Birthdays are the Best *SFYTT*

My daughter and I are headed to my neices "Princess" Birthday party this afternoon! I am sure we will have a wonderful time! Of course, I needed to make a card, so I used this week's SFYTT! I realized that my last three posts have been SFYTT cards and have all used Baby Button Bits! Am I stuck in a rut? LOL! Maybe I just need to clean off my desk so it isn't at arms length everytime I sit down to stamp!

Actually, the cupcake image was the perfect fit. I have been itching to use it and the wrapping paper I got has cupcakes on it. I also bought some new buttons today at the sewing store (like I needed any new buttons) and the little yellow flower button was the perfect touch.
The papers are scraps from the favors I made for the PTA brunch last week. I cut off all of the "collection" information and even the brand name, so I am sorry I can't provide that for you. I love the mix of patterns. My sweet daughter was sitting by me while I was creating and giving her creative "two cents" as I worked away. I hate to crush her spirit when she asks me to add this or that. I ended up pulling the ribbon off, but I think it works without it. It is for a newly turned 5 year old, so I am sure she will think it is the bees knees anyway!

The cupcake "cup" was stamped onto a scrap of pattern paper and then cut out. I stamped the image again onto the focal piece, popped up the cut out cup with foam squares. I then colored the image using copic markers and added the button with a glue dot. The finishing touch was some tinsel glitter from Martha Stewart Crafts.

I did a little bit of sewing on this card. My sewing machine was almost out of thread and actually completely ran out while sewing around one of the panels. I just pulled out the little bit of thread it did have and just kept the paper piercing look. This is something that I have done often...if you need to have paper piercing on a lot of cards for invitations, etc. simply unthread your machine and go to work. Quick paper piercing!!!!!

Here is this week's sketch! I hope that you all get a chance to play along!!!! Jen's was the first "Sketch Challenge" that I partcipated in besides SCS because I love her sketches. I was super happy when she asked me to join the SFYTT team last year. I think that you will all fall in love when you give them a try!

You won't want to miss the other designers!
Jen Del Muro and April Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer won't be playing this week but her blog is always worth a visit!
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
and new SFYTT sister Sony!

This is the photo I was talking about in my last post. When he gives me the pouty lip, it breaks my heart. Crying I can handle, but this little lip is just too much!

Thanks for fluttering by!

Sweet Pea

I missed out on Jen's SFYTT two weeks ago and I really wanted to give it a try. I needed to make a baby card for one of my dearest friends who is expecting any day now! The outfit that I got her said "Sweet Pea" on the front, so I knew that the pea pod image from Baby Button Bits would be perfect. I paired it with some of the new October Afternoon papers that I got last week and wanted to use.
The actual "Sweet Pea" sentiment is from the SU! set called "Little Angel". My mom got it a while ago and lent it to me, so I was excited to actually get to use it. The "Cute and Cuddly" sentiment is also from the Baby Button Bits set. I just rounded the acrylic stamp onto my block so that it would fit nicely into the circle.

I packaged it up into a Kraft box and added a tag ( I didn't have a chance to photograph it) but I used the Papertrey "Little Sweet Pea" sentiment on that. I couldn't resist adding a jar of Gerber peas along with her gift. I am *all about* working the theme! LOL!

Rowan turned 3 Months old on the 20th, so it was time for a photo shoot. Unfortunately, the day got away from me and it was getting too dark for me to use any natural light. I pulled up all the shades in my bedroom to get any light I could, but it got too dark too fast. I used my little brain and had my daughter bring up one of my OTT lights from my desk and I got to work. Rowan wasn't in any kind of smiling mood, but I really like what I captured. I love those little lips and chubby cheeks. He had finally had it by the time I was done, so I did get some adorable "sad" pictures with his little lip turned down; the one that breaks my heart, but is precious and part of him, all the same. I will have to share those later. I will be back tomorrow with a "current" SFYTT! LOL!

Thanks for fluttering by!!!

Cute as a Button *SFYTT*

I am really sorry that I missed last week's SFYTT! My life has been just a hair crazy lately, to say the least. I am trying to keep up the best that I can. I have been creating, just not things I have been sharing here. I told you that I had gotten Rowan's birth announcements done a couple of weeks ago; then I made thank you favors for his blessing day and some more favors for the PTA brunch that I was in charge of on Wednesday. Whew! I am glad that I can stamp for fun again! Well...at least for today! LOL! I have some Tweety Jill projects that I need to get done. It is always fun to work with new goodies!!!!
For today's card, I chose to use some October Afternoon papers that I picked up the other day at my favorite scrapbook store. I was looking for papers to make the brunch favors, but ended up purchasing some things for myself as well. The papers I used for the favors are super cute too, but I almost used up every last bit. I think there is enough left for one card. I am sure I will be using it soon and I will share it.

I paired the cute papers with one of my favorite stamp sets Baby Button Bits. I will soon be in need of a couple of baby cards, so I thought I would get a head start. Now that I am done, the card is inspiring me to do another sewing project to go with it. If I end up creating something to go with it, I will share it on Thimbles and Thread. The papers really inspired which image I would use and I was excited to color it with Copics. I have been in a coloring mood. I used a couple of nestabilities for the ribbon slide and for the focal image. The buttons are Ocean Tides Vintage buttons. I really liked the different textures on the two buttons on the flowers. I thought they mimicked the patterns on the papers nicely.

I added a little bit of sewing; the side panel has a zig-zag stitch and the sentiment panel has a straight stitch. I have a tiny bit of thread left on the spool, so I thought that I would try and use it up.

You won't want to miss the other designers!

Jen Del Muro and New April Guest Designer
Amy Rohl won't be playing this week, but she always has fun stuff to see anyway!
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer ,
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock

and new SFYTT sister Sony! Welcome! I can't wait to see what you create!
Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. If you must know...this is the real reason that I haven't been creating as much! Can you blame me? I am completely in love with this little man!

Rowan is now 12 Weeks old! I can't believe how the time is flying by! The bassinet has sat empty in my bedroom as he is now a big boy in his crib! I finally took the bassinet down and put it into storage. It seems like I was just asking my DH to bring it up and now I am putting it away! When I was pregnant, I would look at the empty space where I knew the bassinet would be going, imagining the little bundle that would soon fill it's cradle. All too soon, the space is empty again and he is moving on to bigger and better places. It is fun to see him growing and changing each day! I just don't want him to grow up too fast. He is so precious!

Banner Tutorial!!!

I know that it is probably shocking to you that I finally got this posted. I actually made a completely new tutorial since the last photos I had taken were for my Sparkle Banner back in January! I thought that something springy would be better. The photo that is my current blog title is actually from last year. That particular banner has gone missing, so I made a new one. As you can see, the shape is different, but I will explain how to make both shapes. I was pleased that I had saved those photos so that I could recreate the same Springy scene on my bench again this year.
ETA: I had someone ask me how I store my banners when they are not in use. I have an accordion peg type rack that I hang them on. I got it on clearance at Target years and years ago, but you really could just pound two nails into a piece of wood and hang them like that.
Step 1: Gather the paper and embellishments you would like to use for your banner. Depending on the length of the word I like to use 4-6 different papers. Double sided pattern papers are great for these since you get two patterns for the price of one.

Step 2: Depending on the type of chipboard letters you will be using, you may need to paint them to match your project. For this particular banner, I wanted some green letters and since I didn't have any that were already done, I went ahead and used some Making Memories Scrapbook paint and painted them. These particular chipboard letters are from Stampin' Up!. I also like to use the pre-glittered ones from Making Memories. I like to paint them at the beginning so that they have time to dry while I am doing the rest of the steps. If you notice the banner in my blog title photo, you will notice that all of the letters are lowercase and for this banner they are all capitals.

Step 3: You will need to cut each panel for your banner to 4 inches by 6 inches. The strips for the accordion medallions need to be 12 inches by 1 1/2. Before you cut into your paper to make the panels, remember that you will need the full length of the paper for the strips. If there is a definite *up and down* pattern on your paper, keep that in mind before cutting as well.

Once the cutting is all done. I like to pre-arrange where each panel will go and then the coordinating strip for the medallion. Once I have it all laid out like I like, I write it all down onto a piece of paper so I don't forget. That way I don't have to keep it all out like that while I am trying to do the other steps. I simply name each piece of paper (not what the company named it, but something simple to remember it by i.e. purple polka dots, paisley, large floral, etc.) I first write down the panel name and then next to it I write the accordion medallion name.

Step 4: Once you have all of your pieces cut, you will need to turn each panel upside down and do your measuring. The first step is to make sure you have it up and down the right way so that when you turn it over the top will be at the top! I use Stampin' Up's grip paper for my measuring as well as a ruler. The first step is to measure at two inches and make a mark. Then I turn the paper and measure as far up as I want the notch to be. This particular banner was measured at 4 1/2. Other banners that I have done in the past are measured at 4. The 4 inch measurement will give you a deeper notch. Does that make sense?

Step 5: Once you have those two measurements, you will need to use your ruler and a pen to mark from the edge of your panels up to the intersecting line. You will need to do this on both sides. Once that is done, simply cut on the line. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each panel until you are finished.

If you don't want this particular shape for your banner, but would like the pennant shape instead, all you need to do is measure directly on the bottom at 2 inches and make a pencil mark. From that mark, take your ruler and pencil and make a line up to the top right and again to the top left. You will then cut those lines to create the triangle shape.

Step 6: The next step is to prepare all of your accordion medallions. If you are unsure about how to make these, you can view my tutorial here. You will need to punch out 1 inch circles for the back of each medallion, or you could simply use a piece of scrap cardstock.

I use hot glue on the back of each medallion. Apply the glue in the center of each medallion and immediately press the circle over the glue and hold in place for 10 seconds or so. This will create a permanent bond and your medallions should keep together nicely. I have never had one come undone since I have used this method.

This is what the front and back of your finished medallions should look like.

Step 7: The next step is to glitter you letters and medallions if you want to. I didn't show the letters being glittered before they were hot-glued to the medallions, but you will want to do that first. I used a paper towel and rubbed some Martha Stewart liquid glue over the top and then sprinkled the Tinsel glitter over the top. Shake of the excess. Once that is done, you can go ahead and hot glue the letters to the accordion medallions. Refer to your pattern that you created at the beginning for proper placement.

For the medallions, run a line of glue over the entire edge, sprinkle glitter and shake off excess.
Attach them with a glue dot in the center of the punched circle to the panels. Refer to your pattern that you created at the beginning for proper placement.

Step 8: The next step is to hook the panels together. I use staples. If you center the staples nicely, it will allow each panel to hang like it should once the entire banner is put together and it is hung. You will want to turn each panel upside down as shown and staple them one at a time, making sure you are spelling your word correctly as you go. Refer to the pattern you created at the beginning for proper placement. Can you tell that I have made mistakes in the past? LOL!

As you can see on this banner, I added some 1 inch strips of the same pattern paper to the top as well as some *springy* words that I simply printed from my computer. I used one of my favorite fonts and then changed the color of the text to match my project. I printed it out onto cardstock and cut it into strips and adhered them to each panel.

Step 9: The next thing to do is to hide the staples and attach the ribbon. For this particular banner I used buttons, but you can use ribbon, flowers, anything that goes with your theme. I always use glue dots or hot glue depending on the type of embellishment. Glue dots work well for buttons. If I would have had more time, I would have added thread to each button before I attached it to the button, but I was in a super big hurry.

The type of ribbon that I used for this banner was a heavy satin, so I needed to add the large eyelets so that it wouldn't tear the thin paper. If the ribbon isn't so heavy and thick, I usually just punch a hole and thread it through. I usually use 1 yard of ribbon for each side. The length of ribbon that you use will depend largely on where it will be hanging.

This is what your completed banner will look like. Because of the staples, it allows the banner to move into the swag shape. Some of the extras that I like to add, but didn't make it onto this banner include:

*Crepe paper ruffles at the top of each panel

*sponging with ink on all paper and chipboard letters

*Jingle Bells and Bows where the buttons are

*Sewing

*Vintage Images at the beginning and end of the word or...vintage images to separate two words

*micro-beads used rather than glitter on the accordion medallions

the list goes on and on......

I have a banner section on my sidebar if you would like to view some of my other banners to see some of these extra details. Like I mentioned before, I was in a big hurry to get this particular banner done, so I didn't add the extras. I hope that this tutorial is informative and easy to understand. Thanks for fluttering by!

Artisan Window Box *Sneak Peek*

It is that time again; time for another sneak peek for one of Nichole's amazing "Click Simple" templates. I know that I only can show you a little bit of my project, but remember that you can see my entire project, plus the other team members creations when you purchase the template from Papertrey Ink. This adorable "Artisan Window Box" template will be available on the 15th of this month.

I had so much fun creating this project using the template. I always love it when I get to use Clearly Creative Cardstock, so this was a real treat. The uses for this little box are endless; perfect for nuggets, candies, cookies or whatever. I chose to go a non-edible direction with my project.

Of course I couldn't resist using the beloved Tea for Two stamp set, which is back in stock at Papertrey Ink in case you were wanting it. I also paired it with the Coordinating pattern paper: Tea Leaves.

I apologize for skipping out on today's SFYTT! I will be back next week! Thanks for fluttering by!

Sprinkle each day with kindness *SFYTT*

Last Spring Julee asked me to be a guest designer for Verve Stamps and I couldn't have been more delighted. I recieved some fabulous stamps that I have enjoyed using. I thought it was high time that they saw some ink, especially since they are perfect for spring. These tulips are so fun to color and I especially love cutting them and popping them up for dimension.

This year Easter has sort-of snuck up on me. I haven't created a single Easter card and it looks like it is going to stay that way seeing that Easter is tomorrow. I decided to go with a spring theme and use one of my favorite sentiments of all time. The focal image is from the Verve set called Miracles Blossom, which is on sale I noticed! Yay!

Before I began coloring the images, I thought I should pick the papers I would be using. I decided to use my untouched Pretty Pastels pattern paper. I was thrilled at how well it worked out because I had the matching Copic Markers. I wasn't sure if all of those prints were made to go together, but I thought that they looked nice together so I went with it.

I finished the design off with a few buttons and some Lavender Moon ribbon.

Well...my kids are seriously hungry and so am I, so I better get them fed! I will be back to check out what my Sisters have created!

Here is this week's fabulous sketch!

You won't want to miss the other designers!

Jen Del Muro and New April Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer ,
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock

and new SFYTT sister Sony! Welcome! I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks for fluttering by!

You're just the best!

I made this box on Monday for one of the Moms at dance. I have been a delinquent Mother about getting the elastic sewn into my daughter's tap shoes and she so graciously brought some for me to use. I wanted to do more than just say thanks, so I made this quick 2-4-6-8 box to give to her filled with some chocolate.

The base is made using paper basics Kraft cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I love how thick all of the cardstock is. It is the perfect choice for 3-D projects. The pattern paper is double sided, which I love for little boxes like this. I use on side for the base and then the other side for the lid. That way I know that it will perfectly coordinate.

After I had the box assembled, I was really at a loss for which stamps I should use to embellish since the flowers on the paper are so stylized. Then I remembered the Blooming Button Bits stamp set that hasn't been used much and knew it would be the perfect fit. I like how the buttons are the flowers, so the stamped images and paper images aren't competing.

At first I just had the ribbon and button on the top, but thought a few leaves attached would be fun! I really like how it turned out and I am sure you will see me doing this again in the future. The leaves are also from the same stamp set. The bottom seemed naked, so I stamped a quick sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages using Ripe Avocado ink. I actually only used Ripe Avocado for all of the stamping. The buttons and paper give it all of the color.

I tied the ribbon around the lid and taped it to the inside so that the recipient would not have to untie anything. You can also see from the photo on the left how the focal image is attached and how it all fits together. She seemed really surprised and happy when I gave it to her, so I hope she liked it.

I finally got Rowan's birth announcements created and mailed yesterday. They are simple, but I needed to keep it that way. I will share them with you in the next little bit. I will be back tomorrow with a new SFYTT, so stay tuned! Thanks for fluttering by!!!!