Floral Friend Notebook...

Special notebook, for a special friend! I made this notebook several weeks ago as part of my "thank-you notebooks" parade. This is the only notebook I made in this particular pattern, but I may have to splurge and make some more. I'm NO pro with Copic markers, but lately I've been preferring to use them along with Kraft card stock and love how the color flows. Even with the fibrous texture of Kraft cs, I don't get any bleed outs or smearing...always a PLUS!
Once I colored my flowers (PTI-Friends Til' the End), I used 3 different yellows for the center and added some adhesive rhinestones. I embossed "friend", did a little edge sewing, and added a 3 layered butterfly (Martha Stewart-Large Butterfly Punch).

Friend In Bloom...

Quick post today! Helping my hubby mend after Lasik surgery yesterday. Unfortunately for him, he had the more painful PRK procedure, which doesn't hurt much for the first day, but pain will kick in later today and tomorrow is supposedly the worst. Anyhow, I did a few cards up this weekend with a few new stamp sets I received from Papertrey Ink. In Bloom and Friends til' the End were paired with this layout. There is also PTI-heart prints bg used here, but the photo doesn't show it very well. I stamped the heart prints in SU! pretty in pink BEFORE I stamped the white flowers. There are many white inks to use in paper crafting. My preference is White Cloud (Dew Drops) with this bright pink cs from SU! I stamped "friend" with Tea Leaves (Dew Drop) and sprinkled with clear embossing powder before heating. A little faux stitching and some adhesive rhinestones finish the sentiment.
This layout is probably my favorite of the 2.
Love PTI-petal power bg set. I cut out a large flower (same ink and design as what is on the pink card portion) and wanted to add a little extra depth. To achieve extra depth, I traced the insides on my flower with my Dark Pink (flower) and Pea Green (leaves) copic markers. Once I colored them in, I cut them out and used 3-D foam for even more depth.
Happy crafting!

I {heart} Valentine's Cards...

Another rendition of my last post and the Valentine notebook. I chose the same layout for these cards. The only thing I left off was the ribbon, thought it'd be a bit too heavy on such a small space. I ran out of the MM pearl brads, but found some vintage creme buttons that worked just as nice!
I'm hoping to get in my craft studio this afternoon as we are expecting a rain/sleet mix all afternoon and into the evening! Stay warm, especially up North:)

I {heart} Valentine's Notebook...

I had to laugh at myself on the last post about my hubby installing "Foxilla"...lol Just shows how little I know about computers...it was Firefox Mozilla! I still have to do some adjusting when uploading my pics and I "think" I may have corrected the change in my HTML format...THAT much I DO understand:)

Anyhoo, another Valentine notebook to share with you! I really do love this K&CO Valentine paper deck and unfortunately I wanted to get more at Micheal's and they are SOLD OUT! This paper deck, although sold as "Valentine" paper, really can be used all year round...that's why I'm addicted to it!After trimming and adhering all my cs, I did a little ink distressing and sewing before I did the stamping. For the stamping I used Dew Drop Inks (Plumeria Pink, Sahara Sand) along with my PTI stamps (Polka Dot Basics, Text Style II). The ribbon is Martha Stewart in a very soft cocoa shade.Like my previous post, I once again used my EK success double edge punch, but this time I turned the scallop design to face the top vs. the bottom. I sewed my edges for a finished look and added some pink adhesive rhinestones. The sentiment is from Verve Stamps and I used 2 shades of pink for the heart, a light pink for the entire heart and a darker pink on the outer edges. Using 2 different shades really allowed for the heart to have added depth on the card stock.

Butterfly Notebook...

ETA: Thank you for the sweet comments! I started my blog nearly 3 years ago initially just to share with friends and family and I get tickled to think there are others who get inspired by my passion and I'm happy to share! There was an email request asking what notebooks I use for altering so I thought I'd share it here in case you all want to start a stash as well! Both notebook sizes (4x6 for the smaller one, Reporter's Notebooks for the larger ones) are available at your local Staples. Keep in mind, these notebooks ARE refillable! When your page inserts are filled, simply uncoil and put your pretty cover onto a new notebook!


Last week I took full advantage of the unpredictable weather and hunkered down in my craft studio to create a few notebooks and cards. I guess you could say I'm addicted to making these notebooks and although I do have a full stash hidden away, I've barely made a dent in them. My goal this year is to use what I've got...and..."try" to not buy anymore stuff...last night was my weakness! I digress! This lovely butterfly notebook is the larger size I use, roughly 4 x 8. I like this size because it allows me to elongate my design and it worked like a charm for my frond stems.Martha Stewart large butterfly punch. I did 2 butterflies for a little added flair along with some Star Dust Stickles on the top layer. There's that darn PTI-Polka Dot basics...AGAIN! This set just stays on my desk permanently...well used...well stained...money well spent!
Added a little bit of MS satin ribbon and hand guided it through my sewing machine. This particular ribbon is very slippery when using on the sewing machine. To thread the ribbon through, I use both hands (to hold the ribbon "somewhat" straight) and my right hand AT THE SAME time to turn my sewing knob by hand. It is quite the feat, but I do love how it adds a little elegance to a simple layout. Paper here is K&CO, solid colors are SU! and the scallop at the bottom is EK double edge scallop. I'm trying to better my skills with sewing MORE than just straight lines. I took the rounded edges slowly here, and although not exactly how "follow-the-line" it should be, it works!
I hope you enjoy and create today! As I'm typing this something funky is going on with my font and underlining etc. Hubby installed Foxilla last night and I think it may be interfering with my photo editing and the HTML...grrrrr! I'm going to hit the publish button and hope for the best!