lindaalbrecht

Little bird...

"A little bird has chosen his shelter.  Above it are the stars and the deep heaven of the worlds.  Yet he is rocking himself to sleep without caring for tomorrow's lodging, calmly clinging to his little twig and leaving God to think for him."   Martin Luther



I love birds and they seem to inspire me quite often in my creating.  So sweet, so fragile and yet so strong.  Inspired by them once again and by a new snow that has fallen in our almost snowless winter I made this "Snowbird Shadow Box" for the Glue Arts Blog.

My little bird is made from a styrofoam body that I painted white then glitter up with clear glitter and mica flakes.  The twig was cut from my back yard and sprinkled with more glitter and mica flakes and a few sparkly sequins.  The "snow" is Sno-Tex paste.


The sponsored products for this Glue Arts project are from Little Yellow Bicycle (the blue papers, white paper trim and Clear Glitter shapes.


I layered one of the Clear Cut glitter snowflakes onto a Melissa Frances Resin snowflake which added pretty dimension to the corner of the shadow box.



I cut some additional trim from old music paper which I layered onto chipboard using a Tim Holtz Die.  The silver sparkle is tinsel trim.

Little snowbird also sits on some strips of the music paper that he gathered for his nest.  I love how birds are so good at recycling! :-)  If you've ever been able to look closely at a bird's nest, they are very resourceful about building a comfy place to rest.  It's amazing what they find.  My sister, who has several horses, has found nests made completely of horse hair and a friend found a nest in her yard that had a few strands of what appeared to be her own long blonde hairs.  So sweet to find such treasures.

If you have a chance to visit the Glue Arts blog you will find plenty of late winter inspiration from the design team using Little Yellow Bicycle and Glue Arts adhesives.  Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win on their giveaways.

My last post promised a giveaway and that will go to JeanFB | February 13, 2012 at 08:52 PM
Please email me with your mailing information so that I can send off your prize.  Thanks to everyone else that left a kind comment... I appreciate you all.



Have  you all discovered Pinterest ?  Crazy how much time can be spent over there, but wow, the inspiration is amazing.  Here is a beautiful photo taken with what looks like a metal bird ornament hung on a branch...


http://pinterest.com/pin/238268636505277627/

More birds that I pinned was this...


http://pinterest.com/pin/238268636505469589/  Silly little birds.... just adorable for a mobile in a kids room.

Well, I am off to bed..... 

"There's a little bird somebody sent down to the earth to live on the wind.  Blowing on the wind, she sleeps on the wind, this little bird... little bird."

Linda

Love, love, love...and a giveaway

Hello!

It's that time of the year again when it's all about love and Valentine'sDay... pink and red... hearts and kisses.  Pink makes me happy, so it's always a fun time to use one of my favorite colors.  Today I am sharing a couple of projects made for the Glue Arts Blog.




My first project is a Valentine's Day treat box with a tag card.  I picked up the wood box at Michael's for under $1 and covered it with patterned papers from My Mind's Eye "Love Nest" collection.  So sweet and perfect for the day of love. 

Don't you just love the touch of Robin's Egg blue with the papers?  The embellishment on the center of the front of the box is made with U-Cut-It Foam from Glue Arts.  I cut the blue tag from the My Mind's Eye paper and popped that up from the surface with the foam also then clipped on a mini glittered up clothespin and a "Be Mine" sentiment.  The flowers are also made from U-Cut-It foam.  I just removed one side of the protective paper and applied the glitter to the sticky surface.  The pink rhinestones are from Melissa Frances.


The large tag was also cut from the patterned paper and it has it's own little paper heart card attached that opens to reveal the sentiment inside.  I added a sweet paper lace doily too because I can't ever resist using them for Valentine's Day.  Trinket Pins used are from Maya Road and add the perfect finishing touch!

The scalloped circle die cuts were made with AccuCut dies, the flowers are a Provo Craft die and the scalloped border piece was made with a Tim Holtz die by Ranger.



I filled a cellophane bag with sugared cinnamon hearts and the bow on the tag was made from a ripped muslin strip that I painted robin's egg blue then ran under water to soften.


Remember to go to the Glue Arts Blog often to comment for a chance to win the almost daily prizes that they give away.  It always includes some of their adhesives and usually some other sponsored scrapbooking products.


My second project uses some Linen Burlap bags from the new Maya Road release.  I embellished them up and used them to wrap up little ways to say I love you.




One of the bags holds a string of simple paper hearts and the other a heart shaped felt brooch pin. 

The paper hearts are made from Pink Paislee papers and some old music sheets.  I added some lace and small buttons.

The heart was cut from Bubble Gum Pink wool felt from Sweet Emma Jean's Etsy shop.  I machine stitched the heart togehter then stuffed in some batting, added some pretty mini organze roses trim by Maya Road and an antique button with rhinestones also by Maya Road.


To the back side of the heart I added some lace, russian netting, and a daisy from a Vintage trim by Maya Road.

The burlap bags also have the Maya Road Mini Organza Roses trim that I added some rhinestones to, some vintage white buttons from my great Aunt Cora's old collection and a hand dyed seam binding bow.


As promised in my last blog post, I drew a name from the comments to receive a little gift from me.  Patty who commented January 28, 2012 at 08:18 AM you are the winner.  Please email me with your mailing address so that I can ship your package out to you.

I also want to give away one of the Linen Burlap Bag gifts so if you want a chance to win please comment on this post.  I'll try to get back within the next 10 days to announce the winner's name.

Thanks for stopping by... have a wonderful week ahead!
Linda :-)

Glue Arts & Studio Calico

Hello!  Thanks for stopping in.  I have a new project made for the Glue Arts Blog that was sponsored by  Studio Calico.  It should be up on the blog with simple instructions on 1/26.
I call it the "Lovely Abode" pin cushion container.  It's made from a metal gift/storage can that you can find at a craft store.


Lots of fun product in their "Field Guide" kit... some BasicGrey paper and brads, Studio Calico papers and tag & some little Sassafras Lass chipboard butterflies.  


Of course I used some Crackle paint on the "windows" by Ranger-- Clear Rock Candy.  My obsession as of late! ;-)

Lots of hand embroidered accents and wool felt from "Sweet Emma Jeans" Etsy shop.  Check out her shop... and her adorable felt baby shoes.  My future grandchild will be getting some of those someday!

The pin cushion is topped off with a Vintage Raspberry Bead & some Maya Road Trinket pins, because every project should be embellished with a trinket pin or two.  ;-) :-)

Thanks Studio Calico for the fun product and Glue Arts for all of the adhesive that it takes to make a project like this!

Linda

Maya Road Sneak Peeks

CHA winter has almost started in Anaheim, CA so Maya Road is showing some of their wonderful new product over on their company blog HERE.  Such lovely things. 

I made the card above using new Frayed Edge Pleated trim in Faded Cherry *LOVE!!*, chipboard letters, scalloped chipboard frame, that pretty Gauze flower and green zipper.  The green color is new-- not the zipper product. 

The tag uses their new Vintage Metal Heart Tart Tin... just imagine the possiblilities!  I painted it red and sanded it a bit to distress it, then made a little pin cushion to fit inside it. The stamps used on the pin cushion are also a new item along with the pink measuring tape (the color is a bit off in the photo, but what a cool new item.)  The Vintage Findings Beaded Flower is not new, but isn't it just yummy?

This tag uses new Yellow Velvet Band ribbon, new Mini Organza Roses trim, scalloped chipboard frame and at the top some of their awesome new Twine Cording.  This twine is not floss-like as some twines out there...it has the real weight and feel of a twine cording that you might use to wrap a package with.  Very cool.

This is a mini made using their Soar Butterfly Chipboard Album.  It's filled with thoughts about butterflies and the colors of spring.  It can't be far away now, right?




Another new scalloped chipboard frame here and that sweet mini wood butterfly along with pieces of the Mini Organza Roses trim that I filled with a bit of sparkle.  I seriously love that trim because of the netting that is along the edges.  It makes for a really great texture on projects.


New clear stamp used on the chipboard butterfly... love this set.

If any of you would like some of those vintage images, email me and ask and I will send them off to you.


One last thing for now....


A blue jean pocket tag that is embellished with more of that Mini Organza Roses trim-- this time in pink, the measuring tape, and one of my favorite things from their new release-- Linen Burlap Trim.  I know that I can use that in sooooo many ways.  Here I embroidered on the trim to add some color.  It looks so great with all of the other textures on the tag.

I will be back within the next day or two with a few more things Maya Road-- hope to see you then.  Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Monthly Inspirations

Hello!  Well, it's the new year and as usual there are thoughts to change something for the better.  Or at least work on lifestyle and spiritual improvements.  I had this in mind when I created a little "monthly inspirations" album that I made for the Glue Arts blog.

Daily inspirations are nice... I get some of those in my email and enjoy reading them, but this gives you a whole month of something to ponder and aspire for.  I'm not really good at finishing anything in one day, so this is a better option for me anyway.

I love the little Maya Road business card holder... it was a perfect base for my inspiration pages.  There are 6 chipboard pages-- just perfect for 12 months.  You flip through January to June then turn the base around to finish out the years pages.

The Glue Arts projects were sponsored by Simple Stories.  They have a really fun collection here called "Year-o-graphy".  I used a lot of their cardstock stickers and popped some of them up off the page with Glue Arts U-Cut-It foam.

Of course I used a bunch of Maya Road chipboard pieces, trinket pins& blossoms, and trims.

One of my favorite pages has Maya Road chipboard cars that are on a ric rac road.  I used some Glossy Accents by Ranger to add some depth and shine to the windows.  I used onasburg fabric and some wool felt as a base on some of the pages...and lots of stitches and sandpaper.

The quotes were printed onto a clear transparency sheet then some were backed with a bit of acrylic paint.  There also some Simple Stories color transparency tags layered here and there over patterned papers, fabric and felt.  I love transparencies... they can add so much detail.

Well that's it!  Just a fun little thing to make up and hang out on the desk.  Remember to check the Glue Arts blog daily.  They always give away prizes which include their adhesives and sponsored kits used in our projects.


The winner drawn from my last post is Trudi who commented December 21@ 12:50 pm.  Get in touch with me Trudi and I will send you the Snoball Scene with the polar bear.  Thanks for all that participated and commented.  You rock!

Until next time... when I'll have some new projects to show that I've created for CHA.  Oh oh... all that I can say right now is Maya Road, I love you!! ;-) 

Linda

Hello!  I know that everyone is just as busy as I am, so if you are here to check out this post, thank you for taking a minute.  Are you ready for Christmas?  Not me... I have some last minute shopping to do, a customer photo session to edit today, a photo session with a mom tomorrow that I used to babysit when she was small & now she has a baby girl of her own, and some house cleaning to catch up on, but when it arrives I'm ready... ready or not.

Here are a few Glue Arts projects for today:






I made these Snowball scenes with styrofoam and Mica Flakes.  The animals are made from clay cut out the sahpe of those cute little critter's stamps from Lawn Fawn.  The Happy Winter sentiment came with the "Critter's in the Snow" stamps also. 


I glued the scene onto vitage thread spools that were my Great Aunt Cora's.  I love that I can use some of her old things.  She meant so much to me and my family  and when her daughter gave me some old buttons, hankies and thread spools I squealed with delight!  Simple things are always the best.

There is also some 'can't live without'  products from Maya Road gracing my projects, like the "Antique Gem" Trinket pins, the Chipboard Banner's and the tiny wood spool that's on top of the penguin snowball.  I love Maya Road! 

Go to the Glue Arts Blog to see some simple instructions and step by step photos.  Let me know what your favorite thing about the Snowball Scenes are and I will draw one name from the comments to give away the Polar Bear Snow Scene.  Any takers?  :-)

This project uses wonderful October Afternoon product.  One of my favorites for sure.  I love the retro look... reminds me of when I was a little girl at Christmastime.

The papers, buttons, and trims are from October Afternoon's "Holiday Style" collection.  Again (I love my styrofoam balls!!) a snowman that is sparkled up with clear glitter and Mica Flakes.  Tip:  "Real" Mica Flakes are best for that vintage look.  They are not a true white like some reproduction Mica Flakes.  They are real Mica Flakes gathered up from the rocks of Mother Nature.  Nothing can beat the real thing for the best color and authentic look.




The rolled carrot nose and scarf is cut from Wool Felt that I ordered from "Sweet Emma Jean's" Etsy Shop.  She has the most amazing colors.  You can go to the Glue Arts Blog to see the step by steps and supply list.  The post isn't up yet, but should be sometime this week.  I'm sure there is a giveaway involved, so make sure to comment on their post to win something good!

We are in the middle of a brown Christmas here and it's not looking so good for a white one.  Every tiny little snowfall that we get melts within a few days.  So I guess that making my own version of a snowman and falling snow is what I may only get this year for Christmas.  I'll take it... I'm so glad for the crafting that keeps me content and gives me the opportunity to create my own bit of seasonal magic.

 


Holiday Blessings to all of my readers in blogland! Thank you for always supporting my creative efforts... it's fun to share.  Have the happiest of days ahead with those that you love... take time to be still and listen to the joy that comes with being with family and friends... it's the best sound.  The sound of peace and love.

Linda :-)

Hello December!

We woke up to a fresh layer of snow on the roof tops and ground here in southern MN today.  We had one small snowfall in November, but it had since melted.  This one was a light one too...I'm ready for us to live up to our "Minne-snow-ta" nickname.  Bring on the snow!!

I love everything about the Christmas holiday, especially the creative things that can be made.  There are so many possibilities for Christmas and winter that there is never enough time to make everything!

So here is my first holiday project of the season...

I just love this little angel all decked out in her BasicGrey gown.  She is made from Maya Road Chipboard pieces.  I used one of the "People Chipboard Album- Girl" pages and her wings are from the Snowflake Set.  I painted them white and sparkled them all up with Mica Flakes and rhinestones.

Her dress has details of crocheted lace that I hand stitched on and the glitter line was made easily using Glue Arts "Adhesives Lines".  You just cut to your desired length, rub it on, remove the protective plastic strip, sprinkle on the glitter and you have a perfect line of sparkle.  Check out the Glue Arts Blog for a complete list of supplies and instructions.

The resin star is from Melissa Frances and the silver wreath is made from a couple of pipe cleaners that are wound together.

The base is made from a wood 2x4-- it's about 6" tall.  I added a wood knob to the top of the wood block and topped it with a Melissa Frances rhinestone and some more silver pipe cleaner.

She makes me smile!  Thanks to my dad too for his help in all of the wood projects that I do.  He helped me with THESE skates last year.  And then a long long time ago, we made these together...

So, on to some business... the give away winner drawn from my last post is...
Katherine, posted on November 21, 2011 @ 2:29 pm

Please email me, Katherine and I will be sending you some of the product that I used to create my fall projects and a few of those felt flowers that I made. 

Thanks to everyone for commenting and stopping by for a visit to my blog!  The free pattern/template that I am working on is still in progress so I will share that with you all next time.  Be back soon!

Linda :-)

The last days of Fall

Hello all!  Another week closer to Thanksgiving and we have new snow/ice on the ground.  I'm not quite ready for winter and our Fall has been mild, but now we are off...speeding right into winter and the holiday season.  So much to do always!

Here is another Glue Arts project...

Made from We R Memory Keepers papers... accordion folded strips of paper made to form pinwheels that are held together with Glue Arts Adhesives... a banner to welcome Thanksgiving guests.  So easy.

I like the robin's egg blue color thrown in with the traditional autumn colors.  The embellishments are also from WeR Memory Keepers.


My last fall project for the season is a Fall Tin.  It would be great to fill up with cookies to bring as a hostess gift!  This is made using Imaginisce papers and embellishments.

The owl is made with the Imaginisce's "Fall Friends" Icon Die Cut.  I stitched some felt to the backside and filled it up with stuffing.  Silly little owl looks pretty content sitting in the grapevine wreath topping the container! ;-)

I made some felt flowers to cozy up the nest and tied on a fabric bow topped off with a button.  A few simple instructionsand more photos are over at the Glue Arts Blog.  I also share the recipe for my Great Aunt Cora's famous Gingersnaps at the GA Blog too.  They are a family favorite!  I made a double batch on Wednesday and they are all gone today.  Go HERE for the recipe and leave a comment to have a chance to win a Glue Arts giveaway.



Speaking of giveaways... I have some of the product used on both of these projects to share.  Comment on this post and I'll enter you to win.  I'll even add in a few of the handmade felt flowers that I used on the Fall Tin :-)

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones and stop by in a week or so to see if you won the giveaway... and I'll have a new winter project and pattern to share too!

Linda

Thank-Full

It's November...yikes!  Hard to believe, but it's fun to see the season's change.  There is always something to be amazed at when you really look at Mother Nature.

I have a simple, little shabby project that will be on the Glue Arts blog tomorrow.  The sponsored manufacturer is "Die Cuts With a View", or DCWV as scrapbookers know them.  This project uses their Lady Couture Paper Stack with Gloss. 


There will be a supply list and some simple instructions up with more photos tomorrow at the Glue Arts blog.  I tried to capture the glossy embossiness of the papers, but it was hard! ;-)



Those chipboard pieces that I used for the project are from Maya Road.  Individual pieces from a couple of their Albums(Keyhole & Home.)  I have to say that if it had not been for the Maya Road chipboard, I was lost on what to make..., so thank you Maya Road for your wonderful product.  Love it all!

The wire trim is made from 20 gauge black wire.  I looped it around a finger then cut to add to the backside of the chipboard with Glue Arts hot glue gun.  I always jab my fingers and end up bleeding when I work with wire, but I think that the effect was worth it.

I want to share a couple of photos of my son, Cole's wedding.  He married the sweetest girl.  We love them both so much!


As you can see, it was very casual... an outdoor ceremony by the lake at Camp Patterson with the reception and dance to follow.  It was lovely and sweet and created a bunch of happiness all around.


I made all of the decorations and the bouquets.  I had a special friend who helped so so much with the flowers too, making the boutineers and helping my sister and another friend with vases for the tables that consisted of zinnia's, dahlia's, billy balls, and cabbage roses.

I bought large lanterns for months and painted them white and distressed them up.  I made fabric pennant banners for the ceiling in the lodge where the dance was held and for the ceremony site and miscellaneous other places.  It was so fun!




They lit sparklers and exited the ceremony to the Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire"...  "Love is a burning thing... and it makes a firey ring..."  It was so cute and again, fun!  Their love truly is like a burning ring of fire in so many ways. 

Okay... more creating going on here tonight.  I figure as long as the mess is out I will work on my next assignment.  If you have time to check back in next week, I will be back and I think that it's time for a give away too.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week!

Linda

 

A couple of October projects

Almost too late, but will share them anyway!  Fall is my favorite time of the year and it seems to be passing all too quickly.  Here are a couple of projects made for Glue Arts this month.

Made with Core dinations textured cardstocks.  I love the sanded and distressed look created with this cardstock.


And you can never go wrong with a bit of Ranger Distress Crackle paint in "Rock Candy" form.  I love it!  There is also some BasicGrey Fabric Posies, Melissa Frances Fall Stickers and chipboard Backdrop piece, and a Maya Road chipboard bird.  I did just a little cutting to make the bird look more like a blackbird...just a little :-)

This countdown chalkboard was soooooo fun to make.  I used a Creative Imaginations clipboard and painted it with chalkboard paint that you can buy at a craft or home improvement store.  Added lots of Authentique patterned papers and elements.

The chipboard banner pieces are Maya Road and so is the tag covered with patterned paper.  Chipboard adds such a nice texture to nay project.  It adds depth and creates interest.

The acrylic spider web stamps are from Tattered Angels that I stamped directly onto the chalkboard then added glitter embossing.

I added wire and staples along one edge to rustic it up a bit and add more texture.  Again, all of the stickers and paper labels are from Authentique.  The glitter used is from Pink Paislee--my favorite!

We are coming upon my very favorite crafting season...


Yep!  Winter and Christmas!!  I actually made this in August, again for Glue Arts using "Paper Smooches" acrylic stamps along with some awesome BasicGrey papers and sticker.

Of course you need to sparkle up those snowmen after stamping and painting in the details... I always use Martha Stewart Fine Clear Glitter for my winter projects.  Goes a long way too.

Well, I no longer have wedding on the brain because my son's wedding was Septmeber 24th.  It was wonderful and sweet and perfect for the two of them.  I will post some photos soon. 

Hopefully now more of my days are open for creating and doing a better job of keeping up with Design Team responsibilities.  That is my goal!  I do have one other tiny, sweet, little thing that may come into play in early March though.  My daughter is having a baby...A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

This little hat is available at " Beautiful Photo Props" and as soon as I know if she is having a boy or a girl, I'm ordering one.  Or maybe I should order now... one pink and one blue so that I'm safe!!  Now don't you all go and buy them up before I can get one;-)

Thanks for stopping by!
Linda