Stateside Map - DCWV

Hello! DCWV has a new collection (paper pads, alterables, embellishments) coming to JoAnn Stores called Stateside. It's all about maps, travel, and the United States. One offering from the line is a set of three maps, sized 20x36. I chose to work with the traditional style map for a nook in my livingroom:

To personalize the map, I took inspiration from this pin (totally not my idea!) and stitched around the states we've lived in.

I coordinated the thread color to the color of the state. Tip: While the map paper is great for wall art, it isn't meant for embroidery. When stitches are small (like around the Bay Area in California), your needle may tear the paper. To keep this from happening, put tape on the back side of the map before you pierce your holes. Yes, I learned the hard way!

I love the look so much that I am considering stitching all the states! Wouldn't that be even more fabulous on the wall?

Check out my post on the DCWV blog here, as well as more Stateside inspiration from the design team. Look for Stateside at JoAnn stores soon! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful week :). Tessa

The Magic of Christmas Blog Hop - DCWV and SVG Attic

Welcome to the SVG Attic-DCWV The Magic of Christmas blog hop! We are so excited to have you join us today!

At each stop of the hop we hope you will be inspired by the creativity of the design teams of SVG Attic and DCWV. You are sure to find many wonderful projects that will be at the top of your Christmas crafting lists!

I'm the first designer on the hop, so if you just happened across this post, please head to the SVG Attic blog to start at the beginning.

To me, the Magic of Christmas is found in the time I spend with loved ones. The get-togethers are my favorite part of the holidays, and what better way to make some funny, magical memories than with a Christmas photo booth?

Her little elf ears look a little like piggy ears here, but Addie adored playing with the elf props!

Addie didn't want Mama to take this picture by herself ;). The SVG Winter Fun Photo Props were the perfect accessories for my photo booth set-up! I especially love the Santa, Mrs. Santa, and the elf. So cute!

I created my backdrop with DCWV's Handpainted Holiday stack and cut the photo booth props from DCWV cardstock. I embellished the photo props with DCWV's adhesive bling sheets.

Now how about some blog hop prizes??

2 Christmas paper stacks from DCWV

$20 Gift Certificate to SVG Attic

1 Christmas paper stack from DCWV

What do you need to do to be eligible for these amazing prizes?
1. Become a follower and/or email subscriber of each blog in the hop.
2. Leave some comment love at each stop. You can do so until midnight on Sunday, November 29th to be eligible for the prizes.
3. If you do both of the above, check back at the SVG Attic blog and/or the DCWV blog for the winners on Tuesday, December 1st.

We would also love it if you would stop by the SVG Attic and DCWV Facebook pages and give us a "Like"!

Here is the complete blog hop lineup:

SVG Attic blog

Tessa (you are here)

Beth (go here next)

Cyndy

Piali

Angeline

Jodi

Tanya

Karla

Lisa

Yolie

DCWV blog

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on our hop! Be sure to head on over to the other stops for more Christmas inspiration. Comment and become a follower to be eligible for the prizes!

SVG Attic currently has all of their files on SALE for Black Friday/Cyber Monday! Stop by their website at www.svgattic.com to purchase their SVG files at amazing prices.  Also, DCWV papers are on sale at Michael's and JoAnn stores right now, so stock up so you can create all of the fun things you saw today!

Christmas Inspiration Board - DCWV and May Arts

Hello, hello! If this is your first time here, welcome! If you've visited before, welcome back! I'm excited to share with you my project for the DCWV and May Arts blog hop this week :).

I played with the Merry Memories stack by DCWV, as well as oodles of luscious ribbon from May Arts. I was going to make a garland, but I decided that all of the pretty tags I was making would make a great inspiration board.

I stretched two ribbons across chicken wire, then attached my tags with bullnose clips and binder clips. To embellish the various tags (cut from patterned paper and vellum from other DCWV stacks), I simply stapled bits of my favorite ribbons. I LOVE the texture ribbon adds, especially the silky gray ribbon and the mini pom pom trims!

I plan to leave this at my gift wrap station throughout the holidays. It will be easy to pull a tag off the chicken wire and add it to a gift bag or wrapped box.

I hope you enjoyed all the DCWV & May Arts projects this week! Be sure to visit the DCWV and May Arts blogs for more inspiration :). Have a fantastic weekend! Tessa

Wedding DIY - Part 1 - DCWV Nesting Boxes

Hello! If you follow me on Instagram, you know my little sister's wedding was just this past weekend. It was a DIY wedding and I had the chance to get creative with several things. I'll be sharing it all over the next couple of weeks, starting with two projects I made with DCWV's nesting boxes:

If you head to JoAnn's (in store or online here) you can find the boxes. They come in white, gray, kraft and assorted colors. You get 12 boxes with lids in each set. I used several boxes from the white set to create these prizes for my sister's bridal shower games.

A little tulle ribbon and a silk flower made for easy and pretty packaging. The prizes were Bracelet Bar bracelets by Blue Moon Beads (see my youtube video about those here).

I used the gray set to create these succulent planters for her reception centerpieces. I foiled the H picks with my Heidi Swapp Minc machine and cut them out with a Spellbinders die.

I lightly spray painted the boxes with a stone finish paint. Because the succulents didn't need much water, it didn't matter that the boxes were paper. My sister loved the concrete look and tiny price tag ;).

You can see my post about these boxes on the DCWV blog here. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Mixed Media Canvas - DCWV

Hello! A couple of days ago I was up on the DCWV blog with a new video. This time it's a process video, sharing how I created this altered canvas:

I used a DCWV Premium Paper pack, acrylic paint, Gelatos, and Heidi Swapp mists. I also used a Heidi Swapp die to cut the word "create".

If you take the time to watch the video, I apologize for my sleepy-sounding voice! It's been a crazy couple of weeks with long hours and one of the first things to go when I'm over-worked is my voice ;).

Thanks for checking out my project and video :). I hope you are having a great week! Tessa

Beautiful - The Studio Challenges

My One Little Word this year is still, and recently I had an overwhelming impression to act on it. At that moment, finding a way to be still was as important as continuing to breathe. 

A little background.... I've had several unexpected challenges thrown my way in the past six weeks or so, and I had to say "no" to some commitments. The things I said "no" to were things I could not manage to do, no matter how I edited my schedule and rearranged other commitments. I was truly between a rock and a hard place. I thought people would understand, trust that I tried my best, but not all of them have. Instead, I've been made to feel guilty.

Have you noticed this? Women airing their crazy-busy to-do lists, comparing their overfull plates as if to say, "Oh yeah? Well, my list is twice as long and I'm managing it.What's your problem?" Well, I see two problems here. One, we shouldn't be basing our value on how busy we are. I'm not more or less important/good/worthy because of the length of my to-do list. Two, I can't see someone else's entire to-do list. As women, we deal with much more on any given day than what we wrote in our planners or scribbled on a post-it note. You don't really know how much is on my plate. It might look like a dessert plate from where you stand, but that's an illusion of perspective. My plate is more like a platter. Everyone's is.

When that overwhelming impression to be still hit, I turned to something I love to do and haven't been able to do as often or as freely as I would like to lately - scrapbooking. Fiddling with paper and glue restores a sense of control within me. It also gives me the chance to relax and get lost in my own thoughts. Putting this page together was just the amount of still I needed, and it allowed me to process what I had been feeling about the consequences of saying "no". At any rate, you're probably just here for the layout, so here it is :).

There's a new challenge at The Studio Challenges today - white on white. 

I found that the trick to this challenge was starting with a great photo. All of the white elements keep the focus on the photo, and I love that. I did feel the need to throw in the colored flowers and alpha, but by placing them over the corner of the photo, I didn't feel like I was cheating ;).

All the white papers are DCWV - background cardstock, embossed cardstock, vellum, and printed vellum. 

For more details about the challenge, and to see the rest of the design team's takes, click here.

Thanks for stopping by today, and hearing me out :). Have a great week! Tessa

Scrapbook Expo - The Weekly Scrapper Spotlight

Hello! I had the wonderful opportunity this week of being featured on Scrapbook Expo's The Weekly Scrapper blog. Along with some recent favorites, I also shared this page created just for the post:

I used a combination of Crate Paper (patterned paper, die-cuts), Heidi Swapp (masks, mist, die for the title), and DCWV (cardstock, cork and metallic papers for title and flower).

I took this photo just a couple of weeks ago after my grandfather's funeral. We had just finished the luncheon afterwards and everyone was exhausted and ready to go home. Adlyn, though, wanted to play - she sees a pretty lawn and must step on every single blade of grass. Watching her, I experienced a moment of absolute clarity - although the events of the day were heavy and sad, happiness could still be found. The pure bliss Addie exuded running around the church grounds was a sweet reminder to have perspective. An eternal perspective. Families are forever. We will see Grandpa again, whole and happy.

I don't collect a lot of metal dies, mainly because I lean on my Silhouette Cameo, but when I saw the Maggie Holmes flower die that is so popular right now, I had to have it. It works beautifully with DCWV papers. The leaves were cut from double-sided cardstock, making cutting leaves in two shades of teal super easy! The cork cut like butter, and the adhesive backing made putting the flower together and adding it to my page a breeze. The gold metallic paper cut easily, too, with both the Maggie Holmes dies and the Heidi Swapp "bliss" die. I love having all these DCWV papers on hand!

Would you like to know which favorite layouts I shared on The Weekly Scrapper? You might recognize one or two! Check the post out here. Thanks to Paige Evans for the opportunity!

Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

DCWV and Tombow Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to Precocious Paper! If you just arrived from Latrice Murphy's blog, you are in the right place. If you just happened to stop by, we'd love to have you join in the fun by starting the Gold and Cork blog hop with DCWV here.

We are going on a little family day trip soon and I wanted to create a place for all of my photos, receipts, postcards, etc. from our adventure. DCWV's kraft Insta Photo Fun Album was the perfect base. Using the Gilded and Cork stacks, as well as Insta photo pockets and bags, tags and envelopes from my stash, I put together this travel album:

It isn't complete because our memories are yet to be made, but I did put together a little kit for finishing it up. I made a set of "stickers" out of the DCWV papers. To make them self-adhesive, I used Tombow's pastel adhesive dots. I love that they are mounted on the backing individually - perfect for this use!

I used Tombow's Extreme Adhesive to adhere the patterned papers to the front of my album. I also used the Extreme Adhesive to glue patterned papers together, creating more pages for my book. I think that stuff may be my new favorite tape runner! Tombow's Foam Tape is in my stash, ready to adhere my photos. I want each snapshot from our special day to lift off the page :).

Besides DCWV's Gilded Stack, I also used a map patterned paper from one of the specialty packs available at JoAnn stores. The polka dots come from a DCWV greeting card. The number tags are from Ikea - I love their new party and stationery stuff!

I'll be sure to share the album when it is all finished. Give me a couple of weeks, though ;).

Thank you for stopping by today! Be sure to comment on all the blogs along the hop to be eligible to win the Tombow and DCWV prizes (entries accepted through March 31st, winner announced April 1st). If you haven't had a chance to play with these products yet, you are missing out! Enjoy the rest of the hop, as well as your weekend!

Tessa

PS - Head on over to Yolie Burke's blog next!

Paper Flower Brooch + Video Tutorial - DCWV

Hello! Have you seen the new DCWV project stacks at JoAnn stores yet? They are selling fast at my local Jo's and I am having a lot of fun with them. My latest creation is this pretty paper brooch, made with the Flowers project stack:

I added a brooch pin to the back so that it could be enjoyed on a cardigan or lapel. I'm thinking I need to make more as gifts.

If you'd like to see how the project stack works, and how you can make a ranunculus flower brooch of your own, check out my video tutorial:

Thanks for watching and stopping by today! Enjoy your week :). Tessa

Adlyn at 4 Months Mini Album - DCWV

Hello! Today on the DCWV blog I am sharing a new mini album, my first one created with the Insta Photo Fun collection. As DCWV's video hostess, I filmed a great tutorial on bringing together Insta Photo Fun pieces with other DCWV lines. You'll have to take my word for it, though, because I had major technical difficulties. As in, I'm shopping for a new video camera :(. But hopefully these photos suffice and you can hold tight until after Addie's 1st birthday party - I'm planning a birthday mini album in the pink binder and I will be filming my process for that one!

I started with photos of Adlyn at 4 months, then pulled things to match - the yellow Insta Photo Fun binder, a hot pink bling sheet (I hand-cut that heart from the bling sheet), patterned vellum from Premium Paper Collection packs, glitter paper from a 6x6 Glitz stack and more patterned paper from the yellow Insta Photo Fun stack and the 6x6 Basics patterned paper stack.

My favorite part of this whole process was working with page protectors. You may have noticed, I don't do pocket scrapbooking. I've definitely toyed with the idea, but I'm still super happy with my traditional layouts and don't feel the need to try something else right now. Having said that, I loved working with these mini pocket pages! They made the mini album process fast and simple.

I used 4x4 and 2x2 photos and pieces of patterned paper. I loved working with the uniform sizes because it was fast and I didn't have to think too much. I also loved working in the vellum. The peek-a-boo effect was fun to play with.

I've got more photos of the album pages in my flickr photostream here. I hope you'll take a look, and if you haven't already, check your local JoAnn store or JoAnn.com for the Insta Photo Fun collection.

Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa