What the straw???

I've been a little curious about this new straw trend. I can't remember the company that sells the actual paper straws for paper crafting (Queen&Co.???) but I found some super cute ones that are used for baking and decor. They are big and pink.

I kind of like the idea of using a straw on a project. Ideas began to swirl around in my brain and I thought it would be fun to try using one on a card. The quest was to find out if the texture of the straw would be too much or just right.

What do you think?

I used some scraps from a leftover My Minds Eye collection and put this card together. I thought to use the straw as part of a pennant. I think it looks fun and adds a completely different look then using a small dowel or toothpick. Fun and youthful! :) 

The stickers (sentiment and stitching) are all from SRM and I love how they help ground the overall design of this card. 

Have you used straws yet??? My next venture is to try them on a layout. FUN!

Playing with vinyl

So I have this whole roll of un-touched vinyl to use with my Silhouette Cameo. Instead of actually using it, I've been ordering from this awesome place called Decorating Your Life. There are 24 hour deals that are just too good to pass up. On top of that, the company is owned by my former LSS owner and she is amazing. So, how could I not support her???

Over the past several months, I've been adding my own art work to my bedroom walls. I decided to put a beautiful vinyl expression to good use. The canvas is an odd shape that I found at Blick but it works perfect with the vinyl sentiment. 

To begin, I tore up a bunch of scraps. 

Great therapy. (Tearing.)

Good use of scraps. (I really need to use mine up.)

With the help of some Mod Podge (NO... it is NOT called Modge Podge folks...), I stuck down all the scraps in no particular order.

After that I added a little bit of water to some gesso and spread it all over. 

I feel like the photos don't really show off how well you can still see the pattern paper. But the gesso definitely helps calm down all the colors. The hope was that the vinyl sentiment would pop but still have a cool background that wasn't overwhelming. 

Here is the final product. 

To finish it off, I trimmed the sides using a craft knife and then wrapped the edges with lots of washi tape. Washi tape can go a looooooooooooong way!!!

I tried to get a close up to show the pattern underneath. You can see it but the photos still don't show how well you can. Oh well. 

Now, I could have easily cut this myself, I am sure. But why would I when it can already be done for me at such an affordable price???

You need to go check out Decorating Your Life. The deals change every 24 hours and there is always something super adorable. 

Learn and Know

I love learning about people. 

Their stories. 

Their history.

Their opinions on life and such.

I think learning about one another can only grow us. I know that, by asking people to share more about themselves with me, I've learned a lot over the years.  My outlook on life has changed, I've tried new things and assumptions have been laid to rest because what I had formed in my head, wasn't necessarily true. Whatever assumption that might be. 

Today I'm sharing a layout about this characteristic of mine using the May kit CURIOSITY from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. 

The photo of myself is cropped and processed a bit. It's fun to play around with photos and see what kind of look you can get. I thought it perfect to use this photo because I have some curious eyes. Don't you think? Haha...

Other symbolic elements I pulled from the kit include the tag with the glasses. Those were too perfect because the frames reminded me of the glasses frames from when I was younger. The women always looked like teachers to me. Firm and yet inquisitive. I liked the softer color pallet and subtle patterns from the Cosmo Cricket papers in this months kit. They looked amazing backed up with the blue cardstock. 

Because I go for the "clean and simple" look, I try to find ways to use elements and add texture and rhythm. Sometimes the simple look is just too flat. Even for me! But doing something as simple as framing a brad, like I did below, can add the perfect amount of dimension without taking away from the "clean and simple" look.

Layering also helps!  One tip I've learned and will share with you, is that you just have to play. Cut. Layer. Move around. And then commit. It's a lot of fun. :) 

Come check us out at SFTIO! Journaling prompts are up, a couple of kits are still available and we have a wonderful community. Hope to see you there!