LilyBean's Paperie

weekend love...

I'm popping in quickly to post before diving into a busy weekend.  The first weekend in October is and has always been one of my very most favorite.  Fall is here!  We are still in the high temps., but the calendar reads October, and I'm happy to search out signs of fall wherever I can.  We don't have a lot of gorgeous autumn trees here in the high desert, so I've learned to love the shades of fall that the weeds, brush, and grasses take on.  There is beauty to be found everywhere.  My little  bean and I are off to babysit cousins.  She is beside herself and I am excited for her.  I love the thoughts of her being able to wake-up in the mornings and have instant playmates...buddies to watch out for her and entertain her.  We will all be wiped out in a few days.

I created this set of gift tags for the Vintage Street Market blog.  Maya Road and VSM have partnered up for a fun week of projects and blog hopping.  I used the new Family Fun Collection from Vintage Street Market along with Maya Road chipboard pieces, bling, stamps, die cuts, flowers, etc.

The sentiments are all from Elle's Studio...they are always so much fun to use and make the perfect addition.  The scrunched seam binding is from Craft Spot.  

For more inspiration, visit the Maya Road blog!

And, if you're in the mood for even more hopping around, Sizzix has a wonderful blog hop going.  I will be part of this event next week and then later in the month of October, but projects have been posted and there is much to enjoy.  You can start HERE, and then when you're ready to hop forward, just find the Sizzix Fresh Vintage button on each blog and click "Hop Forward".  I also have a button on the left of my blog if you'd like to just start hopping from here.

Thanks for your visit and enjoy your weekend.

Melis

 

bewitched...

It seems that the time comes to put away my favorite fall and Halloween stamps before I get much use out of them, so for the next little while, I'll be using them as much as I have time for.  

The sentiment on this card was stamped using Papertrey Ink's Autumn Acorns stamp set.  I love all of the sweet sentiments included...all so perfect for Autumn, Thanksgiving, and expressions of gratitude.

The image is another from Made by Janet, and the scrunched seam binding is Toadally Green from My Craft Spot.  

This card uses a few different stamp sets from Papertrey Ink including Been Boo'd, Gratitude Journal, and Spooky Sweets.  

The scrunched seam binding is Deep Purple from My Craft Spot, the paper and die from Recollections, and the trinket pin from Making Memories. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Melis

something witchy...

I love this time of year.  I don't think I could ever get enough of it, I can't wait for it to come, and look forward to it again once it has passed.  I tried a new recipe today called Pumpkin Zucchini Bread...love it, love it.  You'll have to try it too.  I'm going to sneak pumpkin into Sierra's pancakes tomorrow morning since I've got a bit of the puree remaining.  Have you tried Pumpkin Pancakes?  This will be a first for us.

I've got a little something to share tonight and it uses a printable image found at Made by Janet.  I love her vintage images.  

I stamped the tag with one of my favorite "all occasion" sentiments from Papertrey Ink's Friendship Jar set.

The Vanilla Bean scrunched seam binding is from My Craft Spot.

And the paper and dimensional sticker are from Recollections.

Next up is a card made for Emma's Paperie, based on a sketch you can find there.  All of the supplies are listed HERE.  I couldn't resist using the new Mischievous line from My Mind's Eye on this.  

Happiest Fall!

Melis

 

 

forget me not...

It's been such a beautiful weekend.  I have so much to be happy and thankful for.  I'm sorry to disappear on you.  I decided to take on a what I thought would be little, DIY project...and I'm still working on it.  My front door needed a nice, new, fresh coat of paint.  The past couple of winters have been hard on it, and I wanted to brighten it up.  I never knew how hard it would be to strip off a couple of layers of red paint!  It will be worth it when it's done this evening.  It will go from Back Talk Red to Front Door Red, with my fall-ish wreath hanging from a bow, and a sweet vinyl "welcome" scrolled across the front.  

Today I have a project to share with you created for Frost it Pink.  I will list all of the supplies used from Frost it Pink and elsewhere below.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

I used a Melissa Frances stacked box to hold a few cards and tags for every day occasions.

Supplies used from Frost it Pink:

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Chipboard Accents

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Sticker Book

Melissa Frances Attic Treasures Sticker Book

Melissa Frances Cream Satin Twist Rose

Melissa Frances Here Kitty Kitty Cardstock Stickers

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Ebony Paper

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Essie Paper

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Hattie Paper

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Hester Paper 

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue Lula Paper

Melissa Frances Attic Treasures Anastasia Paper

Melissa Frances Pearl Combo

Melissa Frances Stacking Boxes

Melissa Frances Pink & White Tissue Paper Garland

1/2" Tea-stained twill tape

3/4" Tea-stained twill tape

One fun find I just throughout my project that I can't forget to share with you are the beautiful, printable, vintage photography cards.  I found them HERE and you can print your own free.

I listened to a wonderful and uplifting talk on Saturday that seemed to be created just for me and was precisely what my heart needed to hear.  Here are a few things highlighted from the talk by President Uchtdorf: 

1.  Forget not to be patient with yourself.

2.  Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.

3.  Forget not to be happy now.

4.  Forget not the "why" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

5.  Forget not that the Lord loves you.

Remember to enjoy the little things that make your life joyful and sweet.

Thanks for visiting.

Melis

 

 

cozy home decor...

 
The latest issue of Paper Crafts magazine is on shelves now and is so much fun.  I love this time of year and find it so enjoyable to create for.  One of the features in this issue is Cozy Home Decor.  I created a shabby Halloween-y wall hanging for the feature and thought I'd share it with you here.

 

I used a Melissa Frances scalloped, chipboard backdrop as my base and topped it with acrylic paint, glitter, and many of my favorite things.

I used plenty of my favorite Crafty Secrets products on it along with Prima and My Mind's Eye chipboard letters...

Melissa Frances rolled, satin flower, Making Memories trinket pins...

Making Memories baubles and crystals, Maya Road chipboard, and vintage trims.  The Cabbage Roses Ribbon is from memriemare.

A few special finds that make my heart happy...

(source)

Can you see the four seasons expressed in this beautiful piece?

(via tinywhitedaisies)

Mmm....and how I love my little bean.  Such a true and beautiful sentiment.

(remembermeemily)

(kingarthurflour)

Ohhhh, lookee here, something else to make with my zucchini...I bet they taste so good!

Hope you've had a wonderful day.

Melis

 

squash talk...

I love squash season and am constantly searching for new recipes to try.  Tonight I'm making Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake as a side dish and Zucchini Brownies for our dessert.  I have squash coming out my ears, but I love them, love to bake with them, and before long they'll be gone, so I want to enjoy them while they're still around.  Do you have a favorite recipe for squash of any sort?  I'd love to hear if you do.

To start with tonight, I wanted to share a hanging heart pincushion I made for a friend of mine.  I stained all of the fabrics in tea before stitching them together and used lots of trims and trinkets to embellish with.

The ribbon is some twill I stained in tea and then lightly dyed a soft mint.

The sweet velvet flowers and be found at Memriemare.etsy.com and the trinket pins are from Jillibean Soup.

At Emma's Paperie this month, we were assigned to create something that focused on chipboard.  I used sweet, mini Jenni Bowlin chipboard houses for my project and a layered chipboard sentiment from We R Memory Keepers Autumn Splendor collection.

A complete supply list can be found HERE.  The scrunched seam binding is from Craft Spot by Kimberly.    

This card was created for the Emma's Paperie color challenge for September.  You can find all of the supplies used on this card HERE.  

Hope you have a wonderful night.

Melis

 

P.S.  These look so good!

Glazed Doughnut Muffins from Sweetpeaskitchen.com

christmas in september...

I'm here to share with you my projects created for Papertrey Ink this month using new stamp sets available now.  There are so many wonderful holiday sets to choose from.

This first project is an ornament I created using the Candy Cane Christmas and Christmas Blessings stamp sets and Love Lives Here:  Holiday die collection.    It is created from a wooden spool wrapped in trim, a small paper mache box painted and distressed, a vintage bottle cap, small wooden house, a Maya Road trinket pin, and Martha Stewart snow glitter.

This card uses Maile Belle's sweet Bells & Boughs stamp and die set.  I also used the angel wings from the Love Lives Here:  Holiday  die collection once again.  

The Winter Cheer set was used on this card along with Friendship Jar, Damask Snowflakes die, the Jar Label die, and the Journal Tabs die collection.  

Melissa Frances paper was used throughout along with adhesive pearls and crepe paper garland.

This fun little card uses the Tag-Its #8 stamp set, Holly Jolly die, and Candy Cane Prints paper.  

The cardstock sticker and chenille candy cane are from Melissa Frances.

This next card uses the Flower Fusion #8 stamp set, the Bells & Boughs set, and the  Holiday Photo Finishers set with the Photo Finish Strips, Bells & Boughs, Edgers #4, and Flower Fusion #8 dies.  The cardstock used is the new color for September called Autumn Rose.  

A couple of my favorite sets are used on this card including the Stylish Sentiments:  Holiday, Love Lives Here:  Holiday, Candy Cane Christmas, and Bells & Boughs.  The dies used are from the Bells & Boughs, Damask Snowflakes, and Limitless Layers 2 1/2 collections.  

I used Ocean Tides, Spring Moss, and Scarlet Jewel ink, Basic Grey and Pink Paislee paper, and Kaisercraft trim.  

This bright and fruity card uses the Holiday Lights and Winter Cheer stamp sets, Candy Cane Prints paper, and the Picket Fence and Edgers #4 dies.  

We're almost done...are you still with me?  This card uses the beautiful Autumn Rose cardstock once again, and the Think Big Favorites #8 and Candy Cane Christmas sets.  The Candy Cane Christmas and Mega Mat Stack 2 dies were also used.   

Lastly, this card uses the Christmas Labels and Love Lives Here:  Holiday sets with coordinating dies.  Basic Grey paper and chipboard were used as well.

Happy shopping and thanks for your visit.

Melis

holiday photo finishers...

Welcome to the second Papertrey Ink group post of September.  The new Holiday Photo Finishers stamp set is so much fun to use.  The idea behind it is to combine paper-crafting/stamping with handmade photo cards.  I will admit to being a bit nervous when it came to stamping directly onto my photo and then heat embossing the image...not knowing for sure what the heat would do to the photo, but now after trying it once, LOVE the way it looks and can't wait to try it again and again. The stamping just adds so much personality and character.

I used VersaMark Watermark ink on my photo and then embossed it using my new favorite embossing powder, Filigree Silver.  

I took this photo of my little girl not too long ago, shortly after her Mutton Bustin' incident, so you can catch a tiny peek what remains of her shiner.  She's her daddy's tough little cowgirl.

A tiny flourish at the bottom was added to balance out my holiday card.

I created a coordinating ornament that could be given with the card.  The Photo Finish Strips die collection are a must have as well.  They can be used in so many ways.  For this project I chose to wrap it around the base of my ornament to create a simple way to present the gift to someone and personalize it.  Once again, I stamped the image with VersaMark Watermark ink and embossed with Silver embossing powder.  Kraft and silver are another new favorite of mine.  

One more peek at the sweet, new Holly Jolly die collection that coordinates with the Holly Jolly stamp set.  I could use this die on all of my holiday projects.  The leaves are cut from Simply Chartreuse felt.  The fabric is by Moda and has been soaked in tea to stain and age it a bit.  The rusty jingle bell can be found at Frost it Pink.

Thanks for stopping by.  I can't believe tomorrow night is release night.  This has truly been one of my most favorite releases yet.  

The other Papertrey Ink designers have created something special to share with you as well:

• Nichole Heady
• Heather Nichols
• Dawn McVey
• Lisa Johnson
• Betsy Veldman
• Michelle Wooderson
• Maile Belles
• Jessica Witty
• Erin Lincoln
• Danielle Flanders

 

love lives here for the holidays...

Welcome to the first Papertrey Ink group post for September.  This month many new holiday sets are being introduced, and today we're focusing on one of them called Love Lives Here: Holiday...a set Nichole and I were able to collaborate on together, and once again, I love what she has done.

For my project I created a simple ornament using the angel and WINGS found in this set...yes, for all of you wing lovers, the wait for Papertrey Ink die cut wings is over...you'll love them  The angel is sitting on a wooden spool wrapped in vintage sheet music.  The large snowflake die is also new from Papertrey Ink this month and is beautiful.  She is stamped in Ripe Avocado ink and cut from Kraft cardstock.  I coated her lightly with a layer of Martha Stewart snow glitter.

The coordinating card shows a few more images from this set and one of the sweet sentiments.  Along with the Kraft cardstock, Ripe Avocado and True Black ink, I used Simply Chartreuse Bitty Dot Satin.

The set is filled with sentiments that focus on the heart, home, and the holidays...a sweet, festive take on the original Love Lives Here set.  

The pine branches are a favorite of mine...easy to dress up or down with images found in this set as well as buttons and pearls.  I can't wait to see what you'll do with this set.

The other designers have special projects created with this set waiting for you as well:

• Nichole Heady
• Heather Nichols
• Dawn McVey
• Lisa Johnson
• Betsy Veldman
• Michelle Wooderson
• Maile Belles
• Jessica Witty
• Erin Lincoln
• Danielle Flanders

Thanks for your visit.

Melis


 

priceless and perfect...

Just me....stopping in quickly tonight as it has been a little while since I've posted.  I've been busy traveling a bit and then celebrating a wonderful, sweet day with my little girl and loved ones.  Sunday was my little girl's 8th birthday as I've mentioned before, and it was such a special day.  It is right up there at the top of my all-time favorite days ever.  One of those days I wish I could replay again and again and catch every moment of from different points of view, perspectives, etc., just so I could catch it all.  We had around 70 friends and family members here to celebrate her special day, threw a fun late Summer picnic in the park, and just loved being together.  Now I miss them all.

I ran across this beautiful vintage image from Made by Janet and it immediately brought on thoughts of my mom...always there right by my side to hold me up, help me, love me, and encourage me.  She has a way of making me feel so special and I know she does that for my sister-in-laws as well. I also couldn't help thinking of my little girl and the love I have for her...complete adoration.  

The stamp sets I used are all from Papertrey Ink and include the new Iconic Images and Gratitude Journal sets, and the Daily Designs stamp set.  The paper is from Melissa Frances and October Afternoon, chipboard and Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels, and Cabbage Roses Ribbon from memriemare.

Lastly, a recipe booklet created for Emma's Paperie this month with our focus on Sassafras Lass papers and products.

All of the supplies used on this are listed for you HERE on the Emma's Paperie blog.

 

Thanks for stopping in.

Melis

 

september sunshine...

September is here!  One of my very most favorite months has made its arrival.  My baby girl turns 8 this month, the Black-Eyed Susans have sprouted and are happily bobbing in the wind along the roadsides, the garden is ripe and ready, cornstalks already drying in the September sun, pumpkins on the vine, and a little whisper of fall cooling us off nicely in the evenings.  

Before I switch gears and dive into all things fall-ish, I have one last fresh and fruity, summer berry project to share.

I created this project for Ally Scraps a while back.  Supplies and instructions can be found HERE.  Just a fun gathering of envelopes fastened together with handmade embellishments, mini cards, and tags and such tucked into the pockets.  A fun gift for a fellow crafter.

(notonthehighstreet.com)

(decorativecountryliving.com)

I love, love, love this idea....I must make me one!  You can find a tutorial on making your own at 2gyspygirls.com.

Off to change the bedding....nothing like crawling into a clean, fresh bed at night.

Enjoy your day.

Melis