~A splendid season...~

It has been a truly blessed and wonderful season of celebration for myself and my loved ones. Many wonderful exchanges, and sweet moments spent sharing stories, hopes, and wishes...a few sad moments, and a Christmas miracle or two...all wrapped up with many plans looking into the New Year...Yes, it was truly a Christmas to remember...but the holidays are not quite over yet...so I have a little card to share with you all before we wrap up this season's festivities and move into the new year...



A fun and festive card, featuring Webster's Pages Sweet Season papers, some lovely Sparklers and sweet Tinsel Trim :)

Thrown into the mix...a few snowflakes, a button and a bow, and lots and lots of my lovely dots :)

Thank you all so much for making 2010 a memorable year for me and for supporting my venture into this online creative space...Thank you for each and every one of your sweet and encouraging comments...Thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by and see what's new...and most of all...thank you for the continued support that motivates me each and every day.
THANK YOU!!!
Hoping you all have a happy New Year...wishing you all the best in 2011!

*Ivana*

~I've been dying to tell you!~




On Christmas Morning, at approximately 11:30 am, my sweetie of eight and half years (not long at all, right?) asked me to marry him!!! He tricked me by giving me something I really wanted, and only after I thanked him for it did he reveal that I better open the box to find the REAL gift inside. Slightly disappointed, I opened the box to find a gift I wanted even more than the previous....a BEAUTIFUL zoom lens...AND an enormously amazing camera bag...and inside the bag....a stunning diamond ring!!! (btw these pics were taken with two of my three new gifts...can you guess which ones?)
So I hope that clears up my earlier post about this being the 'best Christmas ever'
I have been waiting to tell some family and friends in person first...and I am so happy to be able to share my awesome news with all of you now, too!

Here is a close up of the ring...I must say, the boy has some style! It's a beeeaaaauuutiful Tacori ring, with lovely vintage crescent designs (bcuz I am not a vintage girl at all...hehe) and a beautiful high-set center diamond... If you want to see it close up (like I seem to be doing EVERY second now), check out the Tacori site.

Ahhhh....the holidays were even more eventful for me than I ever thought they could be! How did you spend your holidays? Would love to hear....

Happiest wishes to you all :)

*Ivana*

~It's time...~

I hope you have all had a Merry Christmas...I hope Santa was good to you and you got to enjoy some time with loved ones...taking a moment to enjoy all the fun the holiday season brings...I have to say, for me, this was probably the best Christmas to date. Will have to fill you in later :)



But for now, I finally get to show you all what I was busy working on leading up to the holidays!
It's the Scrap That! reveal date and even though I excitedly started writing my post this morning, I didn't get a chance to post this earlier...I apologize for the delay.
As you can imagine, it's super busy around here these days....So I have a minute right now to sit down and show you some fun pages and projects I have made using the beautiful kit contents!

First up...a very Valentine-y project full of beautiful little hearts and sparkly glittered bits...
I decided to cover a notebook to hold all the precious Valentine's I have recieved over the years. I figured it was time for them to come out of their box and be shown!
The My Mind's Eye papers in the kit worked beautifully for the 'love' theme. I only added a bit of lace and some foam hearts (which I covered with the Stickles glitter provided in the kit) and a few pretty little vintage buttons.

To go along with the little book, I altered a little box that can be filled with all sorts of precious things...

I covered the box with white paint first and then used bits and pieces of the pretty paper to accent all the sides.

I tied a vintage stained ribbon, and topped it off with the pretty Prima flowers included in the kit. As usual, the flowers got a little splash of paint and glitter...

I cut out a little tag from the My Mind's Eye embellie included in the kit....Added a vintage pin....

And a chipboard heart with pretty Stickles glitter around the edges :)

A little design tip for vintage-looking projects which I always use...Try adding a little bit of paint to the edges of your embellies...the more random, the more beautiful...you'll honestly add a whole new dimension to your projects by doing this simple, yet beautiful technique! I like to use Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint because it is thick and sticks to many surfaces and because it goes on less uniformly than other types of paint.

For this layout, I used the black, cream and red accents of the MME paper as inspiration. I loved how these papers could be cut, shaped, layered and played with...the only thing I found a little bit frustrating was all the loose glitter all over the house!!!

So, I have a little design tip for you all if you plan on working with paper that has glitter accents.

TIP: Use a glossy medium (like the Diamond Glaze that is included in the kit) and coat all the glittery pieces. Because the medium dries as a clear coat and is slightly dimensional, it really adds a functional and a beautiful look to all of your projects!

And last but not least, a layout stepping away from the main colours of the kit...I used the beautiful Prima flowers as inspiration...mainly the GORGEOUS purple flower. So I added in a pinch of purple cardstock and used the cream and black papers included in the kit.

I also used LG Belarmino's gorgeous January sketch to inspire the creation of this layout. Thanks so much, LG! I always love working with your beautiful and inspiring sketches :)

Design tip: If you are working with portrait photos that do not feature much movement, but want to give your layouts a bit more 'life', you can always try to slant your photos and use interesting shapes. Furthermore, you can layer different shapes with one another and you'll find that your simple layout will take on a whole new life!

Hope you've enjoyed the reveal and please check out the Scrap That! site for more information about this kit and others, and please stop by the other DT girls' blogs for more beautiful inspiration (check out my side bar) !!

That's all for now....Wishing you all a happy day!

*Ivana*

p.s. Feel free to stop by in a couple of days for my big announcement...

~Counting Down the Days...~

Until the Scrap That! Kit reveal, of course! Only a few more days until the full reveal, so be sure to hop on back here on the 26th! I have some sweet little creations to share with you all :) They are just sitting here waiting patiently to be showed off...

And since my scrappy stuff is all packed up in heaps and heaps of piles, bags, and totes to come home with me for the holidays...this will be my last post until after Christmas :(
I promise, though, as soon as the 26th rolls around, I will have a few fabulous new creations to share with you all.

And, yes, I am counting down the days to Christmas too! I just bought a new pair of soft, fluffy pj's (it's sort of like my little tradition each year) so it looks like I am all set! Only 3 more days...


Are you counting down the days? :)


*Ivana*


p.s. Sending my warmest Christmas wishes to you all! Hope your holiday season is merry!

~Santa's Workshop~


To some, this probably seems a little silly...but to me, a perfectly wrapped gift is just as important as what is inside the pretty packaging. So what is one to do when store-bought wrapping paper fails to inspire?



Get crafty, of course!

I started by transforming my house into Santa's workshop (think piles of paper, glue, scizzors, ribbons, jingle bells, punches, glitter, snowflakes, and LOTS of tulle...)

Got a little creative along the way....

Burnt a couple of fingers on my hot glue gun...

But it was all worth it :)

I love how they all turned out. Each gift thoughtfully wrapped with unique trimming to match. My frustrating search for just the right wrapping was not a failure, after all.
It may be a little late, except for you late-shoppers out there, but try creating your own wrapping this holiday season...I guarantee you'll put a smile on someone's face before they even get to the goodies inside!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

*Ivana*

~Wish I was...~

In a tropical paradise right now... For many of you who live in other (warm) parts of the world, it may not seem like it could ever get as cold as it does here in the North...But trust me, there are days (like today) when it is so cold that you'd rather stay inside and avoid the outdoors altogether. Days like today make me so glad to have a warm home where I can stay buried under piles of blankets with a hot cup of tea...fighting away the frigid cold....
But every once in a while, even this is not enough. Every winter, there is always that one day, which just so happens to be today...where I wish I could be somewhere warm.
Since I don't see a trip anytime in my immediate future, I thought the next best thing would be to just scrap a photo of one of our vacations :)



This was a trip we took to Mexico several years ago.We had excruciatingly hot weather every day (just the way I like it), and this photo (even though we both look extremely disheveled and the photo is of poor quality) is one of my fave vacation photos.
Why you ask?
Everything about this photo screams 'vacation' to me. We both look so relaxed, the sun beating down on us...with drinks in our hands...smiling from ear to ear....
Not to mention the bright turquoise sea... it looks so inviting... Everything about this photo makes me happy :)

So, since I have been on a Webster's tear lately...I thought the Sweet Season collection was PERFECT for this page! I know it's meant as a winter line...but that's the great thing about Webster's...all the lines are so fun and interesting that they can easily be used any time of year for any occasion.
I also dug a little deeper in my paper stash and found some old Webster's papers which I love :) and thought I would use those up too.

I used the Sweet Season diecut (love!) and cut out the inside part so I could use it as a 'frame'. I added some liquid pearls to accent the pretty shape and added some fun florals...
I used a combo of Webster's Cardstock Letters, American Crafts Foam (white with pink liquid pearls) and Remark (multi-coloured) letters.

This pretty brown patterned paper is from an older Webster's line, and to make it work for the layout, I added a few brightly coloured flowers (swiped with paint) for a beachy, sun washed look.

A few stamps, some painted leaves, a teeny bit of distressing...and I feel like I am already on my way back! Too bad that's not really the case...

Thanks for tuning in...I wish you all a happy (and warm) day!

*Ivana*

~Taking a break~

Lately, I have spent all my time on holiday crafting projects...so it was nice to create something a little bit different...
A very special wedding card, for a very special and close friend.
Inspired by winter, with a touch of feminine and masculine details...



I used some vintage music sheets, pretty My Mind's Eye patterned paper from their Lost and Found collection and a blue tag from their Sophie line, and cardstock in a soft cream and sweet, pearly blue.

I added the usual suspects...Some sweet liquid pearls, a beautiful diamond (I bought these little guys at a home decor store...they are meant to be used as table jewels to be sprinkled as decor...but I'd much rather use them for crafting!), and some pretty tulle fabric for the bow.

I stamped onto a transparency with an Adirondack Paint Dabber (it's a super fast drying paint that will stick to almost any surface, so it works just as well as archival ink on plastic) and finished off the edges by roughly painting with the liquid pearls. This gives the cut-out transparency a more distinctive look.
For the stamps, I used a Bo Bunny frame stamp, and the wings and clock are from a Hampton Art set.

Now I'm off to wrap some more Christmas gifts :)
Nighty night

*Ivana*

~Frosty Winter Greetings~

As the cold, winter days roll by, I find myself craving the sweet comforts of home...Spent with loved ones, away from this hectic city life...
Each day, as Christmas inches closer, I cannot help but think of all the yummy food my family is so busily preparing right now for us to enjoy over the holidays...I cannot help getting excited for Christmas morning...all the thoughtful gifts and sweet exchanges, and most of all I can't resist the excitement of uninterrupted days of leisure to come....Only a few more days...Well, almost.
Until then, I have a project to share...inspired by my love of the holidays and the comfort of home....Hope you enjoy :)



I used a little cardboard house I found at a local shop and painted it with white and cream paint...To give it a warm, cozy, and homey look, I sanded the edges...No fussiness here! The more distressed, the better :)
I used a Tattered Angels frame, a Tim Holtz chipboard star (covered in beautiful glitter), and some pretty Kaisercraft lace...

To match the fabulous, shabby look, I used some of my favourite things to embellish this pretty little box...

I used BEAUTIFUL Webster's Pages paper for this project. Most of the papers are from the Sweet Season collection...Just like the name, it is a collection of luscious colours, sweet designs and lovely little details...Perfect for holiday crafting full of sweetness and cheer :)

Inside the box, is a pile of mini-cards...giving this card box set is a perfect way to spread the holiday cheer :) For the tags, I used a stencil to trace the shapes on the solid parts of the
paper (the light pink and teal colours are from Sweet Season collection and the yellow pp is from the Seaside Retreat collection ). The best part is, even though the paper looks solid, the faint, yet beautiful details, add so much more to these cards than plain cardstock. I just love how Webster's paper is so thoughtfully designed and is really super versatile!
To finish these off, I added in some sweet doilies, a snowflake and sentiment stamp, and (my fave) liquid pearls! Super simple, yet so sweet...

I added in some ribbons on the sides...masked by more pretty Webster's paper and covered the roof with sweet little paper cutouts, lace, buttons and....what else...glitter!

In the center of the star, I added a clear twinkling snowflake....

And last but not least, a perfectly cheery sentiment from Inkadinkado, and a Prima rose...
Ahhh...feels so much like home.

Thanks for stopping by.

*Ivana*

~Happy December!~

I finally have a minute to myself to catch up :) This last couple of weeks have been busier than usual...I have been working more, and we have gotten back to our renos big time (do ALL renovations take THIS long??)...so my personal life, and not to mention my scrapping, have both sort of taken a back seat...
I often realize just how much I miss scrapping at times like these...sure makes me glad I get to do at least some creative stuff at work :)
So while feeling sorry for myself (we all have these days, but I do have to say it's really not THAT bad), I totally forgot that today is a day to celebrate!
I love, love, love this wonderful month of December!
It's the month of wonderful holidays, my hunny's birthday, and so many sweet traditions and happy memories...how could I not celebrate this joyous time of year?!
So happy December 1st to you all! And in honor of the beginning of this fabulous month, I have another little winter card to share with you all :)



I designed this little number for the store, featuring more of the Echo Park paper line...

Around the edge of the paper I used Tim Holtz Distress Stickles (pumice stone), and a bead of hot glue with some pretty, chunky glitter! The snowflake is from this beautiful Bo Bunny paper and the pin is my own creation. I also used a SUPER pretty Prima Sugarplum Rose. These little roses are so cute and pettite! I adore them to bits! Of course, they wouldn't be complete without my little addition of paint and glitter...

The lace, ribbon, stringed pearls, buttons and other trinks are all from stash...
I think this is just the perfect way to start off a fabulous month!
Happy December!

*Ivana*