Thanks for visiting!


Welcome! This is the place where I share my artsy and crafty projects. I am an evolving artist these days ... finding myself enjoying less of the cards and mini albums that I have made for years, and turning to art journaling and more artistic endeavors. I have always enjoyed some craft or other, and some of my earliest memories of my mother helping me make paper dolls and other crafts. I am now in my 60's and finding myself more passionately enjoying creating beautiful things and learning new skills and techniques and products.

While you are here I hope you will find inspiration and ideas for making your own projects, however any images or projects you find here are my personal property and should not be used for your own monetary gain, or for contests or challenges. Thank You!

7/17/2012

Giveaway Winner!!!

Good Morning!!!  Okay, it's all done, and we have a winner of THIS giveaway.  But first, let me tell you how I came up with the winner ... just so you know it was done fairly.

First, I wrote down the names of everyone  who commented on the blog post, and wrote down how many entries they had.  That took care of all the blog entries.  Second, as new people 'Liked' my Becky Garrison Paper Crafts Facebook page, I wrote their names down, and gave them the appropriate numbers.  And then, once I had all of the entries totaled up, I went to Random.org and put in the total entries (93) and asked for a randomly chosen number, and that number was ...  Number 37!!!  And that number belongs to Diana Duncan!!!  Congratulations, Diana!!!

Congratulations, and thank you so much for entering this giveaway!  Blessings, Becky

















7/16/2012

Giveaway Update!

I am going to postpone the announcement of the giveaway until tomorrow.  I am sorry for the inconvenience, but promise it will be announced as early tomorrow as I can get it done!  Thanks, Becky

7/12/2012

We R Memory Keepers and Crafty Secrets Card for Little Red Wagon Challenge

Hi there!  Back again for a quick post to share a card I made for the challenge over at Little Red Wagon!   The challenge for this week is to make a Christmas card ... or as they put it "No restrictions, no nothing; just create us a lovely card that you will have ready for the coming holidays".  So without further ado ... here is my card ...



I did some paper weaving with the striped paper, embossed the red mat behind the image, and added some stickles.  If you had enough of the images, you could easily make a lot of these cards!  Here are the details ...

Supplies:
  • Base card stock and red 'mat' card stock - Bazzill Basics 'Card Shoppe' card stock
  • Patterned paper - We R Memory Keepers 'Peppermint Twist' collection
  • Image and Sentiment - Crafty Secrets 'Christmas 07'
  • Brown ink - Tim Holtz Distressed Ink Pad 'Brushed Corduroy'
  • Stickles 'Platinum' and 'Christmas Red' - Ranger Ink

 Tools:
  •  Martha Stewart / EK Success Paper Trimmer
  • Cuttlebug
  • Spellbinders 'Scalloped Squares Small' dies
  • Cuttlebug embossing folder 'Birds & Swirls'
  • Scissers, craft knife, ruler
  • Inkssentials Ink Applicator

Tips:  'Fussy Cutting is always a great way to make an image become the 'main event' on a project!

Hope you've enjoyed your visit today!  Come back soon, because I hope to be sharing the 'pocket card' that I made for my Mama's birthday very soon!  Blessings, Becky



7/10/2012

Giveaway Update ... The Goodies!




As promised, I am back with some pictures of the goodies I am giving away next Monday.  Of course the main event are the tags that I premiered on the blog in the post below.  And here are more pics of what you can win .......




Above is the whole batch as it stands now ... but I may add more as time goes on.  The winner will receive the 5 tags in the post below, a bundle of 25 blank #5 manila folders, a little baggie with some resin cabochon flowers, brads, and Maya Road mini thread spools.  Also there are 4 of my felt roses, and 5 wooden clothespins, one holding several yards of Maya Road 'Latte Brown' corded twine, and four holding a few yards of 100% rayon seam binding.  Here are more pictures ...














So, that is it!  And that is a bunch of goodies!  If you would like a chance to win these goodies, please go to THIS POST, and enter.  Blessings, Becky


7/08/2012

October Afternoon & Epiphany Crafts ... A Tag Kind of Day

Yesterday, as usual, I spent almost all day at my favorite LSS (local scrapbooking store) Altered Angel.  It was a big day ... we were having a farewell party for our friends Ken Oliver and Jeremy Bright who are moving very soon all the way to Phoenix, AZ!  They have both landed AMAZING jobs there, (in the paper crafting industry) and have to be there for their jobs.  Anyway, I knew the store would be full and crazy, not to mention it IS a STORE.  And the Scrapbook Expo was only a few miles away this weekend, and our head Angel, store owner Mary, had blitzed the floor of the Expo with flyers about the store, so it was really going to be busy!  

So, I knew I didn't want to work on anything that took a lot of thinking ... something fun and easy ... so I could feel free to just enjoy myself!  So I saw something similar to these online and knew that I wanted to make some ... beware ... they were made by one of my paper crafting heroes, Melissa Phillips, and everything she makes is just gorgeous!



So I went through and looked for some papers and embellishment, and found the 'scraps' from the October Afternoon 'Sidewalks' collection.  I had a good many of the 'Flour Sack' embellishments and some chipboard left over, and I love that collection, so I knew that was what I wanted to do!  Here are my tags ...

 

 











Here are all the details!

Supplies:
  • Tags ... I ordered 1,000 of them from Walmart.com about 3 years ago for a silly (good) amount of money, and I've shared and used all but about 200 so far!
  • Patterned Papers, Flour Sacks, Chipboard Elements - October Afternoon 'Sidewalks' collection
  • Brown ink - Stampabilities
  • Bubble Caps - Epiphany Crafts 'Scalloped Round 25', 'Heart 25', 'Pennant', and 'Flower Button'
  • Felt - Hobby Lobby
  • Mini thread spool - Maya Road
  • Brown corded twine - Maya Road 'Latte Brown'
  • Blue Flower - Prima
  • Seam binding and ribbon - my stash

Tools:
  • Scissors, ruler, craft knife
  • Epiphany Crafts Shape and Button Studio Tools (see above for specifics)
  • Sharpie Ultra Thin Tip Pen (for faux stitching)

These were so easy and fun to make, and I want to share them with YOU!!!  I want to give away these 5 tags, and maybe a few supplies from my stash, like maybe some of the Maya Road Latte Brown corded twine, a few yards of my favorite seam binding ribbon, and who knows what else I may throw in!  You have several chances to win:
  • Leave a comment and tell me if you like to make tags and why!
  • Like my Facebook page by following this link, then come back here and leave another comment to let me know you did it!  This will give you 2 extra entries!!!
  • Become a follower, then leave a comment and let me know.  If you are already a follower, tell me that in a comment as well.  This will give you two more entries!
  • Share this blog post on your blog, come back and leave me a link in a comment, and that will get you 2 more entries!
  • And lastly, Share this blog post on your Facebook page, then come back and leave me a comment with a link to your page, and that will get you 3 more entries! 

This is a total of 10 --- yes TEN --- entries!!!  You can do any or all of these ways of entering, just know that each time you do one, that gives you more chances to win!  In the next couple of days I will post a picture of what I'm giving away.  I will give you one week, until next Sunday night, July 15th, at midnight!  Monday July 16th I will announce the winner!  

Now come on, you know you want to win some goodies!!!  Blessings, Becky


7/07/2012

October Afternoon - 9 to 5 - Mini Album

You know I've only been making mini albums for a few months, right?  I mean, up until earlier this year, I only did cards ... period!  But then I made my first mini and I was hooked!  And while I've loved every album I've made, none of them are as special as this one ... I mean, I LOVE ♥♥♥♥♥♥ this mini album, and it's all because of the wonderful papers I used!

I've been a fan of October Afternoon for a long time, but this new collection '9 to 5' is just amazing!  So much fun to work with, although that may have more to do with my memories from the 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond working in offices than anything.  Before I started working on this album, I already knew that I wanted to 'sort of' scraplift an album made by Lindsey.   I have been reading the blog that Lindsey shares with her mother, Twyla, for several years, but when I saw this album I was just amazed, and knew I had to give it a shot!    And I'm really excited how it came out!  Here is the cover of  my mini album ...




As usual, this will be a photo heavy post, so I'm going to share all the pages and features first, then I will list all the supplies, tools and such ... so here goes ...


Pages One and Two

Pages one and two show pockets, tags and photo mats.  Page one has three tags and two photo mats, and page two has two photo mats and one tag.


Pages Three and Four

Page three is a 'flip mat' for three photos, page four has three tags ... one is decorated with the chipboard high heel from the 'Miscellany' package.  I inked it in black and heat embossed it with Ranger black embossing powders.  It wasn't 'shiny' enough for me, so I added two layers (drying in between each) of Glossy Accent to really kick it up a bit!  




Pages five and six are two of my favorites!  I love the houndstooth, and I love the blue and green!  I also just L♥VE the 'Secretary's Friend' typewriter ribbon label.  Page five has three photo mats, and page six has two.  One of the ones on page six ... the 'guest ticket' one came out of my Mama's purse!  She was looking through a book of phone numbers and the ticket was stuck in the notebook.  It had one phone number written on the back, but I told her she had to write that down somewhere else, because I needed - had to have - that ticket!  And doesn't it match the paper perfectly???  Oh, and I think the houndstooth heart, made with the  Epiphany Crafts 'Heart 25' Shape Studio tool is a perfect accent!



Pages seven and eight have diagonal pockets, and each pocket holds three photo mats.  I used the telephone sticker and added Glossy Accents to give it some shine, and added a 'Tin Pin' to one of the photo mats.  






Page Nine has a horizontal pocket, filled with Miscellany bits, as well as a tag.  And up across the top I made a pennant banner using the Epiphany Pennant Shape tool, and the Round 25 shape tool.   Page 10 has a vertical pocket, with a few photo mats inside, but my favorite part of this page is the silhouette which came from one of the typewriter ribbon labels.  I used the Epiphany Scalloped Circle 25 shape tool, and it's such a cute accent!





Page Eleven has a vertical pocket as well, edged with a card stock border, and photo mats made from more of the Miscellany bits.  I love the 'ampersand'  (&) Tin Pin!  Page Twelve has another horizontal pocket with several photo mats, a couple made from the Miscellany bits.  I also used another Epiphany Scalloped Round 25 shape tool on the corner of one of the mats.


Back Cover

I used scraps of coordinating ribbons and trims to decorate the binding.


Supplies:
  • Covers - The Cinch 6" square book covers
  • Patterned paper -  October Afternoon 9 to 5 Collection
  • Die Cuts and other elements - October Afternoon 9 to 5 'Miscellany', 'Tin Pins', '12" x 12" Shape Stickers', 'Word Stickers' and 'Label Stickers'
  • The Cinch - 1.25" binding wires
  • Stickles 'Platinum' - Ranter Ink
  • Bubble Caps - Epiphany Shape Studio Tools 'Round 25', 'Scalloped 25', and Pennant
  • Glossy Accent, Black Embossing Powder (high heel chipboard) - Ranger Ink
  • Guest Check - My Mama's purse .... she had a phone # written on the back and I pretty much 'made' her re-write the # on something else and give me the check.  The 'distressing' is real!
  • Brown ink - Stampabilities
  • Tape Measure Trim - Tim Holtz
  • Ribbon and trims - miscellaneous from my stash

Tools:
  • The Cinch - We R Memory Keepers
  • Cricut Expression and Plantin Schoolbook cartridge
  • Epiphany Shape Studio Tools - Round 25, Scalloped 25, and Pennant
  • Fiskars 'Apron Lace' Border Punch
  • Carl PRT-100 Rotary Cutter and 'squiggle' and 'colonial' blades
  • Martha Stewart / EK Success Paper Trimmer
  • Cuttlebug
  • Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Scallooped Circles Small'
  • Scissors, ruler, craft knife

This album was so much fun, and even exciting to make, I was joyful, bordering on giddy as I was working on it, because I knew it was going to be something special!  For the last month or so, this album has been on display at my LSS, Altered Angel in Alpharetta, GA, and apparently it has gotten a lot of interest.  I met one lady at Scrapbook Expo who told me she had made pictures of all of it and bought everything so she could make one exactly like it!  They say imitation is the truest form of flattery, and I appreciate her telling me how much she liked this album. 

I hope to be back soon with something new ... Blessings, Becky


7/05/2012

Authentique 'Inspiration Color Challenge', and Little Red Wagon 'Beach Theme' Challenge


Hi Folks!  I know it's been a while, but sometimes life gets in the way of crafting and/or blogging about your crafting!  But I am back today with a sweet card that I made with two challenges in mind!  The challenges are ...
Of course the beach theme AND the color inspiration photo ...
 



went perfectly with Authentique Paper's 'Fresh' Collection, and I just happened to have the whole (almost) kit of 'Fresh' goodies.  Here is the card that I made ...





And here are all the details ...

Supplies:
  • Card base - Bazzill Basics 'Card Shoppe' card stock
  • Patterned Papers - Authentique Papers 'Fresh' Collection, 'Pure' 'Free' and 'Crisp'
  • Stickers - Authentique Papers 'Fresh' Collection 'Elements' and 'Details'
  • Bubble Caps - Epiphany 'Round 25' 
  • Trim - Anna Griffin
  • Ink (only on edges) - Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad 'Frayed Burlap'
  • Adhesive - Beacon 3 in 1 Advanced Craft Glue and Glue Arts 'Gluedles'




 Tools:
  • Martha Stewart / EK Success Paper Trimmer
  • Martha Stewart / EK Success Scoring Board
  • Epiphany 'Round 25' Shape Tool
  • Ruler, Scissors, Craft Knife



 Tips and Tricks:

  • Just lightly inking the edges of papers and images gives them a finished look and makes them pop off the page!
  • Trims that aren't perfectly straight, like this curvy trim by Anna Griffin, give a sense of movement on your projects!
  • Can't find the perfect button or embellishment for the paper you are using?  The Epiphany tools make great embellishments that match your papers perfectly, because they are made USING that paper!  The one on top right was made using a sticker from the 'Details' sheet, and the bottom left was made using an element from the 'Pure' patterned paper.

I hope you  have enjoyed my project today!  Come back soon for another paper crafting project!  Blessings, Becky