Distress Ink tapped directly onto the stamp) and the sentiment and it's border are stamps from the Congrats Card Basics set.  The border and sentiment was stamped with Rich Cocoa Memento Ink and colored with Copic Markers.  Trendy Twine and enamel dots finish this one off. 

Thanks for stopping by today!  More of the new stamps coming up, so stop back soon!

Oh Baby!!

Hi everyone!  Sharing a little baby card inspiration.....though with a change in sentiment, it could be used for birthday, wedding, thank you.....anything.

The borders were created with Just Imagine Crafts 4 in 1 punch #311.  You can find it in the Just Imagine Crafts store HERE.  Better yet....it's 25% off right now!  Check out the the Just Imagine Craft blog HERE, for more inspiration from the rest of the team using different punches....all on sale!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

(PS....the Sweet Baby die is currently sold out from Just Rite Stampers....they have some other great sentiment dies that would work....a couple of examples...."It's a Boy" and "It's a Girl".  Find them in the store HERE.

Butterfly Blessings

Butterflies are a favorite....I guess very few people would say they don't like them.....so beautiful and so many pretty varieties.   The Just Imagine Crafts DT is sharing projects created with their pretty butterfly die this month!  I've got a pretty shaker card to share with you:

This die is the PERFECT size for shaker cards.  Course there are so many other uses.  You can see more inspiration on the Just Imagine Crafts blog HERE.

Just a few simple card layers....I used the new BoBunny Faith collection papers (behind the butterfly, the green layer behind, and the blessing sentiment).

To make the soft watercolor looking front panel piece, I used punch #901 and the Kreaxions star template to make a doily.  Then I used it as a stencil on white cardstock with Twisted Citron and Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink.  A few water drips and a little more ink applied added a softness to the background.

Then I die cut the butterfly out of the front panel, and to create the shaker, I used a piece of plastic from sticker packaging I was discarding (up-cycle bonus!), gluing it over the die cut butterfly.  I added foam tape all around the back of this piece and used a slightly larger piece of paper to cover it:

Course, don't forget to put in some Pretty Pink Posh sequins and Queen & Co toppings--believe it or not, I HAVE forgotten before....haha!

And so with a little ribbon, bling and bows, you have this pretty spring card.

And don't forget to save that die cut butterfly....he might just show up in a few weeks.....keep an eye out!  Make sure to check out the Just Imagine Crafts store to find the butterfly die, the Kreaxions butterfly border punch (#901) and so many more goodies!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Enjoy your day!

Believe Clipboard and Tag Home Decor

Hi all!  I've got another project using the ever versatile butterfly border punch from Just Imagine Crafts! It's a pretty tag set with some memory verses, and a clipboard to hold them in place....I used the BoBunny Faith paper collection to create this one!

It's easy to add tags, or other sayings or inspirations I'd like to remember by just making more pretty tags.  If you'd like to see a close up of the entire set of tags, stop by the Just Imagine blog HERE.

The delicate lacy bottom edge of each tag is created using the Just Imagine Crafts Kreaxions punch #901.  I've used this on several projects over the last month.  I've varied how much the punched edge is peeking out from the tag....so it gives a different look.  A little Distress Ink adds a little color too...here are a couple of close ups:

The butterfly punch might just have one more project coming in a week or so....check back to see!  Thanks for stopping by today, and remember you can find this pretty punch HERE.

Mixed Media Monday

I dabble in mixed media....but rarely post....don't know why!  Thought I'd share this LO today using mixed media goodies from UmWow Studio, and there's also some Pretty Pink Posh sequins in there!

If you aren't familiar with it.....UmWow Studio has some of THE best chipboard around for mixed media!  I used acrylic paints, distress inks and archival ink (to stamp) these pieces.  They don't warp, and they dry super fast.  Love them!  

Gotta love those Documented Hashtag Banners too:

All of the UmWow confetti chip pieces are fun too--give you a lot of options....I used the circle confetti on this LO...painted it with Weathered Wood Distress Paint, then added some Picket Fence, then stamped with black Archival Ink, and finally brushed the edges with Distress Black Soot Ink.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  Enjoy some crafty time today!