Your Jar is Open

Twice I have had the opportunity to catch a monarch butterfly in it's caterpillar stage and watch it change into its chrysalis and hatch out a butterfly. It is an awesome experience, which I highly recommend!

I always have mixed emotions when it's time to let it go. On one hand I will miss my new little friend, but on the other hand it is exciting to set it free into the world. It reminds me of a passage from The Secret Life of Bees, when the little girl opens her jar of bees and says to them "Your Jar is Open". 

To take it to a human level, it's a reminder of the potential we have if we will only spread our wings and seek it out (deep right!?).  I find that idea very inspirational, which is why I made a layout with this quote and a picture of my 1st butterfly being set free. 

Almost everything is from the Ambrosia line by BoBunny and can be found at The Scrapbooking Studio.  Such summery colors, perfect for your summer adventures.

Such a Card

If you're a card maker, you should take a look at the Plumeria line by Basic Grey. The title sticker sheet has some great sentiments perfect for cards, including Just Because, Best Wishes, You are my Sunshine, Sweetheart, etc.  Below are a couple of the cards I made from this line, which they have at The Scrapbooking Studio. I just love the grey, orange, and teal colors.

On the top card, I raised the flower stickers with pop dots and put some Stickles on the flower.  Since I took the picture in the sunshine, you can see the glittery portions really well.  On the bottom card, I made a medallion with my paper scoring tool and cut a circular card using a Tupperware container to trace the circle onto my card stock.

Beyond Daffy

If Daffy the Duck is the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of ducks, I'd like to introduce you to some cool varieties of ducks we have in Central Illinois.  I didn't take the pictures on my layout, but I did see them all on a recent nature field trip.  From top to bottom are the Green Winged Teal, the American Wigeon, the Hooded Merganser (my favorite), and the Wood Duck.  This was the first time I had seen a couple of these, so it was pretty exciting.

I playfully titled this layout Duck Duck Merganser after the children's game Duck Duck Goose.  The paper and embies are from BoBunny and the letters are American Crafts, all found at the Scrapbooking Studio.

Simple Stories

I am a huge fan of the Simple Stories brand. The graphical nature of the design really appeals to me and it is so versatile.  The Scrapbooking Studio always carries a great selection of Simple Stories items.

Below are a card and a layout I made with the "Documented" line.  On the layout, I used the stickers to make a collage effect about the Sugar Grove Nature Center (at Funk's Grove).  At some point, I will add journaling on the postcard in the lower left hand corner. 

 

I also made a simple little wedding card by trimming out a design off one of the papers and adding the little man and woman stickers off the same sticker sheet. 

Couple of notes on the design: 

• I sewed some tulle to the front of the card to dress it up a little. 
• Then I pop dotted the scroll shaped paper to raise it a little off the card.
• And finally I outlined the man and woman in black marker to give them a little more oomph. 

Life is like a bicycle

"Life is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." Albert Einstein

Apparently May is National Bicycle Month.  I am not a bicycler myself, but wanted to pay homage to the month by sharing a bicycle card I had made a while back.  The bicycles were cut on my Cricut.

Also, there are some cute bicycle images in the new Simple Stories line (see lower right hand corner of this page for an example).

Trinkets, Charms and Chains

For my altered project for The Scrapbooking Studio this month, I made a super cute necklace!  Don't you just love the clever way the gals at the store came up with to display it?

Here are the supplies I used to create the necklace.  All found at the store!  (Thank you to Bobbi for leading me to the Tim Holtz chain.)

Totally bumming . . .

I found out yesterday that Scrapbooks etc. magazine is closing up shop.  I've been a subscriber for years and once even had the opportunity to visit their offices and meet the (now former) editor of the magazine (Melissa Inman, on the right).

Apparently the industry is surprised by this move.  Read more about it at Scrapbook Update.

And also a follow up article on the publishing industry itself.