Tammy Tutterow

1923: Creative Therapy Guest Designer

I was recently asked to be a guest designer on a really cool inspiration blog called Creative Therapy. Each week they offer a different creative catalyst for members to draw inspiration from. The theme for my week was "What's Your Dream Home". You probably know how much I love doing projects around a "home" theme so I was really excited for this one! Here is what I shared on the Creative Therapy blog about my project: Journaling Reads: A forever home. When I daydream about growing old along side my sweet family it is in this house that I see us laughing and loving and growing older together. Technique Highlight: I really love adding dimension to projects and make them very lumpy and bumpy. In addition to a lot of tearing and curling of edges, I like adding dimension by adhering elements with adhesive foam squares. This project is essentially a page, but since is so lumpy, would be hard to put into a book without flattening it a bit. Instead, I mounted the page on a black wall plaque. I picked it up at a local craft store in their clearance section for a couple of dollars. The design on it was scratched up, which was okay with me since I knew I would cover it. The edges were also dinged up a bit, but since I love things shabby and distressed, I thought the wear was a perfect touch. * For my weathered numbers, I used printed chipboard numbers from Prima. They have a newsprint pattern to them. I sanded the surface to remove the slick texture and painted them with Tim Holtz Crackle Paint. After the paint is dry, add a bit of distress ink. When the ink is dry, sand the letter again lightly to expose all of the layers underneath. * I printed my photos on smooth textured cardstock so that they would be easier to sew through and curl and distress. I also like the very matte look of photos printed on cardstock. The color photo, though hard to tell in the project photos, is a photo that was turned into an illustration using PhotoShop. I originally altered the photo for another project but loved the look of it for this project as well. I think the effect adds a dreamy feel to the image.

Another Cricut project-

It has been a few days since I posted.  I neck deep in assignments for CHA.  I am buried in blissful piles of Pink Paislee and BasicGrey.  Both have absolutely amazing new designs coming out.  I can not wait to share with you what I have created.  Until then, I thought I would share another of my projects that I made for Provo Craft using the Cricut.

Several of you emailed and asked what cartridges I used on the "Joy" treasure box.  Both it and this clock use elements from the Potpurri Basket and Accent Essentials cartridges.

This clock is a fun find from the sale aisle at Michaels.  The paper is from K&Co and BasicGrey.  The flowers and leaves are Prima.  It doesn't show in the photo, but the word "Family" is cut from a really cool metalic paper I found at Archivers.

Emma ' s Quote of the DAy

"Oh wait! I think I got a booger in my eye."

Cricut fun-

You may have read that I mentioned I have been doing some freelance work recently for Provo Craft using the Cricut Expression machine.  My first assignment was for some home decor pieces that they will be using in an incoming infomercial.  I finally got the go ahead to share some of what I have been working on. I found this box at Michaels recently.  It was already painted this great cool, icey blue that was a perfect match to papers from BasicGrey's Figgy Pudding collection.  I added in burgundy velvet flocked paper and some really cool white/pearl textured paper that I found at Archivers (I think it was by Paper Patch but I am not sure). I also added flowers and leaves by Prima, jumbo glitter brads from Making Memories, and lots of Swarovski crystals. On this piece I cut the word "Joy", the scallop trim, the scallop paper and scallop frame on the lid, and the three layers of the tag on the Cricut.

The Komen Race-

Yesterday David, Emma, and I headed over into St Louis to meet up with a group from For Keeps Sake. Our team was Carolina Sue's Crew. It was really a great day, beautiful weather, wonderful company, a great cause. Downtown St Louis was an absolute sea of pink. It was an awesome site to see so many people out in support of such a worthwhile cause. Huge thank you's to those who donated through my pledge page. I really appreciate your support and am thrilled to say I met my personal goal.

Checking in-

I have been a bad blogger again.  I wish I had some great photos to share of projects, but lately everything I am working on is top secret.  I am thrilled to say that I have been doing even more Cricut assignments for Provo Craft.  The more I work with that machine the more amazed I am at what you can do with it. Yesterday the FedEx man brought me an amazing box full of brand new Pink Paislee products.  If you loved the first release, wait until you see this one!  It is fabulous stuff.  I am so excited that I get to work with it. I am still plugging away at reading The Secret.  I still think some of it is hokey, but I am still working on staying positive and working harder at reaching my goals.  I have also been listening to an audio book by Max Lucado called "Everyday Deserves a Chance".  I really don't know where I stand on a lot of religion issues, but I really enjoy Max Lucado's writing.  This paticular book has really been great to listen to on the way to and from work every day.  I don't have much of a commute but even a few minutes here and there have been really nice.  Today it totally distracted me for focusing on how much the drivers around me were slow and impeding my normally over the speed limit nature.  I seemed calm, friendly, and pleasant when I arrived at work.  Odd, lol.

I ' ve been thinking-

a lot about change.  I blame it all on Stephenie, Fiskateer Extraordinare (I would link ya, but WordPress isn't playing that today).  This past weekend we got to hang out together at Scrap St Louis.  Hanging with Stephenie is always fun, that girl is some serious high energy. What we talked about got me to thinking a lot about where I want to be, what I want to do, what I aspire for which all leads to change.  We talked a little about the book "The Secret".  I bought that book a while back and started reading it.  I don't think I made it out of the first chapter.  I am a bit of a skeptic about things, especially things I can't see or feel or can be proved to me.  Honestly, "sending messages out to the universe" sounds a little like hooey to me.  I discovered the first time reading it, or at least starting to read it, that thinking positively is really hard.  I am afraid my way of thinking and being more positive didn't last long. So I am trying it again.  I don't know if I think the whole transmitting to the universe is any less goofy this time around, but I am going to give it another go, I know thinking positively, whether it transmits to the universe or to King Kong won't kill me.  This time I am going to fiinish that book.  I don't know if "The Secret" is real, but I do know that when I think more positively I feel better and am just happier.  Lately I have let a lot of things about my job really weigh me down.  It isn't a happy place and I have let my negative feelings about it invade my entire being. So here is my vow, to be positive and to embrace the things that make me happy and enrich my life and to let go of the things that don't.  I am going to put it out there to whatever or whoever is listening that my goal is to make a living doing what I love.  Doing it on the side in addition to my current job is okay, but what I really want to do is to do it all of the time and to leave behind the job that sucks the joy out of me.  I know that walking away from that part of my life won't happen overnight and that several things will have to fall into place for it to happen, but I am putting it out there that it is what I want and am going to work toward. At the beginning of the year, several of my blogging friends picked a word for the year.  I am a little late on that, but I going to pick a word as "my word" for the remainder of the year.  My word is "Embrace".  I am going to embrace the things that enrich my life and let go of the things that don't.  I am going to embrace those things that are positive for my mind, body, and spirit. So there, I have "put it out there". . . let the change begin!

Scrap St Louis!

Since I am a bad blogger, I am copying and pasting the post I just put up on the Pink Paislee blog.  If you saw it there, sorry for the repeat. "Enriched" is the perfect word to describe how I feel after spending an amazing weekend at the Scrap St Louis event hosted by For Keeps Sake Scrapbook Superstore in St Louis, Mo. I was thrilled to get to take part in the event by doing make-n-takes featuring Pink Paislee Friday and Saturday. I don't believe there are too many things better in life that spending time with people who are as passionate about something as you are. This weekend really was a great example of that. I enjoyed visiting with all of the scrappers and loved seeing their enthusiasm for our products. Their excitement and passion for this hobby and for Pink Paislee was amazing. As I drove home yesterday I couldn't stop thinking about the word "enriched" and thinking about how this hobby and its people truly enrich my life. Huge "thank yous" to the For Keeps Sake team and the scrappers at Scrap St Louis who allowed me to be a part of your amazing weekend event. Special thanks to Therm-O-Web adhesives for supplying adhesive for our make-n-takes. Also a big thank you to Joey Otlo from Bazzill Basics Paper for selecting Pink Paislee's Spring Fling line in her class project. She taught a really great album class that included a fun stitching technique. And finally, here is the tag we made for make and takes. It was really great seeing all of the great variations and special touches added to each tag. Special thanks for some of the photos here to my buddy Sue Keleman. Thanks again everyone at Scrap St Louis, it was wonderful making and taking with you!

By the Numbers

I'm a stats guy. I love to look at stats, and marvel at the accomplishments. Like, for example, Stan Musial over 22 seasons had a career batting average of .331. Pretty amazing.

Today, we received Anna's final report card. Pretty amazing. Her cumulative GPA for all 4 years is 4.721. Her final ranking is 21 out of 663 students.

I haven't seen Jacob's grade card from Jr. High, and I don't think they keep the same kind of information, but I know he finished on the Honor Roll.

Even tho I have absolutely nothing to do with the academic success of the both of them, I still love to marvel at their accomplishments, and do a little bragging.

Welcome Sophia Rose!

My friend Christine and her husband Neil welcomed a beautiful baby girl into their family yesterday.  I wanted to make something special to celebrate her arrival.  I love making things for baby girl rooms and can't wait to make several things for her sweet little room.

First up, this little hanging frame featuring a little bit of Pink Paislee.

If you would like to see a quick how-to on covering a pre-purchased frame, I did a few quick instructions with photos on this frame and posted them on the Pink Paislee blog.  If you would like to take a peek, you can find that post here.