Dream a little dream layout *GCD Studios Pure Bliss Collection*

 Hi there friends. Our children takes up the majority of our scrapbook pages. And sometimes it gets a little redundant. I mean, they have yearly birthdays, first day of school, holiday events and everything in between. That’s why with this layout I decided to write a special letter to my daughter to change out things a little bit. This page was actually inspired by the title that I had cut out from a pattern paper in the Pure Bliss collection then I wrote 10 reasons why I wanted my little sweetie to never stop dreaming.

I wanted to make this “letter” to my daughter very personal so I handwritten my journaling.

I dressed up my title circle with epoxy dots and adhered it with foam adhesive to add dimension to it.

Little bits of fun stickers and pins finished off my page. 

Products used: Pure Bliss (#2018 Happy Hoops; #2019 Alphabet; #2024 Dainty Floral; #2025 Journal tags;  #2035 Paper Clips; #2036 Die cut borders; #2033 Label Stickers; #2034 Brads); Happiness (#1868, Glitter Epoxy Dots)

Other supplies: Cardstock, twine, flowers, pen, letter stickers  

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace

Happy Birthday card *Inspired by Stamping*

Hi there friends. This week is going by way too fast for me. I'm in the middle of creating gifts for my kids' teachers, making projects with upcoming deadlines and not to mention school homework for me. Whew! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the weekend. 

Speaking of looking forward, my son's birthday is in two months and he's already planning and, dare I say, making a list of gifts he'd like to receive. I guess in any child's mind, birthdays are the coolest. I wish I still look forward to my birthdays like he does. *wink*

But I will look forward to my birthday if I received a handmade card like this...

Happy Birthday To you card

I created this card with the recent Cardabilities sketch in mind. You can find the sketch and the many inspirations the design team offered in this blog post. 

I used items in my scrap stash along with one of my fave stamps right now, which is the Washi stamp set of Inspired by Stamping. I also added a sentiment stamp, from Inspired by Stamping as well. 

When I was writing down the supply list for my card, I realized that I used a lot of products in creating this project. I love products but I think I'm going to challenge myself next time to limit the products I use in a project to about 5. Oh! the thought of it already makes me uneasy. Let's see if it's doable to a product-hoarder like me. Would you like to see that in a video? 

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Altered Quote Frame with tutorial

Happy Monday everyone. Since Monday has become my informal day of tutorials, I decided to share an altered frame project plus how to instructions with you today. 

The first thing I usually check when I'm in the craft store is the clearance aisle. It's the bargain hunter in me. Well, in one of my recent trips to my local Michael's craft store, I found some canvas frames that were on clearance for about $2. I picked one up thinking that the blank canvas can be prettied up with some of my scrapbook supplies. 

So I came home and a few days later created this....

I also wanted to play with new misting templates that I bought and some other "new" stuff in my stash. Projects like these gives me the freedom to just "play" and put items together that I've been collecting. 

Now here's how to create this frame...

First you'll need a canvas frame, pattern paper that will fit the inside of the frame, a quote, a die cut shape as your focal point, paint, paint brush, misting template and flower trim (optional)

Next you'll need to prep the frame for painting. I added a piece of scrap paper inside the frame to catch paint that accidentally gets inside the frame. 

Since my template is smaller than my frame, I started in one corner and worked my way around the project trying not to move my template too much. When I did have to move it, I tried to match it with what's already been painted so that the design will look uniformed all around. Once painted, set it aside to dry. 

Then I worked on the focal point of my frame. I cut out the compass die from Die Versions on a glittered cardstock. Since the glittered paper is thicker than the usual paper, make sure you run your die cut a few times through your die cut machine to make sure it cuts the piece from the paper. Mat the computer generated quote on black cardstock and trim. 

Then add the compass and quote on a piece of coordinating paper with foam adhesive. 

When the paint on the frame has fully dried, you can slip the focal point paper block. I decided to add some floral trim on the edge of the frame to create more attention to the center/focal point of the project. I added strips of adhesive to adhere the trim. 

And there you have it. Here's more detailed shots of my project...

Here's the supply list:

Frame- Michael's Craft Store

Papers- (glittered cardstock) Doodlebug Design; (white and black cardstock) WorldWin Papers; (red) Echo Park

Floral trim- Maya Road

Template- Prima

Compass Die- Die Versions

Paint- Plaid Enterprises

Adhesives- Glue Arts

Thanks for stopping by. So what about you? What is your favorite aisle to check at the craft store?

Till next time,

Grace

Layouts *Inspired By Stamping*

Woohoo! It's a Friday and I'm so looking forward to the weekend. I love how the weekend means family time and rejuvenation for me. How about you? 

As my last post of the week, I've decided to share a couple of layouts I made recently with the May release stamps of Inspired By Stamping. 

4 Exploring 

This page shows some pictures of a hiking trip my family and I took about two years ago. I saw the "4" paper block from a pattern paper and decided to use that as part of my title. The four represented the number of family members we have and then I added the word "exploring" to emphasize the type of activity this memory conveys for us. 

I used the script background stamp to create my own pattern paper flowers. I stamped them on solid paper and then punched out the flower shape. I curled the edges a bit to create dimension with them, punched out another flower to layer on top and then finished off the flowers with brads. 

I also added some washi tape stamps. They're one of my favorite stamps to date!

 Food Storage

In this page, I documented how important my food storage was to our family in this past year. I photographed my food storage after I accumulated a good amount of it (a couple of years ago) but decided to focus my journaling on how this supply has helped us during our "unemployment" challenge this year. It's interesting how sometimes you photograph something with a specific page in mind and then once ready to scrapbook, the story changes. Another reason why this craft is so exciting for me. 

I used one of the Big Hope stamp with the faith sentiment in this page. I also stamped the border background on white cardstock then used it as a strip of handmade pattern paper on the right edge of the page as well as butterflies on the left side of the layout. 

I misted some doilies and then added a circle frame stamp to give it some more design and texture. 

So there you have it. If you want to learn more about these stamps and other products that Inspired by Stamping, please click here. 

What are you planning on scrapbooking next? I hope these pages inspire you on your next project. 

till next time,

Grace

What Mother's day looked like this year

 Hi friends. Motherhood is definitely one of my favorite roles. And having a special day that I can excuse myself from chores and feel the love of my family is a favorite perk of my "job". Since Mother's day falls on a Sunday and we reserve the Sabbath for spiritual activities, we always celebrate the day before. This year's celebration was a trip to Ikea...it's my version of Disneyland. *wink*

I didn't want to lug my big camera so I chose to capture the day's events with my Ipod touch. Here's some photos of our fun day trip...

1. We took a family photo infront of one of the big mirrors they had in the hallway. 2. I love, love, love their meatballs with linden berry jam. 3-6. The family enjoying some great lunch at the Ikea cafe. 7-9 Some room ideas that I was really digging. 

Some people go to Ikea to purchase products to fill a whole room (or a whole house) and I would like to do that one day but for the most part, an Ikea trip just means a day full of gathering inspirations and ideas. I did however got to purchase this lamp for my scrapbook table as my Mother's day gift. Mitch put it on my table as soon as we got home and I'm super excited to use it. This lamp will help me with small projects and it swivels so I can move it around my table with ease. Super fun!

and in the morning of Mother's day, I got my annual breakfast made by the family. (photo taken with Ipod touch as well so it's not the best quality)

So that's how Mother's day 2013 looked like. How did yours look like?

Thank you for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Winner of GCD Studios blog hop + some links

Happy Monday friends. I hope all of my Mommy friends and blog readers had a fantastic day yesterday. I'll talk about my own Mother's day experience later on this year. But today we are going to do some crafty sharing...

I was so honored to be a part of a great hop last week and as promised, I'm announcing the winner today. Due to the great amount of comments, I used random generator to help me pick the lucky winner.

The winner is...

 kate blue said...

Love the card cause the colors pop....so much to love about these collections but I gotta say I LOVE the Spencer paper !

Congratulations!!! Please email me at graceelainetolmanATyahooDOTcom and I'll get your price shipped. :)

Thank you Teacher frame

I was contacted by Glue Dots some months go inviting me to create some projects for them. One of the things I made was this teacher frame. I love how the adhesive projects Glue Dots offers allowed me to add textures and elements, like the crayons, in the frame. Check out the blog post here which includes a super easy directions so you can recreate it yourself. 

and finally, here's a link to MY LATEST VIDEO. Blogger is being a pain today and not allowing me to share the video right here on my blog. Up to this day, I will still have those days when technology and I are not n'sync with each other. But here's the look of the finished page. 

Balanced Rock layout

Thank you for stopping by.

till next time,

Grace

Friends layout *Challenge Me Happy May Challenge*

Happy Friday friends. Since it's Mother's day on Sunday, I decided to create a page featuring two of my favorite mothers in the world....my sister and mom. 

[Friends]

This page was inspired by the challenge shared at Challenge Me Happy blog. I love the design of the layout prompt and had fun playing around with so many papers. I tried to use my scraps here so I stamped flowers on them and cut it out to create my flower layers on the right edge of the page. I used the Daisies stamp set from Inspired by Stamping. I got the quote online and I thought it would be perfect for this photo I took of my sis and mom while they were here about two years ago. 

Here are some more close ups...

Thank you for stopping by and I wish all of the Mothers out there a very happy Mother's day. 

Till next time,

Grace

Snow on May 1st.

Hi there. I'm breaking up all of the scrappy posts with a story about getting snow on the 1st day of May. 

I was born and raised in the Philippines. It's a tropical country where it's humid and hot most of the year and in the 3-4 months of relief from the sun, we get rain. Then I moved to California where it's sunny 365 days in a year. So you can just imagine my total dismay when May 1st of 2013 rolls around and guess what's falling from the sky here in the lovely state of Colorado? SNOW! Yes you read it right we got hit by another snow storm! What is up with this?! 

After grumbling that I won't be able to start a vegetable garden this year and complaining that it's another day of staying indoors because it was yucky outside, I took all my frustrations and pulled out my camera to capture some images from this day. After all, this will melt by the following day and I needed to prove to people that Colorado weather is C-R-A-Z-Y!

I wanted to write the month in the snow. I thought it would be a great addition to a scrapbook page when I'm ready to document this event in paper. 

The pine leaves/trees look beautiful with snow on top of them. But they would be even more appreciated if it was a true Winter day!

and here's what it looks like in our backyard...

hubby thought that I should have a model while I capture the day in pictures so he stepped out in the cold and smiled for the camera. 

and as predicted we had sunshine the very next day and all of this quickly melted. So I guess on the upside it goes away fast so it's not that bad but I still can't believe that we can get snow in the middle of Spring. It just doesn't seem right. Don't you think?

Till next time,

Grace

Inspired By Stamping May Release share 2

Did you enjoy the card/project shares from yesterday's blog hop? Well here's another one from me featuring some Background Basics stamp (new release) and sentiment from Small Fancy Labels 1 set. You can check out these and the other stamps from Inspired of Stamping here. 

A Gift For You Card

I created my script background by stamping the background basic script stamp over and over again on white cardstock and then trimmed to fit my card. I also stamped a circle dot stamp to create my own paper strip with a notch on the end. 

I added a sentiment stamp on circle paper, cut it out in a circle and adhered on a scallop die cut circles. 

Butterflies punched out from pattern paper finished my card. 

Here's the link of blogs you need to check out for inspiration today...

Joanna - http://wp.me/p2QJN7-2X0

Deb - http://aworldofimagination-deb.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may_8.html

Kendra - http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/2013/05/ibs-backgrounds-and-french-notes.html

Irit - http://iritshalom.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may-release-day-3.html

Leah - http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-little-french-goodness.html

Colleen - http://www.colleendietrichdesigns.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-sneak-peek_2.html

Gloria - http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may-release-day-3.html

Cindy - http://cindycoutts.com/?p=12579 

Vicki http://allidoisstamp.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may-release_8.html

Shani - http://paperesse.blogspot.com/2013/05/oh-la-la-retro-vintage-card-made-with.html

Shea - http://glitterandbonbons.blogspot.com/2013/05/ibs-new-release-background-basics-iii.html

Grace ---YOU ARE HERE :)

and here's some more info again...

• Free Shipping will be available on all orders over $20. This will start on the 10th and be available for only 48 hours. May 10th at 7pm to April 12th at 7pm Brisbane time only. Just add the code- "MayRelease".

• All 7 stamp sets plus Die will be offered as a bundle for a 10% discount. 

• May 10th will be the full release on my blog and all items will be available for purchase at 7pm Brisbane time

And of course it wouldn't be a fun party without a contest. Here's the nitty gritty on it...

May 6th – May 10th we will be giving away a $25 gift card to the IBS store everyday with my posts. 

Winners will be announced daily on a separate page at 7pm the following day. 

You must leave a comment to be eligible to win on Joanna's blog 

Only One comment per person 

Each winner will be randomly selected. 

Till next time,

Grace

Inspired by Stamping May Release share 1

Hi friends. Today's my day to share with you what I've done with the upcoming May stamp release from Inspired by Stamping. 

Faith Make Things Possible Card

I wanted to do my version of an ombre background so I used some yellow, orange and red ink pads to stamp my chevron background which is part of the Background Basics set. 

I also used a circle stamp from the Fancy Circles set to hold my red and white flower. Then I heat embossed my sentiment using the Big Hope stamp and white embossing powder. 

Looking for more inspirations? Here's the whole list of blogs to hop with today...

Joanna - http://wp.me/p2QJN7-2WY

Colleen http://www.colleendietrichdesigns.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-sneak-peek-rose.html 

Deb http://aworldofimagination-deb.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may.html

Kendra http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/2013/05/ibs-backgrounds-and-hope.html

Irit  http://iritshalom.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may-release-day-2.html 

Leah  http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/05/hope-is.html

Grace---->this is where you are :)

Vicki http://allidoisstamp.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspired-by-stamping-may-release.html

 Tina http://woodedviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/hope-is.html

Shani http://paperesse.blogspot.com/2013/05/vintage-birds-inspirational-card-using.html

Calyspo http://calypsocandycraft.blogspot.com/2013/05/ibs-may-release-background-basics-ii.html

Cindy: http://cindycoutts.com/?p=12552

Here's a few more info...

• Free Shipping will be available on all orders over $20. This will start on the 10th and be available for only 48 hours. May 10th at 7pm to April 12th at 7pm Brisbane time only. Just add the free shipping code "MayRelease".

• All 7 stamp sets plus Die will be offered as a bundle for a 10% discount. 

• May 10th will be the full release on my blog and all items will be available for purchase at 7pm Brisbane time

And of course it wouldn't be a fun party without a contest. Here's the nitty gritty on it...

May 6th – May 10th we will be giving away a $25 gift card to the IBS store everyday with my posts. 

Winners will be announced daily on a separate page at 7pm the following day. 

You must leave a comment to be eligible to win on Joanna's blog 

Only One comment per person 

Each winner will be randomly selected. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace