Framed Teresa Collins Designs Art by Keisha Campbell

Hello Teresa Collins Designs fans, Keisha here today. Framed art seems to be the theme for the week, lol! It is so cool to see all the different takes on framed TCD artwork. For my take I used my Big Kick to make the hexagons(Spellbinders) & butterfly(Memory Box) shapes. 

The woodgrain paper is from the Now & Then line, and the dot & floral papers are from the Memories line. I used a few pop dots to give it some dimension. Super fast & easy project-would be a great gift! 

It's FRIDAY...have a great weekend.

Lucky 17 ideas from Suzanne Sergi

Happy Thursday! Suzanne here featuring a Lucky 17 trio set using the He Said She Said collection. Perfect to share the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. I did pair bits from the Now & Then ensemble, too. 

St. Patrick's is all about the color green! I brought in some of the pretty yellows, and  blues from the collection. Of course, what is St. Patrick's Day without a hint of gold thrown in?

I created a standard size  card, and a tiny card, too. I also embellished the outside of one of the new envelopes. Love that these were added, and perfect to have on hand for any occasion!

I created a Lucky 17 card using the 6x6 He Said She Said Designer Pad. The flowers are from the Now & Then Collection, as well as the brad. I did cut a variety of pattern papers that complimented the base of the card to tuck underneath the flower. In the lower right hand corner is the number 17 punched from gold glitter cardstock. 

This card measures 3x2, and I kept it pretty flat on the outside. This way it could be packaged inside an envelope. The base is a simple white cardstock that I embossed. I used more of that floral paper to trim the bottom of the card. Punched the number 17 out of gold glitter paper. I used the sentiment, "you make me smile" found in the 6x6 paper pad. I simply cut the portion I wanted, and finished it with the enamel dots from the Now & Then Collection.

Here I used the floral mini envelope perfect for tucking in the 3x2 mini card above. I trimmed the middle of envelope with a gold strip, and cut out one of the flower blooms found in the 6x6 designer pad. The green brad can be found on the Now & Then Decorative Brad package. I punched a small tag that I ran through my computer to print an additional sentiment.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope the number 17, is lucky for you!

Mini cards by Amanda Jones

Hi TCD fans! Today I wanted to share how I made these cute mini "easel" cards with the Now & Then collection.



I made both of these from a 12x12 sheet of paper - in fact you can make 3 card bases from 1 sheet :) The front of the finished cards measures 4"x4".

1. First you need to trim a piece to measure 12" x 4".
2. Next, measure and score across the card 4 inches in from each end.
3. Fold each end in towards the centre of the card. Your card should now stand up on one end with the centre section as the "back" of the card and the other end flap folded down to make the front of the card.
4. To make sure you card stands up nicely, embellish the bottom flap with a button or chipboard piece which you can tuck the front of the card behind. This stops the card from collapsing when on display ;)



Then simply embellish your card as desired. I used some of the die-cut flowers layered with buttons from the collection to pretty mine up.



Thanks for stopping by the blog today! Enjoy the rest of the week, wherever you are :)

Amanda's blog.

2SweetGirls Now & Then layout by Jamie Harder

How did it become Monday already?  I don't know about you but to get out of the Monday blues I have just been tuning in to what is happening at CHA right now...new scrapbooking product always puts me in a good mood:-)   Have you checked out the Teresa Collins booth?  It  looks AMAZING!  And I can NOT wait to get my hands on all the new collections!  Until then, I am happily playing with my Now and Then collection:

You know when you LOVE everything about a collection and want to use it all at once?  That is definitely how I feel about Now and Then.  So I went a little crazy and used an assortment of brads, chipboard pieces and the enamel dots to fill up one of my paper hearts.  So fun!

Here is a close-up:

Remember This Day layout by Amanda Jones

It's that time of year.... that wonderful time when we get to see all the yummy new products heading our way in 2013! I'm loving Teresa's new collections. Have you seen anything that particularly catches your eye yet? Or are you like me, and just love it all?! A little birdie tells me that you may start seeing some projects here with the new lines tomorrow... ;)

In the meantime, I'm still getting a lot of mileage out of Now and Then. This time, I've created an Easter page, with a picture of my Great Aunt during our annual egg hunt.

I love how there is such a big collection of "stuff" with this line, and several fun colours. You can choose which colours and styles to highlight with each different layout or card.

My love of twine is not going away any time soon, and one of my favourite ways to use it on my pages is by twisting up little coils of it and adding embellishments, like I have on this page.

I secured the coils with staples to keep them firmly in place and then embellished with small die-cut flowers, which also serve to hide the staples ;)

Do you have a favourite way to use twine? I'd love to hear about it if you do!

Thanks for visiting today and be sure to return as CHA kicks off to see lots of NEW goodies!

My Blog.

Love by Keisha

Hello TCD's fans, Keisha here sharing some of my Valentine inspiration using Now & Then. I am always excited to make Valentine stuff-I love to use creams & whites as a base with pops of red or pink.

The card is just hearts punched in two sizes and layered on the card. I used a couple of pop dots for the 'love' sticker and stamped the 'always & forever'. Then I pinched a few sequins and let them fall randomly onto the card-and glued them where they fell. 

The frame is even more simple to make using a Michael's $2 frame with patten paper cut to fit, a punched red heart and a die cut saying.

Anniversary Card by Dedra Long

Jon and I have an anniversary coming up and while I was in the card section of a couple of different stores, I could not really find a card with the combination of things I was looking for. I noticed that most cards that have a "money pocket" are very cute, funny and childish. Definitely not the card I want to give Jon for our anniversary. The really sweet, thoughtful, the kind of things I want to say cards have no place for a gift card, money and usually no place for you to write something other than "I love you" and your name.

So, I decided I would make my own card, with a gift certificate and note pocket. I can have the best of both worlds.

To create a pocket for the inside I cut down a piece of patterned paper to fit the inside of the card. You can cut it at an angle for a more fancy looking pocket or cut it straight across for a more simple look. Stitch the cut patterned paper to the inside of the card. 

I wrote a little note and slipped it inside with a gift card to the Desert Botanical Gardens where we where married 11 years ago. Now, Jon even has a place to take me for the day!

Thanks for taking a look!

Cherish by Yvonne Blair featuring Now and Then

 Happy New Year everyone! Yvonne here to share a little Now and Then. This line is so perfect for those everyday moments.  I was doing a photo shoot with my daughter Breanna and I knew when I saw the pictures they would be a perfect fit.  The photos on this layout aren't perfect, but they represent my sweet girl.  It was windy, her hair was blowing around and the sun was hitting her, but I LOVE these pictures.  They are so her. I had to incorporate them into a layout.  

I cut the Woodgrain paper (which is the blue lattice) to about 7 x 12.  After I used a border punch (American Crafts) down the left side, I curled the paper back on itself.  I really like dimension in my books.  I added some pop dots so that it would stay dimensional.  Using the Decorative brads from Now and Then I attached the folded layers down.  I then cut a 4 x 12 piece of the Words paper and adhered it down in about the center of the page. Using the Die Cut Flowers, I stacked then and attached them using a decorative brad as well.  To finish off the layout I added some embellies from the sticker sheet, a ticket from the border strips and a half of a doily.  (You probably noticed by now I have a very hard time not using doilies, lol)I

 Here area  couple of closeups so you can see the layers and dimensions.  

I hope you enjoyed and were inspired to include those not so perfect photos in your scrapbooking.  They are after all "real" life.  HEHEHE.  

Looking forward to the next time I can share something with you.  Until then, I will be working hard on some new stuff with Teresa' new lines! You are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE Them! 

Supplies used:

Now and Then Papers: Floral, Woodgrain and Words.

Now and Then decorative Brads

Now and Then Sticker Sheet

Now and Then Die Cut Flowers

Now and Then Die Cut Borders

Other: Border Punch-American Crafts, 3D foam tape, adhesive and a doily.

You can visit my blog here.

Trying something new with Cheri Piles

Happy New Years everyone!!

I have thought a lot about this project, I have envisioned it for months now. I just didn't really know what to do or how to start.... My own "self-talk" & fear of failure kept me from doing this sooner. I woke up the other day and said enough. I can and will do this, I want to try so badly, so I did it - I took a leap of faith. 

I have to say a HUGE HUGE, THANK YOU to Sesil, I happened to call her as I was in route to buy my supplies and she was a huge help! So Thanks Sesil!!!

This was my first collage art piece. I used all 9 papers from the Now & Then collection. Can you find them? Each piece of paper is represented in one form or another. It's very whimsical and fun!

I love this quote from the die cut banners, I just cut the words out and adhered them.

This is my second piece - you can see I'm starting to get the hang of it, it's not perfect by any means but I LOVE this one the most! It is so inspirational!

Another quote, and it's so true!! I am going to frame this and put it on my desk... I have big plans for this year!!!

This is my third piece, it is using the Vintage Finds Collection. I really wanted you to see this in the frame. It MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world to frame these! Wouldn't you agree??

I can never get enough of these flowers layered on one another, I cut them out from the "flowers" paper. I did not glue them "into" the project, I wanted to see what it would look like as a 3-D effect.

What I learned:

• Never not try something new no matter how much it might intimidate you - give yourself a chance to grow. You can see that just after a few tries I am starting to get the hang of the very basics of collage art.
• Go with the flow and use papers that YOU love and that inspire YOU! When you are inspired, your art will reflect it.
• Different mediums may change or alter the hue's of the paper. Project #2 really is bright in real life!!
• Gesso allows you to have a Do-over, lol!!

What I used besides papers from the Now & Then, Tell Your Story and Vintage Finds Collections:

• 8x10 Canvas 
• Gesso - Acrylic, Opaque, Matte, Medium fluid (from the back of the bottle) - I painted this on top of the canvas to give the paint something to stick to.
• Slow Dry blending gel medium - I mixed this with my paint on project #1 & #2. I also used it as a "mod-podge" to apply the layers and over them.
• black pen - I like the look of outlining some of the pieces of paper.

 I hope this inspires you to try something fun and new!

Happy New Years Eve from Suzanne Sergi!

Happy New Year's Eve!

With a New Year approaching, I thought I would alter a small card box I received for a stocking stuffer. A perfect way to begin to organize cards I make throughout the year. It seems I am always in need of a card, but can never find one when it is most needed!

Using the Now & Then Collection I covered the outside of the box, and made a coordinating card to fit inside.

Detail of the top of the card box. I used a portion of the 12x12 Collage paper to cover the top, and added the white bloom from one of Teresa's past collections. I tucked in a bit of silver glitter tulle underneath the flower to add another delicate detail. Two chipboard elements from the chipboard sheet were tucked on top, too.

For the card I used the Now & Then Damask 12x12 paper for the base of the card. I turned to the 6x6 paper pad for the layering of the graph paper in the middle of the card. Simple cluster of borders strips, and a few embellishments add splashes of interest throughout the card.

I felt this card needed one more layer underneath the flower, so I added a circle of patterned paper. I did cut the top of the circle,so it was flushed against the Clocks graph paper. I also added a simple machine stitch to the top, to give the edge a finished look. On top is the die cut flower from the coordinating flower pack from this collection. I love vellum as you may have noticed, but this time, broke out my scallop punch to add two vellum scallop flowers underneath. 

A final detail of the borders created toward the bottom of the card. Use the fabulous ticket border, and a bit from the glitter scallop border. You can find both of these in the Diecut border package from Now & Then. I also added three of the enamel dots to the ticket border, to add a bit of contrast to the card. Now, I will spend part of today creating more cards to fill the inside of my pretty box!

Wishing you, and your family a Happy New Year!!!

A Week in the Life by Stacey Michaud

I hope you have enjoyed our Week in the Life series...I am sharing one last project to celebrate the everyday!

I decided to create a multiphoto layout for my assignment.  It kept the idea manageable and suits my personal sense of design.  To make my layout, I printed out several Instagram photos taken over a week's period.

Notice how I only have six photos on this layout...truth be told, I missed a day.  But I decided that I wouldn't let that be a barrier.  I grouped my photos into two rows, keeping the design clean and linear.

Then I thought about the title.  Life is crazy...it is busy...but it is also wonderful.  I am blessed with so much and I won't take that for granted...

I grouped the Cherish This die-cut, number chipboard strip and the Sweet Memories ticket, placing my journaling around those elements.  I like the randomness of it.

 One of my favorite parts of this layout is the saying on the border strip.  It really rings true.  It is a sentiment I plan to hold onto because each day is a gift.

I am so glad I made this project.  I know that my family and I will enjoy looking back and remembering one week in life.