Faces of Love ~ Crinkled Posy Tutorial

I am so excited

that I finally have time to focus on finishing up this custom 20-page album I've been working on and wanted to share some progress pics. You might remember this little BEAUTY from some earlier layouts, my friend's darling little Grace! I just have to add a few finishing touches like some more bUtTeRfLiEs and the JoUrNaLiNg.

I love the way the posies turned out, they are so easy to make! I use circle and scallop punches, or you can use your Cricut, in varying sizes. I spritz them with water (not too much or the paper will tear); crumple them up and then uncrumple them to dry. Once they are dry, you can ink the edges and the creases if you like. Stack them up and secure with a brad or stitch a button to hold them together. Add stems or leave them as they are!

What's projects have you excited these days?

Welcome Baby Miles!

I know, I have been MIA!

Now that school is back in session, I have resumed my duties as
official shuttle bus driver for the kiddos

but I am slowly transitioning to squeezing in a few minutes of work
here and there throughout the day!

Wanted to share my latest custom order, an acrylic scrapbook.
I have had this cute little scalloped edge number just waiting to be dolled up!

and finally had the perfect chance when a friend needed a baby shower gift. You know I love creating all things "baby" and sweet, so this is to welcome little Miles!

I loaded the pages up with bling (in brown of course) and cut the page titles from upcycled chipboard (from a pack of rub ons) and added white stickles. I used stickles to embellish the album pages themselves as well.

Rub on graphics, like these glittery ones are the perfect accent for acrylic albums because they show through on the other side!

Handmade Baby Shower Part 3: Banner and Favor Tins

Did I mention I will be FLYING in for this shower???

So, yes, that means I've had to finish up certain items
like the banner and the jelly-bean filled favor tins

and ship them to Maryland!

Remember the banner in it's early stages here? Its almost ready to go in this pic...made a few more changes that you'll see when I get back!

I created a template (mine are 6 inch base, 9 inches in length) for the colored triangles and mounted them on a slightly larger white triangle.

After decorating the pennants, I punched holes on either side

at the top (about 3/4 inch in).

You can then ink the edges or add trim.

Lastly, string your ribbon or twine through the holes for an adjustable banner.

Found the palm trees and the whimsical wooden lion (already painted)

at Michael's! Perfect for the King of the Jungle theme!

And don't let me forget, the guest count for this co-ed shower is now at 100! Needless to say, ordering favors can get pricey, so I went with a fairly inexpensive option.

I already had some of these 2 oz. metal tins with clear lids in my stash, so I just ordered more.

I bought coordinating ribbon, ran strips through my Xyron >

The ribbon-wrapped tins would work well, but to give them a personal touch, I added punched circles in coordinating colors and stamped them with a lion (to match the theme of course), added thank you and adhered them to the lids!

They will add nice splashes of color to the treat table!

EtsyMom Monday ~ Handmade for Baby

In keeping with the handmade babyshower theme, I searched Etsy to find out what my EtsyMoms have handcrafted to shower baby with love. These baby-boy inspired gifts take you from play, to meal, to bath and sleeptime:


You know I'm a sucker for a good hat...isn't zbelle's crocheted newsboy hat the cutest?

Won't baby be stylin at snacktime with this "Spa Lolli Polka Dot" bib by paisleybaby???

NewEnglandGifts created the perfect hooded towel for snuggling baby after bathtime!

Have this noahbabyboutique's cozy mini blanket ready to swaddle...love the yummy chocolate and blue colors!

Loaded with Goodies ~ 1st Post in 2010

I am seriously going to have start scheduling posts!!! Since I made the decision to focus a lot more on CuStOm work until the wee ones are older, I have been working non-stop for many weeks now and I am LOOOOVIN it! This year I'm concentrating my efforts on Slowing down to speed up! What's that all about you ask? Well, in slowing down to get myself more organized and keep my priorities together, God, Family and then Business, I have seen an increase in my productivity. So, enough chatter and let me share what I've been up to! I'd have to say I have a penchant for baby stuff, so I was extremely giddy while working on these two mini albums...I think the covers turned out well.

While I haven't made up my mind yet, I'm thinking of starting another blog for my creative musings and keeping this one for promoting other crafty mompreneurs, so stay tuned for more details!

Passion for Pink and Brown

Yummy pink and brown goodness!!!! All of these wonderful finds are brought to you by the incredibly talented and creative mommies of the Etsymom Street Team. I had a hard time choosing so looks like there will have to be a part II. Go on...take a closer look! Click the photo above to shop. Also visit us here: http://etsymom.com/ Happy Easter to all of the fabulous Etsymoms!