Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Day 6 of the Mothers and Daughters Creations First Annual Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

Today there is another fun challenge for the Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll. The Spring ATC Challenge has been extended and you can win some terrific blog candy by making an Artist Trading Card with a spring theme. Check out Leah’s blog for all the details and be sure to check out the samples made by Cathy and Giovana too.

Want to know what to do with those ATC’s? Tamara will show you how to use them to embellish scrap book pages. You can also use them on cards, boxes, or frame them. Check out Cathy’s blog for more ideas as well as “how to’s” if you’ve never made an ATC before.

Have A Great Day!!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Day 5 of the Mothers and Daughters Creations First Annual Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

Mother’s Day is a time for us to reflect back on the special women in our lives - mother, grandmother, daughter, mother-in-law, aunt, cousin, mentor, friend. Today’s special Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll challenge is being hosted by Melita on her blog. Join Melita in making a special scrap page to honor and remember a special woman in your life. Visit her blog for some wonderful ideas and a chance to win some blog candy that says traditions. Laurie and Mia have also posted pages on their blogs, so visit them for even more inspiration and more chances to win today’s blog candy!

Then, visit Tamara’s blog for our second challenge of the day. Old family pictures often have a vintage feel and what better way to highlight them than with vintage styled borders, embellishments, mats, and frames. Tamara takes you through the process of making some wonderful designs for your own scrap book and is offering some gorgeous “vintage” style blog candy as well. Need more ideas for vintage themed designs? Check out the samples for this challenge made by Cathy & Leah.

These are a couple of elements I created for a heritage layout. It's so easy to create elements for pages like this just by using more musted colors, inking & distrssing! I used a couple of flourishes I cut out from patterned paper that I then used Helmar 2-Step Crackle Medium on to give them a more "vintage" look. Then I added coordinating flowers & pearls to complete the look I wanted. The entire layout will be posted at a later date on the Mothers & Daughters Creatios Challenge Blog!


Thanks for looking & have a great day!!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Day 4 of the Mothers and Daughters Creations First Annual Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

The Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll continues with a challenge hosted by Maria.

If you are planning on serving Mom, Grandma, or anyone breakfast in bed, why not make that breakfast tray extra special with a quick and easy decoration, or make lunch, brunch or dinner extra special with pretty, hand made table decorations.

Visit Maria’s blog for all the details and a chance to win some glitzy blog candy (think spring, think BLING).

I thought it would be fun to "alter" a jar candle to put on the table! It was a quick, easy project & would also make a great gift for that special mom! I also made it re-usable, by adding a little tie in the back that can be un-tied and put on another jar candle or large pillar candle!



The candle I used was just from Wal-Mart, but you could use any jar candle or even make it smaller for an decorative added touch to a votive cup! :) I used some fun papers from the Bo-Bunny Abbey Road Collection for my candle. :)

Cathy and Giovana have also made some samples for this challenge. Drop by their blogs for some more great ideas.



Have A Great Day!!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Day 3 of the Mothers and Daughters Creations First Annual Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

The Mothers and Daughters Mothers Day Traditions Blog Roll brings two challenges today and two chances to win a wonderful hand made treasure box.

Visit Cathy’s blog for some innovative ways to do really special things with hand made boxes and gift bags. She’s posting templates and a detailed tutorial for Part 1 of our Fabulous Floral Three Part Challenge. And if you need a last minute gift idea (need something to put in that gift bag), stop by Kathryn’s blog.

Leah, Dawn and Giovana have made some gorgeous samples for these challenges. Be sure to viti their blogs & take a peek!

Need some general info about the blog roll? You can find it on the MDC Challenge Blog.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Day 2 of the Mothers and Daughters Creations Mother’s Day Traditions Blog Roll

Welcome to Day 2 of the very first Mothers and Daughters Creations Mother’s Day Traditions Blog Roll. You can find all of the exciting details about this blog roll on the main Mothers and Daughters Challenge Blog, where our own Linda, the “Mother” half of Mothers and Daughters, has put together a collection of fun and sentimental poems, sentiments, and journaling suggestions.

Today I’m challenging you to create a scrap book page from a sketch. The sketch was actually inspired by a very special layout I created with the only two photos I have of my Grandmother & 2nd daughter, Emily.

I was very close to my grandmother while I was growing up. I used to enjoy going there for a week every summer, as well as monthly visits for wonderful Italian dinners! She made the best sauce!!
When I was older & had my 1st daughter, she was thrilled to be able to spend time with her. And when it came time for grand-baby #2, she was SO excited to be able to meet her too!! Unfortunately, she fell ill not long before Emily was born, and was unable to make it see her. So, as soon as I was able to travel, we brought Emily to see her. It was the first, and sadly the last, time she got to see & hold her. It's a moment I will always remember & cherish.

So, my challenge for you.... make a layout honoring a special woman in your life – grandmother, mom, daughter, aunt, best friend, mother-in-law – using this sketch as your inspiration, and upload it to any gallery or your blog. Then, post a comment with a link here on my blog so we can see it. And when you post, tell us a little bit about the woman honored on your page. You have until 12 noon on Saturday, May 16th, to submit a layout for a chance to win a Crafty Arts chipboard album. The winner of this challenge will be selected the following day (May 17th) and announced both here on my blog and on the MDC Challenge blog as well.
Here is the Sketch:
And here is my layout:

Need some inspiration? Check out these samples made by my fellow design team members Melita and Laurie. Visit their blogs and post a comment for a chance to win an extra “mystery prize" to be announced later in our blog roll.

I can't wait to see your layouts & hear your stories!!

Have A Great Day!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Day 1 of the Mothers and Daughters Creations First Annual Mothers and Daughters Traditions Blog Roll

Thanks for joining the very first Mothers and Daughters Creations Mother’s Day Traditions Blog Roll. You can find all of the exciting details about this blog roll on the main Mothers and Daughters Challenge Blog, where our own Mother and Daughter Team of Linda and Tam will be sharing some very special Mothers Day memories and traditions.

This week Cathy is hosting the weekly card challenge for MDC on her blog, The Seaside Rose Cottage, and she’s offering some sweet blog candy – think key lime and strawberry.

Be sure to visit Cathy’s blog for the challenge details and a chance to win some blog candy. You can also see some more terrific cards that Melissa and Leah made for the challenge on their blogs.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Mothers & Daughters Creations Scrapbook Challenge ~ Scrapbook for a Cause

Be sure to head on over to MDC Challenge Blog to check out their weekly scrapbooking challenge! The month of April is a special time in co-owner, Tarmara's, family because it is Autism Awareness month. A lot of what happens in her family centers around Autism, and they always like to join along with other families and Autism organizations to speak out and bring awareness to their cause.

This week we want you to step up on your own soapbox - take a moment to scrapbook about your own cause! Maybe your life has been touched by someone with cancer, or MS, or even Autism. What have your learned from them? We want to hear all about it!

Here is my layout for this challenge:
I used paper from Best Creations and bling from Zva Creative.

I also wanted to share a few I cards I created using the kit I created for Challenge #5 for the Urban Anthology Design Star Challenge. You can see my kit in this blog post. :)


Thanks for looking! Have A Great Day!!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Good Tuesday Morning!

Good Morning, Fellow Bloggers!! :)

It's my day off & I wanted to share my last project for the Urban Anthology Design Star Contest. For this challenge, we had to create a "kit" & then design 2 projects showcasing the kit we created. :) This was a fun challenge & I was amazed to see the kit I could create from just my own stash!

So... Here is my very own kit... "Subtle Elegance" ~ When I looked at this kit the first thing I notices was the subtleness of the colors, then all the swirls, flourishes, butterflies & flowers made me think “elegant”. Hence the "Subtle Elegance" name!

My Kit Includes:

4 ~ 12” x 12” Pieces of Patterned Paper
(1) We R Memory Keepers White Out Collection – Explore Roam (2-sided)
(1) We R Memory Keepers White Out Collection – Explore Meadow (2-sided)
(1) Basic Grey Ambrosia Collection – Citrus
(1) Basic Grey Ambrosia Collection – Winsome
4 ~ 12” x 12” Pieces of Bazzill Cardstock
(2) Flat Broke (brown)
(2) Blind Date (blue)
2 Sets of Alphas
(1) Pkg. MME Magnolia Collection – Sundance Rub-Ons
(1) Pkg. Making Memories Glitter Letter Stickers

1 Maya Road 2-Ring Layer Mini Book
Assorted Embellishments:
1 Yard – Sugar & Spice Blue Flower Trim
Assortment of Prima Flowers
3 Best Occasions Adhesive Bling Flourishes
3 White Pearl Corsage Pins
6 Making Memories Chloe’s Closet Collection Canvas Brads
24 Making Memories Chloe’s Closet Mini Button Brads
Assortment of Chipboard Shapes (circles, scallop frame, flourishes & flower)
1 Journaling Block (Crown) – Mfr. Unknown
Kit Details:


This is Project #1 ~ Miss Purr-sonality (Used 100% of kit supplies except for Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Helmar 2-Step Crackle Medium & Making Memories Paint)

Layout Details: (Individual gems were cut from one of the 3 Best Occasions Adhesive Bling Flourishes.)


And this is Project #2 ~ "My BFF's" Mini Album (Used 100% of kit supplies except for Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Making Memories Paint & various border punches.)The photos in this album were taken by my oldest dd, so the quality is not quite perfect... but they are her friends, so that's what matters.

Project #2 - Details:



So now we all get to wait to see who is chosen for the Urban Anthology DT! :) I don't expect to make it, but I really enjoyed these challenges & stepping outside of my comfort zone! Good Luck to all who played along!
And don't forget to be watching the Mothers & Daughters Creations Blog beginning on April 30th for our 1st ever Blog Roll!!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

What A Beautiful Sunny Saturday!

Good Morning, fellow bloggers!


It's a BEAUTIFUL day here today! It's supposed to get into the high 80's today!!

I wanted to come & share a few projects I've been working on the past week or so for the Urban Anthology Desgn Star Contest.
The first is for a bonus challenge. We all had to create sketches for a previous bonus challenge, and for this challenge, we had to choose one of the other designer-hopefuls' sketches & create a card!
I chose the wonderful sketch that Kimmy (lostinadream) created!

I love the "sun burst" background! I saw it as a great way to add color & dimension to the card, without making it too bulky for mailing! Also for this challenge, we had to have at least one hand-cut element on the card.

Hand-Cut Items: Flower burst in the top right corner, Flower in the top right corner & flourishes around stamped image... all hand-cut from the BG Patterned Paper. The flourishes were traced from a doodling template, then hand-cut. Sunburst background was sort of like a paper-piecing... I had to measure & cut both the dot paper & solid pink, ink them & piece them together & stick them to the orange paper then finish assembling the card from there.

Supplies used for this card:Basic Grey (Romani) Patterned PaperStamp was purchased at AC Moore, but the manufacturer's name is too small for my eyes! LOLSakura Souffle' PensTim Holtz Distress Ink (Walnut Stain)Stampin' Up Clear Embossing Powder (Image was stamped then heat embossed to add texture... more texture was added by filling in the flowers with the Souffle' Pens)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For the next challenge, we had to create a multi-photo layout that incorporated two innovate & unique techniques... not easy! LOL The two techniques I used were to create an "etched glass" look on an extra acrylic album sheet (used on the "overlay" over the photo on the left page) & use it as an overlay. And, how to jazz up basic, boring, die-cut letters & shapes, using embossing & stamping (used on the title, flourish & circles... these were all cardstock/paper die cuts... not chipboard!).
My layout is an 11 x 8.5 2-pager for my Winery album.


Here are some of the design details from this layout...





Supplies:Bo-Bunny Patterned Paper & Die Cut Circles & Flourish; Prima Grape Vine Leaves; Misc. Floral Wire; Misc. Mosaic Beads; Glass Etching Stencil or any stencil (you can even make your own!); Stampin’ Up Emboss Puff “Whoolly White” Embossing Powder; Stampendous Deep Impression Clear Embossing Powder; Top Boss Embossing Pad; Color Box Gold Pigment Ink; Heat Tool; Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Walnut Stain); Kaiser Pearls White; Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink “Eggplant”; Extra page from 6x6 Acrylic Album; Misc. StampCraft Glue

Here are links to slideshows of the tutorials for both of the above mentioned techniques used on this layout. To view each step, just click on the photo in the slideshow.

Jazzing Up Die Cuts:


Creating "Etched Glass" Effect on Acrylic:

Well, I think that's it for today! Thank you for visiting!!
Have A Wonderful Day!!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

MDC Art Inspiration Challenge & Fun Announcement!

It's time for another Mothers and Daughters scrapbook challenge!

I have a really fun announcement to share with you, but FIRST I want to share this week's challenge! This week we're having an inspiration challenge based on ad art... all you need to do to join in is find a magazine ad that is NOT related to scrapbooking and use it as inspiration for your layout!

Here is my layout inspired by this challenge, as well as the 3rd challenge for the Urban Anthology Design Star Contest! We needed to think "green" for this challenge. I used an old CD, which I covered with patterned paper & added it to my layout for dimension. I also used a seed pack from the seeds my daughters help plant, and stick pin that I've had since I was a young girl.


I used sei's Dill Blossom collection for the base of my layout.

I was inspired by turning this ad sideways. :)


And now for the fun announcement from the MDC Challenge Blog...

Our very own designer, Cathy Weider has organized MDC's very first blog roll! This will begin April 30th and will culminate on Mother's Day with a gallery of entries from designers and visitors alike. The theme, Mothers and Daughters Traditions, promises a bouquet of fabulous projects - cards, scrap book designs, gift and packaging ideas, altered projects, and much, much more.

Beginning on Thursday, April 30th, grab your cup of tea or coffee and a sweet roll and join us for our daily posts. We'll share fabulous projects, memories, and recipes, inspirational ideas for journaling scrap book pages and writing personalized messages for cards, and the secret language of flowers. Create a card or a treasure box, embellish a picture mat or a scrap book page, test your knowlege of trivia, or simply share a memory and you could win some of the fabulous blog candy we'll be offering each day. Sweet! Be sure to keep posted for further details!

And here is one more layout I wanted to share that I created for challenge #2 for the Urban Anthology Design Star Challenge.

These are the only two photos I have of my grandmother with my 2nd daughter, Emily. It is the one & only time she got to meet her before she passed away. I've had these photos for nearly 13 years, and have finally been able to sit and journal my feelings. TFL!


I used the Making Memories Animal Crackers collection, a mix of Prima flowers & Bazzil chipboard letters & flourish.

Have A Wonderful Day!!