ColourQ #122 Heart BAnner

Happy Tuesday everyone in blogland!
We have a new palette at ColourQ and it was so easy to
work with this week. Arielle always picks the best combos - I don't know
how she does it week after week!
Here is this weeks super palette
Doesn't that get you in the mood for a great Valentine project?????
Well, it sure got me in the mood for one! I saw some
wonderful banners on Pinterest and I just had to make one myself
The hearts are acrylic with the sheet music behind, but it is hard to tell in the photo. 
I used my Nesties for the scallop circles, the letters were cut on my Cricut (Storybook) then glittered
the rosette is Tim Holtz - I will never get tired of that die - a few flowers and some ribbon. Done. 
Super simple, you can make one yourself in NO time!

Be sure to hop over to the ColourQ blog, not only to see the fabulous projects
made by the rest of the DT, but also to check out our newest DT member. 

I am also linking up at Paper Issues - All We Need Is LOVE

Thanks for stopping by today :o)
Have a great one!
Anita

Stick Pin Tutorial


using plain floral pins to make decorative stick pins
Stick pins are a great embellishment- I use them in so many ways. I add them to my layouts, to cards, to pretty much everything. Today's post is all about showing you how to make your own!

Stick pins, they are available in all shapes, colors and sizes. You can get a whole lot of them in one box for not a whole lot of $$$  Recognize that one of the bottom right???? 72 of them for $3.90.

floral pins come in all shapes to make a variety of stick pins
I am fortunate enough to live right down the road from
a floral supply house, so I can pick up a lot of mine there. 
But if you Google "Corsage Pins" you will find an AMAZING array of them.

Glass beads and jewelry findings dress up your stick pins
You will also need beads, some small metal findings and Glossy Accents
I use glass and crystal beads, because I like sparkle, but you can use 
whatever you like. I buy them when ever they are on sale.

Adding glass beads to stick pins.
Now for the fun part! Simply thread your beads onto the pins. When you have your pin looking how you want it, slide the last two beads back down just a little bit and add a tiny bit of Glossy Accents
on the shank on the pin. Then slide the beads back in place. I usually do this for the last two beads/findings.If you just glue the beads together, they will still slide down the pin, so it is important to get the glue on the shank itself. Lay it down flat to dry.
THAT IS IT! You just made a stick pin :o)
Now make a few more, in the colors that you know you will use on your projects. 

Here are some I made the other day. 
beautiful decorative stick pins.
I know that I use a lot of pinks, greens, blues, and blacks. 
So these are the colors I used this time.

decorative stick pins
Whenever I find interesting beads / findings on sale, I pick them up. I love that sea 
shell shaped finding pictured here.

decorative stick pins
I try to keep a variety of sizes, shapes and colors on hand, so when I am in the middle
of a project I can just reach over to my pin cushion and pluck one out.

Decorative stick pins
I hope you enjoyed my tutorial on making stick pins. I would really love your feedback!
If you need help in finding pins, please email me and I would be glad to help.

Sweet Love Child

As some of you may know, I am taking a break from scrapping my own children,
and have moved on to scrapping my friends kids. 
Frankly, my kids are grown and aren't that cute anymore :o)
Still love 'em though!! and will get back to their pictures sooner or later!
My friends still have cute, little kids! and I just wanted a change of faces on my LO's
My own children, strangely enough, were not unhappy about not being the 
focus of my every project. mmmmmmmm,,,,,,,,

So today I have a LO I made for the Sketch Challenge over at LYB. 
I have been gaga over their papers since they first started making them. 
I LOVE the finish of their papers - it is very linen like. Nice eye candy. 
I am also entering into the challenge over at Catered Crop
So here is my LO,,,,,
If you know me at all, then you know I am quite the paper hoarder. Well for this I used papers
from the LYB Cupcake Love, which is only 1 year old, but also the LYB Baby Safari, 
which is just a little older. :o) I also used some Bazzill, some Prima, a Spellbinders die,
some Kaisercraft, the transparencies are LYB Sweet Love line, some chipboard from 
goodness knows how long I have had that, Tattered Angels, brads, floss, twine, and this and that.

See those cute little stick pins??? I love stick pins and I use them on almost every LO. 
They are really pricey to buy. Guess what? They are REALLY CHEAP to make. 
Tomorrow I will put up a tutorial on how to make them. You will be amazed at how easy it is!!

So, I had a lot of pink going on here, which in my mind is not a bad thing, but I wanted to lighten the page up a bit. So I took my chippie, and applied  colors of Inka Gold. A lighter base color (Old Silver) then added a highlights (Indian Yellow and Rose). This stuff should be the product of the year. It is awesome. Instantly dry and you can add your piece to the page. No waiting to dry!!!

Here is the sketch from LYB
Very yummy, yes??? 
Be sure to check out the blog for the rules. You have until  February 18th to enter. 

Hop over by Catered Crop The challenge is to use a printed page or newsprint on your project. 

Catered Crop



I am also linking up over at TinyNatt where the challenge was to add BANNERS to your LO. 
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Very rainy here to day, which makes for great stay in my studio weather :o)
Anita

ColorQ #121

It is Tuesday so it is time for a new ColourQ  palette.
This weeks colors were so fun to work with, green is always a favorite!
I have also used the fabulous sketch from Helmar USA for this
Here is a look at my LO
I have used a negative from my Dusty Attic chippie for the frame, 
colored it with Inka Gold and stamped it. The Christmas tree was embossed with my CB. 

Embellies from Maya Road, Lili Bee, and some from my stash.
I die cut the "Santa" with Sizzlits die and the swirl with Quikutz.


Here is the gorgeous Color palette that Arielle gave us to work with this week,,,
Please hop over to the blog to see the wonderful creation made by the rest of
the DT -these ladies are so talented!!
Here is the fabby sketch from Helmar
I am also linking up at Stuck On U Sketches ~ Winter Fun Die Cuts

Thanks for stopping by today!
I hope you have a sensational day ~ it is shaping up to be beautiful here in 
Dallas - about 75 degrees and sunshine!!
~Anita~

Frosted Designs ~ Acrylic

Monday again! How does it happen??? Seems like the weekend just gets here and then it is GONE!
And then it is time to start the week over again :) 

Today I have a project I have been meaning to make for a WHILE! 
I bought the acrylic words from ClearScraps way back in September
at the convention in Houston, and then found a frame - on clearance no less - a month or so later. 
But I never got around to actually making it. 
This weeks Fabulous Friday challenge over at Frosted Designs is to 
use Acrylic, vellum or transparency on your project, so I dug everything out and here it is.

The overall size is 21 X 15 including frame. I used papers from 
Pink Paisley for my background and MME for the backing of the acrylic words.
(sorry about the poor lighting - the sun was not cooperating with me!)

After I cut my background paper I stamped it. I also stamped the acrylic and then added glitter and bling. 
I edged it with a paint pen before all of that. My flowers are a mix - the crocheted ones are from my dear friend who loves me enough to make them for me - you can find Sandy HERE on Ebay I also used some made from the wonderful stamps and dies from Heartfelt Creations. 

Be sure to stop by Frosted Designs and check out the challenges! 
Lots of fun going on over there!
Have a great Monday
Anita

Sweet Bunny Easter Card

Howdy fellow bloggers! I hope you had a great weekend!
I have been so busy the last few days installing cabinets and trim!
So sorry I have not been around to update with a new project!
Two more cabinets to go and the room is complete!

Today I have a super cute card that I made with Just For Fun Stamps- they have some
super cute stamps - be sure to check them out.

To day I have used a very cute Easter Bunny (#E3394) and Easter Grass
(I couldn't find the number!) Here is a look at my card,,,
How sweet is this little guy? I have used Lily Bee papers, Prima, my McGill punch, 
twine, Bazzill cardstock, and that beautiful die that I used if from
Heartfelt Creations I LOVE it!!! I have colored my image 
with my Prisma pencils and added stickles here and there. 

I used the great card sketch over at Frosted Designs and here is a look at it
Hop over to their blog and check out the challenges they have going on. 
They are always so fun!

I am also linking up at:
Alphabet Challenge Blog ~ Y - You can choose

Thanks for stopping by today!
Hope you have a great week :o)
Anita

Frosted Designs and Scrapbookers Anonymous

Really, two of my favorite challenge sites,,, and this week the 
challenges went so well together I had to squish them into one!
Paint was the theme at Frosted Designs and at Scrapbookers Anonymous the 
challenge was paint AND masking. Well,,,,, I just bought this fabby stencil from
Crafter's Workshop that I was itching to use. So I used the stencil to mask my
background with white paint. Here is a look at my LO,,,
While it was still wet I used a rubber stamp to put some texture into the paint.  
After the paint was dry I used a little Inka Gold on it to highlight the textures.
I also painted the chippie letters and crowns and the flower I made from rick-rack.

Here is a close up of the textures in the paint...
I have used Bazzill cardstock, some OLD Tim Holtz 8X8 papers (I am such a hoarder) some
Basic Grey chippies as well as Tim Holtz grungeboard, some flowers and bling and the
new stamp set I got from Just Right Cling this weekend at the stamp show
(the little black tag peeking out at the top. SUPER cool set, the 
stamps match the spellbinders dies!!!)

You can find the Frosted Designs Challenge HERE
and
You can find the Scrapbookers Anonymous Challenge HERE
Please do play along! 
I get so much more done playing along with challenges!

Thanks for stopping by today :o)
Anita

Get Picky

Happy Monday fellow bloggers! 
I have been away for a few days at a wonderful stamp show. Well, away is really not the
right word, it is right down the road from me, like 3 minutes, but I spend all
weekend there. so that is why I haven't updated my blog since last week!
I got some of the COOLEST stamps there - can't wait to use them. 

Today I have a LO for the Get Picky challenge. Loved the sketch this week!! 
Once again I am using cute photos of my little neighbor - I am taking a break from my own kiddos!
I did something I almost never do - I started with PLAIN WHITE CARDSTOCK. 
I have been doing a lot of stamp resist backgrounds lately and I bought this great 
stamp last week at the other stamp show I went to and I just HAD to use it!! So a
little white was in order. I stamped, embossed and them sprayed with Memories Mist.
The die cut is from my Ornamental Iron Cricut cart.
I have also used Fiskars, Kaiser Kraft, Offray, Ranger, Maya Road and a few things from my stash.
Here is the wonderful sketch I used
Yummy, right??? If you have not played along with Get Picky - you should go check it out!
One of my fave places!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Have a wonderful week
Anita

GPP Crusade #59

Ok, so last week I am fooling around, just surfing the net, and I come across this awesome site. 
And I mean AWESOME. It has the coolest things going on there - 
each month there is a new crusade (read - challenge) but here is the kicker;
they are all about YOU. Yeah - you! How many things do we scrapbook about ourselves??
Not many if you are like me!
So they have some great downloads that you can print and use in your crusade to 
document yourself. Love these! 
So of course I sent a link to all my scrappin pals to go check it out. 
My BFF tells me that she needs a journal to do her crusades in 
(read - get off your you-know-what and make me a 
journal Miss I-quit-my-job-to-stay-home-and-scrap )
So I came home and rustled up some stuff I had here in my studio and made her this
Ok - so I bought these papers from Graphic 45 a while back because I found it so 
hilarious and it reminded me of my friend. It is legendary that she does not cook.
I absolutely had to make something about her with these papers!!!


For the inside of the book I used what ever media I had on hand. 
Lots of different stuff.
I also used some Basic Grey and some Creative Imaginations stickers.

The great printed sheet on the right is one of the printables from the site - it is Crusade #59 so 
I printed it and added it to her journal

Covers were made with bookboard that I covered with Graphic 45 papers and 
then edged with Inka Gold.

Here is a side shot. In all I think I ended up with about 50 pages.

So the site is HERE the GPP Street Team - go check it out. I am thinking you will like it. 
And you have a WHOLE MONTH to get each crusade done!

Have a greet week!
Anita

ColourQ #119

It's Tuesday so it is time for ColourQ this weeks colors were so fun to work with! 
Anything involving pink is right up my alley :o)

For a little change of pace I have made a card this week using stamps from 
Just For Fun they have so many great stamps! 


Here is a look at the color palette this week
I didn't have any Pretty in Pink cardstock so I used Blushing Bride instead.
Be sure to hop over to the BLOG and see the other great projects made by the Royal Court.
These ladies are so very talented!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Anita

Sketchy Thursdays

Is it Monday already??? Where did the weekend go????? sigh
And it has been pouring down rain here since last night to boot :o(
I am hoping for much better tomorrow!!!
How was your weekend? I hope it was fabulous!!!

Today I have a LO made with the wonderful sketch over at Sketchy Thursdays  I so
love their site, but I forget to play along so often! I think it is the Thursdays - so
I have resolved to play and get my sketch up at the beginning of 
the week so I won't miss the deadline!!

OK - I can't remember who made the background paper! I cut the strip off a while
back - I think it was Pink Paisley or Prima - so sorry!  The mat paper and the paper I used for
the die cut is Pink Paisley. I have also used Creative Imaginations and Basic Grey 
chippie letters. The swirlies are grungeboard. The butterfly is cut from a Bo Bunny paper. 

For my background I used some masking, some stamp resist embossing, some 
splattering with inks - love how it turned out!!
The small butterfly was my mask - I colored it with Inka Gold and added
some more color with Viva's Precious Metal  and pearls. 

The color prompt was to use blue and silver - I have used blue on the background and big butterfly and silver Inka Gold on the diecut (it's hard to see but it's there I swear!) and the swirlies.

Here is the fab sketch I used 
If you have never played over at Sketchy Thursdays - it is a lot of fun!
Be sure to check them out.

Thanks for hopping by - be sure to stop by tomorrow -I 
will have my ColourQ post up!
Anita

Creative Escape Memories

I went to Creative Escape in Arizona in August 2010. I met a friend of mine out there
and we had a WONDERFUL time!!! I made a Lo for my book, but I wanted to 
hang something on the wall too - something that I could look at everyday. 
So I made this cute little thing!
 I used two Maya Road chippies and another chippie from somewhere 
I don't remember to create the base.

` I used so many things from my stash for this ~ Maya Road, Prima, Tattered Angels, some hand painted Chinese paper, MME papers, brads, some metals from the craft department, some stick pins I made,,,,,,,


On the bottom I used some Melissa Frances ribbon, as well as Offray, May Arts, some printed for the event itself and some others. I attached the little tiny bottle of Tabasco that I swiped from the breakfast bar one morning at the resort - it was TOO CUTE to resist!!! 
And to finish it off I dangled some charms from the bottom of the chipboard.

I had such a great time at this event - we had wonderful teachers and such fun projects!! 
Of course, getting to hang out with my dear friend for a couple of days
and play with paper didn't hurt either!

I am linking up over at Paper Issues where the theme this month is "numbers" - I 
have stamped my date on the calendar on the top chippie - numbers!

Have a great weekend!
Anita

Frosted Designs #31 & ColourQ #118

Good Morning fellow bloggers! 
Today I have a LO made with the sketch over at Frosted Designs and the 
colors over at ColourQ - this LO is about the VERY LAST 
care package I sent my DD in college - Easter her SR Year.

My papers are Bo Bunny and Bazzill along with some kraft cardstock. I have 
also used Prima, Maya Road, Inka Gold, Basic Grey, Fiskars, Tsukineko, my 
Pearlescent Liquid Acrylics and my sewing machine.

I wanted to add more color to my background so I splattered it with pearlescent 
acrylic. I also inked my thread after sewing my papers together.
I have painted my chipboard with Inka Gold. If you have not used this stuff you 
HAVE GOT TO GET SOME!!!!! IT IS THE BOMB!!!

I used my Fiskars punches for my border and my little stamp here, I also
used Viva Decor for the little pearls I added along the border.

Here is a look at the fabulous sketch I used

And here is this weeks color palette from ColourQ

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 
Thanks for stopping by today!
Do you LIKE me on Facebook?
What are you waiting for?!?!?!
Anita