Lavender Mint-berry Cream

Bree's new kit is out and it's GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check it out here:

It's just full of goodies (there are 2 alphas..!) and the colors are beautiful!

Go snag it at ScrapMatters or Snapandscrap!

Happy Halloween to everyone! :)

I'll have my usual work day.. Ugh, I even have to take a midterm!  :-S OK, it won't be graded, I'm just being the guinea pig for the professor I'm TAing for, and the students will take the midterm on Monday. But still... :-/

I can't wait for the weekend to arrive to play with Bree's new kit! ;-)

What a Day!

I scrapped one more LO!

I believe this is the last one I manage to do for the October challenges at ScrapMatters.

Overall, I'm happy with myself: I did 14 challenges (4 of which hybrid), for a total of 21 points.

Still, I'm sorry I didn't have time to do some challenges..

We'll see how next month goes! :)

I did this for a Tuesday Template challenge.

Credits:

Template by Britt-ish Designs

Hoo-hoo-hoo by Karah Fredricks

Font: My Own Topher

Doing the mini-bucket with this kit made me want to use more of it! :)

My 1st Hybrid Project

As I anticipated a few days ago, I fell in love with a hybrid project done by Megan Turnridge to decorate some mini-buckets (you can find it in her blog here -she also has a template for the buckets! That's what I used!).

It is really a cheap project! Here's what I spent:

At Target: $1 for 2 3-inch buckets; $1 for 3 autumn ribbons;

at Michael's: $1 for black ribbon; $0.58 for 2 sheets of felt (black and lime).

I already had Mod Podge, glue dots, and I printed on normal paper (I brushed it with Mod Podge since I love the glossy texture it gives).

For the Frankenbucket, I used a paper from Out of this World by Plantation Designs and Ziggle Scraps.

For the Fall Bucket, I used Hoo-hoo-hoo by Karah Fredricks and Holiday Sampler (Fall) by Shabby Princess and I prepared this:

And here are my creations!!!

Frankenbucket:

Fall Bucket:

Side/back:

Side/back:

I *love* *love* *love* these little buckets!!!!!

Hybrid Wonder

I did another LO for the It's In the Cards challenge at ScrapMatters (this is my 4th card) and I really cannot believe how well it turned out!!

I started with the digital design and produced this:

Credits:

Template by Scrappy Kate

Whimsical Wonderland - collab kit by Nicole Seitler, Flergs, Amanda, Kristi, Shawn, Franziska, MGL scraps, Jaque, TrishH, Adrinae, Idzi, Amy&Lauren, Ellie Lash.

Then I started wondering what those squares had to do with Christmas.. Not much..

And I had the greatest idea: turn them into gift boxes!

So I bought some ribbon, and once I assembled my card, here's what it looked like:

I printed the background (including the tree) on normal paper, and glued it with Mod Podge to a card. Then I brushed the tree with Mod Podge so it would contrast with the background.

Detail of gift boxes:

I printed the boxes on photo paper, wrapped the ribbon around them, and attached them with glue dots.

Detail of tree:

The trimmings for the tree were printed on normal paper, brushed with Mod Podge, and attached with glue dots.

I also attached a blue star like the one on the tree inside the card.

I seriously cannot believe I made this card!!!!! :-D

Snow and two LOs

Today we got snow here!!

And unlike last week, when we just had a few minutes of wet snow, this time it was the real thing!! I woke up to see white rooftops and bushes! It didn't cover the street though.

Throughout the day, we've had some more snow showers, quite violent!

It looks like winter is getting here faster this year!

I did 2 LOs with Bree's Fairtree Fairies and I love how they turned out!

These pages go with this one I did about the Butterfly Garden, always using this kit.

Another Hybrid Card

I'm really into hybrid now! Yesterday I did some shopping (DH was really nice about it: isn't he just great?!?? :-) ) and hopefully soon I'll start working on a new project..

But for now, I'm still working on cards.

I did another Christmas card for the hybrid card challenge at ScrapMatters. Here's my digital version:

and here's the actual card:

Inspired by Heather (hedderlee)

Credits:

Whimsical Wonderland - collab kit by Nicole, Flergs, Amanda, Kristi, Shawn, Franziska, MGL scraps, Jaque, TrishH, Adriane, Idzi, Amy&Lauren, Ellie Lash.

It was really a huge challenge for me to cut it out! I'm not good with scissors, and the photo paper glued with Mod Podge to the card was really quite thick. But luckily I didn't do any damage and actually the card turned out really, really well!!

Shadow Work

I scrapped a page about our picnic (it was only 2 weeks ago, but the weather has changed a lot since then: we had the first snowflakes! and now lots and lots of rain..) today.

I have a few more pretty pictures about it so I will do 1 or 2 more pages.

I did this one for the 10.07.08 Tuesday Template at ScrapMatters.

I worked a lot on the shadows. Up to now, I always used the preset drop shadows in Photoshop Elements, but from now on I decided to create the shadows from scratch for each elements. I think it really pays!

Credits:

Template by Scrapmuss

Peace and Quiet by Britt-ish Designs and Andilynn Designs

Fonts: FG Bonnie's, My Own Topher

My 1st Hybrid LO

Inspired by a challenge at Sugarplum Paperie, I just finished my first hybrid LO!
I did an 8.5x11 inches page on a recipe: I want to to a page for all our favorite recipes, and after I finished this one I must say it was easier than I feared!

So here's what I did.

First, I planned the LO on the computer, and did this (click image to enlarge):

Credits:

Glitzy Bits, Bleached Cardboard by Sugarplum Paperie

Alpha from Chilled Wine collab by mgl Scraps and Sugarplum Paperie

Font: My Own Topher

I printed the title, ingredients, garnishes and instructions on normal paper, cut them out and brushed a thin layer of glossy-lustre Mod Podge over them.

Then I printed the picture of the dish on glossy photo paper and cut it out.

I finally glued everything on a cardstock with Mod Podge and... tadaa:

(sorry the photo is awful!)

It turned out really really well!

I simply *love* the texture given by brushing the Mod Podge, and how it contrasts with the shiny photo:

So this really was easier than I thought, and now I have the first recipe for my cookbook!

Busy weekend and even busier week ahead!

It's been a busy but very nice weekend: we had friends over for dinner on Friday, then spent most of the weekend around for concerts and museums.
It's going to be a very busy week for me since I'm going at a conference (which starts at 8AM.. ugh! I'm NOT a morning person) for most of the week.

Anyway, today I managed to sneak in some time for scrap! :)
I did a LO for the Word Up! Challenge at ScrapMatters: we had to use an acrostic.

Ferntree Fairies - Scrap'it designs by Brianna Cox

Font: My Own Topher

Picture is from last week's picnic at the lake (no need to worry, you'll get more LOs about it).
I used Bree's latest kit, Ferntree Fairies, because it has such a romantic feeling that I found it perfect for this picture.

Hybrid Fever

OK, so this weekend DH brought me shopping and I picked up some essential supplies for card making: Mod Podge, cards, cuttter, cutting mat, photo paper.

So I did another card for Christmas:

Credits:

Template by Jaime Ward

Glam-o-rama paper pack by Britt-ish Designs

Elements from Away in a Manger by Raspberry Road Designs

And here's the printed out+assembled version:

I also reprinted the card I did last week and I must say I love these cards!! Printing them on fancy paper does half the trick!

Inspiration Challenge

I did another challenge at Sugarplum Paperie's blog. We had to find an ad and use it as an inspiration.
I searched the net for an inspiring ad and I found this totally gorgeous one:

and here's the LO I created:

Credits:

Paper from Pumpkin Patch by Sugarplum Paperie

Alpha (recolored) from Chilled Wine - collab kit by mgl Scraps and Sugarplum Paperie

Squishy Dots by Karah Fredricks

Font: My Own Topher.

I had so much fun!! :)

Another LO!

I'm feeling inspired this evening! :)

Here's a LO I did for the 10.04.08 Saturday Special challenge at ScrapMatters, on selective coloring. It's a technique I use quite often, especially for pictures that did not turn out very well (here's an example).

I love the expression DH has in this picture, but the background of our kitchen was pretty distracting, so the selective coloring worked out just perfect.

Credits:

Background paper: The Colors of Fall - Designs by Tater 

Paper Shapers and (recolored) Glam-o-rama Paper Pack by Britt-ish Designs

Lil' Stinker Green Alpha by Krystal Hartley

Fonts: My Own Topher, FG Bonnie's

Busy Weekend and Lots of Plans!

First of all, TOOOOOOOT!!! The LO I did for the challenge at Sugarplum Paperie (see previous post) earnt me a GC!!! :-D

It's been a busy weekend, taking care of the garden (lots of leaves to pick up!) and making plans for my attempt to create hybrid cards - I did some shopping and I'll soon start experimenting! I'm so excited! :)

I finally started my CT work and enjoyed using Bree's latest kit, Ferntree Fairies. Here's what I did:

Waaaaay Behind!

DH came back from a 10 day trip this week so I'm way behind with my scrapping projects!!
I haven't even started my CT work for Bree yet and this says it all! Way way behind!! :-(
I'm really glad that with the new challenge system at ScrapMatters we have the whole month to work on the challenges, even if these are posted weekly!

I did complete one project this week though and it took a long time too! It's for the Everyday Magic challenge hosted by Britt at SM, but I also did this for the blog challenge at Sugarplum Paperie.
Tuesday I brought my camera with me and documented my whole day. I love the pictures I took!!

Credits:
Template by Aggie Aviso
Got a Date Strip, kraft paper from I'm A Dreamer and glitter burst from Wicked Woman (new release Oct. 3 2008) by Britt-ish Designs
Sweet as Sugar, Classical Melody, Confetti and Candy, Vintage Garden, Love Actually Alpha and Chilled Wine (collab with mgl Scraps) by Sugarplum Paperie
Dymo-It-Big Alpha by Anita Stergiou

Big News!!

Check out the blinkie on the right!

I'm a Scrap'It Girl!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!! Brianna Cox had a free spot on her CT so she asked me to join! Can you believe it??? Wow I'm so excited! :D

October Flowers

I took some pictures yesterday of the gorgeous flowers in our garden so today I scrapped a LO for the "In Living Color" Challenge at ScrapMatters. We had to use a palette with fall colors.

Credits:

Whooo Loves Fall Add-On by Mira Designs

My Bead Jar and String Theory (some recoloring) by Britt-ish Designs

Nasty Alpha - Scrap'it Designs by Brianna Cox (new release 10.03.08)

Fonts: FG Bonnie's, My Own Topher and WC Wunderback Mix Bta

I always have problems scrapping when I have beautiful pictures that really don't need scrapping to be bettered. But I'm happy with how this turned out!

I'm loving the stuff that came in Britt's grab bag for ScrapMatter's 1st birthday. Those beads have endless uses!!

Monthiversary #13

I'm catching up, so after scrapping #14 and  #15, here's #13.  :)

Credits:

Template by Kay Miller

Summer Lovin' by Ellie Lash and Pineapple Plantation Designs

Font: FG Bonnie's

Disappointment, a New Challenge, and TOOT!!!

OK, so I didn't make it in Krystal Hartley's CT.. :-( Yet another disappointment. This one hurts especially since I really love her style.

Anyway, I'm happy because I scrapped tonight and I like what I came up with. I did it for a challenge by Andilynn's CT about using analogous colors.

Credits:

The Colors of Fall paper pack - Designs by Tater

Butterfly from Reverie by Gina Marie Huff

Alpha from Feels Like Home - collab kit by Ziggle Designs and B-Creative Designs

I love how I blended the picture in the background!

And can you believe it? I'm officially DONE with pictures from our zoo visit!! I'm so proud of myself for creating so many memories about that special day! I actually scrapped 13 LOs with pictures taken at the zoo!

Finally, I have some good news!! I won a $5 GC at Sugarplum Paperie's blog with this LO. It was a random draw (huh, it seems that's the only way I can win something.. sorry but this is my mood tonight..) but I'm SO happy about it! I love love love Nicole's style!! And some of my favorite LOs (such as this and these) I've done with her stuff!

Something New!

OK today I did something totally new: I did a card, and actually printed it out.

Of course, the prompt came from a hybrid challenge at ScrapMatters.

Here's what I created:

Credits:

Template by winkasheart

Family Matters (some recoloring) by Matahati Designs and Sya's Blueprints

Alpha from Witchy Woman by Britt-ish Designs

and here's the printed out version:

I hope I can find a way to attach it to a card so that it doesn't have too much of a homemade feel, because I would love to make cards like this for my family for Christmas!

So this makes 2 more points for me! Yaay! :)

Scrappin' Night!

I scrapped another LO tonight! :)

I did this for the Roadmap to Scrap challenge at ScrapMatters. These were the directions

1. One Black and White Photo
   
2. Stitches
   
3. Flowers
   
4. No Alphas, Fonts Only
   
5. Lots of White Space
   
6. Something Torn
   
7. A Frame
   
8. Use a Kit You Have Never Used Before
   

and here's my LO:

Credits:

Family Matters by Matahati Designs and Sya's Blueprints (new release 9/26/08)

Torn paper heart (recolored) by Gunhild Storeide

Font: Ginga

This should be worth 2 more points! Too bad tomorrow is Friday already because it means all the gorgeous stuff I got last week at SM will be 1 week old already and won't be worth the extra point anymore... :-(

Anyway, I did all I could do for today, and now it's definitely bed time! :)

New Challenge System at SM!

There's a new challenge system at Scrap Matters. It sounds quite complicated at first, but the basic idea is that you get 1 point for every challenge completed, and 1 additional point if you use a product released in the previous 7 days. Then, who wins the challenge gets 1 more point.

There are lots of challenges, and several new ones are posted every week, but the point system is organized by month, so you have the whole month for scrapping LOs for the challenges.

Anwyay, I started scrapping a Tuesday Template challenge, and I used some adorable stuff from Britt's grab bag that was released last week - so this should earn me 2 point.

Oooooh... wait.. are you wondering what the points are worth? :)

OK, here's the deal. There are 2 options: discount (and in this case each month you start with 0 points), or gift certificate (and you can cumulate points in more than one month).

Here's the points-discount conversions:

21+ = 40% off

16-20 = 35% off

11-15 = 25% off

6-10 = 15% off

1-5 = 10% off

and if instead you want to get a GC, you can get a $5.5 GC with 60 points.

I believe I'll be using mostly the 2nd option. (ugh 60 points does seem like a lot... who knows how many months it'll take me to get there! :) )

Enough talking now! Here's my LO. :)

Credits:

Template by Ldrag Designs

String Theory, Bead-aholic Alpha (recolored) and My Bead Jar by Britt-ish Designs (from SM 1st Birthday grab bag)

Peridot Paradise by Erica Zane 

Font: My Own Topher

This mini kit by Erica was the partecipation prize for the other night's speed scrap. :)

Hey, you did notice, didn't you? :) This is another zoo LO!  :) I believe I have only one more to do, and then I'll have scrapped all the zoo pictures!!