Wreathed in Ribbons...

It's been days and days of rain here in San Francisco and I really needed to brighten my day! Luckily, this week we are featuring the fabulous and amazing new tool from Imaginisce, the i-Magicut! Keep reading for a chance to win one of these cool tools!

If you love ribbon, but you don't like the frayed edges that you get when you cut it, than this is the tool for you. To show it off, I decided to create a ribbon wreath to hang in my craft space.

The great thing about the i-Magicut is that it not only cuts, but also seals the ribbon. 

To create my wreath, I took a wreath base that I got from my local craft store. Mine is about 8 inches, as my room is small. I began by choosing complimentary ribbons of all types, cutting each length long enough to tie off. The i-Magicut took care of any frayed edges for me. (Bean Tip: when cutting/sealing wired ribbon, you will need to snip the wire with scissors, though the edges will still be sealed!) Simply layer the ribbon in an overlapping row around the wreath base and voila!--something pretty to hang in my room.

Be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog for a chance to win your very own i-Magicut and see what amazing projects my teammates have designed for you today and the rest of the week!

You Float My Boat!...

Welcome to the PSA Essentials-Touch Twin Markers Blog Hop! If you are joining me from the Touch Twin blog, where you got to fall in love with Lydia Fiedler's project, you are on the right track. I'm so glad you could join us today as we showcase some fabulous markers alongside PSA Essentials stamps! Keep reading for details on a fun giveaway, too!

I hope you have all recovered nicely from your St. Patty's Day revelry. For my project today, I decided to try to show off the different tips on these cool alcohol-based Touch Twin Markers. Each comes with two different sized tips (one broad and one fine, which gives you several options) and I created my own background paper simply by coloring with each. I stamped this darling sailboat from PSA Essentials, fussy cut it, and adhered with a wee foam square. Easy-peezy, and I had a cute little card to send to my best guy!

Enabler Alert: Exclusive blog-hopper discount at Cyber Savvy Shop. Click HERE for details!

BEAN NOTES
Stamps: Sailboat from Anchors Aweigh set (PSA Essentials); sentiment from Kid at Heart set (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Pool Party (Stampin Up!)
Coloring Medium: Touch Twin Markers (Shinhan)

Now, off you go to Vera's wonderful blog, Ling's Design Studio for more blog-hopping fun!


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Kiss Me, I'm Irish!...

Happy St. Patty's Day! When I was a little girl, I always thought St. Patrick's Day was a fun holiday, especially when it landed on a school day and the classroom was just swimming in green. Now that I'm a grownup, it's a little harder to dress for the day to avoid that dreaded pinch, as I don't own a lot of green clothing! So, I thought I'd create some cute pins that I could wear when celebrating.

Using the i-Top and was,y computer-generated sentiments, I created some quick buttons. This one includes some green ribbons. (Bean Tip: if your materials are too thick to fit together inside the i-Top tool, use an i-Bond or a corded glue-gun to adhere everything together.)

This four-leaf "clover" was created with a heart punch and the i-Top. Before attaching the backing, I used the i-Bond to adhere the leaves so that they were perfectly positioned.

Have a SAFE and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

BEAN NOTES

Tools: i-Top, i-Top Punches, i-Bond (Imaginisce)

Ink: Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up!)

Cardstock: Textured Green (Bazzill)

Fibers: Ribbon, various (generic)

Accents: Lime Stickles (Ranger)

Makin' Waves...Brick by Brick...

Yay! Today is my day to showcase the newest release from Imaginisce, the absolutely darling Makin' Waves Collection! Be sure to keep reading for a chance to win a fab prize!

Today I have two layouts, though this collection would be perfect for card making as well. I was so thrilled to finally be able to make a layout for the rugrat's swim lessons that he took last year. I really wanted to keep things clean and simple and let my photos do the talking and Makin' Waves was simply perfect.

These wonderful die-cuts make perfect titles.

I free-cut a few waves from the cute patterned paper and some vellum. I love the zig-zag pattern on the blue background!

Next is a layout I created to document my baby boy's day at the beach constructing a sandcastle. We live in the Bay Area and it's usually too cold to go out to the beach, but we had a beautiful day and had so much fun.

To create this sun, I used the i-Top tool, i-Top punches, and one of the
new Snag 'Em stamps...isn't it sweet?

I "strung" some photos on a piece of thick twine with some mini clothes-pins.

With a border punch and patterned paper, I added my journaling along the bottom of the page.

I hope you enjoyed my two layout projects for today. I would love to know what you think! For your chance to win your very own Makin' Waves collection, be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog and leave a comment and while you are there, check out my talented teammates' projects with what has become my favorite collection!

BEAN NOTES

Swim Like a Fish 12 x 12 Layout

Patterned Paper: Makin' Waves Collection (Imaginisce)

Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah)

Specialty Paper: Vellum (PTI)

Accents: Hot Summer Day Chipboard and Sun-Kissed Die-Cuts (Imaginisce)

Brick-by-Brick 12 x 12 Layout

Patterned Paper: Makin' Waves Collection (Imaginisce)

Stamps: Sun Snag'Em Stamp (Imaginisce)

Cardstock: Kraft (generic)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Accents: Sun-Kissed Die-Cuts (Imaginisce); Mini Clothes-pins (Stampin' Up!)

Tools: i-Top and i-Top Punch (Imaginisce)

Punches: Waves Border (Fiskars)

Fibers: Rope Twine (SU!)

Dies: Stone Soup Alphabet (Bosskutz)

Riding High...

It's a rainy Tuesday! My hard-working hubby has been more than a bit stressed at work lately, and I thought I would make him a card to cheer him up. 

I was inspired to combine a couple challenges, the fun color challenge at The Paper Players, as well as the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge from my Baker's Dozen buddy, Karen Giron. I found the colors challenging this time around, especially as I wanted to make a masculine card. So, I found some night sky paper that is actually from a Halloween collection! 

I grabbed one of my favorite Taylored Expressions sets, In the Clouds, and decided to turn one of the darling blimp images into a rocket ship. I stamped some of the little star images included in the set, dry embossed with the Stars Impression Plate, and added some die-cut stars for a blast off trail. Some glittery Stickles finished off this card that shows just how I feel about my best guy.

BEAN NOTES

Stamps: In the Clouds (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizazz, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie (SU!); Fresh Snow (PTI)

Patterned Paper: Spookville (We-R-Memory Keepers)

Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)

Accents: Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

Templates: Star Impression Plate (TE)

Dies: Blimps & Banners Dies, Seeing Stars Dies (TE)

Calendar Boy...

With interchangeable photos and a tear-off calendar, this is a gift that will be useful throughout the year.

Thank goodness it's Friday! I have had a crazy week with a sick rugrat and sleepless nights of worry, but now he's all better and I have some wonderful news to share. I have been a huge fan of Lifestyle Crafts (formerly known as QuicKutz) and I was so thrilled to be invited to become an Affiliate of this fabulous company. The best part is that all my readers get to benefit by receiving an exclusive 20% off coupon off purchased made in the LC store!

Enter the code: BEAN for your exclusive savings!

It is going to be such a pleasure sharing with you some projects created with Lifestyle Crafts products, and I wanted to begin with this interchangeable photo calendar that was inspired by the Taylored Expressions Calendar Challenge. I was so in love with this project that I thought I would create a mini tutorial for anyone interested in making one:

A sturdy, precisely cut easel-back makes this perfect for display.
It folds flat, which would make it easy to mail.

I began by die-cutting the pieces to assemble my photo calendar stand from the very cool Card & Photo Easel Die. To make this extra sturdy, I used Craft-A-Board, which is a thin cardboard that runs through die-cutting machines using wafer-thin dies with ease.

You will want to cut two of the panel on the right in order to create the interchangeable photo frame.

After covering one panel with patterned paper, die-cut a frame using the included frame (BEAN TIP: use removable tape to secure your die in your desired spot.) 

Punch or die-cut a circle on the second panel. After trimming a photo to your desired shape, secure the two panels together using Scor-tape. Be sure to leave the top of the "pocket" free of glue/adhesive.

Photos can be easily interchanged with the formed "pocket" between the two panels. Adhere the easel back piece after you have finished decorating your front panel.

Print out as many photos as you would like, trimming to fit the pocket. For my project, I also added a fun Mini Tear-Off Calendar from Taylored Expressions. The Card & Photo Easel Die is so versatile that I think I'll be able to create a ton of other display and gift items, such as single- or multiple-photo frames, table toppers, and memo holders. 

I hope you enjoyed my first "tutorial" -- I hope to do more in the future. I'm so pleased to be able to offer a discount for readers of TSB. 

Don't forget to visit the Lifestyle Crafts store and enter the code: BEAN at checkout for 20% off!

Have a Happy Bean Day!

BEAN NOTES

Patterned Paper: Blink of an Eye (My Mind's Eye)

Cardstock: Baby Blue Medium (Bazzill)

Specialty Paper: Craft-A-Board (Ellen Hutson)

Fibers: Ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Embroidery Floss (generic)

Calendar Product: Mini Tear-Off Calendar (TE)

Accents: Button (October Afternoon)

Die: Card & Photo Easel Die (Lifestyle Crafts)

Grow, Seek, Go, See, Be...

It's a Mojo Monday kind of Thursday! I was in the mood to make some springtime sunshine and when I saw this week's Mojo sketch, I just had to give it a whirl.

I have been wanting to try out the new Tiptoe Through the Tulips die set from Taylored Expressions and I paired it with this lovely sentiment from the set, New Beginnings. There is nothing so pretty as yellow tulips growing on a field of green!

For some added dimension, I die-cut multiples of the tulips dies and popped them up over the stems after sponging ink all around for some depth. I stamped the beautiful sentiment and created my own "tag" element, sponging on more ink around the edges. A ribbon treatment, a pretty button, and a bit of twine later, my card was done and I think I'll go outside and soak up some sun.

BEAN NOTES

Stamps: sentiment from New Beginnings (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: Delightful Daffodil, Pear Pizazz (Stampin' Up!); Choice Buttercream (TE)
Ink: Pear Pizazz; More Mustard (SU!)

Patterned Paper: Odds & Ends (Cosmo Cricket); Wonder (Authentique)

Accents: Button (October Afternoon); Brads (Making Memories)

Fibers: green ribbon (JoAnn); twine (SU!)

Dies: Large Layering Doily, Tiptoe Through the Tulips (TE)

Tools: Corner Chomper (We-R-Memory); Corner Punch (Fiskars)

Wine Country Wedding...

Hello crafty friends! I'm very excited to share a fun project I created over the last few days for a cool challenge to create a party ensemble, hosted by the party gals over at PaperCrafts. They just released their new amazing book, Party Ensembles, and I thought I would give the challenge a try.

I decided to create a wedding reception ensemble because my wonderful brother-in-law is getting married next month (yikes! I have know him since he was twelve and I can't believe he's old enough to get married!) Of course, my crafty mom-in-law created their wedding invitations for them, but I was still inspired by their love of the wine country to create my ensemble.

I began by choosing a central image that I would focus on that would tie everything together, along with a color scheme. I fell in love with this elegant bee image from PSA Essentials's Country Home set. I'm pretty old-school when it comes to weddings, so I wanted an elegant look. I love how lush and green a winery looks in summertime and paired some green with a rich cream for my colors.

I also created a coordinating 'thank you' card for the bride and groom to use after the event, continuing the bee image, which I stamped and punched out with an oval punch. The threaded ribbon, too, is repeated throughout, as is the lovely dry-embossed background of swirls and flourishes.

As this "wedding" takes place on a gorgeous vineyard in Napa Valley, I thought it only fitting that the table toppers be wine bottles, which would be easy to cover with the same image and embossed cardstock and ribbon as I have going already. The place cards match as well, and I found these cute memo holders, which I simply covered with coordinating cardstock.

My final reception piece is a favor box (always a favorite item at a good party!), which I created with a baker's box die from Lifestyle Crafts out of the green cardstock and added the couple's names and the date of the event, complete with the elegant bee and ribbon for each guest to take home. What is inside you might be asking? Well, you'd have to be a guest at this wine country wedding to find out, but my vote would be for chocolate!

BEAN NOTES

Stamps:  bee image from Country Home set (PSA Essentials)

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!); Classic Cream ( Neenah)

Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento (Tsukineko)

Dies: Bakery Box (Lifestyle Crafts)

Tools: Oval Punch (EK Success); Hole Punch (Fiskars)

Fibers: Green Satin (Ellen Hutson)

Templates: Flourish Textured Impression Plate (Sizzix)

Font: Edwardian Script (microsoft)