Everyone has a story to tell, here's mine sprinkled with some creative projects along the way.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you come back again.



Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Altered Frame with ribbon background *Ribbons Unlimited Inc.*

Hello friends. Recently I went to Ikea for some window shopping and also to gather some inspirations. Don’t you just love that place? Anyways I couldn’t resist grabbing a couple of the Tolsby frames. I have seen a few ideas on altering them on Pinterest and I thought I’d give it a go myself.  So with the help of the Apple chevron grosgrain ribbon and a fantastic. Dr. Seuss quote, I was able to create a frame fit for my bookshelf. 


 Instructions:
1. First off cut your cardstock to the size of the frame insert. Mine was 4x6. I then added some thin strips of adhesive on the top and bottom portion of the paper and adhered the ends of my ribbon.

 2. Then I added some more ribbon, horizontally, in a weaving fashion to create my background. I moved the ribbons a few times to make sure that they are even all around. After trimming the excess, I adhered the quote on the center and slipped the paper into the frame.
 3. To add some “dimension”, I adhered some homemade epoxy dots on the four corners of the quote on the OUTSIDE of the frame. This allowed me to add some dimension without adding bulk to the inside of the frame.
 4. Then I tied some satin ribbon into a bow, trimmed the edges and adhered it to the top of the frame. I adhered the ends of the ribbon to the sides so it didn’t block the quote from view. I also layered some flowers and added another epoxy dot in the center for a more finished look.

And here’s some close ups of the finished frame….

Creating a ribbon background to any project creates some unique interest and texture. I hope you’ll give it a go soon.

Happy Creating,
Grace

Supplies Used:
Applegreen/blue chevron 7/8”, Ribbons Unlimited Inc.
#088 DFSatin Ribbon, Pastel Green, 5/8”, Ribbons Unlimited Inc.
Frame- Ikea
Cardstock- The Paper Company
Flowers- Prima
Quote- Kaiser Craft

Monday, May 26, 2014

May Family Update

 Happy Monday and Happy Memorial day.
Thank you to all the servicemen and women that sacrifice a lot for our freedom.

Well because it's a holiday and my normal Monday agenda will be moved to tomorrow, I decided to go through some pictures and give a family update.

I have to let you know though that I haven't had the "inspiration" to pick up the camera lately. I'm hoping that this baby is just giving me time to "rest" from snapping photos because he knows that I will be a camera crazy mama when he comes. I feel sad that my life right now is not properly documented and that my camera stays untouched for almost a week at a time. Oh well, that's my life right now and I have to accept it.

Anyways, on those days that I did feel like picking up my dslr or turning on my IPod touch for capturing memories, I was able to get the following photos. They showcase what the month of May looked like in the Tolman home....

Spring is slowly showing its presence around here. We had a quick snow storm on Mother's day (of all the days, right?) and then a major hail storm just this past week but I am loving the flowers blooming and the color of grass coming to life. The above photo are flowers from our front yard. I love how the colors stand out against all the green and browns around it.

Another fun thing we had recently was a special "tenant". The kids noticed that there was a bird's nest on one of the trees in our front yard. After ignoring it for a few days, I was startled by a bird flying over my head as I walked out the door. He/She stayed in his/her nest for a few days. Even during the cold weather we had. Sadly he/she decided that it was time to move on and we haven't seen the bird since then. We tried to see if the bird left any eggs but there was none. All that was left was the nest and this photo to remember our "fleeting" friend. 

For my Mother's day gift, I was able to drag my family to Ikea in Denver. We went the day before Mother's day since we don't eat out and buy things on Sunday. It seems like the only time I get to go to Ikea is on Mother's day. I don't mind the annual tradition. As long as I get enough time to see some home furnishing eye candy and eating some yummy Swedish meatballs, I'm a happy mama. 

The morning of Mother's day, I was served this yummy breakfast by the family. I love that Mitch, Marcus and Maddie always comes together on this morning and makes me something delicious. 

May also means celebrating another wedding anniversary for Mitch and I. This year we celebrated 12 years. I still can't believe how time flies so fast. It seems like it was just yesterday that we got married. Mitch got me some beautiful roses from Costco and I purchased a 1/2 pound box of See's candies. We got to celebrate without kids last Saturday when our dear friends, the Smiths', watched the kids so Mitch and I can go on a date. We watched the movie "Noah" at the cheap theater and ate Indian food at the mall food court. I know that it doesn't sound very romantic but we're not "over the top" people and this kind of date is just perfect for us. On a side note: If you are interested in watching the movie Noah, make sure you have an open mind set that it will not be anything close to what the Bible states. Hollywood definitely took major creative "liberties" with their story line. That's all I'm saying about that. 

Speaking of Spring....I started some seedlings with hopes that they will all grow and be harvested in time. I captured this photo earlier in the month and sadly only a handful of the seeds sprouted. I'm not even sure if they will make it till harvest time with our weird weather this year. Oh well, at least I tried right?

And finally, no updated picture of the belly but I did manage to snap a photo of what I'm loving right now. Every week when I go grocery shopping at Walmart, I buy their southwest chicken salad and I love, love, love this weekly treat. There's nothing fancy about it but I do enjoy the combination of salad, southwest flavored chicken breast, some pico de gallo, chips and the chipotle ranch dressing. I think the dressing it what's making me come back for more. So yummy! 

So there you have it. School is ending soon and so I'm hoping that I'll have the itch to pull out my camera more and snap some end of school memories. 

Till next time,
Grace



Saturday, May 24, 2014

Just a Note Post it note holders *Inspired By Stamping*

 Hi there blog friends. This month, Inspired by Stamping released some new stamps as well as a new die cut set. I was super excited about the Fancy Label Dies 3 because it had plenty of shapes that works well with IBS stamps.



I wanted to create something other than a card to showcase the die and the stamps so I created some Post It note holders. I've made these before and you can see my tutorial for it here.

I love creating these little projects. They are perfect for gifts and also to "beautify" your post it notes. One can never run out of post it notes, right? 

I used some scrap papers and added the stamped title that was cut out using one of the dies and then finished it off with some flowers and buttons.

So what's the one project that you keep on repeating over and over again? Mine would have to be these post it note holders. So easy to mass produce and makes for a perfect gift. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

My Happy layout *Inspired By Stamping*

Hello there friends. Today I'm sharing a layout that I created featuring this stamp set...


My Happy layout
One of my favorite songs right now is Pharell William's "Happy". It just keeps me upbeat and optimistic. That was kinda the inspiration for this layout. I used the word as part of my title about my two kids. They are definitely one of the reasons why I get up each and everyday. 

I love the pinwheels and used some of the colors from my photo as the inspiration for the color choices for my pinwheels. I stamped the pinwheels onto white cardstock, trimmed it then added a brad in the center before adhering it onto my 3x4" block of paper using some foam dots. 

I also used the new Fancy Label Dies 3 set for my accent on the bottom of the page. I added some pen stitching to the ones that have a more subtle design on them.

I also tried to use some more of the die cut shapes behind the quote block. 

Please check out this and other new releases from Inspired By Stamping here.

Till next time,
Grace

Friday, May 16, 2014

Daddy-Daughter dance *Scrapbook Circle Kit club challenge #74* + a new video

Hi there friends. I recently printed off some pictures for scrapbooking and you know what that means? That means I was inspired to dig into these newly printed images and scrapbook. I love it when time and inspiration is on my side and I get to check off much needed memories to be documented. 

To help me with this layout, I found a challenge from Scrapbook Circle kit club that worked well with this layout. The challenge was to feature "sparkle" in their projects. I chose to add some rhinestone to my flower accent on the top of my page to mimic the lights on the top of the ceiling in my photos. 

Daddy-Daughter Dance layout
I also added some sparkle on the bottom as a line over my layered paper strips. 

I have this paper from Chic Tags that so pretty. It already had the border and the paint stains plus some stamping on the sides. It made my page look so "artsy" without me putting that much effort on it.

I just added my photos, title, a few more embellishments and my handwritten journaling. I am into hand writing my journaling lately, it makes things faster and at the same time, I'm leaving part of me with every page I create.


And finally, I posted a new video in my YouTube channel recenty. It's a quick share of what I recently got at Tuesday Morning. Some of the stickers in this page came directly from one of my recent purchase. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Wonderland layout *Ribbons Unlimited *


Hello friends. I’m here to share with you a layout I created combining some grosgrain ribbon with washi tape. We all know that there are one hundred ways to use washi tape on its own but I noticed is that if you want it have a little more ‘body’ in your project, it needs to be adhered to a stronger foundation. Hence a plain grosgrain ribbon to the rescue. You not only add some flair to an otherwise plain ribbon but you also add great designs that washi tapes are so popular for.

 1. For this page, I started with a mint green cardstock and then cut up white cardstock that measured 11” x 11 ½” and adhered that to my double page spread foundation.  I then cut out a circle from orange pattern paper (I chose that color to resemble the sun) *If you don’t have a circle cutter, a plate would work just fine.

 2. I then assembled my page with the papers and pictures. Glue the elements to the page. With the orange circle shape, only adhere the center of the paper to the layout. This enables us to slip in the “sunburst” later on without having to worry about adhesive.

 3.  Adhere the washi tape over the grosgrain ribbon, centering it over the trim.

 4. Cut the ends into a notch.  Repeat till you have at least 4 small (about 2” long) strips of the ribbon/washi tape trim.

 5. Insert them under the circle paper. You can create a pattern (like I did) or make it random.

 6. When you’ve completed your sunburst pattern, adhere part of the trim underneath the paper with glue dots.

 7. Secure the trims around your paper by adding machine stitching to the inside edge of the circle paper.

8. Add some embellished canvas tags by adding some ribbon to the top.

9. Add a chevron design on the tags with a stencil and some mist. Add more embellishments to create a finished look. Hand write your journaling. 

Here are some more close up pictures of the layout…



I love how the yellow grosgrain ribbon added cohesiveness to the sunburst even though there are multiple patterns and colors.

I hope my project inspired you to combine your ribbons and washi tape together.

Happy Creating,
Grace

Supplies Used:
Grosgrainribbon, Pistachio, 5/8”, Ribbons Unlimited Inc.
Cardstock- WorldWin Papers
Papers- (white) DCWV; (others) SEI
Polaroid frame- Elle Studio
Washi Tapes- Doodlebug Design Inc.
Letter stickers- (white) Creative Memories; (brown) Doodlebug Design Inc.
Brads- My Mind’s Eye
Die cuts- (fresh and fun) Imaginesce; (border) GCD Studios
Canvas tags0 Maya Road
Chipboard accents- (stars) Pink Paislee; (others) Basic Grey
Word stickers- October Afternoon
Pen- (black) Millenium, Zig; (turquoise) Faber Castell
Circle cutter- Creative Memories
Border punch- Fiskars
Mist- Mustard, Heidi Swapp
Threat- Coats and Clark

Sewing Machine- Kenmore

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

100th day layout *Creative Scrappers*

Hi there. Today I'm sharing a quick layout inspired by a sketch (#267) from Creative Scrappers. I was itching to create recently and with a fresh stack of printed pictures plus this inspiring sketch, I went to work. 

100th day layout
I used two 3x4 size pictures of my daughter from about 2 years ago to show off her 100th day shirt. The year before, my son did it too and we put 100 buttons on a shirt so my daughter was super excited when it was her turn. Luckily I had enough of these paper flowers in my stash that putting this shirt together didn't take forever to make. 

I enjoyed putting this layout together. I love how the sketch is linear BUT have enough room for shaped items and layered embellishments.


Thanks for stopping by. 

Till next time,
Grace

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Sending Sunshine and Smiles card *Inspired By Stamping*

Hello friends. Today I'm sharing a quick card that I created with the new released stamp set from Inspired By Stamping. Today is actually the release day for this set...


and here's my card...


I decided that I would heat emboss the beautiful flower stamp. I decided to do it with white embossing powder and use a gold/orange background. I love how the darker colored cardstock made the white pop out really well. 

I used the color pink to create a visual triangle with my card starting with the sentiment on the top, then the twine and also the scallop pattern paper strip on the bottom.

Thank you for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace