Kiwi Lane Blog Hop!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Today I am excited to be participating in the November Kiwi Lane Blog Hop!  I have always enjoyed these hops as a follower because I love seeing all the amazing things that can be made using Kiwi Lane's designer templates.  Now I get to show you what I made with mine! 

Make sure to leave a comment at the end of this post because one random winner chosen from one of the participating blogs (including the Kiwi Lane blog), will be given a $25 gift certificate to the Kiwi Lane Shop!!  The winner will be announced on the Kiwi Lane blog on Thursday, November 7th.  Here is the blog lineup in case you get lost or this is the first you're hearing of the hop:

Kiwi Lane

** Cristine Redmond ** You Are Here!

Joy Nielsen

Van Nguyen

Minousha Bari

Lissa Mitchell

Arin Flynn

Kerri Smith

Christine Meyer

Christina Steel

Now that all of the technical stuff is out of the way, let's get this project reveal started!  I was given the Nature template set to work with: 

Being that fall is in full swing in my neighborhood, I was immediately drawn to the two leaf templates in this set.  I thought it would be fun to put together a wreath for my front door. 

Here are the supplies I used:
- wreath (mine was a straw wreath)
- burlap (can be ribbon or fabric cut into strips)
- Kiwi Lane Nature set
- Patterned Paper
- additional embellishments as needed
- glue gun
- a bone folder if it has a rounded edge and a straight edge, or a spoon & knife
- mouse pad or other soft surface

Here is the wreath that I created:

First I wrapped the wreath using burlap ribbon with a frayed edge to give the wreath a bit of visual interest.  Then I used the templates to cut out leaves from various papers from Authentique's Gathering collection.  I wanted to make these leaves look like more than just paper, so I flipped my leaves over to the side I wasn't going to be showing and used the rounded side of my bone folder in a circular motion to make the edges of the leaves curl up.  Then I flipped the leaves over and used the straight edge of my bone folder to create lines to look like the veins in the leaves.  Sounds complicated, but it was super quick and easy and gave the leaves so much more dimension (it's hard to see from the pictures).   

I used some lighter colored burlap fabric to make the rosettes, using my glue gun to keep them together and then to adhere them to the wreath.  What is the saying?  "I craft, therefore I have no fingerprints."  Yeah, that was me last weekend.  :)

I added a couple extra leaves and another rosette to the top of the wreath to balance out the heaviness of the other side.

I am SO HAPPY with the way this wreath turned out! As a self-proclaimed "novice," I've always wanted to make a pretty wreath but have always thought it would be too hard.  This came together so quickly and easily and I am so proud to have it hanging on my front door now.

Thank you so much for hopping by!  Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a $25 gift certificate to the Kiwi Lane Gift Shop!!  Now hop on over to Joy Nielson's blog to see the amazing project she created!

Until next time,

Scrapbook Steals Blog Hop Time!

Happy Friday!  Hope you're having fun while hopping along on the Scrapbooksteals.com blog hop!  You should have come to me via Abbey Colbert's blog, but if you didn't, head over to ScrapbookSteals' blog to get started!  Here's the blog roll if you get lost along the way:

Venetia Holbrook
Lisa Kitzke
Michelle Cunningham
Abbey Colbert
Cristine Redmond < - You are here!
Staci Jones

Today everyone on the hop is featuring 7 Gypsies Vintage ATCs.  These things are so versatile, as I am sure you are finding out from all of the talented ladies on the hop!  For my first project, I decided to use mine as a journaling section for a layout.  Here's the layout:

 

When I found this picture in my stash, I knew I wanted to tell the back story of it.  This picture was taken by my best friend, who had moved in with me while my husband was away on his first deployment to Iraq.  On the journaling card, I decided to write what I would have told the girl in the picture.  We were newly married with no kids, so it was hard to think past the deployment and imagine what our future together might look like.  Here's my journaling:

 

 

I also wanted to accent the page with some clouds because even though it was a very heavy time in our lives, it was filled with so much love.  Distance really did make the heart grow fonder in our case. 

For my second project, I decided to make a card, using one of the ATCs as part of the background.  This black ATC was perfect to do some chalkboard doodle art on and to make the washi pennants stand out a bit more.  

That is all for now!  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out my work!!  I would love to give away a sampling of the ATCs I used!  To enter, become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment telling me you did so.  This giveaway ends Sunday, August 4th at midnight CST.  I will draw a winner on Monday, August 5th! 

Now hop along over to the amazingly talented Staci Jones' blog! 

Until next time...


 

Happy Birthday, Scrapbook Steals!

I have made no secret of the fact that I have been gladly donating grocery funds to a loyal customer of Scrapbook Steals for a very long time.  I first came across their site in December of 2009 and never looked back.  I have made some great friends and met wonderful people who continue to inspire me in my craft through Scrapbook Steals and I will be forever grateful for that.

This is why I am excited to be a part of Scrapbook Steals' 4th birthday celebration by participating in this blog hop.  The ladies and I who are participating are showing you all our interpretations of the online crop challenges.  You should have come here from Cathy Caines' blog, but if not, follow the link below to go back to the beginning.

Cathy Caines

>>> Cristine Redmond <<<

Venetia Holbrook

Cyndee Kawa

Heather Conklin

Van Nguyen

Staci Jones

Charissa Miller

Brenda Smith

Erin Colby

Erica Bass

Kristy Lee

There will be prizes associated with each challenge on the blog and you have until Wednesday, July 17th at midnight (MT) to link up!

Now on to the fun stuff!  Here are the projects I created for the crop challenges...

Challenge 1 - Happy 4th Birthday (use 4 items):

 

This challenge was a lot harder than I thought it would be!  I never stop to count how many scrappy items I use when I create, so when it came time to pick letters for titles or basic embellishments, those numbers really started to add up fast!  I decided to use my Silhouette to cut the title, therefore eliminating the need for alpha stickers.  Here are the four things I used:  patterned paper, kraft paper, wood veneer and glitter glue.  I love how this turned out because even though I only used four things, it doesn't look like it needs anything else.

Challenge 2 - 2009:

My favorite part of 2009 was when we welcomed our daughter into our family, therefore completing our family.  I used Echo Park's Sunny Day collection as well as washi from My Mind's Eye and We R Memory keepers...all stolen from SS.  Of course.  :)

Challenge 3 - Favorite Vendor:

Scrapbook Steals always has amazing steals and the vendors used in this layout have all been offered on SS at one time or another.  Echo Park (this layout uses their Now and Then collection - LOVE!!), American Crafts (used Thickers and Amy Tangerine background paper here, varieties of both have been on SS), The Twinery (yep, been on SS before), My Mind's Eye (used enamel dots and washi on the layout... my love for MME started with SS) and Studio Calico (wood veneer).  The only other things I used on this layout that haven't been on SS are the button (Stampin' Up) and staples (Tim Holtz).  All I can say to that is WOW!

Challenge 4 - Washi Fever:

I have way too much washi to count.  Well, I lied.  I have counted them a time or two and let's just say I have a lot.  :)  So to narrow it down to only use four on this card was a challenge in and of itself, but I like what I chose to create this card.  It's for my younger brother who will be turning 30 next month.  He's a boy and boys don't always appreciate the time or effort put into crafty things, so I decided to go simple and just cut the sentiment into the card with my Silhouette, then back it with another layer of washi-covered cardstock.  Turned out kind of trippy with all of the patterns, but I like the effect.

I hope you had fun looking at all of my projects!  It's been a great three years and seven months as a Scrapbook Steals customer and I look forward to many, many more!  Enjoy the rest of the hop as you venture on to the seriously talented Venetia's blog!

Hopping Along With Scrapbook Steals!

Hello, hello! Welcome to my blog! You should have gotten here from Amber's page. If this is the first you're hearing of the hop, be sure to go back to ScrapbookSteals' blog and start from the beginning! Make sure you comment at each blog to help your chances of winning a spectacular prize...a $20 gift certificate which will be rewarded to a person randomly picked from one of the blogs!! You have until Monday, March 12th at 11:59 pm, MST to enter your comments.

Here is the line up just in case you get lost (click on the person's name to go to the blog):

Scrapbook Steals
Kristy MacKeen
Staci Jones
Amber Sheaves
Cristine Redmond <-- You are here!
Venetia Holbrook
Charity Becker
Van Nguyen

Now, on to the important stuff. :) Name one thing - okay, maybe two things - that are in your scrappy stash that you can never have too many of. Buttons and brads, right? No matter how big our stashes get, we always have room for more. That is why I was excited that today's blog hop was going to be featuring Basic Grey's buttons and brads. About 95 % of my button and brad collection is from Basic Grey. Their collections are just the best!

The first project I completed just SCREAMS Scrapbook Steals. Alright, not literally, but I got about 98% of the things on the page from them, so it screams SS to me. :) Here is a layout I created with Echo Park's new This and That Charming collection:

One of my favorite things to do with buttons is decorate them with twine. It dresses them up a bit.

I used a couple of brads to "hold up" the banner by my title and I am so happy with the way that turned out. I never know what to do at the ends of my banners, but now I have a new trick! Just stick a brad on each end and that's it! So cute!

I decided to create another project to show you a different way to use buttons. (I can not take credit for this idea...I got it off Pinterest. LOVE that site for inspiration.)

I made a simple card by adhering the buttons in a rainbow formation. I just added some cute clouds (I distressed the edges to make them look more fluffy), a stamped sentiment and some doodles around the edge and that's it! SUPER simple!

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today! I love to get new followers, so be sure to follow me to see what other created projects I have up my sleeves!

Next stop on the hop is Venetia Holbrook!

The 80s are BACK!!

Hello all! Hope you are having fun hopping along on the Back to the 80s Birthday Blog Hop! If this is the first you've heard of it, go back to Emily (the birthday girl's) blog for all of the details!!

The 80s seem like such a long time ago, but also seem like just yesterday. My earliest memories are from the 80s...everything from the toys to the clothes stick out in my mind. The strange thing is, a lot of what I had, saw or experienced in the 80s are BACK! Guess I grew up in a pretty cool decade. :)

This is a picture of me from about 1985-ish.

Anyway, for my project I decided to scrap a picture that was taken of a friend and I back in 1985. I had just moved from Colorado to Arizona with my family and was going to be going to Disneyworld with my best friend from Colorado and her family. I flew - SOLO - from AZ to CO, then on to Florida with my friend and her family. The picture in my layout was taken at the airport in Denver before we left on our amazing adventure. The things that scream "HELLOOO 80s" in this picture are what my friend and I are holding: a Rainbow Brite doll complete with Sprite sidekick (me) and a Cabbage Patch Kid (my friend). Doesn't get more 80s than that, folks. :)


I used Echo Park's Little Girl line for this layout because the colors and patterns seemed very appropriate for a layout about the 80s. It was a very colorful decade, that's for sure.


I also decided to turn my picture into a polaroid-like picture as part of the throw-back theme.

I have to say, creating a layout to go with this picture was really fun. The memories of all of my 80s toys took me back to a happy place, which is something I needed after the last few days I've had.

Don't forget to post on all of the blogs along the hop because as Emily's post stated, there will be some FUN prizes given away! Have fun hopping!

The next stop on the hop is Heather!

Here's the blog line up in case you get lost along the way:

Emily
Lisa
Abby
Candace
Nicole
Julie Ranae
Stephanie
Tanya
Candace
Elizabeth
Angelica
Michelle
Erin
Sarah
Dawn
Kathy
Jeannie
Cristine <-- You are here!
Heather