Oh My ...Its Raining Family and Cats and Dogs!

The Scharff Family 2014

Hi Friends,

The New Year is upon us and the holidays are behind us.  It was a very eventful holiday season for our family this year.  We love having family and friends visit and this year was really special for all of us! 

Our twins, Jennifer and Jessica were having a milestone birthday this New Years Eve, so we were thrilled when Jennifer (in the white sweater) and our darling granddaughter Quinn (next to her mom) decided to fly in on Christmas Day!  Time with loved ones is always precious and even more so when out of state visits are far and few between.   

We were all so busy (and I was bushed) I barely remembered to take pictures of us!  What???   Well I did get this one, so from our house to yours, wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2015!   May your dreams and wishes for the New Year come true! 

So lets get this scrappy party started...

I'm a bit late, but I thought I would close out my 2014  blog posts by sharing pictures of the mini albums I made for our girls this year.  Jennifer and Jessica love their fur babies so when Graphic 45 introduced their Raining Cat's and Dog's Collection, I knew had to make them a keepsake mini for their beloved pets. 

I used a simple folded envelope tutorial to make these easy pages and then developed a unique binding method to pull them all together.   I promise to learn how to video tape this year, because I know that pictures just don't capture certain projects, like mini's, the way they should.  Lets have a peek anyway.  I didn't post pics of both books but here's one I hope you enjoy:

Chunky, Pretty and Fun!

The books are 6 double sided envelop pages with 5 tag pockets.  With 3 tags per pocket, they got a little chunkier than I thought they would.   The photo mats are all double sided so there is plenty of room for journaling or any other little goodies you may want to tuck away.   

The Cats Meow

Cool Cat

Lucky Dog

Dog Day Afternoon

Love is a Four Legged Word

The Cats Meow

C is for Cat

Puppy Love

Lucky Dog

Carte Postale

The Cats Pajamas

Well friends that's it for me today.  Thank you so much for dropping by to visit.  Until next time, make something from the heart and enjoy a happy day!   Hugs ~ Dawna

Once Upond a Time Layout and Mother's Day Tribute

Hi Friends,

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day this year and created this beautiful layout as a tribute to my mom, Bobbie Jo Wilson.  Now that I'm an empty nester, its usually quiet around here, but all three of my beautiful daughters let me know they were thinking about me.  Each one did something uniquely her own to let me know I was being thought about and I was loved.  What more could a mother ask for than to know the love of her children? 

My dear husband, Richard,  started my weekend off with two dozen red roses for me and then drove me to visit my Mom's graveside in our family cemetery.  That probably doesn't sound like the funnest thing to do, but it is a genuine blessing to remember the loved ones who have gone before us.  My mom and I used to go together every year and decorate for her dad, my Grandpa Wilson and as the years went by, the number of flowers bouquets we needed grew also.  Now days my visit includes memories of our Uncle Pete and Aunt Helen, the closest thing to grandparents that either of us ever knew, two cousins and their mom, my Aunt Mary Lou.   Since my mom will always remain with me in spirit, I will carry on our family tradition for the both of us.   Its a tradition that always blesses and warms my heart.  

On Sunday, Mother's Day, I planned to take these wonderful vintage pictures of my Mom taken in the early 1950's and do a new layout for my Family Heritage scrapbook.  It had been quite some time since I scrapped a new layout of her and the timing finely felt right to do another one. 

I used Marion Smith's Mad Hatter paper collection which is all about Alice in Wonderland.  I can image my mom feeling a bit like Alice, not because she drank potions and went on wild adventures (although my mom had her adventurous side), I imagine that my mom felt a bit like Alice in those early years when she first came to CA as a young girl in love.  Her and my dad, Donnie, left home in their late teens to be together and came here from OK and AZ to start a new life together.   It must of been exciting and I'm sure it was a big adventure for both of them. 

As I look at these particular pictures of my mom, its easy for me to see the facial features I favor of hers.  Her arched eyebrow for sure, her smiling eyes, her small 'Wilson' nose, and thinner lips.  About the only facial feature I don't share is the dimple in her chin.  Instead, I have my dad's cheek dimples that show up everytime I smile. 

Okay I'll stop boring you with family genes and nostalgia, lets look at a few close ups of and the meaning behind my layout:

Bottom Right Close Up of Once Upon a Time

'Once Upon a Time' is the title of this layout and there are few things to note about this picture that are personal to my mom.  First she absolutely loved the Victorian Era and collected antiques from that period.  She owned a chair so similar to the one pictured, I couldn't resist using it.  Then when it comes to fairy tales, she was an avid reader and even fancied seriously writing at some point later in life.  Never a day went by when she didn't have a book in her hand.  She spent quiet evenings reading for hours and hours as dad quietly watched the television. 

As far as techniques go, note that this corner is anchored by one of Prima's resin spiral topiary trees which has been painted gold.  The tree is surrounded by a flower cluster which has been anchored by a gold doily, flowers that have been distressed with Prima's fluid chalk in black coal  and randomly dabbled with molding paste.  You can also see that the 8x8 photo background has been sewn and roughed out with a  Prima distressing tool.  The background papers were treated with a script stencil and molding paste to give the page interest and texture.  I felt bad covering up the beautiful stencil sentiment because it was all about creating beauty in the world around you.  

In this bottom left corner you can see Prima's Junk Yard Finds with the vintage 'LOVE' bulb with its wire running through it.  This bulb was a gift from my dear sweet friend Susie Martin and I wanted to include it on this very special layout.  You can see that the script stencil repeats on this side of the page adding more texture to the back ground.  The edges continue to be sewn around the page using various stitches.  They have also been punched around the page using Martha Stewart's tear drop punch.  Next, I used gold ink and Prima's distressing tool to rough up and distress the paper edges.  I matted a double set of black and white pictures, sewed and distressed the edges with Prima's black coal chalker ink.   Notice I added the 'Queen of Hearts' card and as a final touch I used one of Prima's resin heart topiary trees.   I painted the heart tree gold also and created a distressed flower and leaf cluster to anchor it.  I dabbed the flowers and leaves with black chalk ink and molding paste to grunge them up a bit.  Are you feeling the love on this page? 

Upper Right Corner Close Up

Here you can see that I used one of Tim Holtz's ornate label plates to put my mom's maiden name, married names, and life span dates.  She went home in her early 60's after a three year battle with pancreatic cancer.  She put up a remarkable fight, but in the end, it would take her home.  A year later, my grandson Cade was born exactly on her birthday!  My Granny (Aunt Helen) used to say that someone had to leave this earth to make room for someone new.  You can't begin to image what a blessing Cade's birth was to all of us!  

You can see that the 8x8 center background mat was sewn zig-zag which is one of my favorite techniques to use on layouts. Sewing adds so much interest and I love doing it!  Peeking out from behind the pictures you can see Prima's new Color Bloom Sprays in soft teal, and a resin butterfly painted gold and treated with the new Touch of Luna pens from Zig.  Then, I fussy cut the pink rose, added it to some chipboard, and treated it with several coats of glossy accents.  I popped it up it to give the corner greater dimension and depth. The script stencil work is continued, the gold doily is peeking out and the grunged up sewn, punched, filed and distressed edge work continues along the sides and top of the layout.  

The scalloped pocket envelop is a special hiding spot for several 3x4 pictures.   The envelop pocket has been glued between the bottom gold cardstock layer and punched top page.  The envelop has been edged with black coal chalk ink and gold.  I popped up the aqua chipboard button from Webster's Pages to use as a flap closure to hold the pocket flap down in place (thanks for that neat tip Frank <3).   You only need to gently pull it out from underneath the button to open the pocket to find more hidden journaling.   I took one of the 50 cent piece tickets, added an eyelet, jute string and tucked it through the scalloped flap to hide a few more journaling details.  I am loving all the wonderful techniques, hidden photo pockets, and hidden journaling I was able to incorporate into this adventurous layout!

Upper Right Hand Corner Close Up of Once Upon a Time

You can see that the edge work gives way to the wonderful checkered circle which has been distressed with a file, gold inked and zig-zag stitched.  Its been placed like a doily under the 8x8 square toward the upper right hand corner of the layout.  Notice that the clock and flower cluster have been fussy cut, put on chipboard, and treated with layers of glossy accents to highlight the clock.  I popped up the clock and roses to give the corner more depth and dimension.  Just peeking out of the leaves also notice that there is a Prima Junk Yard Find, dripping 'Time' water tap which leaks onto Prima's resin topiary spiral tree just below it.  Again, the topiary tree was  painted gold, so it subtly blends into the flower and leaf cluster that anchors the bottom right side of the page.

Bobbie Jo Wilson - Once Upon a Time Layout by Dawna's Place

Well friends, there you have it!  Did you feel all the love put into this lovely tribute layout for my mom?  And, I bet you learned something about me you never knew too.  Its been a very busy day for me, so I'm going to go put my feet up now.   I'm so excited about this wonderful new layout and look forward to creating a few more in the near future to add to my collection.

Thank you so much for dropping by and hanging in there for a little family story telling and a walk though this lovely layout of my Mom, Bobbie Jo Wilson.  I know she would love it!  Thank you again dear friends, have a wonderful evening and   remember to create from the heart and life your life inspired!  Hugs for all of you ~ Dawna

Priceless Valentines Grifts from the Heart

Hi Friends,

February is a month to dedicated to romance and loved ones and this year was no exception.  My daughter Jessica and I enjoyed a very happy afternoon making valentines for the special people we love.  We didn't get to everyone, mainly our hubby's and children.  We laughed, talked and had a wonderful time creating together.  <3

 Lets start with my darling hubby's card,  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did creating them!  I created this Sky's the Limit card because I wanted to remind him that it was time to create a new dream for ourselves, and that the best years of our lives remain ahead of us.  To Richard with love:

The Sky's the Limit Easel Card for Richard

Side view of Easel Card for Richard

Jessica made a card for all the loves in her life, all three boys and her dear hubby.  She had a fun time, was very proud of her accomplishments, as she should be.  I hope you enjoy them my friends:

Hubby's Outside Card

Hubby's Inside Sentiment

Son's Card 01

Son's Card 02 Inside Sentiment

Son's Card 03

Sons Card 03 Inside Sentiment

Someone Special Card 04

Someone Special Inside Sentiment 04

We friends that's all the Valentine Cards I have to share for today.  Thank you for dropping by for a peek.  As always I love hearing from you.  Till next time Make it a happy day! 

Forever Birthday Calendar Tutorial

Hi Friends,

Today I am delighted to bring you my first step by step  tutorial on how to create your own beautiful Forever Calendar.  If your not familiar with Forever Calendars, the cream circles with letters represent each month (Jan-Dec). The hearts hanging from each month are for noting a persons name and the day of their birth. You can use a fine felt or gel pen to write your loved ones name and date on the hearts. The hearts can be moved around so you can hang as many as needed for each month.  

Well friends, the remainder of this post is dedicated to my tutorial.  If you've got the time, please look it over and leave me a comment.  I always love to hearing from you!   Until next time, wishing you a happy day!  ~ Dawna 

PS:  If you enjoyed this post, please "Follow" and "Share" this blog on your social media. 

"Love Family Time"

Forever Birthday Calendar 

Step by Step Tutorial

I didn't a take any in progress photos, but the steps are easily described so I'm going to give you the supply and tool lists and tell you where to find everything.  Then once you've got things together, I will walk you through the crafting directions.  I've included many tips and cautions (yep, these were my mistakes!) to help you along the way.  If you you get stuck or have any questions, please feel free to post them and I will respond.

Basic Plaque Supplies List:

14" Wooden Plaque
12 ea. 1" Wooden Circles
24 ea. 1" Wooden Hearts
36 ea.  9/16in. Screw Eyes (pictured below)
2 ea. 1/2in. Screw Eyes (to make the ribbon hanger)
36 ea. 10 mm Jump Rings (silver circles under the hearts)
1 ea.  Select a Medium Weight 12 x 12 Scrapbook Paper (for your plaque background)
4 ea.  Complimentary Acrylic Paints ( I used cream, medium green, baby pink and coco brown)
1 ea.  Complementary Distress Chalker (pictured below)
1 ea. Wooden Plaque Name (I used Family)


With the exception of the screw eyes and Prima Distress Chalker, I found all of the items listed above at my local craft store (Micheal's, Joanne's, Hobby Lobby or other big box craft stores).  I had to go to the local hardware store to find the zink screw eyes.  Prima ink chalkers can be purchased at on-line or local designer scrapbooking stores. 

Prima Ink Chalker

Jump Rings & Small Screw Eyes

Craft Tools and Other Basic Supplies You Will Need:

1" Sponge Paint Brush
Paper Plate (for your paint)
Non-Stick Craft Mat (or "cured" newspaper.  Seeing curing tip noted below)
Needle Nose Pliers
Sanding Block & Fine Sand Paper
1/16" Drill Bit (for installing 9/16" Sew Eyes)
3/32" Drill Bit (for installing 1/2" Screw Eyes)
Drill
Scissors
Pencil
Paper Towel or Baby Wipes (for clean up)
Adhesive (I use Helmar 450 as it adheres to just about everything!  Feel free to use what you have on hand.)  
3D Pop Dots (or empty pop dot sheets for creating remnants, see picture below) 
Mod Podge (I used Matte Finish, see picture below)
Brayer Roller (rolling pin will also work, see picture below)

Mod Podge, Brayer Roller & Empty 3D Pop Dot Sheet & Remnants

Except for hand tools and market items, you will find all of the craft items listed above at your local big box craft store.

Vintage Design Embellishments

To make this design, I used the embellishments listed below and shown in the following close up pictures.  Prima, Color Me Crazy chipboard, and Stickles glitter products are all available at on-line or at local designer scrapbook stores.  Stickers, rhinestones and ribbons are all available at your local big box craft stores.  Feel free to improvise and substitute any listed items for items you may already have on hand. 

Feel free to chose your own embellishments to compliment your desired style (vintage, shabby chic, steampunk, clean and simple, etc.) scrapbook paper and color palette.
 

Close of  "Love" Embellishments

Close up of "Time" Embellishments 

4 ea Vintage Prima Flowers (I used 3 Different Types)
1 ea 3" Prima Vintage Pink Doily
1 ea Prima "Love Trinket"
1 ea 3" Prima Wooden Clock
2 ea Prima Mini Rhinestone Swirls from Say it in Crystals
1 ea Color Me Crazy Chipboard Butterfly
A Smudge of Punch Color Stickles (for the butterfly)
1 pkg. Clear Alphabet Stickers (to label Jan-Dec)
24 ea 1/8" Clear Rhinestones (for the hearts) 
1 ea 18" Piece of 1 1/4" wide Grosgrain Cream Ribbon (to create hanger)
2 ea 18" 1 1/2" Brown Netted Ribbon (to create bows)

Project Directions

Now that you know what you need and where to find everything, let's get started on our project.

Completed "Love Family Time" Forever Birthday Calendar

Step #1 Sanding:  Starting with your bare wooden plaque, lightly sand the top to get a fine smooth surface.  You will not paint this surface.  Tip:  I sand over the trash can so I don't get saw dust on my work surface. 

Step #2  Preparing to Paint:  Next lay down your non stick craft mat (or newspaper) to protect your work surface.  Tip:  If you use the morning newspaper, you may want to "cure" the papers ink so it won't blacken your hands or transfer smudges to your project.  You can do this by using a hair dryer on it for a few minutes.    Prop up your plaque over your work mat.  Tip: Canned goods make perfect painting props.  Secure your circles, hearts, butterfly and name plate to your mat using the 3D pop dots.  Tip:  When painting small objects like the circles and hearts, I like to use 3D pop dots to secure them to my craft mat.  That way you don't have to handle them, they lift from your work surface so you can easily paint the sides and they won't move round during the painting process.   Tip:  Instead of using new pop dots for this purpose, recycle empty pot dot sheets by cutting them into small remnants.   See my finished messy mat picture below. 

Step #3, Painting:  Put a quarter sized dab of paint on your paper plate and lets get to painting.  Paint the back of your plaque, circles and hearts with two base coats to seal up the wood.  No need to paint the back of your butterfly or your plaque name.  I used the cream color to paint the back side of everything noted.  Let dry thoroughly. 

Next, turn everything over and re-secure your circles and hearts with your used pop dots.  Paint the top side edge of your plaque one color (I used medium green).  Paint the circles a second color (I used cream) and your hearts and butterfly in a third color (I used a baby pink).  Again use two coats and let dry thoroughly.  Finely paint your plaque name in your forth color (I used coco brown).  Caution:  Don't let your pop dots stay on a freshly painted surface over night.   Otherwise, your paint may peal off when you go to remove them!

Step #4 Preparing Your Scrapbook Paper:  Since the plaque is larger than your scrapbook paper you'll have to cut it (see next Tip before you cut) and trim away the excess.  Lay one half of your paper over the plaque edges and crease the paper along its shaped edges.  Lightly define the shapely line with a pencil so you can see it better before trimming the excess paper away.  Do this for both sides of the plaque allowing the paper to overlap.  I chose to trim my paper along the flower design giving me a flower repeat for my overlap rather than just doing a straight cut in half.   Tip:  Cutting along a design will make your overlap less noticeable.

Step #5 Distressing for a Vintage Look:  Using your chalk ink, lightly brush the chalk edger round the edges of your scrapbook paper (outside edges only not across your overlapping edges), around the edges of your painted plaque, around the sides of your circles, around the sides of all of your hearts and the sides of your butterfly.   This technique will give all of these items a antiqued or vintage look. 

Distressed Circles & Hearts

Step #6 Applying Mod Podge:  Next, apply Mod Podge to the top of your unpainted plaque surface and the back side of the bottom layer of paper.  Install the bottom paper layer first.  Then apply Mod Podge to the back of your overlapping paper layer and install it next.  Roll your Brayer over the surface of your paper a few times pressing firmly to squeeze out any air or excess Mod Podge.  Quickly wipe away any excess from around the edges with paper towel.  Tip:  I like to allow Mod Podged paper to dry over night as it 'sucks down' to the surface and eliminates any paper warping or air bubbles that may occur in the process.  Paper warping can occur when you don't use a Bryer roller to thoroughly roll out any air bubbles. 

Finish up by applying two coats of Mod Podge to the top of the top and sides of your plaque, your distressed hearts, distressed circles and your plaque name.   No need to Mod Podge the butterfly.  Instead, apply a smudge of Stickles pink glitter.  Let everything dry thoroughly.

Step #7 Clean Up:  You're all done fussing with wet stuff so you can clean up your work surface mess before moving on.  I absolutely love my craft mat. It always wipes clean for my next project!

My Messy Non-Stick Craft Mat

Step #8 Installing Hardware:   Refer to the following picture for a close up of installed hardware: 

Close Up of Installed Hardware

Step #8.a Drilling:  Using your drill with the small 1/16" drill bit, tap a hole into the top center of every heart.  Caution:  These hearts are very thin so be sure to get your drill bit perfectly centered or you may crack your heart in half!   Then using the same set up, drill a hole through the bottom corner of each heart.   Then take all 12 of your circles and evenly space them along the bottom edge of your plaque.  Mark the bottom edge of your plaque for drilling 12 tap holes to install your hanging screw eyes.    Next, we are going to tap two larger holes so change your drill bit to the 3/32" bit.   On the top edge of your plaque, about 1 1/2" in from the shaped edge, tap a hole for your larger screw eyes.  Do this on the right and left top edge of your plaque.  These are for your anchoring your ribbon hanger. 

Step #8.b Installing Jump Rings:  Open and close jump rings by simply twisting them with your fingers.  Install jump rings into the top and bottom of all your cream circles and just the bottom of all your hearts.

Step #8.c Installing Screw Eyes:  You will need to use your needle nose pliers to slightly open up the small screw eyes before you install them so they will 'hook' around the jump rings.   Using your fingers,  twist the small screw eyes into the tap holes you drilled at top of your all your hearts.  Caution:  Do not over tighten these down into your hearts or they may crack your hearts in half!   Continue by installing  the screw eyes into the bottom edge of your plaque.  Lastly, take the two remaining larger screw eyes and twist them into the tap holes you drilled along the top edge of each side of your plaque.

Step #9 Embellishing:  Your now ready to embellish your plaque by adhering all of your finishing touches.  Center your plaque name and use adhesive to firmly glue into place.  Glue the butterfly into place over plaque name.  Glue down your doily, clock, flowers, and trinket.  Add your swirl bling.  Add a single rhinestone to each heart.  Using one letter to represent each month, center your clear alphabet stickers over your cream circles.  Tie each end of your cream ribbon to the plaques top  two screw eyes to create a ribbon hanger.  Trim off excess ribbon.   Finish off  by tying two medium sized brown bows around the top screw eyes and cream ribbon remnant to hide the them.

Finished Love Family Time Plaque

Well friends that's the end of my first step by step tutorial.  I hope the directions and tips were informative and useful.  I would love it if you would take the time to leave me a comment.   If you get stuck on the directions or have questions along the way, please post them and I will respond.  Remember to sign up for email notices or follow my blog to see what's next.  Till next time, wishing you a happy day!  ~  Dawna