scrapologie

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you a safe and happy thanksgiving and hoping you have many, many blessings to be thankful for today.

 

Good reads and a few cards

On the way back from Hartford, I found this book in the airport and I devoured it. If you are a Harry Potter or a Lemony Snicket fan, this book will appeal to you. It's very enjoyable reading and though it's a bit thick, it's an easy read and one with a great message for children (and adults alike).

 

In fact, the author has already come out with a sequel, titled The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. Also on my reading list for the holidays is the much awaited Tales of Beedle the Bard from JK Rowling. Looking forward to that one! 

Also got to do some cards during my downtime in Hartford. Here are a few (will post more later this week):

   

   

 

The spool was super easy - just wrap a vintage spool with patterned paper, add Melissa Frances stickers to the top and bottom, add some vintage text, a bit of velvet ribbon and a punched flower from an old textbook page with a button center. Simple and sweet.

   

and I'll leave you with this lovely holiday image, more to come later this week!

Packing my bags...

Headed to Hartford, CT. this morning - this time for work... back on Friday. The third time traveling in three weeks, I am looking forward to a nice long stay at home for awhile when I return. But that won't happen until after Thanksgiving, sigh!

Oh this is a bit late... but for stylewannabe who commented on a previous post, asking what I do with my layouts with flowers on them - if they don't get crushed if I put them in an album - I no longer use albums. I used to have a stack of them but I got a bit lazy and stopped using them. I have been storing my layouts in these archival boxes from the Container Store. Storage space is always an issue though! But even if you do use albums, I find most of the flowers can be reshaped if they do get a bit smushed.

In the interim, I'll leave you with this card - I am not sure whether or not I shared this one already -- if I did, forgive me ... I made it awhile ago and thought I hadn't uploaded it. Just a quick card I made for a friend with some Making Memories paper - last season. The pennants are made using a triangle shape punch. I drew the line connecting the pennants with one of those flexible bendy rulers and a black pen. I know that's not the official name for them - but I can't think of what they are called! I recall that I wanted badly to stitch that top line but evidently not badly enough to get out my sewing machine! Envy all of you who have a permanent spot for your sewing machine and having it ready to go at any minute!

Oh and here's a vintage image of a lovely lass marked 'Souvenir'. And you thought I forgot all about those, didn't you?  I'll have some lovely Christmas themed greetings to share next week. Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow...

 

More Jenni Bowlin Studio Kit Projects

The JBS November kit was huge -- here are the last of my projects. I loved the mini calendars but wanted to use them in a different way than expected. I was so inspired by the wee felt house ornaments from Anthropologie (see them in my last post) that I got the idea to make some from the mini calendars. This project was a bit labor intensive and I think I might do it differently next time - glue the calendars to a square background next time (it makes the sewing a lot easier). I used clear thread and just started sewing sides together, securing and then moving onto the next side. Then I stitched the two roof pieces together and once they were assembled, stitched the roof to the top of the four sides that I had assembled. It would look great with some glitter - a step I skipped - but I like the natural look of  the red and white and the wee cardinal on a branch.

 

 

   

This second project is one that is fairly simple to do and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I've always loved the art of scherenschnitte, or papercutting. This artist has some lovely work on her blog - very detailed, beautiful pieces. What I did was to download a photo of a silhouette (the one I got was from clipart.com which charges a fee for the download - but you can get free silhouettes from this site. All you do is print the silhouette onto the wrong side of patterned paper (I used the black Fine Lacquered Paper in Kohl from Chatterbox's Artsylicious collection in the november JBS Kit). If your image contains letters remember to reverse the image before printing it out so that you are cutting the letter out to display on the right side. Once the silhouette is printed out, use a SHARP exacto knife (I changed to a new blade) and cut out the silhouette with a slow and steady hand. Real scherenschnitte artists use special scissors but if you keep the image simple enough, a basic exacto knife will do fine. Use a glass mat when cutting as that will help the blade run like butter versus on a self healing mat - it's a bit harder on the latter. This does consume a lot of ink since you're printing all black - I think there's probably a way to just print the outline of the image but I was too lazy to figure it out. Be careful cutting out the small detail parts (like the ballerina's star and wand as these can tear easily - they are delicate). Once you've cut the figure out, adhere it to the background as shown. (my background was a chipboard Anna Griffin Wedding plaque I picked up for $2.99 at TJ Maxx). This was so fun and turned out so lovely I think I may want to do a few more! Off to finish some shipping on orders -- hope you're having a great weekend!

 

   

 

I dreamt I lived at Anthropologie...

and for a short, heavenly, hour and a half on Sunday, I did. Surely, this is what dreaming in color is like. Enjoy my photos of the Anthropologie in Pasadena. Swoon and sigh and then get thee to the nearest Anthropologie so you can experience it for yourself. Warning: lots of enabling photos ahead. I sense an Anthropologie inspired minibook coming soon....!

 

One could have the ultimate tea party with these cups.

 

   

Gorgeous color of green. Way to add instant summer.

 

The Christmas ornaments are to die for.

 

Could these be any more darling?!

   

Mushrooms grand enough to serve as a fairy throne.

 

And the sweetest wee houses in felt made my heart go pitter patter!

  

 

   

At this point I am in a serious color coma.

 

Gorgeous typography on mugs - $6.00 each -- that's a steal!

  

 

 

If I had tablecloths like these, and glasses like those, and bowls like that... I WOULD be the most devoted cook ever.  

   

I want to wear an apron like any one of these in sunny Capri.

 

Pink and red - a perennial favorite.

 

 

Love the collage of old photos in a grand frame with a fabric background.

 

  

The prettiest shoes peeking from a drawer!

 

   

 

 

I would feel like a queen in peacock green!

   

Sipping chamomile tea with my neck swathed in soft wool, and bedecked with the loveliest flowers!

 

Just call me "bowled" over. Okay, that was a bad pun. But definitely not an understatement.

 

   

Can you tell I was enamored with the bowls?! Couldn't stop taking pics of this loveliness.

 

 

CHARTREUSE!!! Be still my heart.

   

Gorgeous embroidery on this lampshade.

 

Don't wake me up from this multicolored dream..... thank you, Anthropologie in Pasadena, for an afternoon of blissful inspiration and inspired shopping!  

Back from Bliss...

How I wish the title to this post was "return to bliss" but alas it's not! Disney was fun (tiring) and we got back last Wednesday - then I left Thursday night for Manhattan Beach for the Seven Gypsies Gypsy Caravan retailer event. I have to save a whole 'nother post to describe that event and share the incredible projects we made that were designed by Sande Krieger, Janelle Smith, Paula Cheney and Debbie Crouse. Let me just say I will forever be a gypsy girl. The event was a full day on Friday. On Saturday, Bob flew in and we just explored Manhattan Beach a bit. On Sunday we decided to venture out to Pasadena and we ended up at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. It killed me to see so much gorgeous vintage goodness in one place and not be able to take most of it home!! I did come away with some finds - vintage buttons, some trim and lace, a few teensy trophy cups, some vintage jewelry and an antique French print. We then headed over to Anthropologie in Pasadena. Will share the photos I took there tomorrow. So much inspiration my head is spinning!

I also got my incredible Jenni Bowlin Studio kit before I left so of course I had to take it along and spent lots of time creating. I'd like to say my trip to Cali was totally inspired by Jenni's South Africa post about pushing the envelope on your comfort level. I don't travel much on my own and it always makes me a bit nervous - I don't care for flying but I'll tolerate it - I'm not terrified in the air but not exactly at home either. But I am SO glad I went - even if I had to go alone - it was so worth it. The best part was having some me time - time that I would have never gotten here with the whole fam. I've decided it's something I will do every year atleast once - find a place to go for a whole weekend all by myself - take lots of scrappy supplies to create and an adventurous spirit to go poking around in new places. I highly recommend it!

Anyway -- this will be quick - I'll be sharing lots this week (hopefully a few more JBS projects) but here's what I've created so far with the November kit - and if you haven't gotten this kit - you seriously need this kit. Check out Rita's amazing boxed Xmas tree using the bingo cards with the add-on kit too while you're at it. Jenni has posted it on her blog, including a post about a giveaway - so go sign up while you're there! Here are my JBS November projects: (the tissue paper flower  and the tissue used as background one one of the layouts are from Anthropologie). The burlap bag was something we received at the Gypsy Caravan but you could easily make one. The millinery flower from Jennis's add on kit looks amazing against the burlap. And the bingo card pockets were made by sewing two of Jenni's bingo cards together, back to back and leaving the top open to stuff with candy canes and gifts. That wee little green fairy with a pixie cap - she was an Anthropologie find. Absolutely darling isn't she? More to come later...