Very Mary

The Mid-month Garden!

I'm very excited about the mid-month garden! I had a little more time to prepare, so I created a few layouts to share with you all! But first...some of the layouts that caught my eye today:

• Like Cat & Dog (I pretty much adore everything that Stephanie does. Total eye-candy!)
• Argue Mateys (Adorable! And I love those Hero Arts spider web stamps)
• She (simple design, powerful page and a good reminder, I think, about self-image)
• Our Chills & Thrills (love the non-traditional colors on this Halloween layout)
• Happy Halloween (I am totally drawn to this design, and I love the Spooky Scary kit!)

You know how I feel about Halloween, so here's a seasonal hybrid layout showing a few of my spooky decorations from last year. *Hopefully* you'll feel inspired to start documenting your own spooky home decor: 

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Making Memories (spiderweb); Digital Patterned Paper: Spooky Scary kit by Jen Allyson (orange dots, black text); Digital Brushes: "beware" from the Halloween Word Art kit by Rhonna Farrer, spider line from The Spider's Web Stamps kit by Carina Gardner; Gemstones: Clear Gemstones by Hero Arts

More details and links to the supplies here.

Here is a closer look at the numbers:

I created a digital collage with my title and journaling on the orange patterned paper, and then I had it printed twice so I could cut out one set of numbers to attach on top with foam adhesive.

Here's a closer look at the spider line (much cuter that the one I discovered the other day), which I embellished with gemstones:

 

Love those digi stamps! Check out Carina's kit: The Spider's Web Stamps. So very perfect if you happen to be working on Halloween projects right now. I especially like the polka-dot pumpkin. :)

I also created a couple more layouts focused on the theme for October: Typography. The first one is a title page for Sadie' second year album:

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Lemonade by Basic Grey; Brad: Basic Grey, Die-cut Machine: Silhouette; Punch: Threading Water by Fiskars

More details and links to the supplies here.

The letters look like stickers, but they are actually cut with my Silhouette. I typed the alphabet in the Quickutz RoboMaster program (the software for the Silhouette), and cut it six (?) times from different colors of cardstock. I saved all the extra letters for later! And by the way, if you were thinking about purchasing a Silhouette, I noticed it's currently 20% off at Two Peas right here.

And last is a page I've been thinking about for a long time. I've been wanting to document the nicknames we have had for Sadie, and I had an idea about how I wanted it to look. It didn't translate exactly, but I think it works:

©Two Peas in a Bucket

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Fruit Fizz by Basic Grey; Lace Paper: Orange Swiss Dot Doilie by Basic Grey; Notebook Paper: Fancy Free Kit by Michelle Underwood; Photo Frames: Curled White Photo Frames by Mary Ann Wise; Brad: Glazed Brad by Basic Grey; Fonts: Catching Cupcakes, Graham Cracker, AL Worn Machine

More details and links to the supplies here.

I wanted to create this traditionally, but sizing all the fonts would have been a nightmare, so hybrid it is! I used two of my new favorite digi elements: Curled White Photo Frames and notebook paper from the Fancy Free kit by Michelle Underwood with some funky handwritten fonts. Because the colors I chose are so freakin' bold, I kept the design pretty simple, so this layout came together fairly quickly. As always, gotta love that. :)

Speaking of Creepy...

Have you ever heard the "urban legend" to be careful when you wash your grapes because there might be a spider hanging out in there? Yeah, right, you say. But perhaps no one mentioned it could be an inky black spider with a sinister red dot on its back...

I'm officially chilled to the bone.

This is what I discovered crawling around our fresh bag of grapes:

In case you weren't sure, that's a BLACK WIDOW.

In my freaking bag of grapes.

When I first saw it, I didn't even realize what it was. All I knew was that the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, and I was terrified the thing had laid eggs in the 30 seconds it took me to chuck that bag of grapes into the garbage can. So, no, I didn't take that photo. Gimme a break. I saw Arachnaphobia. There is no way in hell I would get that close to the little venomous fiend.

So this, my friends, is a public service announcement dedicated to all the grape eaters out there: sometimes you can believe the things you hear/read. Beware the creepy crawlies. Especially the venomous ones.

Halloween: a good excuse for shopping.

Sadie and I've been reading a book called The 13 Days of Halloween. I sing along to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas. Sing, you ask? Hmmm. I suppose "croak" would be a more apt description. Nevertheless, it's inspires a little more Halloween spirit, and besides reading/singing/croaking Halloween, decorating Halloween, consuming dangerous amounts of sour Skittles and Starburst (shame on you Costco for stocking candy in bulk!), we've been planning a costume. Here's a hint:

 

Any guesses? :)

In the meantime, I am planning to make a Halloween album! Last year, I was so inspired by this album (created by one of my favorite scrapbookers: Nichol Magouirk) that I vowed I would make one. I love the idea of being able to page through one album and see Sadie's (and baby's) costumes over the years. I admit I am not as productive as Nichol, so it is highly unlikely that I will finish this album in time for Halloween (heck, I have not even finished last year's Christmas album!), but I have all ready accomplished the most *difficult* task: shopping!

Here are the spooky goodies that crept into my shopping cart:

Spook Alley 6x9 Mini Book

Spook Alley Deco Pins (Put stickpins on the list of scrappy stuff I can't resist)

Spook Alley Trims & Treats (the feltie ghosts are adorable!)

Spook Alley Glitter Rub-ons

Spook Alley Looking Glass Stickers

Spook Alley Vinyl Tape

4x6 Mixed Media Spook Alley Notebook (also topping the "irresistible list," these little notebooks)

Trick or Treat Clear Cut Shapes

Wicked Web Trick or Treat Specialty Paper

And how I wish I had seen these earlier:

Halloween Collection Vintage Findings Kit

Halloween Collection Vintage Findings Mini Kit

Trick or Treat Brad Assortment

Trick or Treat Jewel Stickers

It's possible I'll supplement with a *little* more shopping down the road, but you know, I think I could be set for the next twenty years or so of Halloween scrapping! ;)

A Layout and Winner x 2

Hello, all! Hope you are beginning your weekend with a fabulous Friday! The weather has turned snappy these past few days, so I think we'll be staying in and adjusting to the inevitable coming of cold, cold winter. That's a-ok though because I have several assignments that need my attention. The mid-month Garden at Two Peas will be arriving shortly, and I'll have some new layouts to share, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with this one (maybe you'll recognize it from a sneak peek I showed earlier?):

 

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Patterned Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle, Bo Bunny, Making Memories; Stickers: Vera Vinyl Stickers by American Crafts; Ribbon: Cosmo Haute Ribbon Box by American Crafts; Buttons: Basic Grey, other

This page was published in the Aug/Sep issue of BHG Scrapbooks Etc., and I can't remember if I ever explained or not, but the title is a little play on words. Everyone has heard the phrase "cute as a button," right? Well, for the longest time, Sadie referred to buttons as "bunnies." Just a cute little toddler quirk that inspired me to document the adorable way she was pronouncing different words.

I just got the page back a couple weeks ago, and reading through it, I kept saying, "Oh, I remember that! Oh, that was so CUTE!" All of these pronunciations are long past. Such a fleeting time. And therefore, this page is Reason #17 that I am glad to be a scrapbooker. :)

Moving on to the scrappy details. See that white font for the title? The one that says "cute as a." Yeah, that one. I handcut that. It was a pain in the @ss. But now I have my trusty Silhouette, I don't have to handcut anything anymore. Just thought I'd mention it because that is the first thing I thought when I got the page back. I will never handcut anything AGAIN.

The other portion of the title is done with some of my favorite letters ever: American crafts vinyl Thickers. Considerably easier than handcutting, but I would love to see them in every color! :)

And now, onto the Banana Frog stamp giveaways! I never heard back from Mary, so I used the handy random number generator for TWO numbers:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11
17

Timestamp: 2009-10-10 03:16:02 UTC

So that would be Charlene (It's All About...Arrows) and Nancy L. (It's All About...Flourishes)! Ladies, can you send me your mailing addresses? I will get these out to you as soon as possible! Thanks for all the comments, and be sure to check back next week, as I still have a few more sets to give away! :)

A Layout, a Winner, and another Giveaway

I thought I'd share a layout that I did over the summer using the American Crafts Teen line:

 

When I first saw the Teen line, I thought, "hmm, funky, colorful, but...I don't have any teenagers." But as you've no doubt figured out, most theme-oriented lines can be re-purposed. I used it here to make a page about my husband and me and our 5-yr anniversary. We are most definitely not teens, but it still works. (The paper and the relationship.) :)

I love journaling stickers, but I despise hand-journaling. So instead of using a sticker for journaling, I used it as a frame for my accent/title. (Incidentally, I noticed the Remarks sticker book that I used is 75% off at two peas.) The glittery heart and flair are both from the Teen line as well. Sometimes it's nice to use coordinating products. Makes life a little simpler.

The large die-cut of the couple comes from Provo Craft's Going Places cartridge, and when I originally laid out my design, I noticed that it didn't show up very well against the background. To help it stand out, I added a vellum backing, which also doubles as a frame. I stamped the vellum with Dots inked in Versamark. Just a little detail for more visual interest.

Supplies: Die-cut cartridge: Provo Craft, Patterned Paper: Minimal and Pop Quiz by American Crafts, Sticker, Chipboard, Flair, Brads: American Crafts; Stamp: Dots by Hero Arts; Ink: Versamark

So, abruptly switching gears here: I posted a giveaway on the blog in celebration of WCMD, and I used the Random Integer Generator to pick a winner:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

51	

Timestamp: 2009-10-05 21:32:29 UTC

So that makes the winner a fellow Mary:

The birdy is adorable and love the colors...tooo cute!!!

Posted by: Mary Duffek | October 01, 2009 at 08:53 PM

Mary, can you email me your shipping address and I will get It's All About...Arrows out to you?

And how about another giveaway? I also have Banana Frog's It's All About...Flourishes to share with a lucky reader:

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me which Banana Frog stamp set is your favorite. You can find the current catalog here.  I'm opening this to North American residents, and you must leave a comment by midnight MST Thursday, October 8. I will draw a name and announce the winner on Friday. Good luck!

More Halloween...

Did you all get lots of cards made for WCMD? I didn't get a chance to share any yesterday, but I thought I'd pop by today and share another Halloween card:

 

Supplies: Die-cut cartridges: Stretch Your Imagination, Lyrical Letters, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Doodlebug Designs, Patterned Paper: Making Memories, KI Memories, Ink: Versamark, Embossing Powder: American Crafts, Other: Ribbon

It's a quick card that I made using the Stretch Your Imagination and Lyrical Letters cartridges. Both are great for cardmakers. Stretch Your Imagination, because it has pages and pages of seasonal designs from summertime watermelon to wintertime snowmen. Lyrical Letters, because it has several pages of sentiments that you can add to your cards without breaking out the stamps or the printer. Sometimes I like to simplify the process.

For the black background, I used my Cuttlebug to emboss a piece of black cardstock, which I then inked with Versamark and covered with black glitter embossing powder (this stuff is awesome for Halloween stamping projects) to make my own glittered paper. If you didn't feel like going to all the trouble, you could easily use some glittered paper from Doodlebug Designs, but I always like a chance to use my Cuttlebug. :) The pumpkins are backed with red glittered paper and attached to the card with foam adhesive. I'm addicted to that stuff! LOL!

Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend! 

Spooky things...

...like spending lots of money on Halloween decorations. We're decorating around here. Sadie is thrilled. But truth be told, it's rather difficult to find any decorations that are a) not battery operated, b) dripping with plastic blood, 3) not cheap plastic and about to fall apart, and 4) classy with a spooky appeal. We went to Pier 1, Michael's, and IKEA. IKEA was a last resort for a few DIY decorations. We'll see how that goes. :)

In the meantime, here's a little card to spread the ghoulish charm:

I used Provo Craft's A Child's Year cartridge for the card and the witch silhouette.You could cut the witch from glitter paper, but I didn't have any, so I inked her with a glue pad and sprinkled her with black glitter. An easy technique that is little messy, but eye-catching. And who really minds if you have black glitter stuck to your face for three days or so? All in the name of handcrafting... :)

Supplies: Cartridge: A Child's Year by Provo Craft; Yellow Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, Dotty Black Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny, Sticker: 7Gypsies; Glitter: Doodlebug Designs; Gemstone: Hero Arts

My first Garden! (and a busy day for posting)

A lot is happening today...this is my third post of the day! (I guess I'm making up for my absenteeism earlier this week!) If you are linking here from the World Card Making Day blog hop or from Write.Click.Scrapbook, read this first and then scroll down! LOL!

But I definitely can't walk away from the computer without a little blogging about the October Garden. MY VERY FIRST GARDEN! Can I get a little "WOOOOOOT?!"

The theme this month was Typography. Hello?! Bliss. I am crazy for type. I journal always with my computer, and fonts just make me happy. A perfect starting point for me and lots of inspiration from the other Garden Girls. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Columbus and 79th (Genius type treatment that is a title, a journaling block, and a funky design element all at once. Love. Will scraplift.)
• That's Enough (A clipping mask? Tia is smart, and she shares her technique, so now I have no excuse not to try this at home!)
• 12 Months of You and First Weeks With Daddy (Perfect pages for this momma's idea file.)
• My Little Runaway (I love everything she does. All those little details? Perfect.)

and then of course, I had to share this New Product layout:

• Our Holiday Card (If you follow my work, then you know I'm immediately drawn to anything with vellum and stars, so of course, totally LOVE this! It's also causing me to ponder those rolls of vinyl I have for my die-cut machine...hmmm...)

Here's my typography-focused layout:

©Two Peas in a Bucket

I created the title block in Photoshop by sizing and manipulating the font in each line so that it fit into the allotted space. I changed the opacity of the first three lines, so that "baby of mine" would truly stand out as the title. Unfortunately, it wasn't as visible as I wanted, so I used my Silhouette to die-cut the same letters and overlayed them onto the print out. That added depth and a little more crispness to the title. It's easiest to see in real life, but you can see it a little better in this detail shot:

And here's a closer look at some hearts cut with the Silhouette and stamped/embossed:


Click here for more information and supplies used on my layout! And be sure to check the mid-month garden for two more typography-themed layouts! In the meantime, have a great Thursday! :)

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Flair: American Crafts, Die-cut machine: Silhouette SD Digital Craft Cutter, Punch: Fiskars, Stamps:Houndstooth, Dots by Hero Arts, Ink: Tsukineko, Embossing Powder: American Crafts

World Card Making Day (and a RAK from Banana Frog)

Are you making cards this Saturday? Well, you should! It's World Card Making Day or WCMD to the paper junkies of the world.

Here's my contribution to the celebration:

Supplies: Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, Scenic Route Paper Co., Stamps: Raindrop Background, Thinking of You Makes Me Smile by Hero Arts; Ink: Colorbox; Ribbon: American Crafts; Stickpin: Making Memories; Die-cut: Home Decor Solutions by Provo Craft

I bought that stamp from Hero Arts specifically so that I could color it! I used colored pencils, but you could easily use watercolors or copic markers. The possibilities!

You can find more fabulous cards and great ideas for how to celebrate WCMD on the WCMD blog and the Moxie Fab World blog. And while you're there, be sure to leave a comment so that you have a chance to win some scrappy goodness!

And right here on my blog, I'll be giving away a set of Banana Frog stamps perfect for using on your next card! Beverley - the owner of Banana Frog - has generously given me several sets to share, and today, I'm going to be giving away It's All About...Arrows:

This is only open to North American residents. Leave a comment here (by Sunday midnight MST) and I will draw a name on Monday, October 5th.

Happy cardmaking! :)

Good Things Come in Threes...

Isn't that what they always say? So true.

Check it out right here: Write.Click.Scrapbook.

I'm joining the inspiration collective! Seriously fabulous group of ladies. So many of whom I have admired for a long time.

So that translates into more scrapbooking right here. (Possibly a little less blogging, but still...more scrapbooking! Yay!) And that's always a good thing, right? :)

The Write.Click.Scrapbook. theme for October is Eye on Design. A few of my favorites:

• The Last Quiz (I love the journaling in quiz format, and those snippets of photos are a great way to include multiple photos and still keep the design clean.)
• Fun at King's Island (Cool, linear design, and I Iove the stars.)
• Finding Fall (Leaf prints...great accent! All the fall photos are making me want to get out and document before the season is gone!)

For my page, I mixed some old and new patterned papers with digi paper and frames to create a Halloween layout. I finally documented some of my snapshots from last year:

You can find more details about the design here, but I wanted to show you a few detail shots of the little butterfly. I stamped him in black ink, colored with colored pencils, and then overstamped with glue, so I could apply velvet flock. He's attached with foam adhesive because I love the added dimension:

The entire center of my layout is also popped up with foam adhesive:

I'm officially in Halloween mode, and as you can see, it's seeped right into my scrap studio. Fitting, though, since it's October 1st and all. I'm ok with that. I have a few more pumpkin photos from last year to scrap. What are you scrappin' these days?

Supplies: Cardstock, Patterned Paper: Making Memories, Little Yellow Bicycle, Digital Paper: Spooky Scary Kit by Jen Allyson, Roll With the Punches Kit by Michelle Underwood, Digital Frames: Curled White Photo Frames by Mary Ann Wise, Stamp: Hero Arts, Versamark: Tsukineko, Flocking Powder: Doodlebug Designs, Clear Frame: Little Yellow Bicycle, Gemstones: Hero Arts