Scrapbook Pages: Snowmobiling

Today's pages feature the love of my husband's life...his snowmobile!  

Living "Up In Northern Michigan", we are in the snowbelt area of the state.  Two years ago hubby cracked open his wallet and got a new sled.  Like a boy with a new toy, this man was giddy on the day it arrived!  Definitely a scrap worthy moment!

Supplies:

Paper:  Sugar Tree, blue and gray cardstock
SVG:  Snowflake Frame
Stickers:  Karen Foster "Snowmobile"
Stickles:  Frosted Lace
License Plate:  Karen Foster
Snowflakes:  K & Company "Very Merry"

To balance out the scrapbook, I also included a layout with me and our snowmobiling extended family.  Yep...we live on the 45th Parallel...halfway there!

Supplies:

Paper:  Karen Foster "Snowmobiling Collage"
Stickers:  Karen Foster "Snowmobile"
Stickles:  Frosted Lace
License Plate:  Karen Foster

Snowflakes:  K & Company "Very Merry" 

Scrapbook Page: Momma & Millie

Continuing with dog scrapbooking, today I have a layout featuring me and my remaining bulldog, ten year old Millie.  

I had a great time using all my vintage and girly supplies for this layout.  Millie HATES to wear costumes and doesn't like a camera aimed at her (unlike Louie the ham).  So when she let me dress her in the same Halloween costume I wore, I knew the pictures deserved a layout!  And she really is "girly" for a bulldog.  Ummmm, except for one thing.  Millie can pass gas (and she does it frequently) that could peel the paint off the wall!  My family and friends know that the price to pay for enjoying a week of "Craft-cation" is putting up with the smell.  They're troupers!! lol

Supplies:

Paper:  K & Company "Life's Journey"

Font:  (cut using SCAL & Cricut) "Fancy Pants"

Flowers:  Petaloo "Flora Doodles-Salmon"

Ribbon Leaves

MME "Life Stories" Journaling Card

Vintage Lace and Buttons

Letter Stickers

Scrapbook Pages: Louie

A few weeks ago I was on my "Craft-cation", a week spent in the studio (and on the beach).  Been doing this for years.  First it was just my sister joining me.  Then a few years ago my Mom joined in.  This year BFF Sue came for four of the days as well.  What a great time we had!  We shared techniques and supplies and definitely gave my new margarita maker a workout!  I also got a lot of scrapbook pages done, so I thought I would start sharing them.

First up are four pages I did to begin completing the book I have for Louie, my bulldog who passed away in June of 2011.  Last year's Craft-cation was much too soon to try and attempt these pages.  But this year I worked hard on documenting the last year and a half of his life.  I still have two more pages in the works and I may share those later.

11th Birthday

 First page was for his 11th Birthday.  Call me a crazy dog Momma but I have every birthday documented.  The crown embellishment is because his AKC registered name was:  Gemstone's King Louis Zeus. 

Supplies:

Paper:  Creative Imaginations, yellow and orange cardstock

Font (cut with SCAL/Cricut):  "A & S Pen & Ink Roman Bold"

Embossing Folder:  Cuttlebug

Distress Ink:  Rusty Hinge

Stamps:  MSE "Glitz Lower Numbers", MME Market Street "Adore"

Rub On Letters:  Fancy Pants "Double Alphas"

Circle Punches

Sleepy Good Dog

As he was getting older (and unknown to us at first) sicker, Louie spent a lot more time snoozing.  Luckily for us he didn't snore much.  Our first bulldog Mack was a terribly loud snorer.  Such a cute snoozy face!

Supplies:

Paper:  Reminisce "Good Dog" and cream cardstock
Font (cut with SCAL/Cricut):  "Segoe Print" and "A & S Black Swan"
Stamps:  CTMH "Universal Backgrounds"
Distress Ink:  Walnut Stain

Dog of My Heart

This page details just how much Louie meant to me and the special bond we shared.

Here I tried out my new Spellbinders banner die and borrowed a frame from sis.  How come I didn't know they made paper frames like this?!  I thought I had all the supplies known to man!  lol

Supplies:

Paper:  Paper House Productions "Dog Bones", Lost & Found "Cherish", WeR Memory Keepers Precious Metal "Coppered Out"

Font (cut with SCAL/Cricut):  "Cairo" and "Herkimer Bunrab NF"

Frame:  K & Company Embossed Frames

Spellbinders Die:  "Ribbon Banner"

Sticker:  Velum Sentiment

Pens:  LePen "Brown" and gold gel pen

12th Birthday

This was Louie's last birthday and looking at these pictures, I could really see how much he had changed in a year.  Congested Heart Failure was taking it's toll but he was doing pretty well right up until the day before we had to make that most difficult decision.  It's not unusual for a dog to decline so swiftly... literally overnight.

Supplies:

Paper:  Imaginisce "Party Poppers", pinks, white, blue, yellow, red, orange cardstock

Font (cut with SCAL/Cricut):  "A & S Brushwakker"

SVG files:  cupcake, candle

Stamps:  Stamper's Anonymous "Mixed Media"

Distress Ink:  Tumbled Glass, Spun Sugar

Distress Marker:  Worn Lipstick

Ribbon

Sticker Letters

Acorn SVG Freebie

This cute little acorn would look great with the set of Fall Leaves now available in the store.

Get the Acorn Freebie HERE

Get the Fall Leaves HERE.

DON'T FORGET!

New SVG Challenge Blog starting September 10th!

Enter your SVG creations for fame and prizes:

CREATIVE CUTTING CHALLENGE

Milestone Birthday Card

Milestone birthdays are ones that deserve a little extra celebration!  As tomorrow's guest designer over at CARD A DAY BLOG I'm following that theme with this blinged up card I made for a special niece.

I created the SVG file to diecut the card on my electronic cutting machine.  If you are able to use and cut SVGs, a link for this card (and three other Milestone Birthdays) follows.  Here's how I made the card:

The first thing I do whenever I make a card is hit the scrap box to see if something will work.  I never cut into a full sheet of paper until I see if scraps will work first.  If you are a scrapbooker, save those extra paper pieces for cards!

I cut the card base from a sheet of blue cardstock and distressed it using Peeled Paint and Broken China Distress Inks.  I then "flicked" water drops onto the paper and since the DIs react with water, I got a nice mottled effect (Tim Holtz's "Spritz & Flick" technique).  You'll notice that I also designed the card so that the "Happy" would extend over the top of the card.

I cut the "18" from designer paper and embossed.  I then went over it with Peeled Paint DI using a blending tool.  To lighten the center of the numbers, I used Squeezed Lemonade DI.  The technique for this was to press the ink pad on the craft sheet and using a water brush, picking up the ink and lightly swirling it in the center portion of each number.  This gives the paper a nice dimensional look.  Once it was dry, I smeared Lime Green Stickles on the numbers and outlined them with Waterfall Stickles.

The letters were cut using a scrap piece of yellow designer paper.  I stamped them with the spatter design from Stampers Anonymous' "Urban Tapestry" using Broken China DI.  Thin lines were added using the Peeled Paint Distress Marker.

I did cut into a whole piece of paper to make the card liner.  I wanted to pull in the colors I used on the base but since the pattern was so busy, I made the liner have a "window".  Then I stamped the sentiment on the white cardstock back that showed through.  If you get the SVG files for these cards, you can eliminate this liner if you want.

Like the card?  You can make one of your own if you have an electronic cutting machine that can cut SVG files!  This set includes all four milestone birthdays.

You can purchase this set HERE.

This card is entered into the following Challenges:
Creative Stamp Friends--#58 Special Card Shape
Hooked On Craft--#23 Let's Celebrate
Simon Says Stamp--No Rules
The Cupboard Trilogy--#2 Embossing
Unique Crafters--#6 Glitter and Shine
Crafty Mess--#15 Words No Image
My Craft Channel--SVG Saturday #4

Cool Stuff #5

I admit it, I basically live and breathe creating.  And when you're hooked on creating multimedia pieces, you are ALWAYS looking at how things could be incorporated into your artwork.  So it didn't take much imagination when I spotted these shaped coasters while on a mini vacation on Mackinac Island in June.  The first one I scored was the ribbon shaped coaster after a delicious dinner at the Woods Restaurant.  I thought it would be great as an embellishment on a scrapbook page (I used another coaster on last years MI layout--which I'll share soon).   Then the next day we stopped at The Gate House for lunch and drinks, and I really got excited.   Oval coasters at the bar!!  I've altered square and round coasters but  I'd never seen oval coasters before!  (Maybe because I don't get out much?!)  I nabbed everyone's oval coasters before a drop of drinks hit them.  And no, I felt no shame for doing that either.  Hey...I'm an artist!!

Something New Coming This Fall...

I love creating and using SVG files in my artwork.  I also love to enter my art into Challenges.  So having found no challenge blogs catering expressly to SVGs used with electronic cutters, I decided I'd start my own!  I invite you to check out the details over at Creative Cutting Challenge.  Please bookmark the site and get ready for the first Challenge on September 10th---Anything Goes!

DESIGN TEAM MEMBERS WANTED

Would you like your work featured as a DT member 

on the new Creative Cutting Challenge blog?

If you are able to cut SVG files, have an active blog and can meet deadlines, then I'm looking for you to join the CCC team!  What's in it for you?  FREE SVG files, additional exposure for your own blog and hopefully a great time with other creative online friends.  

DT Details  

• This will be a 16 challenge commitment running from September 10th until May 27th.  (Holiday break from December 2nd until January 7th)  
• You will receive SVGs from The Creative Pointe to create your DT submission.  You may use other SVGs along with your supplied file.
• All challenge themes will be provided in advance and you will receive your SVG files in plenty of time to meet the challenge deadlines.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in and can COMMIT* to, please send me an email with the type of cutter and program you use, your blog address and a few examples of your work.  

creative@avci.net

*I realize that life happens and sometimes you are unable to continue.  I only want to stress that "flakers" need not apply.

Using Gloss Paper to Make "Life" Card

I used to see the pack of GLOSS PAPER in the store and wonder what it was used for.  I discovered lots of great techniques through a couple of online classes and I used a variation of one of them to create this card.  To create the main image, I cut a rectangle of gloss paper and used alcohol inks on a felted blending pad to create the streaky sky.  It was easy to drag stripes horizontally across the paper and the colors blended beautifully using a little alcohol ink blending solution.  To create the sky I used these alcohol inks--Purple Twilight, Sailboat Blue, Sunshine Yellow, Lettuce and Meadow.

On top of that I stamped the flower image and sentiment using Jet Black Archival Ink.  For best results, use Archival Ink over alcohol inks.  Stamps used:  Inkadinkado "Meadow" & Tim Holtz "Attic Treasures"

I found a piece of yellow scrap that matched the yellow ink and used that as my card base.  A scrap of purple cardstock was embossed, sanded and then inked with Wild Honey Distress Ink.  This gives it a real distressed look that I really like.

I found a scrap of purple ribbon in my stash and didn't have a button that I liked.  So I found a white button and colored it with Sunshine Yellow alcohol ink...perfect!

This card is entered into the following Challenges:

365 Cards--#162 Bright

Crafting For All Seasons--#33 Bright Colours

Stampavie and More--#174 Button and Bow

Papertake Weekly--Anything Goes

Tuesday Alchemy--#26 Bingo

(ribbon or bow--embossing folder (my choice)--buttons)

CD Sunday--Bingo

(buttons--ribbon--stamp)

Sand Castle SVG Freebie

Hard to believe that summer is flying by and today is August 1st!  Yikes, where is the summer going?!  Keep summer all year long by grabbing some of my newest SVG files!

Check out the new "Sand Castle Freebie"...

You can get it HERE.

Need more beach elements?  Check out the new "Beach Set" 

Available HERE.

And don't forget about the set of three beautiful SHELLS, which would go great with either of the new files shown above.