Farewell to Summer ~~Petaloo~~

A new school year is always so bittersweet.  Our family likes to camp and the beginning of a new school year means that we will only be able to camp a few more times before winter snow is here.  It is also a time that my daughter is excited to go back to school and see her friends again.  

This layout I created using a photo from our most recent camping trip at the lake.

I love love love those big, yummy Darjeeling flowers and I have a soft spot for the fabric flowers from the Expressions line.  They scream of late summer flowers, soft-wispy breezes, dragonflies flitting around and honeysuckle in the air.

I tucked in a Vintage Dazzler with butterflies on it.  I keep a big stack of these on hand because they tuck in so nicely onto my pages and I adore them for card making.

The little green beauties you see are from the Core'dinations Color Match series.  They are Mulberry Paper Flowers and the color is Mantis Green.  Really pretty.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!  I hope you have all had a wonderful summer and that your childrens' new school year is starting off well!!!  Pumpkins and apples are in the air.  :)

XO, Lisa

Swirlydoos January Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

Happy New Year and Welcome to Swirlydoos January Kit Reveal Blog Hop BLOCK PARTY!!! 

If you came here from Petaloo's blog, then you are on the right track.  If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there.  We have some amazing projects for you to see today and as a bonus we have 4 manufacturer blogs that are joining in the fun!! There are 5 prize packs up for grabs so make sure to follow along and have fun!!?

Introducing, Mystical Winter. 

I based this page on the sketch that came with the kit.  The photo is one I took during our Halloween photo shoot at camp.  I brought it into Photoshop and applied an MCP action to it.  I really LOVE how it looks IRL.  The other two photos I found by searching for copyright free winter images on Bing.

I added this piece of Dusty Attic from my stash.  Between all of the add-on kits, we received 3 bottles of Tattered Angels mist.  I used two of them on this frame and then roughed up the inside edges with my rasp tool.  I stamped off the edge on the one side and then used bronze embossing powder around the outside edges.  I added gesso to the Petaloo Berry Branch to give it a wintery look.  I also misted, then heat embossed with silver, the Prima Roses.

This is a photo of my little Wonderland Cutie when she was just 2 years old. Awww.  This page is the beginning of my Hide & Peek Series over at Swirlydoos!

I used my Tattered Florals and Leaves die to create these whimsical blooms and leaves. I used some of the bling from our Bling Me Baby kit to dress up my blooms.  We received a strand of pom-pom string (I don't know how else to describe it LOL) and I decided to cut it into pieces and add it to my flower cluster.

I used a chipboard shape from a mini book as a template for my card stock. I dry embossed it, then heat embossed it with bronze in some places and finally used some gold ink to highlight other areas.  I punched 2 holes along the edge and then threaded ribbon through it.  Notice the metal photo corner there on the edge.  Wellll, pull it toward you and this is what you get.....

Sometimes I have a series of photos that were taken at the same time and I may not want them to be front and center, but I still like them.  Soooooo, I decided to make a mini book on my page.  Close it back up and no one knows!  Hide and Peek!

I am hosting this month's SwirlyHues Blog Challenge at Swirlydoos.  This is my example page for our color challenge.  This is my kiddo at her 5th birthday party.  That was 5 years ago this month.  *sniff...someone please pass a tissue* We went to a Nature Preserve which is literally a stone's throw away from home.  It was so cold that day.  The camp counselor walked the kids down to a frozen beaver damn.  It was beautiful; frozen in time and all glittery in the sun.  The counselor showed the kids what the logs look like when the beavers chew them and then showed the kids how they could do it too.....on pretzel sticks!  LOL  It was really cute.

I made this flower, and the two other blue ones, using the stamp set that came in our kit!

 I used bling from our Bling Me add on to embellish this piece of Dusty Attic.  I also used two different embossing powders on it.  The large white snowflake was made using the stamp set from the main kit and gesso that came in our technique kit! Voila! 


You have until midnight, eastern time, on January 15th to complete the hop. In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:
1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are beautiful things to see along the way.
2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down.
Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence.
3: Finally, go back here to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had AND tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected.

My special word is : "they"

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR VISITING ME TODAY!!!! XOXOXO, Lisa

The party continues over at Prima's blog.  Have fun!

Petaloo & Graphic 45 - A match made in heaven!

It is Petaloo & Graphic 45 Inspiration Week!!!

These two amazing companies are pairing up this week.  There are chances to win prizes at each blog.

Petaloo - Blog

Graphic 45 - Blog

Wow, wow, wow!  Those of you who know me, know that I love all things vintage.  These things have a story to tell if you listen.  WELL, Graphic 45 never disappoints when it comes to warm and vintage and pair that up with Darjeeling and it is a match made in heaven.

 I decided to take a wooden book box and transform it into a Paradise Wish Box.  This can be used to hold vacation treasures or pictures of places you hope to go someday.  This is the book cover and I really love how rich the colors are.  Tell me those Darjeeling flowers aren't perfect!  The colors are soooo deep and yummy and perfectly sized to accent this project.

 I used some of the Tropical Travelogue chipboard embellishments on my cover.  I added a jump ring and hung a tag from it.  I also added some Advantus Metal Wing embellishments.  When I think of tropical places I think of warm breezes and the feeling of being free from everyday life.  The metal wings symbolize that for me.  I bent the chipboard tickets and rounded them to give my cover some added dimension.

I really, really love this paper. The pattern, the color...all of it.  I used some additional chipboard pieces as well as a sticker to embellish my binding.

I used the chipboard file tabs for a way to easily open the box.  I embellished the inside of the box with more chipboard.  I also fussy cut some other images and added a few calendar bingo cards.  I tucked a few Petaloo Mini Darjeeling flowers in the corners.  We will be using this box to store some favorite mementos and picture of places we would like to go.

This is a picture of my niece and my DD.  It was taken in the Outer Banks of North Carolina in March of 2008.  Aren't they cute!  We had family from Florida meet us in the Outer Banks for a family vacation.  It was such a nice week for the kids.

 I'm going on record right now and saying that I HAVE TO HAVE A TRUCK LOAD OF THOSE WHITE DARJEELING TEA STAINED LEAVES!!!! Aren't they gorgeous?

Thank you so much for stopping by and please make sure to go to Petaloo's and G45's blogs for a chance to win some amazing prizes!!

XO, Lisa

Petaloo & Quick Quotes Blog Hop

Petaloo has partnered up with Quick Quotes for a blog hop this week and there are PRIZES to be had.  Jump on over and check it out.  Click HERE

All I can say is O.M.Goodness!  The Julie Je t'aime paper line from Quick Quotes is stunning!  Your page will just put itself together.  LOVE that Dusty Attic frame!!!  I painted it, misted it and then embossed it in random places.  I wanted to grunge it up a bit so that it matched the paper.

I added one of Quick Quotes' instant quotes (phew, that was a lot to say LOL) and it gives my page that little something-something it was looking for. 

So get this...not only did I get this phenomenal paper to work with, but I also received some of my mooooooost favorite flowers; the Glittered Fleurs and Canterbury Naturals!!!  *somebody fan me* LOL  Aren't those colors yummy?!

  

I know!  Chistmas!!!  *runs screaming out of the room*  I can't help it.  I'm going to let you in on a secret....... blue, plum and sparkly are my 3 favorite Christmas colors!  When I took a look at the flowers and paper I knew that I needed to make a winter time page.

I took a few strips of paper that I had trimmed and created a braid with it. 

YUM!!!  Look at those little Canterbury Forget Me Nots just dripping down the page. Gorgeous!

 

I finished off my page by decorating this spray with sparkly snowflakes and more yummy flowers.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy the blog hop!!!

XO, Lisa

Treasures Past - Petaloo

It wasn't so long ago that when the holidays came around people dressed up their everyday items instead of buying things to decorate with.  I was thinking of watching old movies and seeing women pulling boxes out from their hope chests; boxes that held treasured memories and trinkets.  That thought was the inspiration behind this altered box. 

I took a plain box and painted it with crackle paint and then used an ephemera pack to create a collage around the box.

Would you look at those poinsettias!  They are so beautiful and I decided to cluster them around a cream mixed bloom to help them pop!  I added those gorgeous green Velvet Berry Picks to fill out the cluster a bit more and bordered the whole thing with that fabulous green Canterbury Vine spray.

I tore and distressed some kraft resist paper and using a stencil I added some molding paste to decorate the top.  

I also created a cracked glass tag to help give it a more vintage and worn feel.

I don't know why but when I look at this I think of Judy Garland in Meet Me In St. Louis when she was singing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

Supplies Used:

Chantilly Poinsettias in red

Chantilly Velvet Berry Picks in green

FloraDoodles Mixed Blooms in cream

Canterbury Vine Spray in green

Here is a card I made using the same Poinsettias and Velvet Berry picks.

Supplies Used:

Chantilly Poinsettias in Red

Chantilly Velvet Berry Picks in Red

Chantilly Velvet Hydrangeas

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Hugs, Lisa

It's the Little Things...

It's the little things like the way you stand with your hand on your hip, the mischievous smile on your face, the leaf stuck in your hair because you just had to jump into a big pile of leaves.  There are so many little things about you that I notice.  Moments captured on film like this can even make me remember the smell of the brightly colored crispy leaves, the way the late autumn sun felt on my skin and danced through the trees; It's always the little things.

I don't think I've been able to keep secret how much I ADORE the new velvet blossoms from Petaloo.  They are perfect for plumping up your flower arrangements. Look at those flowers.  They scream AUTUMN!  All I wanted after finishing this page was to go bake a pie and light a cinnamon candle. :)

How cute are those mini blossoms?  They are perfectly paired with Darjeeling and a sprinkling of cream mixed blooms.

I hoard these berry sprigs.  Really, I do.  I can never get enough of them because they go so perfectly with my flower clusters.  So, the next time you go to buy some and they are sold out, well...you know who to come looking for!  :D

I had a lot of fun finishing this Dusty Attic circle frame.  First I painted it and then I stamped over it and then I used embossing powder in a few areas.  It has such a great textured look.

I had some left over lace from May Arts.  It was white, but I used my Inchworm mist and sprayed it green.  I love the way it came out and I really like the texture and dimension it brings to my page.  I finished it off by adding a little bottle cap, lace and a chipboard button. 

Thanks for stopping by!!!  

XO, Lisa

Hope Chest - featuring Petaloo

Soooooo, I got my hands on Glitz's new paper line, Beautiful Dreamer and I knew immediately that flowers from Petaloo's Devon collection would be perfect!  This is my loose interpretation of the September sketch from Flying Unicorn.  Did you know that Petaloo's Devon collection of flowers is made from recycled cotton and silk?  How cool is that?!  I chose the Bristol flowers in white, pink and fuschia.  They really look perfect with this paper.

I chose to use a dress form made by Dusty Attic to keep with my girly theme.  I painted it using an Adirondack Paint Dabber in Snow Cap.  Then I used a "stone wall" stamp to give my clock rub on from 7 Gypsies a background and some depth. I glued a small black feather to where a dress bussel would normally be.  I finished it off by hugging it with more Bristol flowers.  

I really love the nested frames and corner bracket from Dusty Attic.  I painted both the nested frame and the corner bracket in Snow Cap.  Then I used Tattered Rose Distress Paint on the frame and finished it off by lightly embossing it with Bridal Embossing powder by Ranger.  When you emboss over crackle paint it really emphasizes the texture made by the crackle.  I used some Chestnut Roan to highlight some of the edges on the bracket and then embossed that as well.

I have these kraft envelopes in my stash that have been jumping out of my drawer begging to be used!  I first lightly painted it using Snow Cap.  Then I misted over it with a golden walnut colored mist whose name escapes me at the moment LOL.  I let the mist pool up and then let it soak in and dry on its own.  Adirondack's paint dabbers act as a resist so you really need to be patient and not mess with the mist.  It won't all sink in, but it gave me enough of a tint that I was happy with it.  After it dried I crinkled it up a bit and broke down some of the paper fibers making sure to give myself some wrinkles.  I used some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to highlight the edges and wrinkles.  I then used some Memento ink and a few small stamps to give the envelope some additional visual interest.  Finally I added some lace and a metal butterfly and I was done.

Thanks for stopping by!!  I have some Miss Art's news coming up in a few days!  Stay tuned. :)

XO, Lisa

New Petaloo!

Color me excited when I received some new Petaloo product AND got to have a few of my projects go to CHA!  Seriously, you could have knocked me over with a feather.  Here are my projects that got to attend CHA.

Alright.  I'll admit it.  I LOVE the Chantilly Velvet Mini Blossoms.  They are perfect for filling in spaces in your flower clusters and for the leading edge of a vine.  On this page I used the velvet minis in blue.  The color contrast gave me the perfect "pop" for the muted tans and greens of the Graphic 45 paper I used.

I ran my picture through Photoshop Elements and gave it a high contrast black and white finish.  I then painted, embossed and stickled the Dusty Attic frame to set my photo on.  I also embossed the chipboard wings using Lindy's Stamp Gang Angel Wings Gold and then added some feathers to give the photo a dreamy look.

The mini blooms coordinate so well with the mixed cream flowers also from the Chantilly collection.

 I really love how the vintage paper from Tim Holtz accents perfectly the rich pink hues of the Petaloo Canterbury Glittered Fluers along with my black and white photo.  To me, this has a classic and warm look.  The photo (left to right) is my step-granddaughter, my step-daughter and my daughter.  I really love this photo.

I used some metal to create one of the layers my photo is sitting on.  I ran it through my Cuttlebug and embossed it.  Then I added some rusty hinge alcohol ink to it, warped and curled the edges.  I added some Coordinations paper to the layers.

I really love the Dusty Attic flourishes and skeleton clocks.  I hoard them!  LOL  I treated the flourishes with crackle paint and then embellished them with copper colored pearls.  I once again used some Lindy's Stamp Gang Embossing powder in Byzantine Bronze on the clock.  I only embossed some of the clock because I wanted it to look at little distressed.

Aren't those flowers gorgeous?!  They are just so delicate and sparkly in person.  I wish I had more!

A card maker I am NOT!  But, I'm learning.  LOL  I am so drawn to earthy and vintage looking things.  The textures just draw me in.  Take a look at those Canterbury Forget Me Nots!  They are beyond cute and absolutely perfect for cards.

Check out the Velvet Berry Picks!  Every part of these can be shaped because there is wire under those gorgeous leaves.  Psst!  *whispering*  I have these in green to and OH MY!!!  I just finished a holiday project that uses these and they are perfect for your flower clusters.

Thanks for stopping by!  I am always so humbled by your support.

XO, Lisa

Swirlydoos August Kit Reveal and Blog Hop!

Welcome to Swirlydoos August Kit Reveal Blog Hop!!!

If you've arrived here from Angelica's blog, then you are on the right track! If you are one of my regular followers then head on over to the Swirlydoos Blog and join in the fun! 
Welcome to Poetry en Prose.  This month's kit from Swirlydoos is so full of rich colors.  I love the paper which is from KaiserCraft.  

I had a lot of fun making this page.  A fellow teacher at Miss Arts, Stacey Cohen, taught a class on creating a really cool shadow box.  This is my attempt at creating the shadow box.  I love the dimension and all of the nooks and crannies that lend themselves to having little treasures tucked in all over.  The flowers in the month's add on include Petaloo and Prima.  I had fun embellishing the Dusty Attic Birdcage too!

Those of you the know me and my DD, know that she loves riding the flying swings and I love capturing her pure joy on film every time she comes 'round.  There is something about a carnival that brings up so many great memories; the music, the smells and the kids all laughing and screaming.  Good stuff!  I absolutely love it when a kit not only gives me insanely gorgeous paper, but when I am also given colors that contrast and POP!  Check out those little blue flowers!  AWESOME!

The Technique kit add on was full of resist papers and some fun and funky mist called Inchworm!  LOL  It is that really cool green on the tag.  You have to get some.  Seriously.


This is for the monthly kit sketch that is provided for each month's kit.  I have to be honest here, this is my 2nd attempt at the sketch.  At first I was so inspired by the idea of slicing up a photo and then when it came time to do it...well, nothing was playing along with me.  LOL  I used some of the resist paper that came in our Technique kit.  This is a picture of my DD when we went to visit Boldt Castle last year.  She was sitting on a massive stone bench on the even more massive veranda at the castle.  I found that the picture seemed to get lost by being all sliced up so I added a rhinestone circle to bring attention back to the photo.  She had so much fun exploring the castle that day.

I changed things up a bit with this month's canvas.  My DD wanted me to make one for her so she had a lot of input in creating this.  We designed the dress and she really wanted that Dusty Attic scroll at the top.  She wanted a ponytail...and on and on.  LOL  I had a little trouble with perspective on this, but it's not supposed to be perfect right?!  The dress and the fussy cut flowers came from the kit papers.

REMEMBER, to qualify for the grand prize you need to:
1) visit all of the blogs, including Swirlydoos, in order to qualify.
2) Be sure to leave a comment and become a follower of each blog (if you haven't already). This way we know that you have joined in the party!

You have through 5pm Eastern time on Sunday August 7th to complete the hop!! All entries will be entered into the drawing for our Grand Prize!!! This month's prize is this completely gorgeous kit made up of Bo Bunny product!!

Now head on over to Camilla's blog where you will see some more beautiful projects made with this month’s kit, Poetry en Prose.  Winner will be announced on the Swirlydoos blog on August 8th. Good luck and thank you for joining us!!

XO, Lisa