Addie Loves Foxy - Pretty Little Studio

Hello, hello! Any Ikea fans out there? I love going to Ikea, and one of my favorite stops in the store is the children's section with all of the adorable stuffed animals. Several months ago we picked up the mama and baby fox for Adlyn. The baby fox has gone missing (seriously, where does this stuff go?), but Addie loves to play with the big fox. Of course, Pretty Little Studio's Marigold line was perfect for scrapbooking these photos of the two of them at the park:

I was given the assignment to use Pretty Little Studio's shipping tags, so I used two for journaling and two for layering inside glassine bags from SRM Stickers.

The gold alphas spelling out "Addie loves" are also Pretty Little Studio. I think I need ten sheets of these stickers ;). The gold "foxy" is cut with my Silhouette Cameo on gold foil paper by Chickaniddy Crafts.

You can check out the post at Pretty Little Studio here. You'll also see a fun birthday layout by fellow design team gal, Agnieszka.

You can find the Marigold line here. If you're into the fox trend, this is a great vintage take on those cute little guys. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Wonder Woman Costume Accessories - Love My Tapes

Hello! This year for Halloween, our family is dressing up with a theme - superheroes! I shopped for t-shirts around town and online, and we picked up capes during our trip to Six Flags this past summer. We also picked up this adorable Wonder Woman onesie for Adlyn:

When I was getting her costume ready for the Trunk or Treat party, I realized the outfit was missing something. It came with tights and a cute hairbow, but no crown and cuffs! Those are kinda important, I think, so I pulled out the new glitter cardstock from Love My Tapes and went to work.

I drew the shape of the crown onto the back of the cardstock and used scissors to cut it out. I then hot glued it to a gold metallic headband. To make the star, I used red glitter paper and my Epiphany Crafts star tool to make a star epoxy. I hot glued the star to the center of the crown.

To make the cuffs, I simply cut out long rectangles of gold glitter paper and added more stars. To attach them to her sleeves, I used tape. I'm not going for longevity here, just looks ;).

Safety tip: If you make paper accessories or any accessories for a baby or small child with small parts, the child should always have adult supervision while wearing them. 

You can see my post on the Love My Tapes blog here. Do you like the comic book effects on my photos? You can find those here. Have a great day! Tessa

Wonder - The Studio Challenges

Hello! There's a new challenge up at The Studio Challenges and this one is all about mixed media. The challenge is to use two or more mediums on a scrapbook layout. I love a splatter of mist, but mixing several mediums at once...I'm still learning how to do that and stay true to my simple style. Having said that, this is a challenge after all, so I busted out india ink, whipped spackle, and three colors of mist by Heidi Swapp to create this page:

I first decided where I wanted the photo and all of the patterned paper to go. I fussy-cut the flowers to fit into the corners and then penciled out their shape on my background of watercolor paper.

Next, I used Faber-Castell's whipped spackle and a Heidi Swapp stencil to create all of the dots. I tried to make it look like the whole page had been dotted, but several places were worn away.

The scariest part was adding the color. I poured a bit of mist into a small container and then added a touch of water. I dipped a large brush in the mist and then pooled it onto my page. I did pink first, then orange, then navy. When I was done with the navy puddles, I added some runs.

When that was dry, I splattered black india ink on the page. I wanted the big dots of ink to mimic the dots of the patterned paper.

I LOVE the September Skies line by Heidi Swapp! This floral pattern (and the dots on the B side) is so pretty! I really love the colors.

If you'd like to read the journaling, be sure to visit my flickr gallery for close-ups of the words. I used my title as a prompt and refer to Addie's adorable bedhead curls ;).

If you'd like to play along, you can find the challenge post at The Studio here. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Bow Paper Clips Tutorial - Love My Tapes + Halloween Giveaway Winner

Hello! I shared a fun and easy tutorial on the Love My Tapes blog yesterday, and I wanted to share it here, too. Turn your boring paper clips into something extra cute with some fabric tape:

While you could easily use regular fabric for these, I love using fabric tape because it eliminates the need for sewing or gluing. To make your own, all you'll need is fabric tape and paper clips.

Step 1: Cut four equal pieces of fabric tape. I wanted my bow to be about 2 inches wide, so my pieces are that length.

Step 2: Remove the backing and place two pieces sticky sides together. Trim excess tape so that no adhesive is visible. Repeat with the other two pieces.

Step 3: Cut a piece of fabric tape at 0.75 inches and another at 1.25 inches.

Step 4: Remove the backing of the smaller piece. Pinch the middle of your bow with one hand, then use the other hand to wrap the small piece of tape around the bow.

Step 5: Remove the backing of the larger piece and thread it through a paper clip. Leave the front section of tape longer than the back.

Step 6: Starting with the back section of tape, secure the bow to the paper clip. Wrap the front section of tape back over the bow and press firmly to make sure the tape is secure.

You can use your paper clips as bookmarks, as embellishments on layouts and cards, to add tags to gifts, or just as cute office supplies. Be sure to check out Love My Tapes' selection of fabric tapes to find the perfect designs for you :).

Giveaway winner...

Thank you to everyone who joined me for the DCWV Halloween blog hop this past weekend! I enjoyed reading your comments and I'm glad you like my altered pumpkin :). I used random.org to choose a comment and the winner of the stamps and stickers is...JennyKozar! Jenny, please email me at precociouspaper (at) yahoo (dot) com with your mailing address and I'll get your prize off in the mail right away :).

Have a great day, everyone! Tessa

Halloween Hop - DCWV

Note: This blog hop has since ended and the giveaways are closed, but I hope you still enjoy my project! I'm linking up to the Paper Issues' "Witchin' You a Happy Halloween" linky party :). It's sponsored by SRM Stickers, and you know how much I love SRM Stickers!

Hello and welcome to my stop on DCWV's Too Cute to Spook Halloween hop! If you've just happened upon the hop and would like to join us from the start, you can begin at the DCWV blog here. If you've been hopping and you just arrived from the lovely Thomisia's blog, you're in the right place :).

My project...

This altered pumpkin started as a sad-looking, scary-bright foam pumpkin from the dollar store. I saw its potential, though, and knew some DCWV love would make it the perfect addition to my Halloween decor.

I started by decoupaging newsprint paper from the Vintage Essentials stack to the pumpkin. Because the pumpkin is round and there are grooves, the paper doesn't easily lay flat. But, I love that look for something on the creepy side. Once that was dry, I painted the stem black.

Next, I cut pennants from the Eek-a-Boo 6x6 stack. I used Halloween stickers by SRM Stickers to make a few more pennants, then I glued them to an orange string. I display pumpkins in my house all autumn long, so this banner is lightly tacked to the pumpkin and can be removed after Halloween.

Prize details...

By now you know that DCWV is giving away three stacks to lucky blog hoppers who leave comments along the way. I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway of my own, too! How would you like some spooky stamps to help you create your own fantastic Halloween projects? And some Halloween stickers by SRM to sweeten the prize?

Just leave a comment and I will draw a name on Tuesday, October 21st. DCWV will post its winners on Tuesday, as well, but be sure to finish hopping by Monday morning, 8 am EST. I'll announce my winner here on the blog and on Facebook. Please check back and/or follow on Facebook so you don't miss out. I'm too busy scrapping to hunt down winners ;).

Next stop...

Enjoy the rest of the hop! Now on to the fabulous Britt's blog. Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

In case you get lost...

DCWV Diary: http://dcwvinc.blogspot.com/

Rita:http://wp.me/p47OIs-L1

Thomisia: http://thomisia.blogspot.com/

Tessa: http://precociouspaper.blogspot.com/2014/10/halloween-hop-dcwv.html

Britt: http://pinkpapercrowns.blogspot.com/

Karen: http://scrappycanuck.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/eek-a-boo/

Sara: http://sarawandrews.com/

Rachel: http://www.rwkrafts.com/2014/10/halloween-inspiration-day-6-dcwv-hop.html

Karla: http://madebykarla10.blogspot.com/

PS - If you're already a fan of SRM Stickers, feel free to join in on their monthly challenge here. You could easily mix your Eek-a-boo stack with SRM for a great project :).

Love You - The Studio

There's a new challenge up at The Studio Challenges and it's BIG: use a photo larger than 4x6 on a layout. Considering I generally use 3x3 photos, this one was a huge change of pace and so much fun!

This gigantic photo started as an iPhone/instagram photo. Not sure what the quality would be like, I blew it up to an 11x14 and had it printed at Sam's Club. I loved how it turned out!

Funny story.... I was in line to pay for my purchases at Sam's and pulled out the photo to have a good look. I noticed something on her face and realized that she had a big drop of drool on her chin (yes, we were teething). I had never noticed the drool before because the photo had always been too small to see it. I love how blowing up the photo added that detail to my layout's story. :)

I trimmed the photo down to 11x12, then adhered it to a 12x12 piece of cardstock. I covered the remaining inch with tags and die-cuts from Maggie Holmes' Open Book collection.

I am head over heels IN LOVE with this collection. Seriously. If I could decorate my whole house in papers from this line, I would. I bought almost everything and have the rest on the wishlist for my next shopping excursion. I love every single piece.

Another funny story.... When I finished the layout, I showed it to Jaxon (my five year old). He said, "Oh, she's so cute," and preceded to plant a kiss right on her face in the photo! So now there's a lip mark below her eye. I'm not sure how archival that will be in the long run. Might need to replace the photo eventually ;). I'm glad he loves her so much, though!

If you'd like to play along with the big photo challenge at The Studio, you can find the challenge post here. The design team has done an amazing job with this challenge, so even if you don't play, you'll love checking out their layouts.

Happy Little Life - Love My Tapes

Hello! Last week I had the opportunity to share a layout on the Love My Tapes blog:

I started with a photo leftover from my Be Yourself mini album (see yesterday's post). I love the combination of dark blue and kelly green right now, so I chose patterned paper that would compliment that. I used a Project Life card for my title, and embellished with a Maggie Holmes bow:

I shopped my stash and rediscovered these vellum banners by Crate Paper. Love these!

I added some Love My Tapes lace tape to the side of my photo for a little more texture.

To bring in more green, I used Love My Tapes washi tape to create a border on my page. When I put the washi tape down, I placed it over my page and my table so that it stuck my layout to the table. Then I misted my cardstock and let it dry. Because the washi tape was holding the paper down, it stayed nice and flat as it dried.

You can find my post at Love My Tapes here. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Be Yourself Mini Album - DCWV

Hello! If you like my Precocious Paper page on Facebook, you've probably already seen the mini album I made for DCWV with the Bohemian Sunrise stack:

It's about my "Thirty-three Things", a list of thirty-three things that I want to accomplish before my 34th birthday.

If you're interested in seeing my process for making this mini album, I made a video! If you have six minutes to spare, I'd love it if you watched. :)

I'm filming another video for DCWV this morning, so I've got to run! You can find the Bohemian Sunrise stack at Michaels stores. Thanks for visiting! Tessa

Grateful Eight - Chickaniddy Crafts, and Attitude of Gratitude 2014

"If you want to find happiness, find gratitude." - Steve Maraboli

This quotation inspired my "thankful layout" for the Chickaniddy Crafts blog:

I loved working with the Scrumptious line. The die-cut numbers inspired the list-style journaling.

I liked the ring of "grateful eight", so I went with eight things I am thankful for.

Of course, I am grateful for many more than eight things. With November coming up, I've been putting a lot of thought into my Attitude of Gratitude project.

I started Attitude of Gratitude five years ago on this blog. I basically shared something I was grateful for every day in November, here and on social media. Some years I gave away prizes for people who joined me. Last year I was a miserable failure - being pregnant and following through with a daily project just didn't work out for me. Every year I have made a gratitude journal. Well, last year I started one.;)

My intentions are good, though, and I am determined to follow through this year. I'm going to focus on blog content, sharing various ways to document and express gratitude. I'm excited about it and I hope you'll join me in some way.

I hope your day is going well! Thanks for stopping by :). Tessa

Trick-or-Treat Pumpkin Pails - SRM Stickers

Hello! The current theme at the SRM Challenge blog is Halloween. With a few friends in mind, I went to Target and came up with these pumpkin pails:

Supplies:
* scalloped edge pails (Target dollar spot)
* black and white striped straws (Target dollar spot)
* lime green tissue paper (Target's gift wrap aisle)
* caramels (checkout lane at Target)
* SRM spider stickers and trick-or-treat stickers
* DCWV bling (spider eyes)
* lime green tulle

The orange pails are the body of the pumpkin. I just love the scalloped edge! I took packages of caramels and striped straws, then wrapped them together in the tissue paper. The straw is my pumpkin's stem, and the green tissue paper and tulle is the leaves.

I put SRM spider stickers on cardstock, then punched out the circles and punched a hole for stringing.

I put the "trick-or-treat" sticker right on the pails. I've also seen people put jack-o-lantern faces on these pails - you could use SRM vinyl for that ;).

If you'd like to play along with the SRM Stickers challenge, you can find it here (along with fabulous inspiration from the design team!). Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

PS: I'm linking up to the Paper Issues' "Witchin' You a Happy Halloween" linky party :). It's sponsored by SRM Stickers, and, well, you know how much I love SRM Stickers!

Baby Girl - Pretty Little Studio

Oh how I love the Baby Claire line by Pretty Little Studio! It's sweet, darling, and in Pretty Little Studio's signature vintage style. I will never tire of scrapping photos of Addie with it! I had another opportunity to do just that with the October sketch:

And here is the sketch, inspired by the talented Monique Liedtke:

This is definitely a sketch that I will use more literally someday, but for this layout I went beyond tags to the mini flashcards and many journaling cards that Pretty Little Studio offers.

I wanted my journaling to flow from top to bottom, and the different kinds of cards were perfect for this. I love the flair. And the confetti/sequins. And the die-cuts. It's all so lovely!

Read more about my layout, see more close-ups, and check out other design team members' takes on the Pretty Little Studio blog today. Join in for a chance to win a $10.00 gift card to the Pretty Little Studio shop! Thanks for stopping by! Tessa