*BLOG HOP!* Love My Tapes + Pretty Little Studio (& Giveaways!)

Love My Tapes + Pretty Little Studio 

BLOG HOP!

Hello and welcome to the Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes Blog Hop! 

We thought it would be fun to combine forces and share with you projects 
highlighting Pretty Little Studio whimsical goodness paired 

with the versatility and trendiness of Love My Tapes. 

During the Blog Hop, you will be visiting blogs from both Pretty Little Studio 

and Love My Tapes Design Team members. 

We promise to bring you a hop FULL of inspiration and creativity. 

And what’s a Blog Hop without giveaways? (Seriously, come on...!)

Be sure to visit all the blogs,  including the Pretty Little Studio and Love My Tapes 

blogs for a chance to win some PLS and LMT goodies! 

When visiting the Design Team member’s blogs, be sure and leave comments as 
many of the Design Team members will also be hosting their own Blog Hop giveaways. 

The Hop will start on the Pretty Little Studio blog & end on the Love My Tapes blog,
so head on over to the Pretty Little Studio blog if you are just joining in! 

We will announce the winners of the PLS and LMT giveaways on May 3rd, 

so be sure to be watching for the announcements. If you get lost along the way,
just check below where you are to get you hopping in the right direction.

So let’s get hopping!

Now, you should have just arrived here from Janice's blog. 

For my contribution to the blog I made a set of five cards to give as a gift for a friend!
I started with just a couple cards and then it just kind of snowballed into a set...:)

I tried to come up with a simple formula where I chose one of the biggest die cuts 
from the set, some matching patterned paper, one phrase stamp and highlighted 
each card with either washi, fabric tape & lace tape or a combination!

Below is the photo of the entire set & then I have a photo of each individual card.
After the hop links at the bottom, I included some details photos as well.  I didn't want 
to make this SO long that you end up  falling asleep on your computer instead of hopping! 

I used the pink fabric tape that has circles on it as the background on some cardstock

and rounded the edges as a mat for my die cut.  There is also a piece of tan lace tape peeking 

out of the bottom.  This was my daughter's favorite one, only because of the milkshake! :) 

I taped some red washi on vellum and folded it onto itself to make the border piece

at the bottom, thinking of the little girl's skirt...and added the lace tape above it!
I also used a couple pieces of a chevron washi as tiny banners on the stick pins.

Such a sweet image, love those colors!!  I used some of the ivory lace tape at 

the bottom between punched edges of paper.  Then I made a little banner out 

of the pink and tan lace tapes by cutting along the scallops in the tape pattern.

This is the card I started with because I LOVED the little cake that

looked like colored crayons.  I took the red chevron washi tape and rolled 

it around itself to highlight the candles and give them dimension.

I used the red star washi, one of my favorites, under my sentiment

The last card I actually used two die cuts, one large and one of the tiny cakes.

I embossed the sentiment onto vellum and then layered it over one of the

darker washi tapes that is dark forest green that has a tiny zigzag pattern on it.

I picked the green washi and the patterned paper inspired by the little boys striped shirt.

SO, that is the set...I tied them up with some twine and the matching envelopes!

Below the links are the close ups so you can see more in detail.

Thank you so much for hopping onto my blog!  

Next stop on the Hop is with the really talented Krissy McKee!

Check the link list below to make sure you are hopping along in the right direction!

Have a great day and happy hoppage! :)

Pretty Little Studio Blog:  http://prettylittlestudio.com/blog/

Aimee Maddern:  http://aimeesarmoire.typepad.com/
Annette Allen:  http://myclevercreations.blogspot.com/
Annette Witherspoon:  http://www.aspoonfullofsugarcrafts.blogspot.com/
Ashley Horton:  http://www.ashleyhortondesigns.com/
Candice Elliott:  http://truedivinehand.blogspot.com/
Christina Collins:  http://dontworry-bescrappy.blogspot.com/
Heather Adams:  http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/
Janice Whiting:  http://www.janiceaileen.blogspot.com/
Jenni Calma:  http://www.papercardinal.blogspot.com/ -------you are here
Krissy McKee:  http://krissyclarkmckee.blogspot.com/
Lisa Spiegel:  http://lisaspiegel.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Lisa Wilkinson:  http://www.createfor7.blogspot.com/
Mary Ann Jenkins:  http://www.maryannjenkins.com/
Missy Whidden:  http://littlenuggetcreations.blogspot.com/
Tina Walker:  http://adogslife-thirteen.blogspot.com/

Love My Tapes Blog:  http://lovemytapes.blogspot.com/

Packaged set

 

 Thanks again for stopping by!
I am planning on having my own GIVEAWAY to celebrate Cinco de Mayo
next week (May 5th)...In college, we celebrated with margaritas &
now at 40, I am celebrating giving away some new fun products...and margaritas ;)!
** Details for my giveaway will be posted on the 3rd, same day as this hops's winners! **
Come back to check it out!!

spread the love about...and a little personal Scrapbook analysis!

Polka dot, polka dot, polka dot!

Thought I would take a cue from the bongos and incorporate 

as many polka dots and circles as possible!  

I love this photo of my son on the kitchen floor (after a bath, ahem...) just drumming a beat!

My husband is a drummer and we have lots of drums and guitars  and music always playing...

and if it isn't being played then Sofia is humming, completely unaware that she does it ALL the time.

And Sam is constantly drumming on something.  I think it is pretty fabulous, 

(sometimes, to be honest, it is annoying and I have to ask for the silent game)

but, most of the time I think it is cool...and they are usually in sync (heh...in sync)

Anyway, here is Bongo Boy, as he was dubbed by Daddy.

I literally just grabbed a bunch of stuff that was blue, kraft and green & thought it 

was just going to come together in one of those great scrapbook moments where it 

magically falls into place in 20 minutes...and instead it just sat on my desk for 3 days, 

which is a long time lately...it wanted something, needed something. 

I wish I could say I figured it out, but I didn't...

 

I did figure out that making myself a little "kit" to work with is really a great way 

to keep myself from becoming overwhelmed by the possibilities of using all this 

product surrounding me...I love going "shoppping" in my stash for the perfect

embellishment or little piece I think is missing, but I can't start out that way 

or I would never get anything but a scrapanxiety attack ;)

I also figured out, mostly by editing my own process videos, that aside from 

hearing my Southern accent over and over, which always sounds kinda cool 

in my inner monologue, that I have developed a style.  

It is evolving and will continue to do so, but there are certain things that I am 

pretty predictable about doing over and over.  And I am ok with that....

for one thing, looking back at albums it won't be too much of a drastic change.  

I think the time is reflected in trending styles and products, but I don't want to 

scrap like someone I am not...and it is kind of nice to take a step back 

and look at my own work, instead of the constant comparison 

that I think happens a lot with designers today.

I could be completely mistaken, in which case, this post may count as therapy?!

But, I do think it is important to remind myself that while I want to make pretty 

pages and beautiful things to inspire, share and evoke a response,I started doing 

this for the love of crafting and keeping memories.  I don't mind that I don't 

always journal, or maybe my journaling is hidden like a little note for my 

kids or whomever later, I just don't want to get too caught up in keeping 

the memories that I forget to enjoy the ones I am or could be making...

Whew...that was a mouthful!  I feel better!  

If you feel the same way or differently, please comment...I'd love to hear it!  

If not, then that's ok too...thanks for sticking to the end, if only to see if there was an end!  ;)

  {  I think it is kind of ironic that the flair button above says "try new things"...

but that is sort of the message to my son! ;)  }

**HUGE Exciting New Collections from Elle's Studio!!**

This is so exciting, it has made me smile through a post-migraine hangover haze.

 Elle's Studio has stepped it up a notch AGAIN!

Not only are there new paper collection! Cameron (all boy) & Saltwater (take a guess ;))
 More vellum (Yay!) and new die-cut frames, but they will have their first Alphabet Stamp Set!

And it is SUCH a cool font! ( I am a picky font person.. )

This is a sample teaser of the new die-cuts in the Saltwater collection!

AND, there is a GIVEAWAY!
Go to the link below and see all the new fun stuff and
the details on being one of 4 winners of one entire collection!

Check it all out HERE! Go, now, really...go!

I LOVE YOU TO THE STAR AND BACK...& New Video!

I will always remember reading the book, Love You to the Moon and Back
to my children.  There are several books that we read to them over and over,
especially, if I got to pick and that on was right at the top.
I know this is To The Stars (not Moon) and Back, and it seems to be everywhere,
but I don't care.  I will never get tired of hearing it or seeing it.


You can check out my Start to Finish Video below:


I wanted to try out this 3D stamp paint I bought for mixed media projects,
 but hadn't opened yet...It was so fun to work with and not only is
it dimensional, but dried incredibly fast!

You will be seeing it again, as well as this POW paper from American Crafts.
It is so cool, and I have had it on my pile of new things to use, just couldn't
find the right place for it.  It one of those papers to me that can be
overwhelming used a a whole unless is is done just right, we'll see.
But here I chose to just highlight the die-cut title.

I am loving all the navy that is showing up in the collections and especially with this mint color.
I glittered the wood veneer stars and hung them from the cloud and the number 5 for my son's age.
The photo was from a photo shoot I did of them last fall that I got some amazing photos from.
This was one I was trying to get a Not Posed Pose, if that makes sense...
With his sister behind me making silly faces and distracting me, it was difficult.
I finally got right right before he broke into a fit of giggles.  And I liked that he was looking up...

Thanks for checking it out!
  I would love you to see the process video if you can handle 20 minutes of southern accent.
Well, maybe 5 minutes of accent and 15 minutes of groovy muzac!
Feel free to comment or ask questions...

Happy Monday!

ZOOM. & Start to Finish VIDEO! { Scrapbook Circle April Sketch }

This was one of those days where everything went wrong...not the day from the photos,
this actual day, well yesterday now...
In light of everything going on in the rest of the world, my computer not behaving
seems so ridiculously minuscule, it shouldn't be worth mentioning...

At any rate, on a brighter day, earlier in the year, was a lovely day that
my husband took the kids out to burn off some energy by scootering around the neighborhood.
Ironically, to let me have some "scrap times" as he calls it...
These were some of the Instagram photos he took...he takes much better Instagrams
than I do, he has an eye for the spur of the moment action that I lack.
I am great at poses, setups and taking the photos with lighting, planning & everything
that is not spontaneous, impulsive and real life. ;)  He would be a great Project Life photographer!



You can see my process in the video here:

I used the Scrapbook Circle April Sketch but the majority of the pieces of
this project came from the March Scrapbook Circle kit...I really hated to leave
it without getting at least one more LO from it and I have had so much product
to sift through, things are getting buried around here!
I know NO ONE has that problem ;)

You can see the original post to the Scrapbook Circle Sketch post HERE
and that I followed it pretty closely, other than flipping it 180 degrees.
I wanted to use the pie chart and arrows to reinforce the idea of movement in the
scooters and wheels, etc.  And I loved the black & white paper from Maggie Holmes
that worked well with my daughter's helmet in the photo.

Scrapbook Circle has digital printable files that are part of their kit, but they
have started including physical cut apart labels, tags and even some flair!
One of which I used in this layout, however, I think it was from their January kit...?

Anyway, thanks for checking it out!  Please check out the process video
and leave comments or suggestions!  All the feedback is great!
Happy Friday!

Elle's Studio New Challenge!

There is a new challenge up at Elle's Studio and I got to play along with Megan Klauer!

 The challenge sketch was from a LO by Laura Kurz that is AMAZING.

Is it one of those pages that deserve a frame...and definitely answer the 'less is more' question!

The challenge was to use a large photo and so I tried to take a cue from Laura's page by keeping

everything else very simple.  In fact, I can't remember the last time I used so few layers...

But I love the way it turned out.

It was also perfect timing because I just bought a new printer that is great and I love this photo.I love that 

no one is looking at the camera, but I can see so much of their personalities by their smiles. Sofia is very protective (& bossy) of her little brother and there is nowhere he would rather be than right next to her.

  

Because the photo was large and I wanted it to be the focus, it is the perfect opportunity for simplicity.  

Also, the background is the new (limited) vellum from Elle's Studio that is luscious...

that may not be a word normally associated with paper,but trust me, it is...

it is such a beautiful texture and weight and the colors are gorgeous.

I really didn't think I would be able to use it.  Which is another reason I kept it simple.  

I couldn't bear to hurt this beautiful piece of loveliness by introducing it to my x-acto blade...

So, I just backed it  with some white cardstock and added just a couple tabs and labels in yellow 

to move your eye around the page and add a third color.  

You can see the post on Elle's Studio blog HERE 

as well as my fellow DTeamie Megan's lovely page for the challenge (she uses some vellum too!)

  And of course Laura's inspiration layout. And submitting a project to the challenge will 

give a chance to get some of this vellum or something else from the shop for yourself!

Thanks for stopping in and hope to see some of your projects in the gallery!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also need to amend a previous "review" I did on a video a couple months ago about some adhesive specifically designed for vellum.  It actually works better than I originally thought.  It was easier in this case with a patterned vellum, but the key is to not let the runner build up any adhesive at the end, 

and to lay it down quickly.  Too slow snapped it back and created a little blob of adhesive that will show through.  

So, maybe I didn't use it correctly the first time, or maybe this is just better vellum...? ;)

BLOG HOP! Elle's Studio & Perfect Paper Crafting (& GIVEAWAY!)

Welcome to the Elle’s Studio & Perfect Paper Crafting blog hop! 

We have lots of inspiration for you at each stop in the hop, using their amazing rulers and Elle’s Studio products! 

If you haven’t heard of Perfect Paper Crafting, you must go check them out right now!

These rulers allow you to cut perfect borders around your photos without measuring! 

You can go from 1 inch borders all the way down to a 1/16 border! Besides the amazing rulers, 
they also have mats and boards; and tools that turn your markers into airbrushes!  

Whether you scrapbook, make cards or do mixed media; you will find these 

patented tools help you to make your creative masterpieces "Perfect"! 

  

Perfect Paper Crafting is also doing a special discount on their tools just for 
you guys this week!  Use coupon code Elle5% to get 5% off your order! 

I have worked with chipboard and paper a long time and am used to measuring things out, 
measuring again and then cutting...I am a planner...Seriously, I am a Virgo.
And it was an adjustment, only because I was not used to having such an easy tool at my disposal!  
So, after trying out the rulers a bit, I decided they were perfect for the project 
I have been putting off for almost a year.  I wanted to do a mini-album  
for my daughter's First Communion.  And couldn't get myself motivated to do it...

So, not to sound too cheesy, but this was the perfect storm!  
I love the Serendipity line, perfect colors & neutral theme...coincidence?? ;) 
and then the Perfect Squares & Perfect Layers tools just made it, well, perfect.

I knew I wanted to do more than just one LO for this event,

but I am a little picky, and a bit pf a perfectionist...Perfect storm.  

Perfect squares for cutting my own chipboard, which my husband brought 

home from the office (yay, re-purposed!) and these tools helped get all the 

papers which I cut specifically for this project to be a perfect fit!  

I love matting my photos, in fact, I pretty much always do it, since I add so many layers, 

I need to draw attention to the photo!  And here, I did it, not only for that reason, 

but to place a hierarchy on the photos that were more important...

Flowers on the table and a little twirl in her new dress, without knowing anyone was watching!

  

with the Godparents & Grandparents

with Mom & Dad & with monogrammed/dated beautiful gifts.

I added extra layers to mat this photo to emphasize the importance

with Gigi & finally the veil and halo of flowers pinned in place...

The Serendipity collection was absolutely the perfect fit, since it was soft colors with 

a mix of graphics and neutrals, and lots of perfect sweet tags and labels for the event!  

I wanted to document this for anyone to look at and appreciate, but really, 
it will be for my daughter later, which is why there isn't a lot of journaling. 
I included an envelope where I wrote a note to her from her father & myself...

I also used lots of the fabric tapes, mostly the lace tape, from Love My Tapes, 

which is what I think what was missing, when I was planning this project.  

I needed an embellishment that wouldn't be bulky, 

would be feminine and would obviously fit with the occasion!

This last photo is another of my favorites with her holding her new necklace so I used the
double mat to emphasize it.  The Perfect Layers made it easy and actually helped inspire it!

Perfect Paper Crafting will be giving away a $50 gift certificate and 

Elle’s Studio is giving away a complete collection of Day to Day & Serendipity, 

so make sure you stop at each blog and leave a comment to be entered to WIN! 

You have until midnight April 15th to enter, winners will be posted on Friday, April 19th . 

  

Here’s a list of the other stops on our hop – 

leave a comment at each one to increase your chances of winning! 

Elle's Studio

Perfect Paper Crafting
Pam Sparks  

Ellie Augustin  

Jenny Gropp 

                      Jenni Calma  (you are here)

Eva Uyeunten   

Keri Babbitt  

Wendy Ramlakhan  

Martha Bonneau  

Roxie Glaza   

Sarah Hill  

Laura Lynn  

This is the back cover which has the envelope & card with a little private note
to my daughter enclosed...I love the thought of her reading it to her daughter one day...

Close-up view of the cover...Her middle name is Rose...had to include it somewhere! 

Thanks for stopping by, check out the other fabulous projects on the Hop 

and be sure to leave comments for a chance to win awesome stuff!!

And come back, or "join me" for future potential awesomeness!

Have a great day!!