Southern Scraps

I have been saving some Starbucks Frappicino bottles for quite some time. I finally used them to make some stocking stuffers. I took some cardstock strips and made a Santa bottle. It's filled with red Hershey's kisses.   Then I took more Hershey's kisses and labeled them with free printable labels from Amanda's Parties to Go.  I filled more bottles and then topped the bottles with ribbon and flowers from my scrapbook stash. I love how they turned out.    

Happy Friday again! This week I'd love to introduce to you My Computer is My Canvas and the very creative owner behind the shop, Colette. She sells digital designs and printables. These are so much fun. Want to try subway art? She's made it easy and included some bonus items. Halloween subway art bundle

This is a really old project I did in 2006 before I even had a blog. However, it fits today's theme in the Creative Chick Parade- Mod Podge. I'm linking up through The Girl Creative . You can find a whole list of participants to visit. This is pretty simple. Pick and cut your papers and apply them to the board with Mod Podge. Apply a coat over the top to act as a sealer. I made a pocket to hold tags out of the bottom piece of paper and if memory serves me, I didn't apply Mod Podge to that layer. I did apply it to the clip board as a whole before attaching it. The "notes" section is laminated so you can write on it with the dry erase marker.

I'm on a mission to use up some of my stash, particularly beads, so I can make room for nicer ones for some jewelry projects. I used to make ornaments and have tons of seed beads, pearls, and faceted beads left over. Follow along to see future posts of ways I come up with to use my beads. My first "leftover" bead project is hat pins. These have become quite popular in card making and scrapbooking.  I also have left over pins from the bead projects. So, I took a corsage pin, slipped on some beads, put a little glue between the beads, and here you have my very own handmade hat pins. I'm linking up here:   Thanks for looking. You can pick these pins up in my etsy shop.

I took a few days off work this past week and had a stay-cation. I did not travel, but rather worked on some projects that were on my list of things to do. These are some of my projects: 1. Ruffled t-shirt- As I mentioned in a previous post, I'd like to learn to sew. I've been following some blogs and how to's and decided to try to embellish my own t-shirt with ruffles. I got two in the same color from Old Navy off the clearance for $3-$4. This is my finished shirt. I used the tutorials found here and here . 2. Photo album scrapbook- I put my grandparents' 50th wedding album in a scrapbook. (Prior to learning about scrapbooking, the photos were in one of those horrible magnetic albums. We pulled them out and for years they have been in a box waiting to go in another album). It's not a traditional scrapbook but a scrapbook nonetheless. If you have not heard about photo album scrapbooking , you can check it out here. It is a great way for a beginner to ease into sc...

Did you know that not only can you find unique, handmade items on etsy, but you can get supplies for your own crafts there as well? This week I'm spotlighting a supply shop that I found a while back. Whether you are into card making, collage, mixed media art, or scrapbooking, LittleRedCottage has something for you. And at decent prices with shipping that is far cheaper than any other online store! Check out some of my favorites. (Hint, click on the pics to get to the shop and listing)

Scrapbookers, I know we are always looking for unique ways to preserve our memories and photos. Above is just a preview of the types of customizable items offered by CharmingElements. Have your loved one's photo put on a tile or have a cool piece of art placed on a bamboo tile or choose one that's ready made. There are lots of options here.

It has been awhile since I've posted a technique. I've been busy working on my scrapbooks. I've also purchased film negative strip protectors and binders for them and I'm organizing all of my photos into boxes by month and year and putting the negatives into the binder. As I go, I'm pulling out sets of photos that need to be scrapped. I'm getting about 1 to 2 layouts done per week and that is a major accomplishment since I only completed about 3 layouts and a mini book last year. Here's a glimpse of my latest layout and a quick how-to for this title. While fancy, expensive die cut machines make the work a lot easier, this goes to show you don't have to have them to make great accents. 1. I printed the work Christmas on olive cardstock using the font GE Signature Script, 72 pt. (If you love fonts, I'd suggest joining this group- fontpacks You'll get emails full of fonts.) Cutter Bee Scissors Scrapbook.com 2. I cut out the word as one piece using ...

Of course you do! Go to Hoosier Card Angel's Creations for some blog candy! You could win a nice acrylic noteholder, pen, and bookmark.

sum·mer –noun 1. the season between spring and autumn, in the Northern Hemisphere from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox. 2. the period comprising the months of June, July, and August in the U.S., and from the middle of May to the middle of August in Great Britain. 3. a period of hot, usually sunny weather: We had no real summer last year. 4. the hotter half of the year (opposed to winter): They spend the summers in New Hampshire and the winters in Florida. 5. the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline: the summer of life. 6. a whole year as represented by this season: a girl of fifteen summers. –adjective 7. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of summer: Iced tea is a summer drink. 8. appropriate for or done during the summer: summer clothes; summer sports. 9. having the weather or warmth of summer: summer days in late October. (from Dictionary.com) Today is t...

I love to "alter" things with my papers and scrap supplies. This week I have been working on an altered paint can that will be filled with goodies for a baby shower gift. Here's a quick tutorial for doing this with scrapbook paper. Supplies: Gallon paint can (clean and empty) 2 sheets coordinating 12x12 patterned scrapbook paper. Adhesive (Decoupage medium or a xyron ) Ribbon, stickers, embellishments 1 inch circle punch 1. Cut your paper 10.5 in in length and whatever width you desire. My top piece is 4 in. and the bottom is 3.75. Cutting them the same length will allow your seams to match on each side. This length allows for a slight overlap but you can still line up the seams. 2. In order to cut around the handles on each side, use a circle punch and cut out half of a circle. Measure down from the top of the can to find the appropriate place. 3. Apply decoupage medium or run pieces of paper through xyron. Adhere to can. Also cut a circle for the top and adhere. I used ...

Yep, that's right. Today is National Hamburger Day. Not a Congress declared day, but how much more American can you get than a big juicy grilled burger? (Actually it may be German, with roots in Hamburg, Germany, but it has become very American.) So today is the day to celebrate it. Do you think that you have to wait on the man of the house to do the grilling? Nope, check out all the tips you need to know here at Girls at the Grill. But if you prefer to let him do the work, grab your camera and take some pictures of the family enjoying the cookout. I made the perfect little paper piecing to commemorate this day and to adorn your scrapbook pages of your grilling event. It measures about two inches. Look for it in my shop soon. A little tip about working with tiny pieces like this- tweezers. They keep your fingers from getting sticky.

Hubby and I have spent the last couple of weekends organizing and de-cluttering our stuff. This weekend I worked on my craft room. I will post pics later. Hubby still has to install a shelf for me. De-cluttering always means stuff to get rid of. I no longer travel with my scrapbook supplies since I have a designated work space, so I am ready to part with my tote. I just listed it and a Creative Memories organizer on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180246830229&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=008 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180246831688&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=008 Hubby also has a remote control helicopter and a Sony PSP game system up for bids. http://cgi.ebay.com/E-flite-Blade-CX-R-C-Helicopter-with-Upgrades_W0QQitemZ200226268952QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2563QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PSP-Game-System-with-Games-Movies-Extras_W0QQitemZ200226271712QQihZ010QQcategoryZ13997...

May 4-10 is National Pet Week. Here's our girl- isn't she beautiful? I have special plans to scrapbook a page about her or even do a framed page for a wall display, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Knowing this is pet week has me thinking about pet inspired creations. Do you need some inspiration? Scrapbooksetc has some ideas: http://www.bhgscrapbooksetc.com/ideas/pets/playfulpetpages_ss1.html Or how about some cards with some cute pet images? I discovered these pet stamps by My Favorite things while blog surfing this week. Jen at iheart2stamp made some cute cards with them. Stamp Owl's Studio also has some cute dog cards. So surf around, find some inspiration and honor your pet with a layout or card

I missed posting a daily quote last month. I guess the daily blogging thing is not for me, even when all I had to do was post a quote. Anyway, I'm still doing my best to keep it going and keep it interesting. By my calculations I owe you seven quotes. So here they are. These will complete my thirty favorite quotes. The earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson Time is too slow for those who wait, Too swift for those who fear, Too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice it, but for those who love, time is eternity. - Henry Van Dyke Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to deal with it. Unknown Everything is always okay in the end, if it's not, then it's not the end. Unknown God gave us memories, so we would have roses in December. Unknown Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus

Yep! Today is National Scrapbooking Day. This craft/hobby got so big, it has its own day. Here are a few links where you will find sales, crops, and events for this day. National Scrapbooking Day Creating Keepsakes Two peas Scrap Girls Scrapbook.com Feel free to add to my list by leaving a comment, especially if you have your own challenge or event at your blog!

Busy weekend. I didn't sit down at the computer much, so I didn't post a daily quote the last two days. Here are two to catch up: The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. Henry David Thoreau There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded. Mark Twain These are rather deep. Maybe they can provoke some serious journaling if you need it for your scrapbooking.

Today's feature is this awesome bracelet by ButtonEnvy at etsy. It's made with eight Scrabble tiles! How cool is that? And how it that for repurposing and altering? She has 21 of these currently listed in all sorts of designs, inlcuding birds, flowers, and vintage designs. I happen to like butterflies so this one got my attention. You'll also find other "repurposed" jewelery so head on over and check out her shop! Today's quote: The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore

This week's technique is one that requires no special tools and anyone can do this. The above layout (please excuse the poor scan, it was my first attempt at scanning a 12 x12 layout and stitching it together in my photo software) features many torn edges that add texture to the layout. The photo mat was torn and the edges were rolled. To tear paper for your project you can grab it and rip by hand or use a ruler and tear along the edge of the ruler if you want a neater edge. Thick double sided card stock, like the vintage collection paper from Making Memories above, works best with the paper tearing technique, as you get an exposed white edge. Whether you tear towards you or away from you will dictate which side your white edge is on. Tearing towards you with your right hand will result in the edge on the right hand side of a piece and tearing towards you with the left hand gives you an exposed edge on the left side of a piece. You can also make paper tearing easier by wetting a s...

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller