Spring inspired......

Hi chic-a-dee's how are you doing? Sorry for the delay on posting but I'm finally here to share a few creations for our current challenge to use cardboard and something from the hardware store. I have 3 creations to share today.....the 1st was inspired by my finds in the gardening section of the hardware store....the 2nd the beginnings of my very first mini album.....and the 3rd a sneak peek at a 3D rose painted with Claudine Helmuth's paint ....I'll share the rest of the album and the rose's new home on Wednesday's post....

So here are the details for the challenge:

You live in a rural County, in fact so rural the closest scrapbooking store is many miles away and you get the chance to shop only once in a while. You shop online normally, at… joy, oh joy...Blue Moon Scrapbooking!! On a whimsy, your neighbor says “I’m going to town, want a lift?” Well, you hop in and the neighbor says “I’ll drop you off and pick you up in a bit”. Fabulous – except you have been dropped off at the hardware store with only cardboard shapes, nuts and bolts, wire and mesh… available. Time to push the creativity button as you work with the supplies from the hardware store.

The design team played with Donna Salazar shapes and borders which are fabulous corrugated cardboard shapes and so much fun to create with!

First up....a few seed packets pretty’d up with my "favoritists"….like Webster’s......and K & Co pattern paper, ribbon, vintage lace and buttons….wrapped snuggly with the scalloped edge cardboard in the set....it's also been glitzed up with a bit more pretty paper and ribbon….and topped off with a button…...

…...perhaps a tad “over the top”…...since they are in fact just seed packets… but in my world every little something deserves a dash of lovey-dovey sweetness….. ….and with an extra little envelope for a note and perhaps a Home Depot gift card wouldn’t it be a charming gift for a new homeowner….or perhaps an avid gardener…..

....next the beginnings of my very first mini album....and I must say they are indeed a challenge to create, phew! The first "page" has my usuals like ribbon and buttons and pretty paper......

....a bit of gathered mesh alongside the ribbon and buttons adds a springy, out doors'y sort of touch that I love.....

...and of course you can't have a mini album without a pocket and a little note card.....

....the 2nd "page" is just a few layers of pretty paper.....some covering a little more of the cardboard from the set.....and another pocket with a place for a few pics and notes....

...I must say these cardboard shapes are perfect to add dimension to any project....and they are flexible too....with just enough give to bend a bit....

...the 3rd page features the heart shape cardboard along with more bits of pretty paper and pearls....

....it's also been given a dash of girliness with ribbon, pearls and paper.....it fits just perfectly inside a pocket made from a vintage flower.....

....and on the other side of the heart a bit of space for a few words of love....

....the 4th and last page for today features an enchanting scene from a Webster's Page has been embellished with an umbrella to shade the lovely swan from the sun.....

........it was created by adhering one of the borders from the set to a piece of cardboard from my Chinese take-out.......then covered in matching pattern paper...ribbon...and buttons.....

.....and for the lovely waves of water....how about two more pieces from the set covered in pattern paper....this border happens to have the perfect edge to seem like little waves.....

....so now I leave you with a sneak peek at a little something I'm creating....every so often I get my hands back into creating my 3D rose and I've been dying to create a yellow one for a while now.....so when I received the Claudine Helmuth paint in the kit I knew it was time......

....to create this rose I stamped the image on water color paper 5 times then painted it with the paint....which I must say is the BEST crafter's paint around...petal by petal I cut and created the roses....then added a layer of glassy effects to offer a porcelain-like feel....and a touch of glitter on the edges for a bit of elegance.....don't know yet where she's going though....perhaps a card....or something else....hmmmm

....so now I'd love to see what you can create with some cardboard and a little something from the hardware store....be sure to upload them to our gallery! Remember $40 is up for grabs for the winner.....so give it a go...ya' never know:)

Abby:)