10 things i love about you

welcome back gypsies! 

i got a chance to explore my softer, more pastel side recently and i have to say i liked it! the challenge? turn a box of flowery pastel papers and a frame into something memorable. so in the spirit of advent calendars, i created this sweet little way to count up the many ways i love a certain someone. 

the whole frame is painted, first with copper, then picket fence crackle, and then tinted with tumbled glass distress ink to create a patina. then came the flowers - fabric ones, paper ones, and my signature smooshie ones too. corrugated cardboard scraps get a facelift thanks to glimmer mists in turquoise and copper.

10 tiny pockets dressed with pearls, crystals and ribbon. 

each tiny pocket holds a tiny card - 10 tiny places to hide secrets, love notes or tokens.

i hope this romantic fancy strikes your fancy! 

i'll be teaching this as a class at scrapbook island in san jose (408.978.8900) on april 15th. 

smash this!

take one K&Company SMASHjournal, a box of Echo Park papers and some bits and pieces and what do you get? an awesome vintage journal to die for. i received the journal and papers in my design team project box from scrapbook island. never paid much attention to them in the store but now...

 

this is actually the "pretty style" SMASHjournal with the bright pink spine and pen holder. the inside papers are muted and vintage,  so to coordinate better with the mood of the pages, and the Echo Park papers, I covered the spine first thing. then i used "worn lipstick" and "iced spruce" distress inks to bring out the beautiful embossing on the cover. a spritz with "cappuccino" pearl mist add just a little bit of glam - vintage glam that is.

next i divided the book into sections. since this is a project destined to become a store sample, i focused on embellishing the divider pages, instead of trying to make over the whole book. and frankly the papers inside are so cool, it would have been a shame to cover them up. i used SMASHpockets, and SMASHpad notes, and papers, stickers and paper bits from the Echo Park "Times&Seasons" collection. the sticker sheet comes with number flags, which made perfect section dividers.

the final touch was replacing the flamingo pink elastic pen holder with a loop of cream ribbon instead. the pen is a combo pen and glue pen - sweet!

after wrapping up the book, i have to say i'm thinking of getting one for myself! i wasn't impressed with them on the shelf in the store, but after having a chance to play with one i can definitely see the potential for fun, especially for tween and teen girls. this seems custom-made for younger scrappers who want to journal and save keepsakes without the heavy time and craft investment of more traditional scrapbook.

**gypsy disclaimer - i was not compensated for expressing my opinions on this product. and i wasn't invited to offer my opinions either. as always, the gypsy calls it like she sees it.

yes, i have become a contest slut

so this is my first big "scrapbook industry year". up until now i have been one of the ink-stained masses, innocently shopping the local scrapbook store, not aware that there was a whole crazy scrapbook industry out there working tirelessly to get my attention as well as my dollars.

now however, i've moved up a level. no longer only an innocent ink-stained consumer, i'm now on a design team, i "like" scrapbook companies on facebook, and i have a blog. this also means i've been initiated into the mysteries of CHA, "sneak peeks", and swag contests.

it started out innocently enough. companies asking me to "like" them, post comments and share them, use their badges on my blog and facebook page, and write about them on my blog. it's fabulous. i entered one about my best/worst glitter experience and won - thanks jack&cat curio.

and now i can't seem to stop from throwing myself out there again and again.

which leads me to my latest contest...the gals at glitz design are launching three new and very beautiful lines at CHA this week - notice how i sound like a pro now - and while pink and blue would not normally be my first paper pull, i have to admit that their "beautiful dreamer" line is...well..dreamy.

the papers themselves look gorgeous - pinks, blues, browns, with that vintage distressed look that makes me all goosebumplie. but even better is the huge amount of embellishments available as well - journaling and title stickers, ribbons, jewels, tiny sticker letters and even a chipboard album. my favorites are the "whatnots" and "peek-a-boos"

so yes, i know i am selling myself like a naughty little contest slut. but hey, i get to satisfy myself, and you get an instant preview into a new line, and maybe even a new-to-you company. so we all go home winners!

i'm feeling so authentique!

my continuing adventures as a scrapbook store design team member have taken me from discovering new creative heights, to teaching my first class, to peaking this month with one of my projects getting taken to CHA by a very cool and groovy vendor - more on that tomorrow.

so each month i get a pizza box of joy, plain white on the outside but filled with color and texture on the inside.

this month's adventure is "authentique" - the new paper company everyone has been waiting for. i was lucky enough to get a whole pizza box full of their "journey" line - all blues, beiges and browns with travel-themed extras.

while i haven't yet started my "journey" yet, i was very excited to visit authentique's facebook page and website today. it seems everyone is buzzing about them, and since my design project this month is all about them, i thought i'd buzz a little for them too.

stay tuned to see what i make this month. i'll be sure to post everywhere!

happy-ness

another box of joy. being on a design team is great! i get a box of products and free license to create. this month's box was filled with basic grey's "sweet threads" line - "SWEEEEET"

my big discovery with this project was making "smooshie flowers". take a close look at the flower details and check out what happens when you mist and then smoosh up die-ut paper. the result is wonderfully whimsical. add a little ink or glitter, and the final look is so sweet. and check out my newest zipper flower! i used maya road's zipper trim and created a dahlia.

the other bit of fun was working with maya road's canvas dress forms. layers of tattered angels glimmer mist, add a cool stamp for texture, and you end up with a beautiful accent. add a couple of stick pins, and you also get a unique place to mount some small pics or keepsakes!

and finally, why not tuck away some fancy tags? a matted photo can become a great pocket to hold more photos, journaling, and keepsakes!

overall, i had a blast making all these elements, and using so many different products! stay tuned tomorrow for a whole minibook made of "sweet threads", zippers, glimmer mist and more!