Cherish Paper Art by Erica

Birthday Time!

2010-08-21T14:52:00.001-04:00

My little girl's birthday is in a few days (she'll be 9!) and I was inspired by the upcoming festivities to make a Happy Birthday album.

Thinking that a birthday themed album would be a great gift item for a friend, family member or co-worker, I made a fully coordinating birthday card to go with it.

The paper bag album measures just over 5x5 inches, and the card is also 5x5. Both have fun, glittered letters on the front.

I used K&Company's "Jubilee" paper line, some of their 3d embellishments and a bunch of other odds and ends from my abundant stash. :)

One of my favorite things about paper bag albums is that they are full of pockets. This one has 3 side openings, plus 5 pockets sewn into the pages. See the left page above? There's a photo mat tucked into a pocket there.

And here you can see the large photo mats (double-sided) that pull out of the side pockets. You or the recipient can add other memorabilia in the pockets, too. There are so many possibilities!

The matching card is very simple, but is really what turns an already great album into a fabulous gift!

Interested in getting your own? Custom paper bag albums start at just $35. Feel free to email me for more information on how to get started, cherishpaperart@hotmail.com.

Creativity: the album.

2010-08-07T10:41:00.001-04:00

Here is an album that I made using K&Company's Urban Rhapsody line of patterned paper. The album base is multi-shaped chipboard with an awesome acrylic cover.

To start with, I used Staz-On ink in a shade of brown to muck up the acrylic cover. It takes about 5 minutes to dry completely, but after that it's permanent. Tim Holtz alcohol inks also work well on acrylic surfaces.

The album pages were covered front and back, trimmed out with a craft knife and the edges were then sanded for that shabby look that I love. :)

I used a Making Memories distresser tool on all the photo mats (see the wrinkly edges?) before I machine stitched them.

This album is PACKED with embellishments! I used the coordinating K&Co chipboard shapes, rub-ons and those cool circle things. What the heck are they called??? I guess I don't even know the name of them, but they are round and spin and are just plain cool.

I also punched flowers with two nesting flower punches. I inked the edges of each flower, then crumpled it and smoothed it back out. It gives an awesome worn look to the flowers that was perfect for this album.

The other embellishments I used a lot of were buttons. I hand stitched many of them to add to the hand-crafted look of the album. It's very rustic and chic and I just love how it turned out.

The back cover was crafted just as carefully - everyone flips an album over when they hold it! A couple yards of ribbon and trims tied to the jumbo binder rings provided the finishing touch.

This album has already been sold, but remember that I take a limited number of custom orders continuously. Each piece is meticulously hand crafted and 100% unique! I never duplicate my art work, but am happy to use the same paper line or similar colors or embellishments. Simply contact me at cherishpaperart@hotmail.com to find out how to get your own album or scrapbook pages!

Blog Giveaway at All Scrapbook Steals!

2010-08-03T16:37:00.002-04:00

So I have got to give some serious props out to the girls over at All Scrapbook Steals - The Blog. And I have to do it for a number of reasons.

First, each month on their blog they offer the most incredible blog giveaways. I'm talking a HUGE pile of supplies - HUGE!

Here is what's up for grabs for August:

All you have to do to enter is head over to their site and follow the instructions - leave a comment and you are entered to win! This month's entries must be in before midnight on August 10th.

So that's prop #1. I happened to win a drawing of theirs a couple months back and let me tell you - the box of supplies that came in the mail was ginormous, heavy, and awesome! It is so amazing that they can do this every month.

Prop #2 is that their shopping website, http://www.allscrapbooksteals.com/, is the bomb diggity. I would highly encourage you to go over there and sign up for their email list. They offer a Steal of the Day every day. Yes, every day! So cool.

And Prop #3 is that they like me! Ha ha ha! They have listed my lil' ol' blog on theirs under "Favorite Crafting Blogs". I share that space with the likes of Heidi Swapp, Amber Packer, and My Mind's Eye. Yes, Really! I am not lying about this, people.

I am so completely honored and humbled to be recognized by them for my work. What a great feeling.

So what are you waiting for? Get your butts over there and check them out! And be sure to tell them that I sent you ;)

Are you kidding me?!?

2010-08-03T11:26:00.000-04:00

So I logged into my blog this morning just to check on things... like, did I get any more followers? any more comments? We scrappers love, love, LOVE the interaction on the online community.

Anywho - as soon as I logged in I noticed that my blog background was gone. Vanished into thin air! What the heck? Apparantly, the background I was using (from thecutestblogontheblock.com - curse you all!) was deleted by them. UGH! This means that I've spent the last x hours (I'm not telling you the number) searching for backgrounds, waiting for downloads and looking for headers.

Can you hear my frustration?! In the end, I decided to simply use the blogger template designer and I made my own header in Picasa. It's simple and sweet and I like that I get to put more of my paper art photos on display. Now, if I could only remember what else I was supposed to do today before I got sidetracked...

Shabby and Oh So Chic!

2010-07-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

I was on such a roll last week with the two page layouts, it just kept going! I put a few more together and just loved the results. This page is called "I adore you" and it's both shabby and chic!

I used K&Company paper from their Margo line, hand punched the flowers, cut the leaves on my Cricut using the Zooballoo cartridge, and inked it all up!

The title is a bit of a hodge-podge. The "adore" is straight out of the package of K&Co chipboard embellishments that match this paper line - I simply added a little bit of brown ink around the edges. The letter "I" is from the same pack. However, it was in a print that didn't coordinate with these particular papers. My green chalk ink wouldn't cover the shiny print, but because it's a symmetrical letter it didn't matter which side I used. So I flipped the letter over, wrong side up, and peeled the adhesive backing off. Then I took my olive green ink pad and saturated the exposed chipboard and VIOLA! A matching letter! :) The Y, O, and U letters are from a package of lime green letters. I applied chalk ink directly to them and it covered the lime quite nicely.

After machine stitching my photo mats, I added some ribbon, put some olive green pearls in my flower centers, added a couple little touches and it was done. I love the colors and think it's got a great vintage style.

Back to the Basics

2010-07-15T09:08:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

Well it's been a crazy summer for me. Crazy in a good way, but still crazy nonetheless! Between summer camps, day trips, paperwork for my fiance's business, planning our summer vacation, building up my etsy store, and trying to keep things posted on eBay, it's been busy. Oh, and don't forget doing the laundry, making it to twice weekly yoga classes, walking the dog, and whipping up all those homemade meals, too! LOL!

Anyways, last week I got the inclination to put aside the album I was working on and have my go at a 2 page layout. Not a far stretch, I agree, considering that's what I normally make for my local scrapbook store's design team. But putting together a layout once a month for a store display isn't quite the same as making one that will actually end up in a scrapbook. Once I got myself going, I couldn't stop! I think I'm up to eight since last Thursday, which is pretty impressive considering my schedule. So here's a look at some of them, let me know what you think:

Summer Fun

2010-06-26T12:50:00.001-04:00

Here is my latest project: an adorable, colorful and fun mini album to celebrate summer. It measures 6x4 inches and I used the drool-worthy Color Me Silly paper line by Basic Grey. One of my all time favorites, the paper is funky, silly, bright and fun - all at the same time!

I would love to hear what you think of this album - comments are welcome. Thanks for looking and happy scrappin'!

Just one photo on a two-page spread - Say What?!

2010-05-13T19:21:00.000-04:00

If someone gave you one 5x7 photo and told you to make a two page spread without using any other photos, do you think you could do it?

Of course you can! ;)

Check this out... Everything Scrapbook & Stamps, the LSS I design for, gave me these super cute Easter themed papers and big ol' sheet of giant sticker embellishments by Reminisce. You can visit the Reminisce blog by clicking here.

At first I had no idea what to do with the gigantic stickers... then it dawned on me to use those in places where I might normally have placed a photo.

So there it is: A full two page spread using nothing but one 5x7 photo. You don't need to have this particular paper, or these particular stickers... just start thinking about using your embellishments as a feature on your page instead of just an accent.

As always, thanks for reading ~ Happy Scrappin'!

April - Paper Collection of the Month

2010-04-30T08:44:00.001-04:00

It's the last day of the month, and I remembered to post my projects. I think I deserve a round of applause, dontcha think? ;)

This month, I chose another DCWV Stack. They are incredibly convenient, super duper cute and easy to find. These projects are all part of the "La Creme" Collection, a sophisticated black and cream palette.

I chose a LOVE word book by Bo Bunny for this Wedding album:

A combination of silk, prima and fabric flowers combined with black rhinestones and a package of wedding-themed 3d embellishments and turned this blank chipboard album into something classy and elegant.

I also made this 6x6 acrylic album:

And finally, I added a few red Valentine-theme papers to this collection and made the following album, which spells out I {HEART} YOU. I left out any paper that had the cream color and went more for strict black and white. Adding a few sheets of inexpensive red papers created an entirely new look!

I'm always happy to answer your questions or hear your comments - so don't be shy!

Thanks for looking and I hope you get some inspiration for your own albums.
-Erica :)

March Paper Collection of the Month

2010-03-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

For March, I chose to showcase the "Nana's Nursery: Baby Boy" papers by DCWV. It is readily available and is more versatile than you might think. :) I love to use button accents with my baby projects so you'll see lots of them.

But I think my favorite part of this paper line is that, while geared toward boys, if you are selective with the papers, you can even get it to look totally girly!

Use the papers with the purple accents to do just that - you'll be surprised how much it changes the look of your project.

Here are two paper bag albums - from the same paper stack. One is undoubtedly BOY and one is definitely GIRL - just by selecting a few of the sheets of paper. Use the purple accents for the girl album and leave purple completely out of the boy album and Voila! See how easy?

Thanks for looking!

OMG!

2010-03-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

So I just checked in over at "All Scrapbook Steals - The Blog" and discovered that I'm the winner of their monthly giveaway for March! I'm freaking out! I got goosebumps when I saw my name and I'm smiling from ear to ear. So I'm saying a great big THANK YOU to the gals over there for having such fabulous, fabulous, FABULOUS giveaways each month. I'm a big My Mind's Eye fan and this month's giveaway is chock full of MME product, not to mention a Cropodile Big Bite!!! WOWSERS!

I'll be sure to post a link to their April giveaway when it becomes available so you, too, can have a chance to be as excited as I am right now!

Hugs to All Scrapbook Steals,
Erica

March Giveaway at ALL SCRAPBOOK STEALS - THE BLOG

2010-03-04T08:31:00.002-05:00

If you love contests and freebies, go check out the ALL SCRAPBOOK STEALS blog right now! Get your entry in before the March 11th drawing to win a whole smorgasborg of fabulous scrapbook supplies by My Minds Eye, Making Memories and We R Memories.

Be sure to read over the rules while you are there, entries must be in by Midnight PST on March 10th. Good luck!

I hate being late!

2010-03-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's March 2nd and I'm just now posting my February projects. I'd love to have some radical, excellent excuse, but I guess I'm just slacking! :)

February's Paper Collection of the Month was Wild Saffron by K & Company.

This paper collection is available in a 12x12 paper stack, which is what I used on these projects. You can see that by limiting the papers used on each project, you can vary the look. Use just blue, green and one... use all the colors on another one... I still have a pile of papers with just yellow and brown that I plan on turning into an album at some point. I love that I can get so many projects out of one simple stack of paper - so much fun!

This "Family Photos" album got a sophisticated look from beads and fabric flowers.

For a less formal look, a square album and fun picnic table accents were used in this Summer BBQ album.

A mixed shape album gets a warm feel with soft brown accents inks throughout the pages. By keeping the color palette limited, a completely new look is created. The pearl accents contribute to the worn and well-loved look of this "Home Sweet Home" album.

And for fun, this two page layout makes use of the mostly blue paper (for sky) and the mostly green paper (for grass) to give this an outdoorsy vibe. Flowers and a happy sunshine complete the look.

Thanks for looking, and I'll try to be on time next month! :)

Who Wrote the Book of Love?

2010-02-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

I don't know who wrote the book of love, but this month I'm the one who made the book! Here is a look at 3 love-themed albums I created this month.

This first one is an 8x8 paper bag album. Chock full of pull-out tags, these albums are super fun to make because they are so interactive. I think my favorite part is filling the pockets!

I also made this 6x6 tabbed acrylic album. I just adore how this album came out. The colors are so fun and it's somewhere in between elegant and funky! This album is currently for sale in my etsy store.

And finally, I created this chipboard album. The album base is by Bo Bunny and it spells out "I {HEART} YOU in cascading chipboard panels. This is also currently for sale in my etsy store.

Thanks for checking out my love albums! I'll be posting my February Paper Collection of the Month projects soon so be sure to check back for some great crafting ideas!

WISTERIA by Basic Grey: January Paper Collection of the Month

2010-01-26T13:43:00.001-05:00

Here are FOUR projects I made using Basic Grey's Wisteria line of paper. The lilacs and the soft green are just stunning together, and every time I used this paper I had to stop myself from drooling!

You can see how easy it can be to make unique projects, even using the same paper line. In this case, to give each album it's own look, I varied the album base. This first album is made of 7 chipboard panels (each measuring 7"x5") that I hand cut from 12x12 chipboard sheets.

It gives a nice work surface if you are new to albums, since each page is the same size.

If you want more of a challenge, and a completely distinct look, I recommend using this multi-shaped album base by Basic Grey. It consists of a variety of shaped panels and you can rearrange them to completely customize your album. Here I added TONS of primas and leaves, along with a stunning beaded butterfly to give the album cover a wow factor. Do you see the butterfly charm dangling from the top binder ring?

Finally, my fourth project to share is a tabbed acrylic album. Acrylics are FUN! I hesitated to try one for so long, but now I can't stop making them! Half the fun is planning how each page is going to look... you can leave spaces on each page if you want to see the next one through the acrylic.

I have uploaded detailed photos of each project to a Picasa Web Album. And I do mean DETAILD photos... I think there are 108 photos of these four projects, LOL! Simply click here to be taken to the web album. Remember that I'm happy to provide you with inspiration and tips, and you may scraplift for your personal use, but please don't copy my work for resale.

Before you go, be sure to become one of my Followers. Next month I'll be sharing my projects using Wild Saffron by K&Company, which is another drool-worthy paper line.

Thanks for reading,

Erica :)

2010!

2010-01-20T11:07:00.000-05:00

I am embarassed to say that this is my first post of 2010 - it's already the 20th of January! I wanted to let you know that I have some great things coming your way this year. What are they? Glad you asked!

First of all, I am going to be doing a "Paper Collection of the Month". I'm one of those paper hoarders that buys everything in bulk! Very rarely do I buy just a few sheets of a paper line. That means I use a single paper line for multiple projects... and now I'll be sharing those projects with you all in one place! I'm hoping you'll be able to take away an idea or two for how to use the same papers in different ways - be it on a mini album, a full 12x12 layout, cards, tags, mat sets, handmade embellishments... the list goes on and on.

The January Paper Collection of the Month is Wisteria by Basic Grey. I'll be posting my projects soon, so check back. Future Paper Collections of the Month will include: Nana's Kids Baby Boy by DCWV, Wild Saffron by K&Company, and Classic K Margo - also by K&Company. And those are just a few!

I'm also hoping to re-organize my scrap area throughout the year, and will be sharing my progress and my organizational tips with you as I go. And since I also have plans to relocate my scrap space, this could be very interesting (and messy!). I hope you'll follow me throughout the year as I share these project ideas and tips with you. Of course, I'll still be posting lots of photos of my eBay projects and custom orders, too.

So, I might be off to a late start, but - HEY - It's still a start! Here's to the New Year!

Smiles and Scraps,
Erica

Life Unscripted

2009-11-17T18:11:00.002-05:00

Sometimes things aren't planned. Sometimes we are just living our lives. Those simple, joyful moments deserve to be preserved just as much as the special events and holidays that we experience.

That's why I created this album. Titled "Life Unscripted", it's a perfect way to display photos of everyday moments.

Made from 7 scalloped acrylic panels, it's filled with the warm tones of autumn - maybe more like Indian Summer - with papers by GinX and Scenic Route.

The clear panels give a lighter feel to the album, making it feel more whimsical perhaps? :)

I've used a variety of rub on phrases and designs in a contrasting black. Clear rhinestone accents and subtle white inking around the page edges lend additional texture. It's hard to capture the inked edges on camera, but they are there!

If you decide to include ribbon on your own photo mats, always remember to position them toward the very edges of the photo mats. That way, you don't risk covering someone's face with a big ol' bow.

And never forget to add journaling spots. A picture might tell a thousand words, but a generation from now those words might be lost. I've tucked 2 journal tags and an additional photo mat into a pocket on the last page of this album. Cut from a printed transparency, it is stitched to the background paper. I love how you can see through it into the pocket.

I have several more albums that I'll be sharing soon, including another stunning acrylic album. Thanks for looking!

Shh... It's a Secret!

2009-11-04T15:32:00.003-05:00

It's about time for a special deal for my blog readers. Throughout the month of November I am offering Free Shipping on all orders of $50 or more from my etsy store. You can get to my etsy store by clicking on the link on the right side of this page, or by going to http://www.cherishpaperart.etsy.com/.

If you haven't checked out etsy yet, you don't know what you're missing! It is THE online place for everything handmade and/or vintage.

Here are some things you can find in my store right now:

If you make a purchase, please send me a convo (etsy's fancy word for a message, LOL!) that you saw the free shipping special on my blog. I will adjust your invoice accordingly.

Thanks :)

Merry & Bright

2009-11-03T15:31:00.003-05:00

It's November! The holiday season is officially upon us, can you believe it?!? Well, my most recent project for Everything Scrapbook & Stamps has certainly put me in the holiday spirit! I got to work with the new Bo Bunny "Tis the Season" collection of patterned papers.
The papers are colorful and fun, in true Bo Bunny style! I loved the bright green color - such a fresh take on the traditional forest green we usually think of at Christmas.This is a two page 12x12 layout using the Bo Bunny papers, red and light blue Bazzill cardstock, Poinsettias and leaves (also by Bazzill). I cut out a couple of cute snowflakes with a Kiwi Lane Designs template, which then I inked in a soft blue and accented with silver glitter. The title is cut with a Cricut using the Zooballoo cartridge.So now that I'm in a festive mood, it's time to start thinking about holiday shopping, LOL! With two little ones to buy for, the shopping can be really fun. :)I hope I've helped get you to start thinking about the holidays. Always remember to take LOTS of photos this time year ~ We couldn't be scrappers without them!

New Layouts

2009-10-26T11:19:00.002-04:00

I admit that I've been skipping the scrapbook layouts in favor of albums lately. I just love making albums and altered board books, but I had to go back and make some layouts just for fun.

This first layout is titled "Sweetness" and it's perfect for photos of a little girl, favorite cuddly pet or even as an homage to your favorite sweets (cupcakes, anyone?). The patterned paper is by My Mind's Eye and the metal clips are by Making Memories.

The next two layouts are essentially the same, but done in different colors. I used the blues and greens for the Boy Version, and deep pinks and chocolate brown for the Girl Version. These are both titled "Welcome to the Jungle" and are the perfect way to showcase photos of your favorite little monkey child in all their silliness. The papers, rub ons and 3D embellishments are all from DCWV's Animal Crackers line. The vines are cut with my Cricut using the Zooballoo cartridge.

I posted these layouts (and others) for sale in my etsy shop, www.cherishpaperart.etsy.com. I'm also running a special through 10/31/2009: Buy 2 or more items from my shop and your entire order ships for FREE! What a great way to get a jump start on your holiday shopping or to fill up that scrapbook you've been meaning to work on.

Thanks for looking!

Yummy, yummy Pink Paislee

2009-10-24T14:10:00.006-04:00

I have great news! I was selected to be on the Design Team for Everything Scrapbook & Stamps, which is a fabulous scrapbook store here in south Florida.

For my first "assignment" I was given the most delicious line of Pink Paislee paper to work with. After finishing my album for the store, I bought my own stash of the papers and put together this beautiful album.

The album is a multi-shaped chipboard album by Little Yellow Bicycle, the paper line is Pink Paislee's Amber Road. The flowers and black bling are by prima, and it's all available at ESS!

Here are some more photos of the album...

I absolutely loved working with this paper line. It is elegant and sophisticated but still really fun!

Be sure to check out Everything Scrapbook & Stamp's blog for great store news and fabulous project ideas.

Gettin' Happy with Scraps

2009-08-14T22:17:00.003-04:00

I promised to give you a look at this Friendship album... well, here she is! I fell in love with the beautiful MME papers that I used on my last acrylic album and decided that the bits and pieces left over deserved to be properly used up! This 5x5 inch board book was covered with Studio K papers in pinks and oranges... I added some K & Co. scraps (the pink print on the cover), plus the MME leftovers which are beautiful and have the most subtle sparkly accents. You can see them in the photo below (the dotted and floral papers on the photo mats).

I machine stitched all the photo mats, which were layered onto Bazzill cardstock. The edges of the album pages as well as each photo mat was lightly inked in a warm gingerbread color.

This pocket page was simple to create ~ you just need a good, strong adhesive to make sure it stays! There are 3 pull out journaling tags tucked into the pocket. I also used DCWV sticker quotes throughout the album to emphasize the friendship theme.

Prima flowers were delicately layered... do you see the gold accents on the orange petals? Yummy Primas! I could seriously shop for their flowers all day long and never tire of drooling over all their prettiness. :) The flower centers were made with gold colored bead caps and brads.

Some subtle stamping and pretty ribbon finish off the album nicely. It's very soft and pretty... and not a bad outcome for some leftover papers, huh?

Be all that you DREAM to be

2009-08-11T14:12:00.003-04:00

Simply Stunning! After my successful first acrylic album, I immediately had to get to work on #2. Again, I added shaped chipboard panels between the acrylic to give it more pages and more visual interest. I was inspired by some MME paper & embellishments that I had, but I only had 2 sheets of the MME paper. What's a girl to do?!? So I dove into my paper stash and found 2 patterns of Classic K & Co. plus one sheet of Basic Grey that coordinated and complemented the sparkly, pretty MME papers. Add two colors of Bazzill cardstock and VIOLA! All the makings of a pretty, shabby-chic-type album. And as much as I will hate to see this album go {WAAAHHH!!!} I listed it for auction on eBay. You can find my current listings by clicking on the link on the right side of this blog page. After all was said and done, I had some paper scraps left over so I'm using them to make an altered board book - even the scraps were just too darn pretty to throw out! Look for the photos of the board book in the next few days. :)

I {heart} Basic Grey

2009-08-08T20:03:00.003-04:00

I just love the look of albums where the pages are all different shaped. This chipboard album by Basic Grey has very quickly become my favorite! It comes with 7 shaped panels, all unique... plus four binder rings and an adorable "key chain" with 3 mini chipboard shapes to hang off one of the binder rings. BG has been one of my favorite paper manufacturers for years because I love the distressed look they give their papers. I used the Wisteria line on this particular album, along with prima flowers and petals, DCWV Clear Quotes, and lots of machine stitching. The colors of this paper line are fabulous ~ I highly recommend you give it a try!

Acrylic Debut!

2009-08-07T18:40:00.006-04:00

I finally got brave enough to try my hand at an acrylic album... Technically this is both acrylic and chipboard, since I added chipboard pages between the acrylic pages to give it more OOMPH! :) I used K & Co. paper and loads of prima flowers. I just love how it turned out and it was not as intimidating as I thought it was going to be. I'll definitely be making more in the near future! Here are a few pictures... If you would like to see all the pages, plus close-up details, click here to go to my eBay auction. This album is currently for sale there, with an auction closing date of August 13th. Thanks for looking!

Custom Graduation Album

2009-06-22T15:58:00.005-04:00

Well, I finished up my latest round of custom orders recently and wanted to share some photos of one of the graduation albums I did. This is a 10 page (plus front and back cover) album that measures 8x11.

This is a less traditional palette - chocolate browns, greys and slate blue, which were done at the request of the graduate. I just love it!

I used Basic Grey's "Granola" paper line, ribbon, stamping, small metal embellishments, felt flowers, paper flowers and a few other odds and ends.

The front inside panel featured a triple=layered photo mat that would hold a 5x7 photo, with the graduate's name spelled out in custom cut letters. It looked great!

If you are interested in an album like this, be sure to email me at CherishPaperArt@hotmail.com, or check out my eBay listings to see what I have for auction at any time.

Red Hat or Just Plain Sassy?

2009-05-28T20:59:00.003-04:00

It's graduation season... so why am I scrapping in reds and purples? Let me tell ya why... I have two custom orders for graduation albums to finish before next week. I've been scrapping like a mad woman lately (LOL!) so I ran out of blank board books that I LOVE to alter. I decided to try a new vendor for my book bases, so I looked up pricing with a company that I haven't ordered anything from since 2005. Lo and behold, they offer a better price on my beloved little board books. Order placed, I'm happy. Right? Not quite. Long story short, they failed to update my address (I've moved 3 times since 2005!) and sent my whole order to a house that's an hour away from me, to some people who are probably wondering what the heck they are supposed to do with these 15 weird little books, a pack of funky paper and a 5 yard spool of ribbon. So... the problem has been rectified, but I still have 2 more days before my shipment arrives.
In the meantime, I couldn't just SIT there, so I put together this funky little album. It's purse shaped, 6 panels, and I used some retired Junkitz paper. The red and purple, of course, remind me of the Red Hat Society. I didn't want to make it only for that, so I used a general "Sassy/Diva" theme. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, since I'm more of a blue/green/brown kinda gal, but I think it's just so FUN! I'm quite happy with it, it was nice to step away from my color comfort zone.
Now, where is my supply order?!

I've been busy!

2009-05-21T08:57:00.007-04:00

So I've been REALLY BAD about keeping this blog up to date. So sorry! I've been working on a lot of scrapbooks lately, including 4 custom orders this past week! As always, you can use the link on the right hand side of this blog page to go to my current eBay listings, or to search all of the Making Lemonade Design Team's eBay listings. I'm tellin' ya', these girls have some serious talent and I am humbled to be a part of their group.

Okay - now for some photos of my recent work so you can see that I really haven't been slacking, LOL! I only posted 2 photos of each piece. If you'd like to see the rest, just email me and I'll be happy to share them with you.

First up, this bright and colorful Summer theme album. I love the little flip flops on the front cover, don't you?

For this camping album, I used my Cricut to cut out some trees and grasses that really gave this album it's personality. The paper is the DCWV Green Stack which is made from recycled paper - a perfect fit for this album that celebrates the outdoors!

This was my first attempt at a "hodge podge" album. I don't know if that's an actual term, but that's what I called it. LOL! I basically took a bunch of shaped chipboard albums, took them apart, and mixed up the pieces. Each page of this Friendship album is a different shape, with a butterfly for both the front and back covers. It's kooky, crazy, and really FUN!

Ah, graduation... many moons ago for me, it seems. Here's an album to preserve that much-anticipated event. I tried to keep it more neutral, but I couldn't just look at black and white. I had to add the tan, and then that led me to choose these papers that also have muted navy blues and reds in them. And well, you see how it turned out!

I think that's about it for now. I have lots more photos to post, but need to pack my bags for the long Memorial Day weekend. I'm heading to a motocross track in north Florida for some fun in the mud! Perhaps that will be my next scrapbook theme... hmm...

Time for Spring!

2009-04-01T19:01:00.005-04:00

Living in south Florida, I don't see much of a change in the seasons - it's just hot and hotter. Today it was 83 degrees and it's only the first of April! Even though I don't see the same spring time changes that you might, I get the joy this year of having a new neice. She was born in October so this is her first spring! Thinking of her inspired me to create a page to celebrate a first spring. The page is being auctioned off on eBay through April 8th. See my listings here.

The little paper pieced bears are always fun to make and I used my Cricut to cut the title. Machine stitching, coordinating ribbon and some flowers finish it off.

I wish you a wonderful spring filled with all the beautiful things it brings!

Love is in the Air!

2009-01-22T15:48:00.004-05:00

Valentine's Day is coming and I've had LOVE on the brain! Here's a peek at two of my eBay auctions that run through January 29th. Click here to see the full listing, which includes TONS of close up photos and the inside of the album.

Christmas Penguin Album

2008-12-18T21:02:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving Blessings Album

2008-12-15T14:52:00.002-05:00

This album features rich autumn colors and is the perfect place for those Thanksgiving photos you recently took! Browns, rust, green, cream, and orange combine for a warm effect. All photo mats are machine stitched and/or inked for a finished look, there are wonderful heartfelt phrases throughout the book, and it's full of quality Prima flowers and leaves, 3D leaf embellishments, as well as lots of ribbon. As always, the cut ends of the ribbon have been heat set to prevent fraying. There are two flip up pages, four double-sided pull out journal tags that tuck behind the photo mats, a total of ten inside pages plus a front and back cover ~ all beautifully finished and tied with a green and cream ribbon. The book measures 5x5. Please click here to view a whole lot of photos of the inside and up-close details of this album. To purchase an album like this or for a custom order, simply send me an e-mail at CherishPaperArt@hotmail.com.

BABY GIRL CHIPBOARD ALBUM

2008-12-05T13:03:00.008-05:00

This gorgeous handmade baby girl album is so sweet! Full of cream, soft olive greens and burgundy, it is a beautiful display piece to showcase your favorite photos of that precious little princess. Ten inside pages plus a front and back cover give you lots of room for photos and journaling. There are four pull out double-sided tags, plus two flip up interactive pages to fit more of your memories!