You Have My Heart

Howdy! and welcome to my little piece of blog-land.  Here is where I craft, bake, sew, and share.  I love creating pretty things.  Umm, that sounded a bit odd.  Who wants to create ugly things?  Anyways, I love pink, seam binding, roses, pearls, crystals, distressed wood, and everything shabby chic!  I also love all things country! Barns, tractors, farm animals, aprons, and wooden screen doors.  What can I say, I am girl-y girl at heart and soul!  And that is where I find my inspiration, and put my soul into my creations.  Regardless, if its baking from scratch, or paper crafting.  {smile}

I visited a personal favorite challenge blog last week, and completely fell in love with their inspiration board: Scrap Therapy.  What I love about this challenge site, is their openness to just create!  Sometimes that have mandatory elements, and sometimes that want you to be inspired.  Either way, their boards are gorgeous! The design team is incredibly creative and talented.

from this Inspirational Board, I loved the pink & white color scheme.  The roses, and the tenderness.  

I also stopped by a new-to-me, challenge site:  Viva la Vista.  This challenge site, has some cleaver challenges, and the design team deserves a second look!  Their current challenge is to use a heart(s).

I also stumbled upon another new-to-me challenge site: Candy Floss.  This refreshing challenge site, has a super talented design team, and a beautiful inspiration boards.  Their current challenge is to give a gift: Gifts for beloved.  How sweet, and tender.

Now that I have some inspiration, a required element, and a theme, I set out to get some direction.  So, I stopped by one of my all-time favorite challenge sites: Mojo Monday.  They always have user-friendly sketches.  And this weeks, fits the bill perfectly!

and here is my card:

Recipe:  My card measures 4 3/4" x 4 3/4".  The card base is kraft card stock.  

I used a soft sky card stock for my matt.  I just love how this soft, sweet shade of blue matched the blue in the floral pattern paper.  The pink gingham and the floral pattern paper are the same paper.  The pink gingham is the reverse side.  This pattern paper is from My Mind's Eye.  It's several years old.  I only have one whole sheet left.  I matted the floral pattern paper onto the same soft sky card stock.  

For my circle piece, I used a 4" white paper doily.  I just love this soft, delicate, vintage doily.

Instead of adding two squares to my card front, I simply added a rectangle and tied seam binding around the middle, creating two 'pieces'.  {smile}  I tied a double bow to add a little more softness.

For the heart shape piece, I added a fabric heart ornament.  The pale floral print is a discontinued Rachel Ashwell cotton fabric.  I backed my heart ornament with sweet blush felt.  I machine stitched the two fabrics together, along with the pale pink ribbon.  The pale pink paper blossom is adhered to the middle of the heart with hot glue. 

For my small green 'round' element, I created a paper blossom with another doily, and button.  I wanted my card to still be 'pretty' if the ornament was removed, so I added a swirl of pearls.  My sentiment is simple: love.  And it is done with a charm.

Thank you for looking!  I hope you have been inspired to play along with any or all of these challenge sites.  

Hold My Photo

Howdy!  Just a quick post.  My computer did some upgrades, and I spent too much time figuring out how to get some of my applications to do what I need them to do.  UGH!  Not too happy with the upgrades.  A tough learning curve for me.  {so much so, I missed the deadline for a challenge.  Yeah, not cool.}  Anyways, enough of my complaining.  Let's get to crafting!

The first challenge I am entering is Freetany Flowers.  They have an adorable inspirational challenge board for their current challenge.  

I just love the pinks, and green.  The softness and the feminine touches.  very pretty!  And I can work with this!  

The second challenge site I am entering is Scrap Therapy.  Their current challenge is a sketch.

I just love the simplicity and the elegance of this sketch.  Pretty elements, beautiful shapes.

The last challenge site I am entering is Crafting by Designs.  Their current challenge is flowers & lace.  How simply pretty!

and here is what I made:

photographed stuck to a refrigerator

I made a magnetic photo holder.  The inside of the frame measures 1 1/2" x 1 1/2".  So, a tiny photo.  Maybe one that has been cut from a wallet size photo.  But precious anyway you trim it!

Recipe:  I used a text pattern paper from the Heart Painted collection, by LemonCraft.  I just love the shade of green.  It looks like the color of leaves in the spring time. {smile}  I painted some white acrylic paint along the edges, to give it a shabby chic feel. 

I created a ruffle with the cream cotton trim.  The trim is 2" wide.  So, it has a lovely workable length. Then I machine stitched it to the chipboard.  I added a pale pink cotton ruffle piece across the seam.

I tied a multi-loop bow from a pale pink seam binding.  I tied a flat metal safety pin to the bow, and added some tiny rhinestones.  I thought the rhinestones added some sparkle, and love it! 

I sprayed two pink paper blossoms with a shimmer mist.  I adhered them to the right of the bow and at the right lower edge of the frame.  I distressed a digital rose ticket and tucked it under the paper blossoms and pink cotton ruffle.  I also added a white floral shape button between the paper blossoms.  (its hard to see, because it blends in so well.  But think of it as a surprise found treasure.)

To the right of the white resin frame, I folded a white crochet doily in half and adhered it next to the frame.  I added a fabric brad to the bottom left corner of the white resin frame.  It adds some softness,  and a pop of a darker pink, just like the paper blossoms.

I adhered the magnet to the back of this chipboard piece.  The magnet covers the machine stitching, to help the back look 'clean' and finished.

Thank you for looking.  I'm running out the door, to meet some friends.  Create something beautiful!