Oops Baby

No, this is not an announcement!  LOL...

I am a frequent visitor to the Moxie Fab World blog and really liked the latest Tuesday Trigger challenge. 

The watercolor idea struck a chord with me so I got out my dusty watercolors and played around.  Whipped out some markers and ink.  Woo Hoo!  I'm on a roll!  My mom hasn't gotten a card in a while so I excitedly put everything together, matted the watercolored flowers, stamped the sentiment and dots.  I like it!  

 So I go to open the card to write a message to her... oh... dang. I put everything on upside down.

Let's just call this a trick, alternative card, shall we?  Oh well, Mom loves me no matter how goofy my cards turn out.

Happy Weekend, one and all!

Teacher Appreciation Week is Almost Here!

Yay for teachers! 

Next month is Teacher Appreciation Week.  It's always nice to know that you're appreciated but teachers don't expect you to go overboard in expressing your thanks.  Many times a hand-written note from your child is all they need.  If you want to do a little more consider gifts that don't have anything to do with apples (most teachers are "appled-out") or involve items that they will need to store.  Gift cards to office supply stores, craft stores or book stores are usually a good bet (they spend more than we realize for the classroom out of their own pockets) or if you know what hobby he or she is interested in a gift card to that type of store is perfect too.

This is what I'm doing for my son's teachers (if you know Lynn and Mr. Barnes don't tell them!).  It's small, inexpensive and doesn't need to be stored. 

The tag fits over a standard 16.9-oz. water bottle.  The little pocket holds the drink mix (plenty of room for a gift card too) and all they have to do is dump the contents into the bottle and shake for a tasty alternative to plain ol' water.  The mix is Iced Tea with Lemon - and it's really tasty.

Little added details include the green & white bakers twine and the hand-stamped and embossed lemon wedge that's lifted off the base with dimensional foam dots.

If you'd like to do this for your child's teachers too I've put them in my Etsy shop here.

Have a great day!

It's a Jungle Out There!

I've really enjoyed working on mini albums again. My family loves to look through them and reminisce. When I made this Our Wildlife Adventure mini album I was thinking about a trip to the zoo, (or here in the Pacific Northwest we also have Northwest Trek), but really this could be used for all kinds of adventures - tropical adventures, Africa, Asia, South America ...

This 6" x 6" scrapbook is in the accordion style which makes it great as a display piece (I change mine out frequently depending on the time of year or what's going on with us). Photos can go on both sides - lots of room - and of course, I added pockets and flaps to make it interactive.

* Click on the photos for a better view. *

I glued bits of raffia along the bottom of the left page to simulate dried grass.  Torn strips of paper and rugged burlap ribbon adorn the top of the flap on the right-hand side.  Lots of room inside for both journaling and a photo or two.

The right-hand page here also has burlap ribbon across the top.  I made sure the words 'Nature' and 'Untamed' lifted off the page so your photo can slip underneath them.

This pocket on the left has two tags which pull out for journaling or photos. I distressed the headings 'Journey' and 'Adventure' to give them appearance of aged leather.

The tag on the right is tied with raffia and a decorative brad.    The base is embossed with a really cool, rugged pattern and then I rubbed some walnut ink over the top to make it stand out even more.

I love the way this pocket turned out.  It is a glassine envelope that I stained and scrunched to give it the appearance and texture of worn leather.  It's embellished with pattrned paper and a decorative brad.  Inside is a tag reinforced with a brass eyelet and tied with hemp twine.  The background also has hand-sewn embellishement using the hemp twine.

In total this mini album has 8 pages for photos and journaling.  Get more information on it here in my Etsy shop.

5 Things You Taught Me

My mom taught me so many great life lessons.  Never Give Up.  Believe in Yourself.  Be Kind.  Work Hard...  I thought of her as I made this wall hanging mini album.  I shared a little bit about this project in a previous post, but now I've got more photos to add so you can really see what it looks like.

The cover has some pattern paper covered chipboard, ribbon, a flower that has chunky glitter on it, rhinestones, and some distressing.  Eyelet reinforced holes hold a hand-dyed seam binding so this can be hung on a wall.

Each flap is numbered and has a stamp-embellished 3.5" x 5" cardstock mat for a picture or journaling which is actually another flap which lifts to reveal space for either more journaling or pictures.

Each subsequent flap is a little different but all lift to reveal room for journaling or photos.

All of the papers used are acid- and lignin-free so are safe for your treasured photos.

The papers and embellishments used for this mini album coordinate beautifully and are in a muted pink, green, cream and brown floral garden-y color scheme.

Plenty of room for your photos and a really eye-catching, interactive, cool gift for Mom.

This might even make her cry a little when she opens it, but they'll be tears of joy to see how much you appreciate her and actually listened to her words of wisdom all those years.  :)

See it HERE at Elves In The Attic on Etsy.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Giveaway!

The EtsyGreetings Team is a group of talented card-makers who make all kinds of cute, fancy, whimisical, humorous, quirky, artsy cards for sale on Etsy.  In appreciation of moms everywhere the team is hosting a giveaway featuring more than 40 amazing handmade all-occasion greeting cards.

The one I sent in is very similar to this one in the shop.  Check out more details on the EtsyGreetings Blog.

You only have until April 23rd to enter so don't delay.  Good luck.  :)

Cards Galore & More

I have a whole bunch of new items I'll be adding to the shop over the next few days.  Just have to get all of these babies photographed and ready to go.  Here is a sneak peek:

And a new mini album too:

Wishing you good tidings and a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Craft Fair!

The elves and I have been busily cutting, gluing and stamping like mad the last couple of weeks.  Tomorrow morning we will pack up all of our goodies for the

SpringFest craft fair

Fairwinds-Brighton Court

6520 196th St. SW

Lynnwood, WA

The fair is open from 10-2 and will feature a variety of vendors ranging from photographers, paper craft artists, body care, jewelry and more. 

Hope to see you there!

It's a Cinch!

I splurged.  I bought a Cinch binding tool (courtesy of We R Memory Keepers).  It's been sitting there for a couple of days waiting for me to have a reason to pull it out of the box.  Today I finished this Island Getaway 6" x 6" mini album. 

Woo-hoo!  I've been wanting one of these for SO long.  Check out that wire binding - fancy.

Fun little tidbits in this 12-page mini include a pocket holding a couple of large tags for photos or journaling, decorated envelope (last picture up there) for holding mementos, 3D elements and flaps that reveal hidden journaling or photos.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gettin' My Scrappiness On...

As I mentioned before my scrapbooking muse has been hibernating for a while.  I have attempted to rouse her this week with this flap-a-licious mini album.  I'm thinking Mothers' Day gift.  I added bits of bling here and there (definitely going through a bling phase right now - love me some Stickles).  Each flap lifts up to reveal a spot for a photo which then...get this...lifts up AGAIN for a spot to add some journaling - or another photo if you're so inclined.

Pardon my the background in the shots...I know it's awful.  But get this.  See those shadows?  SUNSHINE!  In Seattle!  It's high time the glowing orb has revealed itself, let me tell you.

Anyway, thinking I'm going to take this baby to the craft fair at Brighton Court in Lynnwood, WA on April 14th, 10 am - 3 pm.  Yep, this is a plug.  Lots of crafty goodness will be there and if you do come please stop by the Elves In The Attic table and say hello.