Chillingsworth Manor Ornament *Echo Park*

I love sparkly holidays so I have a Nightmare Before Christmas black Halloween Tree. As soon as I saw this "Chillingsworth Manor" collection from Echo Park, I knew I had to make an ornament just so that I could put this little Nibbles the Mouse sticker on it. Ok, he might be a rat but I don't like rats so at my house he is a mouse.

I used a paper mache ornament shape from Hob Lob and just covered it with this gorgeous "Chillingsworth Manor" paper. If you haven't seen the individual papers in this collection yet, just click on it - there are a ton of really cool tags and journaling blocks but I love paper and its really good stuff. Anyway, on each edge I punched some flowers and put a pearl head straight pin into the ornament with some Gorilla Glue super glue. My Granny used to make lots of pin, bead, sequin, stryrofoam ball ornaments and the key is to dip the pin into white glue before putting it in the ball but this is a paper mache shape and its hollow inside so super glue is best. Same thing for the top - straight pin, glass bead, flowers. At the bottom I wanted a tassel so I used some really long black fringe and wrapped it around in a coil, glued it and stuck a pin thru it to hold it in place - also superglue. Then the trick is to put it high enough on the tree so that Figaro and Noel don't see that black fringe. LOL! I will share other photos of the tree later. I think I got some good photos on my new phone. I actually think with this black tree, the phone does better than my real camera because I am just not that good with lighting settings.

So Very Thankful DCWV Giveaway!

You guys are just the best and I think you need a chance to win some more fun papers. I made this Thankful card using one of the new DCWV collections called "The Wild Splendor". I just love these new fall collections with their sort of bronzy foil and glittery parts - they really add something to your cards and layouts. I layered this one and added a few strips of foam tape. I really should own stock in that stuff, as much as I use.

Anyway, I am celebrating fall and thanksgiving early because we finally had a bit of cold air here, it feels amazing, and I am totally in a thankful mood. Are you guys about ready for Turkey and Pie???

And now for your chance to win! Just leave me a comment here telling me what you would use these two MatStacks for and I will randomly draw a winner on Friday, Nov 16th. Well I usually have one of the boys pick names out of a bowl or use the random generator.

Here are the two MatStacks that one of you will win: The Autumn Melody MatStack with patterned papers that have the bronzy foiling and glittering, and the coordinating Autumn Melody Adhesive Cardstock Stack. These are the 4.5 x 6.5" MatStacks

Give Thanks Card and tutorial *Echo Park Fall Fever

This card was so much fun to put together, the owl is just too cute with those eyes, add a few layers and some hand stitching and you have a perfectly cute card. I used the Fall Fever Mini Theme collection by Echo Park, that nice Kraft cardstock from Carta Bella, and a doily.  Have you hand stitched on a card for someone special? Visit the Echo Park Blog HERE to see my step by step tutorial for this card and the blanket stitch that I used.

It's almost time for Turkey and pie so make a card to for someone who you are especially thankful for this year. 

Fall Fever Layout and a Winner!

Happy Monday! Let's get right to the winner - shall we!

My random winner of the Echo Park Design Team Blog hop is......

julie e said...

Love your mix of papers and trim!

8:57 AM

..... and guess what?! Great Impressions Stamps had me pick a Bonus winner to receive a special stamp prize! So my bonus winner is......

  blupixy said...These cards are amazing! Love the layers and banners!

10:56 AM

 Thank you to everyone who visited my blog for the hop! Don't forget to check the other blogs along the way to see if you were chosen. Also, we have an Echo Park blog hop each month so check back often for more chances to win :)

Now I don't know if you guys are having fall where you live, but here in Houston, it's still summer with a hint of cooler air that gives us hope and then leaves again. It's really getting on my nerves. That doesn't mean that I can't do a fall layout though.

I found an older photo of my son that I just love and have you seen the New Fall Fever Mini Theme collection from Echo Park? It's got this gorgeous rich woodgrain and the cutest owl - which you will see later on a card :) . Anyway, that's what I used for this layout and the little trees are my favorite part so I cut some from the patterned paper. The burlap and leather ribbons from May Arts were just the right textures for fall.

Electric Umbrella -CSI: Case file no. 42

This is my page for this weeks CSI: Case File no. 42 (HERE). I love the inspiration photo and colors. For my "evidence" I used a woodgrain background, flowers, and polka dots. For my "testimony" I added a flower to my journaling spot - sort of :)

This is also my example for Sketch #99 at Sketch Savvy (HERE). I used Echo Park's "So Happy Together" Collection except for the little green paper that is from Crate Paper. Since this photo is from the Electric Umbrella Restaurant at Epcot and they have alot of neon, I decided to stitch with irredescent Kreinik threads, just a bit of sparkle.

Adventure *New Carta Bella Traditions

Ok, you all have to click on this New Carta Bella "Traditions" collection because this is just a gorgeous collection and I know you can't feel the texture virtually, but it's a nice thick textured cardstock that you will just love. There is a whole sheet of great tags, so I had to use a few. This background Kraft cardstock is also from Carta Bella so its just perfect. I have put off working on these photos because for one thing, I didn't have the right colors and style of papers, and also because I just struggle with two pagers and I wanted to use alot of photos.  So actually I did 3 pages but you will have to wait for the 3rd. :) But isn't this peacock perfect! I cut it out of the paper. The threads are a normal brown thread but I also stitched with a peacock colored metallic thread from Kreinik. The little leather ribbon is from May Arts and I zig zag stitched over it to hold it in place.

This layout is for 2 page Sketch #17 at Sketch Savvy HERE

Echo Park Paper/Great Impressions Stamps "2012 October" Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Great Impressions Stamps/Echo Park Paper Design Team Blog Hop! 

Today the Echo Park Paper Design Team and Great Impressions Stamps Design Team are showcasing projects from our latest collections. Be sure to follow the blog hop list below as you hop from one blog to the next. ONE winner will be selected from EACH blog to receive an Echo Park Paper collection kit of their choosing, and a set of two stickable stamps from 

Great Impressions Stamps.   To qualify for the kit and stamps, comments will be due by midnight EST, Sunday, October 21st to qualify for the drawing. The winner will be announced on each blog Monday, October 22nd so be sure to check back to see if you've won.

Echo Park Paper

Kandis

Erin 

Wendy Sue

Jenny

Susan (you are here)

Sue K.

Lowri

Angela

Mary

Linda

Shanna

Tamara

Jennifer

Great Impressions Stamps

Check out the 2 cute stamps that I chose to play with! You have to love the little skating mouse. These are nice foam backed stickable stamps that you use with any acrylic block. 

 I thought I would make a couple of cards using both stamps but with two very different Echo Park Paper Holiday Collections. One of the best things about working with stamps is that you can customize them to your favorite paper collections. :) 

First, let me share a card using Echo Park's "This and That Christmas" Collection, May Arts burlap ribbon,  and Carta Bella Natural White Linen cardstock. I stamped the greeting stamp and cut it apart to use as word strips on the card. Next I stamped the mousy image, watercolored him to match the collection, and cut him out. I went with a sort of classic warm Christmas look using an accordion folded circle over the gorgeous burlap ribbon. 

I thought that turned out super cute and I could have just created a stack of those to send to everyone but I am one of those people who can not stand to make the same thing over and over! So here is another version with those same stamps. I used Echo Park's "Happy Holiday's" Mini Theme collection and Ultra White Felt cardstock by Carta Bella. This one is totally different so the mouse was stamped in black again, but I just watercolored him differently and attached him in the lower right, then decorated the card with crisp flags and clean white cardstock ruffles. The greeting is stamped inside with a couple of the little flags.  

Hello, My name is Tigger!

Tigger is difficult, he certainly isn't orange and he is almost neon red. I have so many Tigger photos from several Disney trips because we love to eat with him at Crystal Palace. I found "The Sweetest Thing" collection by My Mind's Eye and it is just perfect. Tigger still stands out but this collection suits the whole feel of that character meal, I think. Tigger was feeling a bit short when hanging out with my boys. He should see them now, they are even taller. LOL!

I used a bit of vellum for texture and also to make a pocket for some Tigger-fetti. For my title, I scanned Tigger's autograph from one of our old autograph books, then I cleaned it up in Photoshop a bit, and had my Cricut cut it out for me. I need to do that more often with character pages. Love this "hello, my name is" block from this collection.

Market - *Echo Park For the Record 2: Tailored

A little more from this fun bright collection. Echo Park's For the Record 2: Tailored makes me think of flowers and fruit so I pulled out a photo of my brother and sister at the farmers market. I was totally inspired by this awesome "Rainbow" layout by Madeline Fox. She is my color hero so I wanted to give it a try. What is more fun than playing with color collections of papers and embellishments!

I started with Carta Bella's gorgeous Ultra White Linen cardstock for my base and you will be seeing this more from me because its my favorite tectured white ever. Odd to have a fave but seriously, it's cool. I cut the wide strips of papers in these 4 colors and then started playing around with the coordinating embellishments from the For the Record 2: Tailored Stickers, Chipboard, layered chipboard, and brad pack. Click HERE to see some of those fun embellishments. And look at this adorable bee sticker - he had to be on yellow. Ok and then this is where the layout got away from me, I felt the need to hand stitch fruit names with the colors at the bottom. I used fun sparkly or silk threads from Kreinik, but I am NOT good at stitching small letters and maybe my handwriting made it worse. LOL! Still you get what I was trying to do, even if its a bit sloppy. First, draw the letters with a pencil and use a needle to pierce the holes so that you can easily stitch.

Give this rainbow technique of Madeline's a try, it really is fun.

My Paper Weight *CSI: Case file no. 39

I loved the colors and inspiration so much this week at CSI: Case File no.39 and I couldn't resist playing along. There is even a sketch from Nadia at Once Upon a Sketch and you will just love it. See the full challenge and sketch HERE.

For my layout I used some pretty My Mind's Eye papers, cardstock daisies that I cut out with my cricut, a Martha Stewart fabric birdie, flowers from Prima and Paper Studio, and a then I just needed a little something fuzzy and grey to match Mr Fig so I cut out a grey felt heart and blanket stitched around it. I also used some really pretty Kreinik braid and stitched it down with sparkly Kreinik Blending Filament. If you haven't stitched with their amazing threads and things, you have to check them out.  Fig is a much much larger paper weight now but he holds the papers down so well when the window is open. :) Oh, I almost forgot - my evidence is misty stars, a bird and leaves.