Layouts and a puppy...

Hi Friends!
I am trying my hardest to keep up this blog of mine...as you know, I am not the best at keeping it updated but I am going to make an effort to to post as often as possible. Please hold me to it!

These past few weeks have been crazy with work, the kids home for summer, and in case you didn't know-we have a new puppy! EEk!

Her name is Samantha (we call her Sam, Sammers or Puppy Head). She is a chewer, a nipper, shoe eater, ball chaser, and lover of all other dogs. Definitely confused about where she needs to go potty (sigh) and above all-the sweetest thing ever! It is very hard to take her picture because she never stops moving--ever. We have fallen in love and we are constantly celebrating all of her little milestones as she grows...

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Moving on to a couple of layouts I wanted to share too:

A couple of months ago, I taught at Auntie Em's Scrapbooking and Beading in Cornwall Ontario. Emma has a wonderful store filled with all kinds of treasures and that includes the amazing customers she has. Actually-they are more like friends than customers really. She is blessed with an amazing community of women that frequent her store, like it's their second home....how awesome!

And if you have ever taken a class with me-then you know that my class kits are filled to the brim with Prima! It was definitely a weekend of Prima heaven for the girls...

 I created a couple of layouts for one of the classes and they are two of my favorites to date! So I decided it was time to share them here....

This layout is called: Beauty
I know it seems like I have used this group of photos a lot on my past layouts, but I have a whole series of these photos that I am using for both boys to create special albums. My dear friend, Suzzane Dunn at Regal Street Studios took these photos for me. She is extremely talented and I am so grateful for her talent!

For this class-we actually set up a series of sewing machines for everyone to sew on their layouts. Some had done this before and many had not. So it was a fun experience for them...

I love adding so many little details to my background and in my clusters. On this layout-we have wood, metal, paper and of course Prima flowers.

Layering is key to create interest and of course-dimension. Mixing different elements is not only fun, but also great for complimenting your photos too. 

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This layout is called : Timeless

Here is the sister page: again texture and sewing on the background with fun unexpected elements tucked in among the flowers. I just love how the black elements anchor the layout and compliment the photo perfectly.

It's amazing how little splatters of black gesso really tie in the overall look. Messy yet elegant.

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Sorry I babbled on in this post, but I have had a lot of coffee and so much to share! If you are interested in having me teach at your local store-please feel free to email me: cari@primamarketinginc.com

I am booking classes now for fall and next winter....

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

Fairy Tags!

Hey Friends!
I have some really sweet tags to share with you today. They were featured in the Prima Artzine in April and I decided to post them here too! Tags are some of my absolute favorite projects to create. I think it's always good to create cards or tags because they are less involved than larger projects with the same satisfaction in the end...

These little projects seem to inspire me and rejuvenate my mojo for other larger or more involved projects I have in mind.

These lovely little girls are cut out from the Fairy Rhymes papers by Prima. Aren't they adorable? When I cut them out, I decided to include the flower images around them. It took some effort and careful fussy cutting...but totally worth it!

For the base-I used the large manila tags by Ranger! I love the size-they are a little larger than normal sized shipping tags . (I have the complete product list at the bottom of this post!) Over the backgrounds, I adhered patterned papers from the collection. For added interest, I used bronze colored embellishments to bring out the auburn color of their hair. I do so with satin ribbon and the Prima newsprint frames. 

 I love to create my flower clusters using a mix of styles and colors that match the paper perfectly. The white flowers add texture without making it feel too flower heavy. I also pulled out the blue and violet tones from the fairy for a cohesive look.

I love the pops of pink from this sweet image with green and auburn tones. Again-mixing various flower styles and shades can really make those colors shine!
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Here are some close ups of the tags that really show off the dimension and details.

Hope you enjoyed these little projects today! Thanks for coming by! xoxo Cari

Product List:

950354-FR Periwinkle
950323-FR-Sweet Briar
563424-Newsprint Frame-Ladybird
565732-Frost-Allure
565862-Labelle-Tranquil
950545-Cling Mount Stamps Divine
566609-Avante Coral
565817-Labelle-Pink Marble
565992-Mini Sachet-Winter
560515-Say It In Crystals
891046-Chalk Edger-Rose Bud
890988-Chalk Edger-Farmers Jeans
565213-Paper Mini Roses-Copper
890964-Comfort Craft Tool-Craft Knife

Extra Materials:
Lace
Leaves
Manila Tags-Ranger
Silk Ribbon
Hole Punch

Prima+Sizzix=Awesomeness!

Hey everyone!
I have a really fun project to share with you today and I am so excited to be participating in the Prima  and Sizzix blog switch! Prima has released brand new dies with Sizzix and they are to "die" for--wink! I can now have an unlimited supply of leaves, awesome tabs for cards, butterflies all over my projects if I like and use up my stash of paper that has out grown my space. Cool-right? Also, be sure to check out the Sizzix UK Blog to see all of the amazing projects that their designers have created using these fabulous dies....

Here are some of the dies I got to use-these are my faves:

 


There are 13 dies all together in the collection. A wonderful assortment of dies to choose from and the great news is-they are shipping to stores now! So tell your favorite LSS to get them in for you, so you can start playing too!

If you want to see the entire collection, go here! There are borders, flowers, tags, butterflies and more. All of them will be perfect to use with your favorite Prima goodies!

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I was browsing Claudine Helmuth's blog the other day and I saw that she had posted that you could use her Studio Black Gesso on a surface to create your own chalkboard! How awesome!  I really wanted to post this pic with something written in chalk on the inside but alas, I can not find any chalk! 

Anyway...here is the end result! I could have kept going with the embellies and paper flowers but I need space to actually write messages on it--haha! I had so much fun making the flowers and I can not believe how good they look with Prima flowers. I love the combination, so now I'm hooked. 

I grabbed a Prima 12 x 12 wood frame, painted the inside with the black gesso and then rubbed Pastel Chalk Edgers over the white frame (after giving a little bit of sanding with my Distresser). I mixed Pastel Green and Blue together for a gorgeous two-toned look.

 I cut out a ton of leaves and the flowers using the 12x12 Art Journal Pad by Jodie Lee for Prima. This paper pad has so many great neutral papers, that are perfect for die cutting. The patterns are not too overpowering yet colorful enough. I inked all of the paper edges with my Vintage Photo Distress ink too. 

I colored the Prima Resist Canvas pieces using Peeled Paint Distress Stain and tucked them in among the paper leaves. I added Vintage buttons to the flower centers to give them a finished look. 

Love the crackle look of the patterned paper on this paper flower, so pretty!

Another example: here is a layout I made using the same idea with the leaves and resist canvas. But on this, I embossed the leaves for texture. So the ideas and possibilities are endless...

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I also made a little bonus card, using a Julie Nutting Doll stamp, with papers from the same paper pad...

I cut out some Prima Sizzix leaves from green cardstock and stamped them with a cute little background stamp. The  images were stamped with Moss Lawn Chalk Edger, embossed with clear powder and heat set. I love the two toned effect! 

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Here is a list of everything I used for these projects:

Prima Products:

549893-12x12 Wood Frame

567088-Joulee Flowers-Quartz

950682-12x12 Art Journal Paper Pad

551629-Alla Prima Resist Canvas

550783-Vintage Buttons

550776-Vintage Buttons

565732-Frost Flowers-Allure

565787-Frost-Frappe

562885-Alphabet

891701-Chalk Edger-Pastel Green

891695-Chalk Edger-Pastel Blue

891190-Chalk Edger-Moss Lawn

910198-Doll Stamp

551346-SIIC

Sizzix Dies:

Arbor-658523

Gulian-658529

Estate-658527

Extra Materials:

Ranger Studio Black Gesso

Ranger Distress Stain-Peeled paint

May Arts Ribbon-1.5 in Green, 1/2 in Peach Plaid

I would like to say a special thank you to Sizzix for sending me the dies and allowing me to create with them-it was great!
Thanks for stopping by everyone! Have a great day...
xoxo Cari