Furry Friends - Cat by Kaisercraft

As an assignment from my LSS design team, I was to do a layout and one additional project with some of the Kaiser Kraft Furry Friends line.  to be fair, there are some cute embellishments that go with this paper, but at the time all we had were some earlier release pieces of the paper.  With that in mind, I made my own embellishments. 

 I started by picking the very first two pictures of my cat James Otis, aka Patriot.  He is named after my favorite American revolutionary. James Otis was revolutionary before revolutionary was cool.  He's the original. Samuel Adams called him The Patriot, so thus, my cat's nickname.
There was so much cute paper it was hard not to use it all on the one page.

 I opted not to use a title and to just let the page speak for itself with the words, images and journaling. I used the Tim Holtz / Sizzix Heartfelt die to cut out the different hearts in different sizes.

This journaling pretty much says it all.  I grew up in the country with animals, lots of them! And when I married my husband, he is allergic to everything with fur.  If a dog even touches his skin he gets welts. And when we visit a home with animals, we are soon leaving with him in a full blown allergy attack and his asthma kicks up.  So having furry animals was never an option.
My younger sister had passed away after a long illness, and that first year was pretty brutal for me. I missed her terribly. Her birthday rolled around in April and I had an incredibly hard week.  I had always done something fun and special for her.  I found myself in tears more often than not that week just because I missed her so much.

Saturday dawned, and a Saturday morning eight months prior, with us at her side, my sister had left this world and stepped into Heaven. I did what many people do when they are mourning and I took a long shower and sobbed my heart out in prayer. My tears weren't for my sister, who I knew without a doubt was in a far better place, but for me and my broken heart.  I begged God to comfort me and ease the pain of missing her.

As I was praying, I heard a noise out the bathroom window that I hadn't heard in years. I quickly dressed and ran outside to find the tiniest little orange tabby.  He was alone and terrified.  He tried to find a place to run and hide, so in order to catch him, I grabbed the towel I had around my wet hair and I threw it over him. Then I scooped him up and brought him inside. The towel calmed him and as I sat down in the house, I pulled the towel back and his sweet little face peeked out at me.  So the one with his big blue eyes is the first picture I ever took of him.  The second picture is of him fast asleep later that afternoon, in a different towel after I had taken him to the vet for a check up and advice.
I knew I couldn't keep him, so I worked to socialize him and find him a good home...but oh, I didn't realize the extent to which God had answered that prayer for comfort.  That morning He gave me a little tangible gift to show His comfort for me, and when God gives a gift, He makes what seems impossible for us, possible.
My husband didn't have any allergy problems with the kitten.  He could even hold him and pet him and no sneezing, wheezing or red eyes. God had made it possible for us to keep him. And in the infinite wisdom and humor of God, James Otis was just the beginning of His amazing answer to my prayer that April morning.  But more on that at another time. ;-D

 This is my second project. I used a Dollar Tree Frame and distressed the outside with paint. Then I covered the mat with paper and used one of the title cards in the top photo spot and one of my favorite photos of Patriots sleeping in my arms.

Since I still had to make my own embellishments, I glittered some more chipboard hearts with Antique Linen and Black Soot Distress Glitter by Tim Holtz and Ranger Ink.
The cat on the large heart is one I detail cut out of the cat silhouette paper.  Then I covered it in Glossy Accents and Vintage Photo Distress Glitter.

For the top I did much the same as I did for the St. Patrick's frame a few posts back, I cut some of the paper up with Tim Holtz / Sizzix Banner die and attached it to twine. I added a few rhinestones to cover the glue dots where I adhered it.

ADORNit Art Play Paintables and Prima Watercolor Pencils

At the anniversary three-day crop for my LSS, this spring, I was asked to help with one of the make n take nights.  I was given two pages of ADORNit Art Play paintable sheets to prepare as samples for people to copy or use as inspiration as they painted their own paintable card.

I used Prima Water Color Pencils and a water brush.  If you haven't tried colored pencil water coloring, you really must.  It is one of the most relaxing paper crafting things you can do.  You just add a little color with the pencils, here and there, then blend with the water brush and it is pure magic.

When the Moon Climbs High o'er the Dead Oak Tree

Another Disney Scrappers NSD challenge page. Susan challenged us to use Sketch Savvy Sketch #141 to make a Disney page. We also needed to use some paper from our stash.  So I pulled some pictures of the Cadaver Dans from Disneyland's Mickey's Halloween Party and some really, really old Basic Grey, and this was the outcome.
I need to note that when I looked at the three photos I had of the Cadaver Dans, they were all very similar so I scoured the internet for two others that would compliment my photo. So I cannot take credit for the middle and right photos. They are not mine.

So because I pulled several papers from some very old, retired Basic Grey lines - Black Tie, Skate Shoppe, Fusion and Fruitcake, I didn't have any one pattern to tie all the different papers together. So I cut thin strips from them and adhered them to a piece of paper and used bits in three places.  I think it did the job of pulling all the colors and papers together into one cohesive layout.

Which Way Honey?

So for some reason, I was all pumped up about the Disney Scrappers NSD challenges and then life happened and this layout took me 5 days. Hahahahaha!  But I did finish it and it didn't go into the "almost finished" pile from which it may have never emerged, so I count that as a success.

I chose to base this layout on an old sketch from Sketch Savvy #81. And I used the Evergreen line of papers from my Basic Grey POTM kit from last December.  I just kind of felt like the patterns and watercolor feel of the floral paper lent itself well to Disneyland's JINGLE CRUISE.  Yet another favorite from Christmas time at Disneyland. The first year it was so-so, but  this year I LOVED it!  So funny and so creative, I went on it multiple times each visit. 
 

The title comes from the experience.  We loved the decorations so much at we made a Jingle Cruise themed Christmas tree for our dining room. And the hats the CMs were wearing were so dang cute I stopped the first one I saw and asked for a selfie.  His name was Alan.  He jovially obliged and then as soon as we were finished with the picture I thanked him and walked away.  As I walked away I asked my husband, "Which way Honey?" since the entrance had been moved slightly due to the crowds. And before my husband could even answer, Alan piped up with. "That way!"  Ahhhahahahahaha! So funny!  I knew I was going to have to scrap our picture with that as the title.

The chipboard elements are from the Evergreen line and the wooden one is from Basic Grey Grand Bazaar from a different POTM club kit.

I'd Rather Be Seaside with Donald

Well, just after my St. Patrick's Day Class, Authentique Paper had a challenge to post a project made with one of their paper lines.  So I posted the frame I made with their Lucky paper.  And I won some paper from their brand new Seaside collection.   It couldn't have been more perfect for my DISNEY pictures!
That's right, you know I love, love, love to use unexpected paper for my Disney pictures and the moment I pulled this paper out I just knew which photos I was going to scrap

 These nautical photos on Paradise Pier in DCA with Donald Duck couldn't have been more perfect. I used some of the word and letter stickers to alter the title so it would work.  This layout is based on Sketch Savvy Sketch #116.

One of my favorite elements was the little crab.  I picked the crab and the boat because I felt they fit Donald perfectly with him being a sailor and also having a bit of a temper.

And the last little element was to add a couple of pennants using the life preserver paper.  I actually have another layout I want to do with this paper using Donald's boat in Toon Town.  So stayed tooned for more with this fun line!

Freedom Collection Class Projects

The Freedom Collection by Authentique was the paper line I used for my August class.  It was originally going to be a July class, but ended up getting scheduled in August, which is fine by me because I was using it for family trips to historical sites, not for 4th of July anyway.

In the collection kit classes we do one two page layout and then I include directions for one or two other projects: home decor, mini book, another layout, etc.

 The layout for this project was based on this one page sketch. Sketch Savvy #147
I was inspired by the design and stretched it into a two-pager. I included my favorite American Revolutionary, James Otis, the first revolutionary.  He was revolutionary before revolutionary was cool. ;-D  He gave us a tour of Boston's Freedom Trail and these are photos of him with the graves of Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and the victims of the Boston Massacre of 1770.

The first additional project was a one page layout based on Sketch Savvy #143
 It just seemed so perfect for the photos of my favorite American Revolutionary, James Otis near his grave. He was given the nickname, The Patriot by another founding father, Samuel Adams, who did a LOT more than just make beer. In the top photo he is explaining why people leave stones, coins or other things on the tops of grave markers.  It is a symbol you leave to represent that you have been there and paid your respects.  People leave pennies on Paul Revere, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin's graves. Because one was a smith, it bears one's likeness, and one said "a penny saved is a penny earned." 

The final project directions in the kit were for the Sweet Land of Liberty mini book  I had detailed printed directions and photos in the kit, but am including photos here and a 10 minute video at the end of this blog detailing how to make the book and put it together.  
I haven't had time to go through all of my photos from our trips back east, but I will be including a few pictures from our trips to Boston, Lexington, Concord, Philadelphia and Gettysburg.

The first two pages and inserts will be Boston and Philly, including of course the Liberty Bell.

 The second two pages and inserts will be about the flag.  That will include the Betsy Ross house in Philly, and possibly the flag flying over some important historical sites.

 These two pages will be photos of battlefields like Gettysburg, Lexington and Concord.

 And the back page is going to have a journaling card with a quote of something talking about the US.

For some of the people who purchased the class kit and weren't able to attend the class, here are some of the tidbits we discussed in class regarding how to do each project in the kit if you so choose.

I broke them down into one video for each project. 

NOTE: If you have a kit, it is important that you read the directions before you start each project.  It keeps you from being surprised along the way or not having enough of something.  So please take a little extra time to read the directions and even have them as reference as you peruse the videos. 

If you have any questions, feel free to email me through this blog. Thanks!

I Am

For the design team at my LSS we were asked to make an I AM page with Simple Stories I Am paper. 
At first I was a little stumped because I had a bunch of journaling cards and things that fit in the pocket pages.  I don't scrap with pocket pages.  Heck, I don't even manage to get my layouts into an actual album. Ever. Really.  They are just in stacks on a huge shelf in a closet in my studio. So a pocket page is quite beyond my realm of scrapping.
After staring at the many 3/4, 4x6 and 5x7 pieces, I managed to pick elements from many of them that I thought I could use and this is the outcome.

I fussy cut the banner out of one of the cards.  Because the of metallic gold accents, I sewed around the papers and across the banner with gold metallic thread. 

 I cut 1" squares out of various other papers and glued them on in a quilt pattern and machine stitched across them.  I used this quilt paper to cut hearts and a boarder piece and then sewed around the edges of each of them.
 This layout went together very quickly once I decided what I was going to do with all of the elements.

Three Caballeros

I finished this very old layout for a Disney Scrappers NSD challenge.  I thought the colors went so well with the Viva la Navidad Street Fair at Disneyland  during Christmas. What a bright, fun, happy celebration. It was easily one of my favorite things about the holidays at Disneyland this last year.

This layout used some paper by an old company called Scrap Within Reach. It was crazy busy and colorful but had two plaids and two stripes and no dots or flowers, so I made my own dot paper and borrowed a little floral paper from a Cosmo Cricket line from way back when too. 

 Of course I had to add some red pom pom trim.  It just fit so perfectly.  And yes, those are flower brads. Hahahahahaha! I LOVE it!

Saint Patrick's Day Paper Crafts Using Authentique's Lucky Collection

Back in March I taught a class at my LSS using Authentique's Lucky paper collection. It was a lot of fun creating as I didn't have anything St. Patricksy to scrap and had never decorated for it either.  I ended up creating two decorative pieces and one layout.

The two page layout above uses several of the elements from the paper line as well as a couple of embossed chipboard heats painted with distress paint. It was a very simple design. I just wanted to let the really fun papers shine!

The second project was to make a decorative frame for an office desk, home mantle, or entrance table.  This project uses a frame from the Dollar Tree, Antique Linen Distress Glitter, the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Alterations Banner die. The clover is four hearts cut from chipboard and covere in Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters Distress Glitter. 

The last project I made was this banner.  The base was using the DIY Shop Kraft Banners.  I sprayed them with Gold Perfect Pearls and water to give some shimmer. Then I punched the corners of the different title cards with a Cropadile Corner Chomper - Cloud. I made rosettes using the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Alterations Lg Rosette die.  I punched 1" and 1/2" circles and sewed them into a banner with gold metallic thread and strung it along on top of the banner. The tops of the banner was covered with borders cut from a Sizzix border die.

In addition to the class for March we were also supposed to make a make n take tag for my LSS for Friday night crops.  I got a chance to play with Prima Clear Crackle and I LOVED it! The only problem was we were supposed to use the canvas tags and it didn't crackle on the canvas like it did on flat surfaces.  So I had to think of something else to do with it. So I used the Tim Holtz Lace stencil, covered the tag with the Crackle medium and lifted the stencil off. Then I covered the crackle with Antique Linen Distress Glitter. Once it was dry, I spritzed the linen tag with Pistachio Distress Spray Stain. 

I displayed it in a frame from the Dollar Tree that I painted gold