My Top 10 “Others”

Time for the Top 10 other-then-a-layout projects from 2011.  Let’s see what we have:










Have a wonderful day!
~Alyssa~

My Favorite Layouts of 2011

I did this Top 10 post last year, and I loved the opportunity to look back and see what I had created over the course of the year.  I can’t believe it’s that time again!  But it is, so today’s post will feature layouts, while tomorrows post will be top 10 other (non layout) projects.











Ok, that’s 11… but I couldn’t decide which one to take out, so there you have it.  What surprises me most about this list is how many boy layouts I did!  I guess I am officially out of my girly-layout rut!  I’ll be back tomorrow with my top picks for “other-then-layouts!” 
See you around!
~Alyssa~

2011 Christmas House

Last year, I started a new tradition.  I just finished the second year of making paper Christmas Houses, and I can already picture the village I will have in a few years time!

I did this project last night, and decided at the last minute to create a little tutorial for you.  The photos are from nighttime, so pardon the lighting… it was all I had at the time!

Here are the finished houses I have completed so far:

Last year’s house started as a project for Prima Marketing.  For this year’s house, I chose the This and That collection from Lily Bee Designs.
1. Cut house shape with die cutting machine.  I used a file called “3D Love House” from Silhouette.

2. Using a ruler or straight edge, fold the house and crease edges in the appropriate points.

3.Adhere patterned paper to the insides of the windows and doors (if desired).

4. Glue the house together at the side seam.

5. Cut strips of paper in varying widths (1/2” to 3/4”) and 1-1/2” lengths.  Ink the edges of the strips.

6. Using a pencil or other round tool, slightly curl one end of each strip.

7. Adhere the “shingles” in rows, staggering the widths to add interest.

8. Trim excess lengths, then cut a strip of paper, fold lengthwise, and adhere to the roof peak as a cap.

9.  Add glitter glue or stickles to the roof as ice and snow.

10. Embellish as desired.

I hope you enjoy this little tutorial.  Thanks for stopping by!

~Alyssa~

It’s Music to My Ears (usually)

My son has a love for music that runs very deep.  Almost since the day that he was born, he has been bouncing around to music, and singing every other sentence that comes out of his mouth.  He has a way of singing simple things like “I’m Hung-er-y” and “I need to go to the bath-room” that makes us feel like we are living in a musical.  I love his love of music, but sometimes a little silence is nice too. 

I used Pink Paislee products to create this layout, and there is an eclectic mix of Daily Junque, Vintage Vogue, Phantom, Mistables, and even Old School on this page.  I love how Pink Paislee lines can be mixed to create the perfect palette for my photos!

Thanks for coming by!  I hope you create something fun today!

~Alyssa~

2 Painted Ladies

My sister came to visit a few months ago, and for my daughter, one of the highlights of the visit was having Aunt Cynthia paint her toenails.  The 2 ladies had matching toenails, and the 6 year old could not have been happier about it.

I used new products from Glitz for this layout, and a new-to-me color palette.  I think it was perfect for these photos (which, by the way, are Instagram pics- LOVE them!)

There are a few bits from the scrap drawer in here too… love when I have the chance to use scraps! Lots of fussy cutting, and a few amazing die cuts from Vintage Blue (Glitz) to finish off the details of this page.  I love that it shows an everyday moment that will be remembered by my daughter forever. 

Thanks for peeking!

~Alyssa~

I love color.

I know I’ve said this before, but it seriously bears repeating.  I love color.  most of my layouts are driven by the colors in the paper I am using, but this page was totally inspired by the colors in my photo.  We were on a field trip recently when my daughter and 2 of her friends stopped to watch the creek running by.  The setting was just beautiful, and I took a dozen photos in just a few moments, wanting to make sure I captured this moment.  All too soon they will be so much bigger, taller, older… but hopefully lifelong friends.

Remember the template form yesterday?  This is the same one.  But it was a completely different feel on this layout!  Love that.  The papers are mostly from Crate Paper, a real mix of old and new.  Love that too!

I hope you take a moment to enjoy the day today!

~Alyssa~

He Holds in His Hands…

A friend of mine used to say that the remote control was “The Power of the Universe.”  It was a little bit serious and a little bit of a joke, but it stuck with me.  When I saw these photos of my nephew, I remembered that phrase, and knew it was the title for this page. 

I started with a template from Crafter’s Workshop, and created the background by dabbing gesso on top of the background.  I love how gesso stands out on a dark background.  This template, in this context, made me thing of something digital, or pixels… It probably doesn’t look the same to you, but that’s the beauty of it, right? 

The papers here are from the Times and Seasons Collection from Echo Park.  I really find this to be a refreshing and fun color palette, especially for boys!

A mix of various alphabets really gave the whole thing a bit of extra pizazz, don’t you think?  And now you can be really impressed that I used the word “pizazz” in a sentence. 

Thanks for popping by!

Alyssa

When you are 2, every step is a Big Step

This photo was taken 2-1/2 years ago, but it is so very typical of the personality my son has had since the day he was born.  He’s never been afraid to jump in with both feet and get wet in the process of trying something new.  As I type this, he is 4-1/2 and out in the driveway, trying to load pieces of plywood as big as he is into the trash can (which is taller then he is).   I love that adventurous spirit!

In the spirit of the photo, I created this layout using a combination of products that I never would have originally thought to put together, but I decided to be brave and pull out some products to mix and match.  The result is here:

I hope you are having an adventure of your own today!

~Alyssa~

Got 2 Minutes?

If you can spare just 2 minutes, there is a new class available for you today (and every day for the next 20 days!). It’s time for Take 2, a huge holiday event at Miss Art’s Papercrafting School.

Want a peek of the GIVEAWAYS?

To win, you can subscribe at any level to Miss Art’s, then leave comments on the classes each day for up to 20 chances to win!  It’s that easy.  More info can be found HERE and HERE.

Good luck in the drawings. 

~Alyssa~