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Avocado Arts + A Friendly Card


     Hey there friends! Here's today's card for Avocado Arts using this month's set Bold Celebrations
I stamped a cute polka dot border and frilly little border from  Bold Celebrations directly on the card, overlapping it with some cute paper trim from Crate's Farmhouse collection.

I then stamped the cute basket from the Boo To You set, trimmed it and then used it to hold flower die cuts. 

Well, that's it for me today! Make sure to visit the rest of the crew to see the fabulousness that they've come up with


materials:

GCD + Girly Birthday Cards


     Hey there friends! This month GCD Studios is celebrating children. From children's crafts to children's toys and home decor to cute little cards for kids as well. Today I'm going to share two cards that would be perfect for a girl's birthday. 

"Floral Tween Birthday" Card
 This first card would be perfect for a tween's birthday with the pretty floral patterned paper banner and the cute little banner and polka dot stamped images.

 Layering a few of the banner pennants with some foam tape makes some of the patterned paper stand out! Try arranging the banner asymmetrically on the card to draw interest to it. A few pearls add the finishing touches.

"Birthday Gift Trio Card" Card
This birthday card would be great to give to a little girl! What little girl wouldn't like the cute paper-pieced presents and scalloped ribbon detail? I stamped presents on patterned paper and then pieced them together, choosing brightly colored ribbon to add some softer texture.

I stamped the polka dot panel in the background to create a confetti-type festive backdrop for the gifts. I added foam tape to the center gift to give this card some dimension. Sometimes you don't need a sentiment if the theme of the card is straight-forward, hence the birthday gifts!

Supplies: "Floral Tween Birthday" Card: Splendor collection: Heirloom (1678), Letter Tiles (1680), Posies (1683), Woven Chevron (1684), Tiny Blossoms (1685). Other Supplies: Clear stamps: Sentiment (PTI), Dotted border and scallops (Avocado Arts). Ink (Tsukineko). Pearls (Queen & Co.) White Cardstock (Bazzill). Corner rounder (Fiskars).
"Birthday Gift Trio" Card: Oh Happy Day collection: Emily Rose (1763), Hailey (1767), Priscila (1768), Savannah (1772). Splendor collection: Tiny Blossoms (1685). Other Supplies: Clear stamps: Scallops stamp (Avocado Arts). Ink (Tsukineko). White Cardstock (PTI). Sew Ribbon Tool (We R Memory Keepers).

SEI + Gift Box Set

If it's not apparent yet, you have to know my deep-rooted obsession for SEI's Field Notes collection and for dimensional projects. I adore layering and I adore cute little items so today's project is just that, a gift box duo.


I used my Silhouette to die cut a pillow box base from paper found in SEI's Field Notes assortment pack. Then I fussy cut a large butterfly from Butterfly collection and added it to layers of Sarsaparilla and paper from the Field Notes paper pad.

SEI's photo corners are so cute and make a nice anchor for a pattern-heavy project. To soften up a lot of patterns I added some soft texture through the use of ribbon, lace and pom pom trim.

For my second gift box I used my Silhouette to die cut this fun round box using paper found in SEI's Field Notes paper pad. I love the combination of black, white and yellow so I tie some yummy and lush yellow ribbon to secure the top of the box. It'll be super easy to untie this box an open up the surprises inside, but also re-tie it and use it again!

 I embellished the tag with strips of patterned paper, notched at the ends and added a botanical die cut layered on top. I even added a pretty little pearl to top it off.

I can't wait to use these gift boxes to give a friend a pretty little gift!

materials:

Avocado Arts + Hot Air Balloons

      Hey there friends! It's sneak peak day for next month's release from Avocado Arts. I'm here with the rest of the Pit Crew to share with you ideas on how you can combine this month's current set, Bold Celebrations with next month's release which is super duper cute! Next month's set is so fresh and fun, definitely one to add to your collection! So, without further ado, here's today's card.
I used my Silhouette to die cut the hot air balloons from cardstock and then die cut it multiply times from patterned paper. Because these balloons are cut files you can flip them, rotate them and and angle them in your electronic die cutting machine. I layered the flag banner die cut to the balloon die cut and stamped the image on one hot air balloon.
I then adhered the die cut hot air balloons to the negative cut outs of the cardstock and adhered the cardstock panel to the card with foam tape.  

The sentiment is a combination of two stamps. I stamped Celebrate from Bold Celebrations and  the perfect day from next month's release. The bottom edge is stamped with the polka dots from Bold Celebrations.

Well, that's it for me today! Make sure to stop by the other Pit Crew blogs for amazingly creative and inspiring ideas!


materials:

SEI + A Pretty Floral Home Decor Frame



Hey there friends! I love paper-crafting! I like making cards, wraps, gifts and even home decor items. Showcasing what I make in my home is always a pretyt way to remind me why I love this hobby so much. So, for today I'm going to share with you a pretty home decor piece I made using SEI's Field Notes collection, which I absolutely am in love with--by far my favorite collection of all time with the rich colors and bold patterns. This home decor item was super fun and easy to make. You could even change out the colors and patterns so that the home decor piece could also suit any holiday.

To create the background for the frame I trimmed Specimen from the Field Notes collection to fit the 5" x 7" frame. Then I die cut and adhered "Home" from the blue foil paper found in the Field Notes paper pad. Voila! It's that easy!

     This home decor frame is perfect in my living room with it's striking, rich colors, motifs and patterns. If you haven't picked up the Field Notes collection, do it!! Trust me--you'll simply LOVE it!

SEI CHA Summer 2012 SNEAK PEAKS!!!

     Hey there friends!! I am so excited for SEI's CHA 2012 release! A couple weeks ago SEI shared a few sneak peaks, but in case you mixed it, here are three of my favorites from their five new collections!


Mirelle is my favorite of the release! I am loving the fuchsia and plum-infused colors
that mix together with a chartreuse, turquoise and green! SUPER trendy colors, and fun fabric-like prints!


Entrada is a fun, graphic-infused explosion of delicious greens, yellows and oranges with amazing motif patterns! Loving the bright and warm colors for this fall collection.


Berry Melody is the yummiest and cutest Christmas collection! The pinks, reds, browns and turquoise are super duper fresh and fun! Look at these




GCD + Children's Art Wall Decor


     Hey there friends! This month at GCD Studios we'll be focusing on children all month long! From ideas for fun crafts and projects that you can do with your children to gifts you can give to a special child in your life, you'll find great ideas at the blog and in our online magazine.
    Today's project is a super fun and easy wall decor piece that your child can help you make that you can display in your house!
All you'll need are four squares of cardstock, your favorite GCD patterned paper and a circle punch! Your child can help you trace the circle, punch the smaller circles and adhere them to the cardstock!

 What's fun about this particular project is that you can swap out the patterned paper and cardstock for a quick holiday piece too! Now the little kiddos have every reason to raid your craft room and create this super easy and fun wall decor piece!

STEPS TO MAKE CHILDREN'S WALL DECOR PIECE
 1. Trim four 6" squares of cardstock and secure panels to work surface
 with removable tape

 2. Center a plate on the cardstock and trace a large circle over 
all four squares.

3. Check to make sure your circle is centered.

 4. Circle punch patterned paper and adhere to paper following pencil lines, 
layering and off-setting the scallop as you go.

Well, that's it for me today! Check the blog for more amazing ideas and projects all month long!

Supplies: "Kid's Wall Decor": Country Charm collection: Country Bloom (1505), Farm Field Stripe (1506), Floral Field (1507), Handycraft (1508), Picnic Blanket (1509), Strawberry Jam (1510), Super Star (1511), Sweet Floral (1512), Tiny Floral Border (1513), Weekend Fun (1515). Other Supplies: Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida).

Avocado Arts + Wedded Bliss


     Hey there friends! So excited to share this SUPER DUPER adorable new set called Bold Celebrations from Avocado Arts with you! I am also happy to celebrate our first post with our lovely new Pit Crew members Teri Anderson and Julie Masse. They're fabulous ladies and great designers and will be joining  Emily Leiphart, Kelly Eubanks  and I on the 7th, 15th and 22nd!

For this card I wanted to show the versatility of this set for more than just a birthday celebration. I used the cake image as a wedding cake and stamped Wedding from the Borders and Sentiments  set over the wedding cake image. Behind the raised panel I stamped Celebrate from this month's set, Bold Celebrations.

This cute little banner is die cut from the coordinating cut file available! I love stitching cute little banners!

Well, that's it for me today! Make sure to visit the rest of the crew to see the fabulousness that they've come up with


materials:

SEI + A Stamped Card Duo


     Hey there friends! Today I am going to show you how you can integrate stamping into your cardmaking with two different cards. I love layering patterned paper and using stamps to compliment a paper collection. Sometimes it can be hard to pick a stamp set to work with. Should you choose to make a card focused around a stamp motif adding patterned paper you think is pretty, but not really appropriate? Should you use a patterned paper to set the tone of the card, hoping the stamp will just fit? Starting off can be hard, but the following suggestions should help you make a card that's the perfect mix of stamping and paper layering.

     For this card I wanted to create unified design using patterned paper and a stamped image. One of the easiest ways to select patterned paper for a card is to choose a maximum of three coordinating patterns and/or colors to work with so that you're not overwhelmed with too many colors or patterns. For the first card I chose to use Lime Rickey, The Big Slab and Boogie Woogie from SEI's Mayberry collection. The map image, arrows and coordinating colors worked really well with the stamp set from Studio Calico. Once you have the papers selected choose one strong stamp or border image and a sentiment if you like. I like stamping images directly on patterned paper sometimes, but you can also stamp on cardstock. Try playing around with where you'd like to place the image. Don't be afraid to try something new, whether in placement, direction or a stamping technique. For this card I chose to place the border stamp on one edge, and stamp the sentiment below the patterned paper map. The sentiment was too long for where I wanted to place it so I decided to divide the sentiment into two lines, stamping half the sentiment on the top line, and the other half below.


      I love layering patterned paper, so I fussy cut some arrows from patterned paper an added it near the arrow border to add dimension and unify the stamp to the design motif of the card; direction.


     For the next card I chose another easy idea for incorporating stamping in my cardmaking; coordinating your stamps and patterned papers. I liked the word "photograph" from a Studio Calico set, but I also liked the nostalgic camera images from "Nostalgia" which is from SEI's new Mayberry line. So, I decided to combine them creating a theme for the card. I stamped the word repeatedly and fussy cut a camera and a man taking a picture. Then, I trimmed a polaroid from "Jive."  To utilize the negative space in the card, I placed a large arrow over the polaroid directing the viewer's eyes to same arrrow border from the first card, unifying the duo.


     Unlike the first card I stamped directly on the cardstock instead of patterned paper. To make this card a little more interesting and more dimensional, I trimmed away some of the card front and stamped the arrow border on the inside. Stamping on cardstock doesn't need to always be flat, playing around with the placement of a stamped image can make a simple card even more dynamic. 

Well, that's it for me today! I hope that you'll be inspired to try using stamping with your patterned paper.

materials:
Patterned paper: (Lime Rickey, The Big Slab, Boogie Woogie, Nostalgia from Mayberry collection) SEI. Accents: (Arrow die cut from Mayberry collection) SEI. Clear Stamps: Studio Calico. Dye Ink: (Tuxedo Black, Tangerine) Tsukineko.
 
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