Changes at the Diva Mansion

It seems like "there is no place like home".  I think some of the ladies, myself included, just put too much time and energy in this baby that we can't give her up, lol!

The consensus is we just wanna have fun!!!!  So we are going to keep going here at CSDivas!  The talent and inspiration here at the Mansion is just awesome and would be missed too much.

To do things a little differently, we will have a monthly challenge(s), and you can play along with the inspiration posts by the DT.   We would all love to see what each other is doing and definitely visit each other's blogs!  We would also love to have YOU as a guest DT!!!!!!!!

 Please email me cleosan52 at yahoo if you are interested!!!!

You can find out about all our changes on the sidebar to the right.

News from the Divas!

Hello fellow Divas!

Today am not happy to write this post.  Am sad to announce that Creative Scrapbooking Divas is closing efective today!

The idea of CSDivas was born 2 years ago with 3 girlfriends and then a few more joined during the process.  Unfortunately our lives are kind of busy and demand our attention, which forced us to take this decision (unwillingly, I must say).

The blog will not completely disappear.  Simply we will not keep posting anymore.  After thinking for a while, we realized that we have some great tutorials, ideas and artwork that my help or inspire scrapbooker.  that's why we are not shutting it down completely.

I (Luisa) want to express huge thanks to the awesome team members that I have been grateful to work in this dream:

• Theresa Amlong, who was part of the magic team to start-up the site! (love your mosaic layouts!!!)
• Lori Dianni, who share tons of tutorials and Book of Me Ideas (I actually made 5 layouts!!!)
• Alecia Harper, who introduced me to Cookbooking and I appreciate it a lot. (I got food pictures now!!!)!
• Sandy Hentzel, who thought me that I can certainly use my cricut and also tons of card folds! (Joyfold card still my fave!!!)
• Pam Funk, who's sense of humor I admire as well as her scrapbooking style! (I did 2 mini albums following your guidance!)
• Ann Lenth, who always was sharing the ultimate gadget in the market! 
• Susan, who instroduce me to Art Journaling and still enjoy it.
• Vanessa Carlston, who thanks to her I started to do my Faithbook (yes I started it!!!)!
• Stephanie Marshall, from who I learn a lot about new products and fun techniques!
• Jessica Shelton, who always inspired me to create more home decor stuff! (The bed headboard is in my To Do List!)

All of you have touched my life in one way or another and I can not express how thankful I am for that.  I learned tons of things with you guys, I was able to vent personal stuff with all of you and received great advise.  I specially remember the advises received when I told you about my Granny illness.  Unforgettable!!!

I consider all of you MY FRIENDS, even that we don't know each other phiysically, but you have been there for good and for bad and that's priceless.

As to our members:
HUUUUGGGEEE THANKS!  For all your support during our transition times! We love your participation in our challenges and getting to know you!  Be sure that we all going to miss you a lot!

Here is the link list to our blogs, so you can give us a visit every now and then:
Sandy - ScrapBook Blessings http://www.scrapbookblessings.blogspot.com/
Alecia - Welcome to Alecia's http://freakalecias.blogspot.com/
Pam - Dreams & Memories http://dreamersklub.blogspot.com/
Stephanie – The Magic of Ordinary Days http://todaysmagical.blogspot.com/
Jessica- Jessica's Blog http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com/
Yolie - Just Yolie http://www.justyolie.com/
Vanessa - Creating Sensations http://creatingsensations.blogspot.com/
Luisa - Creative Designs by Luisa http://www.creativedesignsbyluisa.com/

With love and sending blessings and hugs to all of you!

Admin Divas: Sandy, Alecia, Pam and Luisa
Design Team Divas: Stephanie, Vanessa, Yolie and Jessica

Challenge Closed

Alrighty...it's 8:03 CST and I'm going to go ahead and close this week's challenge. Thanks for visiting the Divas site this week and I hope you'll check back tomorrow for a new challenge! Hope you're having a great weekend!
Thanks!
~ Stephanie

Anyone Home???

It's been a busy week for most of us Divas! Many of us are back to school or ramping up those fall schedules. Did you miss the challenge this week? It's the Commercial Inspiration challenge - taking our inspiration from print advertisements in magazines or book covers and using them to create our cards or layouts. I also gave you three example ads to get you started or to use one for your project. So far...we have no players! But don't worry - you still have time to play! I will announce a winner by 8:00 (central time) tonight in the hopes that someone will have time to come up with a project.
Happy Crafting ~
Stephanie

August Book of Me Prompt

  Morning Divas...or for me I should say "mid-morning".  I am trying to post this while on my trip to Oklahoma, using my son's laptop.  Some day I will tell you what I think of laptops....let's just say if I hover on something too long, it automatically goes to it...aaarrrgggghhh.  I couldn't post last night, cause he sleeps with it in his room!  Boys...
    I had planned to be back "home" in Illinois by now, but I have a cousin with late stage lung cancer, who I am getting in all the visiting with I can.  So my layout for this is in Illinois & I am in Oklahoma...when I realized it was due!  Sorry gals.  But because I did my layout here...no pictures and the prompt has changed.
   Being at my real home in Oklahoma always causes me to really be homesick.  Therefore the prompt...is home.  This is a personal journey for all of us.  For some home is warm and fuzzy, full of wonderful memories.  But sometimes home can be a place of hurt and regrets.  I would like you to write about home...any home you have lived in...where you grew up, first home in marriage, or your current home. Or maybe even about a dream home, not yet realized.
   Here is an "untouched" picture of my layout. (there is no photo editing program on his laptop!)  I took this on the front porch of my Oklahoma home.
  

I used the Nutmeg line from Cosmo Cricket.  I love double sided paper!  This was one piece of paper, cut in two pieces (top is larger) and pulled together with a strip of paper that I pleated 



   Here is a closeup of the heart and paper strip.  I love that the paper had dashes on it, to mimic stitching.  I didn't have access to a trimmer, so I "cut" everything out by hand, using a really unsharp pair of round pointed scissors! Itore the large pieces and paper strip using the straight edge of a ruller. Then I ripped the heart shape, after drawing it on the back of the page.  Some home made flowers to match and I was finished. 

   I love the birdie on the title strip, so I fussy cut one off of the dotted paper and popped it on foam dots. I covered the hole where the birdie came from with the title.  The journal box on right is just for the picture. I will need a MUCH larger block to write all I have to say about home being where my heart is.
    Hope you enjoy working on this prompt.  I would love to see how yours turns out, so leave a comment and a link to see your work.  And have a divalishious day!

Pammie Kay

Adding Texture w/ Distressing

Hello Divas!

Hope you are all having a great week and are working hard on those Diva projects! Don't forget there will be a new winner picked on Saturday for the Commercial Inspiration Challenge!

But...it's Wednesday and that means I'm bringing you a new technique! This week I thought I would share one of my favorites - distressing! Although most of the time I think of distress stains/inks when that term is used, this time I'm talking about distressing papers by sanding, scraping or tearing paper. Here's the look:

This is an easy way to add texture, dimension and separation of elements to your paper projects, cards, and layouts. Although there are many ways to achieve this look (scissors, sandpaper, even foot scrapers!) I have found it's easiest for me to use a distressing tool. Never seen one before? Tim Holtz makes one you can probably find at your local craft store (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or your LSS):

Here's how to use it -
Hold your paper at an angle and slide your tool along the edge so that it tears the paper. You can achieve different looks with different tools, so I recommend playing around with scraps of paper (both cardstock & thinner paper!) and getting comfortable with the tool and what you can do with it before using it on your project. Sometimes I just want a simple rolled edge to add a subtle texture, and others I really want to "rough" my page up, so having chunks torn out or deep rips in the paper are appropriate.

Here are some examples of how I've used distressing in projects:

One more way to use distressing - see how Pammejo over at Scrapbook Flair distressed her spiral roses & papers on the cover of her album -

Here are some other texturizing tools to check out -

Basic Grey Precision File Set

Bazzill Sanding Flower

Heidi Swapp edge distresser

Imaginsce d-stress tool

Stampin' Up

Tim Holtz/Tonic distressing tools & sanding blocks
We R Memory Keepers Heart Attack 2 way distress tool

So...check out these products, do some research and see if you might like to invest in a new tool, and a new technique!

Happy Crafting ~

Cookin' and Cookbookin': Tip of the Week, Food Holidays

Hi folks!
Wanted to share this tip with you... Cooking Tip of the Day blog has wonderful ideas daily to spice up your weekly meals. I've found new ideas about how to photograph my family recipes for scrapping, how to present the recipe and ingredient information in new ways, and lots of yummy new recipes that may soon become family favorites!
Check out http://cookingtipoftheday.blogspot.com/.

On this site, I found a lot of new scrappy ideas--food holidays!
For example, here's the info for October 2011:

Eat Better, Eat Healthier Month
Eat Country Ham Month
National Apple Month
National Applejack Month
National Caramel Month
National Chili Month
National Cookie Month
National Dessert Month
National Pickled Peppers Month
National Pizza Festival Month
National Popcorn Poppin' Month
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Seafood Month
Vegetarian Awareness Month
No Salt Week 1st Week
National Chili Week 1st Week
American Beer Week 2nd Week
National Food Bank Week 2nd Week
National School Lunch Week 2nd Week
National Pasta Week 2nd Week
National Kraut Sandwich Week 3rd Week
Pickled Peppers Week 3rd Week
Chicken Soup for the Soul Week 4th Week
National Desert Day Second Thursday
Sweetest Day Third Saturday
World Vegetarian Day October 1
Pudding Season Begins October 1
Homemade Cookies Day October 1
National Fried Scallops Day October 2
National Caramel Custard Day October 3
National Taco Day October 4
National Vodka Day October 4
Cinnamon Roll Day [Sweden] October 4
National Apple Betty Day October 5
National Noodle Day October 6
National Frappe Day October 7
National Fluffernutter Day October 8
Moldy Cheese Day October 9
Submarine-Hoagy-Hero-Grinder Day October 9
National Angel Food Cake Day October 10
National Sausage Pizza Day October 11
World Egg Day October 11
National Gumbo Day October 12
National Yorkshire Pudding Day October 13
National Chocolate-Covered Insects Day October 14
National Chicken Cacciatore Day October 15
National Roast Pheasant Day October 15
World Food Day October 16
National Liqueur Day October 16
National Pasta Day October 17
Four Prunes Day October 17
National Chocolate Cupcake Day October 18
National Seafood Bisque Day October 19
National Brandied Fruit Day October 20
Apple Day October 21
National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day October 21
Caramel Apple Day October 21
National Nut Day October 22
National Boston Cream Pie Day October 23
National Canning Day October 23
National Bologna Day October 24
Good and Plenty Day October 24
National Greasy Foods Day October 25
Pumpkin Day October 26
Pretzel Day October 26
Mince Meat Pie Day October 26
National Potato Day October 27
National Chocolate Day October 28
Wild Foods Day October 28
National Oatmeal Day October 29
National Candy Corn Day October 30
Buy a Doughnut Day October 30
National Candy Apple Day October 31
Trick or Treat for UNICEF Day October 31

MON: Scrapbooking / Home Decor / Gifts

Welcome to another edition of Monday Home Decor and Gifts! So glad you are joining again!

Today I want to share with you a project I was able to share with my kids.  We took time to make individual door signs for each of the 3 smaller ones to place on the door to their rooms.  I allowed each one to add their own "flare" and the materials were mostly upcycled, too.  So bonus for the kids and bonus for being green.

I saved some old cardboard pieces from different items such as new lamps, cereal boxes, and the divider between the two levels of a 24 pack of pop (or soda for those of you on the East Coast  :O) .

Each child was able to choose their paper of choice, some letters for their names (stickers and chipboard), and extra embellishments.  We used designer ribbon as the hanger and Voila.....

Name Plaques for their doors!!!!

Gabriella's Room

(she wanted a swirled edge and lots of color)

 Lance Jr's Room

(we formed the star by rolling wired ribbon and using heavy duty glue to adhere them into a star shape)

Ariana's Room

(we used two types of ribbon with the bow being made from wired ribbon)

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!!!

Commercial Inspiration Challenge

Hello fellow scrappers! I hope you had a fabulous weekend and are ready for a new challenge with the Divas! This week I'm excited to offer you a challenge that will hopefully get you motivated to scrap! I am a little worn out now - end of summer with two little ones has left me low on creativity, so coming up with original and new paper projects has been difficult. What has kept me going though, are my magazines. I'm a big fan of magazines - Country Living, Southern Living, Family Fun, and of course the scrapbooking, card making & stamping 'zines. They are chock full of inspiration in an unlikely form - advertisements. Yes, ads - you know, the pages we normally skip over? Take another look with fresh eyes & you'll find tons of inspiration. You can use ads to totally inspire a card or layout. Here are three examples:

The first ad is for Nestle Drumsticks (yum!) & I loved the creative use of journaling. I could totally trace a shape or silhouette on one of my layouts (pumpkins or witches hat for a Halloween LO?!) & write my story in that space. Second - I love the bright colors in this table scape from Target. Makes me want to jump right in! But my favorite ad is this Karen Foster ad from a few years ago. I knew from the moment I saw it that I would use it for a LO. Just loved the grid of papers & pictures. Better yet - I could make this in minutes!

SO - my challenge is to find an advertisement that inspires you. It could be the font used, the placement of pictures, colors or layout. And yes, you may use one of the ads I've presented here. :) The only exception is that you cannot scraplift an ad of a card, layout or paper project that has already been created. :0 Don't forget to link your project here, along with a picture or scan of the ad itself & a quick explanation of what inspired you by next Saturday. Hope you'll play along!

~ Happy Crafting!

Stephanie

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Tip: Faux Linen Technique

Hi Everyone, Jessica here.

My tip for today is a fun technique I learned about several months ago at Come and Get It Challenge Blog.  I had so much fun trying out this technique and the end result was very pleasing. This technique allows you to create your very own background on any card, layout, or home decor item of your choice.  The possibilities are endless!!!!

If you would like to view an awesome video with easy how-to instructions....please click HERE.

The card I created using this technique was an anniversary/love card titled The Perfect Pear

The background paper was a Pearl Cardstock by Core'dinations which I sanded, then inked my image all over, then sanded again, then inked a second image, and sanded once again.  I layered coordinating papers that I had embossed using my Big Shot.  For the final top image, I again used my pear image (that was placed no the background as well) to be a focal point of the entire card.

I hope you enjoyed my tip today and feel free to share you opinions or ask any questions if you desire.

Card Inspiration- Operation Write Home

Ever have "card block"?  You know, where you sit down, want to make a card for someone and just stare at you supplies and wonder what in the world to do.  That has been me all month, lol.  UNTIL!!!! recently!  I found a wonderful tool to help me with my inspiration and just have to share it with you!

Operation Write Home is a great site where homemade cards are sent over seas to service men and women.  They in return fill out the card and sent it back home to loved ones.  How cool is it for a little one to get a Elmo birthday card from mommy or daddy in the mail?!?!?   I just love this site and have sent out cards but they have a wonderful link with sketches made by OWH cardmakers.  They do sketches all the time and you can find them all in one place.

Here are a couple of cards I made recently using OWH sketches...

You can find the sketch collection HERE!!!

We would love to see some card inspiration.  My mini challenge for you is to create a card using one of the sketches and post the link in the comments.  Don't forget to post the sketch that you used too! This is a great way to help spread the word about OWH!

PS: Here are the Fall deadlines to ship out.

Sept 16 - Halloween

Sept 30 - Thanksgiving

Oct 31 - Christmas

Nov 30 - AnyHero Christmas

Organization Ideas with Luisa!!!

Welcome to my first organization post at the CSDivas new Mansion!!!

Am always trying to find great organization and storage ideas for my embellishments and tools.

Today I want to share this awesome Daubers storage box that my friend Corina gave me.
Corina bought it at scrapbook.com.  They are on sale now!  Here is the link:
Gary M. Burlin and Co. - Sponge Dauber Storage Box

I used sponges and dauber applicators to distress photos/papers and to add color to chipboard shapes etc.  Of course I have a sponge edge for each CTMH Ink Pad color and am starting to build my dauber applicators collection.
to label them I printed the ink pad color names in a label sheet and will add them to the daubers. 
Then I will organize them in my case by color.

Hope you like my organization tip!

Help me help you...  Let me know what you struggle with and will try to find solutions for you!!!

Have a blessed day!

Be Still....

This is Pammie Kay and I am going to be leading you on your  faith booking journey. I want to talk about something, before I begin.
   I am a Christian, have been all my life.  I love God with all my heart.  That said, I want to say that I realize that not everyone is.  It is my hope that these posts will not alienate any of our Divas or cause you not to be part of our group.  Faith is a broad word in the secular world and can be interpreted in many ways.  I pray that in the spirit of scrap booking...you will continue to share your layouts...even in this area.
   Ok, onward!!
    I must apologize for my not being prepared with photos...I am in Oklahoma with my family and left my flash drive on the desk!  But I will give you the prompt for this week and follow it up with pictures as soon as possible.
   The other day,I was hurried to get things done...layouts, projects, dinner, laundry...you know how it is.  All of a sudden, the the thought, "Be still"  entered my mind  I know it was a message that God needed me to hear.."Be still..and know I am God".  Things would get done..in the order He wanted it done.
   So the prompt today is "Be Still". What does that mean to you? I  will say that my layout is about the place I love to be still in.  Use your heart and take it where you where it will. 
   I can't wait to see what you create.
Pammie Kay

Sunday Challenge--Fussy Cutting

Morning Divas!  As you are reading this I am on the road with my trusty dog and my faithful rubber duck to Oklahoma.  Going to see some family and go to the Creative Keepsakes Convention in Tulsa.  Can't wait!!!
    I love all the new papers out, don't you?  They are so busy and full of patterns and shapes...what? You don't like them cause they are too hard to figure out how to use them?  Well worry no more, Cause my challenge for you today is to use those busy papers to make a layout!
     My is a 2 pager, but yours doesn't have to be....it doesn't even have to be a layout...could be a card.  Or an altered box.  The trick is that to qualify for a fabulous kit from My Minds Eye, you need to have a pic of your paper before and project after. 
     I have a great friends who co-owns a wonderful paper crafting/stamping store in Villa Park, Ill called Creative Cuts and Crafts.   Linda calls "detail cutting" fussy cutting!  I love it and I have totally made it my own.  I love my exacto blade and cutting details makes me almost giggly! Let me show you the layout I made out of a class kit from CKC in Kansas City.  It was a SEI class and we never got to finish any of the pages!

And this is an older project that I put fabulous paper on a box I store my Cricuts cartridges in. (I know isn't it sad that that is all I have? I don't use it much any more.)   But look at the box, not the sad contents!  I had some cloth paper I got from a vendor a few years back and then Best Creations came out with this yummy paper..sorry I don't have the original paper to show you.  I'll be a better photographer next time!

     So the challenge is to make your project, take picture of the paper you use before you cut it (so we can see it) and then the finished project.  You have until next Saturday the 20th at midnight West coast time to get your project in.  Please let this be a new project made for this...It isn't a challenge if you already have it done.  Remember, as always, leave a comment in Mr Linky cause we love to see your Diva  Divine projects.  Have a great week!

Pammie Kay

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Saturday Diva Snaps!!!

The talent we have is just awesome!  Here are a couple of links posted this past week.  Thanks Girls!!!

Cheryl @ Cards By CG linked a couple of cute cardscapes!!!

Janice @ My Stories told through pictures  (Who by the way is this week's challenge winner! WTG) Darling layout!!!

Celeste @ Touched by a Butterfly gave us this too cute pop up card!

Nancy @ The NickleNook did this cute flipflop for our Summer Blog Hop!

WTG Girls, you all get Diva Snaps for the week, plus a chance for our "Diva Snaps Shout Out- Link Up Prize".  Need to come up with a shorted title, lol!

Friday Tutorial: Free Resources!

Hello Divas! Hope you've had a fun week following along on our little blog here. :) My latest obsession, (thanks to Luisa!) is pinterest. It's basically a virtual bulletin board where you "pin" pictures of things that inspire you, make you happy, or projects that you want to do/remember. You create your own boards, and then follow other people's boards. I'm addicted! One of the greatest things about pinterest is the ability to share sources of inspiration and resources for your own projects. So instead of a tutorial, I thought I would share some free stuff! These are web sites that I have found on my own and through pinterest and gained all kinds of free images, clip art, fonts, storage tags and labels, gift tags, decor, and cards. Disclaimer: from what I have found, these sites are royalty free and for personal use only. Enjoy!
Free Fonts: Kevin & Amanda (with step by step instructions of how to install on your computer)
Clip Art:
Crafty Secrets
The Graphics Fairy
Just Something I Made
Catch My Party
How Does She...
Everything Etsy (101 pretty printables - pretty much covers everything!)

Do you have any resources you'd like to share????

~ Happy Crafting!
Stephanie

Mini Album Challenge

Hello Divas!  Hope you are getting some relief from the heat..or will be soon!  We had rain today (Tuesday) as I write this and it has brought the temperature down nicely.
    I want you to know I have had a dilemma over how to do this monthly post.  Quite honestly, I don't want to do a mini album to show you EVERY month.  Call me lazy, I don't care!  And I knew no one would be up to doing a challenge like that each month...just too much work.  But that is what I liked about the forum,  the challenges and interactions together. 

       So I am going to create a section of  album each month and challenge you to play along!  How does that sound?   That's what we do in our other challenges, only on a larger scale.  So come on, sign up and let's do a mini album!

Mini Album Challenge #1

(I tried to find a better name..but fail)

So here is the challenge. It will be a "recipe" challenge.  For the first month, we are going to decorate the front and back covers of your album. The back cover can just coordinate with the front.  On the front you need to use:

1). Use ink or paint

2).  Title    

3). Ribbon or lace

4). LARGE embellishment

That's it...the whole challenge for this month.  You have until the 7th of September at Midnight CST, to complete it and post a link with Mr. Linky here.

   Let me show you my example.  I chose for my album, a kit from my stash from Making Memories. There were a couple of transparencies in there that I won't use..but the rest fits what I want to do.

The front and back is padded with Kraftpaper with an opening in the front for the inside page photo to show through.  I have just recently fallen in love with Distress Stains, and took a giant leap and stained the front with Broken China.  I spread it around, spritzed it with water and wiped off some in several areas. I edged it next  with  Wild Honey distress stain and topped that with StazOn Ink in the Timber Brown.  I was careful not to cover the Wild Honey, so it has some depth to it.

I had some printable fabric called ExtravOrganza that I had bought, hoping to sell in my store. My customers couldn't see themselves using it, so I kept the sample pack for myself.  I used it for the first time Sunday!!  I printed a title up on it.....really more of a phrase.  I gave it a light coat of Antique Linen Distress Stain to tone down the white a bit.  After fraying the edges, I glued it down with ZipDry spread out with a make-up sponge!  It doesn't show and I know it will stay!  The last photo (^) shows how I "stuck" down the cute transparency that I put in the lower right corner.  It is Sookwang tape and it goes on clear and really is strong.

    

  In the upper left I had another transparency that was too timid, so I covered it with a "corsage" made of tulle, ribbon, string of beads and a lovely Prima Flower.  I love the feathers in these flowers alot. It is not as blue as it shows in this photo..a little dustier.     My back I stained the same as the front...but added a Tim Holtz stamp that I embossed in copper.

And here is my finished project...

I hope you have enjoyed this project.  But more importantly, I hope you will join me in making your own album.  You don't have to copy what I did, I want it to be your style, your imagination coming out! 

Please leave a comment and let me know you are going to join me in this wonderful challenge. 

Oh, is there a little blog camdy for playing along?  How about a small package of my handmade embellishments?  Ok, it will be a random drawing on Sept 7.  What are doing sitting there...get busy!

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Banners & Pennants & Bunting, oh my!

More than a passing trend, banners in their various shapes and forms have taken the paper crafting industry by storm. From use in layouts, cards, tags, ATCs, altered art, and homemade celebrations, banners have become a standard embellishment in many a scapper's repertoire! One of the best reasons to love pennants is your ability to make banners different each time. You could really string any shape or object together to form a banner, but standard shapes include triangles, (most popular!) the lemon wedge (half circle!), and swallow tail banners. When it comes to stringing them together, there are so many options - twine, buttons, rhinestones, stitching, or simply placing the pieces side by

(Layout from "A Cherry on Top" Blog. Daily Junque Collection by Pink Paislee.)

Think outside the box when it comes to creating your banners! Use it as a title & place letters inside each shape, string your photos together and turn them into a banner, use memorabilia, tickets, or other ephemera for a vacation layout, and one more great use for your banner - journaling!

"Decorating for You' by Ali Edwards


Danielle Flanders for Pink Paislee:

Lastly, if you're unsure of making your own banners, there are a wide variety of products available from stamps, stickers, templates, and traditional paper pennants.

So if you haven't used a banner yet, I highly encourage you to incorporate one in your next project to add a quick punch of color, playful patterns, & a bit of whimsy. :)

~ Happy Crafting!

Cookbooking: Fancy Holders

Of course my tip is cookin' and cookbookin' related this week... making pocket holders to contain your recipe cards!

I made a pocket card to hold my recipe cards with Jillibean Soup papers. I used an EK success scallop punch for the border. Since I didn't have room to adhere my sides down, I wrapped matching Offray ribbon all the way around the card, brought it up through 2 holes in the front, and tied it down. Since the ribbon lets it expand, there is room for 10 cards. Voila!

This makes a nice gift for a friend--they can toss it in their pocketbook along with coupons, and take it to the grocery when they are shopping for the weekly menus!

I put a ribbon pull-tab on my sample recipe card, makes it easy to pull in and out of the holder. You can see I kept it quite flat so that it would not take up space when empty--waiting for all those yummy family recipes to be placed inside.

Happy scrapping!

Custom Head Board

Hi there Divas....Welcome to another episode of Home Decor and Gift Ideas here at the Mansion.  So lovely to have you visiting again!

In search of new ideas for our home, we had been wanting to create a custom head board at a very low cost and simple fabric, to get an elegant outcome. We finally got our bedroom changed around and completed a custom headboard.  Lance is so super good at being handy in all aspects of things around the house.  I feel so fortunate to have him in my life.  He used up some old ply board we had left over from our Bathroom Remodeling last summer.  He cut 2-6 1/2" by 6 foot slats for the bottom and scalloped the edge of another 18" wide by 6 foot slat for the top. We made a trip to Jo Ann Fabrics to pick up some fabric and were able to finish the headboard in one day.  The fabric we found was a Chenille upholstery that was on clearance...WOO HOOO . . .  I love a bargain.  

Ply Board ~ range $8-15 (unsure of actual cost because it was left over from a remodel, but total used was less than 1 sheet 4'X8'of plywood)

Fabric ~ A little over $7.00 for 7 yds. of clearance Chenille

Total Cost ~ approximately $22.00 (not bad considering actual cost of a custom headboard could be anywhere from $100 and up)

We really love how it turned out.  It allowed us to place our bed in a corner of the room, finally bring out our new duvet cover and pillows, and put the television on a wall that didn't blur the screen with incoming sunlight.  Now all that is left is to paint the walls and move the red/orange painting to another room....another day for that project though!!! 

So sorry I didn't take before and after pics this time.  I have been really busy preparing my dd Sweet 16 party that all I could focus on was getting the head board finished and up so I could get back to the goodies for her party.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask and I will try to give you answers quickly.

Thanks again for joining the Divas Mansion today....happy crafting!!!!

More "Dog Days of Summer"

Did you enjoy the hop?  I hopped almost every one's at 4 this morning! Then I did it again, now that I am awake at 10:00 am! Sleep is for the weak, and I feel very weak now! 

I thought I would take a little more of your time and showcase some more summer layouts for you.  We can never have too many.

 It can't be summer without baseball! My favorite sport to watch. You don't have to pay too much attention to the game, cause it moves slow. If you have the right friends with you, (and a bus to drive you home!) it can be the highlight of your summer. Now, I must say that while these are pictures of US Cellular Field, the White Sox are not our favorite team. 

Boston Red Sox are. 

 But, baseball is baseball, no matter who is playing!

And I had to throw my twin grandsons in!  This was made with Snorkel paper from Cosmo Cricket.  Love their stuff.

  Love how cute the boys are in their Ducky robes!

 And could it be a Dog Days celebration without a dog layout?  This is our boy Buddy, that we rescued. He is my constant companion and loves to pose for pictures.  Laying in the shade in the backyard is his favorite summertime activity! 

Don't forget the prizes that we are giving away!  Leave a comment in the "official" blog post below to get put in the running.

I hope you get a chance to lay in the shade today...and stay cool! 

 A nap on the porch?  A ice cold  glass of lemonade?  Thank you, don't mind if I do!