Wood Works

I’m excited to introduce our Lots of Photos Guest Designer: Jennifer Larson!

Short bio: I grew up in Maine and have lived in Minnesota since I went to college here. I met my husband at the Mall of America, and we married and made Minnesota home. Since then I’ve been teaching high school English and been a wife and a tired mother to two very active boys and a dog and cat. Every summer I look forward to gardening, running outdoors, and vacationing in National Parks. I’ve been a cardmaker since 1999 and a scrapbooker since 2002, published in magazines including Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook & Cards Today, Scrapbook Trends, and Creating Keepsakes. When it comes to scrapbooking, I love bright colors, lots of photos, and adding fun little details to my pages.

How did you get started scrapbooking? I took a basic scrapbooking class at Archiver’s when I was pregnant with my first son. I’ve been hooked ever since!

What is your favorite American Crafts product? It’s a tie between Thickers and Zing embossing powder.

Blog: midwestscrapgarden.blogspot.com

Twitter: @Buffyfanlarson

Pinterest: pinterest.com/buffyfan

Instagram: @buffyfanlarson

LIKE MY DAD by Jennifer Larson

I had several photos I wanted to add to this one page, but they were too big, so I trimmed the individual photos into circles and overlapped them onto the main photo of all three of them together. It made for an interesting way to fit many photos onto one page.

Supplies: Yes, Please, Remember (35925) – Yes Please, Consistent (35931) – My Girl Sweet Sadie (42241) – My Girl, Marvelous Madeline (78069) – Lucky Charms, Doting Dots (35964) – Remarks, Stella (42360) – Yes, Please, Remarks, Organize (42364) – Yes Please, Remarks, Noteworthy (42367)

MY CREATIVE LIFE by Jennifer Larson

I have created several templates with Photoshop Elements that fit a small print (or two) on a 4×6 print. When I want to put lots of photos on a page, I use them to size my photos before I print them: in this case, 3×3 photos.

Supplies: My Girl, Sunny Savannah (35910) – Yes Please, Reflect (35938) – My Girl, Splendid Sophie (35909) – Delights, Hula Hoop (85619) – Yes Please, Remarks, Noteworthy (42367) – Thickers, Kitten, Parfait (53449) – Lucky Charm, Adhesive backed Flowers (85651) – Lucky Charm, Darling Dots (35964) – Thickers, Wish, Robin’s Egg (53457) – Yes Please, Details, Simplify (85628)

ART AFTERNOON by Jennifer Larson

For a two-page layout that has lots of photos, I like to make one page all photos and the other page with fewer photos, on this page, one 5×7 print. I used my wallet-sized photo template for these prints.

Supplies: Yes Please, Details, Simplify (85628) – Thickers, Kitten, Parfait (53449) – Thickers, Wish, Robin’s Egg (53457) – Yes Please, Remarks, Noteworthy (42367) – Lucky Charm, Dream Catcher (35980) – Lucky Charm, Float Away (35965) – Yes Please, Remarks, Organize (42364) – Yes Please, Roller Stamp (59175)

BLINDED WITH SCIENCE by Jennifer Larson

When I put a lot of photos on a layout, 12 here, I find that I don’t need a lot of embellishments, especially when the background is so colorful and striking like it is with these papers. The Lucky Charm paper Doting Dots was perfect for journaling; I trimmed them and tucked them behind the circles photo mat, the perfect final touch!

Supplies: My Girl, Tender Tessa (35912) – Charming Caroline (35907) – Yes Please, Consistent (35931) – Lucky Charm, Starlight (35645) – Lucky Charm, Wishing Well (35961) – Lucky Charm, Doting Dots (35964) – Thickers, Kitten, Parfait (53449) – Thickers, Wish, Robin’s Egg (53457)

ALL THE BOOKS by Jennifer Larson

This was another photo template page – a 5×7 photo with 6 photos. I cut it apart and tilted the photos to fit the whimsy of the colors and products on the page.

Supplies: My Girl, Silly Sarah (35915) – Dear Lizzy, Doting Dots (35964) – My Girl, Beautiful Bella (35908) – Yes Please, Noteworthy Remarks (42367) – Lucky Charm, Clips (85662) – My Girl, Sweet Sadie (42241) – Thickers, Wish, Robin’s Egg (53457)

Thanks for all of your amazing work Jennifer – we love them all!

This isn?t really the ethos of ?Make.? Someone else manufactured the rings and the roses ? and this person gets the cred for gluing the two pieces together? What?s next, buying a brooch and putting it on a sweater is ?making a decorated sweater?? Can?t you do better in the wake of Maker Faire?

Man, it sometimes seems like sewing projects are tailored only to women. What about the boys? After all, according to the U.S. census roughly 50% of the population is made up of men, so there?s really no need to exclude them from sewing adventures.

I?ve rounded up some sewing projects with men in mind. Make these as a gift to yourself, for dad, or for a boyfriend. Whatever excuse you need in order to sew one of these patterns is fine. What with Father?s Day, graduation parties, and birthdays coming up, chances are you don?t need to dig too deep for a reason to try out these awesome patterns.

I?ll start us out with a staple for many men: boxers. A fundamental part of a man?s daily life, the boxer has also made its way into women?s pajama collections because of their extreme comfiness. (Ergo, if you?re a lady reading this who has no one to gift these to, just make them for yourself.) Getting down to brass tacks though, these Boxer Shorts a serious money saver. If you?re looking to penny pinch then making your own boxers is one way you can. Have you seen prices for men?s boxers lately? They?re out of control. These shorts will keep you and your wallet happy.

I decided to go straight to the source to find another boxer pattern and found these instructions on How to Sew a Pair of Boxer Shorts from Man Made. Now you have two options for this totally necessary piece of clothing.

Moving on to more masculine accessories is, you guessed it, this Men?s Wallet. It doesn?t get more manly than this, does it? Learn how to sew a wallet from these simple instructions. This is a great project because, again, it?s a money saver. Even basic wallets can rank around 100 clams at the department store. Dropping that much dough on something that sits in a pocket all day is malarkey. Sew a wallet that appeals to your tastes with this easy project.

It?s time to add some dignity to the coffee cozy. If you?re going to make one, make it look manly. After all, your coffee cozy is your fierce protector braving the scalding hot temperatures of your morning Joe. Give it the look it deserves by crafting this Manly Coffee Cozy. You won?t find butterflies or flowers in this pattern. Consider gifting this to dad this Father?s Day. It?s a simple sewing project and will make dad feel tough as nails when he steps outside with his new-found sidekick, the coffee cozy.

I saved the toughest for last. The Club Jacket is oh, so beautiful, yet requires careful attention while sewing. This is an advanced sewing project, friends. Don?t be deterred from making it, though! The instructions for this pattern are very accessible. I?d certainly say that stepping up your sewing game is worth a fitted jacket that looks as good as this one. You or your loved one shouldn?t be contained to small, medium, and large sizes only. Create a fit that is customized for you or a lucky man by sewing it up with this project.

Remember, Father?s Day is coming up. If you?re looking for more manly designs, find them here.

Share and Enjoy

This project is brought to you by Latrice Murphy from Any Occasion.

I have been waiting for spring for a long time here in Illinois and it?s finally arrived. This has gotten me in the mood to create projects with flowers, so naturally I thought some floral cards would be great to have on hand in order to brightened someone?s day.  First off, I have to tell you that these were extremely easy to create using my Silhouette Die Cutting Machine on the Print and Cut setting. I tried a few techniques to make them more customized and dimensional.

Materials:

• Silhouette Die Cutting Machine (Or you can print an image and hand-cut it out)
• Various Distress Inks
• Various stamps
• Glossy Accents
• 3-D adhesive
• Sewing machine (optional)

Hugs Card:

I did some background stamping and inked the edges to created a bold background for these orange flowers. I layered two of the cuts for dimension. I also added glittered gems to the flower centers.

Warm Thoughts Card:

This got put on a pre-made dotted card base with bold yellow cardstock. I stitched that on after inking the edges. I then added my sentiment on a banner with a little washi tape. The rose got some dimension with a second flower being place on top. I finished the smaller flowers off with glossy accents and glitter.

Miss You Card:

This large set of three roses made for a fun card with simple misting and a doily in the background. I added some twine behind it for more texture and the sentiment banner hangs from the side. One rose was finished with glossy accents.

Delightful Card:

The last card was created with my favorite image. The detail on the cut was amazing, thorns and all. I stamped the back with dots and inked the edges. The flower I layered with a double flower and added a touch of glitter on it. The sentiment was stamped on the bottom in orange and again with the black outline.

I will be making lots of sets of these cards for gifts ? they were that fun to make!

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Adding one simple detail to your next party can really make it stand out!  We love this idea of adding a personal touch to your party napkins.  Not only do they look amazing, but they were so easy to make! Your friends will all want to know where you got them!

Here’s what you’ll need:  Evolution Universal Craft Tool, Genius Ultimate Platform System, Lattice GooseBumpz Embossing Folder and some napkins.

Place your napkin inside the embossing folder. Line up the edge of the napkin with the the edge of your embossing folder.

Place napkin & embossing folder on your Genius Platform and cover with Mat B. Roll through your Evolution tool.

Pull them out and you are done! We LOVE super simple projects like this!  

Will you use this idea at your next party?

Adding one simple detail to your next party can really make it stand out!  We love this idea of adding a personal touch to your party napkins.  Not only do they look amazing, but they were so easy to make! Your friends will all want to know where you got them!

Here’s what you’ll need:  Evolution Universal Craft Tool, Genius Ultimate Platform System, Lattice GooseBumpz Embossing Folder and some napkins.

Place your napkin inside the embossing folder. Line up the edge of the napkin with the the edge of your embossing folder.

Place napkin & embossing folder on your Genius Platform and cover with Mat B. Roll through your Evolution tool.

Pull them out and you are done! We LOVE super simple projects like this!  

Will you use this idea at your next party?

We’re heading to NYC for The National Stationary Show! We’ll be walking the floor to soak in all the amazing products and designs. Any of our friends going? If you are displaying, leave your booth # in the comments…we’d love to pop by and say hello!