Wordless Wednesday..Almost

I shot this picture Sunday afternoon as the boys were playing on the trampoline. Sometimes the trampoline sitting under a thirty year old oak tree is a blessing, sometimes all the leaves make them mad. Today it added to the fun as they made a huge leaf pile and took turns hiding a football in the pile. 

Take Two Tuesday

Yesterday you saw a tag I created using the Cocoa Daisy Mod Leaves set to create a poinsettia tag. Today I am going to use the same set to create a more vintage tag. For me vintage requires some distressing and you can't distress without using some of Tim Holtz's amazing products. It is rare that I complete a project without using something that Tim has created. I am especially fond of his Distress Inks.

Here is a look at today's finished tag:

The steps for today's tag are very similar to yesterday's tag, so I won't be going as in depth with my explanations here. 

I stamped the veined leaf in Fired Brick, which is one of my favorite colors of Distress Ink and also happens to be available in the Cocoa Daisy Boutique. I then embossed the petals with Fired Brick Embossing Powder. Distress Embossing Powder is different from regular embossing powders because it does not heat to a shine. You know the embossing powder has bonded when it turns a darker color. After letting the embossed petals completely cool,  you then rub off the release crystals and throw them away. The resulting petals have an interesting rough texture to them, that adds to the vintage feel.

I inked over each petal, after cutting them out, using Antique Linen Distress Ink. You can see a difference in the petal on the bottom left that has not been inked compared to the other petals that have already been inked. 

Here are all the pieces before assembly. In the upper right corner is an assortment of buttons and brads from my stash that I was considering for the center of the poinsettia. I also chose to use the same veined leaf for the green leaves of this poinsettia. I felt that it added to the vintage look. They are stamped in Peeled Paint Distress Ink and then embossed with Distress Embossing Powder in Peeled Paint. 

Here is the completed flower. I chose the metal flower brad as my center. 

This particular tag is a little smaller than yesterday's. I chose it from my stash because it had already been distressed with what I believe is Walnut Stain. I picked up a handful of these pre-distressed tags years ago at a scrapbook convention. I think I bought them at the Rusty Pickle booth. With the flower laying on the tag I was trying to plan the remaining background and how the tag would look when I finished. 

Even though the tag was already distressed it just didn't seem inky enough for me, so I added another Cocoa Daisy stamp, Distress Inks, and some mist splatters. You can vaguely see the Grungy Grid stamp that I stamped in Peeled Paint Distress Ink. It is my go to stamp when I want to add a little more texture without overwhelming my whole project. I then inked the tag with some additional Fired Brick and Peeled Paint. Then splattered on some Maya Mist in Avocado Metallic, Forever Red Perfect Pearls Mist, and then sprayed the whole tag with Perfect Pearls Mist in Perfect Pearl. 

Here is a close-up of the bottom of the finished tag. I added a harlequin ribbon from my stash and added star brads through each side to hold it in place. The label in the middle was stamped using an older Cocoa Daisy stamp set Mason Jar with labels, that is no longer available. I then stamped "December 2012" from the Day in the Life: Months, Years, and Bits set  in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I covered the edges of the label with Antique Linen Distress Stickles. 

Once again here is the completed tag.Created similar to yesterday's but different in the finished look. 

Here is a look at both tags together. I can't wait to use them with our home decor or in my December Daily this year. 

Hope this inspires you to use your stamps in different ways!

Olivia

Make it Monday- Using Cocoa Daisy Stamps

For this post I used the following Cocoa Daisy Stamps:

 

The first set is called Mod Leaves and the second set is called A Day in the Life: Months, Years, and Bits. Both are still available in the Cocoa Daisy Boutique. I also used another Cocoa Daisy stamp that is no longer available. I will point it out as we go through the steps of making the following tag:

Here is what the completed tag looks like. 

I love, love, love the versatility of stamps and the fact that I can reuse stamps over and over again. For this tag I used two of the Mod Leaves stamps to create this poinsettia. 

I began by stamping the veined leaf 10-12 separate times with the ColorBox pigment ink in Cranberry. Then I heat embossed the "petals" twice with Hero Arts clear embossing powder. The embossing powder is very fine, so I embossed twice to make the "petals" shine a bit more. I then cut the petals out. 

For the leaves, I wasn't sure if I wanted to ink in color and emboss with clear powder or if I wanted to ink in clear and emboss with colored powder. I also wasn't sure what color the Moss Green pigment ink was, so I tested it on the back of my green cardstock and also smudged it on a piece of white scrap cardstock. I do this often to decide if I like the color of an ink before I commit to using it on a project. If you were to pull out most of my layouts you would find ink test spots on the back of them. 

I still was unsure which technique to use, so I stamped a second leaf from the set and embossed it using both techniques onto a piece of green cardstock from my scrap bin. I finally decided I liked the color of the ColorBox Moss Green ink embossed with clear powder the best. So I cut those out to use with my tag.

I then punched a 2 1/2 inch scallop circle to use as the base for my poinsettia. 

I attached my petals using glue dots and overlapping each new petal slightly over the previous petal. This is the center part of the poinsettia. You can still see a small portion of the scalloped circle, that is where I added the second layer of petals and leaves.

Here is the completed poinsettia. It was rather flat once I attached everything, so I just used my fingers to crumple up each of the petals to give the whole thing a little more interest. I also added a very old Heidi Swapp bling piece as the center. I have the poinsettia laying on the tag so I could try to decide on the arrangement for the rest of the tag. 

I chose to cover the whole white tag with a scrap piece of Christmas paper from an older Making Memories line. This is the b side of one of those papers. I love b sides! On top I used a  I stamped an older Cocoa Daisy quaterfoil stamp on the tag with clear embossing ink, then I used clear embossing ink around the edges as well. I used gold glitter embossing powder from Stampendous that I picked up at my local scrapbook store last year. 

I cut up some more scraps from my stash and then placed the date stamps and a chipboard button from an older Making Memories Christmas line on the green cardstock. Here again I was trying to figure out placement for the finished tag. 

This is a close up of the bottom section of the tag. I stamped "December 2012" in the ColorBox Evergreen color and then attached the chipboard button with gold ribbon with glue dots. The "December 2012" seemed a little flat so I went back and used clear embossing powder on it. Then I added Gold Perfect Pearl splatters. The heat caused the gold ribbon to curl a little, but I'm okay with that. 

Here again is the finished tag. You can also see I added red splatters to the whole tag as well. For that I used  Maya Road's Cherry Metallic Mist. It is available in the Cocoa Daisy Boutique.

The Mod Leaves set is not one I would usually gravitate towards because it is more modern in design. But as you can see stamps can be used in many different ways to create projects that speak to whatever design style you prefer. I love how this tag turned out and I am sure it will either be displayed somewhere in our home during the holidays or possibly even be added to my December Daily album this year.

Come back tomorrow and see a vintage approach using the same techniques and stamps to create another tag. 

Until tomorrow...Happy Creating!

Olivia

Wordless Wednesday

Straight out of the camera- No photo editing, so it's a little dark....I'm o.k. with that :)

This is one of Ethan's favorite bedtime stall tactics..."Can someone rock me?"

E still sleeps with Blue Bell, his night-night...Love that!

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

My Favorite Nerd!

Homecoming Spirit Week
Nerd Day
This is possibly Carter's absolute favorite day of the year.

Right Now

Right Now:

They are:

Laughing together a lot over little boy secrets and jokes

Getting excited about football and basketball season

Playing together constantly

Arguing and hurting feelings occasionally

Playing ball in the yard with Dad

Helping with chores in the house and earning and allowance

Wanting baby Jude to arrive faster than he is supposed too

Loving to see all the baby clothes and supplies being put up in Jude’s room

Asking lots of questions about baby Jude and about themselves as babies

Watching and feeling baby Jude move

Smelling like wet dog all the time!!!

He is:

Working hard in third grade

Working on thinking first, then acting

Trying to make good decisions even when he is tired and grouchy

Reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, along with nonfiction sports and a few Magic Tree House books

Wearing athletic shorts and t-shirts (especially Under Armor…his current favorite)

Loving the Boston Red Sox

He is:

Loving first grade

Reading lots of different picture books to us

Sneaking in lots of DS and Wii play when he thinks we aren’t looking

Wearing athletic clothes like big brother, but preferring nice shorts and polo shirts

Asking lots of questions about baby Jude and probably worrying a bit about losing his baby of the family status, though he hasn’t mentioned it outright


He is:

 

Growing everyday even though it is not obvious to most

Kicking a lot anytime I am resting

Sitting on my bladder and causing me to have to make constant trips to the bathroom

Sitting much lower than either of his older brothers were at this point, which is an odd feeling

Very, very loved already and we are all eager to see who he is going to be

He is:

Preparing for basketball season which starts in November

Getting excited about all the college coaches who are interested in his players

Reading the Arkansas Democrat Gazette daily

Making deer and beef jerky nearly every night

Doing lots more around the house and trying to make things easier on me

Trying to get home earlier in the evening because he knows that when ball season starts and Jude arrives that things will be very busy and crazy

Spending more time grading papers and making lesson plans for his American History classes
Really, really needing a new cell phone...Geez

She is

Realizing that she will always be the only female in this household and wondering if that is a good or bad thing

Trying to get lots done before Jude arrives

Feeling a lot more tired because of the pregnancy and the anemia

Wanting all the house repairs to be completed, so tired of having to have things fixed

Smelling many things more strongly (especially sweaty, stinky boys) due to this pregnancy

Feeling Jude kick and reminding myself to remember this feeling since this is probably our last pregnancy

Creating more and wanting to get lots more memories recorded before Jude arrives, especially layouts about Carter and Ethan when they were little

Wanting/planning to complete a Week In the Life project before Jude arrives in December so that I can record our life as a family of four

Wanting to decorate for fall

Hoping cooler weather arrives soon

Wearing some of my regular clothes mixed with my maternity clothes, preferring my maternity nightgowns and proud that 6 ½ months into this pregnancy I have only gained 13 pounds

Going to bed earlier and trying to read Adult Fiction books as I relax, but falling asleep while reading quite a bit

Feeling anxious and a bit worried about the arrival of Jude and making plans so that the boys won’t feel left out or feel like everything has changed now that he has arrived

Wordless Wednesday

13 weeks ago...on the beach in South Texas...with my whole family.

In about 13 weeks we will add another family member and probably the last grand baby to this family.

Reminds me how time flies...& how much I love this family!

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

Me- circa 1979.
Not being camera shy at all. Really
Can't wait to post the layout I created...
Love, love, love finding old pictures

One Little Word Layout

My friend, Ronda has brought back her One Little Word challenge on a smaller scale and I have chosen to take part in its reintroduction. I hope to keep up with each new word she posts.

This month's word is UNLOCK. This word really spoke to me this month because it has been a difficult month for Carter. He is only 9, but he has not ever experienced the disappointment of not being able to do something he truly wanted to do until now. Last year he was nominated for the Gifted and Talented program at school and we found out a couple of weeks ago that he did not make it for this current school year. He was so very upset and as a parent it was difficult to watch him doubt himself and his intelligence. This past week he tried out for the 3rd and 4th grade select choir and did not make it either. Again I had to watch him doubt his abilities and himself. It was so painful to see him so hurt and so difficult to find the right words to encourage and lift his spirits.

For someone who thrives on competition not only athletically, but also academically, it is especially hard for him to feel like he has failed. I know that there are many disappointments that he will face in the future, but I sure hope we don't have to face any in the near future... It is so hard, this parenting thing. All I can do is try to support, encourage, and love him. At such a young age it is hard to explain to him that your self-worth comes from inside and not from what group you are part of. Hard, hard stuff for him and for us, too.

So I used that as my jumping off point for my layout. I also chose to combine Ronda's OLW challenge with Cocoa Daisy's September Sketch Challenge and here is my resulting layout entitled: Unlock Your Potential.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Almost... Wordless Wednesday

Picture from our South Texas Vacation- June 2012

Makes me realize two things:
     1) We will only be a family of four for a few more months. Jude arrives mid- December!!
     2) I need to edit and print vacation photos... LOL

For the Love of CHA- Post # 2

Good Morning! Today I ordered about 75 prints from Wal-Mart and picked them up as I flew through town on the way to the boys swimming lessons. The pictures I printed are from October of last year and include our trip to a corn maze, pumpkin carving, and costume photos. I don't scrap chronologically so it really doesn't bother me that I am just now putting together my Halloween mini in July. If anything it makes me dream of cooler temperatures, which is a very good thing in the middle of July in the South! :)

Of all the pictures I had printed this one is my absolute favorite.

I am not sure how I will top this year's costumes.The boys loved them, they were relatively easy to make, and looked so good on them. I rarely sew, except at Halloween. There is just something special to me about hand making the boys costumes each year. 

Besides a Halloween mini for each year (the past few years I have bought a Halloween mini kit from Cocoa Daisy, here is last years that I am working on now), I also keep a Halloween through the years mini that has an individual picture of each boy in costume and then one of them together. I then make additional, very simple, mini's for both sets of grandparents. 

Besides Halloween, the only other holiday I buy scrapbook products specifically for is Christmas. I would love to say I have accomplished a December Daily in prior years, but it has yet to happen. I do manage to hand make Christmas cards each year and I have a huge stash of Christmas supplies waiting to be used. 

So today because I am feeling the holiday spirit, I thought I would share the products I have spotted in this years CHA debuts. I do tend to be a traditionalist when it comes to the holiday lines I pick up. I like the reds and greens of Christmas and the greens, oranges, and blacks of Halloween. So that is what you will see here as well. 

Let's get started!

Let's talk Halloween first. There are two companies that I think do an amazing job with traditional Halloween lines each year. First is My Mind's Eye. This year's line is a continuation of their Lost and Found line. There is nothing about this collection that I do not like. I think I will end up with lots of these pieces. Here is a picture of the entire line.

The other company is Echo Park. Their Halloween line is called Chillingsworth Manor. 

This is the Collection Pack. All the papers are wonderful, both the a & b sides have very nice designs.

The following two papers really caught my eye. 

I can see myself using these two pages in a variety of different ways. I like the versatility they offer to projects, cards, even some home decor banners. I will have to own them both!

Ok, let's move right onto Christmas. 

The first line that really caught my eye was Simple Stories. Since I have already bought a few of their Mix and Match 6x8 Albums, I was interested to see what their Christmas line would look like this year, in hopes of putting together a December Daily. I do like Handmade Holiday line a lot. Lots of things I can definitely use to document the upcoming holiday season and possibly help me catch up on years past. 

The Collection Kit has a number of great papers in it along with sticker sheets. I tend to buy Simple Stories lines as kits because I end up loving everything in the whole kit. 

These are the pages for the 6x8 Album. These would make great foundations for a December Daily

Love these pockets. These would be great on layouts, cards, Project Life, or in a December Daily.

I also spotted these 4x6 cards. These would be great journaling spots for layouts, PL, or DD, as well as recipe cards for a Christmas recipe album.

Another Christmas line I spotted was from Fancy Pants. It is called Home for Christmas.  Here again it is a nice traditional red and green with some kraft thrown in to give it a vintage-y feel. 

Here are the paper/sticker elements available in the line. I need to look more closely at the papers to determine which ones I really want to purchase. The tape stickers look interesting to me as well. 

These are more embellishments that go along with the line. I particularly like the Mixed Buttons and Mingled Brads. 

The final collection is not as traditional as I like (too much blue in my opinion), but because of the "b" sides of the paper I was pretty excited about the whole line. This line is Lily Bee's Christmas Cheer. I kept looking through the papers trying to determine which one's I could live without, especially because of the blue, but the "b" sides kept jumping out at me. 

I see lots of blue here, but I am telling you the "b" sides on each paper are nice and traditional. I especially love the numbered patterned paper, the dots, and the chevrons. 

These index cards are nice as well. I see lots of different uses for these.

These are some of my absolute favorite alpha stickers ever. I own almost every set since they began making these and I reach for them often. 

I am a stamp junkie, but a very picky stamp junkie. These show a lot of possibilities even after the holidays are over. I really like the vertical list of numbers and the vertical row of dots. 

So it is about 90 degrees Fahrenheit today, which is not completely unbearable, but I think I will wait just a bit longer before tackling some of the outdoor chores around here. I think I will spend the heat of the day working downstairs on some wonderful holiday scrappiness until it cools off outside

Hope you find time to scrap as well! :)

Olivia