{capture the moment}

Simply Irresistable Challenge!

This month I challenged the Papertrey Senior Design Team to have fun with their favorite resist technique.  I decided to play along too and have chosen to work with crayon resist using a color wash!  I like to do things like this a whole sheet at a time while I have all my supplies out so I can make more than one project with the results.

Step One: Stamp floral image (or any other image of your choice) randomly all over white cardstock.  (I highly recommend our Stamper's Select White for this technique to reduce warping & buckling that water applications can sometimes cause.)  You want to make sure that you do this with a waterproof ink, like Palette Hybrid inks or StazOn.

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Step Two: Scribble over each floral image with a white crayon.  I found that you can also have great success by using the small white birthday cake candles available at the grocery store.  I did floral style scribbling by starting in the center of each stamped flower and making several outward loops, trying to make them smaller or larger than the original stamped flower to assure a good contrast.

Step Three: Make your own color wash.  I like to use old jar lids for mixing recipes like this.  Simply add a small dollop of regular acrylic paint to the lid and add water, stirring until you have your desired consistency.  You may want to play with different consistencies on scrap paper.  The more water you add, the lighter and more transparent your wash will be.  Once you have it the way you like it, simply swipe the wash onto your stamped cardstock with a paint brush, using long fluent strokes.  I like to start in one corner and make my way diagonally across the paper.  The graduation in hues that you can get is really beautiful.

As you can see here, the areas where I scribbled with the white crayon have resisted the color wash, creating a really interesting effect that adds a lot of depth to the pattern.

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One additional step that I did to my color wash paper, is after allowing drying time I went back in and over stamped with Polka Dot Basics & white pigment ink.

Here is my completed card.  I was able to get four cards from the sheet of patterned paper I created.  This was a really fun technique, bringing me back to some of the basic supplies that I was familiar with in elementary school!  I encourage you to give it a shot yourself if you've never tried it!

Be sure to stop by and see what ALL the other gals have created!  Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, there is something for everyone to learn from these talented women!

Lisa Johnson
Heather Nichols
Debbie Olson
Amy Rysavy
Taylor VanBruggen

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STAMPS: (flower) Garden of Life, (sentiment) Mixed Messages, Polka Dot Basics
INK: Lavender Moon Palette, White Craft SU!
PAPER: Lavender Moon & Stamper's Select White
OTHER: Lavender Moon Twill Tape, Lavender Got Deux Flowers, brads from Lasting Impressions, Multi Tag Scallop Punch from McGill, white crayon from Crayola, corner rounder punch from Fiskars

May Blog Hop Challenge!

This month we have put together a really unique challenge for you!

"I have recently fallen in love with adding score lines as accents to my projects.  What I love about this method of embellishing is that it is quick, easy & matches everything!  Your challenge this month is to utilize score lines in a creative way as a decorative accent to any type of project."

I thought about this challenge a lot as I was concepting my project and then inspiration struck as I prepared some last minute cards for the teachers in my children's lives.  Why not make a dashed scored line as an accent?  (be sure to click for a larger image!) I think the end result was better than I expected.  With the solid & dashed line combination reminiscent of introductory penmanship paper used in first grade, I really think it follows through with the teacher theme I was looking for!

A few small things I wanted to point out...

• It is easiest to score your lines first, and leave an opening.  Then stamp your image in the opening as a second step.  It is much easier than trying to do it vice versa.
• Score the top and bottom solid lines 1/2-inch apart, then add the dashed line in between the two.
• Practice on scrap cardstock first, finding a good length dash that will be easy for you to repeat the length of the card. 
• The Scor-Pal is the easiest & best tool to use when achieving this *dashed* look.
• The small seed beads were adhered to the center of the flowers using a Quickie Glue Pen.
• I created the scallops on the bottom of my card with the corner rounder punch from SU!
• Finished card size is 3.5 x 6.5 inches.

Be sure to visit the other participants blogs by viewing the list available HERE on the Papertrey Blog Hop forum at 8pm EST tonight!  Happy hopping!!!

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STAMPS: (grass & flowers) Honey Bees, (teacher) Limitless Labels
INK: Burnt Umber & Landscape Palette Ink, White Craft Ink SU!
PAPER: Kraft Basics from Papertrey Ink
OTHER: Scor-Pal, yellow seed beads, quickie glue pen, corner rounder punch from SU! (for scallops)

Fireflies & Fireworks

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend!  David worked Saturday & Sunday and is off Monday through Wednesday this week, so we are *unofficially* still celebrating!  As many of you know, we threw a large party on Memorial Day and I have been promising to share some snapshots with you!

---------This is the invitation that we sent out to all of our guests (you can click to enlarge if you like).  We invited 18 families, so I kept them simple by designing them on the computer and printing them on a nice quality matte photo paper.  As a special *paper crafty* touch I added little rhinestones to the centers of the stars. 

David and I just love entertaining.  There is something nostalgic and heartwarming about inviting people to your home to share food & good company.  Just so the mood was set as soon as our guests arrived for our Memorial Day event, we added a little patriotic decor to the front of the house.

We had lots of fun things planned for the kids attending.  One of which was firefly catching.  I made each of the children their very own firefly catching jar, complete with a personalized label.  Cases of canning jars were the perfect, inexpensive container.  I adhered the labels onto the jars with tacky tape from Provo Craft.

The majority of our event was planned around evening activities including making s'mores over a fire & a fireworks display.  This is one of my favorite shots I took during the party.  You can see all of the guests back lit by the warm glow of both the fire and the strings of lights hung around the deck.

To make s'mores roasting a little easier, I decided to put together s'mores kits.  They were really simple to make and it made it so much easier to divvy out the three necessary ingredients for the special fireside treat; marshmallows, chocolate & graham crackers.   (I  wanted to give a quick shout out to my friend Amanda who took the treat bag group photo during the party for me.  She is super talented with a camera.  Be sure to stop by her blog and see some of her amazing work!!!)

Each kit contained enough supplies for two s'mores.  It really helped everything run smoothly since people didn't have to fumble in the dark to find separate ingredients.  They just grabbed a kit and they were good to go!  The kit contents fit perfectly in Papertrey's small frosted tin tie bags.

The weather didn't fully cooperate, but everyone still had a fabulous time.  There is nothing better than getting to spend time with people that contribute to the daily happiness in our lives.

I have formatted a few downloads for you of the different design elements I created for our party so you can use them yourself next year.  They are even appropriate for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.  I have included completed versions for the s'mores kit and blank elements for the remainder of the items so you can just add a text box with your own information.  If you want to recreate what I did, the fonts I used were Aviano Sans & Chopin Script.
Download memorial_day_firefly_labels.pdf
Download blank_firefly_labels.pdf
Download blank_memorial_day_party_invite.pdf
Download memorial_day_smores_labels.pdf  

A little more about me...

My best friend Wendy tagged me on her blog.  I normally don't participate in these types of things, but a few of the questions really intrigued me (and I just happened to be in the right mood! *wink*).  The buck stops here though, as I have not tagged others.  But I hope you will enjoy reading about a little of my history!

What was I doing ten years ago?
Let's see, ten years ago would have been May of 1998.  I had just finished my first year of college and I was beginning my summer full-time work at Casco Bay Lines as a ticket agent.  I was living in our summer cottage on Little Diamond Island and commuted every morning on the very ferry that I sold tickets for all day in town.  I really enjoyed those commutes.  There is nothing like beautiful ocean views and a salty breeze to start the day!  I was dating David and was head over heels in love with him (little did I know he would propose in five short months!).  I had dreams of one day moving to the city and having a high profile job in advertising or fashion.  I really wanted to combine both and become a fashion merchandiser.  I loved the idea of starting out on my own and being independent.  I had $150 in my savings account with the goal to save as much as possible that summer for living expenses the following year at school. It was a fantastic summer, full of newfound love with David and my favorite place on earth to this day.



Five snacks I enjoy:
My homemade guacamole & chips
I shared the recipe last year in a Papertrey newsletter.  I'll make a note to post it here on the blog sometime soon so that you can give it a try yourself this summer!

Multi-Grain Wheat Thins & Cabot Pepperjack Cheese
I just LOVE anything spicy!  Cabot makes THE best Pepperjack cheese in my opinion.  I haven't found another brand yet that I love as much as theirs.

Pop-Secret Homestyle microwave popcorn
This is the only kind of popcorn I will eat.  The summer cottage I spent so much time at while growing up had an electric popcorn popper that was ANCIENT.  I'm not even real sure how old it truly is, but it operates much differently than anything that has ever been for sale during my generation!  Anyhow, it makes THE best popcorn, and my mother always popped some on rainy afternoons when we would stay warm and cozy inside by the fire.  Reading would be the entertainment for the day and I just loved it the little routine that we did.  To this day I love to eat popcorn when reading!  Soooo, believe it or not, the Pop-Secret Homestyle popcorn tastes almost exactly like the popcorn from that old electric popcorrn popper, and that's why I love it so much!

Plain Pringles
I don't really care for any of the flavored varieties, just plain & simple, red can variety Pringles!

Apple slices & peanut butter
Sometimes people think I am strange for enjoying this combination so much, but I love the contrast of the crisp apple &  creamy peanut butter.  My favorite apples for this are Fuji & Golden Delicious.

Five things on my to do list today:
David and I are preparing for a big party we are throwing on Memorial Day this Monday.  So much of my to-do list has to do with that!

1. Go grocery shopping
2. Finish mulching the garden around the pool.
3. Print labels for firefly jars & s'mores goodie bags, then assemble them.
4. Photograph all of the elements of the Memorial Day party and post them on the blog.
5. Finish up some patterned paper I am working on.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

-International travel.  I have never been overseas, but am anxious to do so.  Europe especially.  There is so much history & culture to explore across the ocean and I would love the opportunity to go and take all three of our children as well!

-Donate as much money as possible to my two favorite charities, Habitat for Humanity & Donors Choose.  One of the things I look for in a charity is how they are truly changing lives.  Not just a hand out, but helping to build better lives for the future.  In other words, something that has a long-term effect on everyday life, close to home.

I have been donating to Habitat for Humanity since I got my first job in high school.  I find the entire program motivating and inspirational.  I also feel that having someplace to call home can be the basis of an entirely different outlook on life and how one perceives themselves within a community.  I don't think there is anyone who would contend the sense of pride associated with owning your own home.  And just imagine how much more motivated one would be to be a positive asset to the world when they sleep in peace & comfort, within surroundings that are all their own.  I firmly believe that this charity provides a solid foundation for people to find sucess & happiness in all areas of their lives!

Donors Choose is something I heard about through NPR (National Public Radio).  The premise is that teachers from around the country can add a request to a revolving list.  They ask for a particular amount of money to fulfill a need or wish for their classroom.  With all of the education budget cuts you hear of, this charity sheds light on what could be a dismal situation.  I love being able to choose exactly which teacher's cause I would like to fund, and the donation amounts are almost always small.  A little money can make a HUGE difference in a child' life and their educational future, therefore in the end, preparing OUR future too!  These are our up and coming politicians, lawyers & doctors!  You even get thank you notes or photos from the children blessed by your donation!  Such warm fuzzies!

Five jobs I've had:
1. Ice cream scooper
2. Pizza & sub chef (according to David this was some of the best training, since I make the *best* sandwiches!
3. Clothing store sales associate
4. Portrait photographer (THAT didn't last long!)
5. ticket agent for a ferry terminal

Five of my bad habits:
1. Biting my fingernails
2. Grinding my teeth
3. Leaving milk out of the refrigerator
4. Over salting food when cooking
5. Interrupting people when talking on the phone (especially if I'm excited!)

Five places I have lived:
1. Norridgewock, Maine
2. Bath, Maine
3. Beacon Falls, Connecticut
4. Olmstead, Kentucky
5. Clarksville, Tennessee

Six random things:
1. I don't have a sense of smell, technical term anosmia. Really, I don't. Not even a little. I am fairly certain I was born that way, but it's hard to say.  My friend Wendy told me not too long ago that she always thought it was strange that I was indifferent about missing one of the five senses.  As long as I can remember, I have been without it, so I never really noticed it's absence.  In the last few months I decided to see if there was anything I could do to correct it and began to get hopeful with a little bit of a lead I received from one of the health professionals I had sought out.  But that path ended quickly.  Ever since that glimmer of hope became extinguished, I've had a lot of mixed feelings about this missing characteristic of my life experience.  I spent some time really absorbing the fact that I just needed to appreciate the senses I DO have and not long for something that I will never have.  I think I have finally let go again and have peace of mind about the situation.      

2. I have way too many hobbies that I am overly-passionate about.  And I usually go through phases as to which one is at the top of the list.  My list includes stamping, scrapbooking, sewing, knitting, crocheting, gardening, beading, reading, cooking & home decorating.  What I really need is more free time so I have enough hours in the day to squeeze everything in!

3. Both sets of my grandparents are still living.  I will be 29 this summer, and I am proud to say that both sets of my grandparents are here to celebrate with me.  I feel like this is one of the biggest blessings in my life.  I love talking to them, absorbing their history & stories.  I love to hear about the way things were.  I love the silly stories about my parents when they were children.  I love having them here and it will be very difficult to let go when they pass on since they have been in my life for so long.

4. I am the oldest.  I have a younger sister & brother.  I personally didn't care for being the oldest.  I had to *break* my parents in.  I definitely had to battle my way through high school with overly strict rules & regulation that were lightened up quite a bit once my youngest brother got to his high school years.  Although, now that we have all moved out of the house, I enjoy being able to offer my siblings advice when they ask for it, since I've *been there, done that*!

5. I played ice hockey in high school.  Offense.  And I loved it.  My favorite part was when we scrimmaged against the boys team from our high school.  They always thought they could obliterate us on the ice, and it was *too* fun proving them wrong!

6. I adore old movies.  Anything made before 1960, I am so there.  A few of my favorites are Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,  Some Like it Hot,  Gone with the Wind, and The Shop Around the Corner.  I wish they still made movies like this.  So wholesome & non-violent.


 

 

Elements of Pattern

One of the things I love about design & stamping is creating pattern.  If you notice, most of the stamp sets that I have designed for Papertrey contain at least one decorative element that can be used to create pattern.  Also, the recent addition of patterned paper to our product line just makes me giddy.  Creating the designs for this is one of my favorite tasks every month.

What fascinates me about pattern is how the combination of smaller elements builds into an overall pattern.  And the slightest change in the arrangement can give you totally different results.  I dug through my archives and gathered together some different techniques to use when creating pattern.

The small decorative elements included in the various Borders & Corners sets is a good example of pattern building as well.  They are such small stamps, and may not look like much when stamped individually or alone, but once used as a group, they can really become a defining focal point on your project.  This is an example of an image from Borders & Corners Oval specifically.  (you can click HERE for details on the original project) Without the addition of these decorative elements to the scallops of the oval, the card would be really bland.

This fun technique not only allows you utilize your stamps & ink to build a pattern, but also your paper trimmer!  I call this my Zig Zag Strip technique.  By simply cutting your creation into strips and staggering them after building a basic striped pattern at an angle with Faux Ribbon, you can create a really unique & fun look. (You can click HERE for details on the original project.)  This technique would be stunning just done in black & white, or any other color scheme you can dream up for that matter.  (If you have ever had trouble getting Faux Ribbon straight, be sure to check out the tutorial I did HERE!)

This pattern shows how you can build a *grid* using Borders & Corners Circle.  (You can click HERE for details on the original project.) This specific project utilizes images from Spooky Sweets to fill the circles and create a customized pattern, but really you could use any kind of images to re-create the same look for any theme or occasion.  I loved the mixture of both images and sentiments.  Having the grid already established with the circles made it fun & easy to go back through and fill-in the blanks.

Borders & Corners Square can be used to easily create custom plaid paper in any of your favorite color schemes.   (you can click HERE for details on the original project, would be a perfect little something for Father's Day!)   By beginning with some simple pencil lines, this  repetitive pattern is easy to recreate.  I loved how it really uses the squares in a new way since they are used on an angle, almost as you would a diamond.  It is always interesting what you can come up with when you look at your stamps from a different point of view!

This ladybug paper that I made last year is a design I have always been partial to.  (You can click HERE for details on the original project.) One of my favorite details was overlaying the starburst image from Butterfly Kisses on top of the small flower from Little Lady.  Not only did it help carry through the colors used in the ladybug images, but it also added the perfect detail to keep your eye interested and moving throughout the artwork.

This example uses one of the label images from Sweet Love (you can go HERE for details on the original project).  By just stamping the image side by side, staggering the levels slightly, I was able to reinvent the stamp and create a totally different look other than when it is used solo.  One of my favorite details is the even spacing between each of the label images, allowing for the addition of the white dots.  It is a beautiful detail that helps to unify each of the label images into a continuous pattern.

I challenge you to pull out some stamps that haven't seen ink yet or that have been neglected for some time, and use one of the above techniques to invent your own unique pattern.  Give yourself permission to play and just have fun!  You never know what you might come up with when you give yourself that kind of creative freedom!  Enjoy!
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