Road Trip with Madelyn Day 1

Jul 1, 2014

Road Trip with Madelyn Day 1

Last week, my niece Madelyn was visiting. Tuesday, started our insanely fun road trip. We left Frisco bright and early (7AM) to head to San Antonio. On our way we saw billboards for the Inner Space Cavern and decided that once we got to Georgetown we would stop and tour this cavern. We loved the tour and highly recommend it. It does get a bit humid and warm inside but we all felt it was worth the sweat. If you decide to take a tour make sure you are wearing running shoes. Flip flops would be a real challenge when walking into the cavern. You are walking at a slant for quite a bit, it is wet and in some areas a bit slippery. We were all glad we were wearing running shoes. Having some cold water bottles waiting for...

read more

Altered Art Journal Pages 1 & 2 ~ Same Paint Different Styles

Jun 29, 2014

Altered Art Journal Pages 1 & 2 ~ Same Paint Different Styles

SAVE THE DATE: July 19th     TIME: 2:30      PLACE: The Crafty Scrapper     CLASS Length: 3-4 Hours     LEVELS: All In this class you will alter one page (front and back) of a Wendy Vecchi Art Journal Cover Page. Some of the products you will use in class are vintage papers, The Crafters Workshop Stencils, Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Gold Embossing Paste, Dina Wakley Scribbly Birds stamps and Dina Wakley Media Paint. Page one is full of texture, muted colors and accented with a wooden cameo, seam binding bow, vintage rickrack and inspirational words stamped onto vintage paper. Page two is bright and whimsical. I will show you how simple it is to create silhouettes and hand painted whimsical doodles. The tips and techniques you learn in this class can...

read more

All The Gals ~ Collage

Jun 19, 2014

All The Gals ~ Collage

Here is a small 4″ x 6″ collage I created using one of the gals stamps from Dina Wakley’s new All The Gals stamp set and her new Media paint. First, if you have not tried her paints you are really missing out. These paints spread like butter and are heavy enough to create peaks and brushstrokes in your art. They are AMAZING. To create this little art journal page I first covered the left side of the watercolor paper using pieces of a dress pattern and Multi Medium as my adhesive. Using Jet Black Archival Ink I stamped one of the All The Gals stamps onto the watercolor paper. Using watercolors, I painted the gals stamped image as well as all around the background of the stamped image. Using a stencil and Dina’s Media paints...

read more

Being an Aunt…

May 29, 2014

Being an Aunt…

Means you can surprise your nieces before bed for a surprise adventure in their jammies. Means you can load your nieces up on a Sonic Shake sugar high right before bed, take them home and let your sister deal with their sugar high. Means you will crawl out of bed bright and early to take them to school for Muffins with Mom & their Book Fair. Means the only payment you want for getting up super early to attend Muffins with Mom and the Book Fair is a sweet selfie with your nieces plus one best friend. Means you get to throw a surprise mini birthday party for a very special 7 year old when she comes home from school. Being an aunt is the next best thing to being a mom. Amanda, Brittain, Madelyn and...

read more

Observations from an Alcoholic’s Sister ~ Emotions

Apr 16, 2014

Observations from an Alcoholic’s Sister ~ Emotions

There are so many different emotions family members of alcoholics feel. One emotion I definitely felt was anger. I was angry because of what I saw Richard’s alcoholism doing to him and to our family, especially mom. I felt as though Richard was being selfish and unappreciative of all that mom and dad were doing in hopes of him getting sober and it made me furious. I understand alcoholism is a brain disease but like any disease most do what they can to control or get rid of their disease, most don’t let the disease control them or end their life without some sort of fight. Alcoholism is a beast to control and I saw firsthand how strong the cravings were but I still felt Richard could have tried a little harder to gain...

read more

10 Years

Mar 28, 2014

10 Years

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of my brother’s death. Ten years is a long time yet it still feels like yesterday, I was enjoying a fabulous morning sunrise training my golden retriever, Sonny in the field. I went to my car to get us some water and noticed I had a bazillion missed calls on my phone. I called home asking what was up and I will never forget Alan’s words,” Its Richard.” He didn’t have to say another word, I knew he was gone. I could hear it in his voice and I felt it deep in my soul, my little brother was gone. At that moment, my life and the lives of my family changed forever. Mom and Dad lost a son, my sister and I lost a brother, my daughter’s,...

read more

Have Fun and Show you Care

Jun 15, 2013

Have Fun and Show you Care

Today, I am participating off and on at a wonderful online event, Oklahoma We Care Online Crop. This crop will benefit Oklahoma Tornado Victims as every single penny raised goes directly to the Oklahoma United Way. The awesome thing is, if you cannot join us today you can still participate in the challenges and games as you have a week to complete them so this really is a win win situation for everyone. This crop is sponsored by some awesome companies as you can see in the flier below and lots of designers in the industry are hosting challenges and games with great prizes. To sign up for this crop go to cheekychicsscrapbooking.blogspot.com ~ on the upper right side of the site is an Oklahoma Tornado Fund Paypal Button ~ click this button and...

read more

Stained Glass Boiled Eggs

Apr 1, 2013

Stained Glass Boiled Eggs

Ansley and I had so much fun making these eggs, last night. She heard about this stained glass technique for boiled eggs and wanted to give it a try. After she explained it to me I had to see if it really worked so off to the store we went to get some eggs and neon colored food coloring because well that is how Ansley rolls. No vintage colors for this girl. It’s bright neon or nothing for her. I can’t believe I birthed two daughters that want nothing to do with anything vintage. How did this happen? To make your stained glass eggs you will need the following: boiled eggs, food coloring, vinegar & Ziploc sandwich bags First boil as many eggs as you want to make and let them cool. We ran cold...

read more

Imperfect is Perfect to me….

Mar 29, 2013

Imperfect is Perfect to me….

When I found this beat up old utility cart at Frisco Mercantile I could not get my hands on it fast enough. I had been walking up and down each and every aisle looking for something to put in this very spot. I knew I needed it to be a certain width and height, wanted it to be an open piece so it would not close off the room too much, look nice and it had to be large enough to hold all the items seen. Well when I stumbled onto this cart and saw that the price was $18.00 it was sold. Yes it is scratched, yes it leans a bit to one side (but it’s still level) and yes it squeaks when the wheels roll but I think it’s imperfections are what makes it...

read more

Artistic Journey 2012 ~ French Couture

Oct 4, 2012

Artistic Journey 2012 ~ French Couture

I’m really excited for this weekend. I will be teaching at Artistic Journey in Waxahachie, Texas along side Dina Wakley and Angella Peardon. This weekends event is held at The Crafty Scrapper and is filled with loads of fun. It starts off Friday evening with three fun make & takes, a tag swap and dinner. Then Saturday morning bright and early all three of us teachers begin teaching our exclusive classes. I’ll be teaching an assemblage class that has the attendees altering a dress form. As you can see they are going to be busy, busy, busy during class. But once they finish their dress form they’ll each have a beautifully altered dress form to display in their home or give as a gift. So now I’m off to pack, check my to do...

read more

Maya Road Linen Album

Jul 12, 2012

Maya Road Linen Album

So happy to finally be able to share the Maya Road Catalog for CHA-Summer. They have some awesome products coming out this release and one of my favorite’s is their new 4″ Binder Linen Album that has 3 linen pages and 3 chipboard pages. I finished my mini album using this album just in the knick of time too… I leave bright and early… no, wait it wont even be bright when I head to the airport Saturday morning, just early… ugh. I’m so not a morning person… I just hope while I’m passed out in my seat on the plane I don’t drool. Okay enough of my traveling and on to my mini album… I had fun altering this album with lots of amazing new product. Notice the key in the center, it’s...

read more

Surprises are so FUN!

Mar 26, 2012

Surprises are so FUN!

Terri and I headed down to Beaumont, Wednesday to surprise my mom and dad. This surprise has been in the making for over a month and if you know me well, you know it is a miracle that I kept the surprise. The photo above was taken on our way home because on the way down it was pitch black. We decided to leave at 8 o’clock in the evening instead of bright and early, Thursday morning. This means we arrived at mom and dad’s at 1:30 in the morning. There is nothing more fun than surprising your parents with an unexpected visit and of course hearing your mother come out of a sound sleep saying, “What in the hell is going on” (still makes me giggle) as Terri, Amanda (my niece) and I...

read more

Stepping out of your comfort zone…

Sep 2, 2011

Stepping out of your comfort zone…

How many of you fear stepping out of your comfort zone? I know I am raising my hand high in the air on this one. I am so guilty of sticking with what I know how to do and not venturing out of my comfort zone. When it comes to creating I love playing with vintage finds and textiles, beautiful ecru, black and shabby chic colors. I can promise you the first few items I grab for are not stencils, modeling paste or Twinkling H2O’s… they are more like Diamond Stickles, sewing needles, embroidery floss and vintage, vintage and more vintage embellishments. WELL, let me just tell ya, this week I’ve been dabbling with a 7″ x 9″ canvas that is WAY FAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR out of my comfort zone we’re talking bright colors, stencils and...

read more

A Blast from the Past…

Aug 25, 2011

A Blast from the Past…

I thought it would be fun to show you some layouts I created using Cocoa Daisy kits from around 2007. Now that Ansley is a senior this year I find these layouts even more special. She grew up way too fast. In the layout above I felt there was too much white space in the background of Ansley’s photo so I used the end of my paintbrush and some acrylic paints to create a polka dot background. I like the pop of color the polka dots create and they fill in the white space perfectly. To pop the photo a bit more I painted yellow acrylic paint all around the edge of the photo creating a bright colored border. To fill in the white space on the photo above I attached clear buttons to...

read more

Just a note.

Aug 19, 2011

Just a note.

Hello again! Christine from Cocoa Daisy here to share a couple fun cards I made using this month’s kit “Siren’s Call”. Every month before I put my kit away to start working with the next one I like to make a couple cards with the leftover bits on my desk. This month’s kit had the perfect bright, primary colors to create a couple cheery cards. For this first card I punched 1″ circles from the Cosmo Cricket paper and then ran them through my sewing machine, letting the machine run a few stitches in between each circle to create a banner like affect. I laid them out on the card in random order, placing foam adhesive under some to add a little dimension. I finished off the card with a tag and this cute...

read more

Smile Sweet Heart Card

Jul 1, 2011

Smile Sweet Heart Card

Here is a bright and cheery card I created using the Cocoa Daisy Main Kit “Urban Loft” and the “South Loop” Add On Kit. I’m loving all the bright colors and designs on these flowers and accented with self adhesive pearls which are included in the main kit, makes them even cuter. You all know how much I love pearls! Today, I will be creating with some new CHA release products for Maya Road which make me so happy, just wait until you see them… oh my goodness did Caroline and Deb ever out do themselves with this release. I think it’s my favorite ever. Then tonight, I will be editing into the wee hours of the night, again. My Aunt would cringe if she saw my sleep schedule right now it’s worse than...

read more

Sunkissed

Jun 2, 2011

Sunkissed

This is one of my favorite summer photos of Ansley. It was taken the summer before her freshman year of high school. All the bright colored patterned papers work perfectly with her swimsuit. I inked, punched, stitched and distressed all over this layout. The circle background is stitched to look like a summer garland and I had to add butterfly accents because what would summer be without butterflies? The distressed edges of each circle add dimension to the layout. Diamond Stickle accents added to the edges of the tags, butterflies, horizontal strip and the photos edges and mat bring on the bling which as you know, I love so much. The vertical edges of the aqua and white mat are trimmed with scallop scissors to add some interest as well as a little pop...

read more

Tomorrow is REVEAL day…

May 27, 2011

Tomorrow is REVEAL day…

I’ve been having a blast creating with the Cocoa Daisy June Kit and since tomorrow is reveal day for subscribers, I thought I would give you some sneak peeks of what I’ve been creating. You don’t want to miss out on this kit and I fear you will if you’re not a subscriber. It has been so fun working with bright summer colors. And GASP… not one book page or vintage button was used in any of these projects! I’m amazed… really you all know how I love book pages and vintage buttons. That certainly does say a lot about this kit being so awesome! I’ve created 3 cards, 3 projects (one sneak peek can be found here) and a layout using the main kit and a few of the add ons and STILL...

read more

Cherry Soda

May 19, 2011

Cherry Soda

Yesterday, felt like a play day… no work just play. I started creating a project using the June Kit ~ Cherry Soda by Cocoa Daisy. This kit and the add ons are so bright and fun I can’t put it down. As you know most of my work is done with lots of cream colors from old book pages and other ephemera so this is quite a change. And a change I guess I needed at the moment. I’m having so much fun that I thought I’d share a tiny sneak peek with you. Just love the loads of summer color. If you’re a Cocoa Daisy subscriber you can purchase the main kit and add ons starting, May 28th. Those that are not subscribers can make purchases, June 1st. But… this means you take...

read more

A Little Something for Me

May 6, 2011

A Little Something for Me

If you haven’t checked out Suze Weinberg’s etsy shop you need to… she creates some really cool and funky necklaces. I purchased one a few months ago that I just love and talked about it here. Well the other day I took another look in her etsy shop and BAM found another necklace I had to have. I tell ya I can only go and look every few months because I would purchase one every time I visited. This one has all the colors I wear and I love all the baubles she added, so what’s a girl to do… click add to cart. The quality of Suze’s workmanship, beads and baubles is top notch but then again, I would not expect anything less from her. And today, I will finish book project #60...

read more

All Things Winter

Nov 14, 2010

All Things Winter

I’m so excited to tell you about my next upcoming online workshop. This workshop “All Things Winter” will include winter and holiday themed projects from my book “Delight In The Details“. This workshop will include step by step instructions, color photos and tips to help you recreate the projects listed below. Page 15 Merry & Bright Ornament Page 26 Joy Banner Page 30 Joy Mini Album Page 42 Snow Day Layout Page 44 Winter of 78 Layout Page 72 Gift Tag Page 76 Christmas Cookies Layout Page 91 Silent Night Christmas Card Page 95 Christmas Greetings Christmas Card Page 125 Santa Baby Layout The cost for this online workshop is only $19.95. FYI… I will not be teaching the techniques as those are in the book, just the instructions needed to make recreating these...

read more
css.php