Weekend Whimsy: Trevor's Zoo-themed Birthday

As I've mentioned before, I love planning themed parties!  This year, Trevor chose a zoo theme for his birthday.  We always have two parties for Trevor's birthday- an outdoor BBQ for family, then a separate party for his friends.

Unfortunately, this year it was raining on the day of the BBQ, so we had to move the party indoors. We decorated the house with homemade lions, pandas, monkeys, and giraffes.  I made a banner using animal alphabet letters that I found at Goodnight Stories. 

We played a rousing game of Pin the Banana on the Monkey.

(My husband Steve was clearly not the winner.)

We did a word search that had a hidden message inside.

I made a small error when I created the word search.  From now on, "elephany" is a valid word in family Scrabble games.

We played Zoo Animal Memory.  I revealed 20 stuffed animals and gave everyone two minutes to memorize them.  Then I covered them up and everyone had to write down which ones they remembered. 

The kids did two crafts- first, they used zoo stamps and stickers to decorate plain white treat bags, then they made Zoo Animal Shrinky Dinks.  I printed out some zoo animal shapes, which the kids traced onto shrink plastic.  They colored in their designs, cut them out, and punched a hole.  Everyone gathered around the oven to watch the magic! 

Next, it was time to break the Zebra Pinata.  I'd planned to do this outdoors, but because of the rain we ended up in the garage. 

While the kids were breaking the pinata, a few adults stayed inside to hide candy and presents for our traditional candy hunt. 

Finally, we all enjoyed some giraffe cake. 

For the party with Trevor's friends, we kept things a bit more simple.  We played lots of rounds of Animal Bingo.

We played a simpler version of Animal Memory. 

We used the same animal alphabet from his banner to make goodie bags.

And we served cupcakes inspired by Betty Crocker.

I had a great time planning Trevor's zoo-themed parties!  It was a really easy theme (in contrast to the Maze Party I did last year!) and it turned out really well.  Most importantly, Trevor loved them.

Flamingo Four: Prima Coquette Collection

Welcome to this month's.... Flamingo Four!!  Are you ready to see this month's items?!

June's Flamingo Four items are:

1. Prima Coquette Collection "Starlet"
2. Prima Coquette Collection "Vanity"
3.  Prima glitter black ribbon
4. Prima Say It In Studs

All items available at Flamingo Scraps (limited quantities on hand!). We all started with these supplies and the instructions to make something using all four items. Any other items could be added to complete the project.



Are you ready to see what we made?!

Celina's take:

Squeee! I love getting scrappy stuff to play with and when I got the Flamingo Four items I got really happy! The purple papers are gorgeous and I have a thing for polka dots, so these were so much fun for me to use. I decided to scrap a photo of my eldest daughter since June is her birth month and the colors remind me of her bubbly personality.

I used the Flamingo Four papers along with paper from DCWV's Mariposa Collection and the Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Collection, and some black cardstock. I used turquoise trim and green polka dot ribbon from my stash with the black sparkly ribbon from the Flamingo Four items to make a border.

Then I used the black ribbon to make a Loopty Loop Flower which I have a tutorial for on my blog.

The purple roses are Love Letter Roses from Prima and the fabric roses are bloomers from Webster's Pages. I used green mini roses from Prima as well. And I added some Prima Bling Flower Centers from the Flamingo Four items and some Ranger Liquid Pearl flourishes for some sparkle.

Monique's take:

Monique made this gorgeous card!

Cindy's take:

I was so excited when I opened the package containing the Flamingo Four- purple, silver and black is one of my favorite color combinations!

I started with an unfinished wooden box from Michaels' dollar bin. I painted the whole thing black, including the gold hinges. Then I used Folk Art's Extreme Glitter over the black.

I cut the two Prima papers to fit in the center area and attached the ribbon across the top. I used about a dozen coats of Mod Podge to seal it. Finally, I used one of the Prima embellishments on top. I whipped up a coordinating card.

Here's a closer look at the box. I really like how it turned out!

Other supplies: Folk Art paints, Mod Podge, Michaels wooden box

So here we are at the end of another Flamingo Four and we hope you enjoyed it! Please come back and join us on the 15th of next month to see what we made with a new batch of four goodies from Flamingo Scraps! We hope that we have inspired you and we'd love to see what you make if you do, so please stop by and share it with us!

Guest DT Celina Matthews: Father & Son

To celebrate Father's Day this June (19th), I wanted to create a page of my husband with our son. My hubby is such a wonderful dad and although our son is our third child, there is a special bond between them. Maybe it's because he's our only son or maybe it's because he is my husband's namesake, but whatever the reason, they are very close.

When I saw this Webster's Pages Time of My Life paper from the Ladies & Gents Collection, I knew it would be perfect for this project. I then chose a coordinating paper (Webster's Pages Framed Beauty) to go along with it. The title letters are from my stash, which I colored with Lettuce Alcohol Ink.

I fussy cut the clocks from the paper and glued it over the second paper then added the rest of the Time paper to the other side.

That side of the paper is inked using various masks by Tattered Angels and Tim Holtz, and Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass. I then stamped clocks using various stamps from my stash and Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, and Broken glass. The turquoise and green trims are from Webster's Pages as are the flowers, which I misted using homemade mist of water, Distress Ink re-inkers in Broken China and Antique Linen, and perfect pearl powders. The sparkler stones are from Webster's as well. I then finished up the page with some faux stitching with a Sharpie marker.

 
More of Celina's work can be seen here on her blog!

Guest DT Monique Nicole Fox: Gimmie an "S"!

Gimme a "S" for sweetness. Pink Paislee sure embodied some sweetness when they created the Sweetness line!
 
This line inspired me to make a mother and son creation with some wood, a Sweetness heart die cut, ribbon and flowers.

Here is what I started out with........

 

Are you ready for some sweetness?  This sweet creation is called "Family". 

 From Flamingo Scraps: Pink Paislee Sweetness patterned papers and canvas borders

Other Supplies: misc flowers won from Tara Orr; Ashland spring floral bushes; sheer ribbon; Greenbrier Intl wood word "Family"; Studio 18 rhinestone strass

More of Monique's work can be found here on her blog!!

Fancy Pants -- It's The Little Things with Marion!

In November of last year, I road tripped to She Scrapbooks with dear friend and Flamingo Scraps Design Team Member, Tonya Gibbs, to take classes with the fabulous and talented Marion Smith!!!!  I'm not sure whether we laughed more or scrapped more -- our table was labeled the "bad" table!!   It was so much fun to meet Marion and to meet a number of ladies in person that we had come to know online from Marion's Live With Prima Shows!!!

I feel a little like I'm cheating, using Fancy Pants' It's The Little Things to scrap a Prima experience!  But I used Prima bling so that makes it OK, right????  And I had been dying to use It's The Little Things, one of my favorite collections of all time!!!!

Supplies used from Flamingo Scraps -- Fancy Pants It's The Little Things paper collection, Prima bling, American Crafts Thickers; other supplies -- black bling strips, Tim Holtz clip stickpin, cat's eye ink.

This collection has such fabulous colors and patterns just begging to be layered and combined!  To pick up the shapes of the flowers, I scallop cut the striped pattern and fussy cut the scallop on the center strip.  All the edges were inked in a soft greenish blue.  The main title is in Thickers and I used a Tim Holtz clip stickpin to hold the small journaling block.  I highlighted the pictures with Prima Say It In Crystals corners and some strips of miscellaneous black bling!

It was a really fun weekend and a great scrapping experience!!!!

Suzanne

Guest DT Celina Matthews: Man and Wife

Hello! This is my first layout as a Guest Design Team Member for Flamingo Scraps and I decided to take it into consideration that this is the month of June; the traditional month for weddings, Father's Day, the start of summer vacation, and my eldest daughter's birthday.

From Flamingo Scraps: Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology collection patterned papers; Antique Linen Distress Ink; Prima bling flourishes and flowers

Other Supplies: doilies; lace; white Perfect Pearls powder; Recollections flowers; Petaloo flowers; Tim Holtz flowers; White Opal Liquid Pearls; American Crafts Thickers in LAX

For my first page, 'Man and Wife,' I scrapped a vintage photo of one of my great-aunts getting married in the early 1950's. I love the cut of her dress and her groom's tuxedo. I got the inspiration for this page from a challenge asking for a crème monochromatic color scheme with a twist of being vintage. When I looked for photos to scrap, this one screamed vintage and softer colors to me. The papers I used are from the Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology Collection, which I then inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I then placed some similarly inked doilies under the photo mat. The lace strips are from a roll of lace I bought at a big-box retailer that are misted with a solution of Antique Linen Distress Ink re-inker, water, and white Perfect Pearls powder.

The lace flower is also misted with this solution. The flower was made by sewing a straight stitch on one of the lace trim's edges and pulling the string to make ruffles then adding a pearl button for the center with adhesive. The rhinestone flourishes are from Prima which I cut into sections to use around the page. The other flowers are from Recollections, Prima, Petaloo, and Tim Holtz.

Here is a close up of the lace and the White Opal liquid pearls I added over the doilies and throughout the page.

The title letters are Thickers in LAX and painted with the same White opal liquid pearls to give them a softer finish. I also accentuated the oval frame on the paper with liquid pearls.

This was such a fun opportunity to create a page for my family's heritage album. I hope that it inspires you all!

 
More of Celina's work can be seen here on her blog!

Guest DT Monique Nicole Fox: Pink Paislee Papers Sure Are "Fetching!"

When I think of Pink Paislee, I think "fetching". Their patterned papers are so "fetching" that I bought the last of the "Fetching" line from Flamingo Scraps. They do have lots of other Pink Paislee lines though.

Here is a card and a layout I made with the Pink Paislee "Charming" and "Appealing" patterned paper from the Fetching line.

 

From Flamingo Scraps: Pink Paislee Fetching patterned papers; Prima Flower Love Letter Roses Jude

Other Supplies: Halcraft blank white card; sheer ribbon; Studio G stamp "Happy Everything"  

 

From Flamingo Scraps:  Pink Paislee Fetching patterned papers; Prima Love Letter Roses Jude

Other supplies: sheer ribbon; doilies; MAMBI "sweet" rhinestones

More of Monique's work can be found here on her blog!!

Bling Rings

Bling rings are all the rage right now, and are fun accessories. When I first saw the Brooch Brads for the Parisian Anthology line I immediately thought about making a ring. If you buy two packs, you can make a ring and matching earrings. The bonus is they come in two different colors smoke, and multi-color. Flamingo Scraps still has a large selection of these in the store, but you better get them while supplies last, because Pink Paislee has retired them.

To make your own you need a blank ring, and earring posts. You can pick these up on the internet, and most craft supply stores that sell jewelry findings, some E6000 glue or Glossy Accents, a hot glue gun, your favorite Parisian Anthology Brooch Brads, and wire cutters.



Using your wire cutters, remove the brad prongs from the back of the brooch brad.



Then apply a liberal amount of hot glue to the center of the ring base. This will keep the stones in place until the glassy accents or E6000 glue has time to set.



Then place the ring base in the center of your stones, and apply E6000 or glossy accents around the rim of ring base to completely seal the stone to the base. Allow to dry over night before wearing.



Follow these same simple steps to create a matching pair of earrings.

Getting to Know Monique & Celina!!

Please join us in welcoming our June Guest Design Team -- Celina and Monique!!   Monique will be here on Tuesdays and Celina will be here on Thursdays this month.   So we asked them both to answer a few questions so we could all get to know them a little better...

Hi everybody!  I am Monique Nicole Fox (by name), sweet (by nature), ethnic (by design) and blessed (by God).  I am a 41 y/o single mother of a handsome son name *Christian*.  He will be 8 y/o this month on 3/27.  He is growing so fast.  We also have a beautiful cat name *Angel* who turns 9 y/o this month.  She joined our family in Dec. of 2008. 

Why do you scrapbook?
I love being creative and preserving memories for my son. I also love being on Design Teams, and entering challenges and contests.

What is the one scrappy item you just can't live without?
Punches

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Red!  My truck is red.  My accents around the house is red.  My carpet is red.  I have lots of red clothes.

Do you like your handwriting and do you use it on your layouts?
I do like my handwriting but I prefer to type up my journaling.

What is your favorite item in the Flamingo Scraps store today?
The 312 items in the Prima Marketing category.  Pure yumminess!!!!

More of Monique's work can be seen here on her blog!

My name is Celina Matthews. I am 33 years old, a military spouse, SAHM of two daughters (both teenagers) and a 4 yr old son. I am studying to earn my master's degree in Business Administration and hope to be working in that field soon. I started scrapping about 2 years ago and it didn't take long for it to become a passion of mine. I even converted one of the bedrooms in my house into a scraproom, which my husband calls the local scrapbook store. I love to create and find it relaxing, too! I also love to inspire other crafters, so whenever that happens, I am doubly happy!

Why do you scrapbook?
At first, I would scrapbook just to record family memories but now it has become more than that. Scrapping is my creative outlet; it helps relieve stress, tap into my unusual way of thinking, and makes me extremely happy.


What is the one scrappy item you just can't live without?
Ink. Ink in any form, for stamping, blending, distressing... you name it! My favorite type of ink is Tim Holtz's Distress Inks.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Black. Because I am dark and moody at times but I think I bring the best out in other people (crayons).

Do you like your handwriting and do you use it on your layouts?
I do not like my handwriting, although my daughters tell me its nice. I try not to use my own handwriting on my layouts, and if I do use it, I put it where it is out of the way. Lol!

What is your favorite item in the Flamingo Scraps store today?
I am such a paper fiend that it is hard to choose just one thing! I love the Lily Bee Audrey Collection. I would love to play with those colors and designs!

More of Celina's work can be seen here on her blog!


Please join us this month to see their fabulous work... we can't wait!! 

Guest Design Team Summary: Heather & Jeana

We owe huge apologies to our fabulous guest design team members... I've been overwhelmed with work and can't keep up my end of the bargain here on the blog.  So Heather, Jeana, Monique and Celina, I'm so sorry girls!! Now to catch up..... Amanda

Each month, we post a summary just in case you missed anything and to thank these talented ladies for all their fabulous work!! Up first for May is Heather:

During May, Heather inspired us to use lots of sketches with her layouts Splash, Just Add Water and Remember When, and for May's Flamingo Four she made a fabulous layout!

More of Heather's work can be seen here on her blog!

This month Jeana inspired us to make a keepsake banner, shared with us a gorgeous tag made using Websters Life's Portrait, showed us her beautiful mother's day cards and, for May's Flamingo Four, she made an amazing shadow box for her step-mom!

More of Jeana's work can be seen here on her blog!

So we really hope that you enjoyed what Jeana and Heather shared with us during May as much as we do!  Please go leave them some love if you haven't already!!   Later today, we will be back to introduce our June Guest Design Team!! :) 

Dressing Up a Gift Bag

I love dressing up plain gift bags.  Here's a very inexpensive gift bag from Michaels.  With a coupon, I paid under $2.00 for a pack of 10. 

I didn't like the white handle, so I gave it a quick spray with Peach Delight Glimmer Mist.  I also gave the front of the bag a light spray.  The colors matched really well, so it mostly provided a bit of shimmer.

With Key Lime Pie Glimmer Mist, I colored some ivory trim.  I used the same technique to curl the trim into vines that I did during September's Flamingo Five.   

I dug into my scraps pile and layered a green polka dot on some plain white paper.  (Actually, the white paper is the back of a very ugly pattern!)  I rubbed some Orange Peel Stickles onto a Prima flower, added a button in the center, then attached my green vines.

Here's the finished bag.  I think it's much cuter and much more personal than the original!

From Flamingo Scraps: Prima flower; Glimmer Mist; Stickles; Cheep Trims lace

Other: Michaels gift bag; Provo Craft patterned paper; unknown button

Do you dress up your gift bags?  If so, put a link in the comments so I can see what you've done!

Weekend Whimsey!! My Bottle Trees!!!

I am very proud of my deep Southern roots -- albeit put down by poor dirt farmers in the 1700s.  As a historian, primarily of Southern culture, and my very Southern grandmother's best student of traditions, superstitions, and folklore, I carry on these beliefs and customs hoping they will survive the passage of time!

For instance, I cut off the point of a piece of pie and eat it last for good luck and  I would never let a New Year's Day go by without turnip greens and blackeyed peas for folding money and pennies.  My Christmas tree is (almost) always down before New Year's Day, and when I have failed to complete this task, I can hear my Granny admonishing me and warning of bad luck in the coming year!!

When I had my house painted last year, the discussion of colors included the proper shade of "haint (haunt) blue" for my porch ceiling (a traditional method of warding off ghosts) -- alas, it really didn't need painting, so I must trust in other means to keep my house safe!




The porch of my grandmother's house with its properly blue ceiling!


Enter my bottle trees!

Bottle trees have their roots in Africa and the belief is that evil spirits will be captured inside the bottles and trapped forever.  Some believe the spirits are attracted by the brightly colored (most often cobalt blue) bottles and slip inside and are trapped, while I have always heard the spirits roost on the tips of bare branches and are prevented from taking up residence by the bottles!  Bottles on a window sill serve much the same purpose, preventing evil spirits from entering one's home through the windows!




my kitchen window


I had always known about bottle trees, but became particularly attached to the notion after reading "Livvie," a short story by Eudora Welty, in a college course on Southern Literature.  This fabulous photograph of bottle trees was taken by Welty when she worked for the Works Progress Administration during the Depression.

Throughout most of my adult life, my homes have had some sort of bottle tree -- or at least blue bottles in the window sills -- what are some of the cultural beliefs and folklore you keep alive??

Bent Wire Project

Last week I shared with you my new addiction of bent wire pieces.



This week I want to share a project that uses one.

From Flamingo Scraps: Prima Madeline Paper from the Madeline collection, Rose Buds, leaves,
Fairytale Roses in Aqua, and Butterfly; Maya Road – Chandelier Trinket Charm;
Other Supplies: Making Memories - #5 charm, Tim Holtz Adage Ticket – Wish; Martha Stewart Butterfly punch; Vintage Hymnal Book Page; Doily; 20 gage silver wire; Ranger – Utee; Cricut Cartridge From My Kitchen - Sweet; and a pink flower bead.

This is my niece Averie at her 5th birthday party blowing out the candles. Her mother hired a clown for the birthday party and he did these awesome face paintings of butterflies on the girls. I thought the Madeline paper complimented the colorful face paintings and the back yard scene.



My cute little ticket holder proudly displays the “Wish” adage ticket. Notice how the spiral pieces clip to the title to hold it in place, and the top coat hanger looks like the charm is hanging from the letter "E".