Design Team shares :: Cute Wall Decor

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a good week. What a gorgeous day it is here today. The sun is shining.. now if only I could be at the beach. :)

I'm so excited to share our design team projects this month. We used three of my favorite shapes and once again, the team created some magical designs! This first snail by Julie Ann is so bright and cheery. Isn't it adorable?! She used felt, flocking and handstitched the felt. I love the sentiment too, slow down. Especially as we come into the busy holiday season.

Julie photocopied a vintage children's book and used the image on her design. She couldn't bring herself to tear up a book. :) I love the soft colors and bead she used for the eye.
And I love the papers Jolene chose on hers using the yarn to outline is so clever. And hello - little beady eyes, they make me smile. :)

Laurie's little ladybug is so fun and bright using her signature buttons. I like that she didn't go with a traditional red color on hers.

And Chrys' sweet baby boy whale. What can I say, I'm a sucker for all things baby. :) I love the little charm she added on the tail and the glitter outline. The quote reads, in case you can't read it - "from small beginnings come great things."

And Kory took the whale shape to a whole other level by using it as an embellishment on an oversized corkboard. She outlined it with ribbon and sequins and will hang it outside her daughter's room putting pictures of little Ainslie on it. "Havin' a whale of a good time". Cute, huh?

Gorgeous job ladies!

Don't forget to check out our Design Team call. You can get more details further down on the blog HERE.

Have a wonderful day!

Guest Designer :: the sweet and talented Raechelle Bellus

Hi Everyone! It's Friday!! Yippeee! Hubby and I have a date night tonight. Thank goodness for Grammy. :)

Well, I'm thrilled to welcome our other Guest Designer by my friend Raechelle Bellus. When you send out projects you have no idea how they'll be decorated but when Rae sent me this picture - I fell in love with this girlie little whale. She has *eyelashes*! :) Read on to learn a bit more about Rae and her tutorial to create your own whale.

Hello! I'm Raechelle (pronounced Rachel) Bellus and I am thrilled to have been asked to be a guest designer this month! I have been scrapping for about 7 years now and don't know what I would do without this passion! I enjoy creating and like to try new things, even though I have my old standby's. My favorite colors to scrap with are pinks and blues and browns and reds, and you will fnd these colors often in my work. I have been published several times in the past, however it's been a long time since I have submitted anything for publication.

I am a mom/step-mom to 5 girls (who all live with us); ages 9-18, as well as a 19 yo step-son who is in the Army. We have 2 dogs, 4 cats and some fish. I work about 30 hours a week as a cashier at Target, not my dream job, but it pays the bills. We live in Spokane Valley, WA, where we get a good taste of all 4 seasons, which is something I truly enjoy.

In my spare time, I try to spend as much time as I can hanging out with my dh and girls; we play a lot of card and board games, or just hang out and talk. We enjoy hitting the area thrift stores and taking small day trips to Montana. I love to read, and try to read at least one book a month.

Scrapping is my creative escape and I am thankful that my family is supportive. There is no better feeling than seeing the look on one of my kids' faces when I create something for them.

TUTORIAL:

1. trace whale (or any shape) shape onto patterned paper, making sure the paper and whale are both front-facing.

2. cut out and set aside.

3. paint edges and nooks and cranny of whale. I used spray paint just because it was easier, however any acrylic paint works fine.

4. while paint is drying, cut small piece of pp for the "belly" area. Adhere to pp whale body and then using a sewing machine, stitch around the entire paper whale.

5. Once paint has dried, adhere the paper whale to the wood shape (I used Mod Podge) and press down firmy to smooth out air bubbles. I usually apply more around the edges, just to hold it better. Once dry I distressed all the edges with sandpaper to give it a bit of added interest.

6. once dry, add some buttons for dimension around the belly area and an eye. I used a MM epoxy button for the eye, and placed a few tiny strips of DMC floss underneath for eyelashes. I added the flower and bow just to give her some balance because she looked too plain for my taste.

7. add water spout.

for spout:

1. paint chipboard, let dry.

2. add some glue and sprinkle some glitter.

3. once dry, adhere to back of whale.

She's just adorable Rae! Thanks for working with us and for the inspiration. You can find our little whale HERE. And be sure to visit Rae's blog for more inspiring ideas.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

say it with letters Design Team Call!

It's that time again. Wow! I can't believe we're looking for new DT Members already. Read below for all the details and send us your work!


Come join the fun! say it with letters! is looking for 1-2 design team members who are creative, energized, talented,and versatile! We design custom cut letters and shapes and need your talent to show them off in creative ways!

We will be accepting applications through Sunday, September 13th. Winners will be e-mailed directly and we'll make a formal announcement on or before Wednesday, September 16th. The position will begin with an October project (you’ll receive your letters or shapes shortly after you accept the position) and will continue for six months. After the six month period, the position may continue on a month to month basis, if agreed upon by both parties.

Needed:

Submit 3 to 4 altered projects that show off your personal style (1 scrapbook layout or card is acceptable.) Photos should be clear and no larger than 500x500 pixels. They do not need to be created especially for us but, they should be something fairly new that shows your current style. Using our products is a plus! Send pictures to deb@sayitwithletters.com with a subject of "DT Submission - your name" no later than Sunday, September 13th at midnight and include the following:

Name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. (Sorry, we are only accepting US residents at this time due to shipping costs and timely submissions.)

Link to your blog, if you have one.

Link to other online galleries (include your screen name) that currently show your work.

Link to design teams you are currently on (prior DT experience not necessary.)

Just a little background about yourself, your scrapping style and why you’re interested in a DT position with SIWL!

DT Requirements:

Complete 1 to 2 altered projects a month using any medium you want or have at home! [NOTE: We will not be sending papers and embellishments for you to alter our shapes and letters so you have the freedom to create with whatever inspires you!] We love seeing our products decorated using many different papers and embellishments to inspire our customers.

SIWL does not have a message board, so we will rely on our DT to promote SIWL through your blog and other message boards and forums you visit.

You agree to release the rights of your designs to say it with letters! for display on the company blog, store and in company materials and publications.

Promote SIWL whenever possible by posting your altered items on galleries, forums, facebook, your blog, etc.

As a DT member of SIWL, you will receive….

Free Product!! A free {word set} and/or shape (or shape set) each month to alter for the DT.

25% discount in our Etsy Store.

Featured in our monthly mailings and on our blog

If you have any questions please email us at deb@sayitwithletters.com


Thank you and we look forward to seeing your work!

The say it with letters! team

www.sayitwithletters.com
www.sayitwithletters.blogspot.com

Guest Designer :: the inspiring Pamela Young

Hi everyone! I've been a little busy lately so I'm sorry for not posting regularly. I miss hearing from everyone. :)

I'm exciting to share design team projects this week. AND... be sure to check in tomorrow for our DESIGN TEAM CALL (yes, it's that time again!)

I wanted to share this *adorable* project by one of our Guest Designers this month, Pamela Young. Isn't this little ladybug about the cutest thing?! I love the stitching accents on the polka dots. I'm excited to introduce you to Pamela. Her work really inspires me. You can read on for more info on her and also the fabulous tutorial she created on this little bug.


Hello! My name is Pamela Young. I absolutely LOVE scrapbooking. It is a way of life for me. :) It is my therapy and my peace. I have been scrapbooking for about 8 years and card-making for 7 years. I have just added altering and digital/hybrid scrapbooking to what I do this past year. My style keeps evolving. I love to try new things. I also tend to stick with my favorite techniques and designs. If I find something I love, I tend to use it a lot. :) I have been published in several different magazines (Cards, Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Scrapbooks and Cards Today, Scrapbooks Etc, and Scrapbook Trends). I keep an updated blog at http://pamelasworldofscrap.blogspot.com/.

I am currently living in Colorado, and I am a SAHM to two wild boys, ages 6 and 4, and a baby girl (5 months old). They grow up so fast. I am enjoying life right now, even though it can get a bit chaotic. J I am so thankful that I scrapbook and will be able to look back over these days. I have a wonderful husband who is supportive of my scrapbook obsession. We have been married for 9 years. Family plays a big part in my life.

Read on for complete step by step instructions on how she created her little ladybug!

There are a lot of ways to do this, but here is how I did my ladybug. :)

· I started with painting the antennas pink.

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· Then I wanted to cover the head with patterned paper. The way I like to do this is to use a transparency. **If you don’t have a transpareny use the cellophane trash that comes on a lot scrapbooking supplies.** I place the transparency over the head part and draw the shape and then use a craft knife to cut it out of patterned paper.

Let me tell you right now, I believe perfection is highly over-rated. Besides that, I think you can hide or fix almost any imperfection. If you look at my piece of paper then you will see that it is NOT perfect at all. :)

Now I like to use Mod Podge to adhere my paper to the wood. I use a brush and dip it in the mod podge and then paint a thin layer of it over the wood. After laying my paper on the wood, I roll over it with my roller. Just be careful if you have glue hanging over the edge of the paper (like I do in mine) you don’t want to roll over it because then you can get it over your paper. However, like I said before, perfection is over-rated so if it happens…no worries…it adds to the design…plus you can always try to cover it up later. Anyways…

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· Next we want to cover the rest of the body with patterned paper. We don’t need to draw a shape on transparency this time because we can just line up the edge of the paper under the head. After adhering the paper, I turn it over and allow it to dry some, then I take my craft knife to the paper and cut off the excess.

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· Next thing I do is sand down the edges. This helps with the over-all look but it also helps hide flaws. J You’ll want to use a smaller sander for the smaller spots. Using emery boards? No problem…cut one in half to make it narrower.

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· Next, I paint the edges. I typically like darker colors, like a dark brown, but since I already had brown on my ladybug I choose pink. Now, you’ll notice in my picture that I already put my pearls on my ladybug (I just got too excited about the pearls, lol.) But I suggest you paint the edges before adding embellishments. J Also, I allow paint to overflow on the top so you see some of the paint from the top. This is another thing that helps hide flaws.

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· Now we move on to the spots. I am always adding stitching to my projects because I love the look of it, but keep in mind that this project would look just as cute if you left the stitching off or just drew a circle. I distressed the edges and added stitching to my circles BEFORE I adhered them to the ladybug.

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· Next I added the lace…just for fun. I flipped my ladybug on it’s back and placed some strong double-sided tape on both sides of the space in between the wings. Then I laid some lace on the top, folded it and moved down for another row. After completing that section. I put more double-tape around the bottom and added more lace.

· Next I added large pearls for the antennas and drew squiggly lines.

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· Finally I added a stamped saying on the head. J And it’s all ready to be hung somewhere in the house.

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Now I know this may seem like a lot of steps, but take your time and enjoy the process! I am a fast worker, but I did this whole thing in one night so maybe it will go faster then you think!

By Pamela Young

What a fabulous tutorial and the project - too cute!! Aren't the pearls a pretty finishing touch?! You can find your own ladybug right HERE in our shop. And be sure to visit Pamela's blog for more inspiring projects. Have a happy day everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by.