Back Porch Memories Spring Fling Crop!

I’ve been cropping for a week over at BPM for a chance to win a six months subscription to  Paula’s awesome kits!!!  Here are the challenges I completed.  You get your name in a drawing for each challenge – wish me luck!!!

Color Therapy – color in a stamped image

 
Better than Hallmark (black and white card with a pop of color)

Leftovers Challenge (use leftovers from projects you completed during the crop – LOs below)



I see through you – make a card using a transparency
   
Heat Embossing

Paper Flowers – make your own paper flowers
   
Recipe Challenge: page layout – any size, word title, flowers or stars – any type, pictures – any size, handwritten journaling

Feeling Edgy: use two or more techniques on the edges of your paper (die cut, distressed, inked)

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
 
Beautifully Rustic – I used cardboard with glitter, and inked up some bling

New Beginnings – scrap about something ‘new’ – think Maddie counts :D

Overkill Challenge – use lots of one type of embellishment

Font-tastic – use different types of fonts for your title

Ad Inspiration


Scraplift someone in the crop
 
WHEW!! That’s 28 entries – I so hope I win!!! I love BPM kits!!!

Happy Birthday Mom

My mom is currently up here visiting me, and helping with the girls while I try to rest and take care of the baby.  So this birthday card is for her…
but the flower technique is for Stacy :D ENJOY!

Accordion flowers: Decide what size flower you want.  I wanted a 3 inch flower, so I cut my paper strip to 3 inches wide.  Then I normally double the width to cut the length. So for my 3 inch flower, I start with a 3x6 inch piece of PAPER (not cardstock!)
Score every 1/4 inch and fold accordion style


Now find the center of your paper (mine will be at 1.5 inches) and staple, tie, wrap with wire, etc.  Find SOMETHING to make it look like this:
(I stapled the middle and then pushed the staple around the middle to make a ring)

Put sticky tape on both ends of the right side

Fold over and press flower together

Finish into a card!

Not scrappy stuff….

but here are two things I did this week:

I saw these cute hats on Etsy.com but honestly, I’m cheap… so I decided to make one myself – only took an hour or so!


  

And then I finally finished my diaper bag!  I used the Alexander Henry Kleo and Esprit Stripe fabric!  I TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!  And I’m happy with how my bag turned out for not using a pattern – LOL – I’m so lazy!  Two large pockets in the front, ties on the side, and there are 3 large pockets and a cellphone pocket on the inside.  Inside is the tan with the stripe pockets.  I’d take a picture but its already filled with diapers and junk!

New Baby!

YAY!!! I finally had the baby!

Madeline Grace Wills was born on March 20, 2009.  8lbs 11oz. You can see pics of her HERE

Some Sewing Projects

I’ve been scrapping… a bit.  But mostly I’ve been trying to get ready for the baby. Its hard to buy stuff when you don’t know what you’re having.  I have been looking for a diaper bag that didn’t look like a diaper bag…. KWIM?  Well, I found some on Etsy, but they were expensive… and fortunately I know how to sew!
So I went to Joann’s and got some remnants (for the girls and to practice) and picked out some cute fabric for the actual bag.   While browsing Etsy, I saw a crayon tote that I wanted to make for the girls. Its perfect to take to church – holds 5 coloring books and a bunch of crayons.  Oh, and the fabric was on sale for $1.63 – SCORE!

And then I decided to practice making a bag… I found some fabric at the thrift store for $3 total – and I still have tons left!  I found this tutorial online and used it to make this bag:

I thought it was cute, but I wanted a bit bigger for my diaper bag, and I wanted to get cute and fancy.  However, I didn’t factor in ‘bigger’ and ‘fancier’ into my fabric allowance :(   The tutorial called for about 1/3 yard of fabric, so I got 1/2 yard of each… but it still wasn’t enough…  Unfortunately, I STILL need to make a diaper bag… but fortunately, I think this bag is way cute!!!  Its a chocolate brown with flowers and the lining is the stripes.  :D


P.S. Thank you GRANDMA for teaching me to sew… total, for all the fabric, thread, fusing and snaps I spent $27 (Joann’s was having a sale :wink:) And I got 3 BAGS!!!!  The ones I’ve seen on Etsy and in the store are about $50-70!!! EEK! Hmm…. maybe I should sell bags on Etsy – lol

Not quite a LOAD

I was trying to do a LayOut A Day for February – but I didn’t quite make it – only 15 :(  I wasn’t even CLOSE – lol!
But here are the rest that I haven’t already shown you:






And all 15 together - yes, I counted per page!!

Some Scrap Pages

Wow – its been since December since I’ve uploaded some scrap pages.  Enjoy!









And there are a few more that I have to wait until March to show you!  But those are equally yummy!