Baby Blue

Simple baby card with paper piecing. This technique never gets old... :-)

Baby Brag Book

One of my husband's cousin had a little boy and I made this little brag book to accompany the gift. Every proud new mama needs something to display pics of her new baby wherever she goes... :-)

Inside are pages of double sided cardstock that she can just glue pictures on.

This is actually quite easy to do. The cover is a piece of cardstock that has been embossed with a folder that looks like some sort of leather to me, and the pages are just cut to size and sewn with a sewing machine.

To decorate the cover I just used some of the same cardstock from inside, and some felt buttons (glued on with a hot glue gun so there is no chance they will come off even if this is carried in a purse). I used special brads and some twine to make sure this stays closed as well.

I made a simple card to go with it, using more of the coordinated cardstock, and heat embossed the sentiment. The twine on the brag book is by Trendy Twine, the one on the card is by the Twinery. Stamp is My Thoughts Exactly. The button dies are by the Cat's Pajama.

Love Graffiti

When I saw the brick embossing folder, I don't know why but I instantly thought about a wall with graffiti on it... So I went along with this idea, combining it with a teenage vibe... You know, those high school years... that crush you scribble the name of all over your notebooks, and draw tons of hearts everywhere?... That's what I wanted to recreate... ;-) Everything is a little blended together because, you know, it's an old wall, and it's been a while since high school!... LOL ;-) Now stepping back, it seems to me like a bit of a dirty wall/project, but then again that kind of was my idea, wasn't it?... ;-)

I used My Thoughts Exactly "Lovey Puns- food" stamps for the love messages...

Washi stripes

My mojo seems to have left for a  long vacation... >.< So I decided to play around with my tapes a little bit and came up with this card. These are the paper tapes from Target (Up brand, $4 for 4 rolls.) It's hard to see the patterns in the pic because of the transparency of the tapes and the dark background.

The stamp is from My Thoughts Exactly (More Mini Thoughts set), I just love that font! :-)

The inside sentiment is also from My Thoughts Exactly, I used the Many Thanks set . I had to use the Merci!... LOL ;-)
I'm sending the card to Alyssa (my "boss" as I used to call her ;-)), since my term on the team is coming to an end. I know I have made the right decision in leaving, as things are crazier than ever here, but part of me is sad nonetheless... Good times and good memories! :-)

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Project Life here I come, and an announcement....

(This is a long-winded post so settle down comfortably... ;-))

Today is my "My Thoughts Exactly Thursday", but it also is my last official post as one of their Design Team members. The key word here is "official", not "last", as I am sure you will still see plenty of MTE projects from me, just not DT projects. ;-)
My term comes to an end at the end of this month and I have decided not to renew it. I have really enjoyed my time with this wonderful cast of ladies (best DT ever!!... <3), and a part of me cannot believe this is coming to an end, especially since I have been with MTE from day 1. It's been fun to watch Alyssa and Brian shape this company up, and I know they are headed for success and I wish them the very best! :-D <3

But there are only so many hours in a day and I need more time... :-( This past year has been difficult and I have struggled to get some things done. My "crafting" goals this year are to scrapbook more (especially learn to digi-scrap), and to work on my photography skills (or lack thereof! ;-)) so, as the saying goes, something's gotta give... ;-)

Which brings me to today's project. You might be familiar with Project Life, a concept developed and sold by Becky Higgins. Basically you get a 12X12 binder and fill it with page protectors that contain different sizes compartments. Add pictures and journaling cards and you're all set. This saves you lots of time compared to "classical" scrapbooking. I have decided to hop on the Project Life bandwagon (as I am YEARS behind in my scrapbooking in general (by years I mean like 10 years or so?... *shame*))  and I think this will enable me to work on present pics while trying to catch up with the old ones in a more conventional way. So I have ordered a binder and pack of page protectors, and all I need now are pics and journaling cards...

So for today's project I made some using a variety of MTE sets! :-)  I used cardstocks and flashcards and made sure each had a little spot to jot down the date or a few words. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had making those! :-)

For this one I used the More Mini Thoughts set.

This one uses the very 1st set released by MTE, the Birds & Bees set.

This one also uses the More Mini Thoughts set.

That one uses the Big Thoughts set.

This one uses the Sweet Thoughts set.

That one uses 2 sets,  More Mini Thoughts and Under The Sea. I think it will go great with pics of my kiddos in the pool...  :-)

That one uses Many Thanks. I love that Polka dot Smash tape, and the pop of red. :-)

This one uses Big Thoughts,.

And lastly, this one also uses 2 sets: Big Thoughts and  Sweet Thoughts.

To hold my little cards I made a little pocket book using a manilla file folder. The sentiment is from the More Mini Thoughts set and the frame is from Holly Jolly Tags.

And that's it for this looooong post!!... Thanks for bearing with me!... ;-)

Don't forget to visit my fellow DT members today: Belinda and Tracy.

My Thoughts Exactly April release: Engaged

It's the 1st of the month which means another My Thoughts Exactly release! :-) This month the sets are your basic go to stamps for every occasions! There are 2 big sets: Big Thoughts and More Big Thoughts, and the same sets come in a smaller scale: Mini Thoughts and More Mini Thoughts to give you even more versatility... You can also buy them as bundles to save money. You can see all the options here.

Those sets cover occasions like birthday, retirement, wedding, etc... but also sympathy and much more.
To see how to use them and mix and match the different combinations head over to Alyssa's blog, she has a video for you that will tell you all you need to know. :-)

Today I made a simple project, I am in my bed with the most terrible flu I have gotten in quite some years, this is not an April Fool's joke, and I only dragged myself out of bed long enough to finish my card. >.<
I should thank my hubby's cousin for her perfect timing, or better yet her fiancé, for asking her to marry him very recently. Turns out I had the perfect stamp for that! ;-)  For my card I used the More Mini Thoughts set, I just love the font of that congratulations!...

Don't forget to visit my fellow DT members to see their wonderful projects:

Alyssa: My Thoughts Exactly
Ashley: Heart Hugs Designs
Bee:  <--  you're here!
Belinda: Bee's Hive O' Drama
Benedicte: Scrap Sweet Scrap
Jennifer: Our Change of Art
Jessica: Crafty Rocket Science
Kendra: Luv 2 scrap n' make cards
Lenae: Sugar Gem's Crafts
Tracy: Queenie's Scrapmad 
Becki (guest designer): The Happy Card Encouragement Factory

And last but not least, Alyssa will be giving away a release bundle (all 4 sets) to one commenter of the DT blogs (in other words if you comment on every blog you have 10 chances to win! :-))
Good luck and I hope you enjoy all the projects today. :-)

Your next stop is  Bee's Hive O' Drama .

Spring is in the air

A simple card for a friend's birthday, made with my beloved Echo Park papers (Country drive collection here). :-) Love those little birds... :-) The stamps are by My Thoughts Exactly. Twine is by The Twinery.

Basketful of blessings

It's My Thoughts Exactly Thursday, and here is my project using the brand new Easter Greetings stamps set.
Thanks to the mix and match concept of the stamps I used "of" from one sentiment and added the "blessings"from another one. This new set is not just for Easter and has several sentiments about Spring too. As you can see the "basketful" can also be used for gifts (there is a "basketful of goodies" option in the set).

I paperpieced the basket from the background paper, and added a few extra tulips with a glue dot to give it a tiny bit more dimension. Coloring was done with Prismacolor markers. (basket + tulips stamps are PTI, twine is Trendy Twine)

Don't forget to visit my fellow DT members who also have a project for you today:  Bee and Tracy. :-)

Mini tutorial: Book cover/ (stamp storage)

I'm sure everyone knows how to do this already, I learned that in school when I was 13, but just in case... here is how to make a nice looking book cover for little spiral notebooks and such.

In this case I was making a cover to store my My Thoughts Exactly stamps. :-)

I made an 8X10 cover to match the size of my zippered pouches (found those at Walmart for back to school and I should have bought more... Will definitely be on the lookout for those next August... ;-))

Step 1: Cut some cardstock to desired size. (I used old cardstock containers, because I was out of empty cereal boxes...) Glue to a piece of paper or cardstock slightly bigger then cut the corner. (I used Modge Podge to adhere my designer paper, and ran a brayer all over (the paper) to try to get a good spreading of the glue.

Step 2: Fold the extra paper all around and glue it. Add pieces of ribbon if you want to tie it shut afterwards.

Step 3:  Glue 2 pieces of cardstock or paper to finish the inside. They need to bit slightly smaller than your cover. (here I took 3/16" off from my original 8X10 measurements).

Step 4: Punch holes and use binder rings to hold everything together. I need to buy bigger rings because my little album/storage is really full... ;-) I made little reinforcers by punching cardstock with a 1/2" circle punch.

My stamps are stored in the zippered pouches, 2 sets back to back. I used a label maker to write the names of the sets at the top of the pouches, and stapled little tags on the side.

This way I can find what I am looking for in a glance... :-)

All that's left to do is tie a knot and proudly display it somewhere in your crafting area! ;-)
(and what better way to use this beautiful paper you have been hoarding forever for "that special project"? ... ;-))

ETA:  I have since found larger binder rings at Staples, which gave my inside pockets more breathing room, and enabled me to decorate them with little ribbons....

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Cloudy day

It's my posting Thursday for My thoughts Exactly, and today I used the Many Thanks stamps set.
You know me, I am slightly obsessed with rainbows and clouds... I always say that one day I will end up in a car crash because I am looking at the sky while driving... :-S And let me tell you, we have the most beautiful fluffy clouds here on the West coast of Florida!... <3 :-)

Anyway, I just HAD to use that sentiment one day or another, and the latest craze for Washi tape inspired me to make those colored rays out of patterned paper to kind of look like pieces of tape.... And that background paper from Echo Park that looks like rain drops was just begging to be used with clouds! ;-)

Don't you just love the felt clouds? (dies are by PTI) I love cards that have a textured detail on them, something that makes you want to touch them... :-) Mission accomplished with this one...

Don't forget to check my evil twin's blog and Tracy's blog for their MTE project today. :-)

Also My Thoughts Exactly February release is available for pre-order  NOW (to give you more time to work on those valentines with the kiddos... ;-)). The stamps will ship next Monday but you can go check them out on Alyssa's blog and order them here. The 1st 20 orders will receive a mini set for free. You are going to love the candy hearts, and the cute tag, and the puns sentiments... :-P As always the Design Team will have plenty of projects for you on the 1st of the month. :-)

My Thoughts Exactly: January project...

In honor of the new year and the new Design Team term (and new members) things are a little different this month at My Thoughts Exactly.
Instead of our usual group post on the 1st of the month with a new stamps set, each DT member get to be showcased for one day and Alyssa asked us to make a project with our favorite set. And Alyssa gave us a few questions to answer to get people to know the team better...

For my project I chose the Birds & Bees set. It is pretty much impossible to chose a favorite...and I could have gone with Many Thanks or Sweet Thoughts, since they also are both go-to sets for me... but I HAD to go with the bee obviously... ;-)
After all it is my nickname, and I have been lucky enough to be on the My Thoughts Exactly Design Team from the very beginning and this was the 1st set released, so it seemed only fitting to use it... :-)

I found a little bee in my stash (from a Cricut cartridge) that was perfect for what I had in mind... I used lots of foam tape and pop dots because I love dimension and had fun creating a little flower field with my 1/2 inch circle punch... ;-) And of course I had to use a tiny bit of Trendy Twine... ;-)

Below is my little interview, although I am pretty sure you know all that already:


How long have you been paper crafting?

For about 4 years.

How did you get started paper crafting?

I decided one day out of the blue to make my daughter's birthday party's invitations and started looking into rubber stamps and such. I ended up not making  the invitations that year after all, but I was hooked and started my blog shortly after that and “met” lots of other papercrafters this way and became slightly addicted!...

What is your favorite type of paper crafting project to make?

I like making cards, home décor,  gift wrapping , scrapbooking... but cards are what I  make most often because it is fast... ;-)

What is your ‘must have’ paper crafting tool?

Most definitely my dies and embossing folders. <3

What inspires you most?

I honestly  don't know. Most of the time  it all starts because of a beautiful  sheet of paper that caught my eye...

What is your favorite thing about MTE stamps?

I love their versatility, there are SO many options with them. I just love being able to play with the words, and also play with the stamps themselves like bending them to stamp in a curve etc...

What is your favorite MTE stamp set?

I can't pick just one.  I especially like the “Birds and Bees” because it was the 1^st one to come out and since my nickname is Bee I tend to use it a lot, also the “Sweet Thoughts” and the “Many Thanks” are go-to sets. But the truth is I like them all!  ;-)

And last but not least, to celebrate the new Design Team in style (and as a reward for reading this loooong post! ;-)), My Thoughts Exactly is giving away a stamps set a day till the end of the team's introduction. Since today is my pick, I chose the Birds & Bees set. For a chance at winning it, all you have to do is leave a comment here and I will pick a random winner next week. I am not asking anything from you in return, but I can only recommend that you check out our awesome Design Team. This is a bunch of talented and fun ladies and I am sure you'll enjoy visiting their blogs. :-)

To see the previous posts about the new members, their interviews and projects, visit Alyssa's blog.

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Ornament boxes

I promise, I promise this is the LAST Holiday project! ;-P
I just kept it for now because it is My Thoughts Exactly Thursday today...

So for this project, I started with 3X3 kraft boxes, from Annie's Paper Boutique.

I then heat embossed the ornament stamp from Holly Jolly Tags on each side with white powder, and colored it with Sharpies. I added little Trendy Twine bows.

The sentiment on top is from Holly Jolly Phrases. I love the font of that big H!... :-)

That's it for Holiday projects!! :-D I am ready to move on and looking forward to making a few cards for my next projects.... :-)
I hope you're enjoying a nice Holiday Season and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year! :-)

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Happy Holidays

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday! :-)
This is my project for today. I was scratching my head, trying to think of a new way (at least to me... ;-)) to showcase twine on my card...

 ...when I thought about twine "photo corners"... :-) Here I used Holly Berry for my corners.
I also couldn't resist adding a little bow to my wreath, and I decided to go with a more unexpected color: Sky

Everything is of course on pop dots, even though it doesn't show much on the picture... ;-)
The papers are from Recollection (Michael's own brand), it's hard to see in the pic but there is glitter in the paper all over. The stamp is from My Thoughts Exactly, and was heat embossed.

And now just because it is the 1st day of Hanukkah today (it starts tonight after dark), I thought I would share with you my little dreidel decoration.

Now I know it's a bit hard to figure out on this little picture but pretty much what it is is little dreidels attached with Trendy Twine to the chandelier to form a sort of mobile... Dreidels are little spinning tops with hebrew letters painted on them that kids use to play a game at Hanukkah (and win chocolate coins... ;-))

I used all kind of twine colors, attached it with hot glue, and added a little bow at the top of each dreidel for good measure... ;-D

Let me finish by wishing you all a very Happy Holiday Season. I hope you get to spend some time with your family and make new happy memories. <3

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Season's Greetings Collage

It's My Thoughts Exactly Thursday. Don't forget to check the other Bee's blog too for another project.

For my card today I decided to think a little out of the box... and used the tags from Holly Jolly Tags to make some background paper. I also intentionally stayed away from classic US Holiday colors red and green... ;-)

Then I made a slider with the same tag using embossing powders and glitter glue. Of course I had to add a tad of Trendy Twine somewhere... and then some buttons for good measure... ;-D

And there you have it. A non traditional Holiday card... :-)

My Thoughts Exactly December release: Holiday Tags

It's My Thoughts Exactly December Release!! :-D This month, with the Holidays fast approaching, My Thoughts Exactly is releasing 2 sets geared toward Christmas and Holidays... and we are bringing them to you a few days earlier than usual to give you more time... ;-)

The 1st one Holly Jolly Tags is, you guessed it ;-), a set of tags... ;-) As you'll see with my project, it lends himself to more than just Winter Holidays! :-) (for those of you who use an electronic die cutting machine, some svgs are in the work that will match those tags... ;-))

The 2nd one, Holly Jolly Phrases, will be perfect for cards and scrapbook pages, but will also work well with the previous tags.
Actually, they go so well hand in hand that My Thoughts Exactly is also selling them as a bundle! One set is $15 (shipping included) and the bundle is $25 (shipping included also). And we are happy to announce that MTE now ships worldwide! (for an additional fee, calculated at checkout, depending on the destination). Keeping in mind that those ship in an envelope, international shipping should stay reasonable... :-)

So, for my project today I decided to NOT do a Winter Holiday project!... ;-)

I made a trio of Thanksgiving favors to give to my autistic son's teachers...
I started with some adorable 2X2 Mini Kraft Boxes from Annie's Paper Boutique, and stamped all over them with a Martha Stewart stamps set in Fall colors.
I then wrapped some Orange Truffle Trendy Twine all around them and added my tags.

I used the Holly Jolly Tags set, and  filled my tags with the Many Thanks set, which I thought was just perfect for the occasion. As you can see those tags are perfect for many projects, not just Christmas-y ones! :-)

I decorated the top with 2 buttons on top of each other and yet another snippet of twine...

Those 2X2 little boxes are the perfect size to fit 6 Ghirardelli Squares, one of my favorite little favor to gift... I was so thrilled when I discovered this!!... :-D (Please don't ask why there are no props... ;-D ) I brought those to school with some Holiday coffee packs... :-)

Now I kept the best for last! My Thoughts Exactly is giving away a $5 gift card to celebrate this new release! :-) Go follow My Thoughts Exactly blog or like their Facebook page, let me know in the comments' section what you did, and I will pick a random winner on December 1st. :-)

Oh and one last thing, you still have till the 30th to apply to be a part of MTE's design team!! Check out the details here!! :-D Come on, don't be shy, we are looking for all kinds of crafters, and your enthusiasm is more important than your experience... Good luck! :-D