Snippets By Mendi: March 2015

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Technique Tuesday Birthday Smirthday Balloon Cards

Hello there! Today I have a couple fun birthday cards to share using two of Technique Tuesday's newest Birthday stamp sets. When I saw these, I seriously couldn't wait to make something with them. They have Teri Anderson's quirky personality all over them with the adorable balloon images and fun handwriting. :)

For my first card I stamped the balloons in archival ink onto watercolor paper and then colored them in with my distress inks (applied to my craft mat) using a paint brush & water. This is a super fun way to use distress inks and stretch your supplies.

I actually made this card three times using both paper-piecing and Copic markers for the balloons, but this turned out to be my favorite look. To finish off my card, I poked holes below each balloon and strung coordinating thread. I love the extra texture and touch of realism it gives the card! :)

For my next card I stamped my images in colored ink and then colored them in with Copic markers, allowing the colors to blend where the balloons overlap. To give my balloons a shiny mark afterwards I pulled away some of the color using my Copic colorless blender pen. When my coloring was good and dry I finished my card off with sentiments stamped from the set using my favorite Versafine Onyx Black ink.

I had a lot of fun getting inky with these sets and working with happy rainbow colors always makes my heart smile. Thanks so much for stopping by today. :)

Supplies used (available at Technique Tuesday)

Supplies used (available at Simon Says Stamp)

Supplies used (available at Scrapbook.com)

Thursday, March 26, 2015

My Mind's Eye Find Your Wings & Fly Wedding Layout

Today I'm sharing a wedding themed layout I created for a local scrapbook store challenge.

For this page challenge we were each given the following:

(1) chipboard key
18 inches of jute cording
(1) My Mind's Eye 12x12 Sky's The Limit patterned paper
(1) Fancy Pants 12x12 coral corrugated paper

The rules for this challenge are that we must use a little bit of everything no matter how small it may be. We are free to mix in anything else of our choice. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use some seriously old label stickers, flowers, brads and alphas from my stash!

I admit it. I'm a pack rat (aka hoarder) when it comes to parting with older papers and embellishments that I still love, but never got around to even opening. Unfortunately it can feel overwhelming at times so it was fun going on a hunt in search of the perfect finishing touches for this one.

The heavy jute was a serious challenge for me to mix in with what was turning out to be a girly & romantic layout. I decided to create a rosette by coiling it on a punched out circle with some liquid glue and a floral brad for the center. It may not have been my first choice, but in the end I think it works and it was definitely fun getting outside my comfort zone.

If I'm being honest, the coral corrugated paper was hard for me too. I started by die cutting my title with it, but it felt too bright with the other corals in my papers. In the end I die-cut a flower and layered it with several other silk and paper flowers to help tone it down. I actually like it now. :)

For my title I paired the family cutting file with some ancient Making Memories alphas from their Noteworthy collection. Do you remember that one? I was so in love with that line when it came out in 2009 and yes, mine were still brand new in their package.

I still had that pesky key to incorporate so I decided to ink it up with some chalk ink and tie it around the letter S with some matching embroidery floss.

Well, there you have it. Wouldn't it be fun to challenge ourselves to use random supplies from our own stash once a month?! Not only would it make a dent in what we already have on hand, but I'm always amazed at the magic that happens when I am stretched creatively!

Thanks for hanging with me today. :)

Supplies similar to the ones I used (available at Simon Says Stamp)

Supplies similar to the ones I used (available at Scrapbook.com)

Monday, March 23, 2015

Doodlebug Monogram Washi Tape Wreath & Spring Banner

Doodlebug challenged us this month to create something that was inspired by Pinterest and I couldn't wait to create a spring project inspired by the amazing Shellye McDaniel! I have been completely taken with her idea to cover an inexpensive wood monogrammed letter with washi tape for a long time now and I was excited to have the excuse to make one of my own!

Here's a peek of Shellye's amazing wreath (pinned HERE). I love how easily her design translates to any season depending on the washi tape used. I chose to tie my letter to the back of the wreath using Doodle twine making it easy to switch out with the seasons.

I wanted to make some big bows to secure my banner in place, but truth be told, I'm not usually very good at making them. I was tickled to discover a very easy tutorial (shared HERE) which helped me create them with very little effort. For my smaller sized bows I used (36) 3" lengths of ribbon per bow which means you will need 3 yards of grosgrain and 3 yards of sheer ribbon to make two.

One last tip I would recommend is painting your letter white beforehand. Washi tape is obviously transparent in nature and this really helps keep the colors nice and vibrant. :)

While I had my spring papers out, I decided to create a coordinating chipboard banner using the darling papers and craft kit from the Hello Sunshine and Easter Parade collections.

I kept it sweet and simple, but I can't help smiling when I see these adorable critters. To connect the banner pieces together I created a loop with the same grosgrain ribbon, gluing them together in the back. I then threaded a needle with some Doodle twine and sewed buttons onto the ribbon loops.