Thankful for Simple Pleasures

To round off November, I'm sharing a project I made using the awesome SEI Homestead collection. I made a mini book to document a lovely trip to upstate NY.

Materials Used: SEI Homestead Collection pattern papers, stickers, die-cut leaves, Silver Valley button; Others: Whisker Graphics twine, embroidery floss, doilies, Big Shot die-cut machine, die, markers, Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine


SEI pattern papers have this great thick quality to them making sturdy mini album pages and a cover. Some interesting things to note in the mini is how it is made up of just 4 pieces of paper scored and sewed together using a sewing machine. The design is just as interesting because the cover is actually a tri-fold so there is a flap that flips over the front cover and when the flap is opened, it reveals staggered pages. Lastly, a long piece of twine is wrapped around the album several times and securered to a button to keep the bulky pages of the book enclosed in a neat little package.

And remember to check out more inspiration on the SEI blog!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have a few things I wanted to share before tonight's feast, so even though, I didn't think I'd have time to get another post up, I had to make time to deliver you this menu:

THE TURKEY
Very simply put... I am thankful for the many people who have touched me this year.. including you! I am also thankful for many "things", milestones, events, and opportunities that have been woven into the fabric of my very being this year. Thank you, universe!

THE STUFFING
Among quite a few adventures and chances I've taken this year, all of which have been on my 2011 goals list, I am taking another one. I am taking on a part-time project to start my own Etsy shop to sell my handmade goodies and maybe even some coordinating supplies. Best of all about this shop is that 20% of annual sales will be donated to support the fight against cancer. This is a very serious cause to me for many reasons, so I look forward to launching it in the next two weeks and I ask that you stay tuned!

THE GRAVY
Thanksgiving in the States marks two very busy shopping days - Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is also when the entire year's best discounts, prices, and sales can be found. I received a few emails and thought I'd pass the savings along to some of my favorite shops!

Two Peas in a Bucket is offering 20% off today through Monday.
Hambly is offering 35% off on Friday!

THE DESSERT
As always, I thank you for stopping by! Whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving or not, give the people you love a hug today!

{Hugs}
- KRAFTY pearl

Thankful for Being "Best Dressed"...

Well, not really for being "best dressed" but rather, I'm thankful for my parents! I was going through a ton of old photos last month and I came across these showing some of the items my mom had sewn and knitted for me when I was a kid. Of course, the vintage feel of the lovely Kaisercraft Madam Boutique collection was perfect for these old school photos.

Materials Used: Kaisercraft Madam Boutique Blouse pattern paper, Madam Boutique Collectables, Alphas 12 x 12 Sticker Sheet, crochet doily; Other: Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine, satin ribbon, white pen

I'm so glad my dad took these photos, because this gives me a glimpse into their lives before I could remember. So as you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, don't forget to have your camera with you to capture all your merry moments, and most importantly, live in those moments and be present! If I don't get to come back on the blog before Thanksgiving Day, have a very happy turkey day!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Thankful for the City Sky

Often times we forget to just stop and "smell the roses." Or in my case, stop to soak in the beautiful city sky at sunset. With this gorgeous view, who needs the white picket fence! I am thankful for moments like this...

Materials Used: Kaisercraft Merry Medley Harmony and Melody pattern paper, Timeless Black & White paper pad, Cock-a-doodle-doo! Farm 12x12 sticker sheet, Alphas 12x12 sticker sheet; Other: Corner punch, BIC Mark-It markers, Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine

The Kaisercraft Merry Medley collection has an abundance of possibilities for all year round because of its fun and season-less designs. It has great colors for Christmas, but it also has great subtle and neutral colors as I used here in my layout. One of my favorite parts of the layout is where I mimicked the picture's city skyline by cutting out skylines using three different pattern papers.

Hope you like what you see and be sure to check out the Kaisercraft blog for more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Thankful for My Fave Munchkins

I can't believe it's mid-November already! I thought it'd be fun if I started a "thankful" series for the remainder of the month. I'm still super happy and thankful to have made the Hambly team! But today, I'm hear to share some layouts I made with this month's new Kaisercraft releases.

I'm thankful to be a proud godmom to these super sweet and yummy little munchkins. They always manage to make me smile, and how can I not? Just look at these cuties!

 

Materials Used: Kaisercraft Cock-a-doodle-doo! Meow! and Woof! pattern papers, Neigh! 12 x 12 gloss specialty, foam tape; Other: Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine

The Kaisercraft Cock-a-doodle-doo! collection is perfect for fun layouts of farms, parks, gardens, etc. But here I used the fun papers to create a layout about my lovely godchildren. I cut strips of paper and banner and adhered them to the layout using a messy double zig zag stitch around the page. I also cut animal shapes from the Neigh! pattern paper. So simple and fun!

Don't forget to check out the Kaisercraft blog for more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

Amazing News!

Good morning!

I woke up this morning to absolutely amazing news and I must share! After applying for this, I actually made the Hambly design team! Yay! In all honesty, I didn't think I had a chance, but I was making a few things with tons of Hambly product anyway, so I thought, "why not give it a go?" This goes to show that everything is worth a try, because you just never know!

Just here to share the great news, thank Allison of Hambly, invite you to check out the rest of the amazingly talented design team, and share some of my favorite Hambly designs:



Will be back to share projects tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!
- KRAFTY pearl

"Leaf" It Up to SEI...

TGIF! I was out of the country for a friend's wedding for a few days last week, so it's been a bit quiet here. But I've got lots to share in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

I love SEI... why? "Leaf" (har har) it up to SEI to manufacture sturdy and crisp pattern papers, cardstocks, and die-cuts, they're awesome! Here are two simple anytime cards made primarily with the SEI Homestead Collection.

First, I made a simple card using the fall foliage die-cut leaves. I absolutely love the clean yet crinkly shapes of the leaves, so to play off of them, I created a homespun design using strips of scrap paper to create a banner. To echo the banner shape and organic feel of the card, I also created a simple banner with the handwritten sentiment of "thankful for you". This is a super easy, fun, and great way to use up scraps!

 

Materials Used: SEI Homestead Collection pattern papers, die-cut leaves, Silver Valley button; Other: doilies, Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine, Mark-It Permanent Markers

Then, I made a red envelope as a gift to one of my friend's newborn's 100th day celebration. In the Chinese culture, whenever there is a new born celebration, a red envelop is always in order. They're most popular during the Chinese New Year celebration when married adults hand them out to children of family and friends.

Here I used a single strip of 4"x 11.5" pattern paper. The Homestead Cedar Chest is perfect with its naturally red and gold tones. I scored the paper every 3 inches, with the last rectangle's width to be only 2.5". I snipped a little from the top of that last rectangle and sewed it down. I decorated it a little more using scraps of coordinating pattern papers, closed it up, put it in a clear envelope, and just like that, a homemade red envelope.

 

Materials Used: SEI Homestead Collection pattern papers, die-cut leaves, Silver Valley button; Other: doilies, Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine, Mark-It Permanent Markers, Making Memories Slice die-cutting machine

Hope you like what you see here and don't forget to visit the SEI blog to check out what the rest of the design team created!

Thanks for stopping by!

- KRAFTY pearl