Live *Pion Design/Helmar*

I was so inspired by the new challenge site CSI (challenge #19 due tomorrow) to create this layout as Pion Design DT work (For Mother Collection) and my first project for Helmar Adhesives. I will also be teaching this layout on June 16th, complete with the large white handmade flower (a mix of a few of my flower tutorial techniques), chipboard techniques, gesso, sanding, chalking, and so much more! Class details will soon be posted next week at Paper and Lace (Strathmore, Alberta, Canada).

Well, this is my middle child at the ripe age of 5 years old. You see, he has an amazing sense of balance and he could actually skateboard and ride a 2-wheeled bike by his 4th birthday (self taught!!!). So... you can imagine how high the ramps are and what he does now 3 years later at 7 years old (scares the crap outta me!). Anyways, who says you can't put doilies and flowers and pearls on a boy layout? I created this with the intention of making a baby layout but these pictures just called to me. BTW - this layout style is GREAT for using up your precious scraps :)

I Do! (Swirlydoos)

I've created another DT layout using the oh so versatile May "So Chic" Swirlydoos kit. Just LOVE the Donna Salazar "Botanique"papers to death! BUT, my layout photography just does not quite capture the beauty and the shimmer of some of the papers like this one - what a shame! This is a picture of my wedding day during the vows, almost 11 years ago! The Dusty Attic chipboard garden frame (I cut it into 2 pieces) is from my stash.

Here is a close-up of the Prima bling (in the main kit) and flowers (in the flower add-on)

I used the Swirlyhues sketch and 2 of the 3 colors as inspiration (since I'm on the DT I decided to break the rules since I don't qualify for the competition, LOL). FYI - the full palette is mandatory but the sketch is optional if you wish to play along this month - open to ANYONE (you do not need to be a kit subscriber!).

Check out the full challenge information and more Swirly DT inspiration on the Swirlydoos blog.

Second ScrapFit Challenge Prize for May

I'm sponsoring 2 Dusty Attic prizes this month over at the ScrapFIT blog (http://scrapfit.blogspot.ca). It is truly a fantastic inspirational EASY challenge blog with an awesome design team (great tutorials too!). You have until May 31st to enter. The SECOND theme and prize this month is...

CHALLENGE: Misting!
Create a layout or project with a good amount of misting!  Be creative, make your own misting mask, mix your mist colors - think outside the box! Visit the ScrapFIT blog for more details and great inspiration!

You can find a healthy selection of Dusty Attic chipboard in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto. The chipboard styles sell out very fast - so be sure to check back often for re-stocking.

Have fun creating!!!

Pion Design May Sketch Challenge

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Pion Design is having a fantastic sketch challenge (ending May 31st) and you could win an entire Pion collection. Here is my interpretation of the sketch, using the gorgeous new "For Mother" collection.

This is a picture of my boys sharing a snack while camping a few years ago. I just love the little toddler chairs - so cute! I used some new Dusty Attic chipboard pieces from my Etsy shop and kept the focus on the picture. I also used a script stamp with chalk ink on the "love" word (white flocked chipboard letters from the dollar store!) and really like the result.

The beautiful layout sketch was created by our DT coordinator, Ann Kristine. I really love the simplicity of this sketch as it allows for so many wonderful interpretations.

I hope you give this wonderful challenge a try and link your Pion Design project  at http://blog.piondesign.se. The sketch challenge ends May 31st. Good Luck!

If you are a card maker, then you may enter using this wonderful sketch:

Help me win a PRIZE for YOU

Hun??? Well... the Helmar DT is having a little "friendly" competition and the winner gets prize (and the claws are coming out, hee, hee). So... if I get the prize it is only fair that I reciprocate the generosity for getting your help (and you know I give good stuff - just saying, LOL :) All you need to do is:

LIKE Helmar on their facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/HelmarUSA) and leave them a comment saying that I, Vicky Alberto, sent you there to do so. THAT's it!!! (If you already like them just say so and quote my name in the comments :)

If I win... then one of you wins too - so hurry and like them on Facebook (and remember to mention my name). This DT contest is only going on for a week. Thanks for your support and have a great weekend!

Swirlydoos May kit reveal/blog hop

Welcome to Swirlydoos' May Kit Reveal

Blog Hop Block Party!

(and happy National Scrapbook Day too!)

If you came here from Swirlydoos blog, then you are on the right track.  If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there.  We have some amazing projects for you to see today and as a bonus we have 3 special guests joining in the fun and offering a prize!! There are 4 prize packs up for grabs so make sure to follow along and have fun!

The "So Chic" May kit is is just that - shabbylicious chic! It features beautiful papers from Donna Salazar "botanique" and tons of fabulous scrappy goodness from Melissa Frances. For my fist layout, this is my daughter as a newborn. I added a crochet doily (from Michaels) and little acrylic stems (in last month's kit) from my stash.

I did some faux stitching on this (white pen and paper piercer) and love the result. Here is a close-up.

For my second layout, this is my son as a toddler on Easter morning (at my mom's house). I added a Dusty Attic chipboard cherry blossom piece and some paper doilies from my stash. 

Oh my goodness I can't even start to tell you how FULL this kit is - so many flowers! Seriously, I get the main kit and a flower add-on and I have more than enough to make at least 5 layouts. 

I used the gorgeous kit sketch for this one.

Last but not least, a little altered booklet. This will be sent to Stephanie Dinnell, the winner of a recent Swirlydoos forum challenge. She gets a handmade item from several of the Swirly DT members! BTW - Don't you just love those metal corners in the kit?

You have until midnight, eastern time, on Monday, May 7th to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on May 8th.  In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:


1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are REALLY beautiful things to see along the way.

2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down. Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a QUESTION.


3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had AND tell us the QUESTION that was created with all of the special words you collected AND GIVE US YOUR ANSWERS.

My special word is : WHAT

The party continues over at Lisa Gregory's blog.  Have fun!

***Also, since May is National Scrapbook month, we are saving some of our projects and will be revealing them all month long.  Make sure to come back and check all of our Design Team's blogs to see their wonderful work!

May prize sponsor for ScrapFIT

I'm sponsoring 2 Dusty Attic prizes this month over at the ScrapFIT blog (http://scrapfit.blogspot.ca). It is truly a fantastic inspirational EASY challenge blog with an awesome design team (great tutorials too!). This month you'll have 2 chances to win some Dusty Attic chipboard. The first theme and first prize this month is just perfect for my sponsorship...

CHALLENGE: Decorate With A Doily!
Doilies are back and being put to good use on our scrapbook layouts and paper crafts!  Show us fun and unique way to use a doily! Visit the ScrapFIT blog for more details and great inspiration!

You can find a healthy selection of Dusty Attic chipboard in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto. Please note that I just received a new shipment just a few weeks ago and the chipboard styles are already selling out very fast (already half the shipment is sold!) - so be sure to check back often for re-stocking.

Have fun creating!!!

Swirlydoos ATCs

Happy Sunday!

Just a quick post of some ATCs I made for Swirlydoos. Each DT member made a few of these for our Swirly leader Krissy to hand out at an upcoming event. I used left overs from my FEB/MAR/APR kits. Was a fun challenge to work on such a small "canvas". Click on the image to see details...

Helmar Adhesives Design Team 2012

I'm officially a "Helmar Hottie" (hee, hee that sounds funny to say!). I was excited to be invited by Erika Taylor (the DT coordinator) to the team and even more excited to learn that she lives only about 40 minutes away from me! A big shout out to my fellow Canadians on the team and DT members from other teams together - whoooo hooooo!!!

The New Helmar Design Team consists of 19 full-time designers, 5 guest artists, and 1 sketch artist...

from all over the world!

Jamie Cripps

Jennifer Evans

Martha Richardson

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Cheryl Boglioli

Grace Lauer

Susan Weckesser

Carisa Zglobicki

Cindy Royal

JJ Sobey

Vicky Alberto

Melanie Forbes

Rae Cooper

Michelle Wallace

Amy Lynne Lassiter

Liz Chidester

Jen Erickson

Beck Beattie

Sandie Edwards

Lydell Quin- Our Helmar Challenge and Sketch Artist

Erin Morehouse - Our May Guest Designer

Lisa Wilkinson - Our June Guest Designer

Katie Nolan-Denhan - Our July Guest Designer

Kate Vickers -Our August Guest Designer

Cheryl Walker - Our September Guest Designer

Erika Taylor- Design Team Coordinator

Also Jessica Morales will be doing some amazing videos for us on a regular basis and we wanted to give her a shout out too.

Be sure to scroll to the next post to find out how you can win a Helmar Adhesives prize pack from Canadian Scrapbooker!

Canadian Scrapbooker Prize

Who wouldn't want to win this prize pack from Helmar? Check out Canadian Scrapbooker for details!

I'm teaching layout classes (and a Canadian retailer for PION DESIGN!)

I am so happy that Pam Malone opened a little shop called Paper and Lace, in Strathmore Alberta,  just 20 minutes from my house!  We have teamed up to help promote her new shop and I will be teaching a May 5th layout class (featuring Prima papers) and a June 16th layout class (featuring PION DESIGN papers!!!) at the Days Inn Hotel in Strathmore.  Yup that's right, Pam is now one of the very first Pion Design retailers in Canada!!!  She is just waiting for the "For Mother" collection to arrive.


Oh... and BTW - Pam carries all the latest and greatest scrappy goodies (she has AMAZING taste!)... all at $20-25% LESS than all the scrapbook stores around.  She also bends over backwards for her customers and accepts custom order requests - still at the lowest prices around. It's like a permanent sale at her place!

The May 5th, 2012 class will be INSPIRED by my recent "desire" layout - with a few fun twists such as handmade flowers and a stamped title plate.

In my classes for Paper and Lace, you'll apply some tips and techniques such as making handmade flowers, layering, distressing, inking/paint, use of lace, adding pearls/bling, flower clustering, etc.  You'll learn how to add dimension and depth to your layouts - taking them from flat to fabulous!  Best of all, you"ll get to play with spectacular products and tools, have lots of fun, plus go home with a gorgeous project!  At the end of the class, you'll have gained skills and inspiration to create future projects and flowers on your own. Get ready to unleash your creativity and have some FUN!

Birdhouse Treat Box (Meg's Garden and Green Tara)

I modified my own template from my gingerbread house box that I made for Christmas and came up with this cute little birdhouse box and the roof is actually a card. The box is made of one 12x12 sheet of paper from the brand new "Forget Me Not" collection. Meg's Garden also sells gorgeous trims, laces and flowers (including Green Tara :)  Here I used Green Tara cherry blossoms, paper leaves, lace and trim. The bird was cut out of another paper from the collection and I watercolored it blue to match and added feathers.

Since Meg's Garden prints on long sheets, you get a 12x12 plus a 4x12 strip (single sided) with every paper in the collection. 4x12 is a perfect size for cards! I used the coordinating strip for the outside of the birdhouse roof. As you can see, the florals are a fussy cutter's heaven. The papers aren't too thick to cramp up your hands so fussy cutting is made very easy with these papers.

Here is the underside of the roof - I created a card by glueing another excess paper strip (back to back) from a different sheet in the collection - which is the inside of the card. All it needed was a stamped phrase to complete it. To attach the card just use a clamp clip to the top of the box and decorate with lace/trim.

Here are the modifications (in yellow) to my original template. You need to put the hole at the outer edge instead of third row in (window for gingerbread house) and you may want the box a little taller (optional) and the roof a little wider than the gingerbread house version too. The same for everything else though!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek at my project today!

Life's Beautiful Card (Meg's Garden/Green Tara)

The Meg's Garden "Forget Me Not" collection includes some amazing vintage image elements sheets - this is a card maker's dream. Combined with a 4x12 paper strip from the collection, it is easy to pull together an elegant card. I added some pretty Green Tara cherry blossoms, twisted organza/pearl trim and tassel trim, plus a stamped title.

Here is the image sheet I cut the pretty picture from.

This is a view of the outside of the card. The inside is still blank (until I decide who to give it to). You can never have enough blank cards for all those unexpected occasions that seem to pop up!

Thanks for stopping by today while I share my little project.

Over 100 Dusty Attic styles in my shop

Just a head's up that the BRAND NEW Dusty Attic chipboard styles were added in my shop this morning (http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto) and are already selling fast. I have also re-stocked popular/requested items too. A total of 115 styles were listed!

Here is a little tease of the latest and greatest available:

Home is where the heart is (Pion Design and Green Tara)

I have been so busy this month but had to sneak some time to play with the new "For Mother" collection from Pion Design and Green Tara goodies I received. I was given a pink and white/cream themed challenge pack from Green Tara to work with (pink is my fave color to scrap) and combined everything with the Once Upon a Sketch challenge for April too - I just loved Nadia's sketch this month!

This is my daughter as a baby in our backyard wearing her favorite outfit at the time (I have a lot of pictures with her wearing this, LOL). Don't you just love the printed doily pattern on that paper? I enhanced it by using a Martha Stewart corner punch on the edge.

Here is a close-up of the Green Tara flowers and trims, plus the Dusty Attic "Rose Vine" piece that simply I chalk inked. NOTE: My Dusty Attic shipment has ARRIVED - I'm just working on getting out custom orders and loading the rest into my Etsy shop, hopefully all done by Monday :)

This is the OUAS sketch and theme for April, I just flipped it to suit my picture.

Green Tara Products Used:

Cherry Blossoms Pale Pink 

CODE: FLC22PP

10cm petals. White Pack

CODE: FDS023Wh

Heirloom 6.5cm Silk and Organza Flowers Dusky Pink 12pcs

CODE: XF9213DP

Daisies Pink

CODE: FDS027P

3.8cm White 

CODE: L2862W

Loop n Tassel 10mm Pink Champagne

CODE: RB9694PC