All About Me Banner & New Paper Issues Theme!

Sam came home from school the other day with a big white piece of paper shaped like a banner. His teacher sent it home for him to create "an all about me" banner to be hung up in his classroom for the entire year. The teacher also said that it was to be completed with the help of parents and could be as simple or elaborate as we wanted. As soon as I saw that parents were to help and that it could be elaborate, of course I saw that as a green light to get creative. I had to keep in mind that Sam is only in Kindergarten and is still very much trying to learn his ABC's, let alone write each and every letter. I wanted to create with Sam but also using it as a tool to help him practice his writing and hand control with cutting and coloring.

To create the banner, we started with the white 12X18" base. Digging through my stash, I came accross some cool Cavallini file folders that repeat the alphabet over and over in rich, warm colors. I opened it up and it fit perfectly into the banner shape. All I had to do was cut the triangle at the bottom and staple it on. Next, I gave Sam some vellum and had him trace the entire alphabet once in pencil and then again in Sharpie. I punched each letter out with a 1/2" hole punch and randomly placed them directly onto the folder. I cut Sam's name out using the Cindy Loo Cricut Cartridge. The black cardstock worked perfectly to emulate a chalkboard. I gave sam a white oil pastel to color in his name. It shows up so well against the black. We then decided to go through pictures that show who Sam is, and what he loves. We chose 10 different pics to represent his love of swimming, his birthday, Halloween/candy, his brother, catching frogs, hats, his dog Murphy, going on trips/hotels/cabins, his I-touch/music, and IHOP! I printed them at 1" and foam mounted them to create some dimension. Sam loves helping me with those foam dots, I always seem to find them stuck to walls, doors and anything else he can get his hands on. :) I cut a few white squares and had Sam draw with his favorite color red a smiley face and the number 5 to represent his age. The last part was creating the ribbon to tie it all together. I printed and cut a photo of Sam on his first day of school. Then I drew a circle and had Sam cut it out in yellow stripe and red. I cut all around the edges to give it a fringed appearance. We took some MME Lost & Found II striped paper and stamped all the things that represent each photo. I had Sam help me find all the letter stamps to spell out the words. That was probably the most timely process of all. Sam picked out some ribbon, we added the "I am" and the shiny heart for the finishing touch. Sam was so proud of it, he was so excited to bring it to his teacher. For photographing purposes, I hung the banner using a vintage wooden pant hanger. I found and purchased 18 of them at an estate sale last weekend for $0.25 a piece. Score! I think I will be incorporating them into future projects. :)

Now onto the Paper Issues Theme! This week's theme is "Apple for the Teacher." There are some crazy cute projects that have already been linked up. Be sure to check out the blog hop as well. There is an amazing "FITkit" up for grabs so it is a win-win for you to stop by. Until next time! Amy

Back to School!

Last Wednesday was the 1st day back to school for my little guys. Jack started 3rd grade and it was particularly special for Sam as he started all day Kindergarten. I had been dreading that day ever since my kids were babies. Knowing that someday both my babies would be in school all day, no longer at home with mama to keep me company and share special times with....the thought of it just made me sad. I am proud to report that I didn't cry in front of Sam at all. He was nervous but he held it together and was a big boy. After I left the school, it hit me about 30 minutes later. It wasn't only that I would miss them being underfoot, it was recalling special memories of when they were just infants. Time goes by way too fast. I know, I know, I better suck it up and accept the fact that there will be many more goodbyes along the way. Like when they turn 18 and move away for college? I try not to think about it too much. :)

Anyways, the boys wanted to cheer me up by making me something special that I could look at every day while they are at school and be reminded of them. Thanks to Jenni over at the Vintage Umbrella, she shared a wonderful painted canvas that was so cute and easy for my boys to do. It seriously only took them about an hour from start to finish, and they turned out beautifully. Of course Jack is my deep thinker. His says, "Your love reaches all the way to my heart." Sam's says, "I love you so much & I will miss you when I'm at school." Pretty much straight and to the point isn't it? :)

As I said, they started back to school last week so I have had 4 days without them here and I am starting to settle into a routine. During the day I plan to get lots of stuff accomplished so that I can make time for fun when the boys get home. I have the best memories of arriving home from school as a child with a delicious snack waiting and the warm, beautiful smile of my mother anxiously awaiting my return. :)

Paper Source Owl Mosaic & Giveaway Winner!

It's about time I share one of my newest mosaic creations, Hoot #2. Awhile back I shared my first owl window, and couldn't resist making a newer version using the ever popular owl paper at Paper Source. That place has to be the coolest store ever. I live in Oklahoma and the closest one to me is 3.5 hours away. Every time I go to Dallas, Paper Source is at the top of my destination list!

A few days ago, I logged into Facebook and was pleasantly surprised that Paper Source featured my owl window on their page as well as on their blog! Talk about one happy girl, I have been on cloud 9 ever since. :) As I am sure the rest of you are, sometimes it is nice to get recognition for your work. It definitely gives me incentive and drive to create more!

As for the window, the owl mosaic is completely created from vintage plates, a Bella Blvd flower, a vintage bingo marker and copper wire for the legs. I love the patterns in these plates, especially the harvest gold/brown ones. Don't they mimic the feathers on the owl's belly perfectly? :)

Now onto the Giveaway...the winner of the Cricut August 2012 magazine and my very first publication is...Sabrina Alery! Congrats Sabrina! Thanks to all of you for your sweet comments, and for following my blog! I appreciate you!

My Very First Publication & A Giveaway!

Would someone please pinch me? I can't believe it when I see it, but I actually have my very first project in an actual magazine! Early in the year a made a gift for a dear friend's daughter. Since I adored the way it turned out, I decided to submit it to a magazine. What did I have to lose? I am not one who ever submits to magazines, not really sure why. Maybe it is the fear of rejection? Or simply procrastination? Who knows. Let me just tell you, when I received the request of submission for my project, I was ecstatic! That was many months ago, and ever since I have anxiously awaited its arrival. On August 1st I went to my local bookstore and there it was, shining in all it's glory! :)

To celebrate this big accomplishment for myself, I would like to celebrate with you and give a signed copy away to one of my wonderful readers! It is the Northridge Media Cricut Magazine for August 2012! This magazine is full of wonderful creations that I am sure you will enjoy. To be eligible, all you need to do is make sure you leave a comment and follow my blog. Simple as that!

Be sure to stay tuned as I unveil my 2nd project chosen for publication on September 1!

I hope you all have a pleasant evening, and thanks for stopping by! :)

It's time for a "Wishy Washi" Blog Hop!

"Wishy Washi" is our newest theme at Paper Issues! In celebration of the newest theme, several of the design team girls have put together a showcase of projects showing off their "wishy washi" side. :) Why wishy washi? Because Freckled Fawn is sponsoring a fabulous giveaway! They are giving away a $25 gift certificate to their online store! Loaded with the most unique and whimsical washi tapes on the market, I know you will jump at the chance to win such a fantastic prize!

For my featured project, I have created a magnetic dart board that will service double duty over the next few weeks. My son, Sam will be turning 5 this Thursday and we have a huge circus/carnival birthday party planned for him. With his party quickly approaching, I need to get on the ball (no pun intended) and start preparing. What's a carnival without tons of games? Going through my tremendous stash of junk I can't seem to let go of, I remembered purchasing this dartboard 8 years ago and have never put it to use. Let me start by telling you that this metal board was super cool, except for the fact that it was a "truth or dare" dartboard! Are you kidding me? I can only imagine a group of teenagers getting a hold of this! I decided to "repurpose" the board to not only act as a perfect carnival game but also as a gift for Sam to proudly display and play with in his room. (not as truth or dare, but as darts!)

Going with carnival colors, I painted everything in aqua, black and kept the red circle on the outer edge. Tapering down some big vintage numbers washi tape, I created the inner circle. I love the look, it almost has a roulette wheel feel to it. Radiating out for visual interest, I added more numbers washi tape and the super cool red pointed finger tape from Freckled Fawn's Post Office Set. I am sure you are wondering about that elephant on the ball? It is an image from Norma Cornes I purchased at Dreamstime.com. Talk about great photography! Printing it on photo paper and fussy cutting around it, I glued it to the center for the perfect focal point of the piece. I added a few stamped images here and there, and created a magnet out of this amazing cast iron vintage #5 to represent Sam's special birthday. I made it as a magnet so that it can be removed while playing with the darts. :)

Finishing it up last night, Sam came over and saw the finished product. He disappeared into the other room and came back with his little coin pouch. He told me that he wanted to give me his $ for making this for him, and that he loved it. That is a moment I will never forget. Talk about the best compliment for a mama. I love you my little Sam. :)

Back to business! As I mentioned earlier, this is a blog hop! I am at the tail end of the hop, so if you haven't already visited all the other showcased projects, please be sure to check them all out!

1. Christina H- http://christinaheeren.blogspot.com/
2. Patricia http://www.roebuck-adventures.blogspot.com/
3. Audrey http://audreysreflection.blogspot.com/
4. Missy http://www.missygener.com/
5. Amy B http://www.curlyqmosaics.blogspot.com/

Are you ready to see what you can win? Aren't these tapes delish? Be sure to check out Paper Issues for all the details about how you can win! Not only follow Paper Issues, but following my blog as well is very much appreciated!

Lastly, don't forget to visit Paper Issues for all your scrapbooking needs! Just enter CURLYQ for a 20% discount! Have a great day! Off to do more party planning! :)
Amy

I am so excited!

I just discovered that Ormolu featured one of my calendars on their blog today! I am doing a little happy dance right now! :)

http://ormolu.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/reader-spotlights.html

Have a wonderful night everyone, I know I will!

I Can See "Clearly" Now...

Guess what? It is time for Paper Issues' newest theme, I Can See Clearly! This time around we want to showcase your "clear" projects. You can link up transparencies, washi tape, vellum yummies, anything! The best part about it is the HUGE, fantabulous giveaway that goes along with it! Lowri of the PaperVine has graciously put together a prize pack anyone would love to win, and it could be yours! Visit Paper Issues for all the details, and to link up, link up, link up!

In honor of the newest theme, I decided to create my sister-in-law's birthday card going in that direction..the use of "clear" materials. I have lots of great printed overlays, but I decided to incorporate packaging plastics as my clear component as well as a creative way of "going" green. :)

To start with, I knew I wanted to capture lots of confetti, as I have seen lots of it around the web lately. This great chipboard scalloped frame (sent to me in a RAK from Michelle Hernandez) was the perfect border. Going through some of my Cricut die-cuts, I found the letters "happy" and tacked them down to the kraft first. Next I punched lots of bright, glittery, festive papers and trapped the dots behind the plastic by using my handy dandy sewing machine. I love the zigzag stitch, it creates such a nice, secure hold. To create the base, I simply cut some strips of scrap papers from MME, Jenni Bowlin, etc. I sewed them to the center of the dot embossed card and then put the confetti oval at the top. Feeling that it needed a little something else, I started dabbling with more plastic scraps and black staz-on. I used a banner stamp from Girls' Paperie Jubilee and then fussy cut around the pennants. Lastly, I stamped "birthday" on the plastic oval using a Stampin' Up stamp from the Bursting with Joy set.

Again, please don't forget to link up your projects over the next 2 weeks for your chance to win, and possibly be in the spotlight! Paper Issues loves you!

Thanks for stopping by, and a special thanks to Michelle for the wonderful element that was perfect for this card! :)

Amy

"HAPPY" Friday!

For those of you that live in the US, I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day with family and friends! I just wanted to drop by and share a card I created for a dear friend's birthday awhile back.

Definitely not as complex as many of my cards are, I used a Cavallini card cover as my starting point and worked from it to embellish and give it that extra special touch. I basically cut some kraft cardstock down to size, added some funky lime damask board from a cut down file folder and then stapled the card to the front in a tilted fashion. I tied some pale pink seem binding around the birdie's neck with a metal "birthday" tag, added some "HAPPY" Thickers to the top of the card and by the time I added the black/white twine I felt that the card was complete.

Wrapping her gift in kraft paper and adorning it with some lime damask packing tape, diecut scraps and twine...it all complemented the card perfectly. As I have said before, I love focusing on presentation. Yeah, some people may think it is a waste of time, but that is something I truly enjoy doing. Especially for those who appreciate it the most. :)

I hope you all have a "HAPPY" Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Speckled Egg's Petite Inspiration Box Swap: Birthday Edition!

If you follow my blog pretty regularly, you know that I like "collecting" or should I say "hoarding" vintage goods. Of course I like creating with vintage goodies and swapping them too! I love participating in swaps, and I particularly enjoy Heather Rowley's Petite Inspiration Box Swaps. In addition to hosting several of these swaps per year, Heather is known for her Speckled Egg Shop. If you are looking for a one-stop-shop with the most amazing, unique and beautiful vintage treasures out there, Heather's Shop is definitely the place. I am obsessed with the prize ribbons, her assortment of millinery, and of course the cutest, dainty little mushrooms you have ever seen.

The theme for this swap was "birthday." I was elated to discover that I was chosen to be in Heather's group. I was both excited and challenged to come up with something amazing for Heather. How could I possibly come up with something unique that could "wow" her personally? My other swap partner was the super talented Jennifer Morris of Amusing Provincial. She has a beautiful blog, sharing her insight and love of farm life.

One of the best parts of the swap is that not only do we make new friends, we are able to other's likes and adapt our box specifically to them. Heather loves pretty paper and ribbon & lace in an array of whites & neutrals. Living on a farm, Jennifer adores sheep & chickens. Her color scheme of choice is light blues & lavender.

When creating the boxes for my partners, I like them both to have a similar cohesive feel but adapting them to their individual tastes. For these boxes, I used some of the oldest, brittle velvet flocked wallpaper I think I could possibly find. Talk about fragile, it toget a feel of each ok me several attempts to get this wrapped neatly and safely around the matchboxes. As many of you are aware, I have been on a glittered trophy kick lately and wanted to incorporate that into my overall design. Recently finding these tiny trophies, I knew they would be the perfect size for the top. I covered the trophies in Martha Stewart's fine glitter and added some kraft krinkles in the top for the birds to nestle in. I created the little birthday party hats with kraft cardstock, vintage ricrac and pompoms. Using vintage seem binding with ricrac & waxed twine, I tied the darling wood banner pieces (My Mind's Eye) for the perfect finishing touch.

As you can see by the photos, I filled their boxes with lots of fun goodies. Heather's was primarily filled with lots of vintage laces, pearls & papers. Jennifer's was filled with lots of images of sheep & chickens just as requested. Look at the Martha Stewart sheep punch...how fun is that!

As for the boxes I received, you guessed it. I asked for everything in aqua and red. I was over-the-top excited upon opening my beautiful boxes. From appliqued samples and felted balls to the most amazing vintage trims and mushrooms, I am happily fulfilled. Not only will I be able to create with all the beautiful trinkets inside, the boxes are proudly displayed in my scraproom.

Thank you Heather & Jennifer for a wonderful swap, and thanks to all my supportive readers who have read this far! I am in hopes that Heather & Jennifer will post pictures of their beautiful creations on their blogs soon. To see lots of the other birthday boxes created, you can see a full gallery on Flickr: Speckled Egg's Petite Inspiration Box Swap.

Maybe next time you will join in the fun?
Amy

PS, If you want to check out my other box swaps for Speckled Egg, they are the Curiosities/Halloween Swap and the Flea Market Swap.

New Calendar, New Theme...

Hi Everyone!

This is a new version of my perpetual calendars using a "wood" circle as the base. It is smaller scale than the typical calendars I create but jam packed with just as much unique charm. When Ormolu was looking for a few interim design team members, I made this in hopes of "wowing" them. Even though I didn't make the cut, I had so much fun incorporating lots of the Ormolu products into my piece....the fabulous/fun 2-Day Hooray Days of the Week & Number Flair Buttons as well as the Line & Letter Chevron Tags. Rather than creating the grid, I used this calendar grid stamp from Stampin' Up that worked perfectly. To spice it up a bit, I added washi tapes from Martha Stewart, K&Co Smash, Cavallini & Ki Memories' Hot Date.

For presentation, when taking pictures I enjoy adding props as a backdrop. Aren't these vintage tartan plaid cannister/coolers so fun? I picked them up at a yard sale a few months back. They totally make me think of summertime and picnics. Speaking of picnics, Paper Issues has a new theme up: Picnics & Patriots! Since Independence Day is right around the corner, what a perfect time to share your 4th of July and/or picnic projects. Not only could your fab project be featured at Paper Issues, Cassie has a wonderful giveaway from Pink Paislee's newest patriotic collection, Declaration. Aren't these papers so dreamy?

Also, if you are in the shopping state of mind you should stop by Paper Issues Shop for some of the newest & coolest scrapping products around...not to mention you can get it for 20% OFF if you use CURLYQ as the promo code at check out! So what are you waiting for? Enjoy!

"follow your heart & your dreams will come true..."

My niece had her 5th Grade Recognition/Graduation a few weeks ago, and I wanted to make her something special as she says goodbye to the elementary years and hello to middle school and so on. Her life as she knows it is about to change in a big way.

For the child who has everything, it is very hard to buy for. I knew a "handmade" gift would be much more meaningful and heartfelt. To begin with, I took a 6X6 window box and placed map paper in the background. It is from Basic Grey's Wander Collection. I began layering lots of vivid papers on top of one another. I knew I wanted a "winged heart" of sorts to go along with the sentiment, "follow your heart & your dreams will come true..." Digging in my stash I found vintage ceramic wings and placed them inside the window box. I adhered the heart lock on top of the glass rather than underneath for a neat dimensional effect. Placing lots of design elements in white and kraft against the bright colors made for lots of nice visual contrast and I am very happy with the results.

Here is a list of materials I used: Basic Grey Wander Paper, Crate Paper Farmhouse Paper, Martha Stewart Daisy Fan Punch, Ki Scribbles Glitter Border, Tim Holtz Regal Crest Die, kraft cardstock, Bazzill jewels, vintage red/yellow tickets, blue thread, cast iron star, ceramic wings, metal heart lock & keys, typewriter...

Now onto some exciting news! Last week I entered my "bee" card into the Kraft Journal's Emboss & Embellish Challenge and am their featured artist today! They have weekly challenges that are so fun to play along with, and I am a kraft paper junkie so it is a win-win for me. :) Speaking of, the challenge at the Kraft Journal this week is Graduation Celebration. What a perfect time to share this graduation gift!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and a sincere thank you to the Kraft Journal for such wonderful recognition!
Amy

Everybody Wants to "Bee" Loved...

Friday was the last day of school, and to go out with a bang the school always has a wonderful talent show. My little Jack who is 8, sang and played his heart out to the beautiful song by Ingrid Michaelson, "Everybody." His daddy and I are so proud of him. Being a musical talent himself, his daddy was quick to download his performance on you tube! (If you could stop by and check it out, Jack would love you for it.)

The chorus of the song is..."Everybody, everybody wants to love; everybody, everybody wants to be loved..." In honor of such a beautiful message and inspiring performance from Jack, I decided to create this card with the same sentiment. Made with lots of beautiful paper from My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart Collection, it fulfills the perfect background for the stamped "bee" image from Tim Holtz. Why a bee you ask? Because starting today, Paper Issues has unveiled the newest theme: Honey Bee! I hope you will share some of your beautiful creations with us, because not only will you inspire others...there is a fabulous giveaway at stake! Be sure to check it out at Paper Issues for all the details.
As for the card, I think I will either give it to my mother for her upcoming birthday or to my in-laws for their 50th Anniversary. Inside, I plan on putting one of those handy little recorder gadgets with Jack singing this beautiful song. Won't that be sweet?

As always, thank you dearly for stopping by and your sweet, supportive comments.
Have a great evening!
Amy

Teacher Appreciation Trophies!

A few weeks ago I shared with you a tutorial on some Easter Trophies I made for our annual egg hunt. Because of the major interest in these on Pinterest, I thought I would make a different version of them for Teachers Appreciation Week!

On the hunt for "trophy cups" I stumbled upon these at Target a few weeks ago. I originally was going to cover them all in silver glitter, but let my boys decide instead. Jack chose the aqua glitter for his 2nd Grade Teacher, and Sam chose red & silver for his Pre-K Teachers. Using Martha Stewart's glitter glue and her super fine glitter, it was very easy to cover the cup portion of the trophy. I created the accordian rosettes out of October Afternoon Road Map Paper and an ABC file folder from Cavallini. The ribbon hanging down is my favorite part. I wanted to add color, and this was just the place to do it. I have tons of ribbon in my stash. Don't you love the yellow ruler ribbon? I think it is the perfect fit. The fun label at the base of the trophy is a free printable from Megan at BalancingHome.com. Her website is filled with wonderful ideas and she has such amazing graphic prints in her shop too, so definitely check her out!

To finish, I added some cream tissue-paper garland from Melissa Frances to the top rim of the cup. Not only does it look cute, it acts as a barrier for the polished red apple nestled at the top! Yes, I used real apples on the top of the trophies, and yes they were a hit!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantabulous weekend!
Amy