Kiwi Lane Guest Post

I am back on the Kiwi Lane Designs blog today with a guest designer spot.  It was fun to break my templates out and work with them again.  Check out all the templates I used to create this cute layout...and see the Valentine's Special they have going on!

Cheers!
Kristy

Kiwi Lane February Blog Hop

Welcome to the Kiwi Lane Designs February Blog Hop!  I hope you have enjoyed hopping through all the wonderful blogs.  You should have come from Lissa Mitchell's blog.  If you are just starting here, you will find the complete list of participants at the bottom of this post.  Make sure you hop through an comment on everyone's posts for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Kiwi Lane store.  All comments made before Sunday, February 9th at 11:59 pm MST will be in the running!  Winner to be announced on the Kiwi Lane blog on Thursday, February 13th.  (If you are coming from Practical Scrappers to see the card posted there, more details are in this post...and go ahead an leave a comment and hop along.  Prizes are always good.  ;-) )  

If you have been a follower of this blog for awhile, you may remember that I was a part of Kiwi Lane's design team last year.  I love the Kiwi Lane girls and was happy to be asked to be a part of this month's hop.  It was fun to play with my templates again...and remember how fast it is to scrap with them.

Here is the how I laid out my templates to create my page:

And after pulling a lot of fun papers from my Lily Bee warehouse box from Christmas time, I set about to put together this "Love"ly layout (can you tell I had love and hearts on my mind when I made this page?!?).  I used quite a few templates in this page: Sweethearts 2 and 2T, Rings 4, Abbie Road 1A, 1B, 2A.  The transparent qualities of the templates are great if you want to highlight specific words on a paper...as I did here on the We R Family paper.

I couldn't stop with just a layout.  I want to make a quick card as well.  Here I used Sweetheart 2T with some My Mind's Eye's Cupid's Arrow paper and tag to make a fast card for Valentine's Day (and seen on Practical Scrappers too).

Now, it is time to hop over to Gail Owens' blog.  Remember - comment on everyone's posts for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Kiwi Lane store.  All comments made before Sunday, February 9th at 11:59 pm MST will be in the running!  Winner to be announced on the Kiwi Lane blog on Thursday, February 13th.  

1. Kiwi Lane http://kiwilane.com/here/blog/
2. Charissa Miller http://www.akihasmommascraps.com
3. Claire Spielman http://scrapmyway.blogspot.com
4. Lissa Mitchell http://mightycrafty.blogspot.com <-- Did you come from here?
5. Kristy MacKeen http://mamasanity.blogspot.com <-- You are here
6. Gail Owens http://glowormdesigns.blogspot.com <-- Hop here next!
7. Arin Flynn http://apieceoflifespie.com/
8. Holly Gagnon http://ribbonsandglue.com
9. Jennifer Blomquist ttp://www.nwstamper.com/
10. Christine Meyer http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com

Cheers!

Kristy

PS - If you aren't a follower, I would love it if you would follow along.  You never know when I'll send some blog candy out!  ;-)

Kiwi Lane September Blog Hop

Hi!  Welcome to the Kiwi Lane Designs' September Blog Hop.  I'm very excited to be a part of this hop!!!  You should have come from Deborah's blog.  If not, you might want to start at the beginning and hop all the way through...leaving comments along the way.  There is a prize just for commenting.  Details at the bottom of this post. 

Here is the blog hop order in case you get lost along the way:

1. Kiwi Lane http://kiwilane.com/here/blog/
2. Staci Jones http://scrapbookingischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/
3. Tammy Smith  http://lifeupdownandsideways.blogspot.com/
4. Erin Colby: http://oursliceofcheese.blogspot.com
5. Deborah Johnson  http://scrappinthelittlethings.blogspot.com/ <- Did you come from here?
6. Kristy MacKeen: http://mamasanity.blogspot.com/  <- You are here!!!
7. Scrappin' Madge- http://www.thescrappinlounge.com <- Next stop, but leave a comment here first!!!
8. Claire Heartburn http://lemonpaperdesigns.blogspot.co.uk
9. Leslie Prinkki http://www.scrapsofmine.blogspot.com
10. Melissa Dehne http://www.abitofscrappygoodness.blogspot.com/
11. Charissa Miller http://www.akihasmommascraps.com
12. Roselyn Riley http://prettylittlepackages.blogspot.com

Now, let me tell you a quick story.  When I started to think about my project for this hop, I was thinking I would use Tiny Brackets to make a wall hanging for my bedroom.  (I will still do this and will blog and post it on the KLD wall.)  But as I was driving home one day, I happened to look at my front door and noticed an empty hook waiting to be filled.  Then my mind kicked into overdrive.  I had an foam wreath in my scrap room, just waiting to be decorated.  Why don't I make a fall wreath for my door?

Using 4 sheets of Teresa Collins' Fabrications and Kiwi Lane designer templates Nature 1 & 4, as well as Tiny Nature 1T & 4T, I began cutting out leaves. 

After wrapping the foam wreath in Chocolate Chip Stripped ribbon from Stampin' Up, I started layering all the different leaves.

 

Isn't the Fabrications collection divine?!? I was able to use both sides of the paper to give lots of pattern and depth to the wreath with just a few cuts!  I love how this wreath looks, hanging on my door.  It almost makes me wish it was fall.  :-)

 

 

As promised, here are the details about the prize:
One random winner from the comments on the participating blogs (including the Kiwi Lane blog), will win this amazing prize pack from Simple Stories.  The winner will be announced on the Kiwi Lane blog on Thursday, September 12th.

Thanks for visiting.  And if you aren't a follower, I would love it if you would click that little button on the right!  :-)

Cheers!
Kristy

Kiwi Lane: Last Tuesday Tip Time

Today is my last individual blog post for the Kiwi Lane Design Team.  It has been a wonderful 9 months.  I couldn't have asked for anything more from my first manufacturer design team!  Thank you to all the girls at Kiwi Lane!

For my September Tips, I was lucky enough to work with Simple Stories December Documented collection.  It is a great collection.  So many fun elements.  I can't wait to work with it...when it is a little cooler out.  It is a little hard to be in the Christmas mood when it is 101 degrees outside, but I took a swing at it with some old photos from 2008...

The journaling cards in this collection are simply adorable!!!  I can't wait to use them on my December Project Life pages.  Here is a card I made with one of the journaling cards.  I used Kiwi Lane templates to highlight and cut the tree from the card.  (Did I mention that it was over 100 degrees outside – not very Christmassy weather?!?)

Thanks for visiting me today.  Make sure you head over to the Kiwi Lane store.  The templates I used on these projects (Sunnybrook Lane, Tiny Brackets, and Journey) are 10-15% off in the store this month! 

Kiwi Lane Blog Hop!

Hi!

Welcome to Mama's Sanity and the August Kiwi Lane Blog Hop! You should have hopped here from Kiwi Lane's site.  In case you get lost along the way, here is the hop order:

1. Kiwi Lane http://kiwilane.com/here/blog/
2. Kristy MacKeen http://mamasanity.blogspot.com  <--- You are here!
3. Elizabeth Hellum www.elizabethmcarney.com
4. Martha Bonneau http://mugsyboo.typepad.com/
5. Brie Pinales http://classic-couture-utah.blogspot.com
6. Heather Gray http://heatherskraftykorner.blogspot.com/
7. Linda Auclair  http://elendae.wordpress.com/
8. Melissa Dehne http://www.abitofscrappygoodness.blogspot.com/
9. Leslie Prinkki http://scrapsofmine.blogspot.com
10. Kristy Lee http://lifescrapped.blogspot.com

If you have been a follower of my blog, you know I love Kiwi Lane (and if you aren't a follower, I would love it if you would click that little button on the right!).  Their templates make creating a scrapbook page so easy.  For today's hop, I used the entire collection of Tiny Tags templates to make my page. 

Here is how I framed out my page:

And after a little cutting, a little sewing, and some embellishment, here is how my page came out.

I love the fun mix of patterns and embellishments from July's Gossamer Blue's kit.  They played so nicely with my Kiwi Lane templates!

Now, here is the important part...make sure you leave a comment on this blog (and everyone else's) by 11:59 MT on Sunday, Aug 4th, for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Kiwi Lane store.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, August 8th.

I will also be picking 1 comment from my blog to win a little blog candy too. 

Good luck!  Now head over to Elizabeth Hellum at www.elizabethmcarney.com for your next stop on our hop.

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB #36: Watercolor!

I'm a little late posting this.  Yesterday, The Paper Girls Challenge posted a new challenge: using watercolors on your layout.  If you haven't seen all the beautiful work put together by The Paper Girls, go check it out! 

For my layout, I used a sketch from Simple Sketches as a jumping off point (excuse the pun).  I absolutely loved the sketch and I will be using it again!  Have you ever heard of Peerless Watercolor Papers?  They are these amazing little sheets that have some highly concentrated pigment embedded on it.  I got them in the mail right before we left on vacation and I've been itching to try them out!  It is amazing how much paint is on the little sheets.  I used some Stampin' Up Bridesmaid paper that had some vertical lines embossed on it.  They really stand out when I applied the watercolors to it.  A few diecut circles, some stamped water splashes, and my Kiwi Lane templates, and I have a fun layout about my son learning to dive.  :-)

Cheers!
Kristy

Kiwi Lane Designs: Let's get shrunk!

Whew!  Busy day here at Mama's Sanity.  I'm also up today with a quick Weekend Whimsy project at Kiwi Lane Designs. 

I love the Paradise templates from Kiwi Lane (well, I love them all, really).  When I saw they were the featured templates for July, I though, how fun would it be to make necklaces for my kids?  And I knew the washi from Downtown Tape would make a great accent on the necklaces.  So I found some shrink paper hiding in my stash and went about to making some necklaces.  I love how they came out.  For a more details about how I made these, check out the Kiwi Lane blog today.

 

Have you entered my giveaway?  If not, click here!

Cheers!
Kristy

PGCB #35: 3 Journaling Cards

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!  Ours is in full swing here.  Sorry I've been a little MIA on my blog lately (I'll be making up for 2 weeks off with LOTS of new projects coming!).  We were in Florida for a fun filled family vacation.  It was a wonderful time and I took a TON of photos.  You will be seeing a lot of them over the next weeks...or months.  ;-)  And here is the first...

There is a new challenge today over at The Paper Girls Challenge...using 3 journaling cards on a project.  Can you find them on these project? 

I wanted to show that journaling cards don't have to be just for journaling.  I cut 3 from Crate Paper's The Pier Accents and Border pages:

• The geotag with the journaling (which was actually cut out from the full journaling card)
• The yellow "Happy" tag
• The pink square with the white scallop circle behind the geotag and the beach ball, also from The Pier collection

I also used Scallop templates from Kiwi Lane Designs to add a little color and patterned paper (all from the Gossamer Blue June kit) to the page.

See you tomorrow with another fun new project!

Kiwi Lane Design: Ink Your Templates!

Happy Tuesday!

I'm up today with a fun Tip Time Tuesday at Kiwi Lane Designs.  I was surprised that we hadn't done the tip of using ink with the templates.  The thought came to me when I was doing my blog hop page.  I love the look of moving a Post-it Note around a background and inking it to make a cloud background.  I thought the scallops would create a great background using the same technique.  Head over to the Kiwi Lane blog for more details on how I made this page:

Thank you Stephanie (Stephanie Watkins Photography) for the great photos to work with.  They worked perfectly with My Mind's Eye Oxford Lane!

I also made a quick birthday card for my grandma with leftover MME paper and my Brackets 2 template.  I have mentioned how quick KLD templates make things, right?

Cheers!
Kristy

Practical Scrappers: Layout Sketch

I had so much fun with the sketch today over at Practical Scrappers.  When I took these photos of my sleepy kids, I knew I wanted to scrap them together.  It is so rare that they both fall asleep at the same time anymore (mama kind of misses that quiet time!).  This sketch allowed me to do that! 

Here's the sketch:

And here is my take:

You may recognize the scallops on the side from my Kiwi Lane Blog Hop page.  In honestly, it was my test page, where I realized the scallops were too close together.  I knew I would recycle it, and here it is!  And those loops - they are made with some beading wire.  I love the affect it added!

Cheers!

It's a Kiwi Lane Blog Hop!

 

 

Hi!  Welcome to the Kiwi Lane June Blog Hop.  If you are starting here, below is the list of participating blogs.  Be sure to hop through all the blogs...there is so much inspiration...and the more you comment, the bigger chance you have to win a $25 gift certificate to Kiwi Lane Designs.  Comments must be made by Sunday, June 9th at 11:59 MDT.  Some of us (like me) have additional prizes to win too!

1. Kiwi Lane http://kiwilane.com/here/blog/
2. Omgits Emily http://omgitsemily074.blogspot.com/
3. Kristy Mackeen - http://mamasanity.blogspot.com  <---- You are here!
4. Heidi Trejo http://www.polkadotpixies.com/
5. Brenda Smith -http://www.Theimperfectscrapper.blogspot.com
6. Leslie Prinkki - http://www.scrapsofmine.blogspot.com
7. Karen Weingartner www.paperheartcrafts.blogspot.com
8. Ashley Newell - http://hearthugsdesigns.blogspot.com
9. Melissa Dehne- http://www.abitofscrappygoodness.blogspot.com/

Without further ado, here is the scrapbook page I made using my Scallop and Bracket templates.  I started by laying out my templates and a few key elements I knew I wanted to use:

After a little ink and a beautiful picture by my friend Stephanie, at Stephanie Watkins Photography, and here is the final product.

Recipe:
Kiwi Lane Design Templates: Scallop 2A and Brackets 2
Ink: Stampin' Up 2013-2015 In Colors
Washi: Freckled Fawn
Wood Veneers and Enamel Dots: Studio Calico
Paper: Up & Up (Studio Calico), Vellum (Studio Calico), Pink/Yellow (Echo Park)
Sugar Picks: Jillibean Soup


If you want more information on the technique I used to create the scallops on the bottom, be sure you check back on the Kiwi Lane blog on June 18th for my Tip Time Tuesday.  ;-)

Now, about that prize I promised.  I will pick one random comment left by 11:59 MST on Sunday, June 9th to win a set of Kiwi Lane Templates.  You must be a blog follower to win.

Cheers!
Kristy

Practical Scrappers: Little Things

Today on Practical Scrappers, the 10 Things team is featuring Tiny Things.  For my card, I used a Cosmo Cricket Glubber (also known as a giant glue dot), to adhere some seed beads I've had in my stash for a long time as the center of the flower.

Paper: So Noted collection (Carta Bella)
Stamp: Unity Stamp Company
Templates: Adorn 3B, Sweetheart 3, Accent 2 (Kiwi Lane Designs)

Thanks for visiting. 

Cheers!

KLD: Tuesday Tip Time

Happy Tuesday!  I'm up today on Kiwi Lane Designs' Blog with a new Tuesday Tip Time.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  We started out our weekend celebrating my son “graduating” from kindergarten to 1^st grade.  When I saw the fun stamps and journaling cards from Technique Tuesday, I knew I wanted to document the day (I even reached into my stash of Technique Tuesday stamps to add to what we received!).

After laying out my page, I also thought that this would be a fun opportunity to do one of my favorite stamping techniques – embossing!  There a bunch of different techniques on this page - see if you can spot them all!  Check out the Kiwi Lane blog for more details!

 

 

Templates:
Playtime 3, 4 & 6
Adventure 5
Aspen Court 1 A&B, 2 A&B, 3 A&B

Technique Tuesday Stamps:
Year Round
Live Laugh Love
Capture the Moments
Original Seal

Papers and additional embellishments:
Gossamer Blue May Kits

I have to say, I love all the templates featured this month.  There was so much variety to them.  I am pretty happy with how they blended together.  I used my “Live Laugh Love” stamps to create that final touch along the bottom of the page.

 

I’ve been in such a card making mode lately, I thought I would make one more.  I plan to send this card to a friend that needs a little cheering up.

 

Templates:
Aspen Court 2A
Adventure 1

Technique Tuesday Stamps:

Live Laugh Love

I hope I’ve inspired you to break out your stamps and use them not just on cards, but also on your scrapbook pages.

Cheers!
Kristy

Hooo Loves Kiwi Lane?

It is time again to have a Weekend Whimsy project on Kiwi Lane's blog.  You wouldn't know that I really hadn't done any of this type of project before starting on the Kiwi Lane design team (shhhh, don't tell Kristy Lee).  Now I've gone through half a big bottle of Modge Podge and don't see myself stopping anytime soon!  ;-)

For my project featuring Quick Quotes papers, I knew I wanted to do a covered wooden piece.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to do some Spring letters to put on my mantle or the letters of my daughter’s name.  But while shopping in Spring project aisle at my Michael's, I found some fun bare wood shapes and KNEW this was what I had to do.  Actually, I should probably call this my daughter’s Weekend Whimsy project because she picked out the owl.  And the Quick Quotes (QQ) papers were perfect to make a pretty little girl owl for her room.

Here is a peek of the bare and finished owl.

In looking at the templates featured for the month, I thought Mini Paisley would make good feathers on this little owl’s belly.  But before I could get to that point, I needed to prep the owl.

 

This was quick and simple to do.  I traced the owl on a piece of QQ Stowaway 200 paper. (I’m so happy that it fit exactly!)  After cutting out the owl, I used Modge Podge to attach the paper to the wood and laid out my templates on the form.  I ended up using Mini Paisley Place 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, Rings 4, Tiny Wildflower 1T, and Tiny Shapes 1T (not seen on my layout above) to make the owl.

 

To make it easier to lay out the “feathers” of the belly, I took an 8x8 paper and laid out all my cut Mini Paisley strips, varying the placement of the 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B cuts within the square.  I used QQ Summer Breeze 100, 300 and 400 to make the layers.  (And yes, I did erase the pencil lines before I inked and Modge Podge’d the feathers).  Rings 4 was a perfect size to use a template to cut the circle of feathers and make a “highlight” ring for her belly.  The final step before attaching the ring to the owl was to paint it with Glossy Modge Podge, and sprinkle with a little glitter I had left over from another project.  (My daughter LOVED that touch when she saw the final project!)

All that was left was to use some QQ Stowaway 400 paper with my Tiny Wildflower 1T template to make some sassy eyelashes and Tiny Shapes 1T for a beak (after both kids asked where her nose was).  I covered everything with another layer of matte Modge Podge (except the belly feathers, which I tried not to touch).

 

Now it is just a matter of hanging her up in my daughter’s room – and I will have one very happy girl!  This really was a quick project.  The longest part was waiting for the Modge Podge to dry. 

I hope you enjoyed!

Don't forget - I have a giveaway going on here.

See you Monday with a new Paper Girls Challenge.  Have a Happy Easter!

Cheers!
Kristy

Let's Celebrate a Giveaway!

It is time to celebrate!!!  Not only am I celebrating my little guy turning 6 today (OMG!  Where has the time gone?!?), but I'm celebrating breaking that 100 follower mark on Mama Sanity!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every one of you. 

 

To Celebrate, I'm giving away a set of Celebrate templates from Kiwi Lane Designs.  (Catchy, huh?)

 

 

Simply fill out this Rafflecopter form below, and I'll pick a winner on April 1st!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Cheers!
Kristy

Kiwi Lane Tip Time Tuesday

Today was my turn to do a Tip Time Tuesday project on Kiwi Lane Designs' blog, featuring paper from Quick Quotes.  We were given paper from Stowaway, Crackled Rose and Summer Breeze to work with.  For today's project, I worked mainly with Stowaway...though I have plans for the other papers as well!

If you follow this blog, you know how I love Kiwi Lane templates for how easy and quickly they make putting together a layout.  They really help to see what it is going to look like before you make your first cut of paper.  Did you also know you can use them as a guide for stitching and embellishments?  Here are a couple quick tips for you on achieving this.

As I was laying out all the templates, I loved how Floral 3 became a focal point, and a perfect spot to add a little bling.  I mean, a girl has to have a little bling, right?!?  In the end, I changed up my layout from the framing stage, but Floral 3 stayed right where it was!

Tip 1: Using the Templates as a Guide for Embellishments:

 

 

We usually trace our templates on paper and proceed to cut them out.  In this case, I grabbed my silver pen and traced the template directly on to the background paper.  Using different shades of orange gems, I highlighted the flower shape.  It becomes a focal point, without overwhelming the page. 

Here are a few other layouts I've made using the templates as embellishment guides:

For this one, I used Cascade Trails 3A to add the jewels for just that little spot of sparkle.

I traced Rings 3 to make the circle on the side and then added Martha Stewart Candy Dots to pull all the colors together.

Tip 2: Using the Templates as a Stitching Guide:

 

Cascade Trails is probably one of my favorite border sets.  I love the beach and love taking pictures while we are there, including the picture I am working with on this project (from a cruise I was on in 2006).  The curves in Cascade Trails become easy wave templates for these pictures.  I love the movement in the Stowaway paper, but I wanted to highlight the water feel a little more.  So I decided to use Cascade Trails 3A as a stitching guide.  As you can see in the middle picture, I traced the template, and followed with pencil line with my paper piercer – and away I went with the stitching.  An hour later, I had an extra layer of waves added to my page.

And this is the final layout! 

 

What I used:
Paper:

Quick Quotes Stowaway 100, 300, 400
Quick Quotes Summer Breeze 300

Kiwi Lane Design Templates:

Accents 2
Floral 3
Cascade Trails 2A, 2B, and 3A
Paisley Place Mini 1A and 1B
Tiny Wildflower: 4T and 6T

Please note, this will probably be the ONLY time you will see me pointing to my belly on a layout.  I was 5 months pregnant with my first at the time this picture was taken, which was actually part of the point of this layout.

I hope I’ve inspired you to grab your templates and use them as not just a guide to cut paper, but as a guide for adding some embellishments (and stitching) to your page. 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a little "Celebration" giveaway.  If you aren't a follower, today might be a good day to become one!  ;-)

Cheers!
Kristy

Love at First Sight

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone is having a great day.  I am home with my little girl, doing one of the things I hate most of all about parenting - potty training!  Ugh!  But we are going to conquer this.

I thought it was a good time to do a layout about the day she was born.  It was love at first sight with this girl, for sure!  I can't believe it was almost 3 years ago.  I have loved watching her grow into a little lady - attitude and all.  ;-)  I started with the Amber 3 sketch on ScrapbookSteals.com.

 

To make this page, I used my Studio Calico Neverland Paper Add-on Kit (Crate Paper's Maggie Holmes: Remember This and Amy Tangerine's Yes, Please: Commit) for the paper.  I added some butterfly touches to background using Unity Stamps: Butterfly Garden and {...with her own wings} and Stampin' Up inks.  I soften the edges of the butterflies by tapping them with a wet wipe after they were stamped.  I am entering this layout at Unity's {be inspired} Challenge.  I also incorporated some prompts from the 213 in 213 Challenges at 2 Peas in a Bucket.  And you know I can't complete a layout without grabbing my Kiwi Lane templates.  I used Tags 1 and Tiny Tags 1.

This is actually page redo.  Gasp!  I know.  I am actually redoing a page.  The original was only the 3rd page I had ever done.  But from the day I finished the original, I was disappointed in it.  I'm not sure what it was I wasn't happy about.  It just never felt right. 

Thank you Shimelle (Adventures of Glitter Girl: Memoir Makeovers) for encouraging me to try my hand again at these pictures.

Cheers!
Kristy

Paper Girls Challenge #27: Snowflakes

Happy Monday!
Challenge #27 on The Paper Girls Challenge is up today...and it is SNOWFLAKES!  Kyla's challenge was perfect since we recently had some snow days here in the St. Louis area.  This was the first snow day (day off of school) ever for my son...and ME.  We don't get many of those kinds of days in Southern California.  ;-) 

For my project, I decided to do a layout about the first snow day (we had two in a row).  I pulled out my Kiwi Lane Templates to help layout my design.  I can't tell you HOW MUCH FASTER these templates make designing a layout.  As you can see, I didn't stick exactly to my "Before", but it still gave me an idea of where to go! 

 

Templates used: Rings 3 & 4, Tags 1, Strips 2" and 3", Photo 3x4 and Photo Mat 3.5 x 4.5

 

And here is how the final layout came out:

 



 

I used a top off a Studio Calico Butterfly Chipboard package to create my snowglobe affect.  (I like to upcycle when I can!)  Inside are a couple of wood veneer snowflakes and a little Martha Stewart Tinsel Glitter.  I rubbed the inside of the packaging with a Bounce sheet to help prevent a little static.  I think it worked pretty well because I don't have glitter sticking everywhere inside. 

 

Here is a close-up of the snowglobe:


 

 

I hope you enjoyed a look at my snowflake layout.  See you soon with more layouts and cards.  I feel like my mojo is back - and I'm going to take advantage of it!!!  :-)

 

Cheers!
Kristy

Big Ideas Page

I promised I would share some more pages from my Studio Calico Big Ideas class.  I am really enjoying all the challenges from this class.  Here is one:

There are 3 challenges rolled into 1 here: Sewn Title (Candles), Stencil It (the clouds), and Get Moving (both the 2012 banner and my daughter blowing out the candles). 

You will notice a few Kiwi Lane templates on here too.  I used Tiny Wildflowers 4T and Floral 2 (shhhh...these might JUST be on sale starting March 1st).  Don't they make a fun matte under the pictures.

Enjoy!  Stay tuned.  I am hoping to sneak a few more challenge pages today!  :-)

Cheers!
Kristy

Weekend Whimsy at Kiwi Lane

HI!  Happy Friday everyone!   I hope you are staying warm wherever you are.  We are on day 2 of "Snow Days" here in the St. Louis area.  Very different for this California girl, who had never experienced a snow day until yesterday.  :-)

Today I am featured on Kiwi Lane's blog with my Weekend Whimsy project…a bouquet of beautiful flowers to bright up anyone’s day...and maybe brush away a little of the winter blues.

 

We were given We R Memory Keepers Crazy for You collection to work with.  Its thick texture made making my flowers easy.  It really held up to being rolled and played with.  That is the key to these flowers – just keep using your fingers to give it the look you want.  The colors from the Crazy for You papers are perfect for the girls in my family.  We are definitely pink and purple girly girls here.  :-)  I decided to the shapes of the Sweetheart and Tiny Sweetheart templates were perfect to make some flowers.  So grab a few sheets of papers, your Kiwi Lane templates (of course), some leftover Chinese food take-out chopsticks and a little ink and glue, and follow along:

 

Flower 1

For this flower, I used Tiny Sweetheart 2T to create petals using the XOXO paper.  

This is actually a border strip paper, but by taking the heart petals and rolling them against a chopstick and my fingers to create the curve you see in the picture, you never seen the print on the back side. 

I took each petal and stuck each petal to the previous petal with a Glue Dot, making a cone shape.   I pushed a chopstick “stem” through the middle.

I made the middle from Tiny Sweetheart 3T and a scrap of yellow paper.  I inked the edges and then pinched the paper in the middle of each petal and curved them at the end by wrapping them around my finger.  Then it was a matter of adding a little glue to the back of the yellow and sticking it down to the petal cone (after punching a hole in the middle).  The center was made by wrapping some We R Memory Keeper twine in the center.  I used some Modge Podge to hold it in place and hide the chopstick tip.

Flower 2

I love the layers in this flower.  For this one, I started from the inside out. 

 

I cut 2 Tiny Sweetheart 3T from the Adore paper and poked a hole in the center.  After cutting a slit down the middle, I made a “roly poly” type flower by wrapping it around itself, securing it with Glue Dots in intervals along the way.  Once it was all stuck together, I GENTLY pushed the flower cone onto my table to curl the edges.

The second layer was made with 2 cuts of Sweetheart 3 from Light Pink cardstock.  I inked the edges and cut to the center, as done in the previous layer.  I used Rings 1 to cut the center out and then I folded flower at each petal to make it easier to wrap around layer 1.  Once this was secured, I attached them to the stem.  It turns out, I had to break out the glue gun to make this work.

The third layer is a repeat of the individual petal procedure from Flower 1, but I used Sweetheart 2 on the Adore paper.  I distressed the edges before I attached them with a little hot glue to the stem. 

Flower 3

This flower is made from the Adore and XOXO paper and Light Pink cardstock and a lot of the same steps from the other flowers.

The outside layer is Sweetheart 3, inked and pinched like the yellow layer on Flower 1.  The middle layer is Tiny Sweetheart 3T, using the same technique as the outside layer.  The center of the flower is from Tiny Accents 2T simply cut out, inked and attached to the other layers.  Again, I finished the center with some twine to hide the chopstick.  I brushed all the layers and twine with Modge Podge to give it alittle more shine and texture.

Stems

To cover the chopstick, I wrapped it in washi, all the way up the stick and about ½” of the flowers.  The key to this is to be careful and not pull too hard on the washi – it isn’t as stretchy as Floral Tape, and can tear easily.  Luckily, you can just start where it tore and keep wrapping.  Can you tell this happened to me?  ;-)

 I put the flowers in a little vase, and tied a little more twine around it, and viola! A beautiful bouquet.  When I originally made these flowers, I was going to send them to my mom for her birthday.  What could be better than flowers that don’t wilt (I have a seriously black thumb, so I’m all for flowers that don’t die)?!?  I even made a card to match using a little more WRMK paper and Tiny Tags 1, but my daughter decided the flowers had to go to her room – and I’m not sure how they would have shipped to California anyways.

 

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of spring, and seeing how Valentine’s paper doesn’t have to just be for Valentine’s Day!  I hope you try your hand at making some flowers.  If you, leave me a link to go check them out!

 

Cheers!
Kristy