Be True

I created the following layout for the scrapbook.com DIY (Do-it yourself) monthly challenge.  I included all three twists that Wendy included for the challenge, plus the optional twist of my very own tutorial.  OK...I went a bit overboard (like that's surprising) and I actually created 3 new flowers and 3 new tutorials that are all included in this LO.  As most of you know, I love making flowers, so I'm thinking of changing my name to flower junkie!  LOL 

I took my daughter, Shelby, and my son, Elias outside to take some pictures last weekend!  It was so cute how 3 yr old Elias wanted to pose just like his big sister!  I got some great shots of both of them!

The paper is Bo Bunny Petal Pushers.  I think Bo Bunny is very quickly becoming my favorite paper company!  I love their designs and their versatility!

The first tutorial in the DIY challenge was the masking tape tutorial by Lisa Valentine.  I did mine using blue paper and tumbled glass distress ink.  I didn't care for it nearly as much as the way Lisa did hers in the tutorial, but I wanted to try something different.  The 2nd tutorial twist was the Dried Satin Rose by Kenlin.  I used organza ribbon, so I wasn't able to make my rose very big, but it worked just the same.  The third tutorial twist was the Water Distressed Bloom by Gabrielle .  This flower is on the bottom left corner to the right of the large twisted flower.

Now, for my three flowers.  The first is the Twisted Tattered Floral.  It is the flower in the bottom left corner of the picture.  The 2nd is the Daisy Crinkle which is on both the bottom right and top left corners.  The third flower is the Retro Rose, which is on the top right corner. 

I made the pink and white bling myself and attached it with Aleene's Tack it over and over glue.  The white flourishes were cut on my BigKick and then stickled with frosted lace.  The title letters I believe are by making memories, I picked them up on clearance at Hobby Lobby a while back.  I named this "Be True" because Shelby is always true to herself, true to her convictions and her feelings!  She doesn't do what others want her to do just because they want her to do it, she is her own unique person and she is a lovely person!

Prima Exotic Gardenia

I am sooo sorry for promising a tutorial and taking so long to get it uploaded!  In my defense, I have been trying for the past week to get this video uploaded.  I had 3 unsuccessful attempts on blogger and 2 on youtube (I was starting to feel they had a vendetta against me! LOL).  Finally, today, I was able to upload my video while I was at work!

I have another I need to get pics or video of then upload it.  I hope this video turns out good, I took it with my camera rather than my video camera. I hope my voice doesn't sound too bad either...I hate the sound of it on camera.  You will hear my little boy towards the end...sorry about that...but well...that's what happens when you have a 2 yr old at home.  Any constructive criticism you'd like to offer for my next video, please do so!

So here is the link for the youtube video. Exotic Gardenia

Here are the typed out instructions also.
This flower mimics the Prima Exotic Gardenia.
Flowers are 6 petal, one in each of the following sizes 2 1/2", 2 1/4", 2", 1 3/4", 1 1/2"

1.  Ink all the edges of the flowers.  Snip between the petals towards the center on all the flowers, except the 1 1/2".  On that one, you will cut a circle out of the center.

2. 2 1/2" - Bend the petals up creating a base for the flower and some dimension, then roll the edges back on each petal.  I like to roll one side, then roll the other, grabbing part of the first rolled side to create more character to the flower.  You should be able to see this in the video.

3.  2 1/4" - Bend the petals up, then cut or fold each petal inward.  Then roll the sides back.  This creates a wave within the petal.

4.  2" - Take tweezers, grab hold of the left hand side of the petal and twist it around to create a fold in the petal.  Then, roll the right edge of the petal backwards.

5.  1 3/4" - Roll the petals forward on each petal.  I roll each petal differently, b/c like Prima, its never uniform!  So, roll one petal forward, roll another petal from the right, the next petal from the left, then repeat for the last 3 petals.

6. 1 1/2" - Spritz the first three petals with water very lightly.  Use a small paintbrush or something round and using a mousepad, crinkle those three petals into a cupped shape, then heat and dry allowing them to draw up more.  Then roll it into a bud having the 3 cupped petals in the center and the 3 straight petals around the outside.  Glue the end of the layer to the bud and let dry.  Once dry, you will roll the 3 straight petals on the outside backwards.

7.  Layer and glue with the largest flower on bottom, of course.  Alternate the petals as you go.

8. You can spritz with glimmer mist or just leave as they are.

As always, you can find flowers like this already made and for sale in my Etsy shop!  Thanks for looking!

Poor Baby

I just finished this LO today and wanted to share.   love the finished look of it!  The flowers are my design, copied from Prima of course.  I already have a tutorial for the Trellis Rose (the one in the middle).  I will be putting a tutorial up on my blog for the Tea Rose, hopefully tomorrow. 

This is my niece at 2 1/2 when she had to have her tonsils removed.  It was so hard on us because she was crying as they took her to surgery and we were all crying b/c we couldn't go with her!  She doesn't hold a grudge though...lol! 

The paper is from Basic Grey's Kioshi line...need to buy more of that...love the colors!  The purple bling circle is also Basic Grey.  The journaling block and calendar I received in a prize package from Scrapbook.com, they are Teresa Collins journal-it girl. 

Trellis Rose Tutorial

Good morning peoples and welcome to my very first tutorial for making your own Prima Trellis Roses.  I'll definitely have to improve the way I do this, its not very easy hanging a camera from the ceiling and holding a stick in your mouth to hit the picture taking button while you make flowers with your hands!  OK...I didn't really do that, but still, its not easy holding the camera in your left hand while trying to do a tutorial and take pics!  A friend suggested a mini tripod, found really cheap at Walmart...even cheaper is the one I've got sitting here at my house that I didn't even think to take with me.  I did these tutorials at work, so I'm very sorry for the terrible pictures...but that's flourescent lighting for you! 

OK...enough blabbing...on to the tutorial.  The supplies you will need are: 5 or 6 petal flowers in two 1" flowers, one 1 1/4" flower, one 1 1/2" flower, and two 1 3/4" flowers.  Mini mister of water, old squishy mousepad, small rod or skewer or paintbrush, ink or paint, scissors, and glue.

1.  Ink the back of the 4 smallest petals, if you are not using double sided patterned paper.  Any ink will do, it doesn't have to be a specific brand or kind, but when you spritz with water, you may get ink on you.

2. Take the 2 largest flowers (1 3/4"), spritz with water til they are slightly damp.  Flip them over on your mousepad.  Using your small rod, paintbrush, skewer (I use the end of a small crochet hook), press it down into the edges of the backs of your petals to crinkle them.  You want each petal to form a bowl shape.  This idea was not an original of mine.  I saw a you tube video with a different flower where she used the mousepad and the end of a sharpie to crinkle her flowers. Here is the tutorial, if you need to see it done.  Only crinkle the petals though, don't go into the flower to creat a bowl as shown on the video.

Once you have crinkled all the petals, flip the flower back over and bend the petals up.  I use my thumb nail to create a crease, so that it'll stay up.

3.  On the next flower down (1 1/2"), you'llo want to curl the edges of each side of the petals inward, then bend the petals up.  I use a very small knitting needle for this, so that I don't have a big curl.

4.  On the next flower (1 1/4"), You'll spritz with water, then using the mousepad, crinkle the front side of the petals, forming each petal into a bowl.  Go slightly into the center of the flower to draw the petals up just a tad.  Again, I use the end of a crochet hook for this, but you can use anything that is tiny, but don't use something pointed, or you'll just rip the petals.

5.  On one of the 1" flowers, cut between each petal, kind of close to the center of the flower, but not too much or the petals will tear off.  Then spritz it with water and using your mouse pad, crinkle the petals going into the center of the flower to draw it up closer into a bowl shape.

6.  On the last 1" circle, you will cut out the middle of the flower, but be careful to leave enough paper for the flower to stay together.  Then spritz it with water, and using the mousepad, crinkle each petal inward creating a bowl shape.    Dry it with your heat gun when finished (if you dry all the flower layers, it'll help to draw them up and make them crinkly and shaped better).  Once it is dry, Take a pair of tweezers, grab one end of the flower where it is cut, and start twisting it around itself to create a bud.  Once you have it wrapped around itself, glue the last petal to the bud, then take your tweezers out and hold it together until the glue dries. This is a trick I also learned in a you tube flower tutorial, and if you need to see it done, you can go here.

So...once you are finished working with each layer, this is what they should look like.

Now, assemble your flower, glueing each layer, and alternating the petals as you glue.  Once it is assembled, you can leave it as it is, or spritz it with some pretty glimmer mist to give it a little bit of shimmer.  Here are some of my finished flowers.

The one on the farthest right (the blue one) is the original Prima flower, the other 3 are what the tutorial is for.  I think they look pretty similar!

So...there you have it...my very first tutorial!  Please let me know if I need to make anything more clear or do anything differently.  I have 2 more tutorials I will be adding soon, and hopefully, more to follow.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend and 4th of July!

Handmade Flowers

So, last week, I went on vacation and cut bunches and bunches of flower layers to take with me to assemble flowers.  Well, then I saw a Michaels (don't have one near me) and I stopped and bought a bunch of pretty paint colors.  So, instead of assembling flowers in my free time on vacation, I ended up painting the flower layers.  I've been trying some new tutorials on making flowers - no, none of them are my own creation - and I wanted to share with you what I've come up with so far.  I found several videos on you tube that I will share also.   The far right flower on the top I don't have an individual picture of, but this is the flower that got me hooked on making all the other flowers.  The tutorial is by Laura at Follow the Paper Trail.

Below, the farthest left flower is called a Belle Arte Auarius and the link will take you to the you tube video.  The other 2 flowers are the paper roses that you can find tutorials for all over, but all three of these flowers have diamond dust on them.

In the next picture, are some paper roses and a Camelot Rose (top middle).  All of these I just sprinkled regular glitter on.

In the next picture is a paper rose that I brushed pearl ex pigment powder on.  Gives it a pretty shimmer.

In the next picture, I painted the completed flower with a pearl effect glaze.  The top flower was kind of following a youtube tutorial you can find here.   It's nothing like the tutorial really, but that is what gave me the idea.  The bottom is just my own creation, putting a paper rose on top of a couple of flower layers.  I love the pearl paint though, think it gives it a pretty look.

In the last picture, these are my expirements using a Melt Art melting pot, UTEE pearl, and some Pearl Ex powder.  I love the idea of using this stuff, but I definitely don't have the "trick" learned yet.  These are both just paper roses that when finished I dipped into the melted UTEE.  I did realize that you should dip before the flower is finished, but even individual layers came out too thick, so will have to watch some videos to learn more.

So, there you have it, all my latest flower creations, and I will be making more and more!  These are so much fun!  I am going to be selling some at my Etsy store eventually.

Is it really a small store?

Sooo...I just recently reorganized my scrap space to incorporate the new storage finds that I got from the Movie Gallery closing.  I got a black coated metal rolling rack with lots of different shelves and hooks and baskets that you can interchange and rearrange to fit your needs for $50 and a large 4 tier revolving rack for $10.  I didn't think I would get to use either of these until we were able to start our remodeling project and I moved my office to a different room in the house...but...don't ever tell a determined scrapper they don't have the room to do something...because I made the room!

I posted all these pics over at SB.com, and I have been informed by more than one that I have a small store...and seriously, I just don't think I have very much!  Of course, when I look at other's supplies, I only look at those that have more...I have to justify my buying you know! 

This is the view of the left side of my room when you walk in the door.  I have my sewing & sizzix desk.  Hubby hung a shelf above so I could put my Advantus paper storage up there.  This holds both my PP and CS.  On the desk is my computer of course, a black laser printer and an Epson photo printer and my Silhouette.  On the top of my desk are my in-progress albums.  I currently have 9.  The rest of the stuff on my desk is just for bookkeeping.

This is the right side of my room when viewed from the doorway.  The black rolling rack against the back wall is what I got at the Movie Gallery closing for $50.  I can roll it against the wall when I'm not scrapping to keep the room looking nice and just pull it out when I need to.  Its came with several shelves, baskets, and hooks.  Then you have my 12 X 12 storage drawers mostly bought from Walmart.  My desk and my spinning rack I also got from the Movie Gallery for $10.

This is just a closer view of my scrap space.  My desk I got from my kid's old school.  It was a computer desk and they had gotten new ones, so at the fundraising yard sale they tried to sell them.  When the sale was almost over, the principal said everything would be half price, I asked her if the tables were also.  She asked me what I wanted to give and I said $10 (originally $25) and she agreed.  I snatched up two before the other workers grabbed the other 8.  I had no idea at the time what I would use them for, but one has turned out to be the perfect scrap desk! 

Here's a close up of my rolling cart.  I have all my glimmer mist lined up across the top shelf for easy access.  Then I have all my border punches on one shelf, all my shape punches on the next.  All my glue dots and liquid glue in a basket, my Pebbles chalk sets, Big Bite, and M.S. circle cutter in another basket.  I have my Memento & Colorbox ink & applicators in a basket.  My scrap pieces of paper is in the bottom basket seperated by color in ziploc bags.  The colored plastic boxes have chipboard or paper diecuts in them seperated by theme.

This is one end of the cart.  I couldn't put anything on the other end b/c then it wouldn't fit into the space against the wall.  I have my new sizzix dies hanging, but not sure if they will stay this way...I haven't used them yet.  The white and black binders are my clear stamps, and the pink binder is my sketches and other notes.  The other basket is just 6 X 6 paper pads and mat pads.

This is the backside of my cart.  It has about 8 shelves on it that need to be filled up.  Across the top is my paints, mostly just the cheap ones from Walmart.  I also have my Distress crackle paint up here, which I still am not sure whether I want to keep or not.

These are my 12 X 12 drawers that hold a variety of things.  There are several drawers for flowers seperated by color along with the brads and eyelets of that same color.  I have a couple of drawers for Christmas paper.  A few drawers are embellishments seperated by theme - baby/boy/girl/birthday.  The shoebox on top is my ribbon I haven't yet organized.  Going to put it in jars by color and put it on the back of my rolling cart.

The left side of my desk.  I took a 39 drawer unit and spray painted it, then lined the front of the drawers with BG CS.  I seperated all my chipboard letters and put them in here.  My stickles hang by velco on a piece of plexiglass.  I don't keep them upside down anymore b/c I found that the stickles were drying in the tip and it was hard to get it unclogged.  The ink pad shelf my wonderful dad made for me.  I labeled all my ink pads and then organized them by brand.  I am 3 short of the entire collection of Distress ink pads.  I love the sign on top, it says "Creation is God's artwork....Love is His signature!  I will hang this as soon as hubby gets me some nails.

Right side of my desk.  The pen/pencil holder is a spinning spice rack I got at Walmart for just a couple of dollars.  I took clear plastic cups, cut off the tops (to fit more) and hot glued the bottoms of the cups to the top shelf.  I then seperated my pens, pencils, and paintbrushes into the cups.  On the bottom are my buttons (not many) in little clear holders.  The pegboard is a little empty right now, will probably be buying some more of these shelves to put on here. 

And last but not least is my $10 steal!  It has 4 tiers, each tier having 6 hooks, 3 on each side, and each tier spins independently of the others.  I have packaged embellies seperated by theme - boy/girl/birthday/baby.  I also have all my Prima flowers in their own little section. 

So - there you have it!  My humble scrap space as I like to think of it or my small store as others have accused me!  I will be happy when I'm in a room that I don't have to share with a staircase...but at least I get to have a space of my own and I get to have all these wonderful goodies!  Thanks for looking!

What's the Point?

So...I've been bugging my friends over at sb.com for a while now, wondering why am I wasting my time and money on this hobby when there doesn't seem to be a single person who gives a darn???  They all have come back with some really wonderful responses...but that negativity bug would just not get out of my rear!  HAHA

On NSBD, over at sb.com, the all day challenge was to create a LO about why we scrapbook.  OK...hello...didn't I just say I don't know WHY I do it...and now I have to tell someone why????  Oh...but the minute I read the challenge rules...the idea popped into my head and I just knew what the finished product would be before I even printed my first pic!  The hardest part of this LO was seriously...picking out which pack of PP to use and figuring out how to get more than one piece on this LO.  I love PP...seems like it should be an 11th commandment...thou shalt not use just one piece of PP on a LO.  LOL 

Here it is.

Journaling:


I've sometimes wondered why I even bother to scrapbook. It doesn't ever seem like anyone cares. No one looks at my books unless I push it on them, and no one asks me how I'm doing with it. But once I really started to think about it, I was able to come up with several reasons, and I'm sure if I thought a little more, I'd be able to think of several others.

For Others - I've created several layouts to give as gifts for Christmas and other occasions. The latest one that I did as a gift earned me 3 commissions to create layouts for others.

For Memories - Without the pictures and without the journaling, some memories would be lost forever. I know when my children are grown and I'm all alone, I will look through these albums and laugh and cry over all the memories I've been able to capture.

For Myself - I love this hobby. I love the creativeness I exhibit in each layout that I make. I also have used this hobby as therapy to explain my feelings and thoughts.

For my Children - Right now, they don't show much interest, but I truly hope that someday when they are older, they will appreciate the love and work that I put into each page of them.

For shopping - I love to shop, and what better reason is there than a hobby that requires you to constantly be replenishing your supply. It is almost a challenge in itself for me to search and search for the best deals that I can find on the products that I wish to buy.
 
The LO certainly lacks my usual clusters and oodles and gobs of embellies...but come on...with that much journaling...where was I going to put that stuff!!!  I was very blessed by the wonderful comments that I received from my fellow sb.com neighbors...they sure know how to make a gal feel good!!!