It's The Dog Days of Summer

Our theme this week at

The Beary Scrap Design Team Blog 

is Dog Days of Summer.

We could use this theme anyway we wanted to take it. Well when I was growing up my Mom always said it, and it meant it was to hot to do anything and you just laid around doing nothing like a dog.

This cute paper by BoBunny--Block Party Picnic reminds me of a table cloth my Mom always use to use when I was growing up and fit perfect with the theme. The greyer paper is actually the reverse side of the same paper. My Magnolia Tilda was colored with Copics - still on sale for a great price. My butterfly's were punched out with a Martha Stewart punch and Stickled. I have some Prima Pearls on here. I also added a BoBunny button to the center of my flower. I used Spellbinders to cut out my frame. I also used a hole punch and laced up some ribbon on the side.

Thanks so much and remember there is still time to enter a card in our

Beary Sweet Challenge.

Thanks for looking.

~Patricia~

Puppy Love

The "Dog Days" of Summer brings a lot of things to my mind-- hot afternoons, kids running through the lawn sprinklers, popsicles, time to start thinking about "back to school" (Yeah! I am excited about that!). But when I first thought about what I wanted to do for this theme, I knew immediately I wanted to make "Oliver the Dog." Now, if you have never met Oliver, he is one of Kimm's darling tear critters and boy is he a cutie, don't you think?


Of course, my first thought was to actually put Oliver on a layout called "The Dog Days of Summer" since I do seem to be the layout girl around here. However, I ran into this darling idea for a baby shower gift and decided it was just perfect for my project (besides the fact that I am giving a double baby shower for two of my sister-in-laws on Labor Day weekend and I was looking around for something cute to give them!) And so I found a soft stuffed dog, matching flannel to make a receiving blanket, made a tear critter to match and put it all together in this clear gallon paint bucket.


Instead of using the brown and white colors shown on the front of Oliver's pattern, I made my tear puppy out of white and black mulberry paper. Every time I make a tear critter, I just love them more and more. With Kimm's great instructons and her "Beary Creative" Tear Bear Tool, it is so easy! I whipped this guy out in no time at all. I used fluffing brushes from The Beary Scrap to make him look soft and pettable, then went around the edges with black chalk. The small ovals that come with the dog were actually a perfect size for his spots so I used them all and then used larger ovals for the eyes. To make cheeks and put a little pink on the feet, I used blush (yes, actual makeup blush-- not the one I use for me but a spare I save just for craft projects.) Then I used fine tip black and white markers to add those last little details.



After decorating the bottom of my paint can with some black and pink paper to match (Bo Bunny's Double Dot Cardstock, black from Kaiser Craft and pink from the New Echo Park Life is Good line), I added my little puppy. Plus some punched shapes, tiny pink Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, My Little Shoebox tiny letters and some pink ribbon to embellish it a bit (this is not Clean and Simple week, so I just kept adding those little details I love!)


Finally, I made a Congrats tag and tied some ribbon to the handle to finish it all off. Once putting everything inside, my finished gift looks like this (sorry about the glare off the clear plastic, it was hard to get a good photo!):

And I think it's just as cute as can be. One gift down, one more to make for the shower next week (my other sister in law is having a boy so I will be making another one of these, just in blue and brown instead.)

I hope you are enjoying your "Dog Days" of summer, however you may be spending them. Make sure to get in as much fun as possible before those warm lazy days are gone for this year! And remember, to spend a little time paper crafting and enter our Stitches challenge, open until the last day of the month, for a chance to win a $20.00 voucher to The Beary Scrap!

Thank You Beary Scrap Girls!

Hello Friends!  Well, this is my last card as DT member for The Beary Scrap ... my goodness gracious ... time sure flies doesn't it?!  I have had such a wonderful time working with these lovely women, and enjoyed myself tremendously seeing what they create each week!  Thank you so much to Kimm for having me on your awesome team, Susan, Gini, Jamie and Patricia for always giving me support and lots of giggles!  You girls are such a true delight ... and I will miss you tons!

So this weeks theme as you know, is "Dog Days of Summer"!!!  Okay, well, that threw me for a short bit also as Susan had mentioned in her last post.  hehe!  But when I saw this Tilda with her little parasol, I immediately wanted to use her for this theme.  She looks like she's going to a beautiful garden picnic or something on a Summer day, or going to sit by a lake under a shaded tree to watch some swans ... hehe. 

And then I used some vintage K&Co journaling papers in the background, since for some reason ... Summertime always makes me think of long letters being written between friends and lovers also.  I think it's because when I was younger, I'd write my friends during the summer since we all headed on different vacations for the entire 3 months.

The Fun Stuff:

Image:  Magnolia

Papers:  K&Co

Medium:  Prisma Colored Pencils

Other:  Bazzill Basics Cardstock, MS Punch, Ranger Blending Tool, Distress Ink, Diamond Stickles, Nestabilities,

Again, thank you so much Kimm, Susan, Gini, Jamie and Patricia for giving me the honour of playing with all you lovelies!  I absolutely enjoyed my time with you all!  ((((((HUGS!)))))) 

Love,

Elise

Dog Days Of Summer

Hello dear friends,

Wow! What a fabulous weekend. I went up to Philadelphia for a trade show Friday, and thought to myself,

"Self, why don't you cruise on up the turnpike and surprise Kimm at The Beary Scrap?" And so I did Saturday morning!

Now, we've never met in person. Last year, Kimm was very kind to me when I started making tear bears out of her mulberry paper. She freely gave advice and we became "online friends". Early this year I became her design team coordinator and our friendship grew. I look forward to our hours-long weekly conversations, where we *might* talk about scrapbooking or cardmaking, but *definitely* talk and laugh about everything else. :)

I was a little worried about walking into her store cold - will she recognize me? Will she *want* to chat? Gasp! Will she have a store full of customers and I'd be forced to shop shop shop until we could talk? (Ok, that really happened...)

I walked in to her adorable boutique and watched as she flitted about with the customers. She slowed down long enough for me to show my face, and she stopped in her tracks. You know that feeling when you think you recognize someone but you're not sure and don't want to embarrass yourself... I saw all that going through her mind, including the slight head tilt and eye narrowing... I said, "It's Susan," and I swear she squealed! (With joy... really!) Ah, I'm getting teary-eyed just writing about it.

Big hugs, dear Kimm! I enjoyed our time together more than I can write here. It was cool to stand in your shop and see the shelves from which you pull my monthly order. Your shop is wonderful and I can't wait to meet up again!

Ok, now on to the design team's weekly theme, which is "Dog Days of Summer". It's almost the end of August and kids are returning to school in the next few weeks. Can you believe it? That sound you hear is the collective cheer of parents everywhere!

I had trouble with this theme at first. What does "dog days of summer" mean to me? Mosquitos. Hmm... Nope, can't put a mosquito on a card... I knew I wanted to use my fabulous new Echo Park paper, so I started from that happy point and landed here... on a big, fluffy yellow lab!

Of course, I had to glitter my little one up a bit. I used Faded Jeans Distress Stickles on the puppy collar and "regular" Stickles Lime Green and Star Dust on her dress and bloomers. Love the bloomers!

While at The Beary Scrap (heeheehee) I found these fabby crocheted flowers. Pretty, no? I've also amassed quite a collection of the We R Memory Keepers Designer Snaps, 'cause they're a great way to add sparklies or a sentiment for the sentiment-challenged like me. The variety of sizes in each pack definitely make your dollars go far. Oh, and the last 2 cards I've used them on were Crop-A-Dile free! (The mega eyelet setting tool that you're supposed to use to attach these little buggers.) On the last card I glued lace and this card I used the flower and then used Fabri-Tac or Aleene's (can't remember) to attach to the card. The added lace/crochet takes up the space and prevents wobble once it's on the card.    

So, that is all. I think this is the longest post in TBS DT history, and I thank you from the bottom of my happy heart that you've stuck with me. Thank you!

Card Recipe

• Stamp: Mo Manning's Digital Pencil Too - "Buds"
• Paper: Bazzill Basics  Mud Pie, French Vanilla, African Daisy; Echo Park "Life is Good" Kit - Brown Floral and Set The Table; Neenah Classic Crest
• Medium: Distress Stickles in Broken China (collar); Stickles Lime Green and Star Dust; Prismacolor pencils with OMS
• Embellishments: Bazzill Green Ruffled Ribbon; We R Memory Keepers Designer Snap from the "Friends" pack; Green Crochet Flower (nudge Kimm to list these delicious little things online...); Robin's Nest Dew Drops; lace from stash
• Tools & Adhesives: Scor-Pal; Scor-Tape; Glossy Accents (nose and to attach Dew Drops); sewing machine

Yay! Thanks so much for stopping in today. Don't forget our current challenge "In Stitches"! You can enter with any kind of faux or real sewing and have a chance to win a $20 gift voucher from The Beary Scrap!

Cheers,
Susan

I hope you have been Sew Inspired!

Sew, have you enjoyed our stitching inspirations this week at the Beary Scrap DT Blog? I decided not only to stitch on my card, but to use a vintage sewing theme as well.

I am really not a good seamstress at all, but I do have great memories of my great-grandmother Memie trying to teach me to sew. She could walk in a store, sketch the dress that she saw and go home and sew it. She also kept bags and bags of lace that she would add to everything. So when I sewed the lace around the borders of this card, it made me smile thinking of her.

Last weekend, I went to CKC - Charlotte, and took two Tattered Angels classes - so this week, I have been spraying, painting and splashing Glimmer Mist on everything! I sprayed my lace with it. I painted some of the new Glimmer Glaze over my crystal brad to make it match my project. And I sprayed some Glimmer Mist over my border paper, after I stamped it. For my flower, I sprayed pages of an old phone book, and then wadded them up to dry - and then cut them using a Spellbinders die.

Papers: MME Laundry Line, Bazzill
Inks: Memento, Glimmer Mist, Glimmer Glaze

Stamps: Crafty Secrets

The Beary Scrap Sew Challenge

It's Friday and it's my turn for our Beary Sweet Sew Challenge

The girls had some very cute projects this week for our challenge. I'm here to show you my card. No I don't use a sewing machine I hand stitch all my cards because I always seem to brake my machine even a brand new machine, No Joke!! I broke it after my first card and it was supposed to be made for scrapbooking. So now matter how you sew on your card make sure you enter into our challenge --- HERE.

My card recipe:

BoBunny Back to Back Block Party

Prima Flutter Vines Pacific Blue

Pearls

Distressed Inks-Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters

Magnolia Stamps 

Spellbinders

Copics ---- NOW FOR SALE AT A GREAT PRICE 

Stickles

Brads

WE HAVE A NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE IF YOU WERE ON THE OLD FAN PAGE WE HAVE A NEW ONE NOW BE SURE TO HEAD ON OVER AND "LIKE US"

Thanks for looking.
~Patricia~

Stitched Florida Flowers

OOOOHHH, I love stitching on paper! I hardly ever use my sewing machine for anything else-- I am sure that is not what my mother imagined me sewing when she signed me up for a 4-H sewing class when I was 10, but oh well! I could actually mend some clothing, if I had to! But where's the fun in that? I'd much rather stitch paper!

For this challenge though, I didn't run to my sewing machine but to my newest Bazzill In'Stitchz 8x8 flower pattern that I've been dying to try.


I started off my layout with some Bazzill cream colored cardstock then used some Mango Luau paper from BoBunny I've been holding onto. I love the colors of the Mango Luau paper and the big bright flowers, just perfect for these pics of our trip to Florida last year. This was the first major (more than 3 days) trip my husband and I have been on without kids. Wow, total relaxation!

Then I used my In'Stitchz template to place large flowers over the top of the Bo Bunny paper, going off the edge in both corners. These templates are just so easy to use-- you place your template, poke holes with a paper piercer using the template as a guide and then go back and stitch it! Easy peasy! (as my 9 year old would say!)

Then I decided I wanted to stitch my title as well so I printed the title out on my computer in the size and font I wanted then placed in on my layout and punched around the letters with a paper piercer-- I just had to be careful to make the holes close enough together that I wouldn't end up with any strange looking letters when I got done. It was a bit of an experiement, as you can tell if you look closely at my "florida" and see a couple extra holes. But it wasn't too hard and I'd definitely do better next time.

A little bling to top it all off-- some Prima flowers and rhinestones and a little tag made from the coordinating Mango Luau stickers and my vacation memories are preserved forever. (Well, not totally, this is just the beginning of the pictures from this trip, I have a whole stack left to go, but it's a start!)

I am so impressed by all the entries we already have in our Stitches Challenge-- keep up the great work and make sure to get your entry linked by August 31 at 11:59 EST for a chance to win a $20 voucher from The Beary Scrap! There are some great Bazzill In'Stitchz templates you could get with your voucher if you win!

Enjoy Life

Hello Friends!  Happy Wednesday to you!  Has it been extrememly hot where you live or has it cooled down?  I hear some people saying that it's getting chilly where they live and they have to put on some socks!  Oh my goodness!  Here where I live, it's so HOT, that my air conditioner is working overtime!  lol!

Well, this week here, we're having "Stitches" as our theme!  I love it!  I had finally gotten a new sewing machine last year, as my sister old sewing machine that she passed down to me finally had called it quits.  And my new sewing machine .... has never touched a piece of material.  LOL!  Only paper ... ahhhh .. and my hubby thought I'd be doing some hemwork when needed.  No success there!!!!!  (To be honest, I don't really know how to sew material very well!)  shhhh ... don't tell my hubby!  lol!!!

Anyway, here's my card that I've done:

The Fun Stuff:

Image:  Magnolia

Papers:  K&Co

Medium:  Prisma Colored Pencils

Other:  Mulberry Roses, Ranger Blending Tool,  Distress Ink in Walnut Stain,  Stickles in pink and crystal

Annnnd!  Just to let you know!  The Beary Scrap Store is having a huge Copic Marker sale!!!  Go and check it out!  And Kimm also has some new mulberry paper piecing cuties in stock!  Go and check it out here!

I hope you'll join us in our "In Stitches" Challenge!  I'd love to see you there!  :)

Hugs,

Elise

BSC #7 Winners!

Hello friends! We want to extend a  HUGE "Thank You!" to everyone who played along with our last challenge! We really enjoyed visiting your blogs and definitely appreciate your support.

Our winner of the $20 gift voucher to The Beary Scrap is...

# 3: Dorcas!

Congratulations, Dorcas! Please email Kimm and she'll set you up with a voucher to go shoppin'!

We would also like to congratulate our Beary Sweet Top 3:

#14 - Stephanne
#12 - Kelly
#8 - Piali

Ladies - thank you so much for joining us! Here's a fun badge to display on your blogs:

We hope everyone can join our BSC #8 "In Stitches" Challenge going on now!

Cheers,
Susan, Gini, Elise, Jamie, Patricia and Kimm