lindaalbrecht

Love is in the air !

Isn't it great?!!  So great to love and be loved . We don't do anything big for Valentine's day.  It seems that when you have kids that it becomes mostly about them, so we usually just celebrate with some  homemade treats, maybe some balloons or a special dinner.  I made these this year.

Don't look too close, they are not perfect, but they taste wonderful.  Yum!!!!

I also finished this layout today before I frosted the cupcakes.

Once again I used some of the new Melissa Frances Clear Stamps.  The one's along the photo are from the Imperial Borders set.  I stamped onto a clear transparency sheet with acrylic paint for the blue stamped image, then StazOn inkpad for the black. I also added a little color wash in orangey red to the flower centers and layered it over the bottom edge of the photo.  There are so many options to using stamps, but to stamp onto a transparency sheet omits mistakes. 

I also used the Summer Breeze stamp set which is the direct to paper images of the green foilage.  I think that I will probably wear out that Summer Breeze stamp set because I love it so much. 

Hope that you've had, or are having a lovely day of celebrating the love in your life.  I need to go off now to celebrate a little more with mine!

Love always,  Linda

I am a Lucky girl

I really am.  Along with everything that blesses my life on a daily basis with my family, I also have wonderful opportunities to work with some of the best products and people in the scrapbooking industry.  I sometimes forget that not everyone who wants to,  gets to be creative and artful at their jobs and I am so lucky have the opportunity to be one of those that does. 

Here's another preview of new product releasing at CHA.  Just look what Melissa Frances has done now... she has created some more clear stamps that I am so excited about!!! 

And did you notice that there is a chance for you to WIN those babies?!!  Melissa Frances has a new blog that just went live today(Sunday, February 10.)  Follow This link to the blog and enter to win all of them.  WOW, can you imagine how fun that would be?  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! 

Here is a layout that I did with the Summer Breeze Stamp set.

* I used acrylic paints on the stamps to make my images.  Just water them down a little and really it's like doing a watercolor painting, only easier because the design is there for you.  Some of the images were stamped directly onto the paper first with Fluid Chalk ink, then I added the other layers by stamping onto a separate piece of cardstock, cut them out, then adhered them to the first layer of stamping.  Then I    added  some machine stitches and hand stitched swirls for more detail and depth. 

I also just remembered that I used 2 of the Frame It Stamps on my layout too.  Oh, I am so in love!! ;-)

So go -- go fast to the new Melissa Frances Blog and post for a chance to win the stamps.

Luck and love to all,  Linda 

Favorites

We all have our very favorite things... like our favorite bracelet or shoes, or a favorite time in our lives.  Luckily most of us are blessed with many favorites -- mostly because we have learned to live grateful life's.  I for one am overly blessed with good things and like to recognize my favorites, even though they may change over time.

One of my favorite things in my house is pillows.

Love me a pretty pillow.  Lately I've made a few that are my favorite new shape--more rectangle than square -- and in some of my favorite colors like creamy white, robin's egg blue, and that muted orangey red. 

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Another favorite of mine is celebrating.  Celebrating things like birthday's.

It's my beautiful girl's birthday in a few hours.  We celebrated on Saturday though because she was home for the weekend.  So fun to see her grow up and we just adore everything about her.  Well, almost  ;-)  ;-).  But honestly, she has been a true joy from the very start and I am so lucky to be her mom.

 

Oh how fast they grow...

While we celebrated on Saturday my sister got out her guitar and we sang.  Sang our crazy hearts out like we haven't done in years.  On many Saturday mornings for a long time my sisters, my mom, and myself would get together and just hang out and have a little singing session.  My mom taught us to love music and some of my favorite memories of childhood involved music and singing together.  So as we grew older, one or two would play guitar and we'd sing and we'd laugh when we messed up.  Or we'd laugh like we did on Saturday for no reason at all.  Just because one of us would get a giggle going.  Favorite times.

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I also get to share some of my favorite new scrapbooking product that is debuting at CHA in less than a week.  It's pretty and romantic and soft.  Melissa Frances product always makes me feel sentimental-- there's just something about it. 

 

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And my absolute favorite little project is made with the new Melissa Frances Baby collection.  I used my 24 year old son's baby shoe to top the little metal container that I covered with the paper.  This project just makes my heart swell.  Is there anything sweeter than the memories of our children as babies? 

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So those are some of my favorites.  There are many more and the list will be added to again soon I'm sure, because simple things like these will forever be my favorites and the real reasons that life is so wonderful. 

I'll leave you with a sweet little thought from Brian Andreas of  Story People.com (go there if you have a minute-- I love his inspirational words)...

"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good." 

Love to all,  Linda

New Product releases and some imperfection

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by.  I want to mention first,  that I have sent all of the templates out for the Felt Bird that was in the previous post.  If you requested it and have not received it, email me and I will get it to you.  I think that I sent one to all that requested it, but I could have missed someone so don't hesitiate to ask again.  Thanks to all of you for the nice comments also-- you make me smile!  Have fun making your own little birds.

Next, we've been given the okay to post about some of the new product debuting at CHA for Creative Cafe.  So exciting!  Creative Cafe  partners with AccuCut Diecutting System to manufacture wonderful dies that you can use for scrapbooking and papercrafting.  The possiblities for creativity are endless. I think that I've said that before, but honestly it is so true!  I've had so much fun working with all of the diecut images that Danelle has sent to the design team.  Here are a couple of the projects that I did for the AccuCut booth at the show using the new Butterfly and Scallop dies.

Did I mention how fun these diecuts are?  ;-)

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The other day I took a couple of minutes(well hours actually) to make a layout.  Yes, I actually made a page for a scrapbook!  I haven't done that for a few months and it felt good.  I have been trying to use older photos on my layouts for my own scrapbooks for awhile now.  These are of Cort and Luke from 1999 -- before digital.  Yikes!  I say that because we have become a world who expects perfection.  Perfect photos or nothing, right?  Well, I've decided that I sort of like a little imperfection.  I think that the style of my layouts shows that anyway, with the distressing and inking that I do.  I like the same thing in my home-  things that don't show wear and tear, but look even better with a few more chipped up spots.  Mix that with some new and I'm content , happy, and comfortable.  Sort of the same way that old photos make me feel.  What great memories, even with some imperfection.

This layout features Melissa Frances papers, clear stamps, and letter rub ons-- plus a few old favorites like sequins and machine stitching.

Well, I'm off to bed now.  More images to come on new product releases.  I know that Monday, February 4 is the go ahead day to share  Melissa Frances, so if you can check back then I have some beautiful new papers and embellishments to show you :-)  Can you hardly stand the suspense??!!  Me neither!!

Love to all,  Linda 

"There's a Bluebird on my windowsill..."

Or maybe it's a pink bird!!  ;-)

Did you notice my new banner?  Ahhh, Valentine's day and all of it's sweet pink's and red's have hit my creative space.  Makes me feel so girly, plus I'm all over the bird thing.  The projects in the banner were created with Creative Cafe product that you can check out here  Just Need It.com.  I used the Polka Dot felt sheets to cut out the "Be Mine" pennants then also added some pretty floral fabric to the centers.  The little "roses" are also made from the Polka Dot felt.  I just cut 3/8" strips from the 12x12" felt piece then rolled them up tight.  When you roll them up with the white polka dots on the inside, you get a highlighted effect from the white dots at random on the "petals". 

The felt birds are machine stitched, then I added the wings and the tail with separate pieces. Such a nice little change of pace to work with the birds.  I want to make more.  I especially love the bird pincushion with it's pink feathery trim.

Oh, and that's some Martha Stewart ribbon on the "Be Mine" banner and on the pin cushion.  I am in love with her ribbons.  Love the texture and the way it ties so easily and keeps it's shape.  Awesome ribbon.  Here's a little close up of the  roses and the ribbon.

The blue bird was my first attempt so he's a little skinnier than the pink one's.  I changed my pattern a bit to make them fatter after I finished him then I added a lot of ink for a grungey look  -- who doesn't like a fat dirty little bird?!!  ;-)

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I have another project to share that I did for Scrapbooks N Stickers.  They sell product and kits at the Creating Keepsakes Croppin parties and University's.  The request was for a Mother's book made from an Accordion Album.  Remember to click on the photo for a close up!

 

Some of the photos are of my grandmother with  my mom as a baby, my mom and me as a baby, myself and my daugter, etc. 

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So have you been in the Valentine's spirit?  If you want to make the little felt bird for yourself that you can add to a box or tin, or whatever, just post here and I'll send you a pattern.  I looked into the Adobe template to add to my blog and did you know that you have to pay a monthly fee for that?  Darn.  But, I can attach the pattern to an email and it will still do the same thing.  The template link would have been easier for all of us, but we can get by doing it this way, right?

Lots of  love,   Linda

PS--Please give me at least 2-3 days before I send the bird pattern to you.  Thanks!   

I'm living in a Freezer

Well, it feels like it anyway.  I sit here with 3 layers on so that I don't shiver and shake and I'm even thinking about putting on a thin pair of gloves.  I could still type in them, right?  ;-)

I find all of our activities involve something frozen.  Like hockey...

Never mind that we have already spent 20 years of winters in hockey rinks, but Cort couldn't be talked into a warmer sport like basketball.  We tried, we really did, but no go.  I guess when you grow up in a rink watching your older brothers play,  it is in your blood.  Personally, my blood likes it just a bit warmer.  Not hot, just a nice 70 degrees suits me fine. 

Then there's the forecast for the next few days...are they serious??  It's really going to be like a -20 something windchill?  Oh I am sooooo staying inside.  Unlike my child, who will be out in it I'm sure doing this...

Oh, I know, they are as cute as can be, but they seem to always pick the coldest days to play in the snow.  I want to be done with winter.  I am ready for spring and flowers and warm breezes, but then I really don't get to choose ... too bad though because I'd promise to make the weather perfect, the grass always green, and the flowers always in bloom. :-)

Speaking of flowers and choosing things, I put all of the names in the previous post comment section into the drawing for a Creative Cafe project that I made.   I was going to draw one name, but I hate one.  What's that line from a song..."one is the loneliest number that you'll ever see"... yeah, I agree so I drew 2 names:  Laverne Boese and Sue Thomas 

I hope that you like my giveaways!  Email me dnl6echt@hickorytech.net with your mailing address so that I can get these out to you asap.

   

I made these little pillows using the Creative Cafe felt flowers, Felt words, Ric rac trim, buttons, and twill.  I made the pillow out of some soft , creamy white cotton fleece... makes me a little bit warmer just to touch them.  I like how they look so wintery and Valentine like, but if you 2 winners were hoping for something made of paper, just tell me so in the email and I'll see what I can do to satisfy your preferences.

Again, if you want to find a retail store near you that carries Creative Cafe product, check out this link to Creative Imaginations.  I'm crossing my fingers for you that there is one close to you!  You really need to see this stuff in person-- it is awesome and the possibilities are endless.

Think warm thoughts!

Love,   Linda