Altering a Jar with FabRips.

I totally forgot to post this pickle jar I altered with FabRips!

See, I had this to-do list. And it wasn't like a "must get done today" list. It was more like an "over time" to-do list (like... paint china cabinet, make huge batch of bean soup, make a mini album, etc). Instead of having that daunting list, I decided that I would write each one on a strip of paper and stick them in a jar. So when I needed a project or a to-do, I'd just choose one!

So here's how it went down...

I cut some strips and laid them vertically... making sure only the top was stuck down. Then I took another strip and wove it through the vertical pieces. I cut off the remaining amount:

Then I took a 2nd strip and wove it through, making sure to have it be over and under the other strips:

(Okay, after I did this step, I decided to "change it up" and make the horizontal strips all different patterns... tee hee.) So after I had three woven in, it looked like this:

Then I took some bigger pieces of FabRips and just laid them on top of the lid. I used my CutterBee scissors to go around the inside of the lid, getting rid of the FabRips that hung over:

Then again with a little piece, so that it was all covered!

And I needed a small piece for the edge, so it would still look pretty. :-)

I did use the bicycle stamp on some white paper, cut it out, and glued it to the top (see top photo), just for something else cool to have on the lid. ;-) And then I added some Thickers on top of the FabRips on the front! And... DONE!

A totally fun project AND a great way to hold my "to do" lists. ;-)

Altering a Notepad.

I love to alter stuff. LOVE it. SOOO much. I *just* may like it better than scrapping. Yeah, probably. Maybe just a little bit. LOL. :-)

I got this cute notepad as a gift a few years ago. It's pretty, but not my style, and it certainly doesn't match my scrap room (that's important, you know)! ;-)

And when I got my new Studio Calico stuff in the mail, I HAD to do something with it. Quickly. :-D I'm not into the super-embellishing (though I do *love* looking at projects with lots of embellishments... tee hee). I just wanted a nice, small touch. I really like how it turned out...

I used the FabRips to do the edge/spine, and I folded them over, so you could see the pattern on the inside too. :-)

Here's another angle, so you can kinda see the FabRips at the top...

Products used:

Flowery paper

Birdy/Ledger paper

Woodgrain paper

Green alphas

Label sticker

Mod Podge

I had so much fun with this project! Have you seen the new Studio Calico stuff? Done anything cool? Altered anything lately? Link me up! :-D

Altering with FabRips.

So... unfortunately, my Home Depots next to me took two big doses of stupid (or at least two of the guys did...), so my laundry room project is taking much longer than expected. :-p Their mistakes on plywood and paint are just a small hiccup, and I'm hoping to be done this week! :-D

But I have had time to do some other fun projects!

These were made with Studio Calico FabRips! Seriously, you don't even need a tutorial... I just placed them on and wrapped them around, cutting off the corners. So easy and fun! :-)

I'll be back with some altered journals, some homemade bookmarks, and my latest Goodwill finds! Yay! :-)

p.s. As inspiration... how beautiful is this home I saw at House of Turquoise?! If you live in Australia, it's for sale, and it could be yours for the bargain price of $2.1 million dollars. Just sayin... ;-)

Creating with Studio Calico Ad Cards.

So... since I started subbing to Studio Calico (almost two years ago), I have been collecting their cards, ads and stickers that come in each box. (Stickers hold each brown paper back shut, and I tear each and every one off the bag and keep them in a file folder. LOL.)

At the beginning of this year, I started KitPooling with a friend, so now they go to her house. This means I get far less SC ephemera, but I figured my stash had grown large enough to FINALLY tackle this altering project I've been wanting to do. YAY!

Here is what the container looked like before. So, now, here is the container that holds my kits (you can click on all photos to make them larger)...

And I decorated each side with the stickers:

I used a sponge brush to add white paint to all the edges. (I can't do any project without *something* white, I'm afraid. ;-) ).

And so now, while I'm sitting at my computer, I get to look over and see this:

I'm stoked with how it turned out. I've seen people use these cards/ads on layouts, and I think that's really cool too! I still have a *few* left over, but I think I'll be using those for more altering projects (my SC kit photo binder)! :-D

So if you sub to SC, have you kept any cards/ads/stickers?! What do you plan to do with them?

Finishing 28 Before 29 Comes Along...

I can't believe it. I'll be 29 in 37 days. *sigh* Well, at least I got this album done *before* I turned 29! ;-)

I did this entire album with the Joyland kit from Studio Calico. I also used the add-on, Skycoaster, and I had some from Whacky Shack too. This was SUCH a fun kit with some awesome colors!

This is a pretty simple mini. I stamped a whole bunch of journal blocks, and I created my own from some of the K & Company packaging that came in the kit as well!

(How fun is it to make your own pinwheels?! EEEE! :-D )

(On this last page, I'm going to hopefully add this stamp. I don't own it though!
Ha! So I guess I'll have to get it with my next SC order! :-)

Thanks for taking a peek! Soon, I'll have photos and a tutorial of an altering project I did with FabRips. Man, I love those things! :-D

Journaling Jeremy's Favorites.

One of my favorite times of the month! A new challenge at the Journal Challenges blog!

This month, we let someone else do our journaling. I had hubby write down some of his faves, and I had a great time with this layout! (Love the colors/textures in these Crate Paper patterned papers [teal & yellow-green]!)

Cardstock: American Crafts. Patterned papers: Crate Paper, Jillibean Soup, Studio Calico.
Frames: K & Company. Alphas: Making Memories, October Afternoon.
Punches: EK Success, Fiskars. Stickers: Sassafras. Kit: Studio Calico's Joyland.

The design of this layout was inspired by a painting I saw at a Chinese restaurant. Yes, I guess I get inspiration from everywhere! ;-)

Where did you get the inspiration for your last layout or project? :-)

Creating More... YAY!

It's nice to have time to scrap lately. And *that* is awesome, since Studio Calico's May kit (plus this add-on) is one of my faves EVER! I don't ever want to put it away... LOL. Though, I've realized that I'm happier when I do simple, quick pages. For some reason, I have ADD when I scrap. LOL.

I channeled my inner-Caroline for the strips on this one... ;-)

This next page took me WAY longer than it should have, and I was glad when it was over. LOL. Jeremy works A LOT, and he's been so tired. Poor guy. :-(

Mmm... quick and clean and simple. :-)

This last layout makes me so happy! This is me (and my aunt, Joy) in 1982. The photos my dad took that day are some of my favorite photos ever.

That's it for now. I'll have more to share soon. And I think it's about time I took photos of my new scrap room... LOL. :-p

Budgeting Scrap Supplies.

This morning, I have our budget/finances open (in Microsoft Money), and I'm inputting transactions from our online bank statement into the Microsoft Money program, and I put in a transaction from Archiver's (for only $11.16, thank you very much), and after I push "save," it pops up with a little message...

"Would you like to set Archiver's up as a recurring transaction?"

As in, you spend money there so frequently that you may want to think about adding this as a weekly/monthly transaction. Umm... tee hee.

p.s. It's not as frequent as Studio Calico, but then again, SC *IS* set up as a recurring transaction... LOL.

Stamping.

I got a new toy! And since I'm so excited about it, I thought I'd give a little tutorial. :) Fun, right?! Yes, I know you're stoked about this!

I'm not much of a stamper, but I really want to try it more. So... I got these super awesome new Studio Calico stamps, but I wanted a block large enough to fit whole words. And I saw this little baby at my work (the scrapbook store, not The Container Store ;) ), and I just HAD to get it!

The Fiskars Easy Stamp Press comes in two sizes, but I got the bigger one because for just under $5 more, wouldn't you want to stamp longer words using larger alphas? I think yes!

So... first you add your acrylic stamps using the cool lines and ruler grid thing...


Then you add your ink...


Then you place it where you need it. And the cool thing about this is that it has these orange foamy feet, so when you place it on your paper, the stamps don't touch your paper... yet. You set it exactly where you want it, then you push down on it to flatten the foamy feet...


And when you lift off, the foamy feet bounce back up, and you remove the block press!



AND it has a removal plate, so if you need to stamp TWO things, and you can't get them on the same plate (or you need to layer stamped images), you just take the plate off and use the under-side of the press. They probably sell additional plates as well, so you can save designs you've created. You could make your own patterned paper in a snap!

Seriously... how cool is that?! I know, I know. The coolest. :)

You're welcome.