A HUGE giveaway @ the StampFairy Blog

You read right! It is HUGE, full of scrapbooking goodies.  Check it out!

Just HERE to go the StampFairy blog and find out how YOU can win :)

Polka-Dots Challenge @ The Paper Variety

It's time for another fun challenge at The Paper Variety blog... and this time we have to show off our POLKA-DOTS! Polka-dots are so much fun and they serve endless creative possibilities! Here is my submission:

Cherry on Top

I apologize for the pitiful quality of the pictures, but that was 1979 and my family was, by NO means, into photography! hehe  Also, this is another one of those cases where in the past, in order to save space in my paper supply, i had thought it a neat idea to cut from every 12x12 paper i owned the strip that usually indicates the manufacturer and collection.  At that time, i didn't have a blog so i didn't really take notice of such details. I know, i know... that's plain awful of me! Nowadays, my friends make fun of me (and probably find me a tad bit pathetic) because i can match every single new collection with its maker! hehe  So, please, if you remember which collection these lovely cherry and polka-dot themed papers are from, let me know in a comment! :)

Some KaiserCraft heART!

You must have noticed that i have been posting quite a bit of KaiserCraft projects lately. One, it's a given fact... i LOVE KaiserCraft, the products AND the blog. And two... i have decided to try out for their 2011-2012 Design Team. How exciting!  It might be a long shot since there are so many talented designers out there, but i just had to give myself a chance.  Let's hope that they will too!

All projects have to be included in one single blog post.  Since I already blogged about most separately, including product details, design information and close-up shots, i will therefore include links to these posts in case further information is needed. 

In Daddy's Hands (Original Post)
This layout, done with the Up, Up and Away collection, is very special to me since it's the very first layout i've posted on my blog (in January of this year), the very first layout i've entered in a competition (KaiserCraft Saturday Sketch Challenge) AND the winner of that very first srapbooking competition!
Forever (Original Post)
Yet another double-page layout... I do make single pages also, but i tend to prefer double. I think that there's a lack of double-page designers out there so i would consider myself an asset to any DT :)  On this layout, i used the gorgeous Prairie Lane collection and quite a bit of wood flourishes, probably my very favorite KaiserCraft product to date! 

2 Sweet Girls (Original Post)
Another double layout with pictures of my adorable nieces, this time using the Candy Lane collection.
Remember & Cherish (Original Post)
For this layout, i have used the Le Chateau collection which is one of my all-time favorite KaiserCraft line.
Owl Frame (Original Post)
This was originally a cheap pink metal frame from the Dollarstore which i've altered with my leftovers of the What A Hoot collection. Again, you can see i used wood flourishes along with KaiserCraft chipboard alphabet.  I really love how it turned out!

Easter Candy Boxes (Original Post)
These are 2 Easter boxes i have made for my nieces out of recycled plastic packaging.  Some jellybeans, some leftover Utopia and Babushka paper, ribbon, bunnies and a little glitter later... and VOILA! They turned out super cute and they sure made 2 very special little girls happy! :)

Bridal Mini-Album  (Original Post)
I don't get to do mini-albums often, but i love them! This is a mini i made for my friend who got married in 2008. The collection used is the beautiful and romantic English Rose and the wood frame is from KaiserCraft.

Mother's Day Easel Card (No original post)
Because she deserves only the best, i made this English Rose easel card for my Mom who i love so much! I can't wait to give it to her on Mother's Day.

Now don't you love KaiserCraft too? Wish me luck! Even if i don't get chosen, i still end up with 8 wonderful projects! :)

Swirlydoos' Chipboard Palooza Contest

When i heard about this contest at the Swirlydoos Blog, i was so excited that my brain immediately started to plan and my heart to hope... to come up with a somewhat original way to alter my DA chipboard AND of course end up with a fabulous layout.  They wanted us to get our hands dirty... well, did mine EVER get dirty!!! They were as black as coal! I just regret i didn't take a picture.

I started off with 5 sets of DA chipboard (Yes, i went a little overboard as Swirlydoos was only asking for one, but i'm totally addicted to Dusty Attic chippies... so there!) : brick wall panel, music, ferns, mini words, 'with love' title

The brick wall was to be my main focal point and i wanted it to really resemble bricks so i started off by dabbing it with Ranger Distress Ink (Rusty Hinge) and covering it with Distress Crackle Paint (black soot). After it dried, it didn't quite crackle as much as i expected so i had to think of a Plan B. I sprayed it with Glimmer Mist (suede), let it dry and then dabbed it with a bit of Adirondack Paint Dabber (snow cap). Once that paint was dry, i covered most of the white spots with glue to then sprinkle the glue with 2 shades of Glitter Ritz (bronze & black)... Here are glimpses of the finished result:

The next piece of DA i wanted to alter is the music note border. Wanting to go with a little more subtle look with this one, i just simply dabbed it with Distress Ink (black soot), put glue on just the notes and sprinkled with Glitter Ritz (black).

Next came the ferns. I made my life easy with those also... i just sprayed them with 2 different shades of Glimmer Mist (Midnight Blue & Dazzling Diamonds).

Last, but not least, the title!  The title 'with love' comes in one chipboard piece and i was afraid to play with it too much at the risk of ruining it since i didn't have another one. I decided to just dab it with Distress Ink (black soot) and then glue some Glitter Ritz (black) on the side of each letter. For the other words, i decided to do a little collage. I had different mini-words that contained most of the letters i needed to spell out 'your music fills my heart' so i cut them out and put them back together. That's another way of altering chipboard, isn't it?! hehe All letters were then dabbed with Distress Ink (black soot).

I'm sorry... i don't have a close-up picture of the title, but you'll probably be able to see from the final picture of the completed layout... and here it is!

Your Music Fills My Heart with Love

The paper used is from BoBunny Mama-razzi Collection, and all flowers are from Prima.

Now why don't YOU get your hands dirty and alter some chipboard? :)

Bridal Mini-Album

I don't do mini-albums very often, but i do LOVE them! I recently completed one that i am going to give as a gift to my friend Denise who got married back in 2008 and for whom i was the maid of honor.  She is not a scrapbooker so i don't think she knows that this blog exists yet, so it should be safe to blog about her mini before i actually give it to her - hehe
I used a KaiserCraft wood frame and altered it with pink chalk and Ranger Distress Ink.

As you can see, the collection i used is KaiserCraft's English Rose. This entire collection is so very beautiful and elegantly romantic that it matched the pictures and the theme perfectly. The metal key is also from KaiserCraft. Flowers are from Reflections and Prima, and the swirly bling is from ZVA Creative.

The chipboard words are from the Dusty Attic and the locket from KaiserCraft.  I have colored both using distress ink.

What a great family picture! :)

Yes, that's me... the maid of honor (squinting her eyes in the sun!)

I really do hope she likes it and that it will forever serve as a beautiful keepsake of that very special day!