Nest Mini Album

I am a Cricut DIVA today!!!

I took a chipboard/burlap mini album from Michaels, a 6x6 American Crafts Color Crush paper pad (also from Michaels) and added my Gypsy to create this fun mini album.  

I flipped every other page so I would have two pages with the same papers together, then two pages with burlap.  Doing this makes the pages more bulky, so I purchased bigger rings.

I made this album with my friend Robin in mind.  She just opened a shop in March called Robin's Nest where she sells re-purposed items.  She is quite talented and her shop is doing very well!!

I used a bird from Sophie for the cover.  I sized it to 13.53 inches (2.42 inches using Real Size as this cuts with a bird cage).

I used Storybook for the font and sized NEST at 1.13 inches.

I used a piece of paper from the paper pad that was all different shades of green with a watercolor pattern.

I added the linen lace to the bottom and some gems.  It still needed a little something that I found a little later....

I found the sentiment "this nest is blessed" on 3 Birds on Parade for the first page of the album.

I sized it to 1.59 inches and cut it out of pink (light and bright) cardstock.

I pop-dotted it to the bottom of the photo mat so you can slide a photo behind it.

I added a bird from Sophie (shown two photos below) and I also pop-dotted it on the corner.

The next pages showcase birdies from Straight From the Nest sized to 1.25 inches.

I made a pocket using my ATG gun to put tags for journaling.  You can also tuck in extra photos and momentos.

I found the leaf wreath with bird on Lacy Labels and sized it to 6.35 inches.  I cut the wreath out of green patterned paper and the birds out of hot pink and dark blue-green papers to match the patterned papers in the album.

The word "Family" is from Letter Envy and I sized one for the cover at 1 inch and one for the inside page at 1.47 inches.

I like how the wreath frames the photo mat.

This tree came from the Heritage cartridge.  I sized it to 5 inches and cut it out of the dark blue-green cardstock.

The tree was perfect for the back cover!

Here you can see the bird is pop-dotted on the cover.

I added the word Family to the cover.  I have a theme with each mini album I make.  Even though many people get that a Nest is like a House for a family, I did not want people to assume I lived with all birds!!

I tied some ribbon to the rings to finish it off.

Thanks for being a DIVA with me today!!

All Because Two People Fell In Love LO

Hi! Today is my day to Guest Design over at She's A Sassy Lady!!

I am so happy that my mojo came back!!!  January was a rough month for me.  We made the decision not to go on our annual family vacation with my two brothers and their families.  My brother has a work conflict.  We have been going for 13 years and this year was going to be our last one.  Not meant to be.  

Then my Uncle passed away.  He lives alone and was home by himself when he passed.  His good friends went looking for him a few days later.  Uncle Howie was the black sheep of our family ~ different from us.  He lived by himself on the river.  He had a simple life and as we went through his things it seemed to me that he had a great life.  I never really felt that way when he was alive because I kept comparing him to his siblings.

My mom (his oldest sister) died 23 years ago next month.  I was 20.  It was awful and I was angry for a long time.  She would have been an awesome grandma, but it was not meant to be.....  I grieved for over 5 years before it seemed to get better.  That scab was ripped open a bit when we went through Uncle Howie's photos and momentos.  I put together a board for his memorial which was held Saturday at his favorite watering hole ~ perfect place if you ask me!  

As I went through the photos, I came across one of a young couple and thought the man was my Uncle Mark (mom's other brother).  It was my grandpa and grandma.  They were sitting at a picnic table with a music box (their version of an ipod with speakers) and it looks like my grandma is playfully biting my grandpa's ear.  Not at all how she acted when I was around!!!  This got me thinking that if they had never met at the cafe where she worked as a waitress, I would not be here!!!  And just like that my mojo came back and the scab started to heal once again!

I started with the photo and some paper.

I saw a card on Pinterest that had the word LOVE on a mini banner and liked that idea.  I made a 2 Layer banner from Birthday Bash sized at 1.77 inches.  I got the font for "all because" from Art Philosophy and sized the letters to .85 inches.  I got the font for "two people fell in" from Nursery Rhyme and sized it to 1.15 inches.  I got the font for "Love" from Calligraphy Collection and sized it to 1.35 inches.

I cut out the scalloped flag in burgundy patterned cardstock, the top flag layer and "all because" in gold metallic paper, and the rest in black cardstock.

I used this shape from Lacy Labels at 10.38 inches.  I cut this out with sheet music paper that I found at Michaels.  This shape can also be found on many other cartridges.

I cut out a lacy mat for my photo that I found on Sophie (my grandma's name) at 4 inches.  The lace border is from Sophisticated.  I welded two together and sized them to .88 inches.  The swirls are from Heritage sized at .88.

Here is one of the mats with the cuts on it.

In order to make my title look straight and evenly spaced, I use the negative piece from my cuts as a template.

I adhere the letters and then slowly peel back the template ~ perfect every time!

Here is a close up of the burgundy patterned cardstock.  I punched out three circles, crinkled and inked them up and created a flower.  

I stuck a pearl to the center and used some black glittered chipboard flowers to accent it.

Here is my Love Banner all put together.

I curved the "all because" around the burgundy circle I added to the background.

Here is my completed layout of my Grandparents when they were young and first in love.  I am grateful they were!!  I am also grateful they jump started my mojo!!

'Tis The Season ~ SweetSassyDiva

'Tis the season to start making some Holiday cards and ornaments!!  This is Lori from ScrappinMyStressAway with a window card and ornament set. 

I started out with paper from this Deja Views Fair Isle Christmas paper pad I bought at Michaels last year.

I made a card with this frame from Going Places.  I put two of them on my Gypsy mat at 4.25 inches.  I hid the inner cut of the frame on the left.  I welded them together to make the card base. 

I added this tree from Sophie cartridge at 4.25 inches.  I copied a second tree to weld into the center of the frame.  I added the layer for the tree also at 4.25 inches.

When I make a project, I usually lay out the project on the first Layer, then copy the pieces onto separate layers to cut them out.  I also usually make several of the same cards at a time.  On Layer 1, I deleted the additional pieces (after I copied and moved them) and I put a second card base.

I cut them out of red paper (it is white on the back side).

On Layer 3, I put six trees.  I wanted these cut out in brown so the trunk would be brown.

I put the top tree layer on Layer 2.

I cut them out of green cardstock.  After seeing how much of the tree was cut away, I decided to add a middle layer.  I did not want that much brown showing through.

I copied the tree layer onto a new Layer (#5) and used Hide Contour to hide the inner cuts.  I found some green patterned paper from the same paper pad and cut them out.

I scored the cards with my Martha Stewart Score Board.

I layered the tree pieces together and was still not loving the tree.

I added some stickles and inked the edges.  I wrapped the trunk with twine and adhered the tree to the front of the card.

I added a sentiment to the inside of the card from Close to My Heart.

I adhered the extra two trees together with some twine at the top for a loop to make an ornament.

Here is the ornament.

I put the card and ornament together as a set ~ aren't they cute?

I joined Sheila's Ornament Linky Party at ShesASassyLady ~ come link up one of your own!!!