lindaalbrecht

Happiness is.....

Beautiful fall days that include weddings, engagements,and homemade applecrisp.  Have I mentioned before that I love fall?  ;-)  So many happy things happen in the fall.  I think that is an inspiring season partly because of it's beauty and partly because it makes us want to nest.  I always get the itch to cozy up the house and bring in some of mother nature's harvest.  Good things.

A sweet & beautiful girl that we've known since she was friends with our oldest son in highschool just married her sweetheart past Saturday and it was total perfection.  She's a small town, farm girl and her wedding reflected her style and spirit.  There was cornstalks, pumpkins, a haybale couch with a patchwork quilt and burlap pillows.  So, so cute.  Wildflowers, grasses, cat tails, bittersweet, wheat, and sunflowers filled blue Ball jars and milk cans.  A country band played at the dance and people were decked out in their cowboy hats and boots. It was just darling and so fun--something that no one will ever forget.  Here's the pretty bride.

New for Ally Scraps store this month:
 
An Autumn set of gift boxes.  The bottom one holds 10 square handmade cards and the top box is for candy or some other little trinkets.  All of the papers are available at  the Ally Scraps store under manufacturer brand name, Cosmo Cricket.  The embellishments are Tattered Angels, Pink Paislee, American Crafts, Maya Road, and Melissa Frances--all of which are available at the store.  If you'd like some basic instructions for the set and photos of each card, go to the Ally Scraps Blog.

 

 

 
 

Giveaway, giveaway.... and a cute accordion mini

Hello all!

Thanks for stopping by.  It's sure a busy time of summer, isn't it?  Everything is spinning toward school starting.  The county fair was just in our little hometown and it seems like that always marks the end of summer and those laid back, lazy days spent trying to stay cool.

So I just finished a project for Ally Scraps, an online store.  They'll be putting these images up on their BLOG.  I'll show you a few here and the rest you can check out of the blog.

I made this accordion mini using Melissa Frances Kitschy Kitchen recipe cards, stickers, chipboard, and rub on Transfers.  Dont' you just love them?  They were designed by Sherelle Christensen.  Love love this new collection with it's cute farmhouse style. 

I added photos of some of my favorite cooks and even a few recipes.  I just love an accordion style book.  I think that they are so interesting and fun to open.  As I mentioned already, there will be 12 images of the book over at the Ally Scraps Blog.  You can find the supplies at their store for sale by clicking on the "Shop by Brand" then "Melissa Frances" link.  Those dark pink Melissa Frances Rhinestones just add a bit of dimension and yum.  Find them at Ally Scraps too.

Have you seen the sneak peeks of the new Melissa Frances Christmas collection?  Here is something of mine that Melissa will be using to teach in the upcoming months.



Look for the Large Envelope and Tag Book at retailers.  It should be shipping now, but the papers and embellishments for the "Home for the Holidays" Collection ships sometime in October.  Can hardly wait!

 
Okay, so you know how much I love BasicGrey, well I have another giveaway with some of their awesome new stuff.  Just because I want you to love it just as much!  I'll have a project up here soon with something new also.  So........ if you want to win, tell me what your new favorite line is of theirs.  I'll be back before the month is over with the winners name.  Go ahead, spread the BasicGrey love! ;-)  Here is my favorite:

But then I really like the travel collection too--the papers are so fun and I love the colors.  Then there is the Christmas..... oh heck, I pretty much love them all!

See you later!
Linda
 

BasicGrey and giveaway winner

Hello!  Thanks for stopping in.  Today I am recovering from a very hot and humid (but beautiful) outdoor wedding shoot over the weekend.  Always so much happening and I find that as I age I'm wiped out for days after a big event.  I got up this morning looking forward to my next sleep!

 
I'll do the giveaway winner's name first on this post.  The name drawn was "SuzeQ" who posted on July 28 @ 3:46pm.  Congratulations!  Please email me with your mailing address so that I can get the "You are my Sunshine" catch all shipped off to you asap.

Here are my BasicGrey projects using the new collections called "Wander", "Olivia", and "Pyrus".


 BasicGrey never disappoints me with their papers and they have so many embellishments and accessories to go with each line.  More to come at another time!

Just also want to share some photos that I took of my son, Cort by a cool wall that I found recently.  It's been there forever, but it's a new discovery to me.  You'll want to click on the first photo to see a nice clear image-- not sure why these look so funky unless you click on them.




 
Hope to see you all later!
Linda
 

Giveaway winner and CHA week

Hello-

I promised I'd be back in a week, but I sort of of missed my deadline.  Our family was saddened by the death of a niece last Wednesday.  Krista was a 30 year old vibrant young woman and mother, with so much life left to live.  Such a sad time and sorrow can consume your thoughts and make the daily progress of normal life slow down.  As many who knew her did, I wanted to take some time to browse through photos of when she was a baby and some from the time spent together during recent weddings and a funeral. Remember to give hugs to the people you care about whenever you can and to say I love you everyday, because tomorrow is never certain.  
 
If you are a part of the scrapping world, I'm sure that you have heard the recent buzz with the Craft and Hobby Association or CHA show opening tomorrow.  It's always so fun to see all of the new product that comes out.  Today I want to share a couple of projects that I did with the new Melissa Frances Christmas collection called "Home for the Holidays".


It's soft, it's pretty, it's vintage inspired.  


The papers can be accessorized with the coordinating cardstock stickers.  There are two different styles of those.  Notice also the background piece on the project above.  That is one of the New Backdrops from Melissa Frances.  I can think of a hundred different thing to use these for--make sure to check of the 3 different shapes on the Melissa Frances website and be sure to go to the  BLOG for other projects made with this wonderful new collection.
 
In the mood for some new BasicGrey?  Me too!  I can never get enough, but I have to wait until tomorrow to share projects that I made for the CHA show.  Until then, here are a few ads with just a taste of what they have to offer.

I did this little mini book for the Ally Scraps Blog .  Go to their Online Store for all of the papers, stickers, chipboard, and Maya Road chipboard album to make one for yourself.








Find the Bo Bunny papers, stickers, and chipboard at this Link and don't forget the Melissa Frances Rub ons or the October Afternoon Label Stickers to complete the mini book.

One more thing before I post the winner of the BasicGrey Olivia prize..... Check out the Tattered Angels Blog for the design teams July projects.  Here is one of mine.



Okay, now for the winner of the giveaway.......  Traci Severson who posted on July 17 @ 11:10, congratulations!!  Please email me with your mailing address and I will get your BasicGrey "Olivia" Prize off to you asap.

If you didn't win this time, make sure to comment on this post for a chance to win the "You are my Sunshine" catch all that I posted HERE.  I will be back on Friday, July 30th to announce the winner and to post my BasicGrey projects.  Also want to mention that I was contacted by  Give Away Scout, a site that makes it easy to find giveaways, sweepstakes, and contests online.  Their widget is to the right, here on my blog.  Check them out and win something for me too, would ya?!!  ;-)

Linda

 

Too hot....but not for a giveaway!

I am NOT a summer girl.  I need cool weather... or at least something that registers nothing above the 70's and I like my humidity low.  Weather like we have been having sucks the energy right out of me.  Do I dare say that I am ready for fall ?  I know, I know, don't shoot the writer ;-)  ...just wishing that it weren't so darn hot.

July 4th was a hot, muggy one too but we still managed to find some time for fun.  The kids had a pinata to bust open, a pirate themed scavenger hunt, and nerf gun wars.  We should have had water wars, that might have felt really good, considering.


 
 
 
I've been trying to be creative, mostly because I "have" to.  Here's a snippet of a project that I did for BasicGrey using their cutesy new "Olivia" collection.  I'm only sharing a snippet because the papers are now for sale, but the project is for the BasicGrey booth at CHA and I don't want spoil the fun for buyers there.

 
I've also been creating for the "Ally Scraps" online store and Blog.  You'll find instructions here for my country "Catch-All". 

 
It's a little container that is made from the chipboard Bingo Card and chipboard Rectangle Scalloped Backdrop from Melissa Frances and a 2 other chipboard pieces that you cut yourself.  It's covered with pretty papers from GCD Studios and also embellished with their Felt Flowers and some handmade paper ruffles.  Add a wire handle and it will help to contain all of those items that need a temporary home before they go to their proper destination.  Fill it with out going mail, photos, girly stuff, or even  flowers. 

So to end this post I am going to offer up a giveaway.... a little something from the new BasicGrey "Olivia" collection .  Just comment on this post if you'd like to be in the drawing for it.  I will try to get back here within a week.  Until then, post away for your chance to win!!!! 

Think cool everybody, think cool.....
Linda ;-)  
  

All the pretty papers

 
Such beautiful papers surround me.  I had the pleasure of working with Pink Paislee's "365 Degrees" and "Bayberry Cottage" papers lately.  It was another monthly swap with "Tattered Angels".  Here are a couple of my projects:

I love red and soft blue together.  The chipboard flourish was misted with "Sea Glass" Glimmer Mist.  The green diecut pieces were actually a "BasicGrey Plum Doilie" which is white on the back side.  I misted it with "Key Lime" Glimmer Mist.

Next is a tag that I made with the "Bayberry Cottage" collection papers and "Tattered Angels" chipboard and their dragonfly clear stamp. 

 The Glimmer Mist used is called "Juniper" for the chipboard frame and the background paper was misted with "Lemon Grass" and "Key LIme".  The dragonfly was embossed with black embossing powder.  The lace and ric rac used are from "The Scrappy Gourmet" online store.

The rosebuds were misted with "Cranberry Zing" Glimmer Mist.  Those mist colors were perfect with the Bayberry Cottage papers!

Have you seen the "Vintage Posey" papers by Melissa Frances?  You can find them HERE at The Scrappy Gourmet.  I used one of them and also the Melissa Frances Crepe Paper on this tag.

You can find the Melissa Frances "White Resin Applique" and the "WISH" tickets at the "Frost it Pink" online store.

The flowers are made from Crepe Paper.  They measure about 4" round.  To make them yourself, cut 5 smaller petals from the crepe paper and 7 large.  Make sure to cut them so that the lines in the crepe paper run from the top to the bottom of the petals.  Cut the petals in a horseshoe type shape, making them rounded at the top and flat along the bottom.  The smaller petals for the center of the flower are about 1.5" long and the large ones are about 2" long.  Squeeze the bottom of the petals together slightly as you glue them together for the center circle.  Do the same process for the bottom ring of petals, spacing them out evenly around the top petals. (I use hot glue to ensure a faster process.)

Next you'll need to take your thumb and pointer finger (using your nails or finger tips) and pull them along the rounded edge of the petals (just on the top) so that they fan out slightly.  The crepe paper will lose some of it's crinkles along the rounded edge and may even form a slightly ruffled look.  It depends upon how much you smooth out or pull the paper between your fingers. 

Next I just used the flat side of a small paint brush to apply Mod Podge to the outside edges of each petal, then sprinkled on fine silver glitter by Martha Stewart.  The yellow centers are cut from vintage pom pom trim that I purchased from "Dolls and Lace", a vintage millenary online store.

 
Well, I am off to work on some projects for BasicGrey and the CHA show at the end of July.  Have you seen the new "Olivia and Oliver" collections?  Too cute.....and there is plenty more unseen collections too.  Previews will happen on the first day of the CHA show.  Until then, enjoy this Olivia and Oliver ad.

I am working on my Olivia project right now and the collection is so sweet... I love the colors and softness.

Here's hoping that everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July this coming weekend.  Remember to try to capture some the sparkle in photos!

Linda