Tammy Tutterow

Sketch Support: Fabric Camera Applique

I have a Sketch Support project that I made that I totally forgot to blog and share once it went live on their site.  You can find the original sketch on their site at http://www.sketchsupport.com/2011/09/add-on-week-part-2.html .

For this mini book, I used the add-on sketch as the design inspiration for this fabric applique that I adhered to the front of a handmade fabric mini book.

Each piece consists of white printed fabric that was colored with assorted colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  I really love that printed design works like a resist with the Glimmer Mist.  The colorized fabric was then layered with batting before being sew to the layers below.  (This Tuesday Tutorial will help you see how I do my fabric appliques.)

After adhering the applique to the book cover, I sprayed the applique and both covers with Super Seal to protect them.  Glimmer Mist is not water proof on fabric, so the applique were to become wet, the colors would probably run.  A spray sealer helps guard against that, but still, moisture avoidance is a good idea with this type of application.  (I use Super Seal by Creative Imaginations, but I couldn't find it online to link to.)

After adhering the assembled applique to the book cover, I added chipboard letters below it to create a title.  I used Helmar 450 QuickDry to adhere the letters.  It is my favorite go-to clear liquid glue.  It dries really fast and has a super strong bond.

 

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist: Yellow Daisy	Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist: Blue Skies	Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist: Slate	Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist: Black Magic
Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze: Pink Lady	Tattered Angels Chalkboard: Charcoal	Cotton Batting	American Crafts Thickers: Subway Bubblegum
Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive	Therm O Web: Super Stick

InLinkz.com

Sketch Support: Emma, age 4

It is one page week at Sketch Support and I have a page to share!  I really loved this month's one page sketch, it is simple and crisp and just perfect for some new paper that I had and was itching to use!  I created a page to showcase a favorite photo and totally love the way it turned out.

I absolutely love Bazzill's new Worth Remembering paper collection.  I got the 8x8 pack and totally swooned when I opened it up.  I knew I loved the patterned papers from the sampler image on front of the pack.  The contrast of the tuquoise and red with the black and white is so sharp!  What I didn't realize was the deliciousness in specialty papers that was also inside.  There is of course perfectly matched cardstock, but also smooth metalic cardstock and textured vellum.  I love vellum and just totally gasped out loud when I touched the texture of the vellum in this pack!

I also got the matching embellishments for the collection.  I absolutely love the brilliance of the blue crystal buttons in the Pretty Buttons pack.

In the large block of patterned paper on my page, I added adhesive pearls from the collection to the centers of the flowers on the paper.

I matted my photo on silver metalic cardstock from the paper pack.  It is a perfect match to the gray areas of my photo.  I adhered the photo directly to the paper below it with the exception of the upper right corner, which I lifted with adhesive foam squares.  I like the dimension and interest it adds to lift only a portion of the photo up off of the surface.

I used the Fiskars XXXL circle punch to punch out a circle design from one of the pieces of paper.  I layered the circle with a die cut underneath and a sticker to the top.  I used adhesive foam squares to give each layer dimension and adhered the assembled piece to a square of coordinating patterned paper.

I topped the layered pieces with a Bazzill Flower Gem.  This photo really does not do the gem justice.  They are really gorgeous and very faceted looking in person.

I wanted a red four for my title but didn't have any glitter stickers like I wanted in red.  No problem, I used pink and colored it with a red (R89) Copic Marker.  I love that you can change the color of just about anything with an alcohol ink (Copic, Letraset, Kurecolor) marker.

{swoon} Seriously, you have got to see these buttons and textured vellum in person.  They are so classy and divine and add so much to a project.

Awww, look at that sweet girl.  She totally melts my heart.  And could this paper be any more of a perfect match for the patterns in her outfit?  I think they may have designed it just for me!

----------supplies----------

• patterend paper, specialty paper, and cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Worth Remembering 8x8 paper collection; 12x12 black cardstock
• stickers: Bazzill Basics Paper Worth Remembering Sticker Sheet
• die cuts: Bazzill Basics Paper Worth Remembering Die Cuts
• embellishments: Bazzill Basics Paper Worth Remembering Pretty Buttons, Adhesive Pearls, Flower Gems; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Paper Clip
• alphabets: American Crafts Thickers Shoebox; Making Memories Silver Glitter Alpha; K&Co Glitter Alpha Coral
• ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Black Soot; Copic Marker R89 (used to turn pink "4" to red)
• trim: Maya Road Black Velvet Ric Rac
• tools: Fiskars XXXL 3" Circle Punch
• adhesive: Therm O Web Adhesive Foam Squares, Zots, Super Stick, and Memory Tape Runner XL

Sketch Support: National Scrapbook Day Blog Hop!

Happy National Scrapbook Day!  If you are blog hopping with the Sketch Support team, you should have landed here from Katrina's blog and next you will head to Allison's blog.  There are some awesome prizes up for grabs so be sure to visit all of the blogs!  To be eligible to win a prize from me, leave me a comment on this post before 12 am CST on Monday May 9.

If you have stopped in today because you are a regular reader, I encourage you to jump in on the blog hop and check out all of the great inspiration happening today from the members of the Sketch Support design team.

For the hop today, all of the team members are creating pages from the same sketch.  For my take on the sketch, I converted the two page sketch into a single page.  I stayed fairly true to the left page of the design.  I had to shift several elements to the left a bit but for the most part included all of the elements from the left page on my single page.  Because I wanted to focus on a single photo, I changed the second photo on the sketch into a larger journaling box.  On the sketch there is a second patterned paper along the left edge (under the T in title) that I moved around under my title.  Because my title letters were so muted, they were easily lost on the pattern paper.  Adding the solid blog under them helped them to stand out more.

Today on the hop, all of the team members are answering the question "Why do you scrapbook?".  For me the answer is all about creativity.  I love to create things with my hands from simple materials like paper, inks, and embellishments.  I get a real sense of peace and happiness from making things.  I feel like every stress and worry in life washes away, even if just for a little while, while I am at work with paper and glue.

For this page, I challenged myself to include hand written journaling.  As I continue to push myself outside of my "stuff maker" box more, I find that journaling, especially hand written journaling is very difficult for me.  I am an over thinker and worry way too much about something sounding corny.  I felt like this photo of my daughter Emma, one of my absolute most favorite photos ever, deserved journaling and to make it more personal since it is very personal thoughts, it should be hand written.  I actually like my handwriting, so I think the part about being an over thinker is what causes me to not want to hand write journaling.  Once it is down, it is down.  There is no backspace and re-do.  I don't want to tell you how many times I have re-made journaling blocks because I was too critical of what I had written or couldn't look past small mistakes.

I challenged myself on this page to do the journaling one time.  I made one journaling block and adhered it to my page and just did it.  I used pencil first and inked over it.  My only regret with the finished piece is that the space to write was just a bit smaller than I should have made it.  There was another thing or two that I would have liked to have said, like the fact that Emma's middle name is Grace and why I chose that for her.  The journaling as it is focuses mainly on the feeling of grace I felt when she was born.  There is a lot about why I felt that way that I couldn't fit in.  Perhaps I should write a journal page and include it on the back. . .

For my title, I altered the Hometown Summer alphabet stickers that coordinate with the patterned papers I used.  I sanded the surface of the stickers to remove some of the surface coating and then applied Worn Lipstick Distress Stain over them.  The stain adhered to the letters in the areas where they were sanded and wiped away in the other areas.  I applied Vintage Photo Distress Stain to the edges of the letters once they were dry.  To finish them off, I applied a coat of Glossy Accents to create an epoxy like look.  I used a piece of packaging from the collection for the area behind the title.

For the border along the lower part of my page, I used three border strips from the Pink Paislee Hometown Summer collection.  I sanded and inked each strip and then stacked them together.

For my embellishment cluster, I combined two ribbon flowers by Maya Road (which I brushed with ink to add aging) with stars from Prima, and buttons from Pink Paislee.  I layered two cardstock cut out tags from Pink Paislee next to the flowers, adhering each with adhesive foam squares.

This photo is so special to me so I really fussed over this page for a long time.  I really wanted each element to be just right.  I am pleased with the end result.

----------Supplies----------

• patterned paper: Pink Paislee Hometown Summer Green Acres, Summer Fun, Neighborhood Pool, Heat Wave, and Fruit Stand (area behind the title is packaging from the cardstock elements)
• carstock elements:  Pink Paislee Hometown Summer Punchouts
• buttons: Pink Paislee Hometown Summer Baubles
• cardstock borders: Pink Paislee Hometown Border Stickers
• aphabet stickers: Pink Paislee Hometown Summer Cardstock Alphabet Stickers; Making Memories Glitter Sticker Alphabet and Tiny Alphabet Mixed Ledger
• flowers: Maya Road Medallion Trinket Blossoms
• stars: Prima Galaxy Stars, white
• brads: BasicGrey
• pearls: BasicGrey
• ribbon: unknown
• ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo and Distress Stain Worn Lipstick
• other: Glossy Accents
• tools: Tim Holtz Sanding Block, Tiny Attacher, and Ink Blending Tool
• adhesive: Therm O Web 3D Adhesive Foam Squares and Tape Runner XL; Tombo Mono Aqua

Sketch Support: Seriously Sweet

It is one page sketch week at Sketch Support this week (which you may have noticed, is the week I usually do, I love Alison's one page sketches!).  As one of my projects based on the sketch, I did a single photo page with one of my favorite photos of Emma.  I have shared before that I am very challenged in page making and that I made it a goal this year to make more pages.  For me, one a month is pretty good!

 

Another part of that personal challenge is to learn to make pages faster.  I tend to get way wrapped up in the process and get too elaborate.  I want to record more memories and that means sometimes being able to do quick pages.  Honestly, Emma doesn't care how fancy the page is, she is just tickled to see a page about herself.  That is why I love sketches, I can make them as elaborate as I want or as simple as I want, either way, I end up with a great page.  With this page, I only spent about 30 minutes on it, which trust me, is a real record!

I varied my page from the original sketch a bit by using a vertical photo instead of the two vertical photos.  I also switched sides between the photo and journal block.  Since Emma was facing toward the right, I felt like the photo looked better on left so that Emma was facing toward the center of the page.

For embellishments, I used these fun pinwheels by BasicGrey that cooridinate with the patterned paper.  I also used two different styles of Thickers for my title.  I also hand wrote my journaling on a small paper strip.  I am still struggling with journaling on pages.  This is a bunch for me!

 
-----------Supplies----------

• patterned paper: BasicGrey Sweet Threads Fashionista, Must Have, I Need, and Retro Clutch
• alpha letters: American Crafts Thickers Salutations and Bliss
• cardstock border strips: Bazzill Basics Just the Edge Vanilla
• ribbon: unknown
• embellishments: BasicGrey Sweet Threads Wheels
• ink: Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Sketch Support: Mini Guest Designer Emma Tutterow

If you have been to the Sketch Support blog this week you know that we are featuring the children of some of the team members as "Mini" Guest Designers.  Today is my sweet little one Emma's turn to be featured.  The post about her there has some fun questions that she answered about scrapbooking.  The answers and pages from all of the Mini Guests are so fun!

Emma was super excited when I told her what we would be doing.  She was very excited that some of her art would be featured online like mommy's is.  Emma is a very creative little soul who refers to herself as an artist.  She loves creating things with paper and found items and cut the most intricate things you have ever seen with saftey scissors!  For the Sketch Support feature she made her very first scrapbook page following this month's one page sketch.

She recently attended an American Girl Fashion Show and decided that should be the topic of her page.  We went to Michaels and picked up an American Girl paper pad.  She was super thrilled at all of the paper options it gave her.  It turned out to be a hard task to narrow down the choices to just a few.

She felt like the sketch was very easy to follow and said it was like a map.  I handled the measuring and cutting.  Emma did the adhesive and placement.

She chose fun purple sparkle gel pens to handwrite her journaling strips.

She decided she wanted hearts and stars for embellishments so she sorted through the bins of mixed pieces that I had for each of those.  She was really drawn to any that had glitter on them.  She girl loves her some sparkle!

She loved my little tiny squeeze bottle of Multi Medium for gluing her embellishments.  It was the perfect size for her and easy to manage the amount dispensed.  If I had let her, she would have glued every star and heart I had to that page.  She really loves lots of embellishments!

Later in the evening I found her curled up on the couch scribbling furiously in a notebook.  When I asked her what she was writing she showed me list of ideas for themes for more pages.  The girl is hooked on scrapping!  It was really a treat taking the time to work with her and help her build a page.  And yeah, in case you are wondering, she painted her finger nails with purple marker.  Stylish, huh?

Sketch Support: Wishes Do Come True canvas

One page sketch week continues over at Sketch Support.  Today's feature includes a stretched canvas project I did based on this week's sketch.  You can see the original sketch that I based this project on HERE.

I was inspired by the sketch to create a decor piece that I could display featuring some long time favorite photos of my three kids.  The photos are from a Christmas photo shoot we did in 2007 with St. Louis photographer Holly McCaig.

I used paper from BasicGrey's new Hello Luscious collection.  I began by covering the with the ledger style patterned paper.

I wanted to add stitching to the base paper to make it look like it was sewn to the canvas.  To do this, I cut strips of paper to go around the edges.  I laid them in place and made a pencil mark for a guide to show me where the strip would be on the side of the canvas and where it would be on the top.  After stitching I adhered each strip in place using Claudine Hellmuth Matte Multi Medium.

I also added stitching to the pink background paper before adhering it down so that it would also look stitched in place.  I love leaving corners free to curl up to expose the pattern on the reverse side.

I used a sticker from the collection's cardstock sticker sheet to create a little journaling strip with the names of my kids.

I used glittery sticker letters to add their initials by each of their photos.  To help each letter stand out better I outlined each with a fine tip black pen. 

I added lots of extra texture by distressing the edges of several of the papers with the Disstrez-It-All tool.  

Of course the edges of everything was inked with my very favorite Distress Ink, Vintage Photo.

If you can't tell, lots of layers and lots of stitching really make me happy!

In the original sketch there were small journaling strips in this spot.  Since this was a decor piece, I didn't really want journaling, so I replaced those strips with small number stickers to note the year of the photos.

For the title, I dug into my monster alphabet sticker stash and added in two more styles of letters with the silver glitter stickers that I used in the monograms.  I loved that I had two different stickers (both are Thickers) that had a similar letter style but with different finishes and colors.  I sanded the edges of the pink letters lightly and added a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give them a shabby touch and tie them in with the other shabby elements.

----------Supplies----------

• Patterned Paper- BasicGrey Hello Luscious: Raspberry Syrup, Inviting, Simply Grand, Rosemary, Jalapeño Jelly
• Cardstock- Bazzill (color unknown)
• Stickers- BasicGrey Hello Luscious Element Stickers
• Alpha Stickers- American Crafts Thickers: Marquise (pink) and Botanique (black); K&Co Glitter Alphas Light Blue and Coral; Making Memories Paper Reverie Alpha Shimmer and Tiny Alphas
• Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Paper Clips
• Adhesive- Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi Medium, Tombo Aqua, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L EZ Runner
• Ink- Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo
• Misc- Donna Salazar Disstrezz-It-All, sewing machine

 

Sketch Support: Downtown LA

Today is a one-pager week this week over at Sketch Support and I have a page layout up today!

As I have shared before, I think of myself as "layout challenged", which is why I am loving sketches so much.  They take all of the hard work out of the process and let me focus on the parts I enjoy most, choosing the photos, papers, and embellishments.  Still, I find that for me, I get so engrossed in the details sometimes that I spend a ton of time on a page.  Seriously, I can spend just as much time on one as I can an elaborate altered item.  For this page, I wanted to challenge myself to do a page that I was happy with in about an hour and I did!  Trust me when I tell you, that was an accomplishment for me.  It may not be the fanciest page or packed with detail (or journaling, which is still a huge challenge for me), but it does accomplish a goal which is to record a memory and not spend all day long doing it.  I am happy with that!

For this page, I stayed pretty close to the original sketch, except for measurements.  When I printed the sketch, I printed it the wrong way on the page and cut the part off with the measurements.  That is what I love about these sketches though, you can follow them precisely, following every measurement or you can follow the concept and just eyeball the sizes to what looks and feels right.  Either way, you end up with a great page!

On Friday I have another project to share based on this same sketch, this time an altered project.  I really love the way it turned out so I hope you will stop by both here and at Sketch Support to check it out!

----------supplies----------

• Patterened paper- BasicGrey Wander: Gridlock, Lost Luggage, and Layover; BasicGrey Basics White: Booknote
• Stickers- BasicGrey Wander- Designer Epoxy Stickers, Ribbon Doilies, and Element Stickers
• Alphas- BasicGrey Wander Micro Monos; BasicGrey Green at Heart Mini Monos
• Ink- Tim Holtz Distress Ink Black Soot

Sketch Support: Design Team Blog Hop and a Bit of Vintage Love

This weekend I am thrilled to be participating in a fun blog hop with the other members of the Sketch Support design team.  This weekend, each member of the team is sharing their interpretaion of the same sketch, sharing a little abour ourselves, and also giving away a copies of Scrapbook Generation's Sketches for Scrapbooking Volume 7.  All you need to do, is visit each team member's blog and leave a comment.  As your final stop, leave a comment on the Sketch Support blog for a chance to win the grand prize.

The questions:

• When it comes to paper crafting I am... addicted to making things and adding ink to everything!  If I can make it a little more vintage looking I will!
• Where do you craft? I am very lucky to have a whole room all to my self for creating.  It is in the basement adjacent to our family room so I can be there creating and still a part of family time. 
• When I am creating, these are the things I have to have around me... Distress Ink and my iPhone so I can Twitter and Facebook sneak peeks of what I am working on. 
• When I am not creating, you can find me... at my computer blogging, Twittering/Facebooking, and reading message boards about creating!
• When it comes to sketches I... love the spark of inspiration they provide, not only for pages, but for all types of papercrafts.  There is always something you can take from one and adapt it to another type of project.

After you check out the sketch and my project based on it below, be sure to leave me a comment (link at the very bottom), and then visit team member Suzanna Lee.

For my project based on the sketch (which you can get in .pdf form on the Sketch Support site), I decided to use the left half of the sketch for the basis of a framed collage piece.

I began with a shadowbox style frame that was a clearance aisle find from Hobby Lobby.  I recovered the insde back and outer frame with patterned papers from Jenni Bowlin Studios Red/Black III collection using Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi Medium.  Each element of the entire project was inked using Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I used one of the collection's journal cards to add an element for text.  I used small single letter stamps to stamp the text using Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink.  I added an Idea-ology Word Key with a bit of vintage ribbon tied around it.

To raise the different elements up to different levels, I stacked and adhered adhesive foam squares together until they were the heighth I wanted.  Placing the elements at several different heighths gives it a lot of dimension.  Each element is adhered to a piece of chipboard to give it extra stability.

I used the Tim Holtz Alterations Rosette die to cut a strip that I could fold into a dimensional border strip.  I adhered the piece to the underside of the rectangular piece above.  I embellished the section with a vintage style button by Jenni Bowlin, a strip of vintage lace, and a Trinket Pin and Type Charms by Tim Holtz.  I use a wire cutter to snip the loops of the charms so that they would look more like old typewriter keys.

I love the way the strip can be used for a ruffled border.  To fold it into a ruffled strip, I folded every third section to the opposite direction.

I dabbed Vintage Photo Distress Ink onto the plastic button down into the cracks to add some extra color and age.  I threaded it with a scrap of brown and white bakers twine (Jillibean Soup).

I absolutely love the vintage image on this journal card from Jenni Bowlin.  I pretty much made this whole project around it.  To create a clip to clip the card to the piece of covered chipboard below it, I bent a large Game Spinner in half just above the round center hole.  I used a Distrezz-It-All tool to add some really chewed up distressed effects to the paper covered chipboard piece below the journal card. 

I added a rub-on by 7gypsies to a second journal card and adhered buttons to the open area of it to create a vintage style button card.  I used the Distrezz-It-All to distress the edges of a photo journal card and tucked it into the collage behind the button card.  The photo card had a journaling block on the image that I was able to hide under the button card, making it look as though the piece is a full photo. 

I really love how by using the sketch to determine the placement of most of my elements, I really only had to think about the fun parts of the project, what papers and embellishments to use.  I love that the finished piece has so many different layers and textures.

The final touch was to wrap the edges of the frame with Tissue Tape.  This frame originally had mint green and white strips on the edges.  Because of the odd shape of the frame, covering the edges with strips of paper would have been difficult.  I gave the edge a quick coat of Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint in Blank Canvas (white) to nuetralize the color and stripes so that they would not show through the semi-transparent Tissue Tape.  The Tissue Tape was easy to apply and added a perfect vintage finishing touch. 

----------Supplies----------

• frame: Hobby Lobby (decor clearance item)
• patterned paper: Jenni Bowlin Studios Red/Black Extension III- Feed Store, Petite Red Floral, Deco Chain, Mama's Dress
• embellishments: Jenni Bowlin Studio- Red Pearl Buttons, Green Sew On Buttons; Tim Holtz Idea-ology- "Traveler" Tissue Tape, Type Charms, Word Key, Trinket Pin, Game Spinner
• journaling cards: Jenni Bowlin Studio Red/Black Extension III Journaling Cards
• rub-ons: 7gypsies Rubbings Nomenclature
• die cut: Tim Holtz Alterations Rosette Die
• stamps: single letter wooden alphabet stamps (unknown)
• adhesvie: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi Medium, Therm O Web 3D Foam Squares (black), Therm O Web Super Stick, Helmar 450 Quick Dry
• ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Ranger Ink Jet Black Archival
• paint: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Blank Canvas
• tools: Distreszz-it-All
• misc: vintage lace and ribbon; baker's twine: Jillibean Soup

Sketch Support: Smile Photo Frame

For my second project this month at Sketch Support, I did a second project from the one page sketch, this time creating an embellished photo frame.

To create this photo frame, I adapted the sketch by omitting the individual photo blocks and using the frame opening instead for on photo area.  I also widened the center band (the camera paper) so that there would be a full row of cameras above and below the photo opening.  I really love this camera paper and wanted to include as much of it as I could.

Rather than add a title, I used a sticker with a phrase that I liked and combined all of the elements into one cluster.  

I layered the sticker with a journaling spot, a corrugated flower, and another journaling spot to add extra dimension on the otherwise flat surface.  

I trimmed a border strip from the corrugated alphabet and used it under a row of twine to the row of twine be more prominent and to help bring it off of the surface of the frame.

I used the base of the white paperboard frame for what would have been the base paper in the sketch.  I added Distress Ink to the edges of it just as if it were a piece of paper from the layout.

I have been mad at work on new art journal pages using some fun new things, well new to me, but fun just the same.  I plan to start sharing them tomorrow, I hope you will stop back by to see them!

----------Supplies----------

• frame: Creative Imaginations Bare Elements
• patterned paper: Jillibean Soup Fasta Fagioli: Italian Seasoning; Jillibean Soup Patterned Paper on Kraft Chilled Strawberry Soup Collection: Whipped Cream
• stickers: Jillibean Soup Cardstock Stickers: Chilled Strawberry Soup 
• elements: Jillibean Soup Corrugated Shapes: Flowers; Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas: Blue (strip from border around alphas); Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprouts
• fiber: Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks
• brads: 7gypsies
• ink: Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Sketch Support: Signs of Spring

It is One Page week over at Sketch Support.  This month I created two projects from the single page sketch.  The wonderful team at Jillibean Soup sponsored the Sketch Support team and provided a wonderful assortment of products to work with.  I really love their products and was so thrilled that the team got to showcase their products.  The first of the first of my two projects is a scrapbook page and is featured on the Sketch Support blog today.

For my layout based on the sketch, I stayed pretty true to the basics of the sketch with the only major change being that I chose to make all photo blocks 3" x 3" and only placed photos in four of the sections.  I loved the papers so much that I honestly didn't want to cover it all up with photos! 

This paper inspired me to think of spring so I pulled out some photos I snapped last year of things that I felt are some of the first signs of spring: the bunnies coming out to nibble, the Lenten Rose sprouting in my flower bed, and the daffodils and forsythia blooming in my neighborhood.  I am generally not much of a journaler, but now that the page is finished, I wish I had made a place for a block of journaling to talk about the significance of those things and the arrival of spring (my most favorite season).

For my title, I had red stickers that I wanted to use that were a bit brighter than I wanted.  I lightly sanded the surface and applied Vintage Photo Distress Ink over them to darken them and soften the brightness of the red.

To create dimensional embellishments, I layered button shaped cardstock stickers with corrugated shapes and journaling spots.

I love this little birdie die cut corrugated shape.  I really love the chunkiness of the letters in the corrugated alphabet also.

I threaded the bakers twine onto a large eye embroidery needle and used it to stitch an X at each corner of the photo/paper squares.

I used a Copic Marker to add color to the Kraft paper base of the page.  I chose a super light blue, thinking it would be a subtle touch that would tie in the blue from the other papers.  It came out so faint that it really doesn't add much of anything.  Rather than trying a different color, I went with it and just let it be.

One thing I really love about Jillibean Soup papers are the sweet little floral prints that mix and match so nicely.  I used papers from two different collections but they blend so well that you would never know that they weren't part of the same one.

My other Sketch Support project is a frame that will be online Thursday.

----------Supplies----------

• patterned paper: Jillibean Soup Pasta Fagioli: Romano Cheese and Blended Beans; Jillibean Soup Blossom Soup: Anejo Cheese and Corn Kernals; Jillibean Soup Patterned Paper on Kraft Soup Staples Collection: Brown Pea Pod
• stickers: Jillibean Soup Cardstock Stickers: Chilled Strawberry Soup
• fiber: Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks
• elements: Jillibean Soup Corrugated Shapes: Flowers
• alphabets: Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas: Blue; BasicGrey Micro Mono Stickers: Wander
• ink: Vintage Photo Distress Ink