Paper Issues Blog Hop WELCOME!

Hiya!
I put on my big girl pants for this. No more DT rejection self pity! It's time to get happy and have FUN!
This is my first mini book. I have decided- I LOVE mini books! I felt no pressure, the format is so small it limits my "Is it finished NOW?" dithering. I took the same amount of time making this that I usually take making a page, 4 days.

I also got to whip out every single trick pony I own for this- stitching- check!, color blocking- check!, ribbon- check!... texture, paper piecing, 3 D effects- it's all there! Now that I think about it- I could have done some dry embossing and some glitter effects but a girl can only do so much in 4 days.
ENOUGH blathering! Here are some PIX!

Cover- LOVE that Pink Paislee herringbone tape!

Redid this page and LOVE this version- it's a take on Crate Paper's weather collection die cut paper with the cloud border. All clouds have a silver lining in my book!

How much do I love K & Co's "Que Sera Sera" line and Maya Road's pleated ribbon? As much as I love my Mexican tin art collection.

I love living in Williamsburg Bk because the amount of guerilla poster art and graffiti here is BANANAS. Don't stand still too long- you'll get a poster on yer chest.

I LUVS me some sea salt and vinegar chips with half raw steak and beer.  October Afternoon paper and an Obscure line die cut from Basic Grey.

Why do I love grid prints so much? Because I don't have to measure or pencil in cut lines- I just follow the grid!
Magic Mesh- mana from heaven for scrappers if you ask me.

Now that I have Miss Lola I don't ride as much but there's nothing like a 6 hour long bike ride through NYC's river side bike paths- simply GLORIOUS! LOVELY Hambly Studio paper!

Lola likes to steal apples- here's she's heisting a neighbor's lunch- no joke! I love that munchkin. Sassy paper and K&CO alphas.

When I finished this page I did a little dance- it's PERFECT! These are all scraps from other projects- the red ribbon was wrapped around an ETSY order and I kept it because that color is so lusciously RED- it's like a punch in the kisser.

I bought the Anna Griffin paper pad for  this pattern only- it's bamboo and it's FABULOUS! Studio Calico wood veneer heart, Hambly alpha sticks on post it note paper and mini scrabble tile- I LOVE those too!

FUUUUN! Getting on a plane scares the bejesus outta me but once I land it's MILLER TIME- ok maybe not- it's museum and botanical garden time! The cloud punches were unintended but PERFECT- I love it when a project comes together!

I love NY- more than ever.

Most favorite of all- my family.

Close up- pop out cloud, stringy sun and cut up grass- fave details! New fave brand MLS.

I have a give away as well! Here's what you can win if you follow or leave a comment (doing 1 of each gets you 2 entries):

Week 1 (March 19th to the 26th) mini book prize pack
Webster's Pages 6x6 papers, Petaloo flowers, SEI die cuts, Dusty Attic Decorative Gate,  K & Co Que Sera Sera mini papers, Basic Grey small details, white ruffle ribbon and 3 home made die cut shape packs.

Week Two (March 27th to April 2nd) mini altered project pack
Webster's page's Die cut 6x6 papers, Little Yellow Bicycle doilies, Dusty Attic flourishes, Prima and Petaloo flowers,  Korean sticky lace (CANNOT find this in the USA) K & Co handmade specialty papers, Ruby Rocket felt oval frame

Ok onto the next fabulous gal fave scrap buddy extraordinaire: DAWN PERKINS of MOJO MAYHEM fame!!!!
If you just moseyed on by and don't know what I'm talking about please take a gander at the blog hop intro page on PAPER ISSUES and make sure to follow, link up a project or friend us on Facebook to enter in the drawing for the FANTASTIC Crate Paper prize kit.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.

Can you feel it? It's SPRING!

Hello Spring!
Materials: My Little Shoebox papers & alphas, Bazzill swiss dotted paper- Fuschia, K & Co pink netting,
Liquid Pearls in pink

OMG NYC just had the most beautiful springlike day and I didn't know what to do with myself! I ran up, I ran down, I ran all around- Lola was happy but soon realized I had gone bananas and put me ON POINT in the middle of the park with a huge SHRIEK so we went home and watched Elmo for a while. I feel a HUGE weight lifting- GOOD BYE WINTER! Little dance little dance...

How much do I love the orange glitter alphas? MUCH dude MUCH!

Here's a new My Little Shoebox page. I got my prize package from 2 Peas with papers, stamps and alphas stickers from Farmer's Market and Home Tweet Home lines. I also bought some Green papers because I really wanted that woodgrain pattern- it's so mod! I feel so free with these papers! They are so colorful and playful that it just dissapates all the obnoxious angst I usually go through when thinking up a page. OFFICIAL MLS fan!!!!
Here are some close ups:

Luscious flowers! Bend up the petals and WHAM! instant texture.

Had "fun" cutting those itty bitty scallops- will need to practice.

Started with red pen but it disappeared into the orange paper so I had to go over it with red marker.

Now about this machine stitching technique:

Left to right: Yellow zig zag stitch- front of stitch followed by Yellow/pink zig zag stitch- back of stitch usually never seen since it's on the inside of your clothes.

Here's what I did:
1. Roughly traced circle and scallop border onto onion skin paper to give general idea of their location.
2. Glued template to the back of the scallop die cut paper
3. Put pink thread in bobbin at bottom of machine and canary yellow in spool on top of machine to get two-tone effect.
4. Using the rough sketch on the onion paper as a guide, I stitched a swirl shape onto the MLS die cut paper using a zig zag stitch so that the BACK of the zig zag stitch (usually hidden in the interior of your clothing) showed on the FRONT of the paper BINGO - instant 2 tone effect!
5. Turned paper over and giggled hysterically at the COOLIO effect.
7. Switched bottom bobbin to canary yellow string.
8. Swirled the FRONT of the zig zag stitch onto the spaces left by previous swirl.

Hope that makes sense- it's just a fun little tweak on the usual.
*Thank you Mary from the Scrapbook.com forum for helping me with proper sewing terminology for this itty bitty tute!

Here's the page again in larger format (and away from all my blogger template madness):

Required Miss Lola shot:

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.