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!