A few Pion Design/Green Tara Cards

In the spirit of "love" month I made some cards with the new Pion Design "From my Heart 2" 6x6 collection and so many beautiful Green Tara embellishments - especially roses!

For this first card, I used a scallop heart punch to create the folded heart puffy effect. I wove baker's twine around the heart doily.



This second card is more suited for a baby shower or young girl. I used rosette and twisted organza trim to make the butterfly.



Green Tara Products Used:

9mm Twisted Organza Pearl Antique Pink Ivory 20m Roll
CODE: RB6715API

9mm Twisted Organza Pearl White 20m Roll
CODE: RB6715Wh

38mm Organza Rosette White 10m Roll
CODE: RBD50Wh

2cm Rose Pale Pink
CODE: FDR009PP

3cm White Roses
CODE: FDR024Wh

3 Flower Sprays Cream
CODE: PFSTC

Spread the love GIVEAWAY!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! On February 25th, I will officially have been blogging for 2 years. So, to celebrate and thank all my wonderful followers (I still can't believe there are 800 of you!)... I am giving away some blog candy. I have put together a blue themed "fight the winter blues" kit.

With Jenny's blessing at Pion Design, I have included some "studio of memories"papers (12x12 and 6x6 sheets) and Pion Design vintage image sheets and coordinated them with some of my favorite MME "bella bella" papers. You'll also find some Dusty Attic chipboard from my Etsy shop, tons of fun flowers, 3 bottles of Stickles, bling, a Prima stamp and some fabric titles. I hope you like it!


TO WIN:
Follow this blog a leave a comment at the bottom of this post in the comments  = ONE entry into the draw.


BONUS "spread the love" ENTRY:
Write a short blog post (or Facebook post if you don't blog) about my giveaway with a LINK back to this giveaway. Then, leave me a second comment with a link to your post here (again in the comments at the bottom of my post) = your SECOND entry for a chance to win the draw.


DRAW DATE:
You have until Feb 29th to enter - lucky leap year day!


Good luck to everyone who enters and most of all thank you for your continued support - I really appreciate it. I'll be back later this week to share some projects and a brand new flower tutorial too!

Swirlydoos February Kit Reveal Blog Hop

Welcome to Swirlydoos February Kit Reveal Blog Hop BLOCK PARTY!

If you came here from Paulien's beautiful reveal, 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 2 manufacturer blogs that are joining in the fun! There are 3 prize packs up for grabs so make sure to follow along and have fun! The "Bonjour Mon Doux" kit featuring Kaisercraft's "sweet nothings" collections will not disappoint!

I am so excited to be revealing my first projects on this design team! For my first layout, "True Beauty", this is my daughter when she was one - her first Easter. I was inspired by TCR palette #96 for this layout. I have been dying to play with this gorgeous Kaisercraft collection and Swirlydoos kit and flower add-on was all so amazingly well coordinated and made these projects such a breeze to complete! I love the lace/pearl trim in the kit! Click on image to enlarge.



Here is a close-up of the pretty flowers from the add-on kit. Click on image to enlarge.


For my second project "those eyes", I used the beautiful kit sketch as inspiration. This is a picture of my son's sparkling brown eyes. I paired the Kaisercraft papers with this fantastic teal FabScraps one from the kit. I added a fabulous Dusty Attic chipboard piece from my stash to add depth and pair well with the wood feel of the paper. Click on image to enlarge.


Don't you love that teal flower branch and those cute white flowers with crystals. Those are in the main kit!!! Click on image to enlarge.

For my last layout for today, "giggle", this is me at a year old. Since pink is my favorite color to scrap, this paper collection suited me just fine. I added some Dusty Attic chipboard flourishes from my stash to add more brown and interest to this page. Click on image to enlarge.

Here is a close-up of the more beautiful flowers in the add-on kit. Click on image to enlarge.


You have until midnight, eastern time, on February 10th to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on February 11th. 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 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 sentence.

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

My special word is :

(yet)

The party now concludes over at the Swirlydoos blog. Hope you had fun!

BTW - I will be revealing 2 more projects made with this beautiful Swirlydoos kit in the coming weeks - so stay tuned!

And... I haven't forgotten about the blog candy I promised - been down with a cold and working on this reveal so I will post it for Valentine's Day :)

Valentine's Display (Pion Design/Green Tara)

Kismet/Fate? Do you believe in it? Well, I was almost done this layout for Valentine's when TCR palette #95 revealed with the same colors I chose. This is the second time this has happened in the last 2 months - seriously! It is no secret that I am so IN LOVE with the Pion Design "From My Heart 2" collection. I had this layout idea with layered hearts (Royal Lace doilies from Michael's) and a lace border in my head but I couldn't find the right pictures. So... I made it into a display instead to put on my fireplace mantle for February - love month :) Oh this collection has such a glorious Romantic/Parisian feel to it! The beautiful vintage images I used are also from Pion Design and all of the embellishments are Green Tara products (flowers, lace and sprays).

Here is a close up of the flowers I made by simply layering Green Tara white petals and silk flowers (with crystal centers!). Oh I just love those crystal flowers and the pearl sprays too. Product codes are listed at the bottom of this post.

Here is the gorgeous TCR palette for this week:

I don't usually really like my own work - always find flaws but... I do love this one, LOL. It's just so me and suits my house decor perfectly. Thanks for stopping by! I will be back next week with a giveaway to celebrate my 2-year blog anniversary so stay tuned (it may just have a little Pion Design and Dusty Attic in it, wink :)

 Green Tara Products:

1cm Off White Lace
CODE: L3077OW

2.8cm White Lace
CODE: L2901W

3cm White Roses
CODE: FDR024Wh

2cm Rose Cream
CODE: FDR009C

Silk Flowers with Swarovski Crystal Centres Ivory
CODE: SDIvL

5cm Petals, White
CODE: PFLP02

6cm Petals, White
CODE: 022Wh

20cm Silver/Pearl Spray
CODE: XP0616

New Dusty Attic in my shop!

Just a head's up that last night I re-stocked and had 112 styles of chipboard my shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto), ranging in quantities depending on popularity. I woke up this morning and there are only 87 styles left. They are selling FAST!

Check out just a few of my favorite new pretties I added...

Giving petals soft texture (Green Tara)

Almost all plain economical scrapbooking flowers are made from mulberry paper. Green Tara's newest white petals are especially thick which makes it easy to create these flowers (click on image to see in full size):

They look like pretty fancy flowers but all I used was 4 layers of Green Tara white petals (2 of each style shown below) and a decorative centre. You can use other styles than I chose but you'll want the flower to be a big size (at least 2 inches/5 cm) with wide petals. This won't work very well with daisy style flowers.

You will need:
- 4 mulberry flowers layers
- a Q-tip
- warm water
- firm toothbrush
- decorative centre

Bottom layers (2 of these) Green Tara Code PFLP01:

Top layers (2 of these) Green Tara Code PFLP143:

Decorative center (your can use anything to match your project style!) Green Tara Code XF5034lv:

Instructions:

Step 1: Working with one flower at a time, take a wet Q-tip and "paint" the only the very edge of each petal with warm water. Do this to the 2 bottom layers and 1 of the top layers.

Step 2: With dry fingers, pull off the wet edge of the petals in 3-4 small tugs of each petal. Let dry without damaging the fuzzy edge you just created. HINT: I left one of the top layers plain (didn't fuzz the edge) to have contrast since my flower is all white.

Step 3: Once the 3 fuzzy layers are dry. Brush them with the firm toothbrush bristles to fuzz them even more. Stroke the bristles from the middle of the flower outwards.

Step 4: Glue your layers together and add the decorative center.

That's it! So simple yet so elegant and expensive looking. Another alternative is using your flower punches/dies to make your own petal layers too. Green Tara sells all kinds of beautiful mulberry paper in any color imaginable.

For another kind of mulberry flower, check out my Fuzzy Lollipop Flowers.

Thanks for stopping by today, let me know you were here!

Hugs and Kisses (Pion Design/Green Tara)

I just couldn't wait to start playing with the new Pion Design collection "From My Heart 2" when it arrived this week. The collection is soooooo heavenly. I made this card with the 6x6 papers.

I have a confession... I don't own a die cutting machine, a sewing machine or any big fancy tools (other than a gazillion paper punches). I still even use my Creative Memories cutter for circles and ovals, LOL. Anyways, my friend Bonnie cut out a few shapes for me a while back, including this cute Tim Holtz birdcage.

I lightly crackle painted the cage and the bird, inked them and then dressed it all up with a bunch of Green Tara trims (lace, twisted pearl and tassel) and their gorgeous pink roses. I gently plucked a bit off my daughter's dress-up feather boa when she wasn't looking to adhere to the bird, shhh!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Green Tara Products Used:
20m Mini Tassel Ribbon 15mm Cream CODE: RB456c
9mm Twisted Organza PearlAntique Pink Ivory CODE: RB6715API
1cm Off White Lace  CODE: L3077OW
1 cm Roses Pale Pink CODE: FDR001PP

Win a Pion Design Collection!!!

Today is the Pion Design Blog 1 year anniversary and we would like to celebrate with some wonderful blog candy! What you need to do to have the chance to win the entire collection of From My Heart ll and From My Heart ll 6×6 is…

· become a subscriber to the Pion blog

· write about the blog candy on your blog with our logo (below) and link back to Pion Design

· last but not least, write a comment to their post and tell us your favourite collection from Pion Design.

The winner will be announced 14 th of February, on Valentines Day.

Good luck!

Here is a peek at the prize collection...

I will be back next week with some new projects!

Swirlydoos DT Announcement

I'm sure you've heard of this "little" scrapbook kit club called Swirlydoos?  If you haven't, then let me fill you in... They are a terrific scrappy kit club that ship elegant kits, featuring the hottest products, right to your door EVERY month - and they have asked me to join their rockin' design team!  I will start in February, for the February kit reveal.  I am thrilled to be joining the talented ladies over there and getting to know everyone on the forum.

Well, between last Friday's Pion DT announcement, having spent a wonderful birthday weekend in the mountains and now this announcement... you could say that my New Year's resolution of "more laugh lines, less frown lines" isn't very hard to fulfill these days, LOL.

Pion Design DT Announcement

I am so excited to share that I've been asked to return for another year on the Pion Design DT. Not only do I get to work with some of the amazing ladies from last year, but... the line-up of guest designers for 2012 is out of this world talented. All of our parcels are in the mail and you should be seeing a lot of Pion gorgeousness with the new "For Father" and "From My Heart" collections very soon. I can't wait to see what everyone creates! In a few months, a few of our guest designers will be asked to join the team for the rest of the year too. Congratulations to all (a special whooo-hoooo to my scrappy online buddies - you know who you are :)

Dream Layout (Green Tara/Pion Design)

My Pion Design and Green Tara projects just seem to be a match made in heaven. I truly feel blessed to be on such wonderful design teams that I can combine assignments for. There are always so many gorgeous projects posted on these manufacturer blogs too from the other designers... so be sure to check them out!

Here is a layout I made using TCR palette #92, along with a sketch that Nadia Cannizzo designed for the January C'est Magnifique challenge. The papers are from the Pion Design For Father collection and I used some Green Tara white petals, cream roses and apple blossoms, as well as some of their divine lace trim. I soooooo love their lace - thick and gorgeous!

The photo is of my son a few years ago asleep on the couch. I just can't seem to do a boy layout without flowers, LOL Here is a close-up of the beautiful Green Tara embellies:

This is the fantastic sketch that I rotated like so:

Here is TCR inspiration palette I used:

Guest Design for OUAS

I was thrilled when Nadia asked if I would have time to create a layout with her gorgeous sketch for the Once Upon A Sketch Jan 1st-14th challenge. The criteria along with the sketch is to share your thoughts/feelings or a memorable experience regarding New Year's Eve. For me it used to be about the party. Now that I have kids, it is usually a night we hang out and have a lot of fun together  - but this year was different. 2011 was an exhausting year for me and I wasn't feeling up to doing much celebrating. We spent a quiet evening watching a movie and after the kids went to bed I made my first New Year's resolution (first one ever!).

Here is my layout interpretation of the sketch and the journaling is on the back. I used a few Dusty Attic chipboard pieces and I made the flowers using Green Tara petals and lace, then added some bling. The papers are Bo Bunny (timepiece collection) and those gorgeous butterflies were a beautiful gift from:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KarlasKreativeKorner

Journaling reads: "This is me 3 years ago, the last time I didn't mind being photographed. As the years go by it is inevitable that more lines start appearing on our faces. I'd like to say that I have more laugh lines now... but the truth is the frown lines seem to be more prominent. My motto for 2012 is more laugh lines, less frown lines. This means some changes in my lifestyle will need to occur. I don't do well with change - but life is too short to not have the time to truly enjoy the moments that make you smile".

Here is a close-up of the flowers:

I rotated the beautiful sketch like so:

It's not too late to enter the challenge!

Farell to Scrap That!

As Scrap That! transitions to new ownership in 2012, I have decided to step down as a design team member as well as their kit design coordinator. After almost 2 years on the team, it is time for me to explore new opportunities and fulfill a few other scrappy goals. I have met so many wonderful ladies through the kit club/community and designed alongside some of the best designers in the industry - for that I am truly thankful. This is not goodbye as I plan on dropping in on the forum from time to time to catch up with everyone.

New Pion Design Collection!

Ohhh I just can't wait to get my little paws on this amazing Pion Design collection - "From my Heart 2". Pinks and browns and butterflies - oh my! It is available in 12x12 and 6x6 sizes too. Perfect for all those upcoming Valentines projects. My DT package just can't arrive fast enough, LOL.

Little Angel (Pion Design/Green Tara)

Happy New Year! (I just can't stop saying it, LOL)

The papers I used for this layout are a mix of Pion Design "fairytale of spring" and "studio of memories" collections. The lace, purple gardenias and cherry blossom as well as a pink apple blossom (used as the middle of my handmade flower) are all beautiful Green Tara blooms. The handmade flower was designed to surround and blend with the pink Green Tara apple blossom in the middle. I will be doing a tutorial on this gigantic flower soon so stay tuned :) The bling is ZVA (thanks again to my friend Bonnie for custom ordering!). The title is a wonderful Dusty Attic piece - I will have more in my shop in just a few weeks.  The picture? That's my daughter when she was 9 months old in an egg prop. Thanks for stopping by today!

Once Upon A Sketch PRIZE Sponsor

Happy New Year! I am thrilled to be a sponsor for Once Upon A Sketch for the start of 2012. Not only do I love the sketches and the incredible design team interpretations, but I am also proud to sponsor a site that my scrappy friend Nadia created. It is one of the top sketch challenge sites in industry and definitely embraces the true meaning of preserving memories.

All entries will qualify to randomly win this Dusty Attic chipboard prize pack. You can find a selection of chipboard in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto. Please note that I have ordered and will be receiving the newest released chipboard styles mid January. I will also be restocking my shop with the most popular pieces at this time. They sell out fast so be sure to check back often!

Here is the beautiful sketch and criteria:

Journalling Criteria/theme: New Years Eve!
New year's Eve is the theme. We would like you to journal about your feelings around this time of year, or tell us about your most memorable New Year's Eve. Where were you? Who were you with? What did you do? Why is this one memorable? Note: the photo that you use for this challenge does not have to necessarily be from New Years Eve. For example, if you spent New Years Eve with your family you can have a photo of your family taken ANY time of the year.
Remember that you are allowed to also create a card or altered project based on this sketch and instead of the journalling criteria you need to use a quote. You must combine our journalling criteria/theme with this sketch.

Cherish Layout

Yes I do still scrapbook! I was so focused on projects other than layouts before Christmas that it really felt good to get back to my "roots",  LOL. Now that Christmas is over, I had the itch this week to do a tropical vacation style layout. As soon as I saw TCR palette #91, I was determined to get it done. I found these awesome Prima "Shabby Chic collection" papers in my stash and decided to give the BAP sketch a go too. This isn't my typical palette style but it was so much fun to do. How can you go wrong with a cute toddler picture too, right? The papers are pretty busy so I kept the rest simple. The title is a Dusty Attic chipboard piece and all the flowers are Prima. I used chalk ink on the chipboard and stippled gesso on the edge of the picture.

Here is the awesome December Prima BAP sketch:

TCR#91 palette I used as inspiration:

BTW - I have ordered and will be receiving the new Dusty Attic chipboard releases mid January for sale in my Etsy shop.

I can't believe this is my last post of the year! Have fun celebrating tonight :)

Dusty Attic Update

My shipment with the new Dusty Attic chipboard has been slightly delayed and I am now anticipating it to arrive mid January - instead of this week. In the meantime, I have loaded most of my personal scrappy stash into my shop (40 listings added today!) for those of you who need some chipboard right now. That's why most quantities are only of 1 each... and some of these I will not be bringing back for a little while. My delayed shipment includes most of the brand new releases as well as I will be restocking some of the popular styles (yes, loads of chicken wire :)

Thanks for your patience and continued support.

I TRULY do appreciate you!

Check it out at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto