The last CHA post...

...at the Scrappy Chic blog is here. I need a nap, and then I'll get into some more details. ;)

More CHA posts...

...are over at Scrappy Chic's blog.

You can see yesterday's pre-show events here, and today's stuff (first day of the show) here.

This is a lot of fun, and I am tired! More details soon, though :)

links to some pre-CHA fun

Hey folks -

I've been blogging at Scrappy Chic's blog the last couple days, so in the interest of saving time and avoiding redundant picture-posting, you can see yesterday's post here, and today's post here.

We're having a great time and are only slightly under-rested. I'll let you know if that changes. ;)

I'll be back soon -- take care!

a quick note...

...I'm skipping town today!
Seriously, though -- we'll be loading into a minivan and heading for Chicagoland later this morning.
CHA doesn't officially begin until Tuesday, but there are some events in the days beforehand that we need to be at, hence the early departure.
Check this spot for all the fun once it starts -- and if I get really ambitious, I'll post some of the pre-show fun too!

Chicago, here we come! CHA -- watch out!

one line, two ways - part two

Hello again!

Today I have more layouts from my June kit from Scrappy Chic -- and once again, I made two rather different layouts with just one line of paper. This time around, it's KaiserCraft's Check In, which is ostensibly a travel line, though calling these "travel" pages would be a stretch, for sure!

First up, a page about one of my husband's choirs - 

How considerate of them to match my papers so well with their red and black performance outfits. ;) This color scheme pretty much wrote itself, and I used one of my favorite go-to layouts: trim the patterned paper to size, cut it into two pieces, and flip one of them. Done. The embellishments keep it looking fresh -- here I used some of the perforated elements from the line, plus a border punch, some ribbon, and black alphas that almost match the patterned paper.

I also turned to Jenni Bowlin (queen of red and black) and grabbed some gems and butterfly stickers from my J.B. stash, along with a new stamp set from Maya Rd to house a bit more patterned paper. Andrew actually liked this one so much he took it into school to show the kids in the choir -- isn't that sweet?

For my second page, I went in a different direction, color-wise:

This actually looks busier in the photo than it does in real life, I swear -- but here, I scrapped Andrew's childhood love for an antique traffic signal. Yep. The big, awesome historical museum near us recently redid their whole transportation exhibit (and in Detroit, transportation exhibits are kind of a big deal), and Andrew was worried that his traffic light wouldn't be part of the refurbish...but it was. Happy boy. So this time around, I used the road and ticket images from the line to fit the nature of the museum's exhibit rather than a real road trip.

Those tickets come from the line, and I added some more Jenni Bowlin stickers (since they were on my desk), plus some punched circles from one of my favorite Hambly transparencies (RIP :( - I'll miss them).

Well, that's enough words from me for one day, don't you think? You can see these projects and get your hands on the products I used at Scrappy Chic -- as always!

{Ok, one more thing: I'm fortunate enough to be headed off to CHA for a second time! We'll be heading out early for some pre-show events, and then I'll be right in the thick of things once again -- I can't wait! So, I'll likely be posting some quick and photo-heavy posts while I'm there...if there are any lines, projects, or people you'd like to see more or less up-close, be sure to let me know! In the meantime, you can access a great list of all the sneak peeks here -- they're starting to come in pretty heavily this week!}

Have a great Monday!

one line, two ways - part one

Well, hello there! Pardon my brief absence -- we went to Chicago for a few days (nice little mini vacation -- mini album to follow ;) ), and then came back just in time to spend the 4th with family and fireworks. Happy Independence Day (a bit late), and Happy Canada Day, too (a bit later!).

In my June kit from Scrappy Chic, it just so happened that I had papers from We R Memory Keeper's monthly line, Red White and Blue. Needless to say, they were very patriotic papers, with a bit of a military theme. Unfortunately, I was scrapping with them sans any photos that fit either theme! What's a girl to do? 

First, I selected a photo that I wanted to scrap and that fit well with the colors -- one of my parents' dog, Roxy. Then, I searched my stash for a bit of inspiration to both tie the colors of the line together AND pull away a bit from the patriotic-ness. Here's what I found:

Yup, just one sticker (this one's from American Craft's Chap line) -- but it has blues, red, AND a golden yellow -- ta da! Suddenly, instead of a patriotic color scheme, I had a primary color scheme with a twist. Here's the layout in full:

Now it's a festive layout about a cute dog that just happens to include some stars. Nice! I made sure to repeat the yellow enough to make it look intentional -- the inspiration sticker, the title (basic grey and october afternoon alphas), the label sticker up top, and in this embellishment cluster:

I added pins from Maya Road, a paper clip flag from Smash, and more stars in sticker and veneer form (the veneers are Studio Calico, and they're sprayed with yellowish Mister Hueys).  I call it a success!!

But after all, it is a patriotic line, so I made a bit of patriotic decor as well:

I used star tins from Maya Rd along with die-cut stars, circles, and scalloped circles to pull this one together (I used my beloved new Silhouette for the die-cutting, but simple shapes like these are available for any system). 

The tins (which are about 2.5" across, if you'd like a sense of scale) are painted with Ranger Distress Paint first, then the stars are added, then the tins got a layer of crackle medium (mine was Ranger also, but other brands exist). The little alphas are LilyBee (kit leftovers from the other week), and the large alphas are old Thickers.

You can really see the crackle effect here. Twine from Maya Rd. and Divine Twine tie it all together...literally. You can find both projects at Scrappy Chic, as well as on their blog today. You'll find me at the store today as well -- it's Freedom Grab day! Get your shopping on, local folks!

Enjoy your day, and see you soon.

mega meet - scrapped!

Happy Friday, everyone -- I hope you're keeping cool! It seems like the whole hemisphere is toasty. I was out last night at around 11, and it was still 90 degrees. Nuts, I tell you.

But that's not what you're here for -- how about a layout using my June kit from Scrappy Chic?

All kinds of yummy My Mind's Eye goodies here -- papers and stickers from the new Indie Chic line (it was hard to choose which of the four colorways to scrap with -- they're all so pretty!), plus some fun accents. The title is on a wood pennant from an older MME line, stamped with chalk ink (works great on wood). The burlap ribbon and butterflies are both from Maya Rd -- the butterflies are misted with two shades of pink Mister Hueys. {Note to alert viewers: if you notice an irregularity in the top-left butterfly, it's because Simon managed to pry it off the layout and chew on it! Yes, I just stuck it back on. Don't judge. ;) } A row of random bling beneath the photo (of Scrappy Chic's owner, Chris, and her fab mom, Linda, working the booth at Mega Meet in May), and I called it good.

I have more projects from my kit, and I'll be sharing those with you next week. Until then, stay cool!!

kit leftovers, one more layout, and giu winner!

 Happy Monday, everyone! Since I spent all last week using one self-made Counterfeit Kit to make all my Growing in Unity projects, I thought I'd show you what's left. Whenever I make myself kits (Counterfeit or otherwise), I try to start with a color scheme in mind. This time, it started with the crazy bird paper from Basic Grey in the middle of the photo below. While that gave me a range of colors, I stuck primarily with turquoise and yellow, with a few neutrals and such. I only added two sheets of cardstock, but grabbed a few more for backgrounds and cards as needed.

I used cardstock from Bazzill and SU, solid-color paper from Basic Grey Urban Prairie (white, turquoise, yellow), geometric prints from Echo Park Style Essentials (probably the only line still being sold at full price), and patterned paper from Studio Calico Homefront, Basic Grey Lime Rickey, and Melody Ross for GCD.

I didn't follow the original kit list for embellishments precisely, but I did try to limit myself and use fairly old products. Besides what you see below, I also added a few other bits here and there -- ribbon, brads, mist, glitter, etc. Of course, I used a lot of stamps, but you can see more about those in last week's posts.

I used Fabrips, die-cut tags, rub-ons and letter stickers from Studio Calico, stickers, rub-ons, and Thickers from American Crafts, and letter stickers from LilyBee (the newest of all the embellishments).

While I had all my leftovers just sitting there, I felt inspired -- so I grabbed all the small scraps and a couple of the larger ones and threw together a quick layout -- I only trimmed papers if they were longer than my 8.5x11 page, otherwise they just got layered rather willy-nilly along with a few more embellishments. Here's the result:

I've been doing "twelve {photos} on 12{th of the month}" layouts all year -- this is June's. A rather eventful food day, really -- I made both homemade sauerkraut and strawberry jam...picked lavender for drying...and shucked peas to make risotto while I was at it.  How Little House on the Prairie of me (well, maybe not the risotto part, but definitely the pea shucking!). Yum.

A closer shot of the photos (all from instagram -- you can also see my feed over in the sidebar now, by the way) and the journalling if you're inclined to take a gander. Added bonus: my leftover pile is even smaller now! I just might kill the whole thing instead of re-filing it.

Ok, I know some of you are probably here for the big winner. How very patient of you! (Unless you just scrolled to the bottom...but you don't have to tell me that!). Well, without further ado, here's what random.org gave me:

Commenter #37 is Miriam Prantner! Congrats, Miriam -- I'll send your info along to the lovely folks at Unity.

I'll do my best to make my way around all your blogs this week, and I hope you'll return to see what I have for you later this week -- some of my June projects for Scrappy Chic. Until then, enjoy!

giu (x...1?), day five!

Well, hello there! You've made it to the end of my Growing in Unity week, and I've had a lot of fun. I hope you've enjoyed the projects I've shared this week. Today, I have just one project for you, but it's a bit...busier...than some of the others I've shown you. Plus, it features both of our cats, so that should make Linds happy! ;) Don't forget to comment today and on the rest of this week's posts for a chance to win two Unity itty bitties of your very own -- more details on that at the end. Ok, let's go:

Hello, pattern-mixing! I realized I had this sheet of bird-print paper in my Counterfeit Kit (see more in Monday's post), and it's one that I was determined to use, so I made it the background for this page about my cats, who battled each other for the sunniest (and best bird-watching) spot in the house.

I also wanted to try out the DIY Thickers that I've had for awhile -- they're foam Thickers with adhesive on top, allowing you to add whatever you like -- I went with glitter, dunking the bottoms of the letters in one color and the tops in another (gold...like sunshine...right? Sure.) I got the two-tone-dunking idea from a video Shimelle -- or rather, Glitter Girl -- did a bit ago.

And of course, the Unity goodness. I used this summery Simple Stories co-brand set here to finish off my title, and I also used it up in the corner to house my journalling (which you can see in the first photo). I highlighted both images with some stickles, which I also used elsewhere (more sunshine-y goodness).

Well, I guess that's just about it! You have until the end of Sunday (11:59 EST) to leave comments on this week's posts, and sometime Monday I'll use random.org to find our winner. On Monday, I'll also show you my actual Counterfeit Kit...or what's left of it, anyway! So if you've been curious about the products you've been seeing, Monday's your day.

Enjoy your weekend, and go shop for some Unity! They have great sales going on...hint, hint!

giu (x2), day four

Hello once again, and welcome to day 4 of my Growing in Unity week! Be sure to comment all week for a chance to win two of Unity's itty bitty stamps. As it turns out, I used an itty bitty on today's layout -- check it out:

There's a kind of funny story here -- these photos are from early February, when our friend had just started showing...and on the day I scrapped these photos, she had her baby -- how weirdly random is that? (It's a boy, by the way). Anyhow, I was going for  a playful feel here (using the same Counterfeit kit I've been using all week), so I layered up some silly Basic Grey paper with tape, stickers, and of course, stamps!

The stamping is pretty simple this time -- the "good luck" is from an itty bitty from the Echo Park co-brand, while the rainbow (echoing our friend's shirt) is from this Bella Blvd. co-brand set, with a bit of playful (or messy, depending on how you look at it) watercoloring.

Next up, a card with just a little stamping on it:

That fab camera is this Amy Tangerine Silhouette file, with some bits and pieces from my kit, including the same resist cardstock you've seen in other projects.

I did some selective inking to get my sentiment (from this KOM) in just the right place. This is the kind of birthday card I'd like to get...especially if it came with some fun new camera equipment! ;)

All righty then, four down -- one more to go! I hope to see you back here tomorrow, so until then -- enjoy!

giu (x2), day three

Welcome to day three of my Growing in Unity week -- if this is your first visit, be sure to go back to Monday's and Tuesday's posts as well -- remember, commenting all week can help you win a little Unity goodness of your own. :)

Once again, I have two projects for you made with my Counterfeit Kit (read a bit about that in Monday's post). First up, a layout about my awesome dad: 

He hates it when I take pictures of him while he's working, but I just love capturing a bit of his concentration. I used this set for a bit of subtle background stamping, and this itty bitty from Simple Stories for the month up in the corner.

This KOM went to work to make my little label (stamped on a FabRip and almost-successfully punched out). That little man was actually trimmed from a "packed-by" card that came in a Studio Calico order - I thought he was cute!

My journalling fit perfectly on the journalling spot stamp in this KOM. 

Next up, I have a card...but there are a couple of very special things about this particular card. Take a look:

Sure, I used a cute stamp from this KOM for the bees and a retired KOM for the sentiment, but if you look more closely at the lower half you'll see one of the special things -- I just got my very own Silhouette Cameo! This is the first project I've posted here using it...and I think I'm in love :). The honeycomb cut beautifully. Yum. You'll be seeing more projects using it soon.

But the way more special thing about this card is who it is for -- my sweet friend Lindsey over at Bashful Blogging! Happy Birthday, Linds...and sorry your card is gonna be a little late ;). I hope your day is great!

I hope the rest of you enjoy your day as well, and I hope to see you back here tomorrow for a bit more Unity fun!

giu (x2), day two

Welcome back to the blog! For today's Growing in Unity post, I have a goofy layout and a simple card for you. First up, a layout about my goofy boy -- give him a prop and he'll pose! Take a look:

You can read about the "kit" I used to make most of my projects this week in yesterday's post. Today, I used several stamps from this KOM on my layout -- I love the wide (almost random) variety in each kit -- so many options! By the way, I just noticed that this particular set is on sale at the moment -- for super-cheap!

I wanted to add more color to the upper corner of my layout, so I paper-pieced the banners using some scraps, while the glasses are just stamped right on my background. I know lots of scrappers fear stamping right on their layouts, but if you can stamp on a card, you can stamp anywhere -- plus, if you smudge or smear, well, that's what layering is for, right?

I also pieced the little camera for an additional colorful embellishment in the opposite corner. Simple! While I had that particular stamp set out, I made a relatively quick one-layer card:

The diamond background was pretty easy to use as a background (with the help of a stamp positioner). I added clouds from this Bella Blvd. co-brand set to house my sentiment (which, yes, is smudged a little...maybe I'll layer another cloud over it -- problem solved!).

Cute little chicks, ready to celebrate. Hope you've enjoyed today's projects, and be sure to comment today and all week for your chance to win some Unity goodness of your own. Have a great day -- see you tomorrow!

giu (x2), day one

Happy Monday! If you're here for the first time, welcome -- it's my Growing in Unity week. All week long, I'll be posting projects featuring Unity's fun and funky designs.

I decided to give my week a little twist -- everything you'll see here was made from the kit I put together for this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge. You can read the suggested guidelines for this month's kit here -- it's a DIY affair inspired by one of my favorite scrappers, Shimelle Laine. I used less paper than the guidelines ask for...but more (way more) stamps, of course! I used my kit to make two projects for you today.

So, let's get on with it. How about a layout featuring my two favorite boys?

I started with some orange mist and cardstock, including some cool resist cardstock from Stampin' Up that's been in my stash for ages. The rub-ons at the bottom are equally old :) But of course, you're here for the stamps:

I love how scrap-friendly the Simple Stories co-brand stamps are! Here I used one from the year-o-graphy line layered with some ribbon and bling.

I also stamped the Life Bingo stamp on the same cardstock as the photo mat, because I thought the resist would look nifty.

Since I had some of that resist cardstock left over, I used it to make a summery card:

More Simple Stories stamps here -- this time, I used Sweet Summer Memories for the sun and sentiment. The "water" is just masked and misted with three shades of blue, and the "sand" at the bottom is some corrugated paper packaging I saved from the recycle bin :).

The whole card is also misted with Mister Huey's Shine for a subtle shimmer...which is so subtle you can barely see it here!

Ok, I think that's enough for one day -- but don't worry, I'll be back with more tomorrow! Remember to leave comments all week long for a chance to win two itty bitty stamps of your very own!

Enjoy your day :)

dad's day and fwf

Howdy and happy Friday!
Today's the hubster's last day of school (finally) so summer really feels like it's about to begin.

Plus, this Sunday is Father's Day...though my dad is out of town and my FIL will be recovering from a serious case of jet lag, so it's doubtful that we'll actually celebrate on the day itself. The cards, however, will be more or less on time -- and here's one of them:

 no, that is absolutely NOT a pizza box behind my card.... ;)

I love a good pun, don't you? The plaid background is actually hand-stamped using a Papertrey Ink set (love those colors - grey, gold, rust, ocean blue), die-cut and popped up on the card base, but that focal point is all Unity, baby.

I combined the chair and "you rock" sentiment from this set, and the "dad" from this set to make a cute little 4-bar dad card (would be good for a bday too, don't you think?).

Since it's Friends with Flair Friday, you know there are some great deals to be had over on the Unity site, so check 'em out!

In other Unity news, I'll be your Growing in Unity gal all next week, so if you like what you see, be sure to check back M-F next week for cards and layouts using Unity stamps...plus, you could win some free stamps for yourself! Yay!

neon - who knew?

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a fan of trends -- in fashion as in paper, I love seeing what's new and watching it spread like wildfire! When it comes to fashion, there's one rule I tend to follow, though: If I'm old enough to have participated in a trend the last time it was "in," I probably shouldn't be following it now.

Well, rules are made for breaking, right? I hope so, because I'm a little bit in love with...neon. Or, as I called it in the 80s, fluorescent (man, neon is easier to spell!). I have some neon pink nail polish, a neon tank top, and I'm considering a neon purse, even. Craziness. And, of course, neon has invaded my paper world as well. I was pretty excited to see that Heidi Swapp was not only returning to the scrapbook design world, but that one of her new lines is...neon! So, let's take a look, shall we?

I wanted to downplay the 80s-ness of neon here, so I paired it with kraft, which makes the washi tapes, alphas, and gel pens pop without being too painful on the eyes ;). I made the flower by hand, using a Gluber and some vintage pattern tissue -- I kind of made it up as I went along. The brown alphas started off all white -- they're meant to be misted/inked/whatevered.

In case you couldn't tell, I went in the opposite direction here -- hello, 80s! The grey cardstock is shimmery, the tape is graphic, the sentiment -- well, could it be more appropriate? Plus, this card was super-duper quick -- and made from scraps (bonus!). I made both of these projects for Mega Meet last month, and now you can see them at Scrappy Chic. If you'd like to see Heidi Swapp's products, they're here (but remember, neon doesn't always look good on-screen).

So, what's the verdict from your point of view -- is neon a welcome return...or are you thinking "gag me with a spoon"?

Have a rad day!