~November Scrap That! Kit Reveal~

Yippee!!! My first Scrap That! kit arrived a few days ago...Knowing that it was waiting for me in the mail, I hurried home after work, hoping I would get to the post office in time...With literally 3 minutes to spare, I rushed in to get my package and could barely handle the 2 and a half minute ride home to open it!
It felt just like Christmas!
So with a (might I add...HUGE) package in one hand, and my coffee mug and purse in the other...Picture me madly dashing through the door to find a pair of scissors to open my lil package of happiness! :)
I ended up settling on a really dull pen to break the tape...I can NEVER find scissors when I need them! That seems a bit weird for a scrap-fanatic, wouldn't you say?
ANYWAY, all the excitement was worth it, the kit was even more GORGEOUS than I expected!!!!!
I don't know what was more beautiful...the colour palette, the beautiful product selection, the sheer AMOUNT of goodies in the kit, or maybe it's all of the above!
I was definitely *jumping for joy*!

So without further ado, here is what I have been playing with (and loving every minute of it) for the last week :)

First up...A Thank You card...



Everything on this card (minus the stamps, glitter, pearls and gray ink) is included in the November Scrap That! kit!!! For the backing I used a cream cardstock, several layers of beautiful Pink Paislee House of Three patterned papers. I stamped over the papers to bring out some of the gray details. I love how the Pink Paislee white and gray pleated trim (SO gorgeous) adds an elegant touch and some much needed texture and dimension.

I split the Yellow Prima Rose into two and used the bottom petals underneath the stamped heart.

Then, I used the upper petals to accent the top of the card...And I stamped a design on the Pink Paislee Artisan Element....You can really do just about anything with these amazing little embellies!

I used a strip of the Pink Paislee paper to make a curled ribbon (underneath the flower).
So glad to finally share with all of you what I have been so busy with all week!
I have to say, it was so much fun to create with a kit where all the product is hand-picked for you and colours coordinate so perfectly! Really makes scrappin a snap!


Now onto to the next one.....

~Lucky Me! Scrap That! November Kit~



Another take on the beautiful Scrap That! November Kit contents. It's a totally different style than the first, yet made with the same kit! This page features a pop of all the three featured colours (yellow, gray and teal).

I used LG Belarmino's s GORGEOUS November sketch to inspire me for this layout.
Check out the Scrap That! site for this beautiful sketch here!

This is the first time I have done a layout according to a sketch..and I must say, it's really fun!
I always thought that it would be more difficult as my mind likes to usually take over and create something entirely different when I try to 'copy/lift' anything.
I obviously did go in my own direction a little bit, but I am still quite happy
with how it turned out!

I used the beautiful My Mind's Eye patterned paper included in the kit, some of the Pink Paislee Artisan Elements frames, beautiful SPARKLY American Crafts foam alphas, Pink Paislee House of Three white trim and the gorgeous Prima flowers :)
The crocheted lace included in the kit was quite possibly my fave. I love the warmth and texture it adds to a project...

A few more details of My Mind's Eye and Pink Paislee House of Three patterned papers, a beautiful Prima Love Letter Rose, and a few liquid pearls to finish up all the detailing.

And now for the last but not least....

~I Turn to You: Scrap That! November Kit~



The last creation with the beautiful kit is all about my hunny and me. The kit colours featured grays, teals, and yellows - a fabulous combination. For this last layout, I chose to do a very elegant, very blingy, style featuring the gray and teal tones.
ALL of the beautiful product you see on this page is included in the stunning Scrap That! November Kit. I added in some black ink, a stamp, and a pin from my stash...but the gorgeous flowers, papers, bling, stamp (which I used around the edges), trim, and blue ink (used for altering some of the papers) are all INCLUDED in the kit!!!! I love that there is no need to buy any other supplies! Everything you need is in the kit. And, it's all so perfectly coordinated that it really makes it a snap to create with!

A close-up of the journaling...I love these lyrics from the song "I Turn to You". It's amazing how a song can capture your feelings and thoughts so perfectly...

For the background, I used the My Mind's Eye pp, and to frame the photo, some beautiful Pink Paislee - House of Three Embossed pp (the embossed design totally comes ALIVE when rubbed with ink, misted or painted with a glaze).
I LOVE the Pink Paislee House of Three trims! I found so many ways to play with these! For this layout, I wanted to do something different with it. So, I cut the top part of the pleated trim so that I would be left with a straightened lower portion which I used to tie a bow! I used the upper stitched part to frame the top of the photo and other elements around the page :)

Also included in the kit, are the ever-so-versatile Pink Paislee Artisan Elements. For this layout, I painted the lower portion with some crackle paint and for the upper portion I just added a touch of liquid pearls.
They really look fabulous the way they are, but they can be dressed up so beautifully too!
And...I have to announce my new-found fave product...From the moment I saw that big, beautiful, SPARKLY brad...I fell in love!!
Isn't it just gorgeous?!
It's just the perfect finishing touch!

So this concludes my FIRST EVER Scrap That! Reveal!!!!
For more information on this kit and others, and more design ideas from the extremely talented Design Team, visit the Scrap That! blog or the scrapthat.ning community!

Thank you all for stopping by!

*Ivana*

~Motto Bello!~



What a fun night! This August, one of my best friends (in the middle) got married and I got to be a part of the wedding party! It was such an incredible experience! Of course, one of the funnest parts was dressing up before the wedding. I don't have a pic of the first moment I saw my friend in her wedding gown with her hair done, but she was so beautiful! I actually cried! I really love this photo because even though it was the end of the night, she still looked so gorgeous! I couldn't help myself...I had to scrap this! :)

A close-up of the Tim Holtz clasp and flower cluster. To alter the chipboard piece, I used NEW Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam. THIS STUFF IS INCREDIBLE!!! Chock full of glitter, shimmer and fabulous goodness! It goes on like a glaze and all the fabby colours can be mixed to create a unique colour each time. Once fully glittered and dry, I brushed the surface with a bit of white paint and it looks instantly antiqued!

The beautiful printed paper is by Pink Paislee. It is from their new Parisian Anthology Collection designed by the House of Three. These papers are not only gorgeous in design but each holds a secret flair in their embossed patterns that truly come alive when rubbed with a Distress Ink or misted with some beautiful glimmer. I chose to not colour mine...I really like the way they looked all dressed up, and I love the way they look untouched too :)

I used STUNNING Prima lace, stringed pearls from my stash, a beautifully glittered Prima Love Letter Rose, and some postage and lamp post stamps from Seven Gypsies.

The flowers are by Prima and the vintage paper cutout is by Websters Pages. Above the paper is a distressed artisan element by Pink Paislee.

All of the flowers here are by Prima also, and the button in the center of the yellow rose is handmade from my own collection.

Just a close-up of the title (stamped with Seven Gypsies stamps and an Espresso Paint Dabber).

Thanks to everyone for stopping by! I appreciate all of your visits! :)


*Ivana*

~A Zen Moment~



I don't know about you all, but there are days when life gets hectic and there are days when nothing goes my way. Sometimes, these days are more common than others. So, every once in a while, I like to take time to reflect upon my life...To be thankful for all that I have and all that I am. :) I wanted to scrap that feeling of zen I like to visit every once in a while. So, I dug up this photo, which was taken while I was traveling throughout Europe. High up in a mountain, sitting on an old fortress wall, with only the noise of the wind and the singing birds...It reminded me of the simple joys of life and that I should be thankful every day (even during those not-so-fun ones) for the blessings in my life! It was the perfect moment of reflection and I wanted to pay tribute to it in a scrappy layout :)

I used GORGEOUS Girls' Paperie patterned paper for all the delicate cutting, along with a LOT of beautiful bling...oh how I love bling!
Added in some lace, some Prima flowers, and a lot of love :)

Just a close up of the lace/bling combo around the photo...

Hope you all find a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy some 'zen' time! Life is too short to be spent in a hurry.

Have yourselves a fabulous night!

*Ivana*

~Little Snow Princess~



I just love this pic of my niece! She looks so sweet and happy enjoying the snowy day! I wanted to make a page to reflect her darling expression.
So the page doesn't exactly say 'snow', but I think it screams 'happy', which is exactly what I wanted to capture :)

This layout features a TON of Prima goodness! I used beautiful Prima flowers, Jack and Jill alphas and some lovely crocheted Prima lace. The white epoxy-type border around the photo and elsewhere on the page is by Pink Paislee. I used Fancy Pants Wishful Thinking patterned paper as the background and as well for the flourishes.

The small frame is by Tattered Angels and the princess tag is from My Mind's Eye. The crocheted white doily under the Prima rose is from Vicky's Etsy store.

The butterfly, buttons and twine are from my own stash :)

Just wanted to quickly also share a little design tutorial for the fanned-out fabric coming out of the crocheted doily. I spritzed white canvas fabric with a coral Glimmer Mist, and while wet, I folded it in accordion fashion. I then cut the ends to achieve the flower petal look, and placed it under a heavy book to dry. Once dry, I spread out the fanned shape and painted the raised surface with some white paint. It's a super easy and quick way to add dimension to your projects!

Thank you all for stoppin by! Have yourselves a fabulous day!


*Ivana*

~A VERY Happy Day!~

Hello to all my fellow friends, co-workers, and scrappers out there! Although I do not have a project to show you tonight, I just want to quickly share my happy news with all of you! Today, I was announced as a new DESIGN TEAM MEMBER for SCRAP THAT! (Canada's Best Kit Club!).
I am THRILLED to bits about this new and fabulous opportunity and simply cannot wait to start creating with the beautiful products featured in the Scrap That! kits.

I will be joining a fabulous bunch of gals who currently design for Scrap That! (check out my side bar) and couldn't be more happy to be a part of such a wonderful, sweet, community of scrappers!

CAN'T WAIT TO START!!!!

If you want to read more or to check out the gorgeous kits, please visit the Scrap That! site here.

Wishing you all a happy Thursday night! :)


*Ivana*

~Such a Beautiful Girl~



Maybe it's because she is family. Maybe it's because she is my first niece. Maybe it's because she has the bluest eyes I have ever seen. Maybe it's because she is so beautiful on the inside. Maybe it's because of all the above. Whatever the reason, she is such a beautiful little girl! I am so happy to have her in my life :)
On this page I used a combo of My Minds Eye, Little Yellow Bicycle, and Pink Paislee patterned papers. The black and cream frames were cut out from Webster's Pages pp from the Life's Portrait Collection. The large doily, fabric word 'beautiful' and the chipboard scroll (painted white with Stickles Glitter Glue accents) are from Vicky's Etsy store.

A few close-ups :)

I did the same paint medium damask technique on this layout. I used an orange ink to colour the raised surface. I cut out the design and added some Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam and Liquid Pearl accents. The flowers used on the layout are by Prima, of course!

The heart and the chipboard wings are by Maya Road. They were both painted with white paint and accented with Stickles Glitter Glue. The white epoxy flourish in the photo above is by Pink Paislee and it is probably the funnest product I have come across in a LOOOONG time. I absolutely LOVE it to bits!!!!
On this particular piece, I used coral and orange ink to colour the raised surface and then accented the creases with Stickles Glitter Glue and some Liquid Pearls.
It's such a fun and easy way to add dimension to your page without adding too much bulk. Plus, since they are pure white, they are open to your imagination and will surely fit ANY colour scheme or project you may be working on!
I love when companies come out with product that is so versatile!
Thank you PINK PAISLEE!!!!

~A Splendid Gift!~



I often talk about how wonderful it is to be a part of the online scrappin community...I love how many incredibly talented, sweet gals from all over the world share this lovely craft with each other day to day :) I love that we all connect, near or far, and excitedly comment on the newest products and techniques...We marvel at each others' work, with such kind words of respect and appreciation....And I am just IN LOVE with this idea of making friends while we all do and share something we love!
So anyway, I recently was asked by the very talented, and very sweet Vicki at SB.com where I find all my stringed pearls...One thing led to another, and before you knew it, we were exchanging addresses and scrappy goodies! She recently started up her own Etsy shop, (which is SO fabulous by the way) and she sent some of her product my way (Thank you Vicky)! You can see the package I received (pic above) was just FILLED with amazingly elegant and classy embellies...so soft and so delicate!
Just the way I love 'em!
And even though I planned to get caught up on other things in my life last night, when I recieved my pkg. I couldn't resist creating something!!!! Can you blame me?!
The yummy stuff Vicky sent got me so inspired! So I got to craftin!
Here is the LO I did last night with Vicky's goodies.
As a little girl, my grams always read me wonderfully romantic fairy-tales and I wished that one day, I would find myself in my very own little romance.
After 8 years with the love of my life, I think my wish came true! :)

The beautiful doily, some of the purple flowers, and the pearls are all from Vicky's kit! And still, I have so many goodies left over to use later :)
The blue pp is by Basic Grey and the pink pp is by Making Memories. The lovely large flower on the right, the little rose at the top, and the pearl flourish on the left are all Prima goodies. I hand-cut the roses and leaves from a K & Co pp, and used stringed pearls and buttons from my own stash.

And here is a quick little technique I used to add dimension on the blue and pink pp...I used a thick paint medium (you can get this at any art supply store or at Michael's) and a damask stencil. I placed the stencil on the pp and applied the paint medium roughly over the stencil (make sure you cover the entire surface area of the stencil). Keep in mind that the thicker the layer, the more dimension you will get.
Then, I carefully pulled away the stencil, which left me with a beautiful design. As per Lean's tip (Thanks Lean!), I heated the design with a heat gun and actually puffed up the medium to create even more dimension. You can heat it up even more if you prefer a 'blistered' look. I will post a step-by-step tutorial of this technique in a couple of days.

Just wanted to show a close-up of the buttons and how I embellished them with the pearls Vicky sent me.
They look so much more elegant with a little pearl in the center :)

So I hope you all enjoy and if you like what you see, check out Vicky's Etsy store!
I am off now to do some packing! One more day until the long weekend, and I am looking forward to spending the time at home with loved ones and delicious food...And scrappin, of course!

Enjoy your Weekend!!!

~A Sign for my Creative Space~

Hello everyone! Hope you are all having a fabby Monday evening! Thought I would post a little something I have been working on lately...I actually got this idea from a sweet, darling friend at SB.com. (You can see her gorgeous sign here.) I asked Carrie if I may lift her design, and after getting her approval, I suddenly realized that I had little to none of the product I needed to REALLY lift the design!... So, this is what I came up with using the product I had handy!
And now I know why I am always unsuccessful at 'lifts' (hehe).
I never really have what I need, and then halfway through the project, I steer off in my own happy little direction...and before I know it, my hands have created something else entirely! Regardless, I am so thankful for the fab inspiration...Thank you Carrie!

Just wanted to show the side view so you could see the dimension :)

The gorgeous damask pp, soft lacy pp and keyhole are by Melissa Frances. The dotted pp is by Basic Grey. I used beautiful creamy, pearl brads by Kaisercraft and lots of stringed pearls from my own stash :)

The soft, crocheted lace is by Kaisercraft and the chipboard letters are by Basic Grey.
To create the wings, I used a BEATIFUL Tim Holtz clear stamp and a Ranger Paint Dabber in white. I then cut around the wings and used pop-dots to adhere them to create some dimension. Of course, I hid the pop dots behind the flower petals. (Seeing the adhesive is never fun!) The glass laser-cut butterfly, heart button, buckle, brown sequined trim, and title, all got a swipe or two of Tim Holtz Distress Paint for a heavenly touch. A bit of glitter dusted on top and viola! :)

The brackets (which used to be a dark blue) were painted with white crackle paint and sprinkled with some lovely, chunky glitter. :)
I'm so happy to have another addition to my scrappy space!

Thank you all for stoppin by! Happy crafting!

*Ivana*

~Fa La La~



Am I getting carried away with all the Christmas madness?? I just heard my first Christmas Carol music at a store yesterday...It made me happy :)
Can you guess what it was? You got it! Deck the Halls! Thus, the inspiration for this card!

This card features the usual suspects. A bit of lace here and there, a string or two of
pearls, soft colours, and lots of texture!

I used Basic Grey Basics pp, blue Fancy Pants pp, and My Mind's Eye dotted pink pp
from the Lush Collection.
The snowflake is from last year's Bo Bunny's winter collection. The buttons, lace, doily and pearls are from my own stash.

The rub-on is from Cosmo Cricket, and I think it goes back a couple of years at least.
I have tried to find it because I would really love another set, but like most wonderful scrappy products, they eventually get discontinued, never to be found again :(
O well, the quest continues...and who knows, I may just get lucky one day :)

I wanted to show you a close up of the snowflake treatment. I rubbed it onto a
transparency and then painted the back side with Tim Holtz Distress Paint. I really like the way it turned out! I find that it makes the snowflake stand out more than if I was just to rub it onto the card, yet it is still more transparent than it would be if I
simply used a pp to as the background.

I am off now to enjoy the fabulous fall day we have been blessed with (even though I have a million of errands to do). Can't complain though, after the rainy summer we had, this is a real treat! :)

Hope you all enjoy your day too!

*Ivana*