Lauren’s Lovely Lid frame

Well today I am very excited to be able to share with you a peek at a new set called Quilter’s Sampler, a cool technique, and a super fun use I found for Papertrey Ink’s exclusive Just Hatched Egg Boxes. I like to call it Lauren’s Lovely Lid Frame. I know, not too original.

Christmas is JUST around the corner, and these would make great gifts for the grandparents, or other people in your life that you have the PERFECT photo’s to showcase for them!! I recommend getting your Holiday photos done EARLY. Then you beat the rush. Oh, and get gifts done sooner 😀 These are great to mail to far away family members instead of that traditional Christmas card, that they are most likely going to trash :C These are photos of my children last year at Christmas. Make the photos black & white and it doesn’t matter what color they wore, or what color you are doing for your frames. They will match everything!

So grab your coffee because you all know how long winded I can get, especially when I am excited to share something new and fun 😀

This idea came about because I have SEVERAL of these boxes in my craft room. The “issue” is that I have been using them to store my craft items, because they are the PERFECT size for a lot of my storage needs. I know! They are suppose to be decorated! But I can’t help it, I love them for everything.  Now since I am using the box BOTTOM, I have many TOPS & Egg holder pieces left over.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t throw a good thing away, so I had to find a USE for it.

That is how Lauren’s Lovely Lid Frame came to be.

This project is recycling at its best 😀

So let’s get started!

Step 1

Cover the sides of your Just Hatched lid with cardstock. Tie around ribbon.

Step 2

Make your template for you photos. Simply measure, and cut your cardstock the same size as your Just Hatched egg insert. Turn over, and trace 4 of the 6 holes. Punch out holes from cardstock. The SU! 1 3/8 circle punch is perfect for this step.

Step 3

Stamp cover as desired. I LOVE this sentiment in the set. So perfect, so true.

 For this I used Sweet Blush Cardstock, Sweet Blush Saddle Stitch ribbon, the NEW! Quilter’s Sampler and Borders & Corners Circle set, Sweet blush ink, CTMH craft white, and SU! Regal Rose. Then adhere to Just Hatched insert. I used red-line tape for this.

Step 4

Then place desired photos behind the insert, careful to center them, and adhere them into place.

I use red-line tape, along the sides to hold insert in the lid.

I also finished my design with some Foo Fa La buttons.

Now we come to the Faux Quilted Heart “pin cushion” detail.

Here is what you need to do to achieve that FAUX flannel/suede/brushed cotton/fabric look.

A paper crimper,and for this Vintage Cream cardstock

Step 1

Cut your paper a bit larger than you need for the project. Then run it through your paper crimper. Do this numerous times.

Step 2

Run your paper through your crimper in another direction, numerous times. This is breaking down the fibers in the cardstock, and it eventually allows the layers to be separated.

Step 3

You will see the edges separate a bit, or have a bit or curl to them. Get in between the layers, and GENTLY pull apart. You will have 2 pieces to use.

Now you are ready!

I like to take my bone folder, and rub back and forth over the finished piece. to remove any obvious crimper lines.

Now we stamp!!!

For this project I used the ever popular Guide Lines to help me create my “quilted” look for my project.

I found it best to stamp your guide lines in a lighter color, but one that is visible enough for you to see while you attempt to align your images. Once the grid is filled in you will not notice the guide lines.

I stamped my guide in Sahara Sand, on the TEXTURED side of my cardstock. I then took my desired image from Quilter’s Sampler, and stamped it in black, in every other square. I colored the pattern using my Copic Marker’s. I colored to corners (in pink) to look like hearts 😀 I used somewhat of a traditional country color scheme for this “quilt”.

 See you BARELY notice the guide lines 😀

I then stamped an image from Guide Line’s (since the two come together like MAGIC via Nichole Heady’s brilliant mind), in sweet blush ink, to break it up. It also appears to be like a patterned fabric square.

NOTE: Due to the broken and soft fibers/texture this has, don’t fully color in each block as some of the ink may over-run a little. They will fill in by themselves a bit.

Now for the die cutting-

I put my die cut heart where I thought I would have the best finished design.  Then die cut the image.

I used a size larger, scallop die cut for the back layer.

I then used a smaller heart die, to cut my quilter’s batting. Then layered it onto the scallop heart layer. I applied adhesive around the entire back, outside edge of my stamped heart image. Then adhered it all together!

This gives the LOOK of a quilted heart 😀 See the close-up.

Now because of the batting layer, you can also use a stick pin in the heart as well, which again reinforces the LOOK of a quilted fabric heart, with not a stitch of sewing! It’s all ink and cardstock. Pretty fun huh?

Now to complete this frame-I just cut some cardstock 2 1/2 X 6. I scored at about 1 1/2 inches, to create a “stand”. A very simple solution so it stands up at my desk.

That is IT! It really is a QUICK gift idea. Using Guide Lines makes it really go fast!

This is a perfect gift especially if you have some of these tops/inserts going un-used! These boxes are just PERFECT for all year, not just EASTER!! It’s literally thinking outside the “box” here.

Well let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed my long winded tutorial! I had fun trying to come up with something you would like and find useful-especially for the holidays.

I’m sure you have already checked Nichole’s blog for her peek!!  Don’t miss the countdown there, and each day a different Senior Design team member will have a peek as well.

Thank you all for reading and the love & support each of you offer’s.

Till tomorrow.

I am just in LOVE (like the rest of the world) with my Just Rite Mongram stampers. There are SO many possibilities. I really want and NEED to play more, but wanted to share my recent note card set. I was OVER THE MOON, when I found out Christine was carrying them!

You can view her selection—>HERE! I am almost embarrassed to say what I already own from this collection 😀 Seriously a MUST have.

I was excited to try this particular project that I am sharing today.

WHY?

BECAUSE-As a little girl “Lauren” was a very uncommon name. I was the kid who couldn’t find the license plate for my bike with my name on it. Or stickers, and fun pencils and pens. No dorr plaque for me either. Now I hear little girls named Lauren,  being called by their mom in the store endlessly! LOL! It’s funny to think it wasn’t that popular back then, but now mainly 7-8-9 year old girls everywhere have my name. My friend even named her baby Lauren (not after me but cute all the same). I was always the only one in the class, amongst the dozen Jennifer’s, Michelle’s, Jessica’s, Amy’s, and Kristen’s. At least those were the top names where I lived.

So, as a kid anytime anything was found with MY name I just got so excited.

Now I can take that excitement and make my own stuff! LOL! Who knew.

PS-I now have 3 kids with “unpopular” names, Alexa being the most difficult to find. Noah is definitely more popular, and Amber is not uncommon but still not as popular so harder to find. But Alexa-well she is the Lauren of her generation.  As I type this I am thinking of all the great things I can make for her now too. YEAH!

I am having too much fun with them. I decided I would create a SIMPLE set for MYSELF!

Of course using my FIRST name 😀 What a great gift idea for the college bound person or teen/tween!! They are the most difficult to make gifts for I think.

This is the set I used the Large 1 5/8 set—>HERE and I also used the small letter set, to spell Lauren. I fell in LOVE with that the flower from Unity’s Fanciful Dots, and thought it was perfect for the center of my monogram set. I stamped the flower in Pearlescent Beige ink by Brilliance.

CLOSE UP’s!

And another

I just wanted very SIMPLE note cards. I used the Avenue collection by Crate Paper for this project. Its so pretty and elegant.

Granted these could be made more “gussied” up but I like SIMPLE most times.

Now to present this I would make my Simple Card Wrap found HERE. I am tooting my own horn here, but I have to say its a really simple but AWESOME gift wrap! LOL! Endless possibilities.

So that is it for today. I had a SUPER productive day yesterday. My mojo was in HEAVEN!!!!!!! Off to swimming lessons, then taking the kids to some play place.

I got some new goodies I will share very soon 😀 and so many other fun things to share.

Till then……………