Create Americana...

                      

We are going Americana for the whole month of July at the Chicagoland Scrapbooker site.  Which is perfect as I plug along on scrapping our trip to Washington DC.  

I adapted a layout that my friend Gina showed us at "scrap club" last week to meet my needs for more pictures.  Using washi tape, I snuck two more pictures underneath my main photo.

And I added LOTS and LOTS of stars.  She also gave us a tip about using washi tape to cover plain chipboard, as I did on these WWII letters.

I can't believe July is going by so fast...I spied Back to School displays at the store this week---ugh! 

Well, I still have LOTS of photos to scrap from this trip so I'm going to make July, and all of this red, white, and blue last a little longer.

~Kelly

Create big wishes on a small card...

Dropping in with some cards that are "small in size, but BIG on wishes" today.  We have been celebrating June with birthday inspiration over at the Chicagoland Scrapbooker blog.  There have been great birthday ideas all month long and I am showing these cards to finish off the month (eek, it's July next week).   For all of these cards, I used small wood embellishments from Unique Laser Designs.  They all started with a card base of kraft paper that is 4"x4" inches (when folded).  I used washi tape as the background (SO quick and easy), and then colored my wood embellishments with Copic markers.  I added a layer of Glossy Accents to give them a shiny dimension.  I LOVE this bird on a branch---he is simply cute!

For this turtle card, I colored him with Copics, popped on a googly eye, and then added a layer of sparkly green micro-glitter.  For those birthdays you (almost) forget...the outside reads "this birthday card is not late", the inside says "it's just slow". 

                        

I pushed colored clay into the spaces in this 3D butterfly and then blinged it out with some Glossy Accents and glitter glue on the antennae.

Do you recognize that sentiment below the butterfly?  

This 3 piece cupcake is sweet and looks good enough to eat!  I used white ink to color the frosting, Copic markers for the cherry, and an icing of Glossy accents sprinkled with micro-beads.

These wood shapes make these cards come together SO easily--I think I'm going to make a bunch!

  ~Kelly

Be decorating...

 

Sometimes tags are just too pretty to put on a gift and then throw away.  Sometimes tags are just too pretty to put on a gift at all.  That is when they end up on the tree as ornaments! 

 

I had every intention of using these Linnie Blooms canvas tags as gift tags, but once I started playing, I just couldn't give them up on a gift, so onto my tree they went!

 

I added strips of washi tape to the tags, and then painted them with a layer of Modge Podge to seal the edges of the tape from lifting.  I painted the tree and stars with acrylic paint and "decorated" with Stickles for extra sparkle.  There can never be too much sparkle at Christmas time!

 

I added some musicality with these alphabet letter stickers from Cosmo Cricket and then strung some seed beads on wire to make them easy to hang.  These are so quick and easy that I will make some more.  Maybe, the next ones I make I'll be willing to part with.  Maybe.

 

 

Wishing you the happiest of times this Christmas season!

Kelly

www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com

Be earth-conscious...

 

The time has come...

I have outgrown my itsy bitsy jar for washi tape storage that I had convinced myself was the only container I would ever need.  But when you walk past the clearance aisle and see "adorable" tape for $1, what is a girl to do?  Ignore it?  I tried. 

 

So, I added 3 more rolls to my collection and now my itbsy bitsy jar is too small.  Empy almond jar to the rescue.  I am recycling and earth-conscious!  One less plastic jar into a landfill!

 

I simply placed strips of tape around the sides of the almond jar.  Ran another strip around the top of the lid and added some alpha stickers that I stuck onto some lightweight cardboard (cereal box--more recycling).

 

Now, I have convinced myself that this is the only container for washi tape that I will ever need.  For now.

 

~Kelly