Tape, Tag and Basic Gray

I have been playing with decorative tape.  I guess you could call it a Washi tape knock off.  Real Washi tape is a high quality masking tape made of rice paper that come from Japan. The tape I used came from Michaels, and not made from rice paper.  There are dozens of creative ways to use this tape...check out Pinterest  if you are looking for ideas.

I tried out  a few different  ways to play with the tape from some idea pages, and then my creativity kicked in. I rummaged through some of my toys and came up with a manilla tags, a piece of an oldie but goodie  Basic Gray patterned paper, image from Graphic Fairy ( gotta love the Fairy) and a part of a lace applique ... I put them all together and created...

The tape becomes transparent when it is  applied to the tag .The ribbon for the tag is made out of  the black  decorative tape that has been folded  in half, looped through the hole at the top of the tag, then tied in a knot.

The decorative  tape is on the bottom of the tag, stacked  above each other, The image was printed on clear sticker paper. The tape and the image  are transparent and the cool Basic Gray patterned paper  design shows through.

Long Division, Telling Time and a Calico Cat

This distressed Graphic 45 ABC  Primer patterned paper  brings back the basics  taught in school in the "good old days"...Reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmeti.

This little boy may know his numbers... 1 through 10,  but could long division be far behind? 

The half page is covered with red gingham, and embellished with a vintage looking chip board piece, that warns the next lesson is "telling time".

I love the calico cat sitting next to the student on the red stool

The back of the book is embellished with two alphabet  pages...maybe from an old "ABC book"

The only things missing  from this mini album are some grade school photos

Flash Cards, Work Sheets and Pinterest

Remember flash cards from your school days ? When I was going to school ours were made out of manila paper with bold black lettering or numbers.  This vintage looking  one has a great colorful image of  a young girl and boy under a umbrella ...

Very faint on the card you can see "postage" and a 1cent...maybe it's  a commemorative stamp  for vintage flash cards...then you will have a one cent stamp the next time the post office raises the rates

The half page is covered in ABC's and a subtraction work sheet...the dreaded
TAKE A WAYS. You remember,  9 take a way 6 equals what?

Turn the half page  over to reveal  the rest of  students  school work

Love the look of these old desks, very ornate with the cast iron scroll work.

I'm sure at the time the students in the class room were unimpressed with how fancy the desks were. 

They had no idea decades later their great grand kids would be shopping in antique stores trying to find one of these desks for a vintage home decor look...like the one they found on Pinterest

First day of school

I'm not sure what happened to Summer Vacation...it zipped by  too fast. The kids are going back to school tomorrow. Which gives me a great excuse to share my Graphic 45 ABC Primer  patterned paper mini album...how did you like that conversation transition?

This chipboard album does not have the usual  Stickle, rhinestones and glitter pen bling that I have added to  some of the other mini albums I have designed.  This  paper reminded me of vintage school books that my grandmother may have taught from back in the 40s.

So I created a distress look by sanding the edges and using a lot of Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress Ink. 

I used two different sizes of chip board pages for the book...it gives it a great layered look. The edges of the larger pages layered ...the red gingham and ABC area.

When you open the first small page the rest of the cover is revealed

Who does "This Book Belongs to"...

The little girl writing on the chalk board or the girl in the red dress... that appears to be giving some one a spanking...WHERE WAS THE TEACHER WHILE ALL THIS WAS GOING ON?!?!?!?

The Olde Curiosity Shop

I love  exploring  antique, thrift, "junque" stores...how every you describe them, nothing is better than  finding cool junk!  Those one time  discards become your wonderful treasure.

 The Graphic 45  "Olde Curiosity Shoppe" patterned paper reminds me of the wandering through the perfect antique store. How to use such a imaginative paper line, chip board die-cuts and of course  "Wild Honey" Distress Ink...?  

Create a antique store mini album!

The cover of the album is the "front window" of the Olde Curiosity Shop...with a glimpse of the fascinating bits and pieces waiting to be discovered.

Layered on the "window" is a pewter Bee...

Opening  the cover to  the first pages  shows some of the  fantastic oddities. Best of all...a flying pig!

 Stepping further into the shop we find butterflies and bees...and a mysterious lady with a copper key.

Turning the page we notice  a rare butterfly collection...

What clever oddities will we spy next? A peacock feather and a "flying" shoe!

We have poked in ever nook and cranny of the shop and now have come to the end...

There is always something fascinating to happen upon in the Olde Curiosity Shoppe

Spring has Sprung!

Spring is here and Easter is not too far off...in honor of the season I have been working on some new tags ( and you were wondering what had been keeping me away from bloggin') This Spring tag is created with Tim Holtz's Caged Bird die cut, and Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime collection. I placed the "blue bird" outside her gold embossed cage...Hey, it's Spring...nobody should be inside!

I used an embossing folder to create the leaf pattern for this tag. The little girl hatching out of the egg is from a vintage postcard.

I had used these chicks on my last years Easter card. The are so cute they are making another appearance.

I know you are saying to yourself..."these tags are so fun, I wonder if they are a class?"

Yes, the tags are a class! They will be taught Thursday April 7th 10:00am to 11:30am and again Tuesday April 12th 5:00pm to 6:30pm at Scrapbook Barn...give them a call to sign up!

Now for something really different

This is what you get when you combine Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante patterned paper, some copper Stickles, a few layered Tim Holtz Gadget Gears...

Wild Honey Distress ink, Kaisercraft Turquoise Acrylic Paint and Shadowbox frame, and a handful of amber rhinestones...

It was fun to design...but I don' think it will go with the decor in the living room!

Back Porch

From the back porch of the house you can see the beautiful English garden. We can take a stroll through the day lilies, lupin and prim roses out to the gazebo...you can't see the garden? Close your eyes and use your imagination...now can see it?

At Scrapbook Barn we have sold out of this Kaisercraft Beyond the Page house book. BUT... we are getting some more in soon. This book would be great made up with the Graphic 45 Alice in Wonderland Halloween paper...a haunted Alice house...with Alice, the white rabbit and the Mad Hatter looking out the front windows...now I've got you using your imagination!