Blog Hop Day 4...

Happy Thursday! I hope you have been enjoying our projects this week and seeing how we've been using our products with Epiphany Crafts and Glue Arts. The three are a super combination together!

I'm so excited to share with you more fabulous cards today from Danielle, Julia and Kim.

First up today Danielle Flanders. Danielle is the Queen of Cards and I just ADORE how she has taken our Index Journal Cards and created them into a Handmade Card .

I love the Epiphany Crafts Bubble Oval she's used to embellish our the floral stamp from our Victoria Park Collection onto side of the card.



Our ABC Stickers are perfect to spell out any size title or message you want to share on the outside or inside of your card.






Danielle's cards are a perfect example of how versatile our Index Journal Cards are to use and not just for journaling!



Kim has created her card using our Bag of Bits and Index Journal Cards. She adhered her "Bits" using the Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro, 3/8” Raisen’s Adhesive Squares AND U CUT IT 1/8” Foam Adhesive.

She also embellished the card with the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Tool & Accessories Bubble Caps Round 14.





Next up is Lisa Day using our Buttercup Collection.



Lisa used the Glue Arts Raisens on the back to really make her Bag of Bits Banner's pop!



And last but not least are Julia's two beautiful cards. Here she's used the Index Journal Cards as an embellishment on the outside of the card and adorned it with the Epiphany Crafts Accessory.



Our Bag of Bits make is a snap to make a card in no time at all.





We've got another great giveaway for you. Epiphany Crafts is offering their NEW Pennant Studio Tool and Pennant Accessory's for one lucky winner. Go "LIKE" Glue Arts and Epiphany Crafts on their Facebook Pages Post on their Wall that Lily Bee Sent you. We'll choose a winner next Monday, May 21st and announce the winner here on the Blog.

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2012 Mini Album Tutorial

Happy New Year everyone.  It's Ronda today with a step by step detailing this adorable mini album for the new year.  This quick & easy mini could be used for multiple projects such as a goal journal, a One Little Word album, a monthly glance at your year, etc.  So many possibilities in one sweet little album. 

Supplies:
a variety of Lily Bee patterned papers
Lily Bee Alphabets
Lily Bee Happily Lost Stamps
two 4 x 6 Chipboard pieces
scoring tool
Paint
Binder Rings
Border Punch
hole punch
Sewing Machine

First you need to cut two pieces of 4 x 6 inch chipboard pieces to create your cover.  You can usually purchase these pieces fairly cheaply from your local scrapbook stores.  I usually have a stack on hand so i can create my own covers.

Choose your favorite Lily Bee Patterned paper for the cover.  Here i am using This & That Milk Bottle.  I just love that blue!  Adhere to the front of the chipboard, gluing in the center of the paper.  Why you ask?  Well i knew i wanted to stitch around the edges of the chipboard so i didn't want my needle hitting the adhesive & getting sticky. 

I added a thin paint layer around the edges of the album to give it some texture.  I love that it is quick & a bit rough.  Next i stitched around the edges of the cover.  Yes you can stitch through chipboard.  Just go nice & slow, using a long stitch making sure your tension isn't too tight.

Next i added a chipboard accent piece.  I painted the top of the butterfly using the same paint i used around the album cover.  Next i added a bit of clear glue & some German glass glitter.  You could also use regular glitter as well. 

Once i added the butterfly to the album i decided the solid orange background wasn't popping enough for me so i changed it up with strips of leftover patterned papers.  I added two green stick pins for the antennae which added that pop of color i needed.

I grabbed my Happily Lost Banner Stamp and stamped it on a piece of neutral patterned paper.  I went with the same color palette as the paint.  This way my title could really stand out.

This album is titled Reflections.  In order to get the position right on the banner, i first wrote out my word and found the center letter.  I work out from there to fill in the rest of the letters.  Sometimes i add the first letter so i know how much room i have.  You also have to remember you may have to adjust your "center" letter depending on the font size of the letters.

Next choose a variety of coordinating Lily Bee Papers.  I have a fun bright palette of colors choosing warm greens, yellows, pinks, oranges, blues, and a hint of black.  They make me happy!  You will need twelve 4 x 12 sheets of patterned paper plus one 4 x 6 piece.  These are going to be the base of your interior pages.

These 4 x 12 pages become pocket pages similar to the So Blessed Lily bee album i did in 2010.  Score your twelve 4 x 12 pages at 2 inches and at 6 inches.  Fold the page in half at the 6 inch score mark.  Fold the 2 inch score mark down & punch the edge with your favorite border punch. 

You can adhere the two sides down and create the pocket.  I like to stitch mine down by stitching all around the edges of the page.  Now you have 12 pockets for your mini album, one for each month if you so choose.   

I have created these journal inserts for my pocket pages.  You can download the pdf of the interior pocket journal cards from my blog.  I am planning on using this to capture my month's at a glance.  I will place a photo on one side of the page & the pocket page on the other side. 

Because of the way i am doing my photos, i needed a cover page.  Here i have two options for the interior cover for you.  One uses the the journal card on the cover page to create consistency.  The other makes use of the scraps of patterned paper.  I gave you this option because you would need to print out an extra journal card to use it on the cover. 

Here's the start of my interior pages. I plan on placing a collage of photos on the backside of the green paper, opposite of the January pocket that is a snapshot of my month.  Like i said above, you can use this album for multiple projects.  

Have a blessed New Year

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Color Stories

Have you ever associated colors with genders?  Is pink definitely girl?  Is blue always boy?  Hopefully after this post you can see how colors are gender neutral.  It's how you use them that makes them feminine or masculine.  With just a few accessories or shapes you can change the look of your project to suit your story. 

In both my projects i used the same color palette & patterned papers: Happily Lost Villa, This & That Brooch, and This & That Teacup.  Basically Orange, yellow, black, grey, & blue.  Sounds pretty masculine too me.

I did start with a masculine page.  I picked some colors that i thought would go with the feel of his photos.  I wasn't basing the colors on gender but what went with these photos.  In fact if you look at the names of the paper, they seem to say feminine: teapot, brooch.   I sprayed the background with blue mists in a grid pattern.  The grungy grid reminds me of him.  I decide to die-cut some stars out of the yellow & black paper.  With a bit of black pen around the edges, they stood out on the background.  A paper edge punch reminds me of school & notebooks so it was a good fit for this layout.  Keeping it simple also seem the way to go to keep it in that boy feel i was looking to achieve.  So love this layout, it is perfect for him!

For this cute little card i took the same patterned papers & used them in a way that suggest female.  The message on the This & That mixed cardstock sticker is definitely feminine in nature so it adds to the feel.  I sprayed the background with grey mists using a flower lace template.  I used a curved punch along the side of the paper & layered the Domestic Bliss Chipboard Sticker Flowers to the side.  Again a little bit of black pen along the edges to give them definition and the card is complete.

So if you find a color palette that is perfect for you project but think it might be too gender specific, think again.  Think about how you can change perceptions and make the colors work for you story.

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Simple Foundation Card

Stationary: Mushroom
Stationary: Slushie
This & That: Milk Bottle
This & That Mixed Cardstock Sticker
This & That Alphabets
3-D Adhesive (like Helmar's Zap dots)
Ribbon
Brads

I am really into card making these days.  I love when i make a card that i know i can just repeat the elements and make multiple cards.  The above card is actually for a family friend who is currently enduring the riggers of boot camp.  We want him to know how proud we are of him and give him the encouragement & support all our armed forces need.  There is a great site that collects cards called Operations Write Home in case you are interested in making cards for donations.

I am going to do a quick tutorial on how to put this card together.  Here are my supplies:
Stationary: Oatmeal cut to 3.75 x 5 inches
Domestic Bliss: Kitchen Confidential  4.25 x 11 inches
Stationary: Slushie 1.5 x 5.5 inches
3 punches shapes (using Found & Lost: Villa, Domestic Bliss Pearls & Heels, Hello Sunshine: Posies)
3 larger punches
buttons
letter stickers

Score & fold the domestic bliss paper in half to make the base of your card.  Next take your oatmeal paper, ink the edges, adhere it to the background paper, and stitch around the edge.

Take a pair the scissors and cut a triangle at the bottom side of the 1.5 x 5.5 inch stripe.  This will make your ribbon piece.  You can also use a wide ribbon trim like i did with the first card.

add your punched embellishments.  I inked all the edges and layered them on top of each other.  On the top card i put the punched pieces on 3-D adhesive and placed a brad in the center.

Add buttons to complete the embellishments.  You can use flowers, butterflies, hearts, brackets, etc.  Change it up with the seasons using christmas trees, hearts, snowflakes, pumpkins, etc.

Use stickers to add your sentiment.  You can see i turned this card sideways and created a whole new look. 

Lots of Love

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Pick a Pocket or Two

It's Friday and welcome to the Lily Bee Blog. Anyone ready for a long weekend?! I know I am. Actually, mine has already arrived in Canada as we are celebrating Canada Day today. It's one of my favorite holidays. Whether you're American or Canadian it's sure to be a wonderful weekend of patriotic celebration. Enjoy!

If you have some time to paper craft this weekend, why not whip up a few cards? They are fun and quick projects and a great way of showing you care.

Want a simple and fast way to add interest to your card designs? I always love designing pocket cards for a change of pace. They're fun and interactive and unique.



I've created two different pocket style card designs to share with you today. Both cards use the gorgeous This and That line. The patterns are so classic and stunning but fresh too.


This first card is a dressed up version of a very simple pocket. This type of pocket card works wonderfully with Lily Bee Design's beautiful double sided patterned papers. When you fold the front flap down, it reveals the flip side of the paper for a perfectly coordinated look.

To create this style of pocket, I start with a traditional sized card, that is 4.25" x 5.5". Instead of having the fold at the top, flip it the other way to have the fold at the bottom. Then fold your front flap down on an angle to reveal the inside. You can stitch or tape the sides of your card together to form the pocket.


The angled front flap makes a great place to add your embellishments.


Inside the card you'll need an insert. Just cut some paper to fit into the pocket and finish as desired.


The second pocket idea is created by diecutting a window into a layer of patterned paper and then layering it onto the card. Adhere or stitch just around the edges so that you can slide papers, stickers, tags, embellishments or even a gift card into the pocket it creates.

Lily Bee Supplies:

This & That patterned paper - Pretty Fabric, Brooch, Teacup & Postcard
This & That ABC Stickers
This & That Mixed Cardstock Stickers
Lily Bee Stationery Paper - Tomato

Thanks for stopping by Lily Bee!

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