Tuesday, May 17, 2011

On the Cusp

It's not summer yet. The weather here is still pretty unstable and it can't quite decide if it wants to warm up. We've had warm days, but they've been followed by cold spells. Today seems bright and sunny so far and I'm hoping for a little bit of summer. The kids get out of school tomorrow and we're going to be visiting family for a bit, so I won't be posting for about a week and a half - maybe two.

I'll leave you with a cute little dress form that is super easy to make. All you need is some different types of ribbons/lace, a dress form (chipboard will do, it doesn't have to be padded), Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac and some embellishments of your choice. The dress form I used is from Ooh LaLa Design Originals.


You can click on the tutorial strip to make it a bit bigger if you like.
1. Choose a wide ribbon that takes folds fairly well. I used one that is wired. Put Fabri-Tac in a line across the bottom part of the form and fold the ribbon over it.
2. Do the same thing right above it to make a tiered skirt.
3. Use some thin ribbon for the under-bodice, just wrap it around and around, securing the ends with a dab of Fabri-Tac.
4. Pick some nice lace that will form the outer-bodice. Just secure it in the back - pull it tightly so it doesn't sag.
5. Use some decorative trim for the waist/belt and secure it in the back as well.

6. Embellish with flowers, pearls, gems, etc. I made a "price tag" for the sentiment using Spellbinders Labels Four. The paper I used was glossy, so I heat embossed the stamp so it wouldn't smear.

You can use these on cards or they can be incorporated into any home decor. They can also stand alone - you can make a stand for them or make them into ornaments and hang them. As you can see, the possibilities are endless with colors and patterns. These are a lot of fun :)

Well, thanks for taking a peek!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Spring Flowers

Yesterday I got to spend time out in the yard planting and tending flowers. I planted some beautiful Oriental Lily and Gladiolus bulbs along with some annuals. I also had two Easter Lily plants to move to the flower bed. We really didn't have anything in this yard when we moved here, so it's been a slow process of planting and moving things around. A good friend is in the hospital right now, and I wanted to bring her some flowers - unfortunately, none of mine are blooming right now. Instead, I decided to make my own flower using the fun tutorial found in the May Scrap n Art. I love how it turned out and I cannot wait to make more!


I tweaked the flower a little bit by using Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and a flower center. Make sure you check out the tutorial - it's really easy and great fun! Thanks for taking a peek :)


Cardstock: American Crafts "Weave: Butter (71040), Melon (71033)"


Adhesive: Beacon Adhesives "Zip Dry"


Paper: Cosmo Cricket


Stamps: Papertrey Ink


Tools: Spellbinders Labels Fourteen, Papertrey Ink Parisian Lace Doily die

She Art Workshop


I had the amazing privilege of taking Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop in March. Come over to the Scrap n Art blog to see my first She Art!

http://scrapnart.com/blog/theblotter/sheart

Monday, May 2, 2011

Just Because



I really like mixing and matching from different companies. It's fun to see what combinations that arise! On this card, I started off with patterned paper from Hambly Studios. It's pearlescent and just lovely. I used stamped pieces that I already had made up, so this card came together fairly quickly. The button card and sentiment are by Papertrey Ink and the dress form is from Rubber Cafe. The butterfly and scalloped circle were cut using Spellbinders dies - Butterflies 2 and Scalloped Circles. The rosette ribbon really finishes this card off; I picked it up at Hobby Lobby.

I'm right in the middle of finals, so this won't be a long post. Thanks for taking a peek!