It's all about the button!

I was at a wonderful scrapbook store in Moorhead, MN not long ago and they had this FAB display of buttons. It was like a penny candy store display - little candy jars with little scoops attached, and filled with all colors of glorious buttons!

Just look at it! Oh, I love buttons!

Anyway... this cute little image is from Stampin Up! (A Flower for all Seasons). It's colored with Copic markers and layered (upon layer upon layer) with My Minds Eye papers. The white layers are cut and embossed with rectangle Nesties. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink (Birthday Basics).

Thanks stopping by!
HB

American and Proud

edited: The winner of All About the USA is Bevie Pearl! (I love watermellon too!)
I'll get your set sent out to you Bevie!


Yup, I'm late. Internet issues AGAIN! But... I think we've put a big enough bandaid on the problem that I should be set.

So... today is day 5 (um, actually 7) of the Our Craft Lounge Spotlight Set of the Week featuring All About the USA. I think this is actually my favorite of the ones I've made this week. I love the twinkie effect of the litte red and blue stars on the paper (Reminisce) and the sparkle of the red and blue glitter on USA.

To me... this totally represents the 4th of July for us Americans. It's bold. It's bright. And it screams red, white & blue!

You know... it's been such a fun week showing off this awesome set, I think we should have a little blog candy to celebrate!

Leave me a note telling me what your favorite summer food is (cuz the 4th is all about picnics ya know!) and I'll draw a winning name on Monday at 5pm for an All About the USA set! Be sure and leave your email address on your comment so I can contact you!

Hope you are having a wonderful start to your summer!

HB

Support Our Troops!

One of the cool things about the All About the USA set (OCL) is that is not just for the 4th of July. It's perfect for scrapbooking and making those special cards for our men & women serving our country.

This is a super easy-peasy card. I attached strips of My Minds Eye paper (Just Dreamy collection) that I faux stitched around the edges with my every handy tracing wheel. The flag and sentiment are stamped on white, cut out and dry embossed with a rectangle Nestie. The stripes of the flag and around the sentiment are colored with Copic markers (R27 and BG34) and the panel is finished with a smoodge around the edge with Antique Linen (Distress Ink).

A few star buttons and a little distress ink around the red layer and DONE! Here is a close up:

This is day 4 of the Spotlight Set of the Week over on the OCL Forums. Have you stopped by yet?

HB

American Boy

It's day 3 of the Our Craft Lounge Spotlight Set of the Week - All About the USA!

Today I decided to step away from the red, white & blue and switch it out with orange, green and teal. lol! I love this collection of My Minds Eye papers (Just Dreamy/Brilliant collection). I love that everything coordinates and makes it really easy to put a creation together. (Did you know you can find MME at Eclectic Paperie?)


I used the "proud to be American' star from the All About the USA set (OCL), trimming off the "proud to be", colored it with Copic markers (also available at Eclectic Paperie!), and layered it on the circles with foam tape.

The star border is stamped in black and each star colored green. I cut out various sizes of stars from the paper and popped them over the star strip with foam tape.

I cut the word "boy" out of the paper, layered it on a star and then onto the tag.

I ended up with a pretty cute boy card - birthday, or just 'cuz, don't you think? I love versatile sets!

Have you checked out the OCL forums yet! You should!

What color should we use tomorrow....hmmmm!

HB

Sparklin' USA

It's still red, white & blue week here on the 'ol blog. :o)

I love this paper that I found at the local craft store! It's red, white and blue, but the colors are more of a muted tone and there is brown and tan thrown in. I would love to tell you what company the paper is from, but it's one of those brands where they put the logo on the back and that logo is on the back of what I adhered to this card. Am I going to pull the paper off, potentially ruin the card in the process? LOL! No.


Ok... back to the card. I covered the letters U, S and A, along with the stars on the sentiment above it, with glue (fine tip applicator) and then blue glitter. The stars and the words (God Bless The) are colored with a copic marker (R59).

The stars are punched out of kraft cardstock and the edges inked with ink (SU! bravo burgundy).

I used All About the USA for this card, which if you remember from yesterday's post, is the Spotlight Set of the Week over on the OCL Forums. Be sure and check it out!

Here is a close up:

I hope your week is SPARKLIN'!

HB

America the Beautiful

A quick post today as I have limited internet again (sheesh.. does technology drive you batty too?)

I've been working on 4th of July cards this week, trying to get ahead of the game. HaHa! I just love the festiveness (is that a word?) of Red White & Blue.

This card uses a combo of All About the USA and Let Freedom Ring (Our Craft Lounge). I die cut stars out of blue cardstock (SU!) and glued them to the base card of the same color. It is great texture in real life.

All About the USA is the Spotlight Set of the Week over on the OCL forum! Be sure and check it out.

Here's a close up:

I've got a whole weeks worth of creations to show you using this set, so be sure and check back!

HB

Happy Birthday Sweet Friend!

A very special girl is having a birthday today!


Did the cupcake give it away? Yup... it's Taylor's birthday! AND, it's Cupcake Friday! The sketch this week is soooooo perfect for cuppies!

The center cuppie is from Trick or Sweet. I masked the face of the ghost cuppie before stamping it on pink polka dot paper (SU!), and then glitterfied the dots. I cut out one of the teeeny tiny flowers from the pattern paper and added a Taylor's Tiny Twinkles to the center for the top of the cuppie.

The little cuppies are from Home Sweet Home, one of my favorite Christmas sets. I stamped them on white cardstock, paper pieced the cuppie holder with pink paper, trimmed each out and then attached it to a pink flower (Cuttlebug die cut) with foam tape. Each mini-cuppie has a Tiny Twinkle on top.

You can find the sketch HERE on Taylor's blog. Hope you have time to play. But for sure... stop by and wish Taylor a Happy Birthday!

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Taylored Expressions, Papertrey Ink (happy birthday)

Paper: Neenah, Stampin Up!

Ink: Memento, SU!

Misc: Nestabilites, CB die, glitter, tracing wheel

Casing Kisa!

The super funny and o'so talented Kisa is the Featured Stamper on SCS this week! I scrolled way back to one of her December posts and cased THIS card. I just love this layout!




I used Swingin' By (Our Craft Lounge) and after I stamped the tree, I trimmed it out so that the leaves "hang off" the edge. The tree is colored with Copic markers. The leaves are a blend of 4 different greens - ya just GOTTA love those markers and how they blend!

The birdhouse is paper-pieced and hung with a little orange bling.

Be sure and check out Kisa's gallery over a SCS... and her blog. Total drool worthy!

Thanks for swingin' by! :o)

HB

Eat right...

OMGosh! When I saw the sentiments in this Granny set (Granny's Secrets - Our Craft Lounge) I literally laughed out loud! They are just hilarious!

I used the OCL June Sketch Challenge layout for my design, adding a little tag at the bottom for the oh-so-funny sentiment. Granny's hair is Platinum Sparkly Fluff (love that stuff!) and her jewelry is pearlized with Liquid Pearls.


The paper is from a 6x6 paper pad of Basic Grey - Wisteria line. I love the smaller detail on those 6x6 papers.

Be sure to check out the OCL Forums - there's lots of fun to be found!

HB

Favorite {right now} Paper

Do you ever find that perfectly wonderful peice of paper... you know, the one that takes you FOREVER to cut into? And then you just can't stop using it? Yup, that's me and a piece of Urban Prairie/Ladybug paper (Basic Grey).

I pulled out some Papertrey Ink sets, because the simplicity of those images shows off the paper, and yet the paper shows off the images. One could say a match made in heaven! :o)

This one uses Warm Happiness.

This one uses Beautiful Blooms, Little Lady , Borders and Corners {circles} and Birthday Basics. (one can't just use ONE set, ya know! lol)

And this one Around & About Sentiments. (I have to remember this design for wedding/anniversary cards!).

The best part? I STILL have some of this delicious paper left!

Thanks for visiting!

HB

Buzzin' By with a fun announcement...

Remember a few posts ago when I said I've been looking through my older Creating Keepsakes mags and turning scrapbook sketches into card sketches? Well, this is one of my favorites! It's a Jennifer McGuire sketch and it is such a great way to use up all those bits and pieces laying around my worktable!

I used Bees Knees one of my very favorite Our Craft Lounge (OCL) sets, along with scraps of various papers and cardstock. The honeycomb, bees, flower and word *honey* are all from the set, along with the center image and adorable sentiment.

You'll notice I used a bit of bling to sparkle things up! :o)

(you can click on the images to get a closer look if you'd like).

So... on to the fun announcement! OCL has formed a design team to bring you ideas and challenges and swaps and all kinds of fun stuff each month! AND I am lucky enough to be part of the fun!

You can find details on the June (sheesh, how did it get to be June already?!?!) OCL Sketch Challenge HERE! The sketch is just adorable and you have until June 25th to share your creations and be entered into the contest

You can find details on the first ever OCL Card Swap HERE! What a great way to get some extra cards for your stash!

Oh, and I can't forget the Spotlight Set of the Week - Bookworm! HERE!

Here is a list of the rest of the OCL Design Team members - be sure and check out what they're up to!

Amber Hillman

Beth Silaika

Charmaine Ikach

Cindy Lawrence

Deb Felts

Denise Marzec

Heather McNally

Holly McMillen

Kendra Wietstock

Kisa Peters

Lila Holgate

Pam Hooten

Valerie Stangle

The OCL Chicks:

Cambria Turnbow

Joy Kennedy

Debbie Corbori (OCL Illustrator)

Marianne Walker (OCL Illustrator)

Thanks for Buzzin' By!

HB