Home is Where the Heart is - A Red, White & Blue Challenge

Hey Polka Dot Fans!  Here is a fun little mini chipboard album that is perfect for this time of year!  Makes me think of 4th of July, family reunions and backyard BBQ's.  I added some texture to the layers with the flocked "Home" lettering.

 

  

 

 

I tried a little something different with the burlap photo mats, they add a nice, homespun feel along with my little paper posies.

 

I made some of my own embellishments and used a lot of different papers, journal cards and rub ons from different collections. 

The rustic star paper is actually from a Recollections Christmas line...don't be afraid to raid your stash and have FUN mixing and matching!

 

I added lots of tags with ribbons and bound it with my Bind-it-all by Zutter.  Don't you love how CHUNKY it is? 

 

Do you scrap for the summer holidays?  This project is linked up over at Craftin' Desert Divas Red White Blue Linky Party.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

{{Hugs}}

 

Kimberly

 

Saturday Spaces ~ Handmade Whimzy

Hi Polka Dot Fans!  Today you are in for a treat as we take a peek at the wonderfully organized space of my seamstress friend Tricia Harvey, from Handmade Whimzy.  She has some fab storage ideas that will work for any crafter!

 

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I moved into my current sewing room about 1 1/2 years ago.  It was an empty bedroom in our house that we were using as a game room - or at least that was our intention. We did have all our games neatly organized in there along with a game table but unfortunately you couldn't see it because of all the junk we were "storing" on top of it.

 

My husband kept saying we should move my sewing room into that room from the little bitty room that it was currently occupying. I kept saying no because I had just painted it a lovely light aqua.  But finally, I agreed because the new room was twice as big as the old room and I would no longer have to keep the ironing board out in the hallway.

1. What was your budget for your sewing room? We really didn't have a budget while we were setting it up. We knew before hand that we would have to change out the lighting. We reused the track lighting from the old room and put it over my sewing tables. We did buy a new light fixture for the center of the room.

We didn't repaint because I had repainted the room a couple of years before and it was still in really good shape. But it is not my lovely light aqua - it is super bright lime green which I thought was great for a game room.  My two favorite colors though are lime green and turquoise so having a sewing room that's lime green doesn't really bother me. The only other thing I bought for this room was the cube storage shelving that I got at Target on sale. It holds my smaller cuts of fabrics like fat quarters, charm packs, jelly rolls, etc.

 

Oh, I did spend about $100 on 8 art prints from jellybeans on etsy that I had coveted for a long while.  But I used the money I had made from Christmas sales to buy them.  And I LOVE them.

 

 

2.What is your favorite thing about your room?  My art prints from jellybeans on etsy. :)  Also, I love that my hubby made some wooden risers for my cutting table to make it counter height so that I wouldn't have to bend over.

But the main thing I love is that I have a space all to myself where I can go to get away from all the boys in my house.  It smells nice - like lavender (not like smelly boy).  I am so thankful everyday that I have such a nice space.  Sometimes I just sit in it and do nothing.

 

3. Will you be making any more changes to your space?  Yes!  I have fabric that I bought a year ago to make skirts for all my tables so that you wouldn't be able to see the storage I have under them. 

And one day I'm actually going to make those table skirts.  Also, I'm thinking about making some kind of board that I could cover in flannel and use for my design wall.  Maybe one that will hang over the door.  Right now I use my floor for my design wall.

 

 

 I hope you've enjoyed visiting my little space.  Come back anytime.

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Thank you Tricia for sharing your gorgeous green space!  After seeing this post, I know I have got to have more shelving in my crafty little life!  And she also inspired me to create my own dedicated shipping area, what a time-saver!  Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by!

 

{{Hugs}}

 

Kimberly

Make it Monday - Personalize it with Vinyl!

Hey, happy Monday!  Today, I wanted to share a few altered items I added to this quick gift basket pulled together for my daughter's friend.  When you are short on time, the next best thing to handmade is hand-embellished :)

 

Again, the Cricut vinyl came to the rescue.  I used it to add the letters "BFF" to a cute little journal, and her friend's name to the front of the bucket filled with other goodies like markers, sketch pad, flip flops, temporary tattoos and nail art.  For instant cuteness, I added a couple of Prima flowers and a cute owl sticker to a jumbo clothespin.

 

 

 

Here it is all packaged up and ready to go! 

What's your go to quick and easy gift?

 

{{Hugs}}

Kimbery

Dream Big Graduate!

Today, I'm sharing a mini album at long last!  If you've noticed, I've been making  a lot of cards and notepads lately which is fun, but I am crazy for mini's.  That's why I was so excited when a dear friend of mine asked me to create a junque journal/smash book for her high school graduate.   I had THE BEST time creating this book because I got to come up with all sorts of ways to include her daughter's favorite things like vintage sheet music, Broadway musicals, the Andrews Sisters, Marine Corps and WWII history.  

 

I used Heidi Swapp's Binder Album, which is bare chipboard, embossed with a chevron pattern.  To give it some vintage-inspire glitz, I spritzed it with Color Shine in mustard, and added some pennant flag accents.    One of Scrap Your World's Blooming Beauties in a lovely teal blue was the perfect touch to add some glamour to the cover.

 

 

 Once I decided on the cover, it was time to have fun with the inside!  I knew I wanted to add a ton of hand-stitching and layers.  And of course banners...love this stitched one by Recollections.

 

 

I tried to highlight some important dates in the graduate's life, like this little calendar tab, since her birthday is in June.   I designed some flexibility into the journal, like the removable journaling cards, in case she prefers to add a picture here.

 

 

 She loves musical theater, so I worked in some Broadway Playbills.

 

Her mom is planning to let her classmates sign the book at her graduation party, so made sure there are plenty of places for notes and messages, like this little "Inspire" notecard.

 

 She can stash mementos in this pocket made from Andrews Sisters sheet music.

 

 

November 2nd marks another important date, and I found these wonderfully aged USMC tags to reflect her fondness for this service's history.

 

I really like how attaching the pages by sewing allows you to have layers and "hidden pages" like the doily one below.





Here, I actually used some of the vintage sheet music for a background page on the left and I just had to add an embellished kraft envelope on the right.

 

 

I had a lot of fun creating an eclectic feel because her tastes are so different.

 

And I covered one of the remaining pages with this fun authentic WWII war bond, I hope she loves it!  I added a few of the divided page protectors at the end, filled with journaling cards for her friends to sign.

 



 

 

Thank You's for Teacher

A boxed set of notecards or thank you cards makes a handy gifts for teachers.  My kids' teachers almost always give them handwritten thank you's for any gifts they received, so I'm sure they would be great to have on hand.  Here is one of my favorite sets.

There is just something about this Odds and Ends paper from Cosmo Cricket that I adore, don't you?  I had fun mixing and matching it with some of the My Mind's Eye the Sweetest Thing collection, topped off by some yummy Stampin Up striped ribbon (now retired).

 

 

 

The card folder is a file from the Cutting Café...I can't get enough of her templates!

The stamp is from the dollar bin at Michaels, woot woot! 

 

This set was so much fun to make!

 

Thanks for taking a peek!

 

{{Hugs}}

 

Kimberly

You're a Hoot Notepad for Teacher

Need more gift ideas for teacher?  These thrifty altered notepads are cute and functional!  They are perfect when paired with another item, like a gift card or all by themselves.  These neutral brown, aqua and cream colors are neutral and would work for both genders.  I chose owls this year, but you could use any theme you like.

 

I found this fun ruler/tape-measure paper ribbon at Hobby Lobby for the "Teachers Rule" pads :)  The fun owls are printable clip art from Rhoda Design Studio...printable files are a great and economical way to make your own embellishments.



Don't forget about adding a name to the tag, WHO doesn't love a little personalization?

How will you thank your child's teachers this year?

Thanks for stopping by!
{{Hugs}}
Kimberly

Make it Monday ~ Destination Bermuda

Hello lovelies!  Today, I want to share a piece that is oh so special to me.  It's an altered 7 gypies tray to remind me of my 10 year wedding anniversary.  My parents, kids, hubby and I cruised to a little piece of heaven, otherwise known as Bermuda :)  Unfortunately, at the end of the trip, our bags were too full to bring home a lot of memorabilia (I know that's never happened to you), but what I was able to add along with some other embellishments really helped recreate the special feeling from the trip. 

 The shades of blue, cream, and brown remind me of the sand and surf.  I used some of my favorite materials like burlap which always makes me think of the beach.  The ship key card, layered on op of some journaling cards was a fun addition!

 Aren't these satin blooms gorgeous?  When I saw them on my friend Paula's FB page here, I knew they would be perfect for this wall art.  And what beach project would be complete without a little sand and a message in a bottle?  The go perfectly with the picture of this amazing sand sculpture we came across.

 

I saw this quote, "If you look like your passport photo, you're too ill to travel" and just had to add it, isn't it the truth?

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my little trip back down memory lane, drop me a comment and let me know where your perfect beachy place is!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

 

Kimberly

Saturday Spaces ~ My Dirty Little Secret

Hey Polka Dot Fans!  Have you been enjoying the peaks inside my paper studio?  I sure am having fun re-doing it.  Now, I have to let you in on a little secret...there are still a couple of places in my room that I don't let anyone see...until now!  If you are like me, you love the PROCESS of creating but the clean up part...yeah, not so much :)  But, I am forcing myself to go over every nook and cranny and throw out or relocate stuff that just doesn't belong...too much stuff is kinda cramping my style.  So, I'm showing you a little before and after of one of my favorite storage pieces, this lovely distressed yellow hutch I picked up from the Cotton Exchange in Fayetteville, NC. 

 

Problem is, it became a dumping ground for whatever I didn't have a place for.  It's great for my ribbon and embellies, but somehow, old ink cartridges, paint brushes and other odds and ends found their way in. I love the glass containers, but the ribbon shoved in them just wasn't a good look :/

 

And the drawers, oh. my. word.

 

And the cabinet below...I can cram with the best of them, can't I?!?

 

So happy I finally made time to get this baby cleared out!

 

Here's my newly organized ribbon jars...you can read more about them here.  I put loose chipboard letters into glass jars and buckets, how do you store yours?

 In the drawers. right now I'm storing my sewing notions and some other embellies.

 The bottom is completely empty and I need your help!  What would you put here?

 

What's your favorite storage item in your craft space?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

{{Hugs}

Kimberly