{guest post} from Brittany | her christmas countdown mini base

So you know those amazing three mini frames in the Christmas Countdown Kit (two shown below)?! Well, today's guest is the lovely person who made those little pieces of art!  Her collaboration with this kit has been a dream.....so without further ado, meet Brittany:

 

Hey everyone, Brittany here A.K.A. KraftyBuns. I'm excited to be a part of Carrie's blog today and even more excited to be sharing my base mini album using her Christmas Countdown kit!! First I'll let you get to know me a little more!

 

What is your favorite color?  My favorite color seems to always change but right now I'm loving gold and mint.

 

Is there something unique you do when doing a favorite hobby? Nothing to unique unless making a mess can be considered ;). When scrapbooking I like to just have music playing from Pandora and when crocheting (a new little hobby I just picked up) I like to catch up on shows from Netflix.

 

What's something little you enjoy during the month of December? Although I'm not a huge fan of freezing to death, I love have a fire going and an excuse to drink hot cocoa. I also love wearing my boots that I'm obsessed with and fuzzy socks!

 

Tell us something interesting about one of your pets. I swear my male cat, PJ, is half human. He knows when he's not suppose to do something so he will stare at me and do it slowly as if I can't see him. He also smacks me if I try to walk away and he doesn't want me to stop petting him lol!

 

What would be a dream come true? To start a family and have an amazing craft room of course! I also have this dream of winning the lottery even though I don't play (don't we all :P).

 

I was so excited when Carrie asked me to make some embellishments for these kits and even more excited knowing I get to play with the kit! I've never done an album just for the month of December and I can't remember how long it's been since I've made a mini! I recently made a quick little post here (http://kraftybuns.blogspot.com/2013/11/christmas-countdown-prep.html) showing all the supplies I pulled out to possibly use with the kit. Here is how the base and cover came out!

 

For the cover I wanted to keep the wood showing for the most part, I love the way it looks! I went ahead and did some paint splatters in mint and gold (the same colors I used for the frames). I ended up not loving the way it turned out because my paint was super cold, but after it all came together I ended up liking it more! I took a little snowflake stamp, some white embossing powder and added them directly to the cover. I took the star diecut from the kit, added some mod podge to it and stuck it to the cover. I went ahead and embossed the year on one of the wooden chalkboard embellishments and called the cover done!

 

I went ahead and punched holes in most of the papers from the kit to add to the binder rings. I left some out in case I want to make some paper embellishments as I go. I grabbed some paper clips and clothes pins from the kit and started clipping some flat embellishments onto random pages.

 

This little diecut deer is the cutest! I folded over a doily, added a tag behind and a clothes pin!

 

I wanted to add some bling to the vellum envelope. I cut a strip of the glitter paper from the kit and added it to the flap!

 

So there is the base of my Christmas Countdown mini! Loving the colors and custom details in this kit and I so can't wait to start adding the photos and embellishments!! Thanks so much Carrie for having me!

 

So what do you all think? Pretty amazing, right!? I really love the clean and crisp feel of her album so far, and I know I'll be using her fun idea of adding paper to the edge of an envelope flap!  Also, you should go check out her Etsy shop and BEG her to make more of those delicious frames so you can  purchase extras ; )

Thanks so much for sharing Brittany!  I'm looking forward to see how your album comes together throughout the month of December.  XO

You can purchase a Christmas Countdown Kit HERE. (while supplies last)

See the details of everything in the kit with my video HERE.

Watch Amanda's video while she assembles her mini base HERE.

Watch Val's video of her mini base HERE.

And last my video putting together the base of my mini HERE.

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY.....it's open until Tuesday the 26th at 11:59pm PST!

{christmas countdown kit} cover by christina

I have some wonderful scrapbooking friends, and one of them is the talented Christina!  She has been creating with the Christmas Countdown Kit, and made an awesome cover using the 4x6" wood sheets.  Here's what she said about putting the cover together:

 

I misted the front cover (wood sheet) with the chartreuse Color Shine.  Then after I pulled the mask off I went over it lightly with the gold Color Shine.  After all my embellishments were adhered I modgepodged everything.  While it was still damp I sprinkled on the mini star glitter, and then modgepodged that. Heidi Swapp did this on one of her videos with glitter and I thought it was a fun thing to try.  I love how it turned out, and might try it on future project too.  Also, there is stencil/mist on the back of the album (wood sheet) as well.

So what do you think? Pretty inspiring and creative, huh?! Thank you so much for sharing Christina!!! XO

 

P.S. If you're interested in a Christmas Countdown Kit of your own there are a couple left HERE.

{guest post} over at amanda o'banion's blog

Today I am so honored to be featured as a guest on Amanda's amazing blog!  Many of you may know her from her awesome YouTube videos (which is where I originally found her), but her blog is a wonderful read with lots of creative inspiration that I know you will enjoy just as much as I do.

 

So what type of guest post do I have for you over at her end of the Internet?  Well, if you've ever wondered about my creative process, my favorite techniques, how I decide to create my layouts, or why I do it all (with lots of examples), head on over to seeeeeeee : )

 

(GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.....Congratulations Kate Morrow!) When you visit, don't forget to leave a comment so you can be entered for a chance to win my giveaway.....a set of six vertical 3x4" graphic cards I designed and printed out for my Christmas Countdown Kit (digital version of both vertical and horizontal shown below).  They would be super cute in Project Life, a layout, or for making Christmas cards!!!  XO

{paper garland} with melody of from scratch

Hi! I'm Melody of From Scratch. A great big thank you to Carrie for having me!

 

I have a very special holiday DIY to share with you all today, featuring the beautiful transparencies from Carrie's shop!

These are the transparencies I used:

I printed them onto unbleached brown paper (I buy the stuff by the ream these days. It's a sturdy text weight paper with a beautiful, natural color and texture that lends so much more warmth to every project than regular printer paper.) With four sheets of paper, I made a 15 foot garland.

 

Don't forget to print double-sided!

1. Using a compass, fill up your page with circles of different sizes. Be careful to avoid drawing any circles that intersect! A note on using a compass: Often, it is much easier to get a perfect circle if you spin you paper around, instead of spinning the compass.

 

2. Grab your scissors and cut them out! To save time, you can stack two or three sheets of paper on top of each other and cut them at once.

 

3. Now this is the fun part! Have all your cut circles in a pile next to the sewing machine. Start at the very edge of your first circle, and sew straight across the center. When you get to the other edge, simply feed in your next circle and repeat until you've used them all.

 

4. Hang up your beautiful new garland!

 

These are my suggestions for wonderfully festive uses…

And my personal favorite, for holiday and every day…

 

Best, Melody

 

Thanks so much for this fun holiday project Melody!  I just love the unbleached brown paper she used to print onto.....and I can't decide which is my favorite way to use this lovely garland (maybe the Christmas tree?), they are all so perfect.  Which is your favorite?  XO Carrie

 

P.S. Happy December to you! ;D

{diy guest post} over @from scratch

Happy Wednesday to you!  Today you will find a new DIY guest post from me over at the crafty Melody's blog From Scratch.  Learn how I put together the homemade page protectors I used for my Week In The Life Minibook, with simple step by step instructions.  This tutorial has been one of the most useful projects I've made this year.....there are so many ways it can be used for scrapbooking, I know you'll just love it!

Melody has a wonderful blog full of DIY's from sewing, to paper crafts, to knitting, to using food in all sorts of crafty ways.  Some of my favorite posts are:  Autumn Leaves, Pressed and Pretty, Autumn Leaves: Part Two, Turn A Mason Jar Into A Travel Mug. Knit A Cozy!, and Blanket Sweater, Take 2.  Enjoy!  XO

{guest post} with my creative brightside

Hey friends it's me, Stephanie from My Creative Brightside!! So happy to be over here at Blume and Grow doing a fun guest post on a nice ice cold summer treat. Ice cube creations seem to be all the rage now a days and I thought it would be fun to make up some of my own. These are great to add to any drink, not just the ones I have made.

 

Plain and Simple Directions:

• Brew your desired tea as directed.
• Freeze ingredients such as chamomile flowers, mint leaves and pure lime juice into ice cube trays.
• Drop them in and let the party begin.

 

A big thanks to Stephanie for this guest post! These refreshing treats look amazing!!! I officially now inspired to make some of my own :D

And if you are interested is seeing a DIY on how I created my Summer Wishes Mini cover, hop on over to her blog today. Happy Tuesday!  <3 Carrie

Project Monday

Hey friends : )  I knew right away i wanted to do a Chinese inspired page with cute little flags for this pic. I had a Chinese inspired 12x12 album that i store all the pages that match that theme that i never use so i drew from there. I wanted the recipe to look like a scroll pinned up on the wall so i used gold wired thred-like ribbon and some eyelets. I distressed the edges of everything to give it a little old world feel. I found the warm colors to be quite and comforting yet represent the picture. Hope you enjoy lovies!!

Love, Stephanie

Your Appointment with Friday

Hi lovely people and happy Friday night!  Well, right now I am sitting on my bed snuggled up with Pumpkin at a Lodge in Snowbird.....and there is snow everywhere!  It's beautiful!!!  I decided that since I'm on vacation to take a week off from Bubblegum Life, and so you lucky people get to be inspired by the sweet and talented Stephanie Kelley from My Creative Brightside : )  And she has chosen the perfect photo prompt!  So without further ado, her is her inspiration.....

Comfort Foods

RECIPE FOR EGG DROP SOUP

serves 4

    4 cups chicken broth

    2 tablespoon dark soy sauce

    2 large egg

    4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions for garnish

Steps

    - Beat eggs in small bowl - set aside

    - Heat the broth in a small pot and bring to a boil

    - Stir in soy sauce

    - Return to a boil then turn off the heat

    - While stirring soup in a fast circular fashion with a fork,
       slowly pour in beaten egg

    - Continue stirring until egg gets all cool and kinda stringy &
       that's it

    - Serve in a bowl with the green on top or panko crumbs which is
       what i did in the picture

The things we find comforting are in such a wide range from chocolate covered cherries to deep fired pickles :) I know it is a rather strange dish to call my comfort food but egg drop soup and i go way back. I have always had a fascination with ethnic foods and strange cuisine. My father used to feed me fresh octopus and frog legs when we would vacation in Mexico. So that being said its only natural that i would end up taking comfort in the gooiness of this tasty soup. I would sometimes go to China Wokery when i had a bad day and either sit alone and enjoy this, if my pride let me, or get a huge take out carton to enjoy in the comfort of my own home. Now, i have finally gotten up the courage to make my own and i must say it was quite comforting!! Lets see what your comfort foods look like!!

Lovingly,

Stephanie Kelley ( & Carrie )

Project Monday

Happy Monday to you : )  First to share her project today is our lovely, talented, beautiful guest, Ally*Cakes.....

when i went to create this layout, i was so inspired by a conversation that nely and i had a day or so earlier,,, we both have this crazy {ahem} obsession with these adorable charms and embellishments,, she had said what a great idea to create a layout with only these precious treasures that we hoard,,,  so i thought this prompt would be so fun to create a layout with just those,,, not to mention, carrie did ask me if i were to create a layout in only one color, which color would that be,,, i just had to prove i really, really meant it!!!

thanks again carrie!!!

{xoxo} ally*cakes

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Isn't she just adorable!?!  Ally's scrapbooking is always so fun and inspirational!  Thanks so much Ally for sharing a super fun photo prompt and your awesome layout!!!  

For my project this week here is my finished Spring 2011 album using instax photos.....there is one page/photo for each day I was in Washington.....and here is an idea of what it looks like (there would be like 30 photos if I shared every page).....I hope you like : )



I used the clips below to attach movie stubs, business cards, etc.....






Each day is a page with a photo and journaling that summarizes my day.  I had to keep things simple since this project was created and completed while I was traveling.....



The instax photos are attached to each page with the decorative tapes from Color Me Miki......



And the page below is a list of my LOVES for Spring this year (you can also see the green envelope popping out from behind a couple layers in the photo below.....it holds extra instax photos from my trip).....






I had to keep the pages as thin as possible so everything would fit, so there is mostly just photos, and journaling with some layered paper/sticker borders.....And the page below is very special since I spent most of that day with my Grandpa.  He told Amber and I stories about his life and we looked at all his old black and white photos.  The instax below is of his graduation photo and on the opposite page are some notes I jotted down.....things he told me about his life that I wanted to remember.....









And in case you didn't already know, I created this handbound journal that holds it all during a lovely afternoon of crafting with my baby brother and sister <3



Have a great week everyone!
Love, Carrie and Ally

Your appointment with Friday

Happy Earth Day, Good Friday, Easter weekend, or whatever your preference may be!  I have a feeling that today's photo prompt will inspire you to be adventurous!!!  And so here it is, along with Ally's super fun take:

Other Cameras Need Love Too

i love the idea of switching up your camera.  often, we tend to stick to what works best, or what we are most familiar with.  case in point, how often do you see photo booths??  until recently, i totally forgot all about them, or, dismissed them, rather, when passing them up.  a few months ago my kids and i were at sea world, which we often do and my little girl said *mama, lets go in there*,, i stopped, and was like, dang, what a great idea.  and of course a wave of regret ran through me because i just realized i had missed so many years of photo booth opportunities.  such a bummer.  now, i make it a point, every single time i see a photo booth, wether im in a rush or not,, stop and take pictures,, maybe even do a few different photo shoots.  its so much fun,, im loving it!!!

thanks for having me carrie, and allowing me to share my story!!

{xoxo} ally

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Aren't Ally's photo booth pictures so stinkin' cute!?!  I just love it!!!.....and I totally feel inspired to go have some taken myself, you? 

For my photos I am sharing some instax that I took the last few days I was in Washington.....

The timing of Ally's photo prompt couldn't be more perfect for me.  Since getting my DSLR last summer, I rarely use other cameras, however, while I was in Washington and snapping away with Clem (my Canon Rebel), I also was taking on an average 2 or so Instax photos a day.  And boy was it a big hit!  Every time I took it out of my purse to take a pic whoever was around got just as excited as me to see how they were going to turn out.....super fun!!!  There is something about being in a place taking a photo and watching the image of what you just took appear before your eyes to cement a wonderful memory in your mind.  The photo upper left is of my baby sister with her puppy.....they are so cute together.....like two peas in a pod!  Upper middle is our visit to Port Townsend.....it was pouring down rain and we all had a blast!!!  Upper right and lower left is Freshwater Bay.....another fun afternoon with my Dad.....we had a yummy picnic lunch together and that was our view.....lovely!  Lower middle is me holding one of my sister's baby duckies.....that was a sweet morning for sure.....little duckies are so soft and make the cutest little noises : )  And last but not least lower right is my last day in Sequim before leaving.....a walk back from The Spit, my Mother looks so tiny compared to all the big beautiful trees <3

What other types of cameras do you sometimes use to take photos?  Your phone?  Or a pin hole camera maybe?  Share your ideas with us (and photos if you have them).....I don't know about you, but I often get excited when trying new things, especially when it comes to photography.

Have a lovely weekend,

Love, Carrie and Ally

Playdate with Ally Serrato

I am so excited to have Ally as my special guest for April!  Many of you know her from the Pink Ninja Addicts and their awesome kits (which I personally LOVE).  To me, she is a dear friend : )  Here are a few things about her you might not know.....

• what artsy plans do you have for the year??  as any lover of all things crafty, i alway plan on expanding my style and working on my creations and projects more & more.  creating is so much fun and oh so therapeutic to me.  i adore it.  but mostly, im really looking forward to the pink ninja crops that my bestie and i will be hosting!!!  the first one is coming up quick, april 30th, {still spots left if youre in the area and interested},, and another june 4th.  cant wait to see how theses pan out and to plan more for the future. 

• if your hair could be any color of the rainbow, what color would it be?  so easy.  pink.  fuchsia actually, and yes, it is in the rainbow.  my rainbow at least.  :-)

• what cameras do you own and use other than your DSLR?  i have a fisheye, never used.  it was sorta a silly impulse purchase.  i have several point and shoot pocket cameras.  ive always got one on me, but as of late, my favorite camera is my good ol iphone.  i swear, is there anything that phone cant do??  i love it so much, especially instagram. 

• whats your favorite Easter candy?  cadbury eggs and reeses peanut butter eggs.  of course, calories dont count, right??  i sure wish i had a body that i could eat whatever i wanted,, sadly, i usually stay away from easter candy.  {sad face}

• what music do you like to listen to while scrapbooking these days?  i love all the top 40 on satellite for scrapbooking, but my all time favorite music is reggae.  i love it a lot, a lot.  

See you Friday for her super cool photo prompt!

Love, Carrie and Ally

Project Monday

Wow!  I can't believe March is almost over.  I am still loving time with my family in Washington, and hope that this month has been good to you too : )

For my project this week, I though it would be nice to share a page in my Spring travel art journal.....

You may have seen THIS post on my personal blog, where I shared a day of art journal making with my little brother and sister.....

And so, I figured it would be perfect to add my photo from our last photo prompt to my little 4x7.5 inch journal.  I ended up not adding the photo in order, but instead, choosing some pages that I though it look best with.  And the flower photo is actually a full page, where I'll add something fun to the back side eventually.  The journaling is taken from my post, and I doodled around it with a dark purple marker.  The purple frame that is on the photo itself is a Hambly sticker, and the alphas are from the Color Me Miki shop.  I really did enjoy this small project and am happy with how colorful and happy it turned out.....which is perfect because I was so excited for the pretty pretty raindrops that day <3

I plan to share more of the pages I've completed in my journal on my personal blog sometime this week.  It's simple, but I think the fact that I am actually adding a photo with journaling everyday has to count for something : )

 
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And now here is Blondie's sweet project.....

...Using her art journal that she created and handbound herself!!!

And here are her thoughts on the process:

I used this wonderful colored paper for these photos because I thought it was just perfect for enhancing nature photos!  The birds and butterflies flying around!  They make me feel happy and joyful :)  Although, Gnome world is especially my favorite!  The way the grass is so green and the plants are so purple its so fairytale like.  And the Pink flower looks like it's so sad that it has not been bought yet!  The Feild of white is like a soft pillow of flowers, and the photo of the catkins from an alder tree reminds me of catapiller in chrysalis.  This whole experience has just been so fun!!! 

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  Have a great week!!!

Love, Carrie and Blondie