Guest Designer Christmas in July post #2

Magnetic Memo Board and Christmas layout

Donna Sullivan back again for my second Guest Designer project. I can't believe we have had a full month of such awesome projects from the Flamingo Design team already, and again I am honored to have been asked to do a second post! Suzanne asked if I could do an altered item, so I have chosen to make a magnetic memo board, with a December Daily Tag Book, a pocket to store it in and clothespins to hang any special photos or notes you want to add to the book as the month flies by! The tag book consists of over 30 tags, journal spots, recipe cards and lots of spaces for photos and my favorite, one just for Christmas Eve! Our family does a lot of celebrating between Christmas and New Year's so I wanted to be able to have enough tags to cover ALL the days of December, not just until the 25th. I searched pinterest for ideas, and saw a menu board with clothespins for "what's for dinner", I wish I could credit her, but cannot find her photo again. The only part that is similar is the use of the clothespins which were adhered, not magnetic. I also thought about this memo board being used year round, once the December Daily is removed, the memo board can be used during the remainder of the year. All papers used came from the Traditional Christmas kit ON SALE in the Big Pink Bargain Bin. (Original frame before altering will be posted at the bottom of this post) Be sure to scroll all the way down for a bonus 12 x 12 layout!

frame is 16 x 20, front pocket measures 4" x 10" x 1/2" deep
sheet metal (magnetic area), covered in patterned paper, is about 10" x 16"

close up of the pocket (paper has been doubled for added strength)

close up of clothespin, Monday through Friday are magnetic, as are the cute little balls I found while shopping somewhere (?). but they reminded me of little Christmas tree balls.
The Saturday and Sunday clothespins are adhered with glue as they would not stick to the metal through the thicker photo mat around the sheet metal. (learning lesson, there are different strength magnetic strips!)

this is the tag book, turned sideways to read the tag, it opens at the green border measures

 approximately 6" x 4", spine has been reinforced with Tim Holtz grunge paper inside.
All the red dots are done with TH Stickles and each snowflake has a little bling!

as you can see, there are MANY, many tags to add photos and journaling, this is the busy person's answer to a December Daily! Add your tags to the book ring, adorned by hand dyed seam binding, tucked inside it's own book cover shown below. I flipped some to the back and spread them out to show front and back.

BONUS!

Included in this kit is a beautiful sheet of paper just waiting to add your photo, journaling and embellies!

MIA and Grammy visit Santa Claus 2012 and go to shop! (shopping wouldn't fit!)

I love this felt Prima flower, holding it for just the right project, and this was it! The green leaves on the layout are stickers from the sticker sheet included in your kit, as are all the journaling stickers on the page.

Now why would they add a brad, (yes, a pack of those in your kit too!) with just one HO on it? Thought it very strange, until I looked again and noticed it's HO 3! (cubed) I had to add that cute brad, it's adhered to a scalloped circle with a spirelli design, think old spirograph with thread!

I cannot say enough good about the value you get for your money with the purchase of this kit, and I still have more paper left over to do a few more projects!

This is what the frame looked like before I started altering it..Sorry for such a bad photo, it's the only one I had, didn't think to take a pic before starting black frame, white mat board with black inside line, and the bare sheet metal, thinking it looks a lot nicer now! Thanks for looking Hope you all have enjoyed our month of gifts to you with our ideas, and you can do your own spin on them!!! HO cubed!!!

Donna Sullivan/paperfusionarts

Guest Designer for Flamingo Scraps

Welcome to the continuation of Flamingo Scraps Christmas in July!!!

I am honored to hold a Guest Design Team spot twice this month on their blog, 

this being my first post as a designer. 

Today I made a Stationery Box ** (tutorial) with the beautiful Carta Bella "Winter Fun" line (included in the Traditional Kit), available in the Flamingo Scraps online store, and at an AMAZING price! 

I have a thing for hexagons, so it was a fun line to work with! As I started out, wasn't sure how I would make this project my "own", but soon found many ways to highlight the hexagons! 

** I followed all instructions in the tutorial, BUT I added two pieces of chipboard (recycled cereal box), one to the bottom of the main structure, and one, covered in patterned paper to match inside the top of the lid for added stability since I knew I was going to add many photos. The dividers inside the box add additonal stability. 

                                         

This is a view of the box opened up, with it's main components
the little book has post it notes (changed from tutorial's address book)
The little pocket holds stamps at your finger tips. and of course, a color matched pen!

I added one sheet of kraft cardstock to my kit for making the dividers, covering each with a sheet of patterned paper and a coordinating chipboard "tab" (paper covered the back exposed sticky part above the divider)
All the chipboard shapes in this article are from the kit, Echo Park Season's Greetings.
I used almost all shapes included but three, and I have a future project planned for those!

I added 4 x 6 dividers to the box, I have decided to keep photos in this after the holiday card season is over. The two smaller pockets contain small note cards and to/from tags for gift giving. The note cards can also double as journaling cards. I loved the simplicity of the white and teal, with a tiny little bling!

In addition to using my one sheet of kraft cardstock for the dividers, I also used it to mat this layer of hexagons, leaving this card blank, I will stamp a sentiment appropriate for my needs.

 adding a little bakers twine and thin pop dots adds texture, but can still be mailed!

 

This little strip was a scrap left over from the layered hexagon card from above.

I layered sheer ribbon under each partial hexagon in a tag shape, and knotted a longer piece to add on top. Letters were cut from a stamp sentiment "MERRY Christmas", trimming each letter down to size. 

here is a larger  (4 x 6") gift tag, for those larger gifts!

The larger rhinestone brads are also from a package from Echo Park, Holly Jolly Christmas, included in the kit.

since I made my own custom sized cards, having the Envelope Punch Board

helps you create any card size you need, and always an envelope size you need. Matching the paper is always fun, too! I chose a plain white envelope today with just a simple snowflake stamped image to go along with the paper theme

I had fun with tons of fussy cutting around all those hexagons, hexagon heaven! 

This is the box top that holds the stationery set all together in it's self contained box

The MERRY chipboard came in one straight piece, I snipped with pointy scissors a tiny cut, making the straight strip now able to apply in a curve. Chipboard was highlighted with Tim Holtz Rock Candy Stickles, as well as the Martha Stewart snow melt punch.

And voila! It closes up to a 4 x 6 x 2 inch box! 

Folding the front flap upwards, and the side flaps around to the back of the box, place boxtop on and it makes one pretty little package!
I can't tell you how much fun I had with just this paper from my Christmas in July kit, and I still have tons more to play with and create my next project later this month. Thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed it as much as I had fun creating and sharing! Oh, and....

MERRY CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!!

Donna Sullivan, aka paperfusion/paperfusionarts

Welcome back to my blog, NEW life and many new posts!

I won't bore you with all the details, but after a four year journey with MANY doctors and surgeries, a definitive diagnosis of celiac disease on June 13, 2013 has changed my life forever. Although life altering, this disease is not life threatening, even reverses damage already done, if you eat the proper foods and stay away from the unsafe foods! The list of what you CAN eat as a celiac is much longer than what you CAN'T eat. Puts it in perspective. There will always come times that certain foods will be hard to resist, but when you know the consequences last for days, it's not worth it, and eating good food has become quite enjoyable! Enough of that, I mentioned how it reversed damage already done, my hand had deformed to a point I was not able to cut with scissors or use a knife in the kitchen, it just wasn't safe. I am proud to announce that two weeks into the gluten free diet, this has actually allowed my hand to straighten my three right fingers, and use a knife and a pair of scissors again. Living proof that gluten free DOES help with inflammation issues, no matter what the cause, mine came from Rheumatoid arthritis. {Celiac information}
This brings me to an honored position as a Guest Designer this month, for two posts, on a very FUN online store/blog/online video instruction. Flamingo Scraps has been a part of my life for many years, as a store, online video instructions with kits available in the store, and best of all, excellent customer service! Look for the post, live on Flamingo Scraps at midnight 7/15, and live here at 6 AM!!! Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing MANY more posts along the way!