It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It  goes without saying (but I am going to anyway) The Holidays are the busiest time if the year,  oh alright! They are the most wonderful as well. I am always amazed at how fast the end of the year comes around, wasn't it just Halloween? When it comes to crafting during the holidays, my 12x12 layouts tend to slow down, and my craft room becomes my gift-giving workshop. Today I want to share some quick and easy gift tags that can be the perfect finishing touch to a beautiful gift.

I used the following products to make these tags:

Sizzix Big Kick die-cutting machine

savvy-Dies  Deer metal die

Lawnfawn "scripty joy" metal die

Craft ribbon from Michaels

Shimelle embossing folder from AC

Thanks for looking! Happy Holidays.

-Debra   

Technical Tuesday

Hi Everyone!
It has been a fun but very technical morning for me so far. The Amazon fairy delivered my Light box equipment yesterday, so I have been playing around with it, and it got me thinking. When I first started Scrap booking in 2006(my Jr year of High School), it was very low tech (OK really no-tech) It was scissors (you know the ones with all the frilly edges..) construction paper, and overly themed embellishments. I was not even using basic design concepts, let alone any gadgets or machines to enhance it. Jump forward to present day, We have our beloved die-cutting machines and embossing tools, and thankfully for me, My taste in design has improved dramatically. I was finding that I would fall in love with these projects I have created, and when I photographed them to share with all of you, I just couldn't capture them in a way that I was happy with. I started looking on Pinterest for tips and tricks to help my very basic photography skills. I decided that the best investment for me would be a light box, and I was right! I purchased the "Square Perfect 3085 SP200 Studio in a box" shown below.

I just happened to be browsing while Amazon was having a "Lightning Sale" on all photography equipment. What Luck! I was very pleasantly surprised when I received it. It was very easy to assemble, I can set it up or take it down within minutes. More than its easy assembly, I was so impressed with what a difference it makes in my photographs!

I can finally capture small details on a card, without having a glare or reflection.

 I am one very happy "medium-technology" camper. My next adventure will be filming & editing process videos...Something tells me that this one may not be as simple...

Scrappy Saturday

Happy Saturday! The weekends are a perfect time for me to spend some quality time in my crafting studio. Today I have a layout to share that was made using elements from both the Scraptastic October "Heart it Races" kit, as well as the October Studio Calico kit "The Underground". I chose  a color scheme that would coordinate with the "Nine & Co." line by Teresa Collins. This collection is beautiful. I love how the gold, coral, and mint tie in nicely together. 
The photo used in this layout is a picture of my dog and me at the summit of Pilot Butte, in Bend Oregon. 

Here is a complete list of products used on this page

Background: American Crafts Card stock in White

Layers: We R Memory Keepers: Inked Rose "Mint"

Studio Calico: Covent Garden Vellum

Studio Calico: Pyramid Scheme

Studio Calico "Totally Awesome" transparency 

Teresa Collins Nine & Co. "Flowers"

Embellishments: Teresa Collins memorabilia photo corners

Teresa Collins Nine & Co. Rub ons

Teresa Collins Nine & Co. Sticker sheet

Scraptastic club exclusive wood veneer

Studio Calico copper star sequins

American Crafts; Jen Hadfield Thickers

Thanks for stopping by! I am in the process of reorganizing my craft space, so check back for some tips and tricks to effectively store all of your paper-crafting goodies!

All aboard to Union Station!

Hello and Happy Friday! I have another layout to share featuring two very lovely collections. I find that the Shimelle line, and Notes & Things by Crate Paper work beautifully together. 
       This layout is about a photo that I snapped while waiting to pick Alex up from the train station. Of all the beautiful vintage places in Portland, Union Station is one of my favorite. The surrounding area is nothing to write home about, but the inside is gorgeous. It has its original marble walls and wooden benches with brushed copper accents. GORGEOUS. 
I tried to echo some of that vintage, classic feel in the layout, and the two collections I pulled form worked wonderfully!

I apologize that the lighting is not great in these photos. I should have waited a little further into the day to photograph them, but I couldn't! 

The Gold thickers that I used are by Studio Calico, and they are from the Brighton Pier collection.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Debra

I call her Aretha

I wanted to share a layout that I made using mostly Shimelle collection products. The title is " I call her Aretha" This layout came together really quickly because the products coordinate so beautifully.

It's very pink and girly. I wanted it to have vintage bubble-gum feel to match my cruiser!

The glitter thickers from the Shimelle line are probably my favorite part of the page.

Thanks for looking!

Debra

Friday Favorites(on a wednesday); Shimelle for American Crafts

I am sure by now that you have all seen, heard about, and probably own pieces of the new Shimelle collection from American Crafts. This line is beautifully made and has hints of gold foil throughout it. It is hard to pick a favorite part of this line, but I think mine is the ephemera pack. You get so many high-quality pieces that coordinate beautifully with the patterned papers. 

here are links to a few places that you can find the Shimelle collection:

www.americancrafts.com

www.scrapbook.com

www.bluemoonscrapbooking.com


I hope you all are having a great crafty week- Debra

Updates and greeting cards

Wow! I am sorry that I have not posted in a while. Life got a little busy the past two months. I am in the process of moving about 200 miles south to Central Oregon (this will be quite an adjustment for me). Today i want to share a few of the "going-away" cards that I have made for some coworkers.

This one is called Happy Trails. I used Hero Arts ink in Soft Cantaloupe to created the background, and then I went over the stencil with a gel medium to provide texture. I stamped the sentiment using a LawnFawn stamp set. The bicycle die-cut is from the Fancy Pants "Me-ology" collection.

Thinking of You. I created this card using the Pink Paislee Pen Pals collection. I think this line is perfect for card making!

Top Priority was also made using the Pink Paislee Pen Pals collection.

Thanks for looking!

You guessed it, More layouts of my dog, and some rambling...

Hello there! I hope everyone is having a great crafty weekend. I thought I wasn't going to get any layouts made this weekend because I have been having so much trouble with my photo printer! I have a Cannon Selphy CP900, and I certainly won't be doing a "Friday Favorites" post on it anytime soon. After trying several different times this weekend, for a brief moment, it worked! I was able to print a few photos. YAY! If anyone has a suggestion for a better photo printer, leave a comment below!
     Enough about that, let's talk about my dog! The first layout is a picture of her giving me the "puppy-dog eyes". I don't allow her on my bed (i know I'm so mean) but on this morning, she had a pretty intense seizure, so she felt that she had earned it, and I acquiesced. I apologize, the pictures are very dark, I'm shopping around for some lighting equipment.

I used the July 2014 scrapbooking kit from Studio Calico, along with some ephemera from the Pink Paislee "Hello Sunshine" collection. The Tag is from Dear Lizzy.


The next layout was made using the July 2014 Scraptastic kit + add on. This layout has a lot of pieces from the Burlap and Bouquets collection from Fancy Pants.

I used a bit of Gesso on the flowers to tone them down. 

Thanks for looking! Have a great week! Check back soon for my first Project Life share!

 

What's new?

I'm sorry that I have been MIA for a while. I adopted a dog last week, so that has kept me pretty busy! Naturally the first thing that I did when I had some free time, was to make a layout about my new best friend!

I am still working with the June "best day of my life" kit + add on by Scraptastic. Our July kits should be shipping soon! The only things on this layout that are not from the kit are the thickers and the teal colored arrow clip from freckled fawn.

More layouts on the way! I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

My Scrappy Summer Solstice!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend, and enjoying the summer solstice!
I've been working with the June 2014 "best day of my life" kit from scraptastic for the past few weeks, and I'm no where near done with it! The new kits will be shipping in a couple weeks, and already I can't wait to get my hands on it! Enough rambling though, I have some layouts to share!

I fussy-cut the words from the Flea Market 6x6 paper pad from Crate Paper. I enjoyed making this layout. I like how soft and subdued the colors are. I rarely make layouts using a white background, so it is nice to change it up.

This next layout is very different. You may want some sunglasses for this one. :)

More to come! Thanks for looking!

Happy scrappy saturday!

Today's layout is of a picture I took while hiking. Aside from my crafting space, in nature is where I am my happiest. I decided to make the title "Go find your happy". I was inspired by this quote; "Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."
       I made this layout using the Scraptastic main kit and add-on for June titled "the best day of my life"

You can check out the Scraptastic kits at www.scraptasticclub.com

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend.

-Debra

Friday Favorites: Maggie Holmes resin flowers

Hello! Welcome back to the Sunny side! I am starting a new series on my blog called "Friday Favorites". I will feature my new favorite product, paper or embellishment of the week. The reviews that I write are purely my opinion, and I do not receive compensation from the brands that I recommend.  This week's featured favorite is an embellishment. The resin flowers designed by Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper are so beautiful and they look good on almost everything! When i ordered them online, i was worried that they might stick up off the page too much, and create awkward space in my albums. I was wrong. They are the perfect height to add dimensional interest to the page!
Here are a few shots of the product.

This is a photo of a layout I made using the flowers.

You can find these flowers for less than $4.00 at various online stores, you can also by the directly from American Crafts.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great creative week!

Hello there!

I have a few cards to show today. I think that cards are a great way to use up the leftovers of a kit or those pieces that have been in your stash for way to long. My inspiration for these cards was the Pink Paislee Switchboard collection.

One Tasty Pastry; My mixed results with mixed media.

Hi guys! I decided to get a little messy with today's layout. I was inspired by Tracy Banks' recent mixed media layout. I really love the drippy watercolor effect, but next time I will blend out the top a bit!

To make the butterflies a little more dimensional, I layered the paper die cuts over the acetate butterfly pieces, then I misted them with Perfect Pearls by Ranger. 

Here is my complete list of products used:

Bazzill  cardstock in black, aqua

American crafts cardstock in white

My Mind's Eye "good times journey"

Studio Calico Lemonlush green script paper

Heidi Sawpp "dreamy" ephemera pack

My Mind's Eye Record it "follow your heart" enamel dots

Faber-Castell Gelatos "tropical" pack

Jillibean Soup beanboard alphas in"tart teal"

Thanks for looking! 

They Call Me Sunshine

Hello everyone! This layout features some of the patterned papers from the Lemonlush collection from Studio Calico. The layout was inspired by some of the nicknames my collegues have given me. In addition  to Debstep, they also call me Sunshine and Sunny D. 

As i mentioned before, the background is from the Lemonlush 12x12 paper pad.
The Gold doily is also from LL by Studio Calico.
The "happy little moments" is actually a project life card from the May Studio Calico kit " Camelot"
Thanks for stopping by, and happy scrapping!

Friends

Welcome back! This layout is titled "friends" i used up scraps from a couple different kits, and some from my stash as well.

 The alphas used for the title are from Pinkfresh studios in "blush and gold" you can check them out here http://pinkfreshstudio.bigcartel.com
The wood veneers used are from Freckled Fawn, and they came in the May 2014 scrapbook.com kit "family Favorites"
I did a bit of stamping at the top using Hero Arts "Shadow Ink" in Gold.

Thanks for looking!

Angel's Rest

Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog! Today I am sharing a layout I made using the May 2014 "Story I heard" kit and add on by Scraptastic. You can check out their kits and other projects made using their kits at scraptasticclub.com

The embellishments used were from the Pink Paislee Switchboard collection. I just layered a few over each other and used my Tiny attacher to adhere them. 

The alphas i used to make my title are Thickers from the Amy Tangerine Match line in Aqua.

This layout took 32 minutes to complete.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Keep Calm and Be Happy

This is a scrapbooking layout I made using the scrapbook.com April 2014 kit "April Showers"

The photo overlays are from Teresa Collins Daily DIY collection.
I used a Fiskars cloud punch in medium to make the clouds.
This layout took 47 minutes to make.