Altered Guest Book

My husband's sister and brother-in-law celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in July! What a milestone!! They had a big party in their back yard. I offered my help, of course, and she asked me to decorate a guest book for her, to make some tags for the food, and a few decorations.

I bought a plain white guestbook at Hobby Lobby. First I covered the inside flaps of the book with matching red paper. I stamped it all over with watermark ink in a vintage floral pattern. Sorry, I didn't take a picture of the inside.

I attached some adhesive backed burlap ribbon all the way around the front flap. The ready made flower came from Meijers and I added a corner of burlap behind it as I attached it. The square brad was lurking in my stash and looked nice on top of a small square of fringed burlap. The white scrappers floss tied in a bow with multiple loops, attaches a decorative key.

 

The place cards were made with Stampin Up's Cherry Cobbler paper and ink. I used Close to My Heart's "Frame it Up" stamp set which coordinates with Cricut's Art Philosophy cutting cartridge. This was such an easy project!

I also made a few tags for her wedding party. She wrote each of their names on the tags, along with their role in the wedding, and attached it to their bouquets. These were made with two different SU punches, and then hole punched.

Last but not least, I made a few decorations with cupcake liners, Styrofoam balls, straight pins, and a glue gun.

 

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a productive weekend.

 

 

Two page layout - "Pentwater Pier"

It's official! Summer is here for real. We have the hot, muggy temps to prove it. My husband and son are out working on the house. Dinner is in the oven so we can all eat something yummy and healthy when they come in. I definitely have time to post a layout before folding the laundry. =)

With summer in mind, here is a layout from a quick weekend getaway last summer. Our first stop when heading up the west coast of Michigan is usually Pentwater or Ludington.

I punched flowers with StampinUp! five petal flower punch. The leaves are punched from Kraft and helped add to the beachy look.




  This burlap ribbon is my favorite. I can't remember where I purchased it. The burlap is held together by a plastic mesh to keep it nice and neat and a little see-through. The patterned paper strips and some of the flower layers are "Down on the Boardwalk" by We R Memory Keepers.

I've scrapped Pentwater pictures before, and they probably look similar to these....What can I say, we really like Pentwater and always take pictures. They're too cute not to scrap, even though the day was a little overcast.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Stay cool!

Cards - WHoooo loves owls!!! and some burlap

Hello! Here's a quick post to share some fun and simple cards.

Owls have been a big trend for awhile now, and I'm definitely hooked. 

A couple of border punched strips down the side and a little twine added a cute finishing touch. I tried something new with the 7Gypsies washi tape. I left the backing on the right edge, in order to let it hang off the side of the card. The woodgrain layer is popped up a little bit to look like a hole in a tree.

Pinterest inspired me to try a little burlap under the sentiment. Super simple, but unique.

Another cute little owl card for a young intern who helped out in our department over the summer. I enjoyed making this card for her. Loved the texture folder and how it matched so well with the circle scraps of patterned paper.

Have a great rest of the week. Friday is coming!

Cute Mrs. Scarecrow and another double layout "Natural Treasure"

As I was driving home from work tonight I was in awe of the beauty of this time of year. The sun showed it's face just long enough to set the trees on fire with color. The contrast of the bright colors against the dark gray sky was truly glorious!! I hope that you are taking time to notice the beauty all around you.

 

My Mom had her 78th birthday earlier this month. She lives three hours away from me and I struggle with the fact that I can't always get there to celebrate her birthday with her. She's super hard to buy for, so I try to think of something special that will light up her day. I landed on this adorable scarecrow on Pinterest from Splitcoast Stampers. The next day, I made my own. It was so much fun!!

I made mine from scraps. Unfortunately, I don't have the top note die from SU, so I cut my own similar shape from my favorite "Art Philosophy" cartridge. It's a bit more elongated, but it worked great. My piercing tool worked well around the edge along with some distressing ink . Don't be afraid to draw on her sweet eyelashes, smile, blush and the stitching. It's super easier...You can do this!! By using the Cricut machine to make this, you could make it big enough to hang on your front door. =)

I cut two more of the same bracket shape to use for her hat. A short end was used for the hat itself and a slice from the long end for her brim. I ran both pieces through the Cuddlebug before attaching them.

 

 

The bird was also cut with Art Philosophy, but I used my 5 point flower punch from SU (two layers) for the sunflower. I had a bunch of burlap laying around so I pulled out some threads and tucked it under the bird. The leaf pins (Archivers) added a nice touch. I folded some stiff cardstock and added it to the back, like an easel to stand it up. I wrote a note to my Mom on the front edge of the easel.

 

She turned out so adorable, and I had a REALLY hard time putting her in an envelope and sending her off, but I did. I told my Mom not to ever throw her away. I don't think she would, but I'd like to see my Lady Scarecrow again some day.

 

Don't hold me too it, but I think this is my last scrapbook layout from our Lake Placid visit last year.

It's such a beautiful place to visit. You should check it out sometime! There's quite a bit to do and sights to see even before the trees change. We went in mid September, so we missed the color season.

These pictures are taken at the resort where we stayed. Thanks for stopping by today!!