AWDML Design Team Blog

Weekly Challenge: ALL THAT GLITTERS!

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the late post, but I have a super fun challenge for you this week if you'd like to play along!

It's my ALL THAT GLITTERS Challenge, and here's how to play...simply, Create a Card using...you guessed it...GLITTER!

Ok, funny little backstory about this for you:  Ask anyone who knows me...I am TERRIFIED of glitter.  Ok, strike that.   I USED to be. 

Really, if you think about it, it wasn't so long ago before awesome things like Stickles and Shimmerz were available.  I always loved the LOOK of sparkle...but never the mess!  So, needless to say, I was very grateful when other mediums to sparkle and shine came about.

This card uses Stickles.  I used a cute image from The Greeting Farm, a DARLING stamp line soon to be carried atA Walk Down Memory Lane!  I colored the heart with my Copic marker, but then I used Stickles to go over the whole thing...sooooo sparkly!

Easy peasy...what will YOU create this week using glitter or shimmer?   Leave a comment linking to your creating so the whole DT can ooh and ahh!  Have fun!   ~jessica :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Today I thought it would be fun to offer a cute class on a project you can do with your child for Valentines….or give them to play with.  Super easy and I know you all have the supplies.

  

 

Materials Needed:

• Coordinating Paper

(I used the Splendid Collection from Fancy Pants found in the AWDML store)

• Scissors
• Adhesive
• Template (LINK)

 

Directions:

• Print out template onto your scrapbook paper.  Or use a die cutting machine.

•  Cut out template pieces.

• Chalk outline of hearts if desired.

• Glue pieces together.

*Glue large upside down heart so it overlaps with medium upside down heart to form body.

*Glue wiggly piece onto the medium upside down heart to form the tail.

*Add the second large upside down heart (the one with the eyes on it) so it overlaps the body to form the head.

*Add the smallest pink heart to form the nose.

*Glue the small pink hearts into the center of the hearts that are just slightly larger to form the ears.

*Glue the ears onto the head so the points are sticking up.

Tips:

Include the message “Have a purr-fect Valentine’s Day!”

Scotch tape a popsicle stick or straw to the bottom to make a puppet.

 

Project idea was taken from DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids 

 

Have Fun and Enjoy your Day!  -Angie

Love abounds

It's the love month and on Saturday, it's Valentine's Day already!  Lots of hearts and romance abounds.  Makes you want to pull out those love-inspired papers and start creating your layouts and cards.  There's still a few days left to create a personalized gift and I'm sure your loved ones will love it. 

Have you checked out the February Kit - She Said?  It has a wonderful mix of papers from My Mind's Eye and Kelly Panacci that will make you swoon and skip a heartbeat.

These papers have actually inspired me to look closely on my relationship with my DH and where we currently stand in our lives, of just being "us."  And the result was this beautiful layout.

    

Note that I added a few items to the kit that are available at the AWDML store.  I loved the artisan frame in the Kelly Panacci papers so I limited my design within the frame.  And I used the Tim Holtz mask to break the pattern and create a texture on my layout.  I converted my photo to B&W so that it doesn't clash with the colors on my pattern.

So go ahead and create your layouts using the February Kit - She Said.  Or check out the February Card Kit.  You'll have lots of choices for your papers and embellishments with either(or both!) of the kits and you'll have the perfect gift for your loved ones.

Before I go, let me remind you that Piggy Tales is the Featured Manufacturer for February.  All Piggy Tales items are given a 15% off.  Better run to the store and get your fill of those cute designs. I'll share with you some of my projects next week. 

~~ Liza

Valentine Treat Bag

With one of the most romantic day's coming up this weekend, I thought it would be a great idea to show you how I used this month's kit, SHE SAID to create the perfect gift to give to a friend, family member, loved one, etc this Valentine's Day!  For me I get a double whammy, my husband's birthday is on the same day.


Materials Needed:
February's Kit - She Said  (contains everything you need)
Plastic Treat Bag - Or I used the packaging from one of the embellishment items from the kit!
Adhesive
Trimmer
Pop- Dots
TREATS

1. Decide how many treats you want to fill your bag.  I bought some of the Hershey Miniatures, they are great for wrapping.
2. Cut strips of coordinating pattern paper to cover your candies.  I alternated colors to make it more appeasing to the eye.
3.Fill you bag with your goodies.  You may have to cut down the bag to desired height.
4. I adhered my bag shut.
5. Cut a piece of card-stock to fit your topper.  My topper was 7 inches by 4 inches.  You fold the card-stock in half to get a dimension of 7 x 2. 
6. Adhere both sides of the topper to the top of the bag.  One side of the topper adhered to the front of the bag, the other to the back.
7. Now it's time to decorate your topper.  The Journal Blocks included in the kit are a great way to start.  I layered it on top of some pattern paper, added my sentiment, created a border using the decorative pink trim.
8. What project is complete without FLOWERS!    She Said has the perfect mix of papers with flowers, I just cut a few out and added dimensional pop dots and tad-ah!  Using Kaiser Rubon's I added flower centers and a few Kaiser blings.  I even created leaves by tracing my Cat's Eye liquid chalk containers onto card-stock.  Chalked them up and creased them in the middle and adhered.
9. Now your treat bag is ready for gift giving.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
-Angie

Valentine's Cards

The big day is almost here.  Valentine's Day that is!  In case you are like me and make your cards last minute, I thought I'd show you 2 cards I whipped up in about 15 minutes using the February card kit.  The robot was just perfect for my 5 year old son and my 2 year old daughter loves puppies right now so I knew exactly what to pick!  I love how easy it is to simply cut out one of the premade valentine's (which would be awesome just on their own!), add a little of the patterned paper, a few embellishments and voila!  A supper cute card in minutes!

So, are you enjoying our classes and challenges here on the blog?  I am teaching on the 21st and am taking requests!  Leave a comment here and let me know what you'd like a class on and I'll see what I can do! 

Have a terrific Tuesday and a happy valentine's day! *Lynn*

Brown Bag Mini Flap Book

Last week, I had a chance to look at our meal budget since the start of the year.  Economic concerns have also been affecting us and I realized that it's time for me to take drastic action.  Instead of buying from the cafeteria for snack and lunch, I am now preparing our own food.  I prepare the sandwiches beforehand along with our rice meals and I was able to save up quite a few to stretch our food allowance.

Packing snacks and lunch, I now have an abundance of brown bags in our kitchen!  It's quite handy and it's sturdy and even environmental friendly.

And, it will be great to use for a scrapbook Mini Book!

So this week, in honor of the countless brown bags that I have in my cabinet, we'll be creating a cute mini flap book using the brown bags.  I saw this idea somewhere before and I'd like to share it here with you.

Materials you need:

-  5 brown paper bags  

-  Adhesive

-  Patterned Papers

-  Embellishments

-  Ribbon or Photo Turns

How to Assemble the Mini Book:

1.  Gather 2 pcs. of the brown bag.  Fold inwards the bottom flap of each bag.  Stick the folded flap of the first bag to the second bag.  You will have a mixed size page once you've adhered both bags together.  Set this aside.

   

2.  Repeat the same process with the other 2 paper bags.

3.  You will now stick both sets of bags together.  Adhere one sleeve of the bag to the other.  You would have created a 3-page mini book along with 2 inner flaps.

4.  Now, for the flap cover.  Get the last piece of brown bag. With the top portion of the bag positioned at the spine of the album, adhere the sleeveto the bag.  The bottom part of the bag will now serve as the flap cover for your album.

5.  Now you have a brown bag mini flap book.

6.  Last step will be for you to design your mini book.

There are lots of possibilities with this mini book and it can help stretch your creative ideas as well.  Here's the sample of my decorated mini flap book.  Leave me a post if you have anyquestions/clarifications on how to create this cute mini book.  Enjoy!  ~~ Liza

   

My Turtle-riffic little guy...

Hello all,

It was crisis averted this morning when I thought I had lost my BlackBerry.  I don't know about you, but my life is in that thing and I was needless to say, a little freaked.  We had been at dinner last night and I silenced it.  So, I couldn't call it, and I was frazzled when I called the restaurant and they said it wasn't there.  I wasn't feeling well last night either so my mind was fuzzy on where it could have been?!

Anyway, after a little detective work and permission to use my husband's gigantic utility flashlight (the boys love that thing and it's normally off limits LOL), he found it under the dresser!  67 emails, 3 text messages, and two missed calls later, I gave him a GINORMOUS hug, a sucker, and this card:

He has been admiring this little turtle for SOME time now, since I made the card.  I was going to wait until Valentine's day, but he totally deserved it today, so I made it into a Pre-valentine, thank you card.  He really is turtle-riffic, that kid!  

You can make this card and a dozen other possibilities using the February Card Kit!  It's so adorable!  Not only does it come with cute Valentines to use, but ALL the designer paper and cardstock colors are great and I am  loving all the pink (you're shocked, I know ;)  In addition, stamp away with any stamp you'd like knowing that our COPIC club this month matches the paper colors exactly!  How cool is that?

Now go ahead, Show some LOVE!  Only 8 more days.... :)  

I'll be back next Friday w/ some more Valentine's fun, but be sure to stay tuned daily as we are all now hanging out here on the DT blog! 

xoxo  ~Jessica :)

She Said...

Isn’t she lovely?  That’s how I felt when I first saw the AWDML “She Said” February Kit.  It was really all girly and romantic I wanted to keep on playing with it the minute I laid hands on it.

 

Let me give you a “tour” of what’s inside this kit:

 

A selection of coordinating cardstock that goes well with both paper lines in this kit.

Love the combination of patterned papers from Kelly Panacci and My Mind’s Eye. The mixture of reds and pinks, plus a touch of blue and a hint of green makes it such an eye candy.  Check out my layouts below to see what I mean with these colors.

 

To add a touch of shimmer and shine, there is the Maya Road Mist and Kaiser Crafts Rhinestones.  The mist was a perfect touch to the Chatterbox Artsylicious Alpha and that Tim Holtz Swirls Mask.

 

I’ve always wanted that mask and seeing it with this kit was a happy surprise.  And let me tell you that the “fine pressed” Chatterbox Alphabets are divine. The embossed pattern gives it that textured look, and you can spray it with mist or use chalk to further alter the look.

 

The Kelly Panacci Clear Mylar is great for journaling or accent base for the other embellishments.  The artisan frames makes it even more interesting. 

The Kaiser Crafts Rub-ons and the pink frill from Fancy Pants further gives a feminine touch to the whole kit.  Use it as accents on your layout, or even use it as a border design.

 

And lastly, have I mentioned those cute His & Hers Chipboards from Maya Road!  I simple adore these! I’ve altered it by creating a little dress from the patterned paper.  You may use them as is or paint them, emboss on them or cover them up with lovely patterned papers.  Lots of possibilities really!

Better get running to the AWDML store or order online to get your hands on these goodies!  As “She Said…”  “Let us make your precious memories last a lifetime!”

 

 

 

   

Feast Your Eyes on This!

Of course I'm showing you some of my creations using this month's kit!  But I also have to tell you about one of the products that I just ADORE!  Chatterbox's Artsy.licious Fine Pressed Letters! 
They look absolutely elegant on any page, however for me the best part is you can add just a hue of color to them.  When I added chalk to mine the swirls stood out more on the letters.  Did I happen to mention the swirl of luscious color combined in this kit!  It's enough to make your mouth water.  : )
The colors were just enough to give my layouts a pop they needed!  Now if it's a bit of glimmer and glitz your looking for, Kaiser Crafts Rhinestone Swirls is what your looking for!  I love that they come in a graduate of sizes, I like to use them for the center of flowers, dot's within my titles, and accents to journal blocks!  If you haven't yet, make sure you take a look at Feb's Kit "She Said".
-Angie

(All projects posted were created using Feb's Kit "She Said".

No more peeks...here's the real deal!

Here is a layout and card I made with this month's kit!  Really fun to work with these papers...I LOVE polka dots...especially bright ones!  I am also slightly addicted to journal spots and loved the ones in this kit!  I used 2 just on this layout!  On the card, I used Lucy's class and made her fun little flowers!  Love that look and can see how I might use this over and over!  I also used the maya mist to color the letters so they'd pop a bit more!  Have a terrific Tuesday! *Lynn*

Your Challenge, if you choose to accept it....

is to alter embellishments!  Then use them on a layout, a card, or an altered project in any way you want!  For my layout here, I altered the flowers by adding stickles to the petals and layering a smaller flower in the middle.  For the words "Erin & Eva", I painted chipboard pink, applied brown rub-ons, and then covered it in paper glaze to give it a glossy look.  The "bff" was painted and has paper glaze as well.   So alter those embellishments and USE them!  Post your creation in the gallery so we can all admire and get more ideas!