Making Memories - Product Sponsor Week

I'm so pleased to post today! This week, at the Pursuit of Craftyness, is our first product sponsorship week. When we Designers formed this team we have a vision of what we wanted to do..inspire, inspire and maybe inspire a little more. So we could not be more excited to share with you the projects we have made this week. We have definitely started off with a bang as Making Memories has sponsored us with their beautiful, new Noteworthy Collection! This week we will be sharing projects on Wednesday, with more of the Noteworthy Collection and then again on Friday, with more Making Memories products! I hope you'll be sure to check in on those days for more inspiration and beautiful crafts!


I know I speak for everyone on the Pursuit of Craftyness team when I extend a very big thank you to Jenny Weston and Making Memories for being the first company to sponsor us! Thank you so very much!!

I should add, if you are a Scrapbook, Stamp or Scrapbooking Manufacturer and would be interested in sponsoring our team..please contact any of the Designer's for more information.


Well take a few moments, grab your favorite drink and as they say...without further ado...Making Memories

"Believe Artwork": By Designer Miki Benedict

Canvas: Innovative Storage Designs (from Target $1 spot)
Pattern paper: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Artisan Flower Die-cut, Addie Brocade Dot, Addie Pattern Stripe
Flowers: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Blossoms (felt & paper)
Die-cut: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Glitter
Brad: Making Memories Crystal
Watercolor crayons: Staedtler
Water brush: EK Success Zig
Butterfly Template: downloaded from www.marthastewart.com
Font: Marcelle Script downloaded from www.dafont.com
Adhesive: mini dots, craft dots by Glue Dots

Hi Flower Card: By Designer Julia Sandvoss

Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Glitter Die-cuts, clear Glitter Flowers Bright
Making Memories Noteworthy Delany Flowers
Making Memories Noteworthy Delany Floral Paper
Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Ribbon Collection
Making Memories Glitter, Velvet & Plain Brads
Colorbox Chalk Inks

Jess notebook: By Designer Jessica Witty

Patterned paper: Noteworthy Addie DieCut Scallop (MM)
Stickers: Delaney Shimmer Alpha Stickers (MM)
Die Cut: Noteworthy Glitter Die Cuts (MM)
Ribbon: Notworthy Addie collection (MM)

These Boots are Made for Walking Layout: By Designer Sherry Wright

Making Memories paper (Addie Artisan die cut)
Making Memories flowers & buttons
Making Memories die cuts (Noteworthy 2 glitter)
Making Memories ribbon (Noteworthy Addie)
Making Memories alphabets (Delaney shimmer alphabet & tiny alphabet)
Prism cardstock
Fabric-Tac adhesive by Beacon




Trinket Box: By Designer Stacey Stamitoles
(Approx. size: 4” cubed)

Supplies:
Paper: Making Memories; Northworthy Addie (pattern stripe)
Flowers: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Blossoms (felt & paper)
Die-cut: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Glitter
Glitter Letters: Making Memories
Giant Button: Bazzill
Ink: Distress Ink by Tim Holtz; Ranger
Misc. supplies: Bottle cap, chase life stamp, crystal lacquer




Floral Candle Card: By Designer Linda Beeson

Patterned paper – (note)worthy Addie Pattern Stripe and Brocade Dot/Making Memories
Blossoms and Glitter brad – Making Memories
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®/Tulip


Love You Card: By Designer Linda Beeson

Solid cardstock
Patterned paper – (note)worthy Addie Pattern Stripe and Brocade Dot/Making Memories
Blossoms and glitter brads – Making Memories
Die Cut label and rub-on word – Making Memories
Chipboard letters – Addie Alpha Stickers
Metallic Dimensional Fabric paint - Tulip
Fluid Chalk stamp pad




She's So Blue Layout: By Designer Julia Sandvoss

Making Memories Noteworthy Delany Diecut Stamp paper
Making Memories Noteworthy Delany Ledger Circle paper
Making Memories Noteworthy Delany Floral paper
Making Memories Noteworthy Hilary Flocked Alphabet stickers & Addie Chipboard stickers
Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Journaling book
Making Memories Noteworthy Delany Ribbon Collection
Making Memories Noteworthy Glitter Diecuts
Making Memories Boho Chic Tiny Alphas
Making Memories Noteworthy Jumbo Brads - Addie
Making Memories Blossoms- Addie and Delany collection
Fiskars "Threading Water" punch
Colorbox Chalk Inks
Stickles



Delight card: By Designer Jessica Witty

Patterned paper: Noteworthy Addie Pattern Stripe reverse (MM)
Flowers: Noteworthy Blossoms in Addie (MM)
Die Cuts: Noteworthy Glitter Die Cuts (MM)
Photo Corner: Noteworthy Collection Glitter Clears Self Adhesive Die Cuts (MM)
Ribbon: Noteworthy Addie collection (MM)
Baker's Twine: Martha Stewart




Family Card: By Designer Annabelle O'Malley


Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Scallop Die Cut paper
Making Memories Noteworthy Brocade Dots paper
Making Memories Noteworthy Clear Glitter Embellishments
Making Memories Noteworthy Glitter Die Cuts
Making Memories Definition Stickers
Making Memories Love Story Embellishment Jar (flowers and buttons)
hemptrim

*Tip-I cut the floral pieces from the clear embellishments and layered them onto the sticker and card front.






Thanks card by: Designer Stacey Stamitoles

Paper: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie (pattern stripe)
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Sheer Pink frame: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie
Trim: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie
Metal word “Thanks” and sewing floss: Making Memories
Glitter glue: Stickles by Ranger (purple)
Paint: Folk Art by Plaid (white and lavender)
Tools: Scorpal, sewing machine, sewing needle (to hand stitch “thanks”)
Ink: Distress ink by Tim Holtz; Ranger
Punch: Embossed ZigZag Craft Punch by Martha Stewart

Delight Card: By Designer Miki Benedict

Pattern Paper: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Pattern stripe, Addie Artisan Flower Die-cut
Flowers: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Glitter Die-cuts, clear Glitter Flowers Bright
Die-cut sentiment: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie Glitter
Ribbon: Making Memories Noteworthy Addie
Adhesive: Pop-up dots, mini dots by Glue Dots



Gift Bag: By Designer Sherry Wright

Making Memories paper (Addie pattern stripe)
Making Memories ribbon (Addie)
Making Memories felt, paper, and die cut flowers (Noteworthy Addie)
Gift bag (craft supply)

Happy Monday..thanks again Making Memories and Happy Birthday to my daughter Haley!

Julia

STITCHING and INKING and STAMPING-OH MY!

Linda here today or maybe you recognize me more by lbpost since that has been my online identity for a very long time.

My goal is to share three things with you today.
ONE - pictures of my newest grandson since that is what Grandma's get to do.
TWO - the wonders of the Scor-Pal tool.
THREE - my addiction to those three techniques mentioned in my title, machine sewing, inking the edges of basically everything and stamping.

So, if you don't already have a Scor-Pal, run, don't walk to your nearest store to get one for yourself. If you don't have a store, let your fingers do the walking and find an online store.

When I first heard of a tool that helped you make a score line to create cards I could NOT figure out why I would want one! I have folded my own card bases for years and years and I do just fine, thank you. That was before I used one! I'm going to say that the greater advantage to this tool is the ease with which you can make accordion or gate folds (thus my project for today). It is also amazing how quickly you can make your own envelope and how easy it is to make embossed lines on a card or layout. BUT, once you have it, you will reach for it for every card because it is so quick, easy and looks so nice.

The tool pictured comes with it's own handy dandy scoring tool with it's own handy dandy storage place. In an instant you have the tool in your hand and in an instant, when you are finished with it, it goes right back in place for the next time. That alone is amazing since you don't have to remember where you put that thing the last time you got creative in your new storage system and at that time you thought you thought of the best place which now for the life of you you can't find!!! Been there???

There are measurements all along the top of the tool and score lines to go with each measurement so if you want to do something like an accordion folded anything, you have all the folds you need almost in an instant and they are all exactly where they should be. No more reaching for a ruler and a pencil and making little marks and trying to get each section even, etc. OK, enough of that! You will like this tool.

OK, so next is that cute grandson I mentioned. Why he wasn't the first thing, I'm not sure, but my little card holds a few little pictures of him. This could be a birth announcement or just a creative way to send Grandma or Auntie or whoever a little glimpse into this new life. I decided a fun way to do that would be a card with a mini accordion folded card on the front, almost like a mini album.
Let's talk about my blue, dotted background for a minute and this is where the stamping and inking come in. I wanted a soft, blue baby look but I didn't want it to be too feminine. Since I didn't feel I had a piece of patterned paper that would give me the look I wanted, I decided on, you guessed it, stamping and inking. I stamped my dot background stamp with white ink and embossed that with white embossing powder on white cardstock. I just love the Fluid Chalk stamp pads by Clearsnap. I have every color in the Cat's Eye size. This ink and in this size of a container make them just perfect for "coloring" a whole piece of paper, not just the edges which I am most likely to do. Rub the ink pad directly to the paper and just continue rubbing it in a circular motion until every single inch of the paper is your new color. When finished, you only have to take a kleenex or soft rag and buff the paper. This will remove any ink from the embossed dots and this will also make them shine. I now have a piece of paper like what I had in mind. I backed that with another piece of paper that I cut with my scallop scissors and I just had to "finish" my look with some inking along the scallop edges and I just had to do a row of machine, zig zag sewing around the outside border of the card.

I wanted each section to be 3" across and I wanted three sections so I cut my strip of white cardstock and used the Scor-Pal tool to make two fold lines. Again with those markings across the top, this took seconds.


I added several rub-on words and phrases and inked the edges of my little accordion portion. I knew I wanted to be able to tie this shut with a ribbon so when I added my accordion piece to the card, I added my length of ribbon behind that, bringing the ends to the front of the card. Now I could tie a bow on the front side that would serve to hold my little photo section shut and it is easily untied to reveal the row of photos on the inside.
This same idea could be translate to other themes. This makes a great way to say thank you to someone for their hospitality if you took a few photos while you were with them. How about something related to a graduation?

Materials list:
Fluid Chalk stamp pads - Clearsnap
Dot rubber stamp - Stamp Camp
White ColorBox stamp pad and White embossing powder - Clearsnap
Scor-Pal tool
Ribbon
Rub-on words and phrases - Deja Views and 7gypsies
Mini safety pin - Creative Impressions

Thanks for visiting - Until next time - Linda

Thinking of Dad

Hi it's Julia! I'm sitting here shaking my head at the realization that somehow May has gone by and we're into June! And with June comes Father's Day. Now I might be a just a bit early but I wanted to get a jump on things and have something ready for my hubby.

My hubby is big into a good cigar. It's one of those things he enjoys and I'll often find him out on our deck smoking one. That gave me an idea..a nice cigar and card from the kids for Father's Day! So here's a quick and easy gift for those Dad's and Grandpa's who enjoy cigars.

I used one of my favorite "guy" lines from Paper Salon called "Rugged". The colors and designs are perfect for this. I first created a card. I wanted it to be from the kids so I wanted to do a "Thanks" theme to thank my hubby for being such a good Dad!


For the card I used some Hero Art stamps, punched stars and to distress it a bit..Craft-T Products Metallic rubons. I have not used these rubons in such a long time. They've definitely been gathering dust and well..it's a shame since they are very cool and easy to use too..just apply with your finger!!

After assembling the card..I used the metallic rubons on the stars, greeting and "Dad" alphabet stickers. It made everything soften up a bit and blend better together.

For the cigar holder I cut two strip lengths and wrapped them around the tube. Added a bit of twine that I tied. And then stamped the small Thank You stamp again on the star punch piece, rubbed some Metallic rubons and adhered to the tube.

I now have a great gift for my hubby for Father's Day that will be a huge hit!

Supply List:

Paper Salon "Rugged" papers
Hero Arts Clear Design "Thank You Messages" stamps
Jenni Bowlin alphabet stickers
Paper Shaper Star punch
Craft-T Products Metallic Rubons "Earth"

Thanks for reading,

Julia

As Summer is upon us

How about a fun take on planter gardens?! It seems as if summer is here, already! Did we have spring? It is Kelly here, and I took a break from paper and decided to share another passsion... Gardening and planting flowers. My crafts tend to clear a path and make way for me to be out in my multiple gardens.
As fun as the gardens are... I also love the butterflies that come to visit, as well as the blooming flowers and veggies that begin to sprout.
Most of all I love all the little things that never had the intentions of being a garden container. For example, I have three portable wagon gardens. They have various sizes of clay pots, (fat, small, tall and the like) that are easily changed throughout the season. The one closet to the kitchen is primarily herbs. The other two (as the one above) is mostly for fun. The next few images will help you create a garden out of found unused metal. This metal vase seemed useless to me as it was, but the 25 cent price tag made it worth a try.

The next container is longer and has an the inside container that I wanted for something else. I bought both pieces for $7.00 and will get 2 projects for the price of 1!
So what to do with it?? You will see.

Now that the moss fully lines the metal objects, add a bit of dirt and your favorite flowers! Oh and don't forget the love and water!


Here are some additional examples I have used as alternatives for potted plants... Remember, peat moss is your friend.

Scour sales, thrifts stores, flea markets...Many can me be picked up for less then the change in your pocket.



Don't be scared to fill a pitcher filled with flowers and add an old potting bench for additional smaller pots.

This old iron piece was in the garbage bin. Now it is my outside centerpiece.

Please share with us some of your unique and creative outdoor planing...I have many more but do not want to bore you all... Cannot wait to see how different the responses are...and how it varies by climates/regions. Thanks for looking.

Kelly*G

Color? What color?

So, have I told you I don't scrapbook? Never made a single page. Seriously. All that 12" x 12" space pretty much scares the pants off me. See this project? Pretty much the closest I get to scrapbooking. (Note how small the project is... small = not scary.)

One thing I have noticed about scrapbookers... they're good photographers. And since I have previously noted that I am not a scrapbooker, can you guess what that means? I'll give you a moment here...



...if you like, you can picture Alex Trebek and hum the tune to Jeopardy during this interlude...




Correct! I'm not so much a great photographer, either! But, because I love all of the millions of faithful Pursuit of Craftyness blog readers (and by millions, I mean several. Several people, not several millions. Not that I would actually know, cause I would have to be really technically savvy and if you read my previous post, you know that "technically savvy" is definitely not my middle name.) Where was I? Oh, in the middle of a sentence. But, because I love all of the millions of faithful POC blog readers, I will let you in on the greatest secret of all time.

One does not have to be a good photographer to get what appears to be a good picture.

I give you, example A.

Now, this pic is eh, not terrible, but not great. Did you remember that I am a lazy stamper? Ok, so yes, I admit, that laziness does apply to other areas of my life. In this case, I knew I was going to make a project out of this picture when I took it, but I wasn't sure what product, color, etc, I was going to use on said project. So, I took the pic, came home, and promptly changed the pic to a sepia tone using Photshop Elements. Now, again... I'm so *not* techy. So what's a non-techy girl to do? Pull out my trusty copy of Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking magazine, that's what. This little magazine is a lifesaver to me. It gives step by step instructions for doing totally basic things to your pictures. Love it.

Anyhow, so I changed the picture to sepia and ta-da! I swear, sepia covers a multitude of photographic sins and makes nearly every picture look good. (I say "nearly" cause I know some of you are going to try and bust out some picture of your hairy Uncle Archibald wearing a speedo or something and challenge me to make it look good. Don't even think about it. I have covered myself with "nearly.")

Now I have a picture that matches everything! Woohoo for me!

I determined that I was going to case myself and make a picture jar for my mom for mother's day. This jar happens to be from Target, and to be totally honest, was WAY too expensive for a glass jar. Like $19 or something. And if you know me, which you don't because you're all out in bloggyland and I'm here at my desk where none of you are, you know that $19 to me is... uh... expensive. Cause I am "frugal." (Did you know that frugal is the cool word for "cheap?" So, I'm frugal, not cheap.) Anyhow, the key to this project is finding a jar with straight sides, so this jar was worth it. I have used a Melissa Frances jar for this project before, and it worked great and is *much* more affordable, but I was on the hunt for something a little bigger this time. Michael's has some to choose from, but I decided I really loved this jar because of the pretty lid and super clear glass, so I went for it. Not to mention it was for my mom, and mom's deserve the nice stuff, right? (This link is just a bonus for you... it goes to some of the "nice stuff" that this mom likes!) I can hear all the moms in the world agreeing now.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, use a jar with straight sides and save yourself all the trouble of trying to make your paper strips and picture fit a wonky sided jar. You'll thank me, I swear.

So, size the picture to fit the jar. My lovely jar was really close to 6" x 4" (small miracle, there), so I just used a regular sized pic and cut it down a tad. When taking the pic, be sure to think about the jar you might use. For instance, a picture taken landscape style is going to be harder to work with. Also, I tried to leave room at the top and bottom of the pic for embellishments.

Stick the pic in the jar and start there. I just started pulling out papers that looked kind of boyish, but would still work in my mom's studio where I thought she would keep the jar. I also choose a sticker label to put the kiddos names on and worked the embellishments around that.

The first order of business is to cut the paper to fit *inside* the jar. I scalloped my paper and layered it, then kind of twisted it around inside the jar to see how long it needed to be. Then just cut it to fit, adhere the ends together and set it inside the jar. It doesn't need to be adhered to the jar because
a) we don't want people to see the yucky adhesive, duh! and
b) no one should really be picking up the jar too much anyway, seeing how it's glass and all, so you really shouldn't have to worry about the paper moving too much.

I added the ribbon and label and kept working the paper until it was at the right "height" on the picture. I didn't want to cover too much of the pic, but I also wanted the jar to look pretty, so find your own balance there. I stuck the sticker right to the jar and added the buttons with glue dots. Cause those things hold everything. (Notice that I tried to tie my bow Melissa Phillips style. She is, after all, the bow queen.)



All in all, this is a darn quick and easy project. Mom seemed to like it, so I consider it a success. My total investment was pretty minimal... just the jar, developing the pic, and using embellishments I had on hand. Not bad. You know a project is a success when you want to keep it for your own mantle instead of giving it away. But I did. Cause I'm just a giver. A lazy giver, but a giver nonetheless.

And someday, when Mom isn't looking, I'll just steal it back.

Materials:
Glass jar (Target)
White Mini Dot PP (Making Memories)
Kitchen Curtains PP (Front Porch Collection by My Mind's Eye)
Animal Crackers cardstock sticker label (Making Memories)
Mini Alpha stickers (Making Memories)
Buttons (Autumn Leaves)
Ribbon (Michael's)

Later, dudes.
Jessica

What a colorful month! (Plus a tech time-saver.)

Can you believe the month is over already? The Celebration Of Color was so inspiring - I have been completely blown away by the unique ideas that have been presented here (and I hope that you have, too!).

As some of you may know, I'm in the middle of a big move. My husband has taken a new job and our family is moving to Northern Virginia. Even though I've been through big moves in the past, moving seems to be the one thing in life that doesn't matter if you've been through it before or not. Experience doesn't make it any smoother!

So, my main challenge lately has been saving time (primarily because I feel like I don't have enough of it!). I don't know about you, but blogs can be my downfall! I get pulled in and then the domino effect starts - I follow link upon link, and before I know it, I've spent four hours in cyber crafty goodness!

My solution? Google Reader. Like the other Google services, it's free and user-friendly. Go to www.google.com/reader to get started! You will want to open an additional window/tab on your browser so that you can toggle back and forth for your setup. Once you have a blog that you would like to add (like OURS!), you're going to want to cut and paste the blog address. In Google Reader, you will see ADD SUBSCRIPTION in the middle of the left column. Click there and then paste the blog address and hit add! It's that simple.

You might be wondering how this saves time exactly. What Google Reader does is alerts you when your favorite blogs have been updated, saving you time from going to all of them individually to read them. For instance, you'll see that the Pursuit of Craftyness was updated; click on it in your left margin, and it will bring up the new entry. (Want to leave a comment? Click on the blogs name in the large portion, and Google Reader will re-direct you to it, and you would comment as usual.) After you have read it, Google Reader will mark the entry as read and you can move on to another unread blog post. It's really that simple! And since it's Google, it's fool-proof!

I hope this helps you save a little valuable time. Just think of the great creations you can make with the time you save!

Be well. ~ Jenn

Celebration of Color: Sharpies & transparencies

Hope everyone is enjoying Spring and all of nature’s colors! I know it’s one of my favorite times of year and I’ve really enjoyed all the new ideas of adding color to my projects. :0)

One thing I use a lot is transparencies and my Sharpie markers. I use transparencies for journaling, stamping on, painting on ect.. The first project I’m going to share involves stamping directly onto a transparency. I made a gift bag but this technique could be used on any project. You’ll need:

A small gift bag
Sasafrass Lass paper
Inque Boutique stamps
Ribbon
Transparency
StazOn ink
Sharpie markers



To make the flower I stamped onto the transparency with StazOn ink and let it dry. Once dry use your Sharpie markers to color the backside of the transparency to show through the stamped image. You can either layer this image on your project or back it with white cardstock like I did, cut it out, and mount of foam tape to make it pop.





Another way to add color to a project using Sharpies is with pre-printed transparencies. For this card I cut out the images from the transparency sheet and used my Sharpie to add color to the borders and swirls.



I also challenged myself to use only scraps I found on my scrap desk. This is what I came up with:



A great tip when you can’t find the perfect color ink is to use your Sharpie markers. Find the color you want, run end over stamp, and quickly stamp the image.



The end result:



Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!