Tag Archives: Devoted

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card with Authentique Devoted

Hello, Friends! One of the things I love about blogging is the opportunity it provides to make new friends. Soozy has been with me since my very early days. She always has an encouraging word, a nice bit of news about the weather, or an update on what she’s working on in her crafty universe to share with me. Last week, I heard from Soozy that her beloved doggie, Stan, had passed over the Rainbow Bridge. And that is how this Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card came into being.

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card with Authentique Devoted: Using Up My Scraps

You may recognize this paper from some projects I made with Authentique’s Devoted collection a while ago. I used it to make a really cute cat album. Then, when my niece lost her beloved Irish Setter, I made her this sweet card folio. When National Pet Adoption weekend rolled around, I made these two cute little tags with the bits and bobs that were left on my work table. All I had left from the 12×12 collection kit was one full sheet and a small pile of scraps. But that was enough to create this little card to let Soozy know that I care.

G45 Alpha Stickers spell out Stan’s name over the doghouse door. The cute buttons are from Buttons Galore, as are the little Sparkletz sequins and gems. A Little Birdie Flower, a Capri Blue Gingham Bow and a couple of stickers finish out the cover design.

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card with Authentique Devoted: A Peek Inside

I wanted Soozy to have a place to store her memories and photos of Stan. So on the inside of the card, I created a flap and pocket and a little pocket folio.

There are four 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ photo mounts inside this side pocket with room to add another on the back side of the flap.

This 4″ x 5″ folio has a little tea bag pocket, room for a small photo and a little journal tag inside. I thought a hot cuppa and honey stick would be comforting.

A card is such a simple, small thing. But it means so much when you receive one in the mail. I’m hoping this one has reached Soozy by the time this article posts. Texts and e-mails and private messages on Facebook are all lovely, but in my world, nothing says I’m thinking about you and I care the way a handmade note or card does. Why not reach out and share a little bit of love on paper with someone today?

I hope I’ve shared some tips, tricks and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

National Pet Adoption Weekend: Who Saved Who Tags

National Pet Adoption Weekend: Who Saved Who Tags From the Scrap Drawer

Hello Friends! Did you know that February is the month when National Pet Adoption Weekend takes place? Sadly, severe allergies prevent me from enjoying a furry companion, but I thought I would participate by creating this pair of Who Saved Who Tags.

Creative ways to use your scraps

After making my larger Shabby Chic Dog Folio and Cat Mini Albums this month, my work table was loaded with little bits and pieces of paper. As you know, I’ve been using my scraps to make quick little cards. But these scraps were too small even for that. What’s the answer? Tags, of course!

Create a tag base by cutting the corners from a rectangle of leftover cardstock. This one measures about 5.75″ tall by 3.5″ wide. I had fussy cut this sweet little doggie image from Authentique’s Devoted paper collection earlier, and just layered it up with patterned papers from that same collection. A bow tied with brown plaid ribbon provided just the right color contrast for the blue tones in these papers. I topped this with natural burlap string to add just a bit more texture and a rustic feel to the tag.

Another great way to use scraps is to cut them into banner flags and die cut with small doily or flower dies.

This sweet little kitty cat tag measures just 2.5″ x 5″. Once again, the tag base is made from scrap cardstock. The image was fussy cut from one of the patterned papers in the collection.

I love the way this 3.8″ Light Blue Micro Gingham Ribbon frames the focal image. It’s just the right width for this petite tag. Blue hemp twine adds just the right amount of texture.

I’m a firm believer that nothing in this life should be wasted, I hope I’ve shared some ideas with you that you’ll be able to use in your own crafting. Please consider adoption the next time you decide to add a furry friend to your family. You’ll be glad you did!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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All You Need is Love and a Cat Mini Album

Petaloo Pets Week: All You Need is Love and a Cat Mini Album

Hello, Friends! Are you enjoying Petaloo Pets week? Yesterday I celebrated dogs with a sweet little shabby chic folio. Today, it’s all about CATS! This All You Need is Love and a Cat Mini Album is purr-fectly shabby chic, filled with fun interactive elements and loaded with simple techniques you can use in any crafty endeavor. Let’s take a look,. shall we?

While straightening up the Closet of Shame, I ran across this nifty mini album base. Made with heavy book board, the album had plain kraft covers and a handy ring binder mechanism. I dressed it up with papers from Authentique’s Devoted collection, a canvas spine and lots of shabby chic details.

The focal image is this pretty kitty in an altered Prima frame. Paints and seed beads add whimsy and texture to the formerly white frame. The frame is surrounded by gorgeous Petaloo flowers, custom dyed seam binding ribbon, novelty buttons and a second, smaller vintage framed image.

The frame was painted with a cream chalk paint followed by a light coat of Tattered Rose Distress Paint. Finally, I tapped the raised edges with Vintage Photo Distress paint to make them pop.

Every shabby chic project needs flowers! For this album, I’ve added Teal Mini Wild Roses, Blue Mini Wild Roses, Teal Forget me Nots, Antique Beige Wild Roses and Ivory Burlap Textured Blossoms from Petaloo, of course!

I didn’t like the plain kraft spine, so I dressed it up with a strip of canvas that I attached with Scor-Tape. The nubby texture and ivory fabric add to the shabby chic vibe. This little antique bronze lion charm added just the right touch of whimsy to the spine.

Thinking outside the button box

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know I have a “thing” for buttons. This love for buttons started when I was a child and my mom let me string buttons from my grandmother’s button box while I was sick in bed. In later years, I inherited that button box along with all the beautiful vintage buttons inside it. Like most collections, it grew…and grew…and grew! Thankfully, I love to use buttons to embellish my projects.

For this fun button feature, I encircled a “framed” image with pretty buttons. But do you want to guess how that frame was made? Yep. It’s a big button! I used a paper punch to cut out the sweet vintage image of the girl and her kitty, glued it into the center of the button and then filled the button with Glossy Accents. That’s how you think outside the button box!

It’s OK to Stagger!

When cutting the pages for this mini album, I decided it would be fun to create pages that were sized and shaped differently.

These staggered edges lend a playful, whimsical feel to the album and invite you to turn pages, open folders and peek inside pockets.

All You Need is Love and a Cat Mini Album YouTube Video

Because I find it hard to really get a feel for the flow of a mini album with still photos, I created this YouTube video tour. In the tour, I share tips for using scraps, creating custom embellishments and making interactive elements. I hope you enjoy!

Thank you so much for joining me here today! If you have any questions about this project, feel free to ask in the comment section below.

Cheerio,

kathy

All You Need is Love and a Dog Folio

Petaloo Pets Week: All You Need is Love and a Dog Folio

Hello, Friends! Do you have a furry friend that adds sunshine and joy to your life? This week at Petaloo we’re celebrating Petaloo Pets with loads of great pet themed projects. I’ve prepared a couple fun little albums with that in mind. Today’s All You Need is Love and a Dog folio has a great shabby chic/vintage vibe. Don’t you just love that adorable little girl and her Pug? This 5×7 folio has been made from a card base. It’s a simple design. Create a 5×7 card base, and add one extra score line a quarter of an inch from the fold. This will give you a 1/4″ spine, allowing you to fill the inside with all sorts of fun inserts.

Authentique Papers made me break my New Year’s Resolution to refrain from buying any new paper pretties when they released their Devoted collection. (She hangs her head in shame.) l fell completely in love with the shabby chic patterns, colors and images. Yes, friends…it found its way into the Closet of Shame.

Every Shabby Chic project needs flowers! To pick up on the antique pinks and blues in the papers, I added Petaloo Spice Anemones, Teal Forgetmenots, and Ivory Burlap Blossoms. When I’d finished layering all the elements on the cover, I spattered diluted black paint to amp up the vintage vibe.

Here’s a peek at the inside of the folio. The top half contains a really fun fold out feature with waterfall, pockets, tags and photo mounts. The bottom pocket contains several photos mounts bound together with a slide off belly band.

All You Need is Love and a Dog Folio YouTube Video Tour

Because I think it is difficult to get the feel for an interactive folio like this one, I’ve prepared a YouTube video tour. In it, I show you how the various elements work and I share lots of tips for creating interactive features like the ones in this folio. I hope you enjoy!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comment section below. I love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathy by Design

Custom Paper Art for All Occasions

Tag Archives: Devoted

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card with Authentique Devoted

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card with Authentique Devoted: Using Up My Scraps

Devoted Friend Dog Bereavement Card with Authentique Devoted: A Peek Inside

Cheerio,

kathy

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National Pet Adoption Weekend: Who Saved Who Tags