Lily Bee Finds

Challenge on Tuesday | Card Sketch

Hey Lily Bee Fans! I am here to share a few easy cards today based on a sketch and a twist!

Since this week's theme is 1 item, 2 ways - I used this one sketch, to make 2 cards that are similar, yet still a little different too!

Here is the sketch for this month:

Here is the first card I made, using lots of Sweet Shoppe:

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle) Destination (Embellishment Bundle), Pinwheel (Label Stickers), Autumn Spice (Clear Stamps)

I used a combination of wood buttons from both the Destination and Sweet Shoppe collections to embellish some of the layered circles:

I still can't get enough of the Autumn Spice stamps, and the "happy" stamp is great for cards ! Just add a few bits of happiness to a label sticker and you are set!

My next card is fairly similar, using a few of the same papers and I added in different papers and changed the placement of the title!

Supplies: Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle, Chit Chat Stickers, Letter Stickers, Label Stickers), Sweet Shoppe (Embellishment Bundle, 6x6 Tiny Tablet), Persnickety (6x6 Tiny Tablet, ABC Stickers)

I just love the new Letter Stickers in the Pinwheel collection - they are perfect for cards!

 and my other favorite are the Chit Chat stickers! I added a few birthday like words along the top and bottom row of the card - just the right touch to make it a little more "birthday" than the card was!

Ok, that's it for me - so let's see what YOU can do with this sketch! We would love to have you join our sketch challenge this month - show us how you will interpret the card sketch by sharing it with us in the Lily Bee Flickr gallery.

We'll pick one winner from all our challenge entries this month to win a Lily Bee prize package. Here's the details:

- Your card must use mainly Lily Bee products (approx. 50% - 60% older or newer lines to showcase Lily Bee Design).
- Post your layout to our Facebook Page or Flickr Gallery to be eligible for monthly challenge prize. 
- Title your post " September 10 Card Sketch Challenge" so we can find it easily and then leave a comment on this blog post letting us know you've entered.
- Deadline is September 30, 2013, Midnight CST
- One winner from all the challenges will be announced in next month's Kristen's News feature.

Good luck and have fun!

Focus On Monday | Mixed Media Paint & Texture

Happy Monday, Lily Bee fans!  And a happy Labor Day to our friends in the U.S.  Christine here today to kick off Focus on Mixed Media week here at the Lily Bee blog!  I have been experimenting more with mixed media techniques on my layouts lately.  It definitely is fun to get your hands a little dirty and add a little texture to your layouts or cards!

For my layout I used colored mist, acrylic craft paint, modeling paste, watercolor, Stickles glitter, and chalk ink to create several different textures.

Supplies:  Destination Collection (Luggage paper, Postcard paper, Embellishment Bundle, Chipboard Stickers, Label Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers, Circle & Tag Stickers, Letter Stickers); Pinwheel Collection (6x6 Tiny Tablet); Sweet Shoppe Collection (Label Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers, Letter Stickers).

My first step was to use some colored mists and spray onto my background cardstock with a mask.  Then I used a different mask to spread some modeling paste onto the layout in the shape of stars.  Modeling paste actually dries pretty fast, so you need to work fast with it.  After the modeling paste stars dried, I painted them with some acrylic craft paint.

I outlined some of the sprayed stars with my Sharpie pen to emphasize some of them.  I also painted additional stars and circles onto the layout using craft paint, chalk ink, and watercolor paint. 

The random smattering of paint clusters gives the layout a carefree look.

Lastly, I added some letter stickers for my title, and added some journaling.

 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some ways to add mixed media paint & texture onto your layout.  I can't wait to see how the rest of the Lily Bee team use mixed media in their projects this week!  Happy Monday, and happy September!

Focus On Monday/Living Large

Happy Monday everyone!  We are living large this week on the Lily Bee blog!  Creative team members will be sharing projects that emphasis large embellishments, big ideas or oversized photos.  To kick off the week, Wendy Sue and I are showcasing layouts that incorporate bigger than usual photos that hold lots of meaning!

Wendy Sue gives us some valuable insight into how to build a stunning layout like the one below.

 

Wendy Sue says, "Sometimes a picture tells a story.  Sometimes a story needs a lot of words.  Sometimes I choose both.  This photo holds a lot of meaning for me and I wanted to be sure to emphasize it's importance by printing it out BIG."

"I also wanted to make sure my feelings were recorded - so I typed out my journaling (instead of hand writing it like I usually do) because I had a lot to say.  Big photo, big story, and a little sprinkling of fun right on top of the photo!"

Supplies:  Destination (Bon Voyage Patterned Paper, letter stickers, 6x6 tiny tablet, chipboard stickers, chit chat stickers, circle and tag stickers, Button and twine from Bundle); Pinwheel (Button from Bundle)

I used a 5X7 photo of my children, nieces and nephews from a few years ago.  When using large photos, I think balancing the rest of the page is important.  

I used a strong patterned paper along the side of the photo, incorporating an entire sheet of the 6X6 Tiny Tablet.  I also added big pops by scattering the speech bubbles.  Don't be afraid to layer embellishemnts right on top of your photos, especially when you are working with bigger sizes.

I added some unique, dark elements along the bottom of the clusters and to the right of the page to achieve balance.  I always like to add in a hand cut element like the Destination paper featuring the chicken wire pattern.

Supplies:  Destination (Paper:  Passport, Postcard; 6X6 Tiny Tablet; Chipboard Stickers; Chit Chat Stickers; Tag & Label Stickers; Letter Stickers); Pinwheel (Flip Flop Paper; Embellisment Bundle Button and Twine)

Who is ready to go big all this week?  Come back each day to see inspiring projects from the team!

Unique Paper Techniqes| Revisiting the August Sketch

Hello again!

Christine Newman and I are here today to share some fun things to share with you. 

Summer is quickly drawing to a close and some have already headed back to school. Before we completely switch gears from Summer to Fall and all of those Fall-inspired activities we thought it would be fun to share some ideas of how to scrap some more of your summer photos. We've combined the challenges of using the August sketch, unique paper techniques and scrapping Summer photos. 

For our challenge this week we are once again revisiting Cindy's awesome August sketch:

Here is Christine's take on the sketch:

Supplies:  Destination Collection (Luggage paper, Atlas paper, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Label Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers, Letter Stickers, Embellishment Bundle), Sweet Shoppe Collection (Candy Stick paper, Jelly Bean paper, Licorice Whip paper), Pinwheel Collection (6x6 Tiny Tablet).

Amazing, right? She has quite a way with patterns and using just the right embellishments to accent her projects.

Christine says, " The circles toward the bottom of the sketch reminded me of portholes.  And since my layout is nautical/ocean in nature, I thought it would be perfect to make them look like underwater portholes!  My paper technique here is that I used a 1.75" circle punch to punch five circles directly out of my background paper.  Then I used a 2" circle punch to punch vellum and patterned paper circles to fill the holes.  I filled the holes with sequins, wood veneers, and papers to create little underwater scenes."

Here you can see how Christine used her Silhouette digital cutter to cut out some wave shapes with patterned paper to adhere behind and in front of her photo to create movement. Isn't her attention to detail amazing? I really like how fun her page is and how the elements help your eye to move around the page. I like how she placed the title letter stickers on the curve of the wave and think the little fish are adorable!

Christine hand-cut a fish and attached some twine from the embellishment bundle to it.  She dropped some color mist onto her layout to make it look like water splashes and air bubbles in the ocean.

Here is a closer look at the potholes at the bottom of Christine's layout. This is so fun! I like how she made each one different and brought in the circle elements at the bottom of Cindy's sketch.

Here is my take on Cindy's sketch: 

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (Candy Stick, Embellishment Bundle), Pinwheel ( Sprinklers Paper, Picnic Basket Paper, Chipboard Stickers, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle, Circle & Tag Stickers, Chipboard Stickers, Label Stickers, Letter Stickers). 

One of my favorite additions to the Lily Bee collections is the larger font size of stickers. I enjoy mixing both the small and large alphas as I did here in my page title which was inspired by a favorite childhood song of mine that goes something like this: "Three little fishies in an itty, bitty pool. Three little fishies and a mama fishy, too..." I added some blue sequins to mimic water bubbles. I thought it was an interesting coincidence that both Christine and I ended up with "fish" on our pages! My fish, however, are my silly daughters who had quite a bit of fun swimming in our tiny pool one day. 

I incorporated the circle elements of the August sketch through the sun and additional embellishments at the top left of my page. I also added a little bit of watercoloring which I did with spray mist, a Copic marker, a paintbrush and just a little bit of water. It is fun to experiment with this fun technique until you get the desired shade of paint. 

I followed Cindy's basic sketch design with the movement across the top of the layout, the accent in the top left and a focal area on the bottom of the page. Instead of circles, though, I incorporated waves that I cut on my Silhouette machine which I then backed with patterned paper. I used the extra waves as additional accents on my page. 

We'd love to have you join us in the August sketch challenge! 

Here are just a few reminders about the sketch challenge rules: 

We will pick one winner from all our challenge entries this month to win a Lily Bee prize package. 

- Your layout must use mainly Lily Bee products (approx. 50% - 60% older or newer lines to showcase Lily  Bee Design).
- Post your layout to our Facebook Page or Flickr Gallery to be eligible for monthly challenge prize. 
- Title your post "8/6 Sketch Challenge" so we can find it easily and then leave a comment on this blog post letting us know you've entered.
- Deadline is August 31, 2013, Midnight CST
- One winner from all the challenges will be announced in next month's Kristen's News feature.

Don't forget, you can enter multiple times! The more you play, the better your chances of winning!  :)

We hope you'll play along with us!

 

Focus on Monday | Unique Paper Techniques

Welcome Lily Bee friends to the first day of a fun filled week of unique paper techniques. Today's layouts feature fun techniques from myself, Summer and my fellow Lily Bee design Team member Stacey. Let's skip the small talk and get right down to business.

I really wanted to come up with something fresh and eye catching so I decided to go with a paper basket weave effect on my layout. I chose one of my favorite Lily Bee lines: Destination an cut 1x12 inch strips and wove them together to create a background. I originally tried this with 1/2 inch strips but I found the pattern got way too busy for my liking.

Lily Bee Supplies: Destination (Patterned Paper: Luggage, Atlas, Boarding Pass, Tickets, Landmark, Port, Souvenir, Interstate, Postcard, & Bon Voyage, Embellishment Bundles, Circles & Tag Stickers, and Label Stickers)

Stacey used an Iris Folding technique to create a fun peek-a-boo window on her layout. It is so simple, yet really adds a wow factor. She cut out a square using a craft knife on her 12 X 12 background paper. Then she cut 1 inch rectangles using three different patterned papers and folded each one in half. Then she layered the folded rectangles behind the square cutout, working diagonally across the corners first and then along each side of the rectangle.  Continue the pattern, leaving room in the middle for an embellishment.  This technique really adds texture and color without overwhelming your layout.

Supplies:  Pinwheel (Papers:  Jump Rope, Sprinklers; Chit Chat Stickers; Label Stickers; Chipboard; Embellishment Bundle Twine; 6X6 Tiny Tablet); Persnickety (Paper:  Finicky); Sweet Shoppe (Paper:  Strawberries & Cream)

We hope you have enjoyed our fun unique paper techniques. Have a happy Monday.

Focus On Monday | Back to School

Summer is winding down and you know what that means....it's almost Back to School time!  Whether you're ready for it or not, the new school year is approaching (fast!) and this week's Focus On theme is all about Back to School.

Diane and I are here today to share a couple of Back to School themed layouts with you.

Diane said, "I have wanted to scrap this photo of my Mom on her first day of Kindergarten for a couple of years now.  The Back to School theme this week was the perfect opportunity to do just that! The bright, cheerful colors of the Pinwheel Collection were perfect to highlight the childhood photo of my mom."

"I typed the school themed captions and journaling on the Label Stickers and placed them above and below the photo.  I used the brads and the flair from the Embellishment Bundle to add the finishing touches to my layout."

Supplies:  Pinwheel Collection (Jump Rope, Apricot Tree, Picnic Basket, Lime Rickey, Cart Wheels, Lemonade Stand, Circle & Tag Stickers, Label Stickers, Letter Stickers, Cardboard Stickers, Embellishment Bundle)

Buying back to school supplies is something that my kids and I look forward to doing at the end of the summer.  I just love all of the shiny new notebooks, unsharpened pencils, and perfectly pointed crayons that have the promise of a great new school year ahead of them!  

I was very inspired by the subject of geometry for my layout design so I used lots of cutout triangles and punched circles using paper from the PInwheel and Sweet Shoppe Collections.  
 

I layered several Label Stickers on top of each other and added part of my title to them before I stitched through my page.  I love how machine sewing adds a homespun feel to my pages. 

Supplies:  Pinwheel Collection (Picnic Basket, Lime Rickey, Ice Cream Truck, Cart Wheels, Label Stickers, 6x6 Tiny Tablet), Sweet Shoppe Collection (Licorice Whip, Strawberries & Cream, Embellishment Bundle, Label Stickers, Letter Stickers)

Are you ready for Back to School?  Be sure and stop back by throughout the week for lots of Back to School themed creations and inspiration!  Have a great day! 

 

     

Project Life on Friday | Fun In The Sun

Happy Friday, Lily Bee fans!  Christine here with you today to show you some recent Project Life pages I made using all the awesome Lily Bee collections.

I don't do week numbers in my Project Life album, mainly because I'm not doing weekly Project Life.  Also because I don't want to stick to a 2-page spread per week every single time. 

For this spread, I decided to give it a "Fun In The Sun" title, because it was all about hanging out outside with friends!

 I used a lot of Lily Bee label stickers, chit chat stickers, and circle & tag stickers on my page.  I love adding a circle sticker to a photo, and the label stickers are perfect for Project Life!

 

On the left, I used a background stamp on the 3x4 white card, then adhered some Lily Bee Chit Chat Stickers in the middle.  On the right, I used a label sticker and some letter stickers to make my title on my journal card.

 

The right side of my 2-page spread was about our dinner out, plus watching bicycle races at the velodrome with friends.

Supplies:  Pinwheel Collection (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Letter Stickers, Label Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers, Circle & Tag Stickers), Sweet Shoppe Collection (Marshmellow paper, Pink Mint paper, Salt Water Taffy paper, Candy Stick paper, Strawberries & Cream paper, Letter Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers, Circle & Tag Stickers), Destination Collection (Atlas paper), Victoria Park Collection (ABC Stickers)

I wrote my journaling about our dinner right on top of a card that I got from the restaurant.  I adhered it to the Lily Bee paper underneath in the 4x6 slot.

 

I hope you enjoyed a look into my Project Life pages using wonderful and colorful Lily Bee products!  Have a great weekend!

Cards on Wednesday | Repetition

Hello Lily Bee Fans! Today, my friend and the talented Becky Williams and I are stopping by the blog to share a few quick cards with the theme of "Repetition" in mind.

Becky and I have two completely different takes on this theme.

Here is what Becky had to say about this theme:

There are so many ways that you could interpret the theme "repetition." I chose to do so with the shapes on my cards. Triangles are such a big trend in scrapbooking these days so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and use some on this first card. 

Take a look at what Becky came up with:

Supplies: Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Label Stickers, Chipboard Stickers, Embellishment Bundle), Sweet Shoppe (Embellishment Bundle). 

 I used some metal dies to cut the triangles in the front of the card base and backed each one with papers from the Pinwheel collection. I continued the repetition of shapes by adding a few circle accents. 

Butterflies are one of my favorite shapes so I chose to feature them on this card. I used multiple punched butterflies (Fiskars) as well as creating a border of sentiment and heart stickers to continue the "repetition" theme. 

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Chit Chat Stickers), Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet), Destination (Embellshment Bundle, 6x6 Tiny Tablet). 

I took this challenge a little differently and decided to put my papers to work. I chose the same patterns from the three newest Lily Bee collections and mixed them each on different cards.

I cut papers from the Sweet Shoppe and Pinwheel collections into triangles for this card, and used a repetitive pattern when laying them on the card base.

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (Tiny Tablet, Chipboard Stickers), Pinwheel (Tiny Tablet, Letter Stickers, Label Stickers)

I added some fun Lily Bee chipboard flowers near my sentiment.

Next, I made this card by combining Destination, along with the Pinwheel collection.

Supplies: Destination (Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle), Pinwheel (Tiny Tablet), Persnickety (Clear Stamps)

To create the background of this card, I took the similar patterns and punched them with a tab punch and then layered the papers over each other. 

 My last card was created by mixing the mini chevron patterns in Pinwheel and Sweet Shoppe.

Supplies: Pinwheel (Tiny Tablet, Circle & Tag Stickers, Label Stickers, Letter Stickers), Sweet Shoppe (Tiny Tablet, Chipboard Stickers)

For this last card, I simpy cut blocks of paper the same size and layered them over the card base and stitching them down. I added a chipboard banner piece and label sticker along with my sentiment!

Becky and I hope you have enjoyed the cards today - we hope you will share your "Repetition" ideas with us in our Lily Bee Flickr group!

Cards On Wednesday | Pattern Play

Hi there Lily Bee Fans! It's time for another "Cards on Wednesday!" 
Nicole & I (Leslie) are here today to share with you our creations, hoping to inspire you!

Sticking with the theme of the week:  Pattern Play - we've decided to use the
"same color, different patterns" for our cards main focus.

Nicole is up first with her GORGEOUS creations & she says:
"I really had fun with the color challenge and put my paper pads to work! The
yellow is so vibrant in both the Sweet Shoppe and Pinwheel collections and
they mixed so well together. I couldn't resist mixing up lots of the
woodgrains from Destinations for the second cards, layering punched circles
and sewing them together for a quick background."

S

Supplies:  Destination (Tiny Tablet, Label stickers, Embellishment bundle, Chit Chat stickers, Circle & Tag stickers), Sweet Shoppe (Chit Chat stickers)

 

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe (Tiny Tablet, Embellishment bundle, Chit Chat stickers), Pinwheel (Tiny Tablet,Label Stickers), Autumn Spice (Clear Stamps)

I really LOVE her color combo's she chose! The patterns all work so wonderfully! 

Here's what I did:

Supplies:  Destination (Label Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers), Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Flower Box Paper, Lemonade Stand Paper, Circle & Tag Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers), Sweet Shoppe (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Licorice Whip Paper, JuJubee Paper, Lemon Drop Paper, Embellishment Bundle)

I also chose a yellow theme for one of my cards. I love how bold & bright each pattern is and how well they compliment each other. To me, it says "what a fun, bright, sunshiney greeting!"

and for my 2nd card, I chose the bold red pallete. Of course, when using red, my mind
immediately says "use a heart" - so I did. This card turned into a "love" theme card.

Supplies:  Sweet Shoppe (Cotton Candy Paper, Marshmellow Paper, Pink Mint Paper, Cotton Candy Paper, Circle & Tag Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers), Destination (Tickets Paper), Pinwheel (Ice Cream Truck Paper, Cherry Blossom Paper, Flip Flops Paper), Christmas Cheer (Frosty Paper)

I hope you've enjoyed today's cards as much as we enjoyed making them to share with you!

Have a great day!

 

 

Digital Download | Digital Cut File Freebie

Hello Lily Bee fans!  Patricia and Nicole here to continue our pattern play using digital cut files.  

I created a a cut file you can download here using circles, triangles, and arrows.  You could cut these as is or cut the ones you need since they are individual cards.  I cut all three designs and then backed them with pattern papers from the 6x6 tiny tablets.

I decided to mix patterns of red, yellow and orange with accents of brown and grey.

Before I adhered everything down, I painted on a layer of watered down gelatos and splatters of mist.

The chipboard and circle and tags embellishments were a great way to finish off the page.

Supplies:  Pinwheel (chit chat stickers, circle & tag stickers, 6x6 tiny tablet, cherry blossom paper, lemonade stand paper, apricot tree paper, embellishment bundle); Sweet Shoppe (letter stickers, label stickers), Destination (chipboard stickers, 6x6 tiny tablet, embellishment bundle)

Nicole has created a beautiful layout using lots of patterns in just the right amounts so that the photo is still the focus.  Here's what Nicole has to say about her layout: "I used the circular punch out pattern from the digi download. I cropped it to the same square size and repeated the pattern with some fun woodgrain papers from Destination, and then added pops of color behind the circles from Sweet Shoppe and Pinwheel from more patterned paper and even a few fabric brads :)" 

I love how Nicole used just the circle design card from the cut file to create a competely different look.

Supplies: Destination (Tiny Tablet), Sweet Shoppe (Tiny Tablet, Lemon Drop paper, Embellishment bundle, Letter stickers, Chit Chat stickers), Pinwheel (Tiny Tablet,  Flip Flops paper, Kite Strings paper, Embellishment bundle, Chit Chat stickers, Chipboard stickers)

Thank you for coming by today and hope you are inspired to try out the free digital file yourself and mix patterns together for your next project.

Cards on Wednesday | Splashes of Color

Good morning, Lily Bee friends!  Summer and I are back together again today sharing some fun cards featuring this week's theme of "splashes of color!" 

Summer created two beautiful cards based on the theme.  Here's what she had to say:  "I did 2 cards that really are not  connected but I designed them with the splash of color idea in mind. My original  thought with this weeks theme was use a lot of neutrals and add little bits of  color to add pop to my cards. My neutral of choice was grey and white. In You’re  so sweet I think the splash of color is really obvious with the flowers I made  from a few Lily Bee embellishments. While Howdy Sunshine use of color has a more  subtle feel the fan effect of the design is my modern take on the idea of a  splash of color."

Howdy Sunshine Card Supplies Used: Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Letter  Stickers & Chipboard Stickers)

 

You’re So Sweet Card Supplies Used: Pinwheel( 6x6 Tiny Tablet,  Embellishment Bundle & Chipboard Stickers), Destination (Embellishment  Bundle) and Sweet Shoppe (Circle & Tag Stickers)

I also created two cards based on the theme.  The first card, "you're so sweet" is mostly black and white with pops of red.  I also added stitching with red thread around the banner shape - just for an extra little pop of color.

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe Collection (Licorice Whip Paper, Embellishment Bundle, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Circle & Tag Stickers, Chipboard Stickers)

For my second card, I mixed black, gray and white as my neutrals and added a few pops of green - including green stitching around the perimeter of the card.

Supplies Used: Sweet Shoppe Collection (Licorice Whip Paper), Pinwheel Collection (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Chipboard Stickers, Embellishment Bundle, Lable Stickers)

We hope you've enjoyed our creations and find yourself inspired you to add a "splash of color" to your next project!

Guest Designer | July | Mitchell Kraft

I'm so delighted to share some cards that our July guest designer, Mitchell Kraft, created.

Supplies: Destination Collection (Tickets 12x12 paper-DSP325, Destination Label Stickers-DSS335, Destination Chit Chat Stickers-DSS337) Pinwheel Collection (Cherry Blossom 12x12 paper-PWP303, Sprinklers 12x12 paper-PWP307, Lime Rickey 12x12 paper-PWP309, Lemonade Stand 12x12 paper-PWP302, Jump Rope 12x12 paper-PWP308, Pinwheel Label Stickers-PWS316, Pinwheel Chit Chat Stickers-PWS318) Sweet Shoppe collection (Sweet Shoppe Label Stickers-SSS297, Sweet Shoppe Chit Chat Stickers-SSS299, Sweet Shoppe Circles & Tags-SSS341)

Mitch said, "I love cards because it's a relatively small area to work with, but you can pack a lot of punch on them (and product in this case). For these cards, I decided on a base design and then had fun with the embellishments. In the end, I love the dimension that both cards have."

Well, we love them too, Mitch . The mix of patterns and embellishments with the multi-dimensions is just fabulous!  Thanks for the inspiration. 

Mitch will be back again with us next week to share a mini album he made. I can't wait for y'all to see it!

Monday Focus On

Happy Monday everyone!  I am here to kick off a new week on the Lily Bee blog.  Today, I am sharing a layout which focuses on a simple pleasure mixed in with some retro love! During a family visit last month, my dad opened his garage and rolled out his beautifully restored Schwinn bicycle.  He then proceeded to take each grandchild for a ride.  It was an everyday moment worth capturing.

 

I decided to mix up the Destination and Sweet Shoppe collections to make my own retro color scheme.  I wanted to match the colors in the photo so I went with cherry red, browns and yellows.  I simply began layering a bunch of different patterns and hand cut elements.

 

I love those speech bubbles because they always add a personal touch to any page.  I repeated the theme of hearts to match the idea of favorites!

To add some pizazz to the tag, I used the small chipboard triangles along one side.  I also used the negative space on the chipboard packaging as a stencil, tracing and making other triangles.

 

Supplies:  Destination (Papers:  Port, Passport), Sweet Shoppe (Papers:  Lemon Drop, Cotton Candy, Candy Stick; Embellishment Bundle; Circle and Tag Stickers; Label Stickers; Chipboard Stickers; Chit Chat Stickers; Alphabet Stickers)

Be sure to head back here all week for more projects and don't forget to check out the monthly challenges!

 

Challenge on Tuesday | Card Sketch

Good Morning, Lily Bee friends!  Stacey, Summer and I have a brand new card sketch to share with you today, along with a card from each of us based on the sketch!  First of all, here's the sketch: 

Stacey is up first!  Here's what she had to say about her card: " I was inspired by the diagonal lines of the sketch and decided to make sun rays using the Hello paper.  It is a border that I cut into smaller pieces."

 

 "I added twine through the chipboard button and randomly swirled it to add some softness. Since there were so many words on the rays, I put my sentiment on the circular sun."

 

Supplies:  Pinwheel:  (Paper:  Lemonade Stand, Kite Strings, Jump Rope, Sprinklers; Chipboard Button; Circle & Tag Stickers; Label Stickers; 6X6 Tiny Tablet) 

Summer created a fun card to share as well! I love how she interpreted the diagonal lines from the sketch in her design.Here's a detail shot of Summer's card:
Supplies Used: Destination (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Patterned Paper:  Landmark/Luggage, Circle & Tag Stickers, Letter Stickers and Chipboard  Stickers) and Pinwheel (Pattered Paper: Lemonade Stand)

And finally, here's the card I created myself based on the sketch.  Since I drew the quick sketch, I stuck pretty closely to the design.  I added a polaroid style frame (simply cut from patterned paper using the digital die-cut file HERE) which helped break up and separate some of the busy patterned papers I included.

I added some pop-dots for dimension behind some of the chipboard banner pieces, and tied some baker's twine around the frame. 

Supplies: Sweet Shoppe ( Patterned Paper: Licorice Whip, 6x6 Tiny Tablet; Letter Stickers; Label Stickers; Chipboard Stickers; Embellishment Bundle (badge and baker's twine)

I just love using sketches for my cards!  Do you?  We'd love to have you join our challenge this month - show us how you will interpret the card sketch.

We'll pick one winner from all our challenge entries this month to win a Lily Bee prize package. Here's a few things to keep in mind:
- Your card must use mainly Lily Bee products (approx. 50% - 60% older or newer lines to showcase Lily Bee Design).
- Post your layout to our Facebook Page or Flickr Gallery to be eligible for monthly challenge prize.
- Title your post " July 9 Card Sketch Challenge" so we can find it easily and then leave a comment on this blog post letting us know you've entered.
- Deadline is July 31, 2013, Midnight CST
- One winner from all the challenges will be announced in next month's Kristen's News feature.

 

Don't forget, you can download the file for the fun "insta-frame" I used on my card HERE!

Have fun  -  we can't wait to see what you come up with! :)

Cards on Wednesday | Stars and Stripes Style

Hello and welcome to another edition of Cards on Wednesday!

We continue this week's Stars and Stripes theme with some cards that the amazing Patricia Roebuck and I created. 

Patricia created two beautiful cards. Just take a look: 

Supplies: Pinwheel (Picnic Basket, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle, ), Destination (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Embellishment Bundle)

Here is what Patricia had to say: "My most favorite pattern paper from the Destination collection is the Postcard paper with the red and blue zigzags or chevrons.  It is perfect for this Stars and Stripes theme.  I used mostly the smaller prints from the Tiny Tablets to make these clean and simple patriotic cards, focusing on the designs and texture of the pattern papers.  

Here is a closer look at the star-shaped card, my favorite of the cards she created:

I LOVE how she really went for the theme of the week by creating this star-shaped card. 

Patricia shares, "For the star card, I welded two stars together at one point in Silhouette studio and cut the different sized stars to layer on top.  I finished it off with a tag using the sketch pens from the Silhouette."

For her second card Patricia also put her Silhouette to work to create a stunning embellishment. 

"For the square card, I used this cut file.  For the second cut, I did a mirror image of it so the rays would be going the opposite direction.  Layered on top with another die cut star and brad."

Thank you, Patricia, for sharing your gorgeous cards with us!

I also put my Silhoeutte Cameo to work to create my cards. 

Supplies: Destination (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Landmark, Postcard, Letter Stickers, Chipboard Stickers, Embellishment Bundle). 

For this simple card I backed the diecut stars with patterned papers from the Destination collection. Destination is so perfect for patriotic cards as well as everyday themes. 

I added a couple of strips of patterned paper layered with a bit of twine and a chipboard sticker to finish off my card. 

For my second card I let the diecut Statue of Liberty take center stage. I used this for the "America" and this cut file for the Statue of Liberty. 

Supplies: Destination (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Letter Stickers). 

I added a couple diecut stars with foam adhesive and that was it. So simple! 

The 6x6 Tiny Tablets are great to use for cardmaking. I like to use them when cutting images on my diecut machine because I can cut from four different patterns at the same time on my 12x12 sheet. 

Thanks so much for stopping by Lily Bee today. 

We hope that you have a wonderful week and that you feel inspired to create and share with us your patriotic projects either in our Flickr group or on our Facebook page.