DCWV & May Arts blog hop

Good afternoon, friends!  If you are visiting from the DCWV/May Arts blog hop and this is your first time here - welcome, I'm so happy to have you!

Admittedly, I haven't yet taken down my Halloween decorations yet (yikes!) but that didn't stop me from getting a head start on some of my Christmas crafting.  I couldn't help it - when I received the new DCWV holiday stacks and an array of gorgeous ribbons from May Arts, I was itching to create.

With that being said, I am certainly in no hurry for Christmas to get here.  I haven't even begun my shopping, after all!  So the first idea that popped into my mind was to create a Christmas countdown.  Now I'll have a fun and sparkly way to remind me how many shopping days are left until Santa's arrival!

Supplies used: DCWV - patterned paper, glittered tags and diecuts, gems; May Arts - grosgrain and sparkle ribbon and twine; American Crafts - glitter clothespin, Kerri Bradford - cut file; Provo Craft - wood plank, Other: hot glue, mono liquid glue, computer font.

I started off with a wooden plaque that measures about 7.5" by 5.5". I had this particular one from Provo Craft, in my stash from long ago, but you could easily find a similar unfinished piece at your local craft store and paint it to your liking

A bit of hot glue and a glittery clothespin make this piece functional as a countdown.  With an array of gorgeous wintery ribbons, I couldn't stop there.  I layered May Arts sparkly blue ribbon atop a navy grosgrain to create a dimensional bow that would accent my clip.  Again, a bit of hot glue does the trick to secure everything into place.

The DIY Project Stack Favor boxes - holiday version, was the perfect companion to my project.  Not only does it have a coordinating color palette and sparkly finish, but the diecut tags included in the stack, were perfectly made for a project of this type!  In addition, the glittery stars and snowflakes were precut and simply punched out from the stack.  A little bit of liquid glue was the right adhesive to give these a smooth and secure hold.

I couldn't stop there with the sparkle and trim.  May Arts makes this beautiful bakers twine that is accented with a silver strand.  It was just the right thickness and size to tie at the top of each of my numbered tags.

Here's a closer look at those tags.  Aren't they pretty?!  They have the most gorgeous sparkly finish that doesn't shed a bit!  The best part is, the hard work is all done for you - the tags are numbered, glittered and diecut.  All you do is simply punch them from the page, tie on some trim and they are ready to be added to your countdown.

 

Thanks for stopping over to take a closer look at my project.  I hope you'll stop by again soon!

 

DCWV: Happy Day Memo Board

Good morning, blog friends!  Have you been spotting these cute memo boards all over the place lately?  They are intended to provide you with a central place for hanging onto all of those lists, coupons, notes and bits of paper that come into and out of our lives.  As a papercrafter though, I myself can't look at them without dreaming up possibilities to embellish and transform them into a pretty home décor piece.  So, that's just what I did!

I grabbed DCWV's Happy Day stack for this project because I love the neutral color palette that is carried throughout and the pretty pops of gold.  I had fun making all sorts of tags, banners and accents to decorate my memo board.

Supplies used: Target - memo board & large clothespin; DCWV - Happy Day Stack (all patterned papers); Stampin Up - feather stamps & coordinating dies, butterfly punch, flower punch; Crate Paper - chipboard heart, vintage button, and mini clothespins; Basic Grey - mini letter stickers; American Crafts - twine; Other - ribbon.

Let's take a closer look at all of the elements that I've included within my framed piece.

One of my favorite patterns from the stack is the woodgrain covered in intricate shaped frames.  I cut out one of the small frames from the pattern and used it to highlight a punched and embellished butterfly.  It's backed with a doily for a simple yet elegant look. 

 

This sweet little label that adorns the bottom portion of my photo was again, simply cut from one of the included patterns.  I customized it a bit further by adding our last name in coordinating letter stickers from my stash.

There are several pages of cut apart elements included in the stack.  These cute banners are part of one of those patterns.  I accented them with some stamped and embossed feathers for added dimension and interest.

The final element on my décor piece, again features one of the pre-designed sentiment cards that are included in the patterns of the Happy Day stack.  I loved the sentiment and wanted to draw more attention to it by adorning it with a dimensional floral. 

To create my flower, I punched several layers from the pink and gold dotted patterned paper.  I layered the punches together and adhered them with a button center.  The leaves that accent this floral piece were fussy cut from another of the patterns included in the stack.

 

 

 

With just a little bit of creativity and a beautiful stack of DCWV patterned papers it was easy to transform this bland memo board into something special that I will be proud to display in my home!

You float my boat: An Altered Project

Good afternoon!  I have a different type of project to share with you today.  If you visit my blog often, you know that I typically default to making scrapbook pages and/or cards - they are my favorite!  But occasionally, the creative mood pulls me in a different direction.  

 

I've been eyeing all of the different type of message/memo boards that have been popping up in home décor.  I love that many of the ones I've seen allow for the pictures and other elements to be switched out, if desired.  A simple clip or clothespin is often all that's used to attach these items to the frame.  Yesterday, I shared my own mini version of one of these memo boards on the Love My Tapes blog.

 

Supplies used: Love My Tapes - red/white stripe washi, light blue star print fabric tape; DCWV - patterned paper; Lawn Fawn - image stamps and sentiment; May Arts - rope-like twine; American Crafts - twine and glittered clothespin; Stampin Up - ink; Other: IKEA frame, Veteran Typewriter font, machine stitching, hot glue.

I used a cheap white IKEA picture frame as the base of my memo board. Once the frames surface was decorated (with washi tape and 'rope-like' twine), I attached my chosen clothespin with a bit of hot glue to the right side of the frame.  The photo booth strip and banner style tags are simply clipped in place and can easily be removed and/or replaced, if I so choose.

Since the photo booth strip was long and narrow, I had extra room for embellishment along the left side of the frame.  I created a sweet little sewn pennant banner to fill in that space, and adorned it with more adorable Lawn Fawn stamped images.

 

This turned out to be a quick and fun project that I'm anxious to display in my home.  I can see myself making many more of these memo frames and switching out the theme, products and color to make each one entirely different from the next.  It could be a pretty fun gift idea, as well!

 

DCWV and Faber Castell Blog Hop

Good morning crafty friends!  Have you been following along on the DCWV and Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft® Winter blog hop all this week?  If not, you're in for a real treat and have a lot of catching up to do! Starting this past Monday, December 8th, both companies have been sharing beautiful winter and holiday themed projects created by designers from both companies! 

As a brand new designer for DCWV, I'm excited to share that today my mini album is being featured on the DCWV blog.  I created a 'two in one' project.  At first glance you'll see a darling little mini album.



DCWV and Faber Castell supplies used on this project include:

DCWV - Christmas & Winter Cardstock Stack; Candy Cane Lane Stack; Premium Paper Collection Stack; Winter in the Woods 6x6 Stack; Self Adhesive Heart Mirrors

Faber Castell: Glass Bead Glitter Gel; Glaze; Chalk Board Paint; Mix & Match Gelatos Colors & Clear Stamp

 

*Other supplies: Studio Calico wood veener stars; Hero Arts embossing powder; Simon Says Stamp/Kelly Purkey stamps; Crate Paper chipboard frame; American Crafts twine; Stampin Up punches; Michaels - ribbon and holiday berry sprig.

 

However, once that album is removed from the clipboard, you're left with an additional home décor piece. The clipboard is not only decorative, but also functional.  I've covered it's surface with Faber Castell's black Chalk Board Paint, making it ready to leave holiday messages for loved ones or perhaps even to use to countdown the days until Christmas.

To give the surface of the clipboard even more of a chalkboard feel - I rubbed white ink, using my fingertips, over various spots of the surface area.  Doing so, achieves a more permanent 'chalk dust' look.

The chalkboard surface wouldn't be complete without some pretty embellishment.  A few simple diecut snowflakes become show stopping embellishments when covered with Faber Castell's Glass Bead Glitter Gel.  This close up, captures a bit of the texture and dimension that the glitter gel provides, simply by painting it over a smooth cardstock surface.

I wanted to continue the chalkboard look throughout the album, and knew it would mix well with pieces from DCWV's Candy Cane Lane, which features lots of red and black.  Again I painted a small square of the Chalk Board Paint on the cover of my album.  A chipboard slide, frames up the chalkboard paint and covers up the messy painted edges.  I stamped, embossed and stamped my sentiment again, offsetting it a bit, to make it appear more chalk-like.  The diecut snowflake is again covered in more of the Glass Bead Glitter Gel.

 

You'll see as we move through the albums pages, that I brought in a bit of green among the pages.  I wanted a subtle appearance of that color on the cover.  I was able to achieve that by rubbing the edges of the black and white diagonal stripe paper with the Green Tea Gelato, and rubbing it in with my finger to blend and smooth it.

 

The next several pages feature a variety of patterns and pieces from the DCWV stacks listed above.  I love having the pages cut different sizes, dimensions and shapes to add interest and fun to the album.

 

 

 

A strip of red glitter paper from the Christmas & Winter Wishes cardstock stack is the perfect pop of red along the bottom edge of this kraft note card.  The kraft piece lifts to reveal more surface area for pictures and/or journaling.  I bet you are wondering about that sweet little heart too, huh?  It's an adhesive mirror from DCWV!

 



 

This chalkboard tag was cut from one of the patterned papers in the Candy Cane Lane stack.  To personalize it, I added a bit of stamping, embossing and a length of twine.  It's attached to the vellum page with a simple staple.

 

More of the DCWV glitter paper, cut with a scalloped border punch, will create a pretty backdrop for a special photo, on this page.

I couldn't help but fussy cut a few of the pretty poinsettias from the Candy Cane Lane stack for some added embellishment.

I plan to gift this album filled with pictures and memories of Christmas past, to someone special this year. 

 

I hope you'll check out each day's post on both blogs for chances to win lots of fabulous prizes!  See you on Monday with a quick and easy gift wrap idea! 

Glittery Countdown to Christmas

Hello!  Are you in the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle?  It seems like the days speed up exponentially once the month of December is upon us.  I have lots of crafting and making I'd still like to do for the holidays, so I'm hoping I can squeeze a few more projects in before December 25th!  If that's going to happen, I'm going to have to make said projects both quick and easy.  But that doesn't mean they have to be short on style or cuteness!

Here is a project I shared on the Love My Tapes blog on Friday that fits the bill:

Pop on over there to see how I quickly and beautifully dressed up our Christmas book advent countdown this year!