Are You Ready To Fly Away

There have been lots of wonderful projects this week from The Beary Scrap Design Team and today is my turn. When we set up to do

"Things with Wings"

I was so excited. If you have been to my blog you will see butterflies on it. I just love butterflies. I also have become a fan of easel cards, so why not combine the two? You can make just about design into an easel card. So I searched the internet for the perfect butterfly shape, and this is the shape I found. I just love it.

First I just want to send Kimm a big THANK YOU for creating these cool watermarks for our pictures.

I know that bears don't have wings, but this little cutie has them! I made this little bear with an Acrylic Paper Piecing Pattern you can get from The Beary Scrap Store. When you there be sure to look over all the very pretty Mulberry Paper that's in the store. Kimm also has free eyes you can download along with a tutorial on making the bears on there own very special Tear Bear Blog.

My background paper is from Graphic 45 and I distressed the outside of the paper with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo. I added Stickles on the wings of the bear to make them sparkle.  The mini butterflies are punched out with a Martha Stewart punch and I added an oval pearl to their bodies. There are some very pretty Prima Pearls on the card and Kimm has them on order so look for them to be showing up in the store real soon. 

The hearts on the bottom of the card were cut out with Spellbinders and distressed. I added some pretty Prima Roses to the bottom and some more Prima Pearls.

When I was done with this card I just had to make a matching envelope. I used all the same products to make it match.

Front of envelope.

The back of the envelope I added a Prima Trellis Rose and the lid is held closed with a velcro disc.

Now when I made the card and envelope I didn't plan on the little bear peeking thru - sometimes the best things are not planned.

Thank you for looking and be sure to check back tomorrow to see Gini's "Things with Wings" Tattered Angels tutorial.

~Patricia~

A Little Birdie

Do you feel it? Are you driving around with your window rolled down? Have your broken out your summer sandals from the closet? Spring is, I think, finally here! (Even in Idaho, where it sometimes feels like we go directly from winter to summer without much in between.) Hopefully wherever you are, the grass is starting to green up, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. And what better way to celebrate those beautiful spring days and chirping spring birds than with some cute little birds on your scrapbook pages?

I had so much fun making my layout this week with the brand new Pink Paislee 365 "Degrees". I love, love, love the colors in this line! They are bright and fun without being too overwhelming. Perfect for spring or summer pages, boy pages, outdoor pages or whatever else you can imagine. Be sure to check out this line, along with the other super cute new Pink Paisley lines-- Queen Bee and Bayberry Cottage.

I used some aqua colored Bazzill cardstock for the background of my pages and then layered several sheets from the 6 x 6 paper pad of the 365 Degrees collection. This paper pad is so awesome! You get 30 sheets in 10 different designs for only $5.00! This way I got to try out all the fun patterns from the line but didn't have to buy full 12 x 12 sheets of each. Then I used the round sheet from the same line and split it into two different pieces for each side of my layout.

I remember when I first started seeing these new shapes in 12 x 12 sizes-- circles, scallops, flowers, hearts, brackets-- and I thought "Yeah, those are stinkin' cute, but what do I do with them?" Well, don't be afraid to cut them apart! I used about 7/8 of my circle scallop page and placed them at different angles on either page for variety. Also, if you are making a single 12 x 12 page layout, don't be afraid to just use the shape for your background paper-- who said a layout has to be square anyway?

Once I matted my pictures, also on some of the 6 x6 sheets, I used several of the 365 Degrees Punch Out Die Cut Tags as accents along the edges. All the die cuts and papers are inked around the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China. On top of the tags are some Bazzill buttons which I love because some of them have lines etched across them, and a little of the Bazzill Tulle in Parakeet that is sold by the yard. Usually, ribbon is a definite must-have for me on a layout, but I thought the tulle fit the light spring feel of the papers and gave some variety from my usual supply choices.

I created my birds by cutting two Paisleys on my Cricut using the "Stretch Your Imagination" cartridge. I chose the Blackout option and reversed the paper for the smaller bird so that the two are facing each other. The wings are made by punching hearts and the beak by just hand cutting a tiny triangle. Using a fine tip black marker I traced around the bird bodies, added legs and eyelashes and then googly eyes to top it off. The last step was to stamp some black flourishes for the tail feathers-- I liked the flourishes so much I added quite a few around the edges of the cardstock too.

I hope you liked my winged creation for this week and that your neighborhood is full of some spring birds that are singing to you! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more winged things at The Beary Scrap Design Team!

Things With Wings Week

Hello hello! It's Susan, here, ringing in another TBS Monday. Who knew I'd love Mondays so much?!

Spring is such a wonderful season - we had another glorious weekend here in Maryland. I hope you did, too! Our temperatures were considerably lower than last weekend's "heat wave", but the yard work was the same. There's so much to do in the Spring! We pulled a ton of weeds, fertilized the lawn, and trimmed up a few shrubs and a holly tree. I'm pretty sure a Robin is building a nest in the holly tree, so I worked quickly. She chirped at me quite a bit!

Speaking of birds, it's "Things With Wings" week here at The Beary Scrap. I start the week with Magnolia's Edwin, and Gini will end our week with a great Tattered Angels tutorial. In between you'll be inspired by fabby projects from Patricia and Jamie, and perhaps a bonus from yours truly. *wink* I'm really inspired by this theme! [Edit 4/13 - sadly, pesky business taxes and housework took all my "free" time, so no bonus project for me. Sorry, friends!]

If you've been reading me for a little while, you'll know I'm obsessed with a new convert to Magnolia stamps. This is Edwin, chasing after these beautiful MS punched butterflies.

Oh my! I was thrilled when Kimm told me about this Monarch punch, so much so that she loaded it onto The Beary Scrap store site while we chatted just so I could order it right then and there. How's that for incredible customer service? Thanks Kimm! 

The bottom butterfly layer is punched from BG Kioshi "Sayuri" and edges are inked with purple. The top layer is purple vellum, and was an adventure to create. I started with "Stickling" the edges... they curled up a bit but it wasn't too bad. After that dried I decided "More is Better!" and Stickle'd one whole wing. Can you imaging the curling from that much glue? Haha! (No, I didn't learn my lesson from the first application.) Fixing this involved a heat gun and a certain amount of contortion to keep it from rolling up as it dried. Good thing I have that third hand... just kidding!

Ok, so here's a better way of Stickling vellum: put a few dots of Tombow Multi 2-way glue on the back of a fresh butterfly and let dry so it is repositionable. Adhere this to scrap paper and Stickle away! Either let air dry or use your heat gun to dry the Stickles. Once dry you can remove it from the scrap paper. So much easier!

I have a special 'Thank You' to our very own DT Patricia for inspiring my pearl butterfly trails. Thanks sweets! :)

Card Recipe

• Stamp - Magnolia
• Paper - Basic Grey Kioshi - Lily Child, Sayuri, Plum Blossom and Mokuren (green layer) from the 6x6 paper pad; Bazzill Mauve Ice; Neenah
• Medium - Copic E000, E11, R20 for skin; Prismacolor pencils; Stickles Star Dust; Glimmer Mist Pearl (painted onto butterfly net)
• Embellishments - Kaisercraft pearls; Prima roses; vintage pins and stash; sewing machine

Thanks for stopping in!

Cheers,

Susan

Bloomin' fun with Gini

Don't you just love spring? I hope you have enjoyed seeing all of the gorgeous Bloomin' Fun from the Beary Scrappy Gals this week - and it's Saturday, so I'm finishing off the week for you.

I just got this new Magnolia stamp, Tilda with Flowing Hair, from the Beary Scrap. I just think she is so adorable. I wanted to try something a little different with my ribbon, so I used my Scor-Pal to emboss lines where I wanted the ribbon to go, and then laid down very narrow ScorTape to adhere the ribbon. The papers are from Basic Grey's Kioshi line - which is just so cheerful and springy!

The flower is a Prima (sorry, I don't remember which collection!) I added "leaves" by punching using the Martha Stewart branch.

Starting Monday, we will have a new theme for the week - and on Saturday it will be my turn for a tutorial. I have some fun things up my sleeve, so you won't want to miss it!

We're Bloomin' Up Fun At The Beary Scrap This Week

Not only are the flowers starting to Bloom around here but so are we. The Beary Scrap Gals have already showed you some great designs and today is my turn. For this week I used a Magnolia stamp and made an easel card. I'm new to the Magnolia craze and I can see why everyone loves them. They are a fun stamp to use and there are so many to choose from.

This is the second Magnolia card I have made and I just love how this card came out. I can tell you this will not be my last.

My card is just Bloomin' Roses. These great roses by Prima are just the right size to load them on your projects. They come in so many pretty colors to choose from. I also put on some purple satin butterflies that Kimm sells in The Beary Scrap they are sold by the yard, I cut them apart for my card. I also added some pink rhinestone stickers to the card.

 

The Magonlia stamp I used is from the Hoppy Easter Collection called Tilda with Flowing Hair. The background paper is from Bo Bunny called Jazmyne Breeze. I used Spellbinders Labels Five and used Colorbox Inks to distress around them. I also used the Martha Stewart Lace punch and the double loop punch. I computer printed my sentiment.

 

Here is a closer look at the bottom of the card. I hope you enjoyed looking at my card and have inspired your creativity. Please check back tomorrow to see more great designs.

~Patricia~

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Kimm also has a new addition to the Beary Sweet Designs

Acrylic Pattern Collection

Emma Elephant

She is so cute. They are shipping now. Head on over The Beary Scrap Store and get your's today. Also new to the store is pre-cut eyes and noses.

Bloomin' Fun with Grandma

Have you ever had one of those moments you just wanted to freeze and hold on to forever? One of my favorite quotes is "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." This is one of those moments. My kids have had the great opportunity to know all four of their Great Grandmas- a very unusual occurrence, I think, and these priceless pictures showcase part of a fun weekend spent with my maternal grandmother at her cabin in Island Park, Idaho last summer. When I heard the theme for our posts this week at The Beary Scrap, I knew that these were the perfect pictures for a Bloomin Fun' page!


The background of my layout is Bazzill Lily Pond. Then I used one piece of Daisy Bucket's Playful Katy and cut it in half around the swirls, placing half on each side of my layout. I agree with Susan, who used this same paper earlier this week-- this is an incredible textured paper! It's double sided, which I love because you get two patterns for the prize of one! You'll be really impressed with the lovely weight and texture. I inked the edges of the Daisy Bucket paper with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China. Then I machine stitched around these pieces of paper before placing any of my pictures.

I matted all my pics on plain white cardstock and inked the edges again with the Broken China ink. I used some more paper from the Daisy Bucket Playful line, Gabby, and punched some large scallops to put behind my pictures. After placing my pictures on the layout, I machine stitched down from the top onto my pictures and over the chains of the swings to make it look like the kids were swinging right from the page. I went over each line three times to give it enough dimension to really stand out. I love machine stitching on my layouts-- it's so fast and easy and really gives it something extra. I hardly ever use my sewing machine for actual material-- though I could probably patch something if I absolutely had to. :)


To finish up, I had to add some BLOOMS, of course, and I'd have to say, I am addicted to flowers so I just raided my stash and used up some felt blooms from Heidi Swapp, some large paper blossoms from Making Memories, and tiny flowers from Prima. Buttons for the centers complete the flowers. I used letter stickers for the title and used small flowers for the "o"s in Bloomin'.


I also added to my layout the poem, "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson (follow the link to find a copy) which my grandma memorized when she was in elementary school and was repeating to my kids as she pushed them.

This was a really fun layout for me to make and I hope you enjoy it! It took me on a little trip down memory lane which, as I am sure you all know, is one of the reasons we scrapbook-- to remember those moments that take our breath away. Just last Saturday, my kids lost one of their great grandmas as my husband's paternal grandmother passed away from leukemia and so my trip down memory lane while I was scrappin' was a little bittersweet. My challenge to you all is to get out, make some Bloomin' fun memories with those you love, capture those moments with your photos and then scrap 'em so you can hold onto them forever!

Be sure to check back later this week for more inspiration from the Beary Scrap!

Bloomin' Fun!

Hello hello! It's Susan, here, hoping everyone had a beautiful weekend. It was stunning here in Maryland! We had sunshine and temperatures in the 70's. The whole neighborhood was out doing yard work, and more than a few of us have sunburns to prove it. *wink*

Thank you so much for joining The Beary Scrappy Girls for another week - you're in for some

Bloomin' Fun!

Today I would like to introduce you to Stampavie's "Star Girl with Bouquet". Isn't she a breath of fresh, Spring air? While this delightful stamp is the focus for this card, I don't want you to miss the incredible Daisy Bucket Design's "Playful" paper.

While shopping online for this week's theme, I fell in love with the paper's colors and blooms, and when I received it I couldn't believe the texture. I know, I know, Kimm says on the listing that it's textured paper, but I was thinking it would be something like Bazzill's Grass Cloth or another slightly textured paper. Oh, no! It's this wonderful 3-dimensional texture on paper that has a thickness falling somewhere between thin scrapbook paper and card stock (like Bazzill). I'm not exaggerating when I say it's lush... LUSH! Ok maybe a little, but I am absolutely in love with it! 

(Click for a detailed peek)

Ok, back to the darling "Star Girl with Bouquet". Here's a close-up of her layered and Stickle'd flowers. If you look closely you can see a slight shimmer on her apron. I dipped a tiny paintbrush into Glimmer Mist Pearl and painted it. How cool is that?

I know a lot of folks use Copics, and there are few really good papers "out there". I'm happy to tell you that The Beary Scrap now sells one of the best available: Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock in Solar White. This is a beautiful coloring surface for both Copics *and* Prismacolor Pencils. You'll find Neenah 110lb in stock today, and 80lb is on it's way!  

To finish this card off, I've used a host of Prima flowers, including ones from Kimm's special stash she sends with everyone's order. Thanks Kimm!

Card Recipe

• Stamp - Stampavie's "Star Girl with Bouquet"
• Paper - Neenah cardstock; Daisy Bucket Designs Playful; Bazzill Grenadine; misc. blue bit
• Medium - Prismacolor Pencils; Stickles Star Dust; Glimmer Mist Pearl
• Embellishments - Kaisercraft Pearls in Snow (one is colored with a pink Copic marker); Prima flowers; snaps, embroidery floss and a flower from stash

That's it for me! Thanks again for stopping in, and come back soon for more from your Beary Scrappy Girls!


Cheers,
Susan

Happy Easter from Gini

It's Saturday, so that means it is time for me to wrap up this week's theme from The Beary Scrap - Easter Inspirations. As usual, the Beary Scrappy Gals have provided such delightful projects all week long!
I know most people use very "springy" colors for their Easter creations, but I wanted to do something a little different. I have always been inspired by Sacred Russian art, and wanted to do a card based on those influences. I fell in love with this limited edition set of Crosses by Spellbinders, and knew they would be perfect.
I cut the layers of my cross out of red (Brick) Bazzill cardstock, that I covered in composition gold leaf, before cutting/embossing. (If you look at Russian Icons, there is often a red paint that shows through some of the gold. ) I then sanded some of the areas of the cross with a sanding block to expose some of the red underneath. I used dimensionals to build up my layers and glued red Swarovski crystals as an embellishment.
I placed the cross on a layer of SEI velvet paper, that I had embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. I added another piece of the velvet paper, that had been punched using the Treading Water punch. I stitched my layers with gold thread to add to the opulence.

The sentiment was printed from my computer onto Bazzill cardstock, and cut out with the Fancy Labels from Spellbinders. I wanted to have an "antiqued glitz" to this as well, so I rubbed Distress Stickles in Frayed Burlap and Antique Linen over the top. If you haven't tried the Distress Stickles, they look completely different from normal Stickles. They really do give a nice worn look that I love. Finally, I added the pearls at the bottom.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and gets to spend time with those you love! Be sure to come and visit us next week for more fun!

A Beautiful Bunny for Your Egg Hunt

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail-- well, at least here comes Bella Bunny and she is adorable. I also used one of The Beary Scrap's newest acrylic patterns and made my own Tear Bear critter to adorn my Easter layout.

I started this project by making my little Bunny-- Kimm's patterns and instructions are absolutely wonderful! They make perfect sense and after reading them I thought, "Yeah, I can do this." It was really easy and fun. I am excited to try another Tear Bear Critter soon and look for Kimm's brand new pattern, Emma Elephant, coming soon! After piecing and fluffing my bunny using her Tear Bear Fluffing set and guide, I was ready to work on my layout.

The background of my layout is a simple cream cardstock and then I used Basic Grey's Nook & Pantry collection. These papers may have names that make you hungry like Cornbread, Fruit Salad and Lemon Meringue pie but definitely think outside of the kitchen when deciding what to do with these oh-so-pretty papers. The colors are just awesome spring colors, they were perfect for Easter. Some of the patterns I used are Tea Cakes, Beaters, Dishes and Cookbook.

I added some cream lace, rick rack and also machine stitched on the edges for some added detail. I used the Nook & Pantry element stickers ,added a few pearls to accent the stickers and then layered them with some beautiful Prima flowers .

The final step, of course, was to place my Bella Bunny on the layout. I used Alene's Super Tacky Quick Dry Glue to attach it to my layout (the same stuff I used to glue her together) and then trimmed down a couple flowers from the Nook & Pantry stickers topped with some more pearls to place on top of the bunny. Cute, cute!

Well, now that I have finished scrapbooking last year's Easter egg hunt, I have about 3 days to plan this years! I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones. Be sure to check back later this week for more great Easter ideas from our Beary Scrappy Gals!