File Folder Mini Album - A London Daybook

Happy Friday! Yipee! This week was Open House so Friday couldn't come soon enough!

Here's a project I created for my local scrapbook store, Pages From the Heart. This month I was asked to work with the Simple Stories Urban Traveler collection. This is a travel themed line. As I haven't taken any big trips lately (insert sad face here), I asked my BFF if I could make her an album with pictures from a trip she took to London for New Year's. She graciously agreed and off I went!

I have seen a lot of DIY versions of the Amy Tangerine Daybook lately (If you want to drool over some seriously amazing Daybooks, check out Hello. I'm a Paper Addict) and decided to give it a try. I also wanted to try and use a file folder to make it a little sturdier.

I started with a regular, legal-sized file folder. I wanted to keep the tab so I cut from the other side of the folder, leaving the crease in the middle of the front cover. I wanted pockets so that BFF could save any brochures or other memorabilia without having to glue it down. I folded the bottom of the folder up so that I had a pocket on the front and back covers. After choosing and arranging the paper for the inside, I used embroidery thread to sew a seam down the center. I secured it with some washi tape. Shall we have a peek inside?

I even dared to doodle and stitch!

Lots and lots of layers.

Put my We R Lucky 8 punch to use.

I also FINALLY used my Smash* Label Maker.

I can see why people enjoy Daybooks - it came together fairly quickly! From start to finish, the whole project took me about 3 hours (which is a MIRACLE for me).

You can check this album out at Pages From the Heart in Monrovia. Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with:
Use Your Stuff: Challenge #85 Tool Time (We R Lucky 8 Punch and Smash* Label Maker)
Purple Mailbox: April Layout Love Linky (soapHOUSEmama also recently made a file folder album!)

XOXO,

Reviewing 2012...in an Altered Altoids Can!

Happy Monday ya'll!

Had the day off today and I meant to get some crafting in. However it is now 5:00 p.m. and still no crafting! So I thought I would at least share a project on the blog and that way I can say I did SOMETHING productive today (aside from watch The Bachelor tonight, of course!).

I had seen altered Altoids cans floating around in the World Wide Web for awhile now and so I asked my husband to start saving these little cans for me. I started by spray painting my can silver. Then I followed this fabulous tutorial by Patter Cross over at Create x3.

This project was created for Pages From the Heart. They gave me the Antique Chic collection by We R Memory Keepers. The colors in this collection are gorgeous!

 

It's not often that I do a project that is all about me so I enjoyed putting this together and reminiscing over some of my favorite moments from 2012. Thanks for reading!

I am entering this project in Monday Craft Madness #12 over at Scrapbook Steals. The theme this week is "You are.."



XOXO, 

My December Daily

Hello crafters! As I shared previously, this year I am attempting a December Daily. December is my favorite month of the year so the idea of an entire project dedicated to it sounded like fun. However, I have already fallen behind. But I determined that this project was not going to stress me out and that it was for me, alone. So as long as I am having fun, then I will consider it a success!

I shared a page last week and today I have two more. As a recap, here are my first three pages.

I may not be sitting down to scrap on a daily basis, but I am taking at least a picture a day. I figure at some point I'll catch up. For the days when I am not doing anything "Christmasy" I have this list to help me out. I am using a Simple Stories Sn@p binder but have yet to make a cover.

So far I am really enjoying this project. It's low stress because it's about what is important to me and what I notice at Christmas. I hope I can keep it up!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Halloween Pumpkin Wall Hanging for CutCardstock!

Howdy! Happy weekend! It's a beautiful morning here in Southern California. Some light drizzle and cool weather - love it! I am a part of a 2-day crop this weekend at Pages From the Heart and so far it is so fun! But boy do you need stamina to crop for two whole days! I'm off for day two in a bit but wanted to share a project first.

CutCardStock.com is an awesome source for envelopes and cards. Their paper quality is AMAZING. I entered a fall-themed challenge on their blog last month and was so surprised to have won 1st place! I was asked to be a guest designer for this month and here is what I created.

You can view some detailed pictures as well as see what supplies I used by heading over to the CutCardStock blog. Thanks to CutCardStock for allowing me to be a part of your blog today!

XOXO,

My First Try at a Fall Mantel

Happy fall everyone! I know it has officially been autumn for a while now but for us here in Southern California, we are just now getting our cooler weather. And I am so thankful for that!

In an attempt to conjure thoughts of cooler weather (it didn't work), I started working on our mantel as soon as the calendar said it was fall. Earlier this year we moved into a house with a beautiful fireplace. This is my first time living in a house with a mantel! After drooling over beautiful mantel pictures online over the last few years, I was excited to give it a try myself. So on an obscenely hot fall day, my roomie (a.k.a. partner in crime) and I started to piece this together...

I found that fabulous printable at Craftily Ever After. I put it in a frame I got at Dollar Tree and it worked perfectly. The topiary is a project I made last year. I found some pumpkins at Trader Joe's and my BFF found the beautiful garland and little owl (isn't he precious!).

I saw the idea for this wreath on Pinterest (of course) and am so happy with how it came out. You can see the tutorial and original inspiration at Craftaholics Anonymous. It took me half of the Emmy's to finish this guy and a couple of runs to JoAnns. And yes, I judge how long something takes to make by what I am watching on tv. Don't judge.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Back to School Rolodex Mini-Album

Welcome back! Today I have my last back to school project. This time instead of a teacher gift I have a mini-album for proud parents to display their children's school pictures. I made the album using a Rolodex.

You can read more about how I made this and also see the supply list over on the Pages From the Heart blog.

A special thanks to my friend Jenny and her precious son Mason for letting me use their pictures! Thanks guys!

XOXO,

Back to School Post-It Note Holder

Hi there! I'm back with another back to school project that your favorite teacher would definitely appreciate. This project is featured this week on the Pages From the Heart blog as well. This month I was given the new Authentique "Curiosity" collection to work with.

 

I used a sign holder I found at an office supply store to make the holder. You can read more about how I made this as well as see the supply list by heading over to the Pages From the Heart blog.

Thanks for reading! I'll be back later this week with my last back to school project.

XOXO,

Back to School Teacher Gifts!

Happy September! I love summer and this past summer was an absolute blast. But I am looking forward to cooler evenings, beautiful fall colors, and the upcoming holidays. As a teacher myself, September also means back to work/school. This month I'll be sharing a few school-related projects that I have been working on for both Scrap it With a Song and Pages From the Heart. First up: SIWAS!

This month's first challenge over at Scrap it With a Song is the classic "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. I took the song and used it as inspiration for a gift that would be perfect for a teacher at any time of the year. And could easily hold a Starbucks gift card. I'm just sayin' (wink, wink).

I made this altered paint can using Authentique's "Curiosity" collection. This is a fun school-themed collection using colors that are not typical of school themed-collections. I think that is what makes it so fun to work with!

Please check out how this song inspired the rest of the Scrap it With a Song design team. If you feel inspired then please join in on this month's challenge.

Happy back to school and for those of you who haven't started yet, I'm very jealous.

I linked this project to:



I'm also linking to the CutCardStock.com fall-themed challenge!

XOXO,

A Beach Day Photo Tray You Say?

This is my week over on the Pages From the Heart blog. I made three projects using the Authentique "Fresh" collection. It's a beach-themed collection but the colors work for just about any event!

 

My grandma comes to visit every summer and the one thing she always wants to do is dip her feet in the ocean. I wanted a special way to display these pictures and photo trays are a great means for that.

You can read more about this project as well as see the supply list over on the Pages From the Heart blog. I will also be teaching this as a class on August 23rd at Pages! Thanks for reading!

XOXO,
Becky

Pages From the Heart: Authentique Mini-Album

Today I have Part 2 of my Pages From the Heart reveal for this month. I was given Authentique's "Carefree" collection to play with. I made a card and this mini-album.

This collection is so much fun for summer pictures. If you'd like to see the supply list then please head over to the Pages From the Heart blog.

Have a happy and SAFE 4th of July!

XOXO,

4th of July Wreath

Good morning everyone! I am really enjoying our new place. Sometimes I feel like I am in the country somewhere. I'm sitting next to our big bay window and can hear lots of birds chirping. So peaceful! Make me want to do a whole lot of nothin'!

With 4th of July quickly approaching, I decided our home needed some sprucing up to prepare for this important holiday. I had made this Valentine's Day wreath earlier this year and wanted to try something similar, only with paper.

Here is what a Friday night looks like for me!

And that eventually turned into this...

I used some chipboard that I had buried in one of my drawers to cut the frame. The paper is called Glory and it is by Authentique. I found it at my local scrapbook store. I love that the colors are a little muted and that it has this musical themed paper.

Have a happy Wednesday everyone! Thanks for reading!

Linking this to:



XOXO,

Money Lei a.k.a Dollar Bills Ya'll!

It's been a busy month around here! The school year is over and I've been enjoying the beginning of my summer break. I've kind of felt like my kitty, Normandy.

I have FINALLY been able to get back into my craft room and start making some stuff. I think my hands were getting restless!

My first project of the summer was to make a money lei. My little sister (she's my husband's sister but I've claimed her now!) graduated from college and I didn't just want to give her cash. Of course I had to make it a little more difficult!

My grandparents had given me a money lei when I graduated from college and after some Internet research, I decided to give it a shot.

You will need:
$60-$75 crisp one dollar bills
Lei
Small paper clips

I found a lei at the dollar store to use as the base. The flowers added some color and the lei had the perfect spacing for the folded dollars. I began by accordian folding one dollar bill. I then folded each side down to create a circle. I paper clipped one end first.

I wrapped the other end around the lei and then paper clipped the other side. I was able to add two dollars between the flowers.

My dollars were folded a little thick so I used about $68 dollars. The amount of money you need will depend on how tightly or not you fold each dollar.

I think the new graduate was happy. Congrats, sister!

I am linking this up to:



XOXO,

Moms and an Altered Clipboard

Happy Thursday! Thursday means that Friday is just around the corner. Yippee!

My last two projects for Pages From the Heart were revealed this week. The first was a layout I made featuring our beautiful moms on Easter.

The second project was an altered clipboard. I made a large clipboard earlier this year and when I found these miniature clipboards at Dollar Tree a few months ago I had to try it again! This time I skipped the Mod Podge and glued everything using Scrappy Glue.

As always, you can read the supply list and some more details about each of these projects on the Pages From the Heart blog. Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!

XOXO,

I Feel...WICKED!

Three years ago my husband took me to see the play Wicked. I saw it two more times after that because I loved it so much. I've had pictures from that first show I went to buried in my picture stash, waiting for me to decide how to use them. On the Shop Hop last year I came across the Wizard of Oz collection by Graphic 45 and then it sat there for a little while until I came up with this:

I still get choked up whenever I hear any of the songs from Wicked. My husband very patiently waited behind the Pantages Theater with me that night while I waited for the actors to come out and sign autographs. So I knew that I needed an extra special display for these pictures.

I used three acrylic transparencies and connected them with ribbon. I used paper from an old dictionary for the flowers. The title was printed on the computer and cut on my Cricut. This little display sits on my scrap desk and it still makes me smile!

I am linking this up to Scrap it With a Song, whose challenge just happens to be this exact song title! Thanks for looking!


XOXO,

Lucky in Love

For the month of March, the Pages From the Heart design team was given the challenge of creating a project involving luck. I was brainstorming different lucky monikers and decided upon "Lucky in Love." I had been wanting to create something to hold some love letters my husband and I wrote to each other while he was traveling for his job. This was a challenging time for the two of us so these letters really mean a lot to us.

I began with a plain white box that I found at Michaels. Using Doodlebugs' Colorwheel and Petite Prints Collections, I covered the white box section by section, adhering the paper with Mod Podge. I let it set overnight and then started embellishing. The Cute Cuts I had leftover from my January project kit were perfect for the top of the box. The inside looked a little bare so I added some more of the Colorwheel paper. The inside of the lid will eventually have some journaling describing the situation my husband and I were in at the time.

I truly love this collection and am so glad I could squeeze another project from my scraps! You can read the supply list over on the Pages From the Heart blog.