Cherish **Xyron & Anna Griffin & Paper House & Tattered Angels**

We went on a day trip to a dinosaur park about 45 minutes from our house a couple of weeks ago.  There was a little hike where you saw the life sized dinos, then a playground, and a fossil dig.  Really cute place.  Catherine actually let me put her hair up in a ponytail (about once a month she lets me do something with her hair) and it looked so cute.  She was digging in the fossil pit, sand was flying everywhere, and I just wanted her to look up while digging to get a cute shot; she was going to have none of that (typical 3 year old).  In my multitude of shots she stood straight up look right at me and click, this beautiful shot emerged.  I love the intensity in her eyes, it is just amazing!!

Here is a detailed video about how I created this layout with some fun tips and tricks!!

Xyron partnered up with Anna Griffin this month and her brand new Pretty Paintings Card Kit coming out on HSN on Sept 8th!!  

Anna's kit is just full of these beautiful colors of green, purples, and pinks; just perfect for a little girl.  I wanted to show the diversity of the kit, that it does not have to be just for cards, but for any paper craft you wish!!  And what can pair better with paper than Xyron and their amazing adhesives!!

The original picture I took Catherine had on a blue shirt and the focus was on the plants behind her and not her, so with some Photoshop magic, I transformed the picture to fit with the colors of the kit!!

I added in some amazing Paper House stickers and some Tattered angels paints and mists to help finish on this page.  Here are some close up shots of the layout.

I always think that it is fun to think outside of the box with my supplies and tools.  Change a pictures colors to make it look better, use a kit in a different way, use something other than ink to stamp with, or make you own stamp from a metal die!

Supplies Used

Papers - Create Paper & Paper House

Card Kit (Paper Inserts, die cut papers, flower stickers)  - Anna Griffin

Stickers - Paper House

Magic Foam - Clearsnap

Stamp - Hero Arts

Metal Die - Craftwell

Ink - Prima

Paint/Mists - Tattered Angels

Chipboard - Want2Scrap

Enamel Dots -  Want2Scrap

Pen - Tombow

Heating Tool - Marvy

Adhesive - Xyron

Enjoy!!

Fall Gift Bag **Die~Namites Dies & ScrapPlezier**

I love to decorate gift bags, it adds such a special touch to the gift you are giving someone.  I created an autumn inspired gift bag to have on hand for that special someone come the fall. 

I used the amazingly beautiful Fall Breeze die from Die~Namites dies, it added that perfect swirly fall goodness!!

 

This month you will have the opportunity to choose one of these four Die~Namites sketches to create your project. You can make a card or  layout. And guess what? The Dare is Anything Goes!!!  I chose to make a gift bag using sketch 4, altered a bit my way.

Here are the rules to play along!

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TO ENTER the Die~Namites Dies May Sketch Challenge YOU MUST:

1.Use at least one Die~Namites Die in your creation. 

2.Use one of these SKETCHES! It can be interpreted (loosely or exactly) as a card, layout, or altered piece! 

3. Incorporate the DARE into your creation. 

4. Mention the Die~Namites Die you used in your blog post. 

5. Link back to the Die~Namites Die. 

6. You have until August 30 to post your creation on your blog and link up to this post.  **PLEASE add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog.**

Each participant will receive one entry into our random drawing

for each entry into the challenge.

 A random winner will be chosen from eligible participants for a

$25 Gift Certificate to Die~Namites Dies.

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 Here are some up close shots of the bag in the beautiful autumn colors!!

 

You can find most of the supplies used on this bag from ScrapPlezier, your one stop shop for all your crafty goodies!!! Plus they host challenges every month, so check them out!

Supplies UsedPapers - Kaisercraft - ScrapPlezier
Flowers - Prima - ScrapPlezier
MDF - Kaisercraft  - ScrapPlezier
Ribbon/Twine - May Arts- ScrapPlezier
Pearls - Kaisercraft- ScrapPlezierMists - Tattered Angels - ScrapPlezierDie - Die~Namites
Ink - PrimaMachine - Cuttlebug
Adhesive - XyronBag

Princess Wands and Prince Scepters **Video** Paper House & Xyron & Craftwell

My daughter is completely infatuated with princesses, and it does not matter which one, just princesses in general.  So for her 3rd Birthday we are doing a Princess and Prince themed party.  I wanted the party favors to be something the kids would play with at the party and also think was fun, and then I thought wands!!  I have papers and ribbons up to my ears and I do not have to spend a thing to make these fun little wands for my daughter's party!!  Well, after making one for her my boys wanted one for themselves, but in their words "Not Pink!!"  So I let them pick out their own papers and created scepters for them.

Here is a video about how I created these fun wands and scepters.

I let my kids pick the papers they wanted for their wands.  My daughter picked 2 papers from the Paper House Garden Paper Pad in pink and Purple and my boys found Paper House Military papers they they loved.

I wanted the wands to hold up for some time, so I used the Xyron Creative Station Double Sided Laminated Refill in the 9" and 5" size to make these extra sturdy.

For an extra pop I used each of the 4 Craftwell Embossing folders for the top portion on each of the wands and scepters.

Come join this amazing partnership of Craftwell and Xyron this week until August 21st!
 

  Here are some up close shots of each of the wands and scepters.

You can't ask for a bigger smile that this for creating such a fun little thing. 

PS - They wands have been made for over a week and they still play with them!!

Supplies Used
Papers - Paper House
Embossing Folders - Craftwell
Laminating Machine - Xyron
Ribbons - May Arts
Eyelets - We R Memory Keepers
Punches - Marvy & EK
Number Stickers - American Crafts
Embossing Machine - Cuttlebug
Stapler
Buttons
Wet Adhesive - Beacon

Enjoy!!

Grow up Sweet **Paper House & Die~Namites Dies & Off the Rails & Xyron**

In the spring of 2015 we tried our hand at planting some snap peas, and they grew wonderfully.  When the Grandparents came to visit Catherine was so proud of her garden she had to show it off.  Grandma had her phone in hand taking pictures of all our plants when Catherine stuck her head through the peas and we got these super cute pictures of her.

I used the Off the Rails August Mood Board and Sketch as seen below as the starting point for my layout.  The blue colors just did not quite fit into feel of the layout, so I left the out.  That is the beauty of using a mood board or a sketch, they are just launching points to get your creative juices flowing!!  So hop on over for the August challenge and play along at Off the Rails.

 

I used the wonderful Paper House papers, stickers, cork, and accents to create this project.  They were just the perfect match for colors and theme to go with the pictures of Catherine in the garden, plus no matter what set of papers you work with they all color match so wonderfully!!

Garden Paper Pad

Emerald Woodwork 12" Paper

Enjoy Puffy Sticker

Emerald Accent Pack

Butterflies Cardstock Stickers

Butterflies 3D Stickers

Oxeye Daisy 3D Stickers

To add that touch of elegance and whimsey I used two Die~Namites Dies in "Elegant Holly" and "Butterfly Frame" behind the photos cut from white cardstock.

I cut each die in half and tucked it behind the pictures to frame the photos from underneath, giving it a sort of base for the other elements to build from.

Once the dies were cut I ran the dies and other small Paper House Emerald Accents through my Xyron 3" Sticker Maker to turn all these items into stickers!!

I added some extra elements of glitter, paint, and mists from Tattered Angels to give everything a bit of a pop.

I love catching my kids on these moments, for it really represents their true nature and not just a posed smile.  To me this is one of the best things about having your camera with you at all times; you can catch these amazing quick moments at any time!

Supplies Used

Cardstock - Canvas Home Basics

Patterned Papers - Paper House

Stickers - Paper House

Cork - Paper House

Accents - Paper House

Dies - Die~Namites Dies

Paint/Mist/Glitter - Tattered Angels

Ink - Prima

Gems - Prima

Alpha Sticker - Momenta

Cheese Cloth

Ribbon/Trim - May Arts Ribbon

Sewing Machine - Singer

Trimmer/Scissors - Fiskars

Adhesive - Xyron

 Enjoy!!