Lily Bee Finds

Alter It Friday | Holiday Gift

Hello Lily Bee friends!  It's Wendy Sue here today, sharing a little gift project!  One of my favorite holiday traditions is a "my favorite things" gift exchange. 

 

It's a party where everyone brings their favorite small items to share with everyone else in the group.  Not only is it a fun way to discover new fun items, it's a great excuse for an evening out with friends.  This year I embellished my gift box with a wooden star ornament.

To make my ornament fun and colorful, I cut apart some of my Daily Deck cards from the We R Family collection to cover each surface of the star.

I love the eclectic look and the fun, non-traditional colors.  I'm excited to fill the box with some of my favorite things to share with my friends!

{Supplies: We R Family: Sibling Rivalry Paper, Daily Deck Cards, Wood Veneer, Sweet Spot Stickers}

 

Cards On Wednesday: Throw a Cookie In It

It is the season of giving so today I am sharing a gift idea that involves cards, the Daily Deck cards to be exact.  I decided to create a homemade gift that comes from the heart, and my kitchen.  I made a baking set complete with wooden utensils, a recipe and a sample.

 

To make the set, I started with the recipe and cookie bag.  I simply placed a sample into the bag and added some decorations to the outside.  I wrapped it with burlap and used a doilie to give some texture.  Then I cut the circle heart tag from one of the Daily Deck cards.  

 

I wrote the recipe on another Daily Deck card and stapled it of the back of the bag.

 

 

I moved onto the utensils, customizing the wooden handles with washi tape from both the We R Family and Urban Autumn collections.  These were super easy to make and they look fantastic.  Add some Mod Podge over the top to make them more durable.  

 

 

I finished off the set with some ribbon from my craft room and the perfect saying, Daily Dish, cut from another Daily Deck card.  I glued a wood veneer heart to give the banner one final touch!

 

 

Homemade gifts are fun to create, especially when using Lily Bee products!

Gratitude Tree

There are so many initiatives floating around right now regarding showing gratitude.  Is it the perfect way to prepare for Thanksgiving, which is upon us next week.  I decided to incorporate the theme of gratitude into our Thanksgiving day traditions.  I created a gratitude tree using materials from the gorgeous Urban Autumn collection!

The tree was super easy to make!  I started with a cardboard oatmeal container that I covered with patterened paper.  I filled the inside of the container with marbles to weigh it down.  Then I found a few branches right from my own yard, finishing it all off with some moss.

I plan to place it on my buffet during our holiday get-together!  Each person can grab a banner from the mason jar and write down something he/she is thankful for.  Every banner can be hung on the tree.  

 

I created this little tag to give some instructions to everyone at the party.  I decided to use the washi tape as a means to hang each banner on the branches.  I tied the tape right to the jar so it wouldn't get lost in the shuffle.

It is easy to adhere the tape to the end of the banner, loop it around a branch and tape it to the back end of the banner.

Supplies: Urban Autumn (Papers:  Oktoberfest, Salted Caramel; Daily Deck card; Washi Tape; Metal Badges; Wood Veener)

At some point during dinner or when we are enjoying dessert, we can read all of the ways we are grateful!  I think it puts the focus on all of the most important things about Thanksgiving!

 

 

Altered It | Scraplifting

Good Morning Lily Bee freinds. Summer here rounding out our scraplifting week with an altered project inspired by one of my fellow design team members, Christine. Back in June Christine posted this fun altered letterbox tray.

I have always thought these altered trays were super cute but never made one myself. Rather than using one of the letter box trays I came across a natural wood box at a local hobby store.

I removed the hardware and then spray painted the box black. Once the paint died I decorated the inside much in the same way you would a letter box tray. This is my end result.

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (Papers: Jelly Bean, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Circle & Tag Stickers and Letter Stickers) and Stationary (Charcoal)

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you have enjoyed my take on scraplifting Christine's letterbox tray. Have a happy weekend and don't forget to join us next week when our focus will be on family.

 

Focus on Back to School | Altered Project

Hello Lily Bee Friends.  Here, where I live, school has started.  Although the tempatures are still hot, it's time to think about going back to school.  My daughter is entering Kindergarten, and I know, just like pre-school, she will have lots of work that she brings home to show us and give to us.  I want her to also be excited to see her work displayed, so I altered this magnetic board.

I purchased this dry-erase magnetic board at Michael's.  It is made by the Board Dudes.  And picked up a small pack of six square magnets for uneven surfaces.

I used the 6x6 Destination Tiny Tablet and Mod Podge to cover the front.  The board doesn't measure exactly 12x12.  I trimmed them down to about 5.5x5.5, then added chalkboard tape around the edges and sides.  I also picked up this little frame in the Dollar section at Michael's.  Framed a piece of patterned paper, and sketched and cut out the owl with my Silhouette.  "Kindergarten" was also sketched and cut out with the Silhouette.
Then I started adding the magnets to the backs of the embellishments.  
Because these magnets are meant for uneven surfaces, they give whatever you make a magnet, height, so they are easy to pick up, and don't lie flush against the board.  And the magnets would also be great used on your refrigerator to hold even more important school paperwork.

Lily Bee Supplies:  Destination (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Chipboard Stickers, ), Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Apricot Tree Paper, Embellishment Bundle, Chipboard Stickers), Sweet Shoppe (Embellishment Bundle)

Thank you for stopping by today.  Hope you are inspired to make some back to school projects.

 

Guest Designer | August | Katrina Hunt

We're back today with a gorgeous altered project by guest designer, Katrina Hunt. Here's what she had to say about it:

I have so much fun doing altered projects.  I give myself no rules and just let myself create.  I had an old embroidery hoop in my stash that the papers from the Pinwheel collection were just calling for me to use.  I misted the paper that I “stretched” in the hoop.  This made it easier to get it to lay flat.  I hit it with a heat gun to dry it and then just trimmed the paper off the back.  After doing that I glued the ribbon roses all along the hoop edge.

Supplies: Pinwheel Collection (Flip-Flops 12 x 12 paper-PWP311, Cart Wheels 12 x 12 paper-PWP312, Lemonade Stand 12 x 12 paper-PWP302, Sprinklers 12 x 12 paper-PWP307, Kite Strings 12 x 12 paper-PWP306, Pinwheel Label Stickers-PWS316, Pinwheel Letter Stickers-PWS317, Pinwheel Circle & Tag Stickers-PWS341)

I cut a few flowers out with my Cameo and popped them up with foam adhesive to create a cluster.  I played with the placement quite a bit, but since the hoop was so small, they worked better in a cluster over to the side.  

One of my favorite quotes is “enjoy the small things, because one day they will be the big things”.  I played off the quote to make a quote that would fit into the space I had.  I raised up the words “the small” with a label sticker to make them show up more.

I love this project and now to find the perfect place to hang it!

This would certainly brighten up any day and I just love how inspirational the quote it. Come back next week to see some fun cards Katrina has whipped up.

Mini Clipboard Altered Project

Happy Friday, everyone!  I'm here today to share a little organizational/home decor project I created using some mini clipboards I found at my local Wal-Mart for a little over a dollar.  

I took three of these plain mini clipboards and made a template for cutting out my patterned paper...

Then I adhered my patterned paper down and embellished each one.  I plan on hanging them up in my new craft space next to the computer desk.

I made a clipboard to hold a monthly calendar, one for taking notes and writing down lists, and one for holding receipts, tickets, etc.  I also think they would be great for displaying photos and art my kids make at school.  

Supplies Used:  Sweet Shoppe (Licorice Whip, Embellishment Bundle), Pinwheel (Apricot Tree, Jump Rope, Flip Flops, Embellishment Bundle, Label Stickers), Destination (Chipboard Stickers)

 

These clipboards were so easy to alter that I'm planning on making a few for my kids' rooms so they can display their own art and memorabilia.  I hope you enjoyed my "mini clipboard altered art" project!  

Have a wonderful day and a fabulous weekend! 

Cards on Wednesday | The Story

Welcome to the Cards on Wednesday feature on the Lily Bee blog! Today Stacey Michaud and Lisa Dickinson are sharing cards and journals that correlate with our Focus On of the week - The Story!

Stacey is sharing an adorable travel journal and card using the Destination line. Here's what she told us:

"Giving a journal as a gift encourages others to record their memories, thoughts or wishes. I often like to bring a journal when I travel.  New experiences and scenery inspire me to tell my stories.  I created a simple journal along with a card."

Lily Bee supplies: Destination (Paper:  Interstate, Landmark, Souvenier; 6X6 Tiny Tablet, Chit Chat Stickers; Label Sticker; Alphabet; Chipboard; Circle and Tag Stickers; Embellishment Bundle:  Twine, Brad), Pinwheel: (Paper: Cartwheel)

"The large cream, chipboard square is a nice place to add a big title.  When making my notebook, I just recovered an existing one I found at the dollar store.  It wouldn't stay closed so I used a brad to help hold it down.  I wrapped the twine around the book, threading it through two holes on the back side to secure it.  Then I placed one loose end under the Road Trip chipboard.  The other end of the twine get wrapped around the brad."

 

Lisa created two cards with the Pinwheel line and described her process:

"It might seem like journaling and stories are reserved for scrapbook pagess. But cards are a great way to get the story rolling! By sending a card, you start a conversation with someone, and open the door for a tale to begin.  I created two simple cards that are meant to get people talking."

Lily Bee supplies: Pinwheel (Lime Rickey and Lemonade Stand papers, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Letter Stickers, Embellishment Bundle)

Lily Bee supplies: Pinwheel (Flip Flops paper, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle)

 

So don't underestimate the power of cards in your journaling process! And be sure to come back later this week for more great journaling and storytelling tips!

 

Summer Fun Letterblock Tray

Good Friday morning, Lily Bee fans!  Christine here to show you a fun summer project using awesome Lily Bee products and a letterblock tray.  I had purchased a 12x10 7 Gypsies letterblock tray a couple of years ago, with the intention of making a Christmas gift for a friend.  That did not happen, but I thought it would make a wonderful wall decoration for the summer.  Today is Summer Solstice and the official beginning of summer!

I measured each block within the tray and cut some patterned paper to fit inside the blocks.  Then I planned out what went inside each block.  

I used some of the chipboard stickers from the Sweet Shoppe Collection, as well as some twine from the embellishment bundle, and some Chit Chat stickers.

I used my Silhouette digital cutter to cut out many different summer-related quotes and objects.  Summer is all about bicycling, fun in the sun, ice cream, waves, and flip flops.  This makes me want to go on vacation right now!

I used foam adhesive to adhere some of these cutouts to make them pop up and stand out more inside the tray.

Supplies:  Sweet Shoppe Collection (Lemon Drop paper, Cotton Candy paper, Jujubee paper, Gumball paper, Jelly Bean paper, Licorice Whip paper, Marshmallow paper, Lollipop paper, Salt Water Taffy paper, Pink Mint paper, Strawberries & Cream paper, Chipboard embellishments, Embellishment Bundle, Chit Chat stickers)

Making this summer-themed letterblock tray was so much fun!  I want to swap it out each season with different themed cutouts and keep it hanging on the wall in our entryway. 

Hope you've enjoyed all the Summer Solstice inspiration this week on the Lily Bee blog!  Have a great Friday! 

Focus on Embellishment Bundle | Altered Project

Happy Friday Lily Bee friends. Summer here today with a super fun Altered frame. I admit I don't do many altered projects so I often find myself browsing the isles of JoAnn's or Micheal's looking for that prefect piece to alter. That is how this project was born.

I found an unfinished wood frame at JoAnn's for just a couple dollars. I threw away the glass, backed the opening in white and went to work. I then spray painted the frame black and distressed the edges. This was the end result.

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (Gumball, Strawberries & Cream, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle, Chit-Chat Stickers), Victoria Park (Charcoal) and Double Dutch (Celery)

The layers of circles are perfect home for all the goodies you can find in the brand new Embellishment Bundles from Lily Bee. They say variety is the spice of life and the Embellishment Bundle is the perfect combination of decorative brads, buttons, flair and twine. I love how you get such a fantastic mix of product in one pack.

I hope you have enjoyed this altered frame. When you are sitting down next month to think about Father's Day remember this little project makes an awesome gift my husband has a couple of these on his desk at work.

Have a happy and safe weekend.

Tutorial Friday | Framed Dry Erase Board

Well, hello there! Cindy here with a simple tutorial showing you how to convert a large size picture frame into a functional dry erase board.

And by all means, this idea isn't anything new, but kinda new to me. During a four day crop I attended last week, one of my friends showed us how to convert a 5x7 frame into a dry erase board, which was inspired by many ideas on Pinterest. During one of our shopping trips, we hit up Hobby Lobby and I couldn't resist their 50% off deal on all their frames. I love the design and color of the frame, which can easily be spray painted.

Supplies: Pinwheel (Jump Rope & Lemonade Stand, Embellishment Bundle), Christmas Cheer (ABC Stickers)

To begin, remove the glass from the frame and wipe it clean with vinegar & water or plain a spritz of windex, set aside to dry.

Use the insert backing as your foundation and add your pattern paper using a little adhesive to keep it secure. I added a strip of quote bubbles to the bottom of my pattern background embellished a few of them with abc cardstock stickers.

You can easily leave the entire frame bare, but I added an 11x5 inch piece of cork board.

Place the covered insert into the frame and push in tabs to secure into place.

Instead of using the foam squares that came with the package of cork board, I used my hot glue gun. Generously cover the back of cork board and adhere to the outside of the frame.

Add velcro to bottom of frame and dry erase pen and attach.

Make sure the cork is at least the same depth as the frame, so it's flush with the frames edge. Gives it a clean and smooth look without looking too bulky.

Voila! I now have a nice dry erase board hanging in my kitchen I can use to jot down items I need to pick up at the market on a weekly basis. I also use the cork board section to hold coupons, which helps having them out in the open rather inside a container or my purse. Because I am always letting them expire or forget I have them, like I did my $10 Kohl's cash that expired on the 14th.

I added layers of paper flowers and adorned with a large embellishment button and used glue dots to adhere it to the frame. I kept this simple so I can change it up whenever the mood strikes. Plus, it would be fun to change it for every season or holiday.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my project. Hope it inspires you to create something functional to display in your home.

Focus On: Easter/Spring Has Sprung

Good morning!

It is Monday once again and that means that we're introducing a new theme for the week! This week we are focusing on Spring and the upcoming Easter holiday. 

While Mr. Groundhog told us we'd have an early Spring I think that some of us are having a few doubts. 

Hopefully the projects that Adrienne and I have to share today will help those of you fighting the Winter blues and inspire all of you to create something new and Spring-y this week. 

We will start off today with a happy layout from brand-new Design Team member, Adrienne Alvis. When this showed up in my inbox in preparation for our post today I was even  more excited that she's now a part of our team. It's incredible, don't you think? 

I really like how Adrienne used both the negative and positive image of her diecuts. What a great way to add a lot of detail and texture and bring focus to her photograph.

Adrienne shares, "Nothing says, 'it's Spring' to me more than mud puddles! I was inspired by this fun photo of my daughter breaking in her new rubber boots to use my Silhouette Cameo to cut out a puddle and some splashes using the Pinwheel Lemonade Stand paper. I layered some Sweet Shoppe Jelly Bean paper underneath and popped out a few splashes using some dimensional adhesive. I used a few of the adorable Spring-themed chipboard stickers from the Pinwheel Collection adn embellished soem Chit Chat stickers on top of them. I used my Cameo to cut out a few extra clouds to emphasize my theme and sewed them directly onto my page. I'm so excited to be sharing my creations with you here at Lily Bee!"

Here are a few detail shots of her layout:

I love how she pays such close attention to little details like layering and stitching. Seeminly simple things that add extra pizzazz to her layout. 

Supplies: Pinwheel Collection ( Sprinklers Paper, Lemonade Stand Paper, Chipboard Stickers, Embellishment Bundle, Chit Chat Stickers, Label Stickers), Sweet Shoppe Collection (Jelly Bean Paper, Label Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers, Circle and Tag Stickers). 

We are so happy to have Adrienne as part of the team!

For our Spring/Easter feature this week I decided to create a little Easter decor for my home. 

Just like Adrienne did, I put my Silhouette Cameo to work to cut out these cute projects using a mix of the new Lily Bee Pinwheel and Sweet Shoppe collections. 

First I created the Easter Bunny/Carrot garland by cutting out the shapes on my Cameo and taping twine to the back of the shapes. 

The second thing I created were these little treat bags:

These are a quick and simple project that you can make and fill with little candies or a note for a loved one. I cut the bag from white cardstock and embellished with Lily Bee paper and stickers. 

I also decorated a plain white gift bag by using one of the extra bunny die cuts left over from my garland. I added a Pinwheel label sticker and some Persnickety alpha stickers to finish it off. 

Supplies: Pinwheel Collection (Apricot Tree, Sprinklers, Ice Cream Truck, Circle & Tag Stickers, Label Stickers), Sweet Shoppe Collection (Lemon Drop, Lollipop, CIrcle & Tag Stickers), Persnickety Collection (ABC Stickers). 

I hope that you've enjoyed our projects today and that they help to get you into a Spring/Easter mood. Maybe the weather will start to cooperate with us and it will begin to feel a bit more like Spring as well!

Stay tuned throughout the rest of the week for more Spring and Easter-inspired projects. 

 

Pinwheels | How-to on Friday

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Hope you have enjoyed seeing all the projects this week featuring the Pinwheel collection.  Inspired by Spring and the name of the collection, I'm finishing the week with this project using Pinwheels.

I wanted to layer pinwheels, so I after choosing my papers, I cut two squares (3" and 4").

To add a little more fun, I used a border punch and punched around all four sides.  Using a bone folder, I folded point to point, opened it, then folded to the other point to point to form creases.  This helps with the next step.

Cut to about a 1/4 to an 1/8 of an inch from the center along the creases.
Fold the left sides into the center.  This to me is the trickiest part in getting all the points in the middle enough to attach them.
So to help secure them, I stapled in the center.  If you are going to use a brad to finish them off, punch a hole in the center.  Next, create the second pinwheel following these steps, then secure the two pinwheels together with a brad or staple again in the center.

Use can use a wooden stick, dowel, or, what I used, a lollipop stick and wrap some coordinating washi tape around it.

With your finished layered pinwheels, adhere it to the stick.  I used a very strong glue to do this and held it for several seconds for it to bond.

Create your own "straw" to fill the jar by cutting strips of pattern paper.

Fill the jar with the strips and some goodies.

You may not have the Crop-A-Dile II that can punch anywhere.  The pinwheel could probably stand up in the jar without because of the candy and straw it if you didn't have that tool.  
I wrapped more washi tape around the outside of the lid, added a scalloped circle to the top and put the Pinwheel through it.  It needed a tag, so I made a quick one by cutting about an inch and half by three and half piece of pattern paper, rounded the corners with a corner rounder, and then punched a hole at the top.
Very quick, fun, and easy way to put together something cute for my daughter and her best friend for Easter.
My daugther loves for me to make her something.  So she will be excited, and I'm sure, will pick which one she likes best.  Thank you for joining me today.  Join us next week for a Spring and Easter projects.
Pinwheel (Flower Box Paper, Kite Strings Paper, Sprinklers Paper, Embellishment Bundle)

St. Patrick's Day Frame

Top o' the morning to y'all!

That's a Texas-Irish greeting for you since I am a little bit Irish and live in Texas, ha ha. 

It's Becky here with you today to share an altered project.

For my project for today I decided to do a little St. Patrick's Day decor in honor of the upcoming holiday. This was a quick and easy craft, perfect for those of us who like to have decorations for each of the holidays but don't have a lot of time to sit down and create. 

I repurposed an old frame that used to hold whimsical art for my youngest daughter's room. 

The shamrocks were cut from various shades of green paper in the Persnickety, Sweet Shoppe and Pinwheel collections. I even threw in a little bit of blue for variety. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut both the shamrocks and the sentiment and then added some green pearls for extra detail. 

I think the part that took the longest was cutting everything out. 

Supplies: Persnickety (Finicky, Ritzy, 6x6 Tiny Tablet), Pinwheel (Kite Strings, Lime Rickey), Sweet Shoppe (Candy Stick). 

I had previously created Christmas decor that was similar and like the idea of having something for each season/holiday. I just might create something for Spring next!

Thanks so much for stopping by the Lily Bee blog today. 

Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you again on Monday. 

 

 

Shadow Box Frame

Hello there.  It's Ursula here today to show you a little shadow box frame project I created to highlight a photo I just love of my husband and I. We danced together at our daughter's wedding 2 years ago. Somehow, I missed this photo before. I love the look on my husband's face as I whispered in his ear. I can't recall now what I may have told him, but I do know that I had to do something special with it. 

I really feel like the image expresses how we feel about each other, even after 21 years together.

The look I wanted to create was reminiscent of a graduated hall.  I saw this photo that inspired me to try to accomplish the layered look I ended up with.  In order to acheive it, I had to cut larger and larger windows in full sheets of paper.  I then backed each sheet with long strips of dimensional foam tape to lift each layer from the next.

While relatively simple, it did take a bit of time to get all of the sizes correct but I love the finished result.

I added some wood veneer pieces to incorporate different textures.  I also did one round of the layers using a shiny 'subway' patterned tape I have to create added texture. Silhouette helped me create a beautiful and classic title.

Lily Bee Supplies used ( This & That : Patterned Paper, Buttercup: Patterned Paper, Victoria Park: Patterned Paper, Christmas Cheer: Patterned Paper, Autumn Spice: ABC Cardstock Stickers)

The end result produces a page that could never be used in an album as it's quite thick (at least 1/2 inch, but it is perfect for a shadow box.

So what have you altered lately.  Make sure you show us your most recent Lily Bee projects on our Facebook page or in our Flickr gallery.  We love all the inspiration you provide!