Lily Bee Design

Trendspotting Tutorial: Arrows

Happy Friday everyone!  This week has been all about incorporating trends on your latest project!  I decided to focus on the very popular trend of using shapes on your layout.  Triangles, circles, and arrows to be exact!  

I love arrows.  They draw your eye to a specific spot and they convey so much movement.  I decided to create my own on the layout below.

Want to make some of these big arrows of your own?  They are easy to replicate because they are built of simple shapes!

Start your arrow off from the back by gathering one of the chipboard sticker banners from any new collection.  Place it on it's side and you have the end of the arrow.  I created the middle by cutting a rectangle the same width as the chipboard.  I make it less blocky, I cut on a diagonal along the top sides, making a small tag of sorts.

To create the arrowhead, I just punched out a square using any coordinating patterned paper.  Cut the square in half along the diagonal to make two triangles.  

Put all the pieces together to make arrows like the ones on my page!

You can vary the size of your arrows by shortening or lengthening the middle rectangle.  To add interest, cut one of the premade arrows from the Flip Flops paper. Have that arrow serve as the arrowhead!  I chose the word "This" and made it a part of my title.  To make the title arrow pop, outline it with black pen and a ruler.  You have instant impact.

I incorporated circles and triangles around the page as well, purposefully placing them where I wanted to draw the eye!  Using repeating elements can really ground a page and make it all cohesive.

Supplies:  Pinwheel (Papers:  Picnic Basket, Apricot Tree, Jump Rope, Flip Flops; Chipboard Stickers; Circle & Tag Stickers, Chit Chat Stickers), Sweet Shoppe (Paper:  Pink Mint, Cotton Candy, Marshmellow, Candy Stick; Label Stickers), Destination (Paper: Passport, Embellishment Bundle Twine)

So...embrace a trend...use simple shapes to make your page unique!

Tutorial Friday | Framed Dry Erase Board

Well, hello there! Cindy here with a simple tutorial showing you how to convert a large size picture frame into a functional dry erase board.

And by all means, this idea isn't anything new, but kinda new to me. During a four day crop I attended last week, one of my friends showed us how to convert a 5x7 frame into a dry erase board, which was inspired by many ideas on Pinterest. During one of our shopping trips, we hit up Hobby Lobby and I couldn't resist their 50% off deal on all their frames. I love the design and color of the frame, which can easily be spray painted.

Supplies: Pinwheel (Jump Rope & Lemonade Stand, Embellishment Bundle), Christmas Cheer (ABC Stickers)

To begin, remove the glass from the frame and wipe it clean with vinegar & water or plain a spritz of windex, set aside to dry.

Use the insert backing as your foundation and add your pattern paper using a little adhesive to keep it secure. I added a strip of quote bubbles to the bottom of my pattern background embellished a few of them with abc cardstock stickers.

You can easily leave the entire frame bare, but I added an 11x5 inch piece of cork board.

Place the covered insert into the frame and push in tabs to secure into place.

Instead of using the foam squares that came with the package of cork board, I used my hot glue gun. Generously cover the back of cork board and adhere to the outside of the frame.

Add velcro to bottom of frame and dry erase pen and attach.

Make sure the cork is at least the same depth as the frame, so it's flush with the frames edge. Gives it a clean and smooth look without looking too bulky.

Voila! I now have a nice dry erase board hanging in my kitchen I can use to jot down items I need to pick up at the market on a weekly basis. I also use the cork board section to hold coupons, which helps having them out in the open rather inside a container or my purse. Because I am always letting them expire or forget I have them, like I did my $10 Kohl's cash that expired on the 14th.

I added layers of paper flowers and adorned with a large embellishment button and used glue dots to adhere it to the frame. I kept this simple so I can change it up whenever the mood strikes. Plus, it would be fun to change it for every season or holiday.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my project. Hope it inspires you to create something functional to display in your home.

Pinwheels | How-to on Friday

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Hope you have enjoyed seeing all the projects this week featuring the Pinwheel collection.  Inspired by Spring and the name of the collection, I'm finishing the week with this project using Pinwheels.

I wanted to layer pinwheels, so I after choosing my papers, I cut two squares (3" and 4").

To add a little more fun, I used a border punch and punched around all four sides.  Using a bone folder, I folded point to point, opened it, then folded to the other point to point to form creases.  This helps with the next step.

Cut to about a 1/4 to an 1/8 of an inch from the center along the creases.
Fold the left sides into the center.  This to me is the trickiest part in getting all the points in the middle enough to attach them.
So to help secure them, I stapled in the center.  If you are going to use a brad to finish them off, punch a hole in the center.  Next, create the second pinwheel following these steps, then secure the two pinwheels together with a brad or staple again in the center.

Use can use a wooden stick, dowel, or, what I used, a lollipop stick and wrap some coordinating washi tape around it.

With your finished layered pinwheels, adhere it to the stick.  I used a very strong glue to do this and held it for several seconds for it to bond.

Create your own "straw" to fill the jar by cutting strips of pattern paper.

Fill the jar with the strips and some goodies.

You may not have the Crop-A-Dile II that can punch anywhere.  The pinwheel could probably stand up in the jar without because of the candy and straw it if you didn't have that tool.  
I wrapped more washi tape around the outside of the lid, added a scalloped circle to the top and put the Pinwheel through it.  It needed a tag, so I made a quick one by cutting about an inch and half by three and half piece of pattern paper, rounded the corners with a corner rounder, and then punched a hole at the top.
Very quick, fun, and easy way to put together something cute for my daughter and her best friend for Easter.
My daugther loves for me to make her something.  So she will be excited, and I'm sure, will pick which one she likes best.  Thank you for joining me today.  Join us next week for a Spring and Easter projects.
Pinwheel (Flower Box Paper, Kite Strings Paper, Sprinklers Paper, Embellishment Bundle)

Shadow Box Frame

Hello there.  It's Ursula here today to show you a little shadow box frame project I created to highlight a photo I just love of my husband and I. We danced together at our daughter's wedding 2 years ago. Somehow, I missed this photo before. I love the look on my husband's face as I whispered in his ear. I can't recall now what I may have told him, but I do know that I had to do something special with it. 

I really feel like the image expresses how we feel about each other, even after 21 years together.

The look I wanted to create was reminiscent of a graduated hall.  I saw this photo that inspired me to try to accomplish the layered look I ended up with.  In order to acheive it, I had to cut larger and larger windows in full sheets of paper.  I then backed each sheet with long strips of dimensional foam tape to lift each layer from the next.

While relatively simple, it did take a bit of time to get all of the sizes correct but I love the finished result.

I added some wood veneer pieces to incorporate different textures.  I also did one round of the layers using a shiny 'subway' patterned tape I have to create added texture. Silhouette helped me create a beautiful and classic title.

Lily Bee Supplies used ( This & That : Patterned Paper, Buttercup: Patterned Paper, Victoria Park: Patterned Paper, Christmas Cheer: Patterned Paper, Autumn Spice: ABC Cardstock Stickers)

The end result produces a page that could never be used in an album as it's quite thick (at least 1/2 inch, but it is perfect for a shadow box.

So what have you altered lately.  Make sure you show us your most recent Lily Bee projects on our Facebook page or in our Flickr gallery.  We love all the inspiration you provide!

Quilting Paper Technique | Tutorial

Good Morning! I love the Lily Bee patterned paper and wanted to show how easy it is to create a faux quilted background using pattern paper for a layout. 

I started with a piece of 12x12 Kraft card stock and then layered a block of slightly smaller white card stock on top. I cut out twenty-five 2x2 squares from the gray chevron striped paper. I placed these on top of the white card stock.

Then, I cut out thirteen 2x2 squares of the blue polka dot paper and cut them in half diagonally to create triangles. I used a repositionable glue stick to adhere them to the chevron blocks; I put the first triangle in the lower right hand corner of the first block and the next triangle went in the upper left hand corner of the next block.

This created a fun pattern across my background!

Finally, I stiched everything down with my sewing machine.

All that was then left to do was to place my photos and embellishments on top! I layered a couple of piece of paper from the Tiny Tablet and a piece of vellum underneath my photos. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out some arrows and part of my title. A few brads and veneer stars were sprinkled across and some journaling was typed up and voila! 

Thanks for joining me on the blog today! See you again on Monday!

ABC Cardstock Stickers | Tutorial

One of my very favorite Lily Bee products are the ABC Cardstock Stickers. I love that there are so many little letters on these sheets and they are perfect for adding journaling, subtitles, and labels to my layouts.

But sometimes the large 12 x 12 sheet makes it difficult to get these tiny alphas off their backing and onto my page! So I've cut my large sheets down into a more manageable size. Using a kraft knife and my clear ruler, I simply slice up the alpha sets by color.

Once they are cut down, these little alpha sheets are much easier to use. And they fit perfectly into a litle bucket on my scrap desk, so I can easily grab whatever color I need:

The smaller sized sheets can be easily bent slightly, allowing the letter to come off the backing without ripping or tearing:

Once the letter starts to peel away from the backing, I use my kraft knife to pull it off the sheet.  This seems to work better than my clumsy fingers, which often rip the tiny alphas.

Then I use my knife to line up the letter before sticking it down to my page.  When I have several lines of lettering on a layout, I use pencil guide lines to get everything straight (and erase them afterwards!)

The result is perfectly aligned lettering every time!

Lily Bee Supplies: Christmas Cheer ( Mrs. Claus, Figgy Pudding papers); Persnickety (6x6 Tiny Tablet, ABC Cardstock Stickers)

Hope those tips help you get more use out of your ABC Cardstock Stickers!  Happy Scrapping!

Focus on 6x6 Tiny Tablets | Tutorial

Happy Friday Lily Bee Friends. Summer here with a fun Advent Calendar tutorial to start off the holiday creative season.

Supplies Used: Christmas Cheer (6x6 Tiny Tablet)

To create this advent calendar you will need 1 Lily Bee 6x6 Christmas Cheer tiny Tablet, small kraft bags, your favorite border punch, 7/8 inch circle punch, 1 inch decorative punch , red cardstock, bakers twine, 18x22 inch frame, and mini clothes pins.

To start off using my 7/8 inch circle punch I punched out all the numbers from the Christmas Cheer 6x6 Tiny Tablet number paper. Then using red cardstock I punched out 25 1 inch decorative starbursts. I used a Martha Stewart punch but you could use a 1 inch scallop punch or even a 1 inch circle punch.

Using foam squares for added depth I adhered the punched circles to the red startbursts.

Cut 25 2.5 inch x 2 inch rectangles of your favorite patterns from the Christmas Cheer 6x6 Tiny Tablet. Then using your favorite border punch add a decorative border to the long edge of your cut out rectangles. Then fold in half as seen in the photo below. Put the candy in the kraft bag, fold the edge to seal in the candy and top off with your folded piece of patterned paper. My kraft bags came from Micheal's.

I sewed my bags shut as seen in the photo below but you could easily staple them instead.

Since I have 2 kids I made 2 sets of candy bags.

I purchased an inexpensive unfinished frame from Micheal's, spray painted it black, distressed it, then I tacked bakers twine in 5 rows and used mini clothes pins to attach the treat bags. 

Thanks for joining me today and happy holidays.

Tutorial | Tiny 'Autumn' Mini Album

Good morning creative souls and happy Friday to you! Today, I (Cindy) am super excited to share a simple tutorial on how-to make this tiny mini album out of index journaling cards.

Gather a mix of index journaling cards. I used 17 of them from Autumn Spice, Persnickety, Victoria Park, Double-Dutch, Buttercup and Handmade collections.

Score each index journaling card in half, which should measure 2-inches, facing up.

If you want, you can also gather a few mini tags and mini envelope and score each of them in half, too. Once each index journaling cards has been scored, fold with print side facing in. Set cards up and arrange them with the tabs equally spaced and add in other index journaling cards with two notches at the bottom in between the cards with tabs.

Lay in order and begin adhering the first two index journaling cards backs together using a glue stick. Make sure the front of each one are flush and even through.

Use the scored mini tags and mini envelopes within the mini album adhere them to different index journaling cards. This can be done with them added in between gluing and to also hide any unevenness.

once cards have been glued together, use binder clips at top and bottom and drizzle Helmar's acid free glue to the back seams of the cards and evenly spread to get a good seal on the spine of the mini album. (Note: this glue dries super fast...less than 5 minutes)

Once dry, use mini album to determine size of cover and score according to thickness.

Evenly adhere the first and last index journaling cards inside album cover, one at a time.

To decorate the front of my mini album, I used a small tag stamped with title and embellished with tiny leaves and button. Add twine or ribbon through button holes and through the tags hole and adhere it to the small flap with a few glue dots for extra security.

Here is a view inside the tiny mini album.

Throughout the album, I used lots of cardstock stickers, clear stamps and tiny die-cut leaves. I specially made this album to keep all my favorite photos from this Fall season. This album fits 2"x1.75" photos perfectly (Instagram photos would work, too).

Happy FALL and enjoy your weekend!

 

A Weekend Tutorial with Anna-Maria

 
Hi everybody, Anna-Maria here today, and it's Saturday!!! So we start the scrappy weekend today. For the begining of this awesome free time I propose you a simple tutorial made with Lily Bee 6x6 Tiny Tablets.

I made a layout using some Lily Bee collections and washi tapes. I would like to show you how can you create an easy and very attractive background for your layouts. You can also use this technic in your albums and cards! It's so easy to make and - what is very important - you can ajust colour palette to your photos every time.

Ok, let's start.

You will need a piece of white cardstock, some papers (I use Lily Bee Tiny Tablets 6x6) and masking tapes.The first step you should start in the corner. You have to cut a piece of paper and past it in the corner of the cardstock. Then you should cut a stripe from the other paper - and stick it.

You can use different papers and also masking tape. Using tape is much easier, because you don't have to cut the stripes :)When you finishe to embellishement the whole cardstock (remember you can leave some white stripes also), you have to cut it into a few pieces. They don't have to be simmilar in their width.Supplies Used:  Double Dutch, Handemade, Buttercup collections

Now when you have the cardstock in pieces you have to compose those stripes into interesting composition and stick everything on other cardstock.

Then just past this composition into your layout, add the picture and other embellishements on your base.

The layout with a stripe area is ready.

I showed you the whole process made with pastel tones (the layout I published when we were proposed you the colour challenge on Lily Bee blog), but I also prepared the second example of using this techinic - with different palette coming from Victoria Park collection.

Supplies Used: Buttercup Collection (Flower Pot paper), Victoria Park (Tiny Tablet 6x6,  Mixed Cardstock Stickers, ABC Cardstock Sticker, Index Journal Cards) 

Hope you like this easy tutorial and you will use it in your creations.

And don't forget about our other current contest- the Blog and Facebook Giveaway week. TONIGHT is your last night to enter, so make sure you are all signed up! You can find more information about that here. Winners will be announced here on the blog, tomorrow! :)

Good luck!

Guest Designer | August | Lilith Eeckels

Hello Lily Bee fans! It's nearly the end of August and that means saying goodbye to this month's Guest Designer, Lilith Eeckels. We've enjoyed each and every project she's shared with us! Make sure and go back and take a peek at all of her beautiful work this past month, here. 

Today, Lilith brings us her grand finale for August with a spectacular altered project. She's not only created a beautiful art journal page, she's also created a video tutorial of her process for us all to enjoy. So sit back, and enjoy watching Lilith work her magic on this beautiful piece of art using Lily Bee products!

 

 

Supplies: Autumn Spice Patterned papers: nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, Autumn Spice Mixed Cardstock Sticker, Autumn Spice ABC Cardstock Sticker, Distress ink: Frayed burlap, antique linen, Stazon black, brown, Archival ink: sepia, Artemio stamps, Gelatos, India ink, Page torn out of an old book

 Thank you ever so much, Lilith, for sharing your talents with us for the past month! Next week we'll have a brand new guest designer with us for the month of September, so come back to check that out next Thursday. Until then, have a wonderful day!

Design Sense - Creating a Strong Focal Point

Today, I want to give a few tips on how to make sure that your layouts have a strong focal point.  Understanding some basic design principles will allow you to make sure that every element on your page works to support your main objective.

Lily Bee Supplies (Buttercup Collection Kit, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, ABC Cardstock Sticker, Bag O Bits, Double Ductch Hopscotch Paper, Handmade Linen Paper)

 
The first step is to think about what is going on your page that you want to be the main focus for your viewer.  This can be a photo, a title, or even your journaling. The beauty is that you get to decide what gets the most attention.

Secondly, determine which specific elements you want to include on your page.  This is all about narrowing your list of products down to the ones you’re actually going to glue down. For my projects, I wanted to use Hexagons as a design element.  I lifted them off the page for depth.

Third, think about how the elements you’ve chose can ‘point’ to your main focus.

For my project, I’ve used my title as my main focus.  I’ve decided there is an important value statement that I want to highlight through emphasis on my title specifically. That concept is the idea that couples can ‘make it work’ in marriage.

The first thing I'm going to do toward that end is create my title as a 'grand entity'.  Size is one very clear way to point the eye to a focal point. 

 

Secondly, placement is important.  Placement doesn’t have to be centered, in fact, centering along the rule of thirds is often a great idea.  However, when anything is front and center, you just can’t miss it.  This time, I'm going with that idea.  

Thirdly, I’ll use the aforementioned ‘other elements’ to create a triangle who’s lines move the viewers eye around the page so they are sure to spot all the most important parts.

You’ll notice that there are more than just one triangle that could be recognized here, but all of them emphasize my main focus.

Finally, consider color.  Some colors are more attention grabbing than others.  Color also evokes mood, so carefully plan for the mood you want to create.  I want my viewer to be soothed by the hopefulness of my subject matter so I'm going with the color Yellow (which symbolizes hope) for my title to add extra emphasis to my point.  I’ve also outlined it in black pen so that it will stand out. 

These concepts will help you as you seek to create meaningful, memory-keeping projects in the future.

 

Mini Butterfly Valentine ' s

Hey everyone, Cindy here with you today to share a how-to make cute little butterflies that dress up mini lollipops for your child's classmates. Several months ago, my little girl & I spent some time on Pinterest (I know, I can't get enough of that place) & we found these cute Butterfly Valentine project. Later that day, she created a few of her own. So of course, I got to thinking about her Valentine treats & decided to make a smaller version.


Punch a large 3/16" hole at bottom of die-cut hearts.


Match holes together while creating a butterfly form & adhere together.


Once dry, carefully slip mini lollipop through dual hearts.


Use tiny glue dots to adhere stick to butterfly, pressing firmly.

Use glue dots to adhere banner names in front & adorn with small googly eyes.


Here I punched out smaller hearts with a "Love Corinne" note on the back of them.


Pretty simple! You could even dress them up with twine or gems for fun or even buttons. But since these will be going to a bunch of 4 & 5 year olds, I though it would be best to keep it simple for their little hands. The best part is that I started these super early instead of waiting until the night before.

Smooches!

Day 9 - Teacher ' s Holiday GIft

I always to love to spoil my kid's teachers this time of year with some sweet treats and a gift card to their favorite place, but being a scrapbooker, I can't just give a plain old gift card! So I've come up with an easy gift card holder that you can attach to a mug, a plant, a plate of cookies, or whatever you might want to give your favorite teacher!

Gift Card Holders by Lisa Dickinson

Lily Bee Supplies:

     Jingle Patterned Papers: Peppermint, Garland, Tinsel, Mistletoe

     Jingle Stickers

Here's a step-by-step to create these card holders:

1. Cut a strip of patterned paper 2.75" x 6.25".  Score at the 4" line and fold.

 

2.  Cut another piece of paper to 2.75" x 4" and adhere it behind the flap you just folded. (Technically, this step isn't necessary if you're using 2-sided patterned paper, but I like to add the extra layer of paper to give the holder a bit more weight.)

 

3.  Stitch around all four sides of the card which will create a pocket from the folded flap.

 

4.  Round the top corners of your card holder.  Then use a die-cut machine or punch to make snowflakes to adorn your card holders. Christmas trees, stars, or snowmen would also be cute!

 

5.  Layer your die-cut shape with a sticker on the non-pocket side of your card.  I adhered mine using foam adhesive to give it some dimension.

6.  Punch a hole in the top edge, add some twine, and slide your gift card into the pocket!

 

7.  Attach your tag to any assortment of small gifts - a coffee mug, a stack of notepads, or a bundle of new pens.  And wish your teacher a very happy holiday!

 

BUT HERE'S THE BEST PART!  To make your holidays a little happier, too, we're giving away a Jingle Collection set to one lucky reader!  Just leave a comment on this post before Monday, December 12, at 12 noon (PST.)  We'll drawn one name as a winner and post their name on the blog that day.

Happy Scrapping (and holidays, too!)

Day 8: A Do-It-Yourself Christmas Tree

I am constantly inspired by all that I see on Pinterest, and when I saw this Christmas tree made from recycled wood, I knew I could put my own spin on it using the gorgeous Jingle collection.

Here is what I made.




When I showed the project to my husband, he thought the cedar shims he had in the basement would be perfect. Sure enough, 5 minutes later he had snapped the pieces into the shape of a tree.

First I sprayed each piece of wood with Glimmer Mist, in essence "staining" each piece. As it dried I cut strips of paper to fit each piece and inked the edges with chalk ink. Then using Glitter Mod Podge (AKA my newest obsession), I attached each piece to the wood. Finally I used Elmer's Wood Glue to attach the pieces to one center wooden piece.

Here is a view from the back. I am going to hang it using one of those 3-M strips. It's super light!



Here are a few close-ups:

See how shimmery the Mod Podge is? I covered this chipboard piece with patterned paper.



I liked the rough edges of the wood, so I tore the end of the paper to match the feel of the rough wood.






And again, the final product.



Products Used:

Jingle Mistletoe
Jingle Merry & Bright
Jingle Peppermint
Jingle Tinsel
Jingle Frost
Jingle ABC Stickers

Starry, Starry Night

Quilts speak "autumn" to me. I love the look of a comfy, bright, patchwork quilt. I wanted to bring that style into a small area I'm decorating for fall in my bedroom, and I pulled out the new "Harvest Splendor" line from Lily Bee to make some quilted stars. 

Start off by drawing a basic star shape. It does NOT have to be perfect, as a matter of fact, it's even better if it's  not. 

I drew two, one slightly taller and one slightly wider. 

Then cut them apart, but keep them lined up right in order to keep yourself from getting confused. I drew numbers on all the pieces of each star so that I knew which pieces went to which one just in case they got mixed up. 

 Then trace each piece on to various pieces of patterned paper. This is the most time consuming part; settle in with a good tv show on in the background and you're good to go!

 As I did the pieces to each star, I laid them out together on the table to make sure I was keeping everything in order and that I liked the order of patterns & colors. This would also be great to do with the 6x6 pads (but I really liked how the larger patterns looked on these).

Ink all the edges with black ink and an ink dauber. Be careful to not leave it sitting out while you hop up for a minute, because someone might think it's "makeup." Ahem. 

Adhere all the inked pieces down to a piece of kraft cardstock. I left a small amount of space in between each piece. 

Cut the stars out. I alternated between pinking shears and regular scissors. Then punch a hole at the top of each star, and string twine through them. 

Hang from a strip of burlap with tiny clothespins, and enjoy! 

Lily Bee supplies:

Patterned Paper:
Peach Crisp-Harvest Market
Black Licorice-Harvest Market
Turtleneck-Harvest Market
Hayride- Harvest Market

Pumpkin Seeds- Harvest Market

Squash- Harvest Market

Other:
cardstock, scissors, twine, burlap, black ink