Gramma's Quilt - CC April DT Project

April’s theme is Grandma’s Quilt.  When I heard that, I immediately thought about the quilt my Gramma made me when I was about 9.  She made one for me, my brother and my 4 cousins.  We all got to pick what color scheme we wanted.  Pink being my favorite color at the time (oh who am I kidding, it still is) that’s what I choose.  She would go to flea markets and get any sort of material she could find.  I pulled out my well loved and tattered quilt and carefully looked at the pattern.  That’s when I realized that it was hand stitched!  I thought pictures of Anna would be appropriate for this as she’s named for my Gramma and was born almost a year (to the day) of when she passed away.

Having not done a quilt myself, I have since found out that this pattern is called Log Cabin (thanks Jasmine!)  This is my inspiration.  My plan is to have it repaired and then be able to display it or at least have it out to look at more often.

The smaller patterns of the 6x6 Carta Bella True Friends resembled the calico so well, it was a great match. 

 I measured out how big I wanted the pieces and after trial and error; this is what I went with.

Once I figured out the sizes and layout, I started cutting……and cutting……..and cutting!  In order to position the strips correctly, I used my hermafix squares and pieced the pieces together using lots and lots of squares.

I made four “panels” to complete my background for my layout.  Just like a real quilt, some are not exact, some pieces are off just a little, but that’s what makes it great!  There was something about the actual piecing of these squares together that was somewhat relaxing!  I’m scared to death of an actual fabric quilt, not sure why, but after doing it with paper, I may just be ready to take some classes and actually do it!

After it was all pieced together, I started to add the goodies.  Since the right edge wasn’t exactly even (I’m giving away a little secret here), I added a scalloped border to cover up the bare edge.  White Pebbles paper flowers, covered in stickles with some brads.   For those of you who have been around for some time, you may remember these…..these came in my very first box of chocolate in June 2010!  Then some Bazzill bling and a sweet tag with a ribbon and charm.

Paper piecing really isn’t all that hard…..the hardest part is keeping everything stuck where you need it long enough to get the whole piece on the page!  Making a quilt has always been a goal of mine….maybe this will put me that closer to actually getting it done!  Thanks for your comments!!

CC Products used:  Carta Bella 6x6 True Friends, Sassafrass Custom Brads, Jillibean Soup - Pink Twine, Crystal Stickles

Non-CC: Bazzill White, Pebbles paper flowers, White offray satin ribbon, bazzill bling, "feet" charm.

Nature Inspired - March CropChocolate DT Entry

There are many things about nature that are inspiring… beauty comes immediately to mind.  Have you ever stopped to just look up into the tree tops?  The beautiful, deep green of the leaves, the bright, blue of the sky the reddish, brown of the bark?  This is what inspired me for this month’s challenge.  After a trip to Yosemite National Park in California this past summer, I couldn’t help but be in awe of the beautiful colors Mother Nature has placed before us for our enjoyment!  

I started by choosing the pictures I took on our walk through the park and sat down to look closely…..actually study……the colors in the pictures.  The sequoia’s red bark against the beautiful blue sky and the green of the brush and leaves all combined together for a stunning color palate.

Carta Bella Traditions had the perfect blend of these!  Grabbed some paper and started cutting!  For the record an entire sheet of 12 x 12 paper makes A LOT of hexagons when cut at 1 ½”….just saying!  So you may be seeing more of these in the future!  

After cutting them and inking them (both the patterned paper and the cream mats), I thought they needed something more.  Doodling!  I had a favorite LSS I used to go to and they always had lots of doodling on their layouts and I thought it added just that little bit of detail that brought it all together.  I got out my pen and started dotting and lining!  Here you see the before and after.  There is quite a difference in the appearance.

I popped some up and left some flat, arranged them in a simple pattern and moved onto the actual pages.  I doodled around the edge of the pages as well…..for the same reason, I thought it needed something more.  But I didn’t stop there, I also doodled on the title letters too!

Then to add some details.  The butterfly came from another CCer quite some time ago and I’m so sorry that I didn’t write down who it was!  I keep thinking Becky or Michelle or Beth.  If you look very closely, the cool thing about the tree picture in the middle is that it has the moon it it too! 

The flower I cut with my flower die, used some burlap ribbon for the base, the crocheted flower in the middle is compliments of CropChocolate.com's own SharonDoesBaskets (thanks Sharon)!!!  

Don’t be afraid to doodle and add your own flair to any part of your layout or project!  There is no wrong way to do it!  Have fun!!

CC Product used:  Carta Bella Traditions paper pack and solid cardstock, Bo Bunny Double Dot Vintage Chiffon and regular Chiffon, AC Earth tone Pearl brads, AC Precision Pen, Flower Nesting Die by LifeStyle Crafts, Slice machine

Non CC Product:  burlap ribbon, Sharon's Crochet Flower, hand crafted butterfly, Slice cart - Great Outdoors, Cricut Accent Essentials cart.

Fur-baby Love!

The month of February is so full of love!  Many of my family members have birthday's (including your's truly) and the BIG love day.....Valentine's Day!  Our project this month was to show love to our fur-babies.  Our fur baby, Blue, came to us as a Christmas gift and at the age of 6 months old.  Friends of ours knew we were looking for a family pet and had to let this beautiful boy go because of space.  They sent me these pictures that they had taken of him as a baby before we got him.  The one of him in the grass shows his personality perfectly!!  He is a mixed breed.......1/2 Australian Shepard and 1/2 Catahoula Leopard Dog.  "Cata-what" you say!  That was my reaction as well.  Both breeds are herding breeds and the Catahoula, I came to find out after much research, is the state dog of Louisiana and a hunting dog.  Mine on the other hand, only hunts for crumbs and snacks!!! 

I wanted to try out a new technique I read about in the most recent month's scrapbook magazine that arrived.....it's called "stamp kissing."  Step one gather your stamps and ink.  You will need a background stamp (or two), a solid stamp (any shape or size just so it's a solid surface) and inks.  Step two, ink the background stamp.  Step three, take the inked background stamp and stamp it onto the solid stamp.  Step four, stamp the inked solid stamp onto the page.  Repeat as necessary!  A couple things I found out during the process......you do need to clean the solid stamp after at least 2 inkings, be sure the stamp is dry before stamping again and try not to "rock" either the background stamp on the solid or the solid on the paper, it will smudge and blur the image.

This is what it looks like when the page is covered.

Next I wanted to add more texture and dimension so i took some circles of the patterned paper, roughed them up with a nail file (step 1) and then crumpled them into a ball (step 2), flattened them out and layered them (steps 3 and 4). 

Put a brad in the center and viola flower!

I added some twine and a banner, cut my title inked some edges and there you go!  

I love my boy, even though he's in the 60 pound range and thinks he is a lap dog!!  

CC Product used:  Carta Bella Traditions cardstock and stickers, MM Flutter Stamp, Jillibean Soup Twine (turquoise, green and red), BG Nordic Holiday brads, Slice machine and Paws and Claws cart

Non CC: SU mustard ink, SU Simply circles stamp, studio 112 Clear mini stamp.

New Year -- New Design Team Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the CropChocolate.com DT Blog Hop!  If you have happened to stop by and wanted to start at the beginning, go to Amber's blog here http://ambaju.blogspot.com.  This blog hop will introduce each DT member!  So sit back and enjoy the ride!!

My name is Jenni Shamblin.  This is my second term on the DT.  My first 6 months was so much fun that I couldn't wait to try out again.

During the blog hop, you will find out 5 fun facts about each of the DT members.....things you may not have know (and things you may not WANT to know)!!  My 5 fun facts are:

1.  I am a closet boy band freak!  It started way back in my early days....watching the Monkees on tv.  OOO that Davey Jones!  Then I moved onto Duran Duran and New Edition (anyone remember them?).  Then as I matured (LOL) I moved onto obsess about N*Sync and eventually succumbed to the Back Street Boys.  I am embarrassed to say that One Direction is now on my ipod! 

2.   Our High School band flew from Michigan to Florida to march in the Orange Bowl Parade. It was my first time on a plane! We were on tv for about 30 seconds.   In the band were 12 sets if siblings.....of which my brother and I were one!  We marched at Disney's Epcot and also at The Magic Kingdom before taking a bus to Miami for the Orange Bowl parade.

3.  My first car was a '76 AMC Gremlin.  It was green with gold pinstriping.  Everyone called it the "green machine".  It was so rusted out the fenders were almost completely gone!  The heater didn't work and if you have ever lived in a cold climate, in the middle of January the heater is VERY important!  I used to drive to school and work with a blanket on my lap!

4.  I like un-sweet iced tea.  Try living in the south and NOT drink sweet tea!  A lot of places do now offer both sweet and un-sweet!  My Florida friends call it "Northern Tea!"

5.  I LOVE SUSHI!  I could literally eat it every day if given the opportunity!  Not the weird stuff like squid or eel, but regular stuff like tuna and salmon, shrimp tempura......yum!

We were asked to submit two different projects to be considered for the DT.  
First something that is out of the box.....something out of our normal comfort zone.  I'm not a huge mini-album maker, but I did create this one for an October Photo-a-day group I am in.  I do really love how it turned out!

Second project was to be something that reflected me as a crafter.  Well this was really and entry for both.....out of the box and reflects me as a crafter!  It shows a different type of craft I do for each letter.  I sew, cross-stitch, paper craft and crochet.  I have been a crafter since as far back as I remember.  My mother took me to a needlepoint class when I was little.  We made a couple small plastic squares.  My grandmother still had hers in her jewelry box when they went to find jewelry for her when she passed away this past February.  

Hope you enjoyed my little part in the Blog Hop, now you move on to the next super talented lady here Kathy - http://upinthenightwithkat.blogspot.com/

Please leave me some love and follow me if you don't already!!  Enjoy the rest of the hop!

January DT - ICE!

Happy New Year!!  Happy New DT!!  First month of the new DT and our theme....ICE.  Ok, I live in Florida, the only ICE I see on a regular basis is in a glass keeping my "adult beverage" cold!  But the family was luckily enough to venture to the not-so-frozen north for Thanksgiving this past year.  We took a day trip into the city.  Along with seeing Central Park, FAO Schwartz, The Plaza and later that evening the 9-11 memorial, we were able to ice skate at Rockefeller Center!  How exciting!  Checking it off the bucket list!

To start my project I had to gather my supplies and tools!  These will all play a very important role though the process.....you'll see!

First thing I did was cut the embellishments (snowflakes) and embellish them with some stickles and buttons which I stuck on with glossy accents.  This was the first time using the glossy accents to stick on the buttons, but I really like how it squirted up through the button holes and fill them in.  I'm always thinking I need to put string in there or it looks naked.....but the glossy accents filling up the holes did the trick.  Once the glossy accents and stickles were dry I could ink the edges with the TH Walnut Stain.  But with all those little nooks and crannies it made it difficult to get in there so I grabbed some mini-pom poms that I've had forever and used with the chalk that we all have had at one time or another!  I did splurge for the stick with the hemostats on the end for the pom poms and glad I did!  Ink em up and just run it along the edges.  I had to squish it in the tight corners.

Next I needed to add some depth, I cut three snowflakes.  2 at 3" and 1 at 5".  The 5" one is the bottom/base.  Next I used pop dots (little foam squares) to give them some dimension.  I used two layers of foam.  Since the snowflakes were so narrow, I had to cut the squares in 1/2 and sometimes in 1/4 to get them to not be seen.

On to the swirl.  This is from a stamp set.  I used SU White ink, let it dry then added stickles and a little bit of bling in just the right spots.  I love to follow lines either in patterns on paper or with a stamped image!

Next came my favorite part.....the eyelash fiber and the charm!  This is my first time doing this on a layout!  I just made a tag with a couple charms tied to the fiber and I liked how that turned out, so why not give it a whirl!  There are no mistakes in scrapbooking.....only new discoveries!  I've had this fiber in my possession probably since I started scrapbooking!  Goes to prove....NEVER THROW AWAY ANYTHING!!  Wrapped it around the cardstock a few times.  Opened up two jump rings (purchased in the jewelry aisle at local craft store).....one for the charm and another to wrap around all the fibers.  Remembering I had this tool kit (also from the very beginning of time when we used to pound eyelets with a hammer) and that it contained needle nose pliers!  Just the tool I needed!  Opened the jump ring for the charm, slid it on, closed the ring.  Moved on to the ring for the fibers, opened it up, wrapped it around the fibers, slid the charm on there and closed it back up.  Piece of cake!

I love how it turned out!  I used supplies and tools that I honestly forgot about and tried a new thing with the jump ring and charm!  Don't worry about trying new things, it's fun and educational!!  Have fun and keep scrapping those memories!

Reflections of {ME}!

December’s DT assignment was to make a project inspired by me.  I don’t honestly think I’ve ever done a page just about me.  I’m usually the one taking the pictures, not the subject!  My 40th birthday, my husband had a party.  Although it wasn't a big party with balloons and streamers, it did have people I love and who love me.  My gift from him was a “day at the spa.”  This layout highlights that day, that WAS all about ME!  After my day of pampering, we went to a fancy dinner at Shula's!

I started out with the Carta Bella Beautiful Moments paper, I fussy cut the roses from one of the corners. 

Next I used a technique I learned at a crop in February, to use the Bazzill Basics jewel templates and their jewels (in clear) to create a beautiful accent to the page.  The template can be stuck to the page, I used repositionable hermafix so that I could easily remove the template AND the adhesive when I was finished.  The holes are different sizes for the two different sizes of gems which are also adhesive.  Place the appropriate size stone in the appropriate sized hole and remove the template.

I used two of the MM Butterflies to create a 3D embellishment also.  Several pop dots later and more gems, it’s perfect!

Adding things as I go along, the journaling block needed something extra.  I used some wired ribbon, folded it up and since it was wired, it easily stayed in place so I could glue it down.

The finished product is beautiful!  I love the way it turned out!  Very girly, very feminine, and ALL ABOUT ME!  

Turning 40 was supposed to be a traumatic and frightening thing, but to me it was just another day in paradise with my loving family and friends! 

CREATE Wall Art

When I sat down to think about this month’s project, something that I am thankful for, of course the obvious comes to mind. Family, health, friends, happiness, but we were asked to create a project for something else we are thankful for. While thinking about all the different things I could create or how I would create something, it hit me.......I am thankful for my creativity! Without the creativity, there would be no DT, there would be no scrapbooking, there would be no crafting at all! When I have given a gift of a hand crafted item, all the way from the age of 7, a common response is “oh I wish I knew how to do that!”

My project is a wall art piece that is going into the craft room above my window so that everytime I go in there, I will be inspired to “CREATE” something meaningful and special!

I started out with some chipboard, which just happened to be the backing boards to some used up note paper pads that I found at work. Cut the letters on my Cricut using the San Serif font at 4 1/2 inches. I then cut the paper, same font and size. Glued the paper to the chipboard using the Tombo Liquid Glue and then let it sit for at least 24 hours, under something heavy (to keep it from bowing), to dry. Once dry, I inked the edges using TH Distress Ink and then started the elements for each letter.

Since the R was going to be covered in a sewing pattern and not patterned paper, I worked on that one first.....to give it time to dry. I found an old sewing pattern in my sewing box, found a piece that had some distinctive markings and glued it on! I also used the Tombo Liquid Glue for this as I didn’t have any modge podge on hand. Worked well, a little more shiny than I would have liked, but did the job just the same. After that I took a piece of the patterned paper and cut a strip about an inch wide. Folded it in half, and “fringed” it. I then rolled the strip of paper into a flower shape and used a glue dot to adhere it to the letter. Fanned it out a bit, inked the edges a bit and viola a flower! I found that idea in CK magazine. Used a puffy brad like a pin cushion and stuck in two sewing needles as pins.

Next moved onto the counted cross-stitch. I have cross-stitched since I was a kid. Started out with needlepoint, advanced onto crewel and counted cross-stitch. As you can see, I have accumulated A LOT of floss over the years! I found a pattern that would fit online, printed it off, gathered my colors and needle and sat down. This was a unique part of the project because as I sat down to get started, my son wanted to see what I was doing. He insisted that I show him how to do it. So here he is helping with my cross-stitch. The next time we went to the craft store, he asked if we could get him his own cross-stitch kit so he could make his own! We did and he’s gotten started on it! Another part of being thankful for this gift is being able to teach it to others!

So I moved from one letter to the next. The buttons on the C, I arranged by size and color until I was happy with the variation and started adding the string (which happens to be cross-stitch floss) and glue dots! The R was done, the E just needed me to cut the cross-stitch to size, I peeled some of the strings off to fringe it a bit, inked the edges and stuck it on. I added some flowers and some pearls to give it some extra umph! The A I knew what I wanted to to do, the scissors, but after I put them on, it needed something extra. Sat and looked at it for at least an hour, then it just hit me......a banner!! I took some scraps of the patterned paper, found some brads and just stuck it on! It was the perfect addition! For the T, it was either going to be a tiny scarf or the flowers, and the flowers won! I also added one of DeeDee’s butterflies because I love them so much and a BG bloomer I had on hand. The last E was also part of my Pinterest challenge. I found the tutorial for the folded/oragami dress and wanted to make it, make a TON of them! So after trial and error with sizes, this was the winning one. I added liquid pearls along the bottom and bodice to dress it up a bit.

The frame I got from Joann’s. Here’s a great story......couldn’t find a frame to fit, asked the frame guy about getting a custom made frame and it would have been too much. Then he said, “ let me check in the back, we have frames that people get made, then they decide they don’t want them.....then we either try to sell them or get rid of them.” This frame, dark brown wood grain, was in the back, waiting to get pitched! Perfect size, perfect color! CHEAP! He added the foam board which I covered in brown felt and there you have it!

As soon as my hubby can get the hangers on the back and nails in the wall, it’s going up!