Believe Canvas for Dallas Men Against Abuse

Happy Easter fellow bloggers!
I hope you found lots of chocolate this morning :)

I live right outside Dallas and the Mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings,  has started on a campaign 
to help end Domestic Violence. There is far too much still going on today.
This is a cause near and dear to my heart. One of 
my closest friends lived in a relationship for many years with a husband
who beat her regularly. We all knew it, but it took her years to admit it, and
a few more to leave the situation with her children.


Anyhoo,, while sitting in my studio the other day I had this beautiful piece of
Maya Road chipboard in front of me and I was wondering what to do with it.
They were talking on the TV about the rally downtown for the 
Dallas Men Against Abuse Rally and one thing led to another and I made this
for Mayor Rawlings. I will be mailing it to him this week and I hope he
will accept it as a symbol for his campaign. 

I started with that butterfly chipboard and just started decorating. 
So much symbolism in the butterfly! Without change we would never have the butterfly - and
even with scorched wings it will still rise to fly again. 

Beauty and strength, grace and joy. 
I wanted the butterfly to rise above so I crumpled sheet music to add a layer
of dimension between the past and the present. 
From the chaos of the background rises the beautiful butterfly.

Believe! The single most important thing a woman need is to believe.


Everyone deserves love, and a smile can do wonders. I added all these beautiful flowers,
because I remember all the times our "posse" were there to support
my lovely friend - we wanted to lift her up.

Here is the bottle of courage every battered woman needs, along with the crown she deserves.

Here is a look from the side, as you can see I have stamped swirls all around 
the sides of the canvas to symbolize the turmoil of the life left behind.

There you have it.

I am linking up at the following challenges:
Use Your Stuff - oversize title
Divas By Design - Use metal
Paper Issues - Up in the clouds
Berry 71 Bleu - Use paint in your project


Thanks so much for stopping by to say hi today.
Anita

Waiting for Baby - Frosted Designs

Good morning blogging friends!!!
We have another sunny spring day here in Dallas
and I am ready to do some more planting.
The very first of the blue irises are blooming and they
smell sooooo good!

We have a new challenge today over at Frosted Designs
and we are all about scallops this time around!
Here is my take on this weeks challenge
I have used some beautiful Prima Divine papers and embellishments to start with. 
I used my EK Success punch to make 4 rows of scallops, using two on each page
to make a border. I added a narrow strip of paper down the middle
and used my sewing machine to tie them all together.

To color this piece of Dusty Attic Chipboard I started with Jenni Bowlin dabber in Malted Milk
 for a base color. Then I used my Rose Metal Gelatos® randomly around the piece, 
followed by VersaMark, light green embossing powder, gold embossing powder then 
chunky white embossing powder. Whew!! I cut my photo to size and added some Prima
 flowers, old and new with Basic Grey brads.

Another piece of Dusty Attic, with Jenny Bowlin Malted Milk dabber,
then heat embossed, and sprayed with ink.

I love these pennants from the Divine collection, they are printed right on the Ballade 
sheet - just cut them out! I heat embossed these for a little more va-va-voom :) I used Prima 
washi tape on my scallops here as well.

To add a little extra texture to the flower on the upper right I rolled it across
my VersaMark pad and stuck it into my bottle of chunky white embossing powder.

No, this is not me in the photos, it is my cousin and I am embarrassed to say
that the little girl being born here is finishing up 5th grade this year!

Be sure to stop by the blog and check out all the 
wonderful inspiration that the Design Team has for you
and link up your project in the next 10 days.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

May the Flamingos be with you :) 
Anita

Secret Garden Book - Upcoming Class

Yippee,, the week is half over :) 
Only two more days until the weekend!

Today I want to share an upcoming class I am teaching at
The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie.

For this mini album I have used the Secret Garden papers 
from Graphic 45 and a chipboard album from Maya Road.

Here is a look at the front cover. I have added a small metal box
with flowers, glitter and beads.
I have used lots of Maya Road embellies inside the album along with 
die cuts from the Secret Garden line.
There were so many great elements to cut from the papers themselves -
we will be doing a lot of fussy cutting in the class!
More of the die cuts from the Secret Garden line on this page - I loved these accents. 
Contact the store directly to sign up for the class.

They will also ship you a class kit if you do not love local,
or you can't make the class! Check out the Blog for all the info.

Be sure to stop by for our Birthday Celebration and Make n Take Event!
We will be doing lots of Make n Takes through out the store, there will be lots of sales
and fun to be had by all!

Here is a look at my project for the Make N Take
You don't want to miss this event!

Anita

All Grown Up

Good morning blogging friends!
I am super happy this morning as I finally
have internet service again! Ours was out all
weekend long - and you never realize how many times a
day you hop on the internet until you don't have it!

Today I have a layout of DD2 from her college graduation.
This layout will go in my album. I have scrapped a number of photos
that you have probably seen, but those were for her album.
As you may have heard, I am trying to cut down on the "bulk" on my pages. I would like to fit more than 6 page protectors in an album! So I am aiming for flatter! For this layout I dug out some Basic Grey I have had for a while - I love the colors on these papers. They have a lot of color, but it isn't overwhelming. KWIM?
I layered papers and cardstock for lots of visual weight and did a little sewing too.
My flowers are a mic of Prima and Bazzill and I inked some of them with Tsukineko VersaMagic. Brads are Basic Grey, buttons are October Afternoon. I used my Cricut to cut the scalloped paper here.

I used the photo challenge

and the sketch from Get Creative. I flipped it around to suit my photo.

I am also linking up at the following challenges:
 Southern Girls - Children
Crafts and Me - Buttons and Bows (well, I used ribbon)
4 Crafty Chicks - Circles (brads and buttons)
Fussy and Fancy - Spring Days (Galveston Beach, y'all)

So that's it for me today.
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fabulous week!

May the flamingos be with you
Anita

Graphic 45 Design Team 2013 Audition

Good afternoon blogging buddies! 
As I am sure you have guessed by the title of my post,
I am hoping (dancing by the light of the moon to the Ya-ya Sisterhood
Goddess is more like it) to secure a spot on the Graphic 45 Design Team.

As part of the application process, we were asked to create a blog post 
showing some of our projects that represent us, as artists. 
Here are mine :o)

The Faerie Garden 
for Glue Dots® CHA Winter 2013 
 So,,, I hoarded a whole box of Once Upon A Springtime papers because I knew
that sooner or later I was going to need some for something awesome. 
When asked to design something for Glue Dots® Winter CHA booth this 
Faerie Garden is what I came up with.  
How perfect were those papers for this project? I created a garden with a pool inside this small birdcage.
It is about 8" wide X 11" tall.  These faeries are racing on shells across the pond.
Moss and lots of tiny flowers filled in the scene. I fussy cut many of the flowers from the papers 
and others are tiny Primas. To see the whole project go here.  
 
 My Favorite Layout
This is one of my favorite layouts of all time. I don't know why, it is pretty 
simple all things considered, but it just seems to flow so well, and I loved the papers, 
and that fabulous pink tulle flower, and those photos of my DD2's silly cat. Even though 
I didn't add a ton of stuff to the layout, there was a lot going on visually. Love it. 

Alice In Wonderland Mini Album
The mini album I made for DD2's college graduation. This was quite the party!
This is just how we roll.....
There are so many more photos of this album! To see them go here, here, and here

A Celebration Of Texas
My Texas Album - very close to my heart! 
The journaling on the right page says "If you are from Texas, you know that 
Armadillos are not born flat on the side of the road!"  This is a 
common misconception for those visiting from northern areas of the country.
To see the whole album go here.

Fair Day
This layout just makes me happy. DD2 and the co-conspirator 
next door spending the day at the State Fair of Texas.
I managed to eliminate all white space - mission accomplished!

Double Take
A wonderful friend gave me a bag of her "scraps" - she teaches tatting. Nice friend to have, huh?
I have quite a few layouts with beautiful lace accents due to this lovely friend.
 I have another fabulous friend who crochets me flowers when I run out. 
I love my friends. 

DD1 Senior Portraits
I have so few layouts of DD1 that I have been accused of favoritism. Not my fault, I swear!
DD1 hates to have her photo taken and will run when I pull out the camera.
DD2 is a camera hog and will jump in front of it.
I rarely scrapbook in browns, because it is so, well, brown! I like pink, and green,
and yellow, and colors! But this paper was perfect for my DD1.
 
Flower Fairies
The Once Upon a Springtime paper line was perfect for me when it came out, and I am still hoarding a whole box of it! We take photos every year in the wildflowers here in Texas. I have several layouts of the kids now using a variety of these papers :o)

So that's it folks. Some of my favorite projects. 
Everyone wish me luck :o)

May The Flamingos Be With You,
Anita

Die Storage - Creative Storage Ideas

Hi everyone today it is my turn to share a Storage Solution. 
I have quite a selection of dies for a variety of machines. 
Even though I don't use the dies as often as I once did, I still 
cannot part with them. I use electronic means to cut most of my papers now,
 but dies do still have their uses, so keep them I must.

However,,,, since they are different brands,,,, you guessed it - 
they are all different sizes. So I have never been able to come up with a way to store 
them in a manner that is pleasing to my eye and easy to reach and use. I have some
 over on one shelf, a few in a drawer, some over there in notebooks, - you get the drift. 
I would really like some method that puts ALL of my dies in one place, stores them neatly
 and makes them easy to access. Mmmmmm,,, no small order. So of course I hit
 Pinterest, my favorite place on the web right now. This is what I came up with.

CD Boxes and covers
This idea I really liked, the boxes would be fairly inexpensive and could be stacked either on a shelf or counter and labeled easily. Also, I could decorate these if I ever got into the mood, although I am very much a plain box kinda girl so it is doubtful that would ever happen. So far, so good. The drawback - I am not sure if my larger steel ruled dies would fit in these boxes. I will have to see. Also, I know me and I am pretty sure that all my dies would have to be alphabetized within the boxes. That just might make me crazy when I added new dies and had to shift things around.
library tray and magnetic sheets

Now, this little library tray idea I liked in theory. Look how cute it is!! I mean really, who wouldn't want that in their craft room??? My concern is again, my large, thick dies, and dust. Yes, dust. Yes, I am that kind of person. I would have to vacuum this little bugger every other day to keep my sanity. Two dogs and at the moment 4 cats. (my daughter came home from college with one, which we told her NOT to get, and we are fostering a stray with a broken pelvis, so we are temporarily up to 4. sigh) Maybe I could sew a cover for it. Because, again, it is so dang cute!!!!!

Ok, next up,,,
hanging on rod 




I actually have clear envelopes AND the clips from my old Clip It Up to make this idea a reality. And a curtain rod. mmmm,,,, it's a possibility.
sizzlet storage

I have many sets of Sizzlets and in order to save space I took them out of their original package and put them into small, clear plastic bins. But those are no where near as cute or as stackable as these are! I am sure I saw some just like these are Office Depot not long ago. I may have to go and see how much they are :) As for the notebooks, I have my QuicKutz and my AccuCuts dies in notebooks, but they are small notebooks made just for each brand. I want symmetry. I want it to look neat on the shelf. Even though there are two types of storage going on here, it still looks neat.
alex drawer unit
Last, but not least, we have an Alex Drawer Unit from IKEA (and we all know that I love those!) with the dies stored in the drawers. I am not sure that I like how these dies are loose in the drawers. However, I know that IKEA makes Alex units with deeper drawers and maybe some of the storage I have shown above would fit into the deeper drawers? Interesting,,, veerry, interesting. Maybe two Alex units side by side with my dies in the drawers and my machine on top?? Mmmmm,,,,

I obviously need to do some shopping! So that is it for me today! This is also my last post as a contributor here at Craft Storage Ideas. I have had a wonderful time with Rebecca and the whole team and am sad to move on. However, my schedule has gotten a little crazy and I had to let a couple of things go :(

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
May The Flamingos Be With You :)
Anita

Girls Night Out - ColourQ #181

Howdy fellow bloggers!
Spring is in the air in Dallas and it is beautiful!
The daffodils are up and the irises are on the way :)

Tonight there is a new palette up over at ColourQ 
and it is one of my favorite combos of blue and yellow!

Here is my take on the palette
 My papers are Graphic 45,  Bazzill, and Echo Park. I also used Prima, MME, Want-2-Scrap, Stampin' Up, Technique Tuesday, October Afternoon, Fiskars Punch, my Banana Gelatos®, and Tsukineko Inks.
The chippie is Technique Tuesday. I heat embossed it with clear powder, then used 
my Banana Gelato® to add color to it.
The crochet flower was made by a good friend of mine, and the stick pins I made 
myself, there is a tutorial here on how to make your own. 
I used plain ol' kraft paper, tore it in strips crumpled it up and ran an ink pad
over it lightly to make what I am calling woodgrain looking strips 
on the side there. It is art, right??? 
Yes,, that is us,, posing with the Chick-fil-A cow, we are such dorks. :o) 

here is a look at the palette we are using this week
Who doesn't love blue and yellow??? Yummy!
 
So you have until next Monday to link your project up over at the blog 
be sure to join in the fun and you will really want to check out the
great inspiration the DT has provided!

I am linking up at:
City Crafter's - Wood Grain

Thanks so much for stopping by today~
May the Flamingo's Be With You
Anita

Watercolor on Vellum - Art GRIP® Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils

Happy Saturday morning everyone!!
It is a beautiful spring day here in Dallas
and I am getting ready to head out to do some
planting in the flower beds. I love flowers :)

Today it is my turn to share a project over on the 
at a larger project I will be teaching next month.

I used my Stamper's Big Brush Pen to ink my clear stamp and stamped on a vellum envelope. 
I used my Art GRIP® Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils and lightly colored in the design.
To see all the details and product specifics, hop over to the blog.
I used the same for my stamped image on my tag, and ran my Stamper's Big Brush Pen
around the edge to give a contrasting color there as well.
Here is a little peak at the finished tag and envelope. As you can see
it is sitting on a canvas, and we will be making this canvas next month at 
The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie. We will be covering 9 techniques with
the fabulous products from Faber-Castell® and using almost
every single one of  their products!

 If you are not local. you can get a class kit by
mail by contacting the store directly. The kit includes full color 
instructions and supplies to make the project.

Thanks for stopping by today!
May the Flamingos Be With You!
Anita

Just Because I Love You Card

Good afternoon blogging friends!
Are you ready for the weekend? I am,, I have
so much to get done. I am ready to take advantage of
the beautiful spring weather and get some plants in the ground.

Today I have my DT Project for Just For Fun Stamps and I have made a card with the 
fabulous sketch created by Linda
I made my card into a square, because I am really not that great at making rectangle cards!
I have used Traditional Easter Basket for my main image, along with Caterpillar Silhoutte 
to accent. I also used my Nesties, Tim Holtz die, seam binding, McGill and CTMH punches, bling 
from Want 2 Scrap, and my sewing machine.  I used Sketchy Grid on one of the layers in the middle.
All of my papers are Graphic 45, but they are from different lines.
 I used my Art GRIP® Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils, PITT® Pastel Pencils,
 and Metallic PITT® Artists Pens to color my images.
My sentiment is from Sentiments 3

Thanks for stopping by today!
Anita