Farewell to Pebbles

Today is my last official day as a Pebbles design team member.

**sniff**

So I thought it might be nice to look back and share some of my favorite projects from the past year. 

**sniff**

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This is the very first thing I made to start off the year...and it is still one of my favorites!
And I used the "Fresh Goods" line which might be my favorite Pebbles line of all time. 

Here's one using a combo of "Fresh Goods" and "With Love".
I totally dig the randomness of this layout. 

Not sure why I like this next one so much.
It's pretty simple.

But I do love hearts so that is probably what appeals to me so much!

 

I made this one for one of the "Made in Minutes" features on the Pebbles blog. 

Making even a simple card in under 30 minutes is a huge task for me.

So making this layout and actually loving how it turned out in under 30 is like a flippin' miracle!

So it makes the list.

But my favorite project of the year may have been the very last one I made!

**sniff**

Going out in style, I suppose!

It's been fun!
:)
Have a great long weekend friends!
gretchen

Cards on Thursdays

It is all about cards on Thursdays over on the Bella Blvd blog.

And I've got a couple cards to share using the new Thankful line!

I used the 'I am thankful for...' journaling block from the Thankful Cute Cuts sheet to create the background of this card.

I added the "you" with the alphabets on the Alpha + Bits Stickers to complete the sentiment.

Then I strategically covered up the numbered list on the left side with flowers.

It makes for a easy friendly card!

And the Thankful line is not just for Thanksgiving!

It is also very homey and family friendly!

:)

I used it to make this card for some friends who just bought their first home.

 The flags I used here are not even the new ones designed to go with the Thankful line.

They are actually the "Fall" and "Home Sweet Home" flags from the first flags release earlier this year. 

But they coordinate so well!

 Thanks for stopping by today!
:)
gretchen

Creative Memories share

Hey!
Short and sweet today!
Obviously I am spending too much time riding my bike and talking football smack on Facebook to actually blog.

Poor, neglected blog.

Ha!
But I do have a layout to share today.

This one I made for Creative Memories using the fun Cheerful line mostly.

The design of this one is pretty simple but it is an easy way to focus on multiple pictures and journaling.

I told you it would be short and sweet!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy day!
:)
gretchen

Another peek-a-boo card!

Hey!
I made another card using the same tutorial that I shared yesterday.

This one is a girly birthday card and I used square punches instead of circles.

But I still cannot resist the cute hippo in Bella Blvd's new birthday lines!
:)

{Supplies: Bella Blvd Birthday Girl line}

And here is the hippo that is peeking out from the inside of the card!
:)

TGIF!
Have a great weekend people!!

:)
gretchen

Fun tutorial!

Hey!
Today I have a fun tutorial up on the Bella Blvd blog!
Actually this week is full of tutorials over there and this just happens to be my day.
Make sure to head over to the Bella blog and check out all the cool techniques and ideas that the other Bella designers have come up with to share with you!

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My tutorial is all about how to make a cute “peek-a-boo” birthday card.

Want to know how to make one??
:)

OK what you will need in addition to the basics (adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer, etc.), is your favorite Bella Blvd birthday products (specifically the Birthday Boy Cute Cuts, Borders, and other patterned papers of your choice), a sheet of kraft cardstock to be the base of your card, a scrap of cardstock that matches the birthday papers, a scalloped circle punch, and a circle punch slightly smaller than the scalloped circle punch.

Step 1.

 Make the base of your card.

I started with a card measuring 7” tall x 4” wide made out of kraft cardstock.

This will fit just right inside a legal envelope!

Then I layered 3 different patterned papers onto the front of the card.

Step 2.

      Using a circle punch (mine is 1 ½”), punch a circle in the middle from the right side of the card.
Just punch as far as your circle punch will reach.
My punch is not centered perfectly and I don’t really care!
This is a fun, playful card so if it is off-center it will only be more fun!

Step 3. 

      Now use that same circle punch to punch a piece of cardstock to match your card (I used orange cardstock). 

Then using a scalloped circle punch slightly bigger than the circle punch (mine is 1 7/8), punch around the circle that you just punched.

You will create a fun little shape that looks like this:

Now adhere the scalloped circle around the circle that you punched in the card. 

Step 4. 

Ok now move onto the inside of the card for a bit!
Cut the cute hippo out of the sheet of Cute Cuts from the Birthday Boy line.
Cut out one of the presents while you are at it and a small hat and a “happy birthday to you” from the Borders sheet.

Step 5.       Now adhere the hippo inside the card so that it can peek out of the circle on the front of the card. 

Then adhere the present with foam adhesive to the left of the hippo.
Give the hippo a hat by adhering above his head with foam adhesive. Cut up the “happy birthday to you” from the Borders sheet and adhere it to the inside of the card also. 

Step 6.

      Now go back and finish the outside of the card.
Add some tape around 3 sides and type out a sentiment to add above and below the punched circle.
Add stickers as desired to embellish.
Then you are done!

Fun, huh??!
Don't forget to check out the Bella Blvd blog too!

Have an awesome day!
:)
gretchen

Just for fun!

Good morning and happy Monday!
I feel like I should be posting a back to school layout today since I think everybody in America is starting school today!
But I am going to hang on to summer for just a little while longer.
*****

I remembered that a while back I had wanted to do a single layout with an enlarged photo for each cruise that we have been on. 

These layouts will go in my yearly albums.
Then I can turn around and make mini albums for each cruise and include all the pictures we took and ephemera I collected from each one. 

Well I made a layout for cruise #1.

And we have been on 3 more cruises since then!

I need to get on it!
I played along with the summer layout tag game 

{it's kind of like a game of "telephone" where you start with 1 layout, someone scraplifts it, then it gets passed on to the next person who scraplifts the second layout and on and on}

over at Noel Mignon so that was the perfect excuse for me to scrap another cruise.

But of course I chose the most recent one to scrap!

{Supplies: Bella Blvd patterned papers, chipboard, & stickers; American Crafts chipboard "no. 4"; Doodlebug & KI Memories brads}

Now I just need to get cruises #2 and #3 in the books!
:)
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Did yall see this??!

Whoop whoop!!
Check out the Bella Blvd blog for even more details!
Who is going to apply??
Anybody willing to admit it!?

*****

OK that's all I've got!
Have a great day!

:)

gretchen

Creating Keepsakes WINNER!!

Drumroll pul-lease!!

With the help of random.org...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2012-08-18 14:00:57 UTC

And the winner of the September/October issue
of Creating Keepsakes
{which is a great issue by the way-packed full of great ideas! more than usual even! i love that!} 

is...

Izzy Anderson said...

Great layout. Super cute. I love how you put the clouds down on the bottom. I need to remember that it's perfectly OK to move them around, LOL. Congrats on the pub!
August 14, 2012 6:37 PM

*****
Yay Izzy!
You are going to love this issue!Email me (gretchenmcelveen@yahoo.com) your mailing address and I will send your info on to the powers-that-be over at CK!
Happy Saturday folks!
:)
gretchen

Instagram love

The theme this week on the Pebbles blog is "Trends".  

We were supposed to create projects using some of our favorite trends and Pebbles products.

My favorite trend right now??
INSTAGRAM!!

I just recently jumped on the Instagram bandwagon. 

I hate that I waited so long! 

And it did not take me long to get addicted! 

So I thought for "Trends" week that it would be fun to do a layout with some of the Instagram pictures I have taken recently. 

I usually post my Instagram pics on Facebook also, so I was able to save them to my computer from there. 

I just printed them out from my computer at home and cropped them down from there. 

Then I used a combination of Pebbles Let Freedom Ring, With Love, and Fresh Goods to scrap them!

You can check out the Pebbles blog for many more "trendy" projects!

*****
Also, the giveaway for the newest issue of Creating Keepsakes is on the post below.
I won't pick a winner until later tonight so you can still leave a comment and have a chance to win!
TGIF!!
:)

gretchen

New issue up for sale + a GIVEAWAY!!

The September/October issue of Creating Keepsakes goes on sale today!

And I've got a layout in this issue that I can share!
This one is in the "CK Sketches" column.
I've loved CK's sketches dating all the way back to when Becky Higgins was doing them!

{click on layout to see it larger}

Supplies used:
Patterned paper (Pebbles Inc), Stickers (Bella Blvd, Jillibean Soup), Chipboard alphas (American Crafts), Corner Rounder (Creative Memories), Adhesive (Creative Memories) 

*****

You can check out more of the contents of this issue {here}.

Follow that link for free downloads, articles, and techniques too!

And you can get your copy {here}!

OR

{because blog posts are just more fun with a giveaway}

leave a comment here for a chance to win one for your very own!!

I will pick a random winner on Friday, August 17th.
Happy Tuesday!
:)

gretchen

It's all about you!

It's a rare Saturday post for me!
But I've got another card to share!

It's a very girly birthday card using {of course} the "Birthday Girl" line from Bella Blvd!

And I even decorated the inside!

OK short & sweet!
It's Saturday!
I've got some stuff to do!
Have a great weekend!
:)

gretchen

Thank you

I've got another card to share using new Bella Blvd stuff!

This card has a combination of "Thankful" products and "Birthday Boy" stickers in addition to the new orange stripe tape. 

Thank you for stopping by today!

TGIF!!
:)
gretchen

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P.S.

I've got a fun giveaway coming up early next week!

You're awesome!!

Not a lot of talking today.
Just sharing!

It's another card using new Bella Blvd goodies
(and a few not-so-new-products too)!

And you're awesome for stopping by here today!
Have a great day!
:)
gretchen

Whoa!!

Whoa!
Where did the time go??!

I've gotten a little behind on my blogging!
Oh, I know...the Olympics!
I am obsessed!

I can't not watch!

And I have this uncanny desire to go do some sit ups when I watch the track & field athletes!
:)

*****
OK back to regularly scheduled blogging...

I've got a card to share using some of the Bella Blvd buttons and Birthday Girl line.

How cute are these flowery buttons?!
I used one button as the "cherry" on top of the cupcake.
Then I used 2 more to accent toward the bottom right and left sides of the card.
I don't always feel the need to add thread/string through the button holes every time I use buttons but I did on this card.
And I thought tying the string into a bow through the top button would be a cute touch! 

OK gotta go!
More Olympics to watch!
:)
gretchen

Whip It Up Wednesday

on a Thursday!
Yesterday was "Whip It Up Wednesday" over on the Pebbles blog.
The challenge is to whip something up in 30 minutes or less.
So I used a basic sketch/design that I have used several times before to create this layout using the "Country Picnic" line...

In 30 minutes or less baby!
Can't beat that!
:)
Happy Thursday!
gretchen