Happy New Year!

"There are better things ahead than any we leave behind"

C.S. Lewis

Compliments of the Season

Best wishes for a

Happy Christmas

and a magnificent

New Year

The most wonderful time of the year?!?!

Ti's the season for being extremely busy...and NO I'm not ready! And YES I have been busy, decorating for Christmas...which didn't get done, making divinity, shipping packages, making and sending cards, decorating the tree, wrapping gifts and shopping for stocking stuffers, working at Scrapbook Barn, free lancing as holiday help at the flower shop and teaching classes. I haven't had a day off in weeks. I have promised myself I will start earlier next year.

I have been teaching an Heirloom Tag Class at Scrapbook Barn...these are the tags for Christmas...

The angel tag is a re-mix of a Christmas card I made a few years ago...

The lady on this tag reminds me of a Poinsettia...

Of course I had to get some Tim Holtz onto the tags...the red glitter paper reindeer is from his die cuts...

All the tags are made using distress ink.

Bee's Backdoor

We have come to the last pages of the Bee Hive album... do I hear a sigh of relief out there? This book went together fast...I just took forever to blog.

I still think the honey combs are fun embellishments.

I am adding the back of the album to this post... I knew you couldn't wait for one more post.

I like to make the back of the album as fancy as the front of the album so I used a patterned paper with lots of embellishments. Maybe some where in all this faux stitching and lace is the bee's backdoor.

Ruffles, Doilies and Polka Dots

This Maya Road mini album had quite a few pages to cover. Luckily the Sassafras Lass patterned paper gave me plenty of options.

The "stripe" paper had all the elements found in the paper line, lace, stitching, embroidery, doilies and sewing patterned tissue paper.

This sewing patterned tissue paper ruffle was on the bottom strip of the paper...the bar code was on the reverse side. The "ruffle" made the perfect embellishment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Patterned Paper, Bilng and Wild Honey...

This Sassafras Lass paper is too fun...with the fabric, stitching, buttons, lace and embroidery embellishments on the patterned paper...I didn't need to add much else to complete the pages of the Bee Hive album
These covered honey comb shapes were an easy addition to the page.

A bit of bling and "Wild Honey" distress ink to dress it all up.

Honey Comb

This honey comb chip board shape was the back page of the mini album. I popped out the hexagon shape embellishment and used them through out the album. I sprayed the honey comb chipboard with Maya Mist...a glimmer mist by Maya Road. It was layered on top of a Sassafras Lass patterned paper.
The "bee" was part of the album too. It is covered with the patterned paper that looked like an embroidered running stitch. For the bee's wings, I cut a heart shape out of the patterned paper.

Amber colored rhinestone bling finish off the"honey" look.

This page of the mini album is Sassafras Lass patterned paper. It is covered with embellishments, embroidery, lace, stitching and sewing pattern tissue paper.

Coming to the "Cool" part

The second pages are were the "cool" begins. This Sassafras Lass patterned paper comes with it's own embellishments.
The button, lace, stitching, ticket, embroidery and all the layered bits and pieces are the patterned paper.

I love adding embellishments to my projects...the only thing better than adding them is when the embellishments come already "built in" to the patterned paper!

The blue cross stitching on the honey comb is patterned paper too. The amber rhinestones...no, their not part of the paper.

Tea Stained Muslin

This Sassafras Lass Mix and Mend paper was so cool to work with... the paper looks like tea satined muslin. I used some Wild Honey distress ink around the edges...can you tell this has become my new favorite distress in color?

The opposite page is covered with patterned paper from the same line...it has the look of white lace over a rich honey yellow background.

The honey comb shapes were part of the Maya Roads chipboard album...I covered these with some of the patterned paper that looked like straight stitch embroidery and sewing pattern tissue paper.

Queen Bee

A bee hive fit for a Queen Bee!

The front page of the Maya Road Bee Hive book was covered with the Sassafras Lass patterned paper...and I distressed the edges with "Wild Honey" Distress Ink.I cut out the arched opening to show the inside of the hive. The hexagon shaped honey comb shapes were part of the book...these were covered with some of the patterned paper, distressed and blinged with Kaiser craft rhinestones.

The Prima flower looks like a piece of jewelry, with the pearl center and glittered edges. This album was held together with ball and chain that came in the package. I wasn't sure how that was going to work...most of the albums I have designed come with book rings. The ball and chain worked surprisingly well. I embellished with some ribbon...

and in a kind of juxtaposition, I used one of 7 Gypsies charms...with a BEE!

Bees and Embroidery

We carry some wonderful Maya Road mini albums at Scrapbook Barn...made from wood, canvas chipboard in different shapes and sizes. I was given this Bee Hive album to design. The first page of the chipboard album has a arched opening and a "bee"...(if you squint you might be able to see them in the photo) the back of the book has a honey comb design.The challenge was to find a great paper worthy of such a fun album. Sassafras Lass has a patterned paper line called "Mix and Mend" that looks like embellished vintage embroidered tea towels, note paper, doily's , little blue hearts and yellow roses.

This is a GREAT paper...worthy of a FUN album!

New Class

I have put together another class to teach at Scrapbook Barn. I will be teaching a "Heirloom Tag" class. These are vintage style tags to add to you holiday heirlooms. The first offering will be Halloween tags. The classes will be held October 13th 10:30 to 12 noon and 5pm to 6:30 pm and October 27th 10:30 to 12 noon and 5:30pm to 7pm.
In the class you will learn how to use distress ink, stamps, glitter glue, die cuts and vintage images.

When you are finished you will have three tags that can be used to decorate a tree or a grape vine wreath, tie them on a ribbon to create a banner , add one to a package or a gift bag or traded in a "tag swap."

Call Scrapbook Barn to reserve your seat...hope to see you in class!

Exhausting Work

I have been creating!

In case you haven't heard Scrapbook Barn now has a Boutique. Just as you walk in the door there is a display of wonderful one of a kind projects designed by local crafters and artist. I brought in some of my cards and a couple of mini album to sell.

Which brings me back to...I'VE BEEN CREATING! I locked myself in my wizards room and pulled out a few of my "someday" projects to add to the boutique.

Remember the "head" for my shopping trip to Savers a while back?

It was transformed into this wild woman...

A rhinestone and glittered scrapbookers treasure chest to store supplies, sewing notions, old photos or a stash of chocolate.

Ooh-la-la...a girly girl pink and green mini album.

And of course a few more cards.

Who would have thought all this designing could be so exhausting!?!

Cemeteries, Antelope and Flowers

Okay...the votes are in...apparently you're not ready to see another mini album...I knew I was pushing the whole mini album thing. I will wait until you aren't paying attention and slip it in to a post.

How about photos? Earlier this month DH and I made a very fast trip to
Apache Creek, New Mexico...it is a tiny dot on a map. One of the few things in Apache Creek is an old country cemetery. According to Wikipedia the cemetery dates from the 1900s through 1960's...which is incorrect information. There are graves from the 1800s...and the purpose of the trip was to bury DH's uncle. The cemetery is still in use...it is one of those old country cemeteries where the family digs the grave...and buries the family member.

And that story gets us to this post...while the men folk were taking care of the grave, I walked around the cemetery taking pictures...remember, I do genealogy and family history and find old cemeteries fascinating. While taking photos of the family headstones, I also took some "texture" photos...just some pics that have interesting texture...you know "artsy" stuff.
You might be able to make out the old fence amongst the tree trunks...the fences

are around some old graves, and the trees have grown around them. There is sage green moss and lichen growing on the old post...

I love all the textures on this photo...the weathered fence post, the rusted wire and nails and the lichen.

On the way back we found a heard of Antelope that really didn't want to have their picture taken.

We saw 150 miles of yellow flowers...the problem was finding a place to pull of the road to take a picture...

OOPS!

I don't know what happened to last week...some how it just zipped by me. Blog posting didn't even enter in to my "things to do" list.

We have come to the back page of the Kaisercraft "Tab" album...yes it got all jazzed up too.
The tab circle and the image come for the 7 Gypsies ephemera packet.

The name of the patterned paper from the Kaisercraft "LUSH" line is called "Cherry Blossom". All the pieces have been inked with Wild Honey distress ink.

Scrapbook Barn had me design a really cool album last week...it's themed around Bees and embroidery...anybody interested in seeing it?

Just Because

The Kaisercraft "Lush" patterned paper for the forth pages is called "Maple"...I 'm not sure why...it has flowers and birds on it. But it's a cool design no matter what they call it. The reverse side of the paper has borders/stripes...which I used a strip of to run vertically on one of the pages.
I'm just guessing...but I think the 7 Gypsies ephemera might be a "tarot" card. I bling-ed it up and layered it over another piece of ephemera from the same package.

The Tim Holtz clock hands were added to the tab of the book..."just because".

Gypsy Girl

The Kaisercraft "Lush" patterned paper on the third pages is not as WILD as the other ones I have used in the book...which of course called for a lot more embellishments! The decorative photo corners are transparent overlays from Tattered Angels...called "Glimmer Glass". These photo corners are from their "Regal" line.The Gypsy Girl (notice the suitcase she is carrying...you think she is running away from home, off on a big adventure?) is layered on top of some patterned paper and another piece of ephemera from 7 Gypsies.

Prima flowers are adhered near the page tab...and the clock was found in a corner of the Scrapbook Barn embellishment drawer.

Then again...maybe the Gypsy Girl is just going to the Laundromat.

Map, Key and Rhinestones

The second pages I kept a bit simpler...
The pages are covered with patterned paper from the Kaisercraft "Lush" line with a border and a line of black rhinestones layered vertically along the edge of one side.

I used a map, from the 7 Gypsies Ephemera pack...trimmed with a bit of musical note rub-ons and a key.

My DH asked me if there was a meaning behind the map, key and musical notes on the pages..."No, it's just cool stuff." I guess you have to love playing with paper to "get it".

Ribbon, bows and corrugated chipboard

Are you still there?

Sorry for the long "station break"...DH and I went up to Las Vegas for a few days. Definitely NOT a vacation...it was for business. Came back to work, class and more work.

The first pages of the WILD book are covered with the Kaisercraft LUSH patterned paper. I left one side of the book for photos or journaling...the other side I embellished the heck out of it.

7 Gypsies ephemera, corrugated chipboard, ribbon with a crystal headed pin, a bit of bling and a turquoise flower from Webster's Pages "Bloomers" collection

The circle tabs were both punched out from some of the 7 Gypsies ephemera...and of course everything got inked with the Tim Holtz "Wild Honey" distress ink.

Thanks for waiting for me!