Hello Strangers

Wow it has been a whole month since I posted.  It has been crazy, finishing up school and working at a grocery store you dont get much slack.

I hope you guys have not missed my feature on the cosmo cricket blog!  What an amazing honor after crafting so many projects!  I still have plenty I have not even shown yet. http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/2010/12/3-random-things-foreign-toilets-gdt-contest-circa-layouts.html

Christmas was a great time because I recieved a Silhouette SD!  What a total surprise and its awesome, like a cricut imagine but 1000X better!  I have been cutting like carazayy!

bout time for a new layout.  I am unsure if i showed this layout previously but I had created it for my mothers surprise party.

I love this picture of me in the kiddie pool, pure innocence.

This layout started with a Jana Ebunk sketch I believe, shes got some great sketches!  I also participated in a studio calico challenge of using only circles for your title. 

Background and plaid is from basic grey olivia (obsessed), and is offset by some kraft and tim holtz pink.  The large pink piece is swiss dots with some glimmer mist.

A scalloped circle punch of basic greys paper is a great contrast for the "sunshine" title which are placed on pop dots and layered on popsicle sticks. KandCompany flowers finish off this page which is easily gorgeous.

14

This is from my 14th birthday when we traveled to NYC a mear day trip all the time.

Influence came from creating keepsakes december issue where most of this inspiration comes from.  I really loved the purple influence of the dat picture i took that really plays up all of the colors throughout.

All purple is from mitten weather by cosmo, butterflys are from tim holtz w/ vintage photo, background is basic grey basics, pink letters from heidi grace.

a few simple pictures with having the color play up the scenery.

Mitten Weather ornament

a quick and easy holiday fix! 

a semi flattened ornament from michaels that is plastic and swirled the paint within it and drained out the excess.  I then decorated with ready set chip and some dashed lines for the mitten strings. 

A great package topper or gift!

Peace Frame

This quick easy project is a great way to remember the holidays.

Using cosmos mitten weather I covered a chipboard frame with the paper and edged it with vintage photo.  I added some cutout pieces, and lace to the bottom.

I finished it off with "peace" from a hero arts small font stamp set.

quick and cute!

A Gift Tag

This is a sure fine easy gift tag!

I took a regular manila tag and covered it with soft green cardstock and some patterned paper from cosmos mitten weather.

I added a tag sticker from the sticker sheet  to easily put this together.  At the seem of the two papers I added a simple button border. 

A cute easy embelishment that I found was taking a piece of doiley and inking over it with fired brick from tim holtz.  A great color flash is simply added this way.

valley

I love to horseback ride,  anything with animals and the connecting like this that you are able to have with them is undeniable.

Cosmo mitten weather is always some sort of highlight latley, of course design team would be calling. ahh I just want to know who is going to win!  I really love this color combo and I did not expect it turning out aswell as I like it.

Backround red is from jenni bowlin that has a little black distress it really mimics the demask red from myminds eye.  The faint purple polka realy adds a contemporarty depth without overpowering the other papers.

The sketch comes from creating keepsakes and I mimicked from their christmas issue, let me know if you are able to find which one it is!

Embelisments include me and my big ideas tape ribbon, michaels resin leafs (normally the button ons)  recollections kids horse stickers (they were adorable and could not pass the not too cutesey stickers up!)  and as always there are some simple buttons. 

I love love this, again letting the pictures speak for themselves.

Beyond Words

A real layout redo!

The top one was way too traditional for my liking, and I just needed to change it!

Cosmo mitten weather to the rescue!  There is probably every color of the rainbow in here, but I love the unexpected twist. 

An orange base really set these colors off, I then layered some kraft with other mitten weather pieces.

I embellished with some lace, ready set chip, and sassafras stickers. what fun pops of color with traditional supplies!

Joy tag

This was a quick and simple tag that could dress up a great layout.

It is a regular size tag that I ran through my textile cuttlebug folder and inked with fired brick distress ink.

There is a piece of paper that runs right behind my paper cutout, I love that allover patter and it was a perfect cutout!  Also layered is a suede green leaf and funky punched heart out of craft with mikes studio 18 letter stamps in black sut.

I added a piece of ready set chip that was inked and finished it off with a few pieces of ribbon in festive colors.

A New Present

These pictures come from when I was 3 months old at my first christmas.  I thought the bow made the title fitting say that i was a present.

Background creme and red paper is from bazzill basics. it is accented with some mitten weather paper on the sides.  Embelishments mostly include mitten weather chip board pieces.

Title is cosmo readyset chip,  colorbok letters and I gold embossed inkadinkado letters. Some micheals ribbon and basic grey basics piece finished off this quick layout!

Love to You

Another cosmo card coming your wayy!!  I love this mitten weather collection and how versatile it is!

The background kraft base is stamped with the start stamped pictured and embossed with UTEE to give a mute yet patterned background my new favorite technique. 

The holly paper was probably my favorite from the entire stack and the reverse is the versitile polka dot.  To create a border a scalloped circle punch with some garden variety paper simple yet the colors pop!

The card is finished with rounded corners a ready set chip deer (my favorite piece) and a woodware usa sentiment.

Ride Now

I have been going bananas with this cosmo cricket mitten weather.  Bet you never thought you could use it for other things?!

I love these pictures of me riding, this is the last horse show I was in over a year or so ago I think?  I love to show, and i still currently ride Rico (horse).

Background black paper is from Jenni Bowlin, its almost a little washed so its not a true black.  I felt this was a great accent to the frosty greens.

I combined Cosmos Joy ride collection (green polka dots)  with the mitten weather collection (frosty green with white print)  I love the play of how perfect these two are together, its a fun fresh retro inspired look. LOVE! I accented inbetween with some regular kraft.

I decided for no title because of the "ride on" tag from the joy ride collection.  It was perfect and compliments the green perfectly.  I created a little flag effect below it with some more joyride paper, jenni bowlin sticker and twill tape.

On my oposite page i accented with some more horseshoe twill tape, love and a brad and some of those dew drop things.

I am so happy that I could finally complete a layout with some journaling!  That part usually takes me the longest to get to, because I hate sitting on the computer and writing my thoughts.  Its finished, and i LOVE it!

It's Hard To Be Good

A Cosmo Christmas for sure.

Yes there is so many elements to this page but combining different elements is always a great joy for me.  The background and circle cut paper are from the mitten weather collection.  the 6X6 paper to offset the bright colors is a calender paper from tim holtz lost and found collection.  I accented the circle with some red saddle stitch ribbon from mikes.

the title came from the card sheet in the collection pack and thought it was a great Christmas fun title.  Basic grey letters, colorbok letters, and girls paperie letters were used to spell everything out.

The bottom accent features a vinatage card, embossed piece of tag, basic grey basics sticker, cosmo chip.

Other accents include cosmos chipboard that added glossy accents too, and cosmos stickers.

A Mitten Weather Christmas Layout!

 first laying out my papers for proper placement.

I have had a ton of fun playing with his mitten weather collection and breaking out old Christmas photos that NEED to be scrapped.  These photos are from when I was a new born (left) and before I was born with my siblings.


Having a pattern background always seems to scare me once in awhile but this flocked candy cane stripe from SEI christmas collection was just the right color. I then incoorporated a pale green background to mimick the soft colors cosmo cricket tends to use.

I used bits and pieces from mitten weather just to enhance the photos like the red dots and green flourishes.  I really love the border piece going down the center that almost gives the layout a feel of two in one, and also the need for no title!

Embelishments include ready set chip pieces I inked with green from timholtz, and some pale buttons to accent the lines of the paper and the chip.

A LOT going on but subtly it can all be a cohesive theme together.

CosmoCricket Card #1

Ah the start of applying for DTM for Cosmo Cricket.  Get ready for many posts to come!

I have been really getting into unexpected color combination with this collection Mitten Weather.   Also remember me saying I HATE card making?  Somehow I was able to create a card that I actually like. 

Other than the obvious strips I had cut up a retro punched flower out of garden variety which gives an unexpected flair. A white embossed snowman,  dark brown sentiment and some faux white stitching on a kraft base is all you need for a quick card.  Corner rounding certainly finishes this card off.

Thanks everyone!

until next time...

Sweet Baby Emily

 Yes of course this is me as a newborn, they are originals so they again are in photo corners.

I love this layout for an unexpeted combination with cosmocricket!  The background paper from them is from their joyride collection, never thought you could use i for a newborn could you?!  Stitched ontop is brenda walton kandcompany chocolate neopolitan stack.  The strong contrast of brown is a really eye catcher. To always mellow a layout out dictionary paper, and kandcompany matstack paper set a great foundation for my pictures.

The title for this I believe came from twopeas, I have never done a baby layout before and this was a title I sure did not know to add.  Wooden letters from kandcompany and my name is girls paperie stickers, love the influence of writing on them.

I anchored the bottom with some doodlebug yellow adhesive ribbon and a vertical pink rubon.  The page was completed with some kandcompany adhesive demensional flowers. 

A perfect sweet and simple reflection on these photos.

Thanks for checking out my blog, and if your new be sure to check out past posts on the right hand side!

http://vimeo.com/6940468

^^^ go check out this video, The insane use of motion media graphics here is awesome.  I love this video.

Mikes Friday

Its official, the people at michaels officially  know me.

I go and shop every friday after class because it is just down the road.  I find that latley it is my favorite store to shop over acmoore and joanns.

I am really working on my ribbon collection because I always love a regal looking ribbon for less nowadays. I am also working on stocking up on essentials to add like background stamps like this large polka dot one from inkadinkado I got 40% off for 10$!  I have waited forever for this stamp

Fall florals are 60% off this week so I picked up a stem that i could ink and had fairly small buds.  For only .79 I should have stocked up on more.

Those tim holtz gears?  omg I could never live without, and I need that gear die from him so I can stop buying these, they really go with everything.

The metal bow is for a project for christmas.  Clearance yea!

Retro

These past few days have been a whirlwind of emotions for me.  The future has never made me so scared or nervous.  I honestly just want answers for what is to come.

Todays layout is a prime example of not having to put a single picture in the middle of your layout!

I cannot remember where this background paper is from but it is an obvious kraft color.  The whole starting point for this layout was the worded tag from some set.  I wanted a vintage retro feel and lovvedd this green retro paper from SEI that completely reminds me of some sort of wall paper.  The circle is cut from my olfa circle cutter that is now nearly dull from all the paper I have cut. It is positioned in the upper left because I usually seem to gravitate towards the bottom right. 

Simple accents enhance the vignette quality of the photo from an old photo studio. I adhered joules yellow flowers sparingly and stamped in some Michaels dollar stamps with tim holtz faded jeans which is a great color for blending into any sort of paper!  A making memories brad adds a metal feel and thats it!

Again a simple layout with minimal additions.

Family Matters.

  I want to thank all of you for voting for me in Cosmo Crickets design team member search, I cannot wait for the results!

Today I bring you another large image that I have scrapped.  I loved the vignetting given to this photo and tried to emulate the colors throughout. 

This is my mothers whole family.  I started with a neutral background of basic grey basics craft with small dots.   I centered it on the bottom, not the best design principal but lets the top stay airy.  I took some sales tags and inked them with tim holtz faded denim, vintage photo, and tea dye.  This creates a great border across any page, giving it a handmade look!

Mimicking those colors I took cosmo crickets wanted collection again and created a simple blue one inch border across the tags.  I then also took the schoolhouse matpad from krate paper to create about a two inch border of ledger paper and a place for the words to sit on. 

I chose this title because this is a rare photo of her entire family together, and now they all live across the country, so remembering family matters is always an important part.  These chip letters are from Girls Paperie, I am obsessed.

Thanks everyone! 
Be sure to check out past posts of my on the right hand side if you are new to my blog!

Through The Years

Wow, can you say how much I have changed through the years?! I cannot exactly mark when all these pictures were taken, but they are all defiantly different.

It can make things a lot easier when using two of the same size photos in a layout.  This gives you a direction and formality when creating your layout.

I found that mixing two completely different patterns can look polished and more simple than expected.  Just be careful when choosing your patterns, you dont want two strong patterns none the less. 

Black and white background paper from Jenni Bowlin defiantly makes a bold statement but then is toned down by a simple blue and brown polka dot from Brenda Walton Chocolate Neapolitan stack. I stitched the two together to give a piecey homemade look, but it is still faint. Of course I had to refer to my ol' vintage dictionary paper, seems to always give me a finished look.  To make my single 4X6 stand out I popped it with a bright blue paper from Basic Grey's Lemonade mat pad, perfect brightness I must say.

To anchor your eye at the bottom of the page, and carry it throughout I used some k&company border pieces.  (grey piece, aqua swirly) The pack also came with a butterfly border, but was too over powering with everything else going on so I ended up cutting them up and have them flying around the page.

Since these photos are from random times throughout my life, the title "through the years" seemed of course fitting.  I kept them fairly simple aswell, almost fading into the background with Cloud 9 grey stickers and my favorite Cosmo Cricket tiny type in black. 

Overall a very simple layout, no inking, no cutting, no stamping!

(dont forget to vote for me in cosmo crickets honary design team member search!)

Capture Life

I find myself doing more one page layouts than anything these days.  I just find it easier to create around one picture rather than trying to match many different together.

This picture is of all us kids and my mother while we lived in Virginia.  I have hiked all my life and one of my favorite places to go is definatly the Shanedoah Valley.  The picture is one of the most favorite from our collection of family photos, and my mother always has a story to tell about it.

Background is a basic vintaged white paper and layered on top is a beautiful dot from October afternoon. To neutralize the dots I refereed back to ever great dictionary paper, a great way to add blocks of black and collage feel. I took beige strips of jenni bowlin paper and criss-crossed them and then stitched with olive green thread that almost gives a mountainous collage feel. The plaid card is also from October Afternoon, a great place for some journaling.

I had a hard time coming up with a title for this one, but the moment was so special to this photo that "capture life" was a great way to remember it.  The chipped letters with patterns come from 7 gypsies as also seen in my "a fathers passion" layout. The large letter mail letters are metal, and super sturdy from Making Memories. 

I love this eclectic feel of mountainy comfort. 

I thank all of you who have voted for me for Cosmo Crickets guest design team member.  I cannot say enough to all of you.
Dont know what im talking about?  Scroll down and view my entry: Vote for me?!?

Precious+

These pictures from my mom when she was younger are almost unrecognizable to me.  I must say i love those saddle shoes!

Background paper is from S.e.i. and the turquoise was perfect for the black jenni bowlin printed paper.  I just cut a free-handed large scallop a little over from the middle of the page and then adhered the two together.  Layer a vintage bingo sheet underneath as well as a cosmo cricket garden variety mat pad piece with fun bright flowers.  Placed the pictures on top but staggered so they both have their own time to shine, and included some mikes dollar yellow paper flowers.  Precious as the title is basic grey letter stickers.  

I love the fun scallop can bring to a layering effect and a great new way to anchor you paper, no matter what corner you choose!  A simple way to create a layout: layer different patterns and colors for a fun eclectic look!

emily

Boys

What a fun twist I created with this layout.  These pictures are of my mothers family before she was born. (yes she had 4 brothers!) 

Background paper has a fun orange red hue from S.E. I matpad.  I took the Jenni Bowlin black and beige paper and cut out a major section from the patter probably around 4 inches. I then sprayed a few spritzes of ink (the ones from mikes)  and I love the effect of the spray look!  I took a swirl stamp that I have repeated a few times around the copper tim holtz token, and then gold embossed (my fave!)  I layer the dot paper from the cosmo cricket wanted collection that played up the background color.  Cosmo cricket chip letters in a plaid spell out the word BOY for the title.

I love the unexpected color combination and vintage fun look given.