Nichol Spohr LLC

KBS | Birthday Celebration (a layout)

Can you believe that Kerri Bradford Studio has been giving me us die cut and photo collage joy for 2 years now?

Kerri has been designing digital die cut for years now but I have to say that her own brand of die cut kits and the inspiration, education and continuing evolution of her own site bring me much happiness and joy! Thanks Kerri for all your hard work, your creative spirit and for all that you do to educate others on the joy of digital die cutting! mwah!

In celebration for this milestone event, I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to see if I could create a birthday-themed layout using shapes that weren't necessarily "birthday", know what I mean? Kerri doesn't have a specific birthday kit available yet, (by the way I did tell her that I think it would be a nice addition to the store... hee hee) so I went through my Studio Library and this is what I came up with!

I went a little die cut crazy here. Here is a list of all the shapes I used and from which KBS kit. Links to the kits used can be found below in the supply list.

Kits used:

• Say What #1 (You Are My Everything)
• This & That Christmas (stack of presents)
• Here Comes Santa Claus (present)
• This & That Love (cake stand, cupcake)
• This & That Lucky (banners)
• Monthlies (November)
• Simplicities Best Thing Ever (tab)
• Storyboard #6 (photo collage)
• December Additons The Dailies (number "14")
• Decade 2000 ("2008")
• This & That Family (star, circle "3")

I grouped most of the die cuts into a title/embellishment collage along the left side of the layout. I added a few stickers for variety and added interest.

Instead of stamping the date on a tab or label as I often do, I die cut my title using an assortment of fabulous shapes offered by KBS!

Gemstones really finish off the cute banners, don't ya think? ;)

I wanted to emphasize just which birthday we were celebrating so I used one of Kerri's shapes and cut the circle "3" and added it right on my photo collage.

SUPPLIES (click on photos for links):

InLinkz.com

KBS is having a sale this week! Use the code: BIRTHDAY and save 25% on orders over $15!

 

Simon Says Stamp August Card Kit ***GIVEAWAY WINNER***

Congratulations to:

Melanie said...

Your card is gorgeous! I love how you made two completely different cards with totally different color palattes with this kit. The bright colors in it jump out of the photo, but I absolutely love the muted card, which you don't notice the colors of when first looking at the kit.

ReplyJuly 25, 2012 at 07:18 AM

I've emailed you!

Thanks to everyone and be sure to check back often for more inspiration and giveaways!

Happy Friday.

Remember THIS Christmas/Holiday Cards layout I shared a couple of weeks ago?

I finally got my ink order and got the ink in the printer. Ok, so the ink did come in a timely manner but I was in Vegas for 4 days, Chad and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and then I let the ink sit in a box on my desk for 4 more days.

Efficient? Not so much.

Here's the layout with journaling strips. Now it looks finished! A page doesn't look complete to me unless it has some journaling. It could be a little or a lot, it doesn't matter. ;)

The journaling strips help "break up" the photo collages and helps your eye naturally move across the page.

Now that it's all finished up, in the album in goes. 

Be sure to check out Kerri Bradford's latest kit HERE:

Die cut words/titles/phrases are my favorite kinds of dies and this kit is chock full of 'em! All kinds of great travel related words/phrases but lots of stuff that will work for all kinds of scrapbook pages! The versatility of Kerri's kits are amazing!

Have an awesome weekend!

New Product IN STOCK @2Psinabucket

Want to know one of my very favorite things about this time of year? 

It's not walking outside to face what my husband and I fondly refer to as the "blast furnace" of southwest Kansas (super hot temps 100+ most days + gusty winds = blast furnace).

It's not being the taxi service for 3 kids going 3 different directions most days.

It's not the piles upon piles of laundry due to sports practices, swimming, etc.

It's not hearing one or more of my kids say, "There's nothing to do. Can I have somebody over to play?".

It's not being over  3 months behind on Project Life. Ugh....what happened?????

One of my favorite things is....

.....that new, crafty goodies are hitting the store shelves!

I love new product. 

Here's what's new at Two Peas in a Bucket:

Are you guys starting to see holiday stuff go up in stores? I am.

I was like, what???? NO way!!!

However, if you're starting to think about your December Daily album (I used MME for mine last year, click HERE) or maybe you keep a Christmas & Holiday Cards from Friends and Family album like me (see mine HERE) or maybe you just want some beautiful new Christmas product to scrap with, check out this awesome new line from My Mind's Eye:

MME is great about giving you options for your holiday paper crafting.

Not digging the line above or you're like me and need a little of everything? 

Here's their other winter-ish/holiday-ish collection:

And I'm always a sucker for Halloween product. I enjoy Halloween. And Halloween decorating. And Halloween costumes. My daughter just informed me that, "She might not be dressing up this year." 

NO!!!!!!

I already lost Brenden a couple of years ago when he deemed it "not cool" anymore.

That just leaves my little dude.

How did my kids get so big is what I want to know?

I digress....

I picked up the collection pack & 6x6 paper pad for MME's newest spooky line:

I'm always a sucker for MME's newest collections and I picked up quite a few pieces from their newest collection, The Sweetest Thing. I love that the pieces are so versatile and could be used for almost anything.

And 6x6 paper pads are my favorite die cutting "accessory". You can fit 4 full 6x6 sheets on the Silhouette Cameo cutting mat at a time, cutting designs from 4 patterns at once.

I'm lazy like that. ;)

Are you a Washi Tape addict?

I admit, I'm not so good with the tape.

I love the look of it but I don't use it very well.

But some of you crafters are genius with the Washi Tape (Julie Ebersole does AWESOME stuff on her cards with it! So does Lisa Spangler!).

Be sure to check out all the new Freckled Fawn Washi Tapes (I did pick up one or two.... keep trying is my motto!):

If you read my blog very often or check out my layouts, you know that I am a huge, huge fan of Echo Park. Their newest collection, Everyday Eclectic, is right down my alley.

First of all, it's for everyday use. It says so right in the title.

And the hot air balloon paper in this collection sold me.

I'm an easy sale that way. ;)

If hot air balloons don't do it for you, may I show you the hexie paper (which made my heart go pitter patter)....

It's the whole bright colors + fun designs that I love so much! I picked up the 12x12 papers and the 6x6 paper pad because in my opinion one can never have too much of a good thing. ;)

Check out the whole collection:

Happy shopping my friends!

Beginnings of a Birthday Girl Quilt + GIVEAWAY winner announced!

In an effort to be better about blogging this summer (because I do create almost daily, even if I do forget or am to lazy to blog about it) I thought I'd share my newest summer project. I put some of my other quilting/sewing projects on the backburner for now because this one has an expiration date. ;) I am sewing up a little something for my soon-to-be 1 year old niece, Eden. Little Edie Bug is absolutely adorable, and her cousins simply adore her. Brenden and Payton want to hold her and love on her all the time. This big guy is going to be a good daddy one day. He loves babies!

I have been wanting to sew something for her for well, over a year now. I have a tendency to allow other pressing deadlines and my work schedule dictate my time and over the past few weeks I have let that thinking go and am limiting myself to a fairly strict work schedule that allows me plenty of time for the other hobbies and activities I enjoy doing (excercising, cooking good meals for my family, reading on my Nook and sewing/quilting!).

I had meant to start on her quilt awhile ago but I just couldn't come up with a design and or fabric I liked and then once I found the fabric I had trouble deciding on a design that would work with this print from the Michael Miller Sarah Jane Children at Play collection:

This is the On Parade print from the collection and it is super popular. It's sold out all over but I did a search on Etsy and came up with a few listings for it so if you love it like I do, you might check there or your favorite local sewing store (if you are lucky and have one, which I don't...boo!).

So, I messed around with some sketches and finally ended up drawing a design I liked that incorporated using as much of the collection as I could (because I love it all... the boyish prints are going to get their own project one of these days!) plus a few other fabrics for variety. 

I'm thinking when I finish up the quilt I will share a photo tutorial on how I designed it, just in case anybody wants to sew their own. ;)

First, I took these die cut and sewn pieces (yep, good ol' Sizzix makes quilting dies! If there's a die cut for it, I want it. ha!) ...

...and created a triangle border. Kind of reminds me of a banner border look that I love so much in paper crafting projects...

I had originally thought to sew the pieced border right to the long parade border strip but I really thought it needed a "pop" of color to break up all the white so I used a tiny, tiny pink stripe from Sweetwater's Sunkissed Collection that I've had forever. It blends perfectly and I am much, much happier with this look.

In fact, I liked it so much that I took the orange stripe from the same collection and sewed it to the other side of the pieced border. Gives it a much more finished look this way, I think.

So now I just need to figure out exactly how I want to sew the rest of the blocks to my quilt and get it finished before her birthday next month. 

I think I can.... I think I can.... I think I can.... 

I'll update as this little project comes along.

Now, how about announcing the GIVEAWAY winner from last week's 2Peas giveaway:

The lucky winner is:

Cynthia Larson said...

would really love to win this class - I have several vacations to scrap and this would really help me out. My 2peas name: pinnochio. Thanks for the chance to win.

ReplyJuly 18, 2012 at 12:11 AM

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

I've emailed you!

 

Simon Says Stamp August Card Kit | Happy Birthday Card + GIVEAWAY

I've got another card for you today made with the components from the August SSS Card Kit + a few extra goodies!

This card was completely different for me in terms of colors used. I am usually a bright and colorful type of paper crafter but I was so inspired by the neutrals in the August kit that I created a more "elegant" type of card than the floral one I posted yesterday. It just goes to show how versatile these kits are every month!!!

In addition to the pieces in the kit I used the banner die from a past card kit (individual stamp set can be purchased HERE, it's my favorite!) and I layered stamped images from the August set that I stamped and cut out on top. I used a gorgeous Maya Road trinket pin to wrap my banner around and tucked the end under the wood veneer bicylce included in the kit.

I wanted the basket of the bicycle to appear to be full of flowers (plus they help cover up the trinket pin tips) so I punched a bunch of tiny, tiny florals and glued them under, in and around the basket and adorned them with tiny gemstones.

For my greeting, I cut a thin strip from one of the patterned papers in the kit and punched a notched end using a square punch. Then I stamped a greeting from one of my favorite new Hero Arts/Studio Calico stamp sets HERE. I love, love, love these stamps. HERE is the other one I can't get enough of!!!

I adhered this banner to my card, wrapped some silk ribbon around one end and stapled it in place with the Tiny Attacher. 

SUPPLIES (click photos for links):

InLinkz.com

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

Simon Says Stamp has generously offered me the opportunity to give a August Card Kit away to one lucky recipient!

Please leave a comment on this blog post in the "Comments" section below today's post by Thursday, July 26th 2012, 11:59 a.m. CST for a chance to win this amazing kit!

*Please note* Unfortunately I am only able to consider replies left on the original Typepad post. Any replies via email from subscribers to my blog or replies via Twitter or Facebook will not be considered. Please leave your comment on the actual blog post for a chance to win. Thank you!

Simon Says Stamp August Card Kit | Thank You Bunches Card

The August Simon Says Stamp Card Kit is now available HERE and it is yet another great and amazing kit and value! The colors are rich and vibrant and oh so fun to create with!

For my first card this month I was inspired by all the florals in the kit. I love the look of large vases filled to the brim with these gorgeous Maya Road florals (and you get tons of florals in this kit!).

I cut the vases using the 6x6 patterned papers in the kit, my Silhouette Cameo and designs from Kerri Bradford. I used the vase and flower stem from the This & That Lucky kit and then the potions bottles from the This is Halloween kit. I love looking at the shapes individually rather than as a whole "kit" because once broken down you can find many uses for the shapes outside their "intended" design!

I layered each die cut vase over a cardstock one for some nice dimensional shadowing and added a tiny, tiny brad to the center of each layered or small flower. (I *think* these little itsy bitsy brads are Close To My Heart. I've had them forever and love them!)

I punched a small tag from the white cardstock included in the August kit and stamped the heart from the SSS Exclusive Stamp Set, Sunnier Days and outlined it with black pen. Then I tied it to one of the vases with some May Arts twine.

The Jillibean Soup label sticker greeting included in the kit perfectly finishes off this quick and easy card!

SUPPLIES for Thank You Bunches Card:

InLinkz.com

Be sure to check back tomorrow for an incredible giveaway and another card sample featuring the August SSS Card kit!!!

Christmas Cards From Friends & Family | more 2011

Even though the temperature is 103 degrees this July day, I thought it would be fun to dream of cooler temperatures and celebrate the holidays by creating a little "Christmas in July" layout featuring die cut designs from Kerri Bradford Studio. I keep an album of all the Christmas or Holiday/New Year's photo cards we receive during the holiday season and I still had a few photos that needed a home. Typically I add the names of who's who in each photo (and I will this time too) but I ran into a bit of a printer malfunction (aka I ran out of ink and had to order more...boo!). Once I print the names on kraft cardstock, I'll cut them into strips and lay them over the bottom of each coordinating photo. Nothing fancy, just a nice way to remember and celebrate friends and family every year! 

p.s. updated with journaling strips! I'll update this photo as soon as I get printer ink. ;)

I adore creating die cut "scenes" by mixing and matching shapes from several different kits. I used 8 designs from 5 of Kerri's kits. I used the photo frame from the This & That Family kit as the "base" of my "scene" by resizing it big. Then I cut the pieces from lots of different Christmas colored papers and added a black die cut "shadow" to each for depth and dimension. Shadowing is my "go-to" technique for giving die cuts that little something extra that really makes them the star of the design.

FYI: When figuring out how to cut down and group my photos, I look for photo cards of approximately the same size and group them together in piles. Then I measure them to make sure I can cut them down without losing an entire person from the photo, etc. I fill in with those tiny tiny photos from multi-photo cards where needed to complete the design. ;) I've found over time that I like grouping these types of photos together. They make a bigger impact and most importantly I can fit a lot of my page! 

Kits Used:

• This & That Winter (ice skates, sled)
• This & That Family (frame, sign post)
• This & That Christmas Past (long ornament)
• Here Comes Santa Claus ("Santa Parking" sign)
• Christmas Countdown (ornament, holly)

White Studio Calico Mister Huey mist on the sign gives it a "snow" look perfect for a winter-themed layout.

To give the ice skates a more realistic look I threaded string through the die cut holes and "laced them up". Small touches like this really take your die cuts up a notch.

SUPPLIES (click on photos for links):

InLinkz.com

Other Product Used (items that are old, discontinued or just from my stash):

• Echo Park Wintertime Holly Berry Red/Snowflake Grey Paper
• The Girls' Paperie Tinsel & Twig Paper
• Crate Paper Neighborhood Block Party Paper
• Making Memories Mistletoe Happy Holidays Paper
• Jillibean Soup Christmas Eve Chowder Stickers
• Doodlebug Glitter Paper (white)
• Making Memories Glitter Paper (gold dot)
• Making Memories Silver Metallic Paper

Christmas/Holiday Cards from Friends & Family Links (these are the links to all the pages in my album):

• Title Page
• 1998 Layout
• 1999 Layout
• 2000 Layout
• 2001 Layout
• 2002 Layout
• 2003 Layout
• more 2003 Layout
• 2004 Layout
• 2005 Layout
• more 2005 Layout
• 2006 Layout
• more 2006 Layout
• 2007 Layouts
• 2008 Layout
• another 2008 Layout
• 2008 Pocket Page
• 2009 Layout
• another 2009 Layout
• 2010 Layout
• another 2010 Layout
• December 2010 Pocket Page
• 2011 Layout

Now that we're all in the holiday spirit, check out these Christmas & Holiday themed die cut kits from Kerri:

InLinkz.com

Scrapbooking Family Vacations Class @2Psinabucket | GIVEAWAY

Workshop:  Scrapbooking Family Vacations with Nancy Damiano

Cost of class: $25

Description: 

Relive the magical memories you’ve shared with loved ones as Garden Girl Nancy Damiano takes you on a creative journey documenting your family vacations. From America’s favorite theme parks, cruises, road trips to day trips – we’ve got you covered! (Note: This workshop covers domestic travel only – we’ll tackle Europe & the world in a future workshop.) 

So whether you’re still in the planning stages of this year’s vacation or sitting on stacks of old photos, Nancy’s got a plan for you! Join her as she guides you through a step-by-step process to divide, conquer and scrapbook those vacation photos. 

Included in the workshop are 50 brand-new scrapbook pages showcasing a variety of family destinations, helpful, printable PDF's and 5 brand new videos to walk you through the ins and outs of organizing and scrapbooking your vacation. Each video covers Nancy's approach to tackling vacation layouts, her perspective on using design on your pages and the creation of a layout from start to finish. 

The lessons include: 

Chapter 1: Planning & Organizing 

Chapter 2: Put Your Mouse Ears On 

Chapter 3: Day Trips & Tourist Destinations 

Chapter 4: Beachside 

Chapter 5: Round-Ups & Memorabilia 

Nancy’s eye for detail and design, paired with her passion for travel and knack for teaching make this a workshop you do not want to miss! 

The content of this workshop will be available immediately upon purchase. The lessons are available for you to work at your own pace and upon purchase can be accessed in the "Workshops" section under "Classes & Events." A private message board forum is also available to ask questions for Nancy and to connect with other participants. Enjoy!

* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

For a chance to win this class, leave a comment on this blog post by Friday, July 20th, 11:59 a.m. CST.

Please leave your 2P's username with the comment to make it easy for 2P's to give you immediate admission to the class if you're the winner!

If you've already purchased the workshop, 2P's will refund your money or give the spot away to a friend of your choice! 

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Shopping Links

(fun new product, sales and classes at Two Peas!)

    

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I've been so behind posting this summer that I thought I would share some links to the latest and greatest kits from Kerri Bradford!

All you dog lovers/owners out there will love the new A Dog's Life kit. Fabulous!

InLinkz.com

Stuff I've Made | Drawstring Backpacks

I love the idea of drawstring backpacks but the cheap ones that the kids get at school or other events don't hold up well and let's face it, they are usually UGLY. Just me?

So when I came across THIS tutorial outlining how to create cute drawstring backpacks I knew I had to give it a try!

First, I used some leftover fabrics from my placemats and napkins (seen HERE) to create this fun little beach backpack for Payton.

I altered the tutorial a bit so to add some ruffles (leftover jelly strips from placemats) in coordinating prints plus I increased the size of the bag by just an inch or two and made the drawstring straps longer since she doesn't like anything that is very binding.

Because I knew she was going to be using this for swim team and that involves wet clothes and/or towels I decided to line the inside with coated fabric from the Lucy's Crab Shack collection. Especially since she needs a safe place to put her cell phone. The coated fabric keeps the wet from seeping into the little pocket on the front. ;) 

FYI, when using coated fabric for the lining, be sure to sew a strip of regular cotton to the top so that when you add the drastring, your bag will close tightly.

(what I used for Payton's bag)

InLinkz.com

Ethan is always toting around something or other so I made him a bag of his own as well. These would also make great storage bags for little cars, action figures, etc. He loves his bag. In fact, he exclaimed, "Is that for ME?!!!!" when I presented him with it the other afternoon. :) That made this mama feel good. 

I pretty much followed the tutorial except I increased the length and width by a couple direction each. After sewing Pay's bag, I wished I had done just a bit more on hers. I combined prints from several collections I had in my stash: Riley Blake (chevron), green stripe (Curiosities byBenartex) and of course the dinosaurs (Robert Kaufman Urban Zoologie)!

Happy Smile. Happy Boy. :)

(what I used for Ethan's bag)

InLinkz.com

My brother, sister in law and niece came over yesterday afternoon to swim. My mom and dad stopped by, too. It was so fun to see all the kids together. They just love their baby cousin. Makes my heart burst that they are so good to her.

Ethan kept telling her, "You're sooooo adorable. You're sooooo cute!". He is really gentle with her. It almost makes me want another baby. Almost. But not quite. ha. I'll settle for loving on my little nieces and nephews instead!

Well, we're headed to the last swim meet of the summer (except for the division 2's next weekend) so I better go get the cooler packed and the car loaded for the day! 

Love watching these girls swim:

Have a great weekend everyone!