Do you ever look at something and just not really know what to do with it beyond the obvious? Today I am going to talk to you about altering beyond what something looks like! That is the cool thing about altering something, that you can turn it into whatever you want. You can create something that you see, that others might not!
That is exactly what I did with the flower pot that was in our January kits. My job with this flower pot was to create something other than a flower pot! I must admit I looked at that thing and could only see a flower, but realizing I needed to get my thinking cap on! So I took the pot apart! I didn't have anything in mind at first, I just cut along the lines of the flower shape and placed them on my desk.
This is what I ended up with! I am very excited about this, because it will be my very first scrappy project that I've done for our new home in March! It's going to go on our fridge in the kitchen and will go perfectly in there!
After a minute I realized that sometimes things you alter don't need to be so far from home! I wanted to keep this a flower since it was already cut into a flower shape! I covered each leaf and the center and then hooked them together using sticky tape {you can see the back of the flower above}. Once it was hooked together, I placed a generic magnet on the back of it using the same sticky tape.
Once this was done, I flipped the flower back over and started to embellish. You can use whatever it is that you wish, I used items from the January kit.
Time it took to create: 30 minutes
Materials:
Paper
Good strong sticky tape
Generic magnet
Embellishments
Gel pen
Pounce Wheel
Offray ribbon
Large button
Sandpaper {for edges of flower leaves}
See! It was super easy and super fun to cut into that flower pot and create something else! 
So go for it! Accept the challenge and tear into that lovely flower pot.. Ummm flower something else!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Never limit yourself!!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Foam my heart to yours (teehee)
It's my first chance this month to publically RAVE about the YUMMY IAAS January kit! Not that my words can in any way do it justice, but I'll do my best! =) Lynn sent me some beautiful green floral foam... sans flower pot! Hmmm... what to do, what to do... for some reason my strange mind said "LOOKS LIKE CAKE!" Hey, I don't always question, I just go with it. :D I read on the dow site (company who makes the foam) that you can paint it, so, that's what I decided to do, and then embellish with items from the kit. My "cake" started out looking like this:
First thing I did was squash the circle to match the kit foam as closely as I could. Then I got out my paints... I enjoyed mixing up the paint because I LOVE chocolate, and the paint was looking good enough to eat! (but, I refrained... really!) I then embellished my "cake" with items from the kit as well as a few additions. I thought it was the perfect place to use some buttons! I punched my flowers out of the gorgeous Webster's pages, and simply pinned them into the foam with straight pins. I used the chipboard hearts instead of flowers and knew I'd come up with something I could sit around for a Valentine's decoration! Added a little red Martha glitter and WAH LAH! Hope you enjoy my little creation and get a bit of inspiration in case you want to use the foam seperate of the flower pot!
January Card Sketch 1
We love being inspired by sketches at I AM a Scrapaholic! This Becky Fleck card sketch worked really well with all the fun embellishments in our January kit! Check out what our creative team came up with! Like the sketch? Create your own card or layout and upload it into our gallery. 
Beth started out making a card and then decided her creation would be the perfect base for a layout showcasing a family photo! What a neat idea! Go Beth!!
'Cramer Family Photo'Check out the hand-cut flowers at the top of Debbie's card - BEAUTIFUL!
'thanks CARD"I did a little stitching and used the buttons from the kit on mine.
'Hello CARD'Lynda decided to use one large diecut instead of multiple embellies on the top of this card - too cool!
'enjoy CARD'
'celebrate CARD'And Lynda (again) came up with another way to create a dazzling card using this sketch. Check out how she turned the sketch for a completely different look! So creative!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Websters Pages Floral Bouquet
The IAAS January Kit is loaded with tons of goodies but I totally fell in love with the flower pot and Websters Pages papers. I decided this project would find a permanent home on my kitchen table.
Check out this simple project:
I simply covered the pot and flowers with papers from the kit. I embellished with buttons, bling, liquid pearls, velvet trim and stickles.
Add a little ink to define your edges.
To cover the stems simply add a little glue to paper strip and wrap it around the stem. To include the "grasses" wrap thin paper strips around a pencil to create the curl and pin them into the green foam.
This project is so cute for any room of your home and really is a nice gift idea...these flowers will last forever.
Happy Scrapping!
Mimi
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The shape of a piece of paper spurs creativity!
You know I often see beautiful layouts using these new fabulous shapes that manufactures and company's are producing these days... Yet I found myself never using them like I was seeing them! Sure I'd put them on to another piece of paper and then create from there, but actually use the fun fabulous shape for my background paper was beyond me!
That was of course until I opened my kit.. And there it was.. That fabulous shaped paper staring at me! I was a little bit hesitant to create with it. But when I opened up the kit and actually touched everything I knew! This time I was going to create and actually use this fabulous shape as my background!
After looking through the kit, I realized there was a piece of paper that had a house on it. I knew instantly that I wanted to scrap about our little family because they mean a great deal to me!
So without hesitation, I dug in! I realized that it wasn't anything that was actually hard. But totally fun! Creating with fun fabulous shapes rock! I encourage you if you haven't tried yet, to dig in and find those shapes, pull them out and get creating!
You just never know what you'll end up with for your finished product!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Forever ~2009
Welcome to 2009!
What a wonderful and festive year this is going to be...Yes, I have decided, it is going to be amazing and bright. Attitude is everything, right? Well, at least it is a huge part of it! As each new year starts, there are so many things that I feel like I need to remember to be thankful for; my family, my health, my spirit, my job and my ability to find creative outlets that I enjoy. All of these special things bring such joy and peace (well, sometimes not peace, but enthusiasm)into my life, that it is important to take a moment and reflect upon what really is important.
One goal I have for the new year is to reflect on where my family has come from, what makes our history. With the passing of my grandma and my husband's grandma, we have been blessed with some treasured family photos. I have been working on preserving special moments in our families histories, to share with the future. The piece I want to share with you today is just that, a snippet in time of the Root family. Grandma and Grandpa Root have been such an important part of my husband's life and in turn, mine. When I opened up my Jan. Kit, I immediately knew the photo I wanted to feature.....Lynn's kit selections were perfect for the thought I wanted to to portray about their family connections and the love they shared with each other.
Artistically, I knew this page needed to be special and that this kit was going to do it for me! The beautiful floral papers that portrayed a woven vintage quilted image, the beaded beadazzles, the chipboard hearts and beautiful gems...it was just perfect! I also used the velvet Butterflies from the Dec. kit, just to add another element of flair.
Forever:
Technique Close up:
The technique I used with the velvet butterflies is part of what I called that "creative outlet," that I am so fortunate to have found. I like pretty things and playing with them....it just makes me feel better! This is a stamping technique, using 1 of the stamps from the Therapy kit, Silver Ink and some pretty Blue Glitter!
Glitter Stamping technique:
Products Needed - Stamps, Ink, fabric to be stamped, and glitter.
I used Martha Stewart's Silver ink and Blue Topaz Glitter, along with the Dec' kit Butterflies. The stamp used is the large floral vine from the therapy kit.
1) Stamp Acrylic image with Silver glue, plenty of ink is needed, for the image to transfer and remain wet.
2) Stamp image onto velvet.
3) Quickly, while ink is still damp, dip the stamped piece into a glitter pile. Press lightly, so glitter adheres to wet ink. 
4) Lift embellishment from tray, allowing the wet image to dry.
5)Shake excess glitter back into tray or onto another sheet of paper. 
6)Let dry completely before adhering to page. 
There you have it....a Bling Bling embellishment that you created yourself!!! I also used this technique on the lollipop flower on the left top corner of my layout. There were several other techniques I used on this layout, but i will leave you with that one for now.....more to come! Try it out, experiment with those stamps in new ways. It is a new year, try the beadazzles, try Glitter, rip those edges.....make it your own. It is all about remembering why things are important to you and your family and letting you enjoy the process along the way. Now, my family actually wants to look at those old photos that had been stored under the bed in a ratty old shoebox. Yours will too. Remember the moment, Forever.
From one Scrapaholic to another,
Have a great one!
Beth
January 2009 Kit
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It's a new month so a new kit, and it's a new year with a new design team. I'd like to take a moment and welcome our new design team: Beth Root, Debbie Fitzgerald, Debbie Standard, Elizabeth Carney, Lynda Lindley, Mette Kallander, Mimi Leinbach, and Sandi Peiffer! And to thank everyone who applied to the call. The work was amazing and we thank you for your interest.
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I would also like to take a moment and thank the 2008 design team. You guys are amazing and I have enjoyed having you on the design team, getting to know you better and see the amazing things you've done with the kits has been a pleasure. You will always be very dear to me and I treasure our friendships.
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We are celebrating Love this month. As many of you know I try to avoid themey kits but will use themey items at times. With Valentines Day next month we have a kit full of love and chocolate to warm your heart. Ladies, the images on-line do not do justice to the Webster's Pages "Hello Beautiful" line of papers. They are pretty on-line but they are even prettier in real life. You will be amazed. The papers are fun and easy to use for a variety of layout themes, however they are perfect for love theme LOs.
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I am so please with how well the Bazzill Just the Edge barkley diecuts match the paper this month...and if you don't use them all this month don't worry, they look nice with the February papers as well. And the stamps in the Therapy kit are just too stinkin' cute. Love love love how they work with the papers. Watch for a tutorial using the Get Rollin' tool with the stamp sets.
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Watch for tutorials on making the flower pot project from the Addict kit. We have a couple of variations on the project for you. So if you don't feel like making a flower pot -no worries, there are so many other uses for it...as well as the other items in the kit.
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And oh the gemstones in the Scrap kit are precious...they vary in size and can be used for so many different LOs. Use them for flower centers, on tags, or even on the chipboard postage stamps. The possibilities are endless. I just love these!!!
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Don't forget about the warehouse sale -you can get to the sale page from the homepage. Round one will be ending soon and round two will include paper.
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~Lynn
