Nov 24, 2011

Ribbon Candy

I have never actually tried ribbon candy, but it is so gorgeous--the bright colors, the swirls, the amazing texture and shine. If you search ribbon candy on Pinterest you will find an almost overwhelming amount of inspiration.
Rather than be overwhelmed, let's be inspired and make a quick and easy ribbon candy ornament!
Start by cutting several strips of patterned paper. I cut about 5 strips size 1"x12".
I then glued the thin edge of each strip together to make one LONG 1" wide strip:
I then rolled that strip over and over, not quite folding it because you want the rolled look:
And stuck a paper piercer in the middle of the whole thing:
I then threaded clear string through the entire rolled ornament and tied brads at either edge and came up with this:
Quick and easy! It was so fast I decided to see how I could duplicate the look on a layout too!
Again I started with several strips of patterned paper, but rather than rolling them on top of each other I made a border rolling and adhering as I moved across the page.

The ribbon candy border gives a ton of dimension to a layout and adds such a festive look that is perfect for the holidays.

Nov 15, 2011

Happy Days are Here Again

My daughter was recently invited to a 50's costume birthday party. Unfortunately she couldn't attend because she had a soccer game, but it got my mind thinking about why the 50's iconography is so popular. There is something so fun, carefree and unburdened about the soda shop, jukebox and days of saddle shoes :) A time when everything seemed a little simpler, slower paced and more innocent. I guess that is why I love the Echo Park Good Times collection so much:
The colors in this collection are just right up my alley too. We don't do a lot of sock hopping or soda jerking these days, but there is one family activity we do that reminds me of 50's memorabilia--bowling! I remember bowling as a kid and having fun doing it, but I wasn't sure our kids would get such a kick out of it. Turns out they love it. I couldn't believe that even bowling alleys are pretty high tech these days--score keeping is digital and you can make bumpers rise each time it is a kid's turn! My kids each have a special way of getting the ball to the pins:
Little Miss does the roll between the legs move. Little Man? He literally tosses the ball from a standing position. I am afraid he is going to dent the alley and we will be banned from bowling for good lol! In any case everyone has a good time.
But this collection just isn't for bowling layouts lol--that WOULD be a specialty collection wouldn't it? I also used Good Times for this layout:
I figured the circular patterned paper (does anyone call it a circular anymore??) was perfect for the motherhood theme. Did you notice that I placed the layout off center so that you could see the "Mom's Malt Shop ad? ;)
I know I probably say this every time, but this really IS my favorite Echo Park collection ever. So versatile and fun, happy colors and cute graphics. But it is November 15th and it was definitely time to break into the holiday spirit. What better way to do that than find your favorite Christmas or Winter collection. Are you more a fan of the traditional colors in Seasons Greetings or a more wintery collection like Winter Park? My fav is Holly Holly Christmas:
I love the addition of pinks and aquas to brighten up Christmas colors and I like the cutesy graphics. I got the entire collection kit and the 6x6 paper pack. And I used them to create my first Christmas gift tag:
I stitched 2 pieces from the 6x6 pad onto a manila tag (inked all the edges with red chalk ink) and then added some stickers from the collection kit. The little present is popped up with Therm O Web 3D Zots. And I added another 3D Zot dipped in chunky glitter with some thin wire made to look like a Christmas tree ornament.

Have you started or, ahem, finished your Holiday cards? Now that I have a Christmas collection I love, I guess I better get cracking. Hopefully I'll be able to share some next time! Until then, have a great week!
♥Rebecca

Nov 8, 2011

Halloween After the Fact...

Did everyone who celebrates Halloween have a fun Halloween? We certainly did. We went over to our friends house and trick or treated with their kids and another family who has kids the same age as ours. Lots of fun. I have a few layouts from the American Crafts Night Fall collection which my LSS Scrapbook Barn let me play with.
I love these little happy ghosts:
The nice thing about this collection is that there are plenty of papers that are not just for Halloween:
Those little leaves were just asking to be cut out:
Life has been so busy lately, I have lots more to share...Scrapbook Circle layouts from this month, my Ruby Rock-It introduction in a few days and lots more, so I will be back....oh and I feel a giveaway coming soon, so stay tuned!
♥Rebecca

Nov 1, 2011

Big News and So it Begins...

I have some big news that I wanted to share yesterday, but Halloween celebrations got in the way...I am a Ruby Rock-It designer!

The announcement was made yesterday. You can see the rest of the team and a project from each of the team members HERE. I am so thrilled and can not wait to get started!

And so it is November 1st! Can you believe it? So here we go through the craziness that is the last two months of the year! I feel like I am behind already lol. The good thing about the first of the month is that the new Scrapbook Circle kit was released. It is called Harvest Festival and it is definitely another MUST HAVE. The combination of patterned papers in this kit is phenomenal (Bella Blvd, October Afternoon, Jillibean Soup, American Crafts). I made my favorite layout in a LONG time with this kit:
 The cardstock and American Crafts alphas are from my stash, but everything else was in the kit. The "fabulous" banner is the alphas included in the printable. And the Maya Road flower is so soft and layered--I definitely want a whole bunch more ;)
The little stickers are from the American Crafts Remarks--you get the whole book! One of the Jillibean Soup papers has a whole side of journaling squares, many of which have lines perfect for handwriting:
The kit is available now, so run over and get one HERE.
And before I go, I have to at least share a couple of Halloween photos. I had a Lalaloopsy Doll and an Angry Bird this year:
The angry bird costume was supposed to be poofed up with pillows worn over the shoulders, but that was weighing him down too much :)
The wig yarn hair didn't last too long either ;)
But, all appearances to the contrary from a certain Angry Bird, they had a great time and got way too much candy. Our dentist has a program of paying 1$ per pound and it gets donated to the troops so we are now learning the lesson of sharing and doing good deeds :)
Have a great week!
♥ Rebecca