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

Accessories Star - We R Memory Keepers

I want to start today's post by saying thank you for your words of comfort. As I shared in a recent post, my grandfather passed away last week. The viewing and church services were yesterday and today is the graveside service. Celebrating his life yesterday was very special, and seeing family that I haven't seen in a very long time was really great. As we sat at the luncheon after the service, a video that the family put together for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary was playing. As I watched photos go by of myself from little girl to mother of my own kids, I couldn't help but feel impressed to take more photos. I encourage you to do the same.

Judging by today's project share, I can't help but add a photo to just about anything ;). I'm excited to share with you my first project for We R Memory Keepers using their fabulous new Ruler Studio collection.

If you're looking for a unique piece of home decor, that can also be really functional, this is it! The system is easy: start with a ruler. They come in different lengths and a few different colors. If you wanted to, you could combine rulers, too. They are hinged so that you can bend them into pretty much whatever shape you can imagine. I wanted lots of angles to hang things from, so I chose a star.

This piece is hanging over my little girl's changing table, so it's great for storing accessories that she loves. Not only are her favorites within reach, but they also act as cute decor. The knobs and clips that are part of the collection are so fun to mix and match.

And of course, I had to make some flowers to embellish the star with! I'd love it if you hopped over to the We R Memory Keepers blog today to check out my post and more about this project. And while you're there, be sure to check out all the other Ruler Studio projects from this week. There are so many possibilities!

Enjoy your day. Take some photos. Save them. And perhaps print them and create something with them. Someone, someday, will appreciate your efforts very much. Have a good one! Tessa

Grateful Memorydex Spinner - Pink Paislee

Hello! While I may be a bit behind on several things (ahem...like posting to this blog...) I am excited to be ahead of the game when it comes to this year's Attitude of Gratitude. Instead of making a mini album or journal like in years past, I am going to be filling the new Heidi Swapp Memorydex spinner with my daily thanks:

 This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Precocious Paper. I do receive financial compensation and products from American Crafts to develop certain blog posts, but all of the ideas and opinions are my own.

Inspired by the alphabetized tab cards in Heidi's line, I decided to organize my blessings by letter. To get things set up, I created a note card for each letter of the alphabet with Heidi's large, polka dot minc alphas. I foiled them in gold to match the gold accents of the Memorandum collection from Pink Paislee:

There is plenty of room left to add more cards and photos as November happens. I love this format because it is so easy to make additions. And, because it's organized alphabetically instead of chronologically, I don't feel like I have to stick to one thing a day, or keep anything in order by day of the month.

I have already added several extra dividers and cards from the Memorandum collection. The back of every card is empty so that I can use those spaces to add more embellishments and journaling. I'm going to try to take a photo a day and add those, too. Heidi's dies make that so easy!

If you'd like to read more about my spinner, check out my post on the Pink Paislee blog here. Also, you can see a piece-by-piece flip-through on my YouTube channel here.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day :).

Altered Cupcake Tin - Pink Paislee

Hello! This week on the Pink Paislee blog we are taking flea market finds and turning them into paper-crafted treasures. I have had this cupcake tin in my scrapbook room for a few years now, holding odds and ends and bits and pieces. It was my grandmother's, and as my studio space has evolved, I found myself using it less. I decided it was the perfect piece to create a very non-traditional layout out of.

You can read more about it on the Pink Paislee blog today here. In that post, I mention that E6000 is the best glue to use for something like this. I learned that the hard way. My trusy glue gun looked like it was working, until everything started to fall off :(. But E6000 did the job, and did it really well!

You might be familiar with this quote by Thomas S. Monson: "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family." I decided to take my title from those wise words: "You are the JOY in my journey." I thought the travel theme of the Atlas collection was perfect for conveying what I wanted to say.

I wanted to vary the depths of the elements in the wells, including bringing the photos the farthest forward. I did this by cutting down a paper towel roll. I sliced off "rings", then glued the rings to the photos and the rings to the tin. Because I'm hanging this on my wall, I'm glad something so lightweight worked so well.

Be sure to visit the Pink Paislee blog for this and other flea market to chic projects! Thanks for stopping by today :). Tessa

Patterned Paper Eggs - Pink Paislee

Wasn't it just March 1st a moment ago?! Looking at the calendar, my life will be a whirlwind of activity through June, but I'm going to try to enjoy every moment as much as possible. April is such a lovely month with the California poppies all abloom, Easter, General Conference, and two boys' birthdays. I'm looking forward to all of it :).

Are you on Spring Break and looking for a way to keep the kiddos (or yourself) busy? I am sharing some Easter decor on the Pink Paislee blog today. The idea is simple - start with papier-mache eggs, Mod Podge strips of patterned paper around them, and enjoy!

For more details on the how-to, I encourage you to check out the Pink Paislee blog.

Have a great day! Tessa

Lucky Us - Pink Paislee

I am super excited to be sharing my first project as a design team member for Pink Paislee today!

This framed chicken wire piece is the newest addition to my St. Patrick's Day decor. I took the kids to the park a couple of weeks ago and gave them green, hairy mustaches and rainbow lollipops to pose with. Of course, the boys gave me the goofiest looks and Addie loved her first sucker!

Green has always been a favorite color of mine, so it was fun to pull all the green things I liked best from both the Citrus Bliss collection and the Atlas collection.

My favorite detail of the whole project is the rainbow (which does not have a pot of gold at the end). See the post on the Pink Paislee blog to read how I altered that fun chipboard element to create something perfect for the holiday.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a good one :). Tessa

Butterfly Magnets - Pretty Little Studio

Hello! Just popping in to share a cute set of magnets that I created. I used the beautiful Marigold collection by Pretty Little Studio.

I used the Epiphany Crafts large round tool to punch the patterned paper circles and add the epoxy sticker tops.

I'll be setting this beautiful collection aside to work with new Pretty Little Studio lines. Be sure to check out You and Me, as well as The Gold Mine. The Gold Mine is filled with metallic foiled tags, papers, vellum, and more. It is oh-so-pretty! Also, join the Pretty Little Studio facebook group to see sneak peeks of the next line, Treasure Island. It is gorgeous!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a good one :). Tessa

Lucky Us Vase - SRM

I am so excited to share a new product being carried by SRM Stickers with you today! The chalkboard trend is not going away any time soon, and SRM is bringing you something that will make creating chalkboard surfaces so much easier than the typical bottle of paint and a brush.

This isn't a chalk marker. It's a chalkBOARD marker. Think of it like a paint pen, but instead of regular paint, it applies chalkboard paint. Once you have followed the directions, the surface can be used like a chalkboard, especially with the Bistro chalk markers that SRM is also now carrying.

I experimented with the marker on a glass vase. The marker is not recommended for glass because it isn't permanent on glass, but you can still have a lot of fun creating with it so long as you don't mind the chalkboard being fairly temporary. I have a list of tips for working on glass on the SRM Stickers blog today.

Next I am going to try turning a framed piece of glass into a chalkboard, or maybe a mirror. So many possibilities! And, of course, I'll be trying it out on a layout soon, too.

For more details about this amazing marker, head on over to the SRM blog. Thanks for visiting today! Have a good one! Tessa

Not So Spooky Halloween Decor - Chickaniddy Crafts

Hello! It's finally raining here in northern California, which we are so grateful for because of the drought and the King Fire that is raging nearby. However, this time of year and change of weather usually brings with it colds, and a cold has settled into 4 out of 6 of us, including the baby. I refuse to get sick, and so far my 5th grader is doing just fine, so...fingers crossed! I want to finish decorating for fall this week (among the 500 other things I need to accomplish), and I can't do that from bed. Speaking of decor, did you catch my project at the Chickaniddy Crafts blog this week?

I made a garland out of vintage velvet leaves, tulle of all kinds, and patterned paper from Chickaniddy Crafts' Scrumptious line.

I made an arch out of floral wire, then used my hot glue gun to attach the flowers and vintage leaves.

I really enjoyed making this project because 1) you know I love flowers, and 2) I'm more into friendly, cute Halloween decor. I'm sure I'll enjoy this garland on my kitchen chalkboard all October long. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

"Tape" Magnets - Love My Tapes

Hello! I have an easy tutorial for these darling tape magnets on the Love My Tapes blog today:

All you need is magnets, tapes (I prefer fabric tapes), and pinking shears. I hope you'll stop by and take a look :).

Have a good one! Tessa

Miracles - DCWV

I had the special assignment to create something for the DCWV blog today. I am grateful that DCWV wanted to observe today in some way. We discussed it as a design team, and we decided that we wanted to put something out there that was hopeful and positive, yet reflective. I found a quotation on Pinterest that I thought was fitting, for today and for all the other dark days that seem insurmountable. With an Ikea frame, the Melon Twist stack, and some other specialty papers by DCWV, I put this together:

I started with a 5x7 piece of patterned paper, then added a 4x6 piece of corrugated paper. I distressed the top of the corrugated piece by gently tearing the very top layer of paper from the corner. The way it worked out on this piece was perfect. I suggest going slow and practicing on scraps you might have.

The next layers are vellum (from the printed 6x6 vellum stack) and two 3x4 cards from the Melon Twist stack. I embellished with paper flowers, felt leaves, thread, and some mist splatters.

I typed up the quotation and printed it onto cardstock, then trimmed out the words and adhered them to the assemblage. I added it to the frame by putting it in front of the glass.

You can find my post at DCWV here (if you came here from there - thank you for visiting!). I hope you experience a miracle today, big or small, giving or receiving. Tessa

Nursery Wall Art - Love My Tapes

Hello! Today I am sharing some new wall art for Adlyn's nursery on the Love My Tapes blog. It took me about five minutes to make and I absolutely love it!

First, start with a wooden letter. This one came pre-painted, but I distressed it a little bit. You could paint a plain letter to match your lace tape, or you could spray paint the entire piece after applying lace tape in whatever color you'd like.

Second, apply the tape to the letter with the trim pointing right. Third, apply another strip of tape with the trim pointing left, butting up the edges so that it looks like one piece of lace trim.

Last, use scissors to trim off the extra lace. Done! Easy-peasy and super cute. You can check out my post at Love My Tapes here. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Fiskars and SRM are sew cute together!

Today and for the next two days, Fiskars and SRM Stickers are teaming up to bring you projects inspired by both company's products. I've long been a Fiskars fan, as evident by my scissors, trimmers, and the majority of punches in my stash. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with one of the XXXL punches and SRM Stickers to create calendars:

You can read all about my process on the Fiskars blog here. I also created a step-by-step photo tutorial for making these sewing pattern paper flowers. You can find it via Fiskars here.

I used the May Scrapbook Circle kit and add-on to make my calendars, with the addition of felt roses from  my Etsy shop, Precocious Paper.

I am planning to gift these calendars for Mother's Day, but you could also apply this idea to a teacher gift (the end of the school year is just around the corner!).

Be sure to check out Fiskars and SRM Stickers. Thank you to both companies for the opportunity to play with your fabulous products :). And thank you for stopping by today! Tessa

Peachy Spring Wreath - SEI

I've really been into home decor projects lately, and one of my latest assignments for SEI is no exception. As a house-warming gift for my sister I made this grapevine wreath:

I made the large, lacy flowers from papers in the Diane collection. Did you know that SEI has fabric papers (and other fancy papers with all kinds of different textures and patterns)? I think it's my favorite part of their product line. They are so fun to work with and easy to die-cut.

I made the garland by cutting circles in two sizes with my Cameo. I would have used a paper punch, but I didn't have one petite enough ;). These are pretty small.

If you are looking for a peachy Spring palette for your next project, be sure to check out SEI's Diane collection. There really isn't anything on the market quite like it. And be sure to see my post at SEI's lifestyle blog for more details and other great projects.

Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

B is for Buys - Epiphany Crafts

One day a new friend came over to my house and noticed my collection of letter B's on the wall. She stared at it for a few moments then said, "What does B stand for?" She was a little embarrassed when I explained they were our family monogram - B for Buys. She thought my last name was something completely different! So, just to clarify, the B is for Buys, my last name :).

Epiphany Crafts challenged me to put the round tool to use, and although I have used the round tool for everything from layouts to cards to jewelry, I had never used it for home decor. I decided to finally decoupage this wooden B that I've had for nearly a year and the Epiphany Crafts round tool was just what I needed to bring it all together.

I used sewing pattern paper and book pages to cover the B, then fabric flowers and felt leaves to embellish it. The circle epoxies were the perfect embellishments to add a little color.

You can read my tutorial for the B here. And in case you want to know more about that really big B, here is my post from a couple of years back about it.

I hope your April is off to a great start! Thanks for stopping by :). Tessa