Gecko Galz - Mermaid Kingdom!

 Hello Friends

So very excited to share this month's inspiration for the Gecko Galz theme - Mermaid Kingdom!!

Seahorse Shadow Box

"Color Me" - Mermaid Dreams coloring book!

Seaside Card

Mermaid Framed Art

Mermaid Shrine

Hope you all have a lovely month.

Be sure to check out the blog all month during July for more Mermaid inspired fun!

Mermaid Comp Book

Hello Friends...long time I know. 

(more on that near the end)

I wanted to share a fun comp book that I made using supplies from Rinea and Rita Barakat...

Mermaid Hair!!!

I so want to do this to my hair at some point but for now I will live vicariously through this little lady.  I love the face stencils that Rita has to offer. They give people like me (that can't draw faces) a chance to play with designs like this one. Combine it with Rinea foiled papers and oh my...such fun to be had. I can think of so many fun ideas for this...a witch with green & purple hair, something for the 4th of July w/ RWB hair, a frosty princess for winter. Just think of the fun!

Each piece of the stencil was drawn out onto various colors of the foiled paper and paper pieced to create the finished look. I went back over the entire design with an alcohol marker to add definition and details.  Aside from her hair I especially love her eyes....

What do you think? Fun huh?

For complete assembly and supply list please check out my post over on the Rinea Blog - 

Rita Barakat Mermaid Comp Book

Life has been rough lately so I took some unexpected time off. We found out our Basset Hound - Cecil had a very aggressive, fast growing cancer and there was nothing we could do for him other than manage his pain. We were lucky enough to have a little over a week with him to try to get used to the idea and say goodbye.  Of course there is never enough time but you take what you can get.  I'm sure you can understand that I've not been in much of a crafty frame of mind but time is a salve even if it doesn't make the hurt go away.  Anyway, things are slowly getting back to the new normal...  

"Tried It" Jot Journals

I have never used the "Tried It" button on Pinterest so I was excited when I found out that the Club Scrap Artist Team Challenge for August was to choose something from the Club Scrap Pinterest Board and try it!

I had a hard time choosing because there are so many fun projects, techniques and ideas there but I finally chose to try these....Jot Journals!  

I picked them because I always seem to be searching for a piece of paper to write things down.  Usually the only thing I can find is the back of a gum wrapper or a corner torn from a piece of junk mail...these little beauties ought to solve that problem!  The tutorial for these cute little books can be found here - Mini Jot Journal.

Here is how mine turned out....

I am so happy with how these turned out.  These are definitely a Pinterest success!  I am so making more of these...they were so much fun to make and I think they will be great stocking stuffers this Christmas!  I used mixed media paper in these little journals because I wanted to take them to sketch/doodle in the car when I have to wait.  Tricia mentioned in her tutorial that you could use regular weight lined or copy paper, I thought it might be fun to use some graph paper or even watercolor paper for a tiny watercolor book.

I did change a couple things when making mine.  I switched up the size...I wanted them a bit smaller than the original because I have a small purse.  My Jot Journals are 3.5 x 5".   I was using some chipboard I had in my stash which I think was a bit thicker than what Tricia used so I scored the center fold line as well as a line on each side.  This seemed to help the thicker chipboard cover wrap around the inside contents better.

I used my ancient corner rounder to cut all of the pages/covers.  UGH - I promptly ordered a We R Memory Keepers Chomper - Corner Rounder after that!  My hands aren't as strong as they used to be and that's a lot of squeezing.  I'm sure it will be lots easier when I get the new chomper.

I stamped the images and colored them using Prismacolor colored pencils.  I LOVE how vibrant they look on the chipboard!  Really makes the images pop.  

I also changed how I bound these little books - I used elastic cord that was in my stash forever...that way I can change out the papers when they get used up w/o having to make an entirely new book.

And here they all are....

My wiggly mermaid journal.  Love those colors!

I thought it would be fun to have pink, purple and blue bubbles.

I hope you've enjoyed my version of Jot Journals and give it a try yourself.

The next stop on the hop is...

Tina

The complete list of inspiring CS Artist Team Links can be found here:

"Tried It" Challenge

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

Club Scrap.com - Lagoon Cardstock & Stamps, Book Binding Glue

Imagine - VersaFine

Prismacolor - Colored Pencils

Chipboard, Mixed Media Papers, Elastic Cord

Vintage Botany Club Scrap Blog Hop

Welcome friends to the Club Scrap Blog hop...you may have found your way here from Julie's beautiful blog and if not you can find the full list of artists here - Club Scrap Vintage Botany Blog Hop.

The kit this month from Club Scrap is called Vintage Botany and oh my, do I ever love it!  It's beautiful and with the word vintage in the title you know it's got to be great.  Well I knew exactly what I wanted to make...

An envelope album! I love these types of books because there is so much space for photos and journaling.  What made me think of it is I found a whole pack of A7 (5x7) envelopes recently while I was re-organizing. I knew they would make a great album and couldn't wait till I had a chance to put them to use!

I used 9 for this album...of course you can use as many or as few envelopes as you need which makes this so fun and versatile.

These are just a few of the pages....

I added a pull out "card" where you can add photos and journaling as desired.

The cool part is that you can actually put pics on both sides of the envies!

I added this lovely sentiment to the front.

Only thing left is to gather up my photos!

So glad you stopped by...

the next stop on the hop is...

Tricia - The Efficient Crafter

and if you get lost along the way...

Club Scrap Vintage Blog Hop List

Hope you have a crafty day!

Supplies:

Club Scrap.com - Vintage Botany: Cardstock, Pattern Papers, Tabs, Ribbon, Cut-Aparts; Club Scrap Hybrid Ink - Earth; Club Scrap Ink Applicator

Other: 

Chipboard

Prima - Green Twine

Crepe Factor - New Scrapbook Mystery!!

Fall is my favorite time of the year...not just because the temps fall and so do the leaves.

It's also time for a new scrapbook mystery by Laura Childs!!

Yes, that's right - the newest scrapbook mystery comes out today - Crepe Factor!  Carmela and Ava stumble into another murder investigation...well in this case the murder victim stumble upon them.  We meet up with our old friends at the winter festival where great food, drink and mayhem are on the menu.  Of course Carmela can't leave well enough alone once her boyfriend - Edgar Babcock - an esteemed detective with the NOLA police department takes over the investigation - especially when an old beau is involved!  

Travel with Carmela on an exciting ride through New Orleans foodie scene on this fun, fast paced adventure.   And you might even pick up a great recipe and a few crafty tips and ideas while you're at it. 

Get your copy today!

Laura Childs - Crepe Factor

Quad Prints - A Year in Review!

Each month the Club Stamp Kit includes something called a "Quad" print - it's a single sheet of paper that is made up of 4 smaller prints which compliment the kit all on a single sheet of paper.  It's perfect for card makers as the smaller prints lend themselves very well to smaller cards and projects.

Well the Club Scrap Artist Team has been challenged this month to create a project using one or more of these Quad Prints from 2014 Quad Print Compliation.  As I was sitting there looking at each print trying to decide what to make I thought of the mini albums made from a single sheet of paper and how the quads would make each page a little different.  The only draw-back is that those mini books are made from a single sheet of 12x12 paper while the Quads are 8.5x11. But I didn't give up that train of thought - I folded one sheet of each month's Quad into quarters and an idea was born....

A Year in Review 

Quad Book!

The front and back covers are book board with a different print from 8 different Quads that I pieced together for a fun look....  I printed the title on a piece of cardstock and left space for someone to stamp the year they wanted to review.

Back cover which I had originally thought was going to be the front but as it turned out I liked the other finished cover better.

AND - this is the first time I've tried stitching a book together!  I used this tutorial - Stitch Bound Book Project -  but mine is a bit wobbly. I was afraid to pull it too tight and when I finally did I ripped one of the pages.  No fear though - a bit of tape and I was back at it.  I must say it was quite fun and I'd like to learn more stitches...  Something I'm definitely going to do again.

Above are all of the quads folded and ready to be pierced.

The original instructions were for a larger book and the ribbon I was using was an odd size so I did a bit of math to figure out where each of the 6 holes needed to be placed.  I used my CS Grid Ruler 

 which I love... it's marked out in eights so it makes figuring out things like this very easy.

Here are all of the pages with the holes poked ready to stitch together.

I added solid black pages for the front and back which I used to adhere the book to the cover.

I didn't have 3 hands so I didn't take in the process photos of the stitching but above is where I started and below they are all stitched up.

I glued the pages to the insides of the covers...

And it's all done - ready for memories!

These are just a few of the pages - all in all there is room for 48 (or more) photos and/or journal areas.   Since the book is a little wonky (loose stitching & one torn/repaired page) I didn't think anyone would want it so I probably won't give it away but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out for being my first stitch bound book.

I hope it has inspired you to give Quad prints a try and maybe make a book for yourself as well.  

Give - Away - Parchment and Old Lace - Laura Childs Scrapbooking Mystery!

You know by now that autumn is my favorite time of the year...it brings crisp cool air, the crunchy fragrant leaves to walk through and a new Scrapbooking Mystery by Laura Childs!  Each fall I am so ready to find out what mischief Carmela and the girls are into.

This fall they're into Parchment and Old Lace!

Parchment and Old Lace is number thirteen in a line of fun, crafty mysteries by Laura Childs.  Like the previous mysteries this lively tale will keep you turning the pages to find out just what Carmela is up to next.  This time around her tale starts out in a romantic restaurant with her beau Detective Babcock.  They quickly end up in one of the ancient cemeteries that are dotted across New Orleans where they find an acquaintance strangled to death with a piece of vintage lace!  

From the creepy night in the cemetery, the tale takes you down a winding path through the shops, streets and homes of the French Quarter and Garden District.   Just when you think you know who committed the heinous crime another twist comes along to make you re-think your original suspect until you have quite a lengthy list. You'll need to pare down your list with the help of Carmela's Nancy Drew like sleuthing skills.

You won't want to miss out on this fun little mystery that will not only entertain your mind but it's also sprinkled with crafty bits of information and scrumptious recipes of a few of New Orleans favorite delicacies.  

You can win your own copy right here by simply leaving a comment answering one or more of these questions...

Have you read a Laura Childs Scrapbook Mystery before?  

Who is your favorite character?

What is your favorite craft Carmela has created?

You have until 10-29-15 to enter for your chance to win!

Good Luck Everyone!!

Suede Travel Journal....

YES - I love making journals and books of all sorts so I what tickled when IMAGINE Crafts gave us a travel theme to work with.  I instantly knew I wanted to make a travel journal our of some wicked suede that we picked up recently.    

It's included in today's post over on the IMAGINE Crafts blog along with a few other lovely Travel themed creations.

The complete instruction and supply list can be found here:

Suede Travel Journal

Here is what it looks like when it's all finished and ready to close.....

I filled the journal with all sorts of fun pages and pockets...

I wanted the extra 2 flaps to keep everything I tuck inside of it to stay where I put it, safe and sound...

And it's got a wicked wrap around strap that is secured to a post.

I hope you give it a try and make your own!

Travel Art Journal - Club Scrap National Parks Challenge

Good Monday Morning!!  I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.  This week I'm starting off with a challenge - the Club Scrap Design Team Challenge for the National Parks kit!  I have to tell you that I love this kit - it's got a beautiful vintage feel to it so I had many ideas it was hard to choose just one.

I finally decided that this particular piece was going to be the starting point for my project....

It is full of fun sayings and places to add journaling or photos.  

I wanted a book small enough that it could easily be carried in a purse, have pockets to tuck bits of ephemera picked up along the way and a place for art too.  Tall order for such a compact size but I did it. 

The journal measures 5.5" tall x 4.25" wide - the covers and inside dividers are all pocket pages - 5 in all and it's divided up into 4 sections -  

one for lined paper,

 graph paper,

 mixed media paper

and watercolor paper.  

I added a journal box, quote box or photo box on each side of the pocket pages and I also stuck an extra piece of cardstock in each pocket.  It could be used to mount photos, ephemera or even more journaling.  

All that fun wrapped up in one little package!